Hinge device

Abstract

To provide a hinge device with a simple configuration and excellent durability while maintaining a state where a cover is closed by a rotation urging force onto the cover when the cover is closed, and maintaining a holding force at other angles to prevent the cover from moving even when a touch input is performed on a display part of cover.SOLUTION: A notch 35 is formed on a C-shaped shaft receiving part 32 along an entire length in an axial direction. As shown in Fig. 5(c), a diameter D of a needle-shaped camshaft 4 is formed larger than a width W of the notch 35. The needle-shaped camshaft 4 is held between an inner peripheral surface 321 of the shaft receiving part 32 and an outer peripheral surface of the shaft part 22 with the notch 35 therebetween. Therefore, when a second housing 102 is opened and closed with respect to a first housing 101, the needle-shaped camshaft 4 slides along the outer peripheral surface of the shaft part 22 along with the shaft receiving part 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hinge device for electronic devices, and more particularly to a hinge device used in foldable electronic devices such as personal computers, portable information terminals, electronic notebooks, portable game machines, and mobile phones. [Background technology]

[0002] In mobile computers such as notebook computers, a housing, which is a cover equipped with a liquid crystal display, etc., is attached to a housing of a main body equipped with a CPU, a magnetic disk, a memory, a keyboard, etc. so as to be freely opened and closed. In such foldable electronic devices, the hinge device attached to the connection between the main body and the cover is often equipped with a "free stop mechanism" that can hold the open angle of the cover at any angle. In addition, when opening and closing the cover by hand, the torque required for opening and closing often differs depending on the open angle of the cover. From the viewpoint of user convenience, it is preferable that the cover maintains a holding force so that the display part of the cover does not move even when touch input is made at an angle of around 90 degrees, and maintains a holding force so that the cover and the housing of the main body do not move even when the cover is opened at an angle of 180 degrees.

[0003] In the hinge device of Patent Document 1, a small diameter portion 7 (flat portion) with a small cross-sectional diameter is formed on the pivot shaft 4 connected to the computer main body 1, and the bearing portion 6 connected to the opening / closing cover 2 is formed by curling a metal plate material to have a C-shaped cross section, so that a relative rotation resistance force is generated by the fastening force of the bearing portion 6 against the pivot shaft 4. In addition, the relative rotation resistance force between the pivot shaft 4 and the bearing portion 6 is made to act constantly from the position where the opening / closing cover 2 is fully open to the position just before closing, thereby preventing the opening / closing cover 2 from suddenly closing. Furthermore, from the position just before closing to the completely closed state, the end portion 6a of the bearing portion 6 falls into the small diameter portion 7, and the fastening force of the bearing portion 6 against the pivot shaft 4 decreases, so that when the closed opening / closing cover 2 is opened, the computer main body 1 does not rise together with the opening / closing cover 2. In addition, the end 6a of the bearing 6 drops into the small diameter portion 7 of the pivot shaft 4 and presses against the small diameter portion 7, generating a rotational biasing force between the pivot shaft 4 and the bearing 6, which can be used as a force that tries to keep the opening / closing cover 2 closed. However, in the hinge device of Patent Document 1, the corner of the end 6a comes into frictional contact with the small diameter portion 7, which creates a large frictional resistance and makes the corner of the end 6a susceptible to wear, resulting in a problem with durability.

[0004] In the conventional hinge device shown in FIG. 3 of Patent Document 2, a collar 2 is attached to a first bracket 1 that is screwed to a first case. A rotor 5 is attached to a second bracket 4 that is screwed to a second case. The rotor 5 is rotatably arranged in the collar 2 with metal pins 6, 6 arranged in a pair of semicircular grooves 5a, 5a provided opposite to each other on the outer circumferential surface, and the metal pins 6, 6 arranged in a pair of semicircular grooves 2b, 2b provided on the inner surface of the collar 2. In the initial state in which the first bracket 1 and the second bracket 4 rotate relatively, the rotor 5 rotates so that the metal pins 6, 6 come out of the semicircular grooves 5a, 5a of the rotor 5, so that the rotation torque becomes very large. When the first bracket 1 and the second bracket 4 further rotate relatively to open 180°, the semicircular grooves 5a, 5a of the rotor 5 reach the metal pins 6, 6 again and the metal pins 6, 6 fall into the semicircular grooves 5a, 5a of the rotor 5, so that the rotation torque becomes small. Thus, in the hinge mechanism of Patent Document 2, the rotational torque changes between when the metal pins 6, 6 come out of the semicircular grooves 5a, 5a of the roller 5 and when the metal pins 6, 6 reach the semicircular grooves 5a, 5a of the roller 5, so that this change in rotational torque makes it possible to know by touch whether the first case and the second case are in a closed state or in a 180° open state. However, the hinge device of Patent Document 2 requires a pair each of the metal pins 6, 6, the semicircular grooves 5a, 5a of the rotor 5, and the semicircular grooves 2b, 2b of the collar 2, resulting in a complex structure and increased manufacturing costs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-327733 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 6-58231 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention has been made against the above background and achieves the following objectives: The objective of the present invention is to provide a hinge device that generates a rotational biasing force on the cover to hold the cover in the closed state when the cover is in the closed state, and maintains a holding force so that the display section of the cover does not move even if a touch input is made at any other angle, and has a simple structure and good durability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following measures. That is, the hinge device of the present invention 1 includes a housing that is composed of a first housing and a second housing and that opens and closes relative to each other, a first bracket that is fixed to the first housing, and a second bracket that is fixed to the second housing; A shaft portion that is integrally formed with either the first bracket or the second bracket, has a circular cross-sectional shape, and a part of the circle is a straight line portion at one or more locations; The camshaft is characterized in that it comprises a bearing portion which is integrally formed with either the first bracket or the second bracket, with which the shaft portion is rotatably fitted by an interference fit, and which has a C-shaped cross section, and a needle-shaped camshaft which is inserted between the inner surface of the bearing portion and the outer surface of the shaft portion and which has a circular cross section.

[0008] The hinge device of present invention 2 is characterized in that in present invention 1, the needle cam shaft is located on a flat surface of the shaft portion when the opening angle between the first housing and the second housing is at 0 degrees, and the distance from the center of rotation of the shaft portion is minimum. The hinge device of Invention 3 is characterized in that, in Invention 1 or 2, a slit is formed over the entire axial length of the bearing portion, and the needle camshaft is held between the inner surface of the bearing portion and the outer surface of the shaft portion on either side of the slit.

[0009] The hinge device of the fourth aspect of the present invention is the third aspect of the present invention, characterized in that the diameter of the needle camshaft is formed larger than the width of the slit. The hinge device of Invention 5 is Invention 4, wherein the diameter of the needle camshaft is changed to change the fastening force of the bearing portion against the shaft portion, thereby making it possible to adjust the relative rotational resistance force between the shaft portion and the bearing portion. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The hinge device of the present invention can hold the first housing in a closed state when the first housing is slightly open relative to the second housing, and can maintain a predetermined holding force so that the first housing does not move relative to the second housing at any other opening angle. In addition, the structure is simple, and the durability of the sliding part can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a notebook computer equipped with a hinge device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an overall exploded perspective view showing the hinge device according to the embodiment of the present invention, as viewed obliquely from above to the right. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view of the hinge device according to the embodiment of the present invention in an assembled state, as viewed obliquely from above right. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a state in which the hinge device according to the embodiment of the present invention is assembled, where (a) is a plan view and FIG. 4(b) is a view seen in the direction of an arrow P in FIG. 4(a). [Diagram 5] 5(a) is a view seen from the arrow Q in FIG. 4(b), FIG. 5(b) is a view seen from the arrow R in FIG. 4(b), and FIG. 5(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 4(b). [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows a hinge device showing a state in which a first housing is closed relative to a second housing, where Figure 6(a) is an overall oblique view, Figure 6(b) is a view taken along the S arrow in Figure 6(a), and Figure 6(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the B-B line in Figure 6(b). [Figure 7]FIG. 7 shows a hinge device in a state where the first housing is slightly opened relative to the second housing, with the needle camshaft positioned at the end of the flat portion of the shaft portion, where FIG. 7(a) is an overall perspective view, FIG. 7(b) is a view taken along the T arrow in FIG. 7(a), and FIG. 7(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along CC in FIG. 7(b). [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows the hinge device in a state where the first housing is further opened relative to the second housing, with the needle camshaft positioned in the cylindrical portion of the shaft, Figure 8(a) being an overall perspective view, Figure 8(b) being a view taken along the U arrow in Figure 8(a), and Figure 8(c) being a DD cross-sectional view of Figure 8(b). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a notebook computer 100 equipped with a hinge device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the notebook computer 100 equipped with the hinge device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a display housing (second housing) 102 provided with a display unit 103 and a main body housing (first housing) 101 provided with a keyboard unit 104, and the left and right ends of each of the rear parts of the display housing (second housing) 102 and main body housing (first housing) 101 are connected by the hinge devices 1, 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention so as to be openable and closable.

[0013] Next, the hinge devices 1, 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The structures of the hinge devices 1, 1 are the same, so only one of the hinge devices 1 will be described, and the description of the other hinge device 1 will be omitted. FIG. 2 shows the hinge device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as an overall exploded perspective view seen from diagonally above right. FIG. 3 shows the hinge device 1 in an assembled state, as an overall perspective view seen from diagonally above right. FIG. 4 shows the hinge device 1 in an assembled state, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a view seen from an arrow P in (a). FIG. 5(a) is a view seen from an arrow Q in FIG. 4(b), FIG. 5(b) is a view seen from an arrow R in FIG. 4(b), and FIG. 5(c) is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4(b). As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, the hinge device 1 according to the present invention is composed of a second bracket 2 fixed to a second housing 102 and a first bracket 3 fixed to a first housing 101. 2 to 5 show a state in which second housing 102 is completely closed relative to first housing 101. FIG.

[0014] The flat plate portion 21 formed on the right side of the second bracket 2 is fixed to the second housing 102 with two screws 211, and the flat plate portion 31 of the first bracket 3 is fixed to the first housing 101 with two screws 311. On the left side of the second bracket 2, a shaft portion 22 having a D-shaped cross section is integrally formed, and a large-diameter flange 23 having a larger diameter than the shaft portion 22 and a disk-like shape is formed at the joint between the shaft portion 22 and the flat plate portion 21. In addition, a small-diameter flange 24 having a slightly smaller diameter than the large-diameter flange 23 and a disk-like shape is formed at the left end of the shaft portion 22. A flat portion 25 and a cylindrical portion 26 are formed on the shaft portion 22 over the entire length in the axial direction. A bearing portion 32 having a C-shaped cross section is formed on the first bracket 3, and the shaft portion 22 is rotatably fitted into the inner peripheral surface 321 of the bearing portion 32 by press-fitting. A needle camshaft 4 having a circular cross section is held between an inner peripheral surface 321 of the bearing portion 32 and an outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 22. The large diameter flange 23 of the shaft portion 22 abuts against a right side surface 322 of the bearing portion 32, and a retaining ring 34 is attached between a left side surface 323 of the bearing portion 32 and a small diameter flange 24 of the shaft portion 22, so that the shaft portion 22 is fixed to the bearing portion 32 so as not to move in the axial direction. The entire length of the needle camshaft 4 in the axial direction is shorter than the entire length of the shaft portion 22 in the axial direction by the thickness of the retaining ring 34. As a result, the first bracket 3 is rotatably supported by the shaft portion 22, and the second housing 102 is rotatably supported by the first housing 101.

[0015] As shown in Figures 2, 3, and 5(c), a slit 35 is formed in the C-shaped bearing portion 32 over its entire axial length. As shown in Figure 5(c), the diameter D of the needle camshaft 4 is formed to be larger than the width W of the slit 35. The needle camshaft 4 is held between the inner peripheral surface 321 of the bearing portion 32 and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 22, with the slit 35 sandwiched therebetween. Therefore, when the second housing 102 opens and closes with respect to the first housing 101, the needle camshaft 4 slides along the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 22 together with the bearing portion 32.

[0016] 6 shows the hinge device 1 in a state where the second housing 102 is closed relative to the first housing 101, where (a) is an overall perspective view, (b) is a view taken along the line S in (a), and (c) is a cross-sectional view along the line BB in (b). As shown in FIG. 6(c), in a state where the second housing 102 is closed relative to the first housing 101, the needle camshaft 4 is located in the center of the flat surface portion 25 of the shaft portion 22. Therefore, the distance of the needle camshaft 4 from the center of rotation of the shaft portion 22 is minimized, and the tightening force of the bearing portion 32 relative to the shaft portion 22 is minimized, so that a force acts to hold the second housing 102 in a closed state relative to the first housing 101.

[0017] 7 shows the hinge device 1 in a state where the second housing 102 is slightly opened relative to the first housing 101, and shows a state where the needle camshaft 4 is located at the end of the flat portion 25 of the shaft portion 22, (a) being an overall perspective view, (b) being a view seen from the arrow T in (a), and (c) being a CC sectional view of (b). As shown in Fig. 7(c), in a state where the second housing 102 is slightly opened relative to the first housing 101, a rotational biasing force is generated between the shaft portion 22 and the bearing portion 32, and the second housing 102 can be held in a closed state.

[0018] FIG. 8 shows the hinge device 1 in a state where the second housing 102 is further opened with respect to the first housing 101, and shows a state where the needle camshaft 4 is located in the cylindrical portion 26 of the shaft portion 22, (a) is an overall perspective view, (b) is a view seen from the U arrow of (a), and (c) is a DD cross-sectional view of (b). As shown in FIG. 8(c), when the second housing 102 is further opened with respect to the first housing 101, the needle camshaft 4 is at a maximum distance from the center of rotation of the shaft portion 22, so that the clamping force of the bearing portion 32 against the shaft portion 22 is maximized, and it is possible to hold the second housing 102 so that it does not move even if a touch input is made to the display portion 103 of the second housing 102. In the hinge device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately adjust the relative rotation resistance force between the shaft portion 22 and the bearing portion 32 by changing the diameter of the needle camshaft 4. In addition, by using a material with high hardness for the needle camshaft 4, it is easy to improve the durability of the sliding portion.

[0019] [Other embodiments] The above-mentioned shaft portion 22 is generally circular in cross section, with one portion of the circle being a D-shape of a straight portion (flat portion 25). However, for example, when it is desired to set the display housing (second housing) 102 at a set angular position, the flat portion 25 may be set at a plurality of desired locations. In this case, the straight portion (flat portion 25) is provided at a plurality of locations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0020] 100…Laptop 101...Main body housing (first housing) 102...display housing (second housing) 103…Display section 104…Keyboard section 1... Hinge device 2…Second bracket 21...Flat plate part 211...bis 22…Shaft 23...Large diameter flange 24...Small diameter flange 25...Plane part 26…Cylindrical section 3…First bracket 31...Flat plate part 311...bis 32...Bearing part 321…Inner peripheral surface 322…Right side 323…Left side 34…Retaining ring 35...Cut 4...Needle camshaft

Claims

1. A housing that is composed of a first housing and a second housing and that opens and closes relative to each other; a first bracket fixed to the first housing; a second bracket fixed to the second housing; a shaft portion that is integrally formed with either the first bracket or the second bracket, has a circular cross-sectional shape, and a part of the circle is a straight line portion at one or more locations; a bearing portion that is integrally formed with either the first bracket or the second bracket, into which the shaft portion is rotatably fitted by interference fit, and has a C-shaped cross section; a needle-shaped cam shaft having a circular cross section, which is inserted between the inner peripheral surface of the bearing portion and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion; A hinge device comprising:

2. The hinge device according to claim 1 , When the opening angle between the first housing and the second housing is 0 degrees, the needle camshaft is located on a flat surface of the shaft portion and is at a minimum distance from the center of rotation of the shaft portion.

1. A hinge device comprising:

3. The hinge device according to claim 1 or 2, A slit is formed over the entire axial length of the bearing portion, The needle camshaft is held between the inner peripheral surface of the bearing portion and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion, the inner peripheral surface being sandwiched between the cuts.

1. A hinge device comprising:

4. The hinge device according to claim 3, The diameter of the needle camshaft is larger than the width of the slit.

1. A hinge device comprising:

5. The hinge device according to claim 4, By changing the diameter of the needle camshaft, the fastening force of the bearing portion against the shaft portion can be changed, and the relative rotation resistance force between the shaft portion and the bearing portion can be adjusted.

1. A hinge device comprising:

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