Hinge device and electronic apparatus using the same

Abstract

To provide a hinge device capable of coping with slack and tension applied to a flexible display sheet when an electronic apparatus is folded or unfolded, and to provide the electronic apparatus using the hinge device.SOLUTION: A hinge device used in an electronic device in which a flexible display sheet is attached across both surfaces of a pair of housings, the hinge device openably and closably connecting the pair of housings, the hinge device comprising a base frame reaching both end portions in a width direction of the pair of housings, the base frame having a rotation slide mechanism, a rotation control mechanism, and a synchronous rotation mechanism installed on a pair of rotation shafts provided therein, the rotary slide mechanism is constituted of fixed cam members provided with curved guide projecting parts on the inner side of the fixed cam members respectively provided at a prescribed interval on the front part side and the rear part side on both end part sides of the base frame, and rotary cam members having curved guide recessed parts fitted to the respective fixed cam members and attached to side frames attached to the respective casings.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hinge device suitable for use in various electronic devices such as foldable notebook computers, electronic organizers, PDAs, netbooks, and even notebook computers and smartphones, which is formed by attaching a flexible display sheet, for example made of organic electroluminescence (EL), across both surfaces of a pair of housings, and to an electronic device using this hinge device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, electronic devices such as foldable notebook computers have been developed and are available in the market, each of which has a pair of housings and a single flexible organic electroluminescent (EL) display sheet attached across both surfaces. Patent Document 1 below describes a hinge device that smoothly transitions the housings of such electronic devices from a folded state to an unfolded state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-035904 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The hinge device of Patent Document 1 uses multiple hinge shafts to transition each housing of an electronic device from a folded state to an unfolded state. However, this conventionally known hinge device has a problem in that it cannot adequately accommodate slack or tension caused by the thickness of the flexible display sheet when each housing of the electronic device is folded or unfolded. Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a hinge device that can accommodate the slack and tension applied to a flexible display sheet when the electronic device is in a folded or unfolded state, and an electronic device that uses this hinge device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 of the present application is a hinge device used in an electronic device having a pair of housings with a flexible display sheet attached across both surfaces of the pair of housings, and connecting the pair of housings so that the pair can be opened and closed, the hinge device having a base frame that reaches both widthwise ends of the pair of housings, this base frame having a rotation slide mechanism, a rotation control mechanism, and a synchronous rotation mechanism installed on a pair of rotating shafts provided thereon, the rotation slide mechanism being provided at a predetermined distance on the front and rear sides of both end sides of the base frame, fixed cam members having curved guide convex portions on the inside of the positions where the rotation slide mechanisms are provided at a predetermined distance on each of the front and rear sides of the end sides of the base frame, and rotating cam members having curved guide concave portions that fit into each of the fixed cam members, and being attached to each of the housings or side frames attached to each of the housings.

[0006] Next, the invention of claim 2 of the present application is characterized in that the rotation control mechanism is composed of a slide cam member slidably attached to each of the hinge shafts opposite the synchronous first rotating cam member on one side, a fixed member attached to the base frame at a predetermined distance from the slide cam member and holding the end of each hinge shaft, a pair of rotating brackets that are in contact with the fixed member and rotatable with respect to each hinge shaft, and are attached to the side frame or housing via a guide member so as to be slidable, friction plates that are in contact with each of the pair of rotating brackets and through which each hinge shaft is inserted, and an elastic member consisting of a pair of compression springs elastically installed between the friction plates and the slide cam member, with each hinge shaft being inserted through them.

[0007] Next, the invention of claim 3 of the present application is characterized in that the synchronous rotation mechanism is composed of four synchronous first rotating cam members and four synchronous second rotating cam members, one end of which is rotatably attached at a predetermined interval to a pair of hinge shafts attached to the base frame at a predetermined interval, and the other end of which is slidably attached to double guide members attached to each cover member, and a synchronous slide cam member slidably attached to the pair of hinge shafts between each of these synchronous first rotating cam members and synchronous second rotating cam members.

[0008] The invention of claim 4 of the present application is an electronic device characterized by using each of the hinge devices described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] With the configuration as set forth in claim 1, it is possible to reduce slack and tension applied to the flexible display sheet when the pair of housings are shifted from a closed state to an unfolded state and then to an open state.

[0010] Next, by configuring as in claim 2, when each housing is opened or closed, it can be stably stopped and held at any opening or closing angle, and each housing can be kept in a stable stopped state in both the fully closed and fully open states.

[0011] Next, when configured as in claim 3, even if the configuration is simplified, stable synchronous rotation of each housing can be achieved.

[0012] Next, when configured as in claim 4, the usefulness of an electronic device using the hinge device having the above-mentioned features can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B show an electronic device using a hinge device according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a state in which a first housing and a second housing are folded, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a state in which the first housing and the second housing are unfolded. [Figure 2]2 is a perspective view showing the state shown in FIG. 1 in which the flexible display sheet is removed and the device is in an unfolded state. [Figure 3] 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a hinge device according to the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the hinge device shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of all the main parts of the hinge device shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of a rotary slide mechanism of the hinge device shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 6A and 6B are enlarged perspective views of a rotation control mechanism of the hinge device shown in FIG. 5, where (a) is an exploded perspective view of a part thereof, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the whole thereof. [Figure 8] 6A and 6B are diagrams showing a synchronous rotation mechanism of the hinge device shown in FIG. 5, in which (a) is a partially exploded perspective view thereof, and (b) is an overall exploded perspective view thereof. [Figure 9] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of a base frame of the hinge device shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 10] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a rotation cam member of the hinge device shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 11] 6A and 6B show one of the synchronous rotation cam members shown in FIG. 5, where (a) is a perspective view seen from one side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the other side. [Figure 12] 6A and 6B show the other synchronous rotation cam member shown in FIG. 5, in which (a) is a perspective view seen from one side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the other side. [Figure 13] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the synchronized slide cam member shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 14] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the slide cam member shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 15] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the center stopper shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 16] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the center plate spring cover shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 17]6A and 6B show the center plate mounting member shown in FIG. 5, in which (a) is a perspective view seen from one side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the other side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a hinge device according to the present invention and an electronic device using the hinge device will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Example]

[0015] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of a notebook computer B as an example of an electronic device using a hinge device A according to the present invention. FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view of the pair of housings 10, 10 when the angle between them is 0 degrees (hereinafter also referred to as the closed state), and FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view of the pair of housings 10, 10 unfolded to 180 degrees (hereinafter also referred to as the open state). A hinge device A according to the present invention is provided on the connecting side of the pair of housings 10, 10 to open and close the housings 10, 10 between 0 degrees and 180 degrees. A single flexible display sheet C made of, for example, organic electroluminescence (EL) is attached to both surfaces of each front surface of each housing 10, 10. This flexible display sheet C becomes loose or tense due to its material thickness when the housings 10, 10 are opened or closed. Therefore, the hinge device A needs to have a mechanism to reduce this looseness or tenseness.

[0016] 2 is a perspective view of the housings 10, 10 in an open state with the flexible display sheet C separated, and it can be seen that the hinge device A according to the present invention is attached to the connecting end side of each housing 10, 10. The configuration of the hinge device A according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0017] According to the drawings, the hinge device A of the present invention, as shown particularly in Figures 2 to 5, has a base frame 1 that reaches both widthwise ends of each housing 10, 10, and side frames 2, 3 that can be attached to each housing 10, 10 are arranged on the front and rear sides of this base frame 1, and rotating slide mechanisms D, D for rotating each side frame 2, 3, a rotation control mechanism E, a synchronous rotation mechanism F, and a lifting mechanism G for the center plate 6 are arranged on the base frame 1.

[0018] The side frames 2 and 3 have the same shape, and as shown in FIG. 5, they have a roughly zigzag cross section and are provided with mounting holes (not shown) for mounting the bracket guide 9, the synchronous first rotating bracket 13, the synchronous second rotating cam member 14, etc.

[0019] The rotary slide mechanisms D, D, rotation control mechanism E, synchronous rotation mechanism F, and lift mechanism G will be described below in order with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the rotating slide mechanisms D, D provided on both end sides of the base frame 1 are the same mechanism, so only one will be described and the other will be omitted. This rotating slide mechanism D is arranged on both sides of the base frame 1, as shown in particular in Figures 5 and 6, and is composed of fixed cam members 7, 7 each having curved guide protrusions 7a, 7a, ... on the inside of the base frame 1, with the fixed cam members 7, 7 spaced a predetermined distance apart, rotating cam members 8, 8... having first curved guide recesses 8a, 8a that fit with the curved guide protrusions 7a, 7a on the outside of one end thereof and second curved guide recesses 8b, 8b on both sides of the other end thereof, and bracket guides 9, 9 having curved guide protrusions 9a, 9a that fit with the second curved guide recesses 8b, 8b of the rotating cam members 8, 8..., with the bracket guides 9, 9 attached to the side frames 2, 3 that are attached to the housings 10, 10. In some embodiments, the side frames 2, 3 may be omitted, in which case the bracket guides 9, 9 are attached directly to the housings 10, 10.

[0020] Therefore, when each housing 10, 10 is opened or closed, the operating force is transmitted to each bracket guide 9, 9 via each side frame 2, 3, and as these guide brackets 9, 9 operate, the rotating cam members 8, 8... rotate, and each housing 10, 10 is opened or closed.

[0021] At this time, when the rotating cam members 8, 8... bring each housing 10, 10 into the fully open state, due to the action of the curved guide convex portions 7a, 7a of the fixed cam members 7, 7 and their own first curved guide concave portions 8a, 8a, each housing 10, 10 slides slightly outward, preventing wrinkles from forming on the flexible display sheet C.

[0022] Next, the synchronous rotation mechanism F may be of a gear type, but the one according to the present invention is of a cam type. As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 8, this synchronous rotation mechanism F is composed of four synchronous first rotating cam members 13, 13 and four synchronous second rotating cam members 14, 14, each of which has one end rotatably attached at a predetermined interval to a pair of hinge shafts 11, 12 attached at a predetermined interval to the base frame 1 and the other end slidably provided on double guide members 26, 26 attached to each of the cover members 4, 5, and a synchronous slide cam member 15 slidably attached to the pair of hinge shafts 11, 12 between each of the synchronous first rotating cam members 13, 13 and the synchronous second rotating cam member 14, 14.

[0023] Furthermore, when the synchronous first rotating cam members 13, 13 and the synchronous second rotating cam members 14, 14 are slidably mounted on the double guide members 26, 26, each double guide member 26, 26 is provided with a pair of accommodating recesses 26c, 26c·26c, 26c via guide piece portions 26b, 26b provided in the center, and guide recesses 13a, 13a·14a, 14a provided on the synchronous first rotating cam members 13, 13 and the synchronous second rotating cam members 14, 14 are fitted into the guide protrusion portions 26a, 26a·26a, 26a··· provided on these accommodating recesses 26c, 26c·26c, 26c. Furthermore, the synchronous first rotating cam members 13, 13 and the synchronous second rotating cam members 14, 14 slide in synchronization by engaging the locking pins 13c, 13c provided on the synchronous first rotating cam members 13, 13 with the engagement holes 14c, 14c provided on the synchronous second rotating cam members 14, 14.

[0024] As shown in Figures 5 and 8, what is indicated by the reference symbol 20 is a locking piece that locks one end of each hinge shaft 11, 12, and as shown in Figures 4 and 5, what is indicated by the reference symbol 19 is a locking member that attaches the locking pieces 20, 20 that lock one end side of each hinge shaft 11, 12. Note that what is indicated by the reference symbols 29, 29 in Figures 4 and 5 is an abutment member, but this may be omitted in some cases.

[0025] Slide screw cam portions 15a, 15a, 15a, 15a are provided on both end sides of this synchronous slide cam member 15 in correspondence with each hinge shaft 11, 12, and each of the synchronous first rotating cam members 13, 13 and the synchronous second rotating cam members 14, 14 is provided with rotating screw cam portions 13b, 13b, 14b, 14b on the side facing each of these slide screw cam portions 15a, 15a, 15a, 15a, 15a.

[0026] Therefore, when a user places his / her hand on one of the housings 10, 10 and performs an opening / closing operation on the other housing 10, the synchronous first rotating cam members 13, 13 and the synchronous second rotating cam members 14, 14 rotate via the side frames 2, 3, and when the synchronous slide cam member 15 slides along the hinge shafts 11, 12, the other housing 10 receives a rotational force due to the interaction between the synchronous slide cam member 15 and the synchronous first rotating cam members 13, 13, and performs the opening / closing operation in synchronization.

[0027] Next, regarding the rotation control mechanism E, as shown particularly in Figures 4, 5 and 7, this rotation control mechanism E is composed of: a synchronized slide cam member 30 slidably attached to each hinge shaft 11, 12 opposite the synchronous first rotating cam member 13, 13 on one side; a fixed member 28 attached to the base frame 1 at a predetermined distance from the synchronous slide cam member 30 and holding the end of each hinge shaft 11, 12; a pair of rotating brackets 21, 21 in contact with the fixed member 28 so as to be rotatable relative to each hinge shaft 11, 12 and attached to the side frames 2, 3 via guide members 17, 17; friction plates 22 in contact with each of the pair of rotating brackets 21, 21, with each hinge shaft 11, 12 inserted therethrough; and elastic members 16, 16 made up of a pair of compression springs elastically installed between the friction plate 22 and the synchronous slide cam member 30 so as to allow each hinge shaft 11, 12 to be inserted therethrough. As shown in FIG. 5, each guide member 17 is made up of an upper member 17a and a lower member 17b stacked together, with rotating brackets 21 mounted therebetween so as to be both rotatable and slidable.

[0028] Needless to say, lubricating oil is applied between the components that are pressed against each other. As shown in Figure 7(b), each of the rotating brackets 21 has a guide groove 21a that receives the center stopper 18 and locks it within a predetermined rotation angle range.

[0029] Next, the center plate 6 is attached to the base frame 1 via center plate mounting members 33 so as to be able to move up and down, and the lifting mechanism G for this center plate 6 is composed of torsion springs 25, 25 provided on both sides of the base frame 1 that constantly pull and urge the center plate 6 downward, and rotating cam members 8, 8... that move the center plate 6 upward against the pulling force of the torsion springs 25, 25 when the housings 10, 10 are opened. When the housings 10, 10 are closed, the center plate 6 is located below the hinge device A, but when the housings 10, 10 are opened, it moves upward via the rotating cam members 8, 8... and when fully opened 180 degrees, it is flush with the surface of the housings 10, 10, so that no recesses are formed in the surface of the flexible display sheet C.

[0030] The center stoppers 18, 18 are attached so as to be rotatable together with the rotating brackets 21, 21 within a predetermined angular range by inserting the hinge shafts 11, 12 into guide grooves formed in the rotating brackets 21, 21. When the housings 10, 10 are opened, the center plate 6 is moved upward by the rotating cam members 8, 8, ..., and when the housings 10, 10 are closed, the center plate 6 is pushed back to its original position by the traction force of the torsion springs 25, 25 which pull the center plate 6 downward.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 15, the center stopper 18 has an insertion hole 18a through which the hinge shafts 11 and 12 are inserted, a stopper portion 18b, and a push-up piece 18c, and the rotation angle is restricted by the stopper portion 18b. Furthermore, as shown particularly in Figure 16, the reference symbol 24 indicates a center plate spring cover, which is provided with a torsion spring mounting pin 24a, and as shown particularly in Figure 17, the center plate mounting member 33 has a screw mounting hole 33a in the center.

[0032] Furthermore, when the housings 10 are closed, the convex portions 31a, 31a·31a, 31a of the first cam portion 31 of the synchronous slide cam member 30 of the rotation control mechanism E are fitted into the concave portions 32b, 32b·32b, 32b of the second cam portions 32 of the synchronous first rotating cam members 13, 13, so that the closed state is stably maintained. When the housings 10 are at an intermediate opening / closing angle, the convex portions 31a, 31a and convex portions 32a, 32a of the first cam portion 31 and second cam portion 32 are in pressure contact with each other, whether during the opening transition or the closing transition, so that the housings 10 are opened and closed in a free-stop state. Furthermore, when each housing 10, 10 is in the fully open state, the convex portions 31a, 31a·31a, 31a of the first cam portions 31, 31 of the slide cam portion 30 fall into the concave portions 32b, 32b·32b, 32b of the second cam portions 32, 32 of the synchronous first rotating cam members 13, 13, thereby maintaining the open state stably. [Industrial Applicability]

[0033] As described above in detail, the hinge device of the present invention is suitable for use in foldable electronic devices having a flexible display sheet draped across a pair of housings, such as notebook computers, electronic organizers, PDAs, netbooks, video display devices, portable game consoles, and notebook computers, as well as for use in foldable electronic devices using this hinge device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] A Hinge device B. Laptop (electronic device) C Flexible display sheet D Rotating slide mechanism E Rotation control mechanism F Synchronous rotation mechanism G Lifting mechanism 1 base frame 2, 3 Side frame 4, 5 Cover parts 6 Center Plate 7 Fixed cam member 7a Curved guide convex part 8 Rotating cam member 8a First curved guide recess 8b Mounting 2 curved guide recess 9 Bracket guide 10. Cabinet 11, 12 Hinge shaft 13 Synchronous first rotating cam member 14 Synchronous second rotating cam member 15 Synchronous slide cam member 15a Slide screw cam part 16 Elastic member 17 Guide member 17a Upper member 17b Lower member 18 Center stopper 19 Locking member 20, 20 Locking piece 21 Rotating bracket 22 Friction plate 24 Center plate spring cover 25 torsion spring 26 Double guide member 28 Fixing member 30 Synchronous slide cam member 31 First cam part 30a convex part 30b recess 32 Second cam part 32a Convex part 32b Recess 33 Center plate mounting member

Claims

1. A hinge device used in an electronic device having a pair of housings with a flexible display sheet attached across both surfaces of the pair of housings, connecting the pair of housings so that the pair can be opened and closed, the hinge device having a base frame reaching both widthwise ends of the pair of housings, the base frame having a rotary slide mechanism, a rotation control mechanism, and a synchronous rotation mechanism installed on a pair of rotating shafts provided thereon, the rotary slide mechanism being composed of fixed cam members provided at a predetermined distance on the front and rear sides of both end sides of the base frame, the fixed cam members having curved guide convex portions on the inside of the fixed cam members, and rotary cam members having curved guide concave portions that fit into each of the fixed cam members, and being attached to each of the housings or to side frames attached to each of the housings.

2. 2. The hinge device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation control mechanism comprises: a slide cam member slidably attached to each of the hinge shafts opposite the synchronous first rotating cam member on one side; a fixed member attached to the base frame at a predetermined distance from the slide cam member and holding an end of each hinge shaft; a pair of rotating brackets in contact with the fixed member so as to be rotatable with respect to each hinge shaft and attached to the side frame via a guide member so as to be slidable; friction plates in contact with each of the pair of rotating brackets and provided with each hinge shaft inserted therethrough; and an elastic member consisting of a pair of compression springs elastically provided between the friction plates and the slide cam member so as to allow each hinge shaft to be inserted therethrough.

3. 2. The hinge device according to claim 1, wherein the synchronous rotation mechanism is composed of four synchronous first rotating cam members and four synchronous second rotating cam members, one end of which is rotatably attached at a predetermined interval to a pair of hinge shafts attached to the base frame 1 at a predetermined interval and the other end of which is slidably attached to a double guide member attached to each cover member, and a synchronous slide cam member slidably attached to the pair of hinge shafts between each of the synchronous first rotating cam members and the synchronous second rotating cam members.

4. An electronic device characterized by using any of the above hinge devices.

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