Pivot module and electronic device

Abstract

A pivot module includes a main shaft, a base, at least one gear, and a cam. The main shaft is movably connected to the base. The gear is connected to the main shaft. The cam is driven by the gear and includes a connecting portion and a protrusion. When the main shaft rotates relative to the base about a rotation axis, the gear drives the cam to abut against the base, causing the main shaft to move relative to the base along a movement axis. The rotation axis is different from the movement axis. An electronic device is also mentioned.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pivot module and an electronic device including the pivot module. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Modern electronic devices (e.g., notebook computers) may include two bodies and a pivot module connecting the two bodies. The two bodies can rotate relative to each other via the pivot module. When one of the bodies has a special structure, the rotation between the two bodies is restricted by this structure and cannot move freely, which is detrimental to the use of the electronic device. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] The present invention provides a pivot module and electronic device that are easy to use.

[0004] The pivot module of the present invention includes a main shaft, a base, at least one gear, and a cam. The main shaft is movably connected to the base. The gear is connected to the main shaft. The cam is driven by the gear and includes a connecting portion and a protrusion. When the main shaft rotates relative to the base about a rotation axis, the gear drives the cam to abut against the base, causing the main shaft to move relative to the base along a movement axis. The rotation axis is different from the movement axis.

[0005] The electronic device of the present invention includes a first body, a second body, and at least one pivot module. The second body is movably connected to the first body via the pivot module. The pivot module includes a main shaft, a base, at least one gear, and a cam. The main shaft is connected to the second body and movably connected to the base. The base is connected to the first body. The gear is connected to the main shaft. The cam is driven by the gear and includes a connected connecting portion and a protrusion. When the main shaft rotates relative to the base about a rotation axis, the gear drives the cam to abut against the base, causing the main shaft to move relative to the base along a movement axis. The rotation axis is different from the movement axis.

[0006] Based on the above, the electronic device and pivot module of the present invention can drive the gear to rotate through the rotation of the main shaft, thereby driving the cam to rotate. The cam includes a connecting portion and a protruding portion. When the main shaft rotates relative to the base about the rotation axis, the rotation of the cam causes the connecting portion or the protruding portion to abut against the base, causing the main shaft to move relative to the base along the movement axis. In this way, the main shaft can drive the second body to move relative to the first body along the movement axis, thereby avoiding the structure on the first body. The second body can rotate smoothly relative to the first body, thereby improving the ease of use of the electronic device.

Implementation Method

[0008] FIG1A is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG1B is another schematic diagram of the electronic device of FIG1A. FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the pivot module of FIG1B. FIG3 is an exploded view of the pivot module of FIG2. FIG4 is a side view of the electronic device of FIG1B. Referring simultaneously to FIG1A to FIG4, the electronic device 100 includes a first body 110, a second body 120, and at least one pivot module 200. The second body 120 is movably connected to the first body 110 through the pivot module 200. The pivot module 200 includes a main shaft 210, a base 220, at least one gear, and a cam 240. The main shaft 210 is connected to one end of the second body 120 and movably connected to the base 220. The base 220 is connected to the first body 110. The gear is connected to the main shaft 210. The cam 240 is coupled to the gear and includes a connecting portion 241 and a protrusion 242. The electronic device 100 in this embodiment is, for example, a notebook computer, and the number of pivot modules 200 is two, but not limited thereto. The number of gears 230a and 230b is two, but not limited thereto.

[0009] When the second body 120 rotates relative to the first body 110, causing the main shaft 210 to rotate relative to the base 220 about a rotation axis L1, the gears 230a and 230b rotate, causing the connecting portion 241 or protrusion 242 of the cam 240 to abut against the base 220, thereby moving the main shaft 210 relative to the base 220 along a movement axis L2. In this way, the electronic device 100 can switch between a first state M1 (FIG. 4) and a second state M2, M2' (FIG. 5 and 6B). The rotation axis L1 is different from the movement axis L2. For example, the rotation axis L1 is perpendicular to the movement axis L2. In this way, the end 121 (main shaft 210) of the second body 120 can rotate relative to the first body 110 (base 220) about the rotation axis L1 and slide along the movement axis L2, thereby avoiding the rotation restriction between the first body 110 and the second body 120 due to the structure, thus improving the ease of use of the electronic device 100.

[0010] As shown in Figures 1A and 1B, the first body 110 includes a protrusion 112 located at one end 111 of the first body 110. The protrusion 112 includes a recessed area 113, making the protrusion 112 U-shaped. The end 121 of the second body 120 extends into the recessed area 113. The end 121 may have a gap G with a slope S1 of the recessed area 113, but is not limited thereto. The pivot module 200 is connected to the end 111 of the first body 110 and the end 121 of the second body 120.

[0011] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the base 220 is connected to the end 111 of the first body 110. The base 220 includes three connected components 221a, 221b, and 221c. Components 221a and 221b are connected to the first body 110 and located on both sides of the gears 230a and 230b. Component 221c is located between and connected to component 221a. The base 220 includes a slot 222. In this embodiment, there are two slots 222, which are located on the two components 221a and 221b respectively and extend along the moving axis L2. The main shaft 210 passes through the two slots 222. The slot 222 includes a first end 223 and a second end 224 opposite to each other. When the electronic device 100 switches between the first state M1 and the second state M2, the main shaft 210 can be located at the first end 223 or the second end 224. The distance between the first end 223 of the slot 222 and the component 221c is less than the distance between the second end 224 and the component 221c.

[0012] The pivot module 200 further includes a gear seat 260, on which gears 230a and 230b are disposed. The two gears 230a and 230b mesh with each other, and gear 230a is connected to the main shaft 210 along the rotation axis L1. The rotation axis L1 is the central axis of the main shaft 210. The two gears 230a and 230b may have the same number of teeth, but are not limited thereto. In an embodiment not shown, the two gears 230a and 230b may have different numbers of teeth, so that the movement distance of the main shaft 210 on the movement axis L2 can be adjusted by the ratio of the number of teeth of the two gears 230a and 230b.

[0013] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, this embodiment has two cams 240, located outside the gear seat 260. A gear 230b is connected to the connecting portion 241 of the cams 240. A central shaft 231 of the gear 230b is parallel to the rotation axis L1 and connected to a rotation center 243 of the cam 240. The rotation center 243 is located at the connecting portion 241, and the geometric center of the cam 240 is offset from the rotation center 243. The cam 240 abuts against a contact surface 225 of the base 220. A distance D2 between the rotation center 243 and the edge of the protrusion 242 is greater than a distance D1 between the rotation center 243 and the edge of the connecting portion 241.

[0014] The rotation center 243 of the cam 240 and multiple positions on the edge of the connecting portion 241 have the same distance D1, but are not limited thereto. The rotation center 243 and multiple positions on the edge of the protrusion 242 may have different distances. In this way, when the cam 240 is driven by the gears 230a and 230b to rotate relative to the base 220, the edge of the connecting portion 241 or the protrusion 242 of the cam 240 can abut against the contact surface 225 of the base 220, thereby driving the main shaft 210, gears 230a and 230b and gear seat 260 to move relative to the base 220, so that the rotation center 243 of the cam 240 and the contact surface 225 of the base 220 are spaced apart by a specific distance.

[0015] In an embodiment not shown, the rotation center 243 may have multiple different distances from multiple positions on the edge of the connecting portion 241. These distances between the rotation center 243 and these positions of the connecting portion 241 are all smaller than these distances between the rotation center 243 and these positions of the protrusion 242.

[0016] The pivot module 200 further includes an elastic element 250 and a rod 270. The rod 270 is connected to the component 221c of the base 220 and the gear seat 260. The elastic element 250 is sleeved on the rod 270 and located between the component 221c of the base 220 and the gear seat 260. The elastic element 250 is, for example, a spring, used to provide elastic force. The cam 240 constantly abuts against the base 220 through the elastic force of the elastic element 250. In addition, the pivot module 200 may further include a plate 280 and a torque assembly 290, the plate 280 and the torque assembly 290 being connected to opposite ends of the main shaft 210, and the plate 280 being connected to the end 121 of the second body 120.

[0017] Figures 1A to 4 show the electronic device 100 in the first state M1. As shown in Figure 4, in the first state M1, a display surface 123 of the second body 120 faces the first body 110. The second body 120 is closed to the first body 110. A body surface S3 of the second body 120 opposite to the display surface 123 is parallel to a top surface S2 of the protrusion 112 of the first body 110. There is a gap G between the end 121 of the second body 120 and the inclined surface S1 of the first body 110. The end 244 of the protrusion 242 of the cam 240 abuts against the abutment surface 225 of the base 220, so that the main shaft 210 is located at the first end 223 of the slot 222 of the base 220. The elastic member 250 deforms to accumulate elastic force.

[0018] Figure 5 is a side view of the electronic device in Figure 4 after rotation. Referring to Figure 5, when the electronic device 100 is to be switched from the first state M1 to the second state M2, the second body 120 can be rotated relative to the first body 110 under force. The rotation of the second body 120 drives the main shaft 210 to rotate, which in turn drives the gears 230a, 230b and the cam 240 to rotate. At this time, the cam 240 rotates counterclockwise to the position in Figure 5, so that the connecting part 241 of the cam 240 abuts against the base 220. A position B1 on the edge of the connecting part 241 abuts against the abutting surface 225 of the base 220. Since the distance D1 between the rotation center 243 of cam 240 and position B1 is less than the distance D2 between the rotation center 243 and end point 244 (Figure 4), when cam 240 rotates, it drives gears 230a, 230b, gear seat 260 and main shaft 210 to move relative to base 220 to the position shown in Figure 5, and electronic device 100 switches to the second state M2. During the opening process of the second body 120, the elastic force of elastic member 250 can also be used to assist the operation of the second body 120, thereby achieving a labor-saving effect.

[0019] In the second state M2, the position B1 of the connecting portion 241 of the cam 240 abuts against the contact surface 225 of the base 220, causing the main shaft 210 to be located at the second end 224. Here, the end 121 of the second body 120 connected to the main shaft 210 can move along the moving axis L2 away from the end 111 of the first body 110 to avoid the structure of the first body 110. The display surface 123 of the second body 120 faces outwards. At this time, the opening angle of the second body 120 relative to the first body 110 is, for example, 90 degrees, but is not limited to this.

[0020] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of the electronic device in Figure 5 after rotation. Figure 6B is a side view of the electronic device in Figure 6A. Referring to Figures 6A and 6B, the second body 120 in Figure 5 can be further subjected to force and rotate relative to the first body 110 to the position in Figure 6A. During the rotation of the second body 120, the cam 240 is driven to rotate relative to the base 220, and another position B2 on the edge of the connecting part 241 abuts against the base 220. Since the rotation center 243 of the cam 240 is equal to the distance D1 between the two positions B1 and B2 of the connecting part 241, during the rotation of the cam 240 from the position in Figure 5 to the position in Figure 6B, the rotation center 243 remains stationary, and the main shaft 210 remains located at the second end 224 of the slot 222, and the electronic device 100 is in the second state M2'.

[0021] In other words, when the connecting portion 241 of the cam 240 abuts against the base 220, the main shaft 210 remains stationary at the second end 224 regardless of how the cam 240 (second body 120) rotates. Here, the opening angle of the second body 120 relative to the first body 110 is, for example, 135 degrees, but is not limited thereto. The second body 120 may contact the inclined surface S1 of the protrusion 112 of the first body 110 to limit the opening angle of the second body 120, but is not limited thereto.

[0022] When the electronic device 100 is to switch from the second state M2, M2' to the first state M1, the second body 120 can be rotated towards the first body 110 by force, thereby driving the gears 230a, 230b to rotate the cam 240. During the rotation of the cam 240, the change in distance between the rotation center 243 of the cam 240 and the edges of the connecting portion 241 and the protrusion 242 causes the end 121 of the second body 120 to move closer to the end 111 of the first body 110, thereby positioning the main shaft 210 at the first end 223 of the slot 222. The electronic device 100 switches to the first state M1.

[0023] The number of gears 230a and 230b and the arrangement of the cam 240 are not limited to this embodiment. In an embodiment not shown, the number of gears may be one, and the connecting portion 241 of the cam 240 is connected to the main shaft 210. In an embodiment not shown, the number of gears may be more than two, and these gears mesh with each other, with one gear connected to the main shaft 210 and the gear away from the main shaft 210 connected to the cam 240. This allows the cam 240 to be closer to the abutment surface 225 of the base 220, thereby reducing the size of the cam 240.

[0024] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a pivot module of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG8 is a side view of the electronic device of FIG7. FIG9 is a side view of the second body of FIG8 after rotation. FIG10 is a side view of the second body of FIG9 after rotation. Referring simultaneously to FIG4, FIG7 to FIG10, the electronic device 100a of this embodiment is similar to the aforementioned embodiment, except that the distance between the first end 223 of the slot 222 and the component 221c of the base 220 is greater than the distance between the second end 224 and the component 221c. The protrusion 242a of the cam 240a includes an arc-shaped edge 245. The rotation center 243 of the cam 240a and multiple positions on the arc-shaped edge 245 have the same distances D3 and D4, respectively.

[0025] Figure 8 shows the electronic device 100a in the first state M1. In the first state M1, the connecting portion 241a of the cam 240a abuts against the base 220, causing the main shaft 210 to be located at the first end 223 of the slot 222. Figure 9 shows the electronic device 100a in the second state M2. During the transition of the electronic device 100a to the second state M2, the cam 240a rotates, causing the protrusion 242a to abut against the base 220, thereby moving the gear seat 260, gears 230a, 230b, and main shaft 210 closer to the component 221c of the base 220 along the moving axis L2. In the second state M2, the position B3 of the arcuate edge 245 of the protrusion 242a abuts against the base 220, causing the main shaft 210 to be located at the second end 224. The elastic member 250 deforms and accumulates elastic force.

[0026] Figure 10 shows the electronic device 100a in the second state M2'. During the process of switching the electronic device 100a from the second state M2 to the second state M2', since the distances D3 and D4 between the rotation center 243 of the cam 240a and the various positions of the arc-shaped edge 245 are the same, when the cam 240a switches between the positions in Figures 9 and 10, the rotation center 243 of the cam 240a does not move, and the main shaft 210 remains located at the second end 224 of the slot 222. Therefore, the electronic device 100a of this embodiment has the same effect as the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be described again here.

[0027] In summary, the electronic device and pivot module of the present invention can drive the gear to rotate through the rotation of the main shaft, thereby driving the cam to rotate. The cam includes a connecting portion and a protruding portion. When the main shaft rotates relative to the base about the rotation axis, the rotation of the cam causes the connecting portion or the protruding portion to abut against the base, causing the main shaft to move relative to the base along the movement axis. In this way, the main shaft can drive the second body to move relative to the first body along the movement axis, thus avoiding structures on the first body. The second body can rotate smoothly relative to the first body, thereby improving the ease of use of the electronic device. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0007] FIG1A is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG1B is another schematic diagram of the electronic device of FIG1A. FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the pivot module of FIG1B. FIG3 is an exploded view of the pivot module of FIG2. FIG4 is a side view of the electronic device of FIG1B. FIG5 is a side view of the electronic device of FIG4 after rotation. FIG6A is a schematic diagram of the electronic device of FIG5 after rotation. FIG6B is a side view of the electronic device of FIG6A. FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the pivot module of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG8 is a side view of the electronic device of FIG7. FIG9 is a side view of the second body of FIG8 after rotation. FIG10 is a side view of the second body of FIG9 after rotation.

Claims

1. A pivot module, comprising: One main shaft; A base to which the main shaft is movably connected; At least one gear is connected to the main shaft; The main shaft is coupled to the at least one gear and includes a connecting portion and a protrusion. When the main shaft rotates relative to the base about a rotation axis, the at least one gear drives the cam to abut against the base, causing the main shaft to move relative to the base along a moving axis. The rotation axis is different from the moving axis. The base includes a slot, and the main shaft passes through the slot. The slot includes a first end and a second end opposite to each other. When one end of the protrusion and one of the connecting portions abut against the base, the main shaft is located at the first end. When the other end of the protrusion and the other of the connecting portions abut against the base, the main shaft is located at the second end.

2. The pivot module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of the at least one gear is one, and the connecting part is connected to the main shaft.

3. The pivot module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one gear comprises two gears that mesh with each other, one of the two gears being connected to the main shaft and the other of the two gears being connected to the connecting portion.

4. The pivot module as claimed in claim 1 further includes an elastic element and a gear seat, the at least one gear being disposed on the gear seat, and the elastic element being located between the base and the gear seat.

5. The pivot module as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the end of the protrusion abuts against the base, the main shaft is located at the first end, and when the connecting portion abuts against the base, the main shaft is located at the second end.

6. The pivot module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distance between a rotation center of the cam and the edge of the protrusion is greater than the distance between the rotation center and the edge of the connection.

7. The pivot module as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the connecting portion abuts against the base, the main shaft is located at the first end, and when the protrusion abuts against the base, the main shaft is located at the second end.

8. The pivot module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protrusion includes an arcuate edge, and the cam includes a center of rotation, the distance between the center of rotation and the arcuate edge being greater than the distance between the center of rotation and the edge of the connection.

9. The pivot module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotation axis is perpendicular to the movement axis.

10. An electronic device comprising: The first body; A second body; The second body is movably connected to the first body via at least one pivot module. Each of the at least one pivot module includes: a main shaft connected to the second body; a base connected to the first body, the main shaft being movably connected to the base; at least one gear connected to the main shaft; and a cam driven by the at least one gear and including a connecting portion and a protrusion. When the main shaft rotates relative to the base about a rotation axis, the at least one gear drives the cam to abut against the base, causing the main shaft to move relative to the base along a movement axis different from the movement axis. The base includes a slot, and the main shaft passes through the slot. The slot includes a first end and a second end opposite to each other. When one end of the protrusion and one of the connecting parts abut against the base, the main shaft is located at the first end. When the end of the protrusion and the other of the connecting parts abut against the base, the main shaft is located at the second end.

11. The electronic device as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least one gear is provided and the connecting portion is connected to the main shaft.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the at least one gear comprises two gears that mesh with each other, one of the two gears being connected to the main shaft and the other of the two gears being connected to the connecting portion.

13. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the pivot module further includes an elastic element and a gear seat, the at least one gear being disposed on the gear seat, and the elastic element being located between the base and the gear seat.

14. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein when the end of the protrusion abuts against the base, the spindle is located at the first end, and when the connecting portion abuts against the base, the spindle is located at the second end.

15. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the distance between a rotation center of the cam and the edge of the protrusion is greater than the distance between the rotation center and the edge of the connection.

16. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein when the connecting portion abuts against the base, the main shaft is located at the first end, and when the protrusion abuts against the base, the main shaft is located at the second end.

17. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the protrusion includes an arcuate edge, and the cam includes a center of rotation, the distance between the center of rotation and the arcuate edge being greater than the distance between the center of rotation and the edge of the connection.

18. The electronic device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the axis of rotation is perpendicular to the axis of movement.

19. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein when the electronic device is in a first state, the spindle is located at the first end, and when the electronic device is in a second state, the spindle is located at the second end.

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