Hinge bracket

Abstract

To provide a novel hinge bracket that allows for easy attachment of a door to an aluminum frame. [Solution] The device comprises a fitting portion 4 that fits into an opening 114 formed in an aluminum frame 102, a locking portion 6 formed at one end of the fitting portion 4 that extends beyond the width of the groove 112 formed in the aluminum frame 102 and engages with the back side of the groove 112, a plate 8 formed at the other end of the fitting portion 4 that closes the front side of the groove 112, and a hinge shaft 10 formed adjacent to the plate 8 that rotatably supports the pivot hole 204 of the door 202.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hinge bracket.

Background Art

[0002] A wafer on which a plurality of devices such as ICs and LSIs are partitioned by a dicing line and formed on the surface is thinned by grinding the back surface with a grinding device, and then divided into individual device chips by a dicing device and used in electrical devices such as mobile phones and personal computers.

[0003] A grinding device generally includes a cassette that houses a plurality of wafers, a transfer means that transfers the wafers from the cassette to a temporary receiving table, a loading means that loads the wafers from the temporary receiving table into a chuck table, a grinding means that grinds the wafers held on the chuck table, an unloading means that transfers the ground wafers from the chuck table to a cleaning means that cleans them, and the transfer means that loads the wafers from the cleaning means into the cassette.

[0004] In such a grinding device, a skeleton is formed by an aluminum frame so as to surround the entire device, and an exterior plate and a door are attached to the aluminum frame to form a complete form (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

[0005] Similarly, a dicing device also forms a skeleton with an aluminum frame so as to surround the entire device, and an exterior plate and a door are attached to the aluminum frame to form a complete form.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in the case of the door shown in Patent Document 1, when attaching it to the aluminum frame, it is necessary to drill holes in the door and the aluminum frame for inserting bolts and fasten the hinge with bolts and nuts, which is time-consuming. Furthermore, when adjusting the position of the door relative to the aluminum frame, the above bolts must be loosened, resulting in poor productivity.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and its main technical objective is to provide a novel hinge bracket that allows a door to be easily attached to an aluminum frame. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] According to the present invention, a hinge bracket that can be attached to an aluminum frame is provided as a hinge bracket that solves the above-mentioned main technical problems, A groove is formed in the longitudinal direction of the aluminum frame, and an opening larger than the width of the groove is formed at a required position in the groove. A hinge bracket is provided, comprising a fitting portion that fits into the opening; a locking portion formed at one end of the fitting portion that extends beyond the width of the groove and engages with the back side of the groove; a plate formed at the other end of the fitting portion that closes the front side of the groove; and a hinge shaft formed adjacent to the plate that rotatably supports the pivot hole of the door.

[0010] Preferably, the hinge shaft is fitted with a spacer of a size corresponding to the pivot hole of the door. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The hinge bracket of the present invention is a hinge bracket that can be attached to an aluminum frame, wherein a groove is formed in the longitudinal direction of the aluminum frame, and an opening is formed at a required position in the groove that is larger than the width of the groove, and the hinge bracket includes a fitting part that fits into the opening, a locking part formed at one end of the fitting part that extends beyond the width of the groove and engages with the back side of the groove, a plate formed at the other end of the fitting part that closes the front side of the groove, and a hinge shaft formed adjacent to the plate that rotatably supports the pivot hole of the door. As a result, if the opening is formed at the appropriate position on the aluminum frame, the hinge bracket can be attached with a single touch, and there is no need to drill holes in the door and aluminum frame for inserting bolts and fastening the hinge with bolts and nuts, saving time and effort. Furthermore, since there is no need to loosen the bolts to adjust the position of the door, productivity is also good. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] A perspective view of an aluminum frame to which a preferred embodiment of a hinge bracket configured according to the present invention is attached. [Figure 2] A perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of a hinge bracket configured according to the present invention. [Figure 3] A perspective view showing the aluminum frame shown in Figure 1 with the hinge bracket shown in Figure 1 attached. [Figure 4] Figure 2 shows a perspective view and a longitudinal section view of the spacer, which is combined with the hinge bracket shown in Figure 2. [Figure 5] A perspective view of a door mounted to an aluminum frame shown in Figure 1 via a hinge bracket shown in Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The following description will be made in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing preferred embodiments of the hinge bracket configured according to the present invention. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the up and down, left and right, and height directions refer to the direction indicated by arrow X in Figure 2, that is, the direction perpendicular to the surface of the fitting portion 4 described later.

[0014] For convenience, prior to describing a preferred embodiment of the hinge bracket constructed according to the present invention, we will first describe the aluminum frame on which it is mounted. Figure 1 shows an aluminum frame, which is denoted as number 102 overall. The aluminum frame 102 extends linearly in the longitudinal direction, which in the illustrated state is the vertical direction. The aluminum frame 102 is composed of a core material 104 with a solid square cross-section, four beam materials 106 extending radially outward from one end of the core material 104, and L-shaped surface materials 108 to which the other ends of the beam materials 106 are connected to the interior corners. The plate thickness of the beam materials 106 and the surface materials 108 is equal except for the connection between them, and the outer surfaces of the four surface materials 108 are located on a common virtual square outer surface c1, and the inner surfaces are located on a common virtual square inner surface c2. Therefore, four space portions 110 are defined inside the aluminum frame 102, which extend linearly in the longitudinal direction and have a trapezoidal cross-section. A groove 112 is formed between two adjacent surface materials 108, extending linearly and continuously in the longitudinal direction, and the groove 112 communicates with the space 110. An opening 114 is also formed at a required position in the groove 112, and its size exceeds the width of the groove 112. In the illustrated embodiment, the opening 114 is circular, and the center of the opening 114 is aligned with the center of the groove 112.

[0015] Figure 2 shows a preferred embodiment of a hinge bracket configured according to the present invention. The hinge bracket, shown as number 2 overall, comprises a fitting portion 4, a locking portion 6 formed at one end of the fitting portion 4, a plate 8 formed at the other end of the fitting portion 4, and a hinge shaft 10 formed adjacent to the plate 8.

[0016] For example, the locking portion 6 and the fitting portion 4 are connected via the first neck portion 12, and the plate 8 and the fitting portion 4 are connected via the second neck portion 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the hinge bracket 2 is integrally formed by performing the necessary machining, including punching and bending, on a single metal plate, and the thickness of the plate is the same as or slightly thicker than the thickness of the surface material 108 of the aluminum frame 102.

[0017] The fitting portion 4 is generally disc-shaped and extends in the vertical direction. One end of the first neck portion 12 is connected to the upper end of the fitting portion 4. On both sides of the connection portion where one end of the first neck portion 12 is connected at the upper end of the fitting portion 4, a pair of flat upper shoulder surfaces 16 facing upward are formed. Also, one end of the second neck portion 14 is connected to the lower end of the fitting portion 4. On both sides of the connection portion where one end of the second neck portion is connected at the lower end of the fitting portion 4, a pair of flat lower shoulder surfaces 18 facing downward are formed. The diameter of the fitting portion 4, that is, the diameter of the portion where the upper shoulder surface 16 and the lower shoulder surface 18 are not formed, is the same as or slightly (e.g., 0.1 mm) longer than the diameter of the circular opening 114 formed in the aluminum frame 102.

[0018] The first neck portion 12 is in an L shape that extends linearly upward from the upper end of the fitting portion 4 and then bends 90 degrees in the direction of arrow X (the back side of the paper in FIG. 2) and extends. On the other hand, the second neck portion 14 extends linearly downward from the lower end of the fitting portion 4, then bends 90 degrees in the opposite direction of arrow X (the front side of the paper in FIG. 2), and then further bends 90 degrees downward. The widths (widths in the left-right direction) of the first neck portion 12 and the second neck portion 14 are equal, and both are the same as or slightly (e.g., 0.1 mm) wider than the width of the groove 112 formed in the aluminum frame 102. And when a straight line connects the center in the width direction of the first neck portion 12 and the center in the width direction of the second neck portion 14, the straight line passes through the center of the fitting portion 4.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the locking portion 6 is connected to the other end of the first neck portion 12 that bends in the direction of arrow X, is located above the fitting portion 4, and extends in the left-right direction beyond the width of the groove 112 formed in the aluminum frame 102. Protrusions 20 that project in the opposite direction of arrow X and are separated from the first neck portion 12 are provided at both ends of the locking portion 6.

[0020] The plate 8 has a rectangular flat plate shape and extends in the vertical direction. The second neck portion 14 is connected to the left end portion of the upper end of the plate 8, and the plate 8 is located in front of and below the fitting portion 4. A rectangular upright wall 22 that stands up in the opposite direction of the arrow X is formed on the right side edge of the plate 8, and a hinge shaft 10 is provided adjacent to the plate 8 at the center of the upper end of the upright wall 22. The hinge shaft 10 is a regular square prism and extends upward from the upper end of the upright wall 22.

[0021] Referring to FIG. 3 together with FIGS. 1 and 2, the hinge bracket 2 described above is rotated somewhat in one of the left and right directions as a whole so that the locking portion 6 enters the space portion 110 from the surface of the opening 114 or the groove 112 formed in the aluminum frame 102, and then the locking portion 6 is positioned adjacent to the upper side of the opening 114, and the whole is rotated in the other direction. In this way, the protruding portion 20 of the locking portion 6 abuts against the back surface of the surface material 108 of the aluminum frame 102, the locking portion 6 is locked to the back side of the groove 112, and the fitting portion 4 of the hinge bracket 2 is positioned in the opening 114 of the aluminum frame 102. After that, the fitting portion 4 is press-fitted into the opening 114, and the first neck portion 12 and the second neck portion 14 are press-fitted into the groove 112. Thereby, the hinge bracket 2 is fixed to the aluminum frame 102. In the state where the hinge bracket 2 is fixed to the aluminum frame 102, the inner surface of the plate 8 faces and abuts against the outer surface of the surface material 108 of the aluminum frame 102, and closes the front side of the groove 112 of the aluminum frame 102. The plate 8 of the hinge bracket 2 extends rightward beyond the right side edge of the aluminum frame 102, and the hinge shaft 10 formed adjacent to the plate 8 described above is separated from the aluminum frame 102.

[0022] In this embodiment, a metal spacer 30, as shown in Figure 4, is further attached to the tip of the hinge shaft 10 of the hinge bracket 2 mounted on the aluminum frame 102. The spacer 30 has a circular closing wall 32 and a cylindrical outer wall 34 that hangs downward from the outer edge of the closing wall 32, and a hole 36 is formed inside into which the hinge shaft 10 can be inserted from below. The outer wall 34 has a stepped cylindrical shape with a larger diameter at the bottom than at the top, and an upward-facing annular shoulder surface 38 is defined in the middle of the outer wall 34 in the vertical direction.

[0023] In the illustrated embodiment, the upper part of the spacer 30 attached to the tip of the hinge shaft 10 of the hinge bracket 2 is inserted through the circular pivot hole 204 of the door 202 shown in Figure 5, and the periphery of the pivot hole 204 is supported by the shoulder surface 38, so that the door 202 is pivotally supported so that it can rotate around the hinge shaft 10. If the hinge shaft 10 is cylindrical, the upper end of the hinge shaft 10 is inserted through the pivot hole 204 of the door 202 without using the spacer 30, and the periphery of the pivot hole 204 is supported by the upper surface of the upright wall 22. Although not shown in the attached drawing, the door 202 has pivot holes 204 not only at its upper end but also at its lower end. Furthermore, the aluminum frame 102 has two openings 114 corresponding to the vertical distance between the two pivot holes 204, and the door 202 is pivotally supported by two hinge brackets 2 attached to the two openings 114.

[0024] Accordingly, the hinge bracket of the present invention is a hinge bracket 2 that can be attached to an aluminum frame 102, and a groove 112 is formed in the longitudinal direction of the aluminum frame 102, and an opening 114 is formed at a required position in the groove 112 that is larger than the width of the groove 112, and the hinge bracket is configured to include a fitting part 4 that fits into the opening 114, a locking part 6 formed at one end of the fitting part 4 that exceeds the width of the groove 112 and locks to the back side of the groove 112, a plate 8 formed at the other end of the fitting part 4 that closes the front side of the groove 112, and a hinge shaft 10 formed adjacent to the plate 8 that rotatably supports the pivot hole 204 of the door 202. Therefore, if the opening 114 is formed at the appropriate position on the aluminum frame 102, the hinge bracket 2 can be attached with a single touch, and there is no need to drill holes in the door 202 and the aluminum frame 102 for inserting bolts and fastening the hinge with bolts and nuts, saving time and effort. Furthermore, since there is no need to loosen bolts and adjust the position of door 202, productivity is also good.

[0025] If desired, a symmetrical hinge bracket 2' (not shown) can be prepared by reversing the position of the upright wall 22 with respect to the hinge bracket 2 shown in Figure 2. By using hinge bracket 2 and hinge bracket 2' in combination, the door 202 can be opened and closed in a double-door manner. Furthermore, if the aluminum frame 102 extends horizontally rather than vertically, the door 202 can also be opened and closed in a flank manner by using hinge bracket 2 and hinge bracket 2' in combination. When opening and closing the door 202 in a flank manner, the hinge bracket 2 is attached to the aluminum frame 102, and one of the pivot holes 204 of the door 202 is inserted. Then, the hinge shaft of the hinge bracket 2' is inserted into the other pivot hole 204 of the door 202 while attaching the hinge bracket 2' to the aluminum frame 102.

[0026] Although the hinge bracket configured according to the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the attached drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and appropriate modifications and changes are possible without departing from the present invention. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the hinge bracket 2 is attached to the aluminum frame 102 by press-fitting the fitting portion 4 of the hinge bracket 2, the first neck portion 12 and the second neck portion 14 into the opening 114 and groove 112 of the aluminum frame 102. However, the hinge bracket 2 may also be attached to the aluminum frame 102 by bonding the plate 8 and the surface material 108 together or by fastening them with tapped screws. Furthermore, the shape of the fitting portion 4 of the hinge bracket 2 does not necessarily have to correspond to the shape of the opening 114 of the aluminum frame 102. Even when the fitting portion 4 is press-fitted into the opening 114, the shapes of the fitting portion 4 and the opening 114 do not need to correspond, as long as the fitting portion 4 is press-fitted into the opening 114 and the hinge bracket 2 is fixed to the aluminum frame 102. Furthermore, the hinge bracket 2 is not limited to being made of a single plate material, but may be made by combining multiple plate materials. In that case, the plate thickness may differ in each part. Moreover, the hinge bracket constructed according to the present invention is not limited to being applied only to the doors used in the grinding and dicing apparatus described above, but can be applied to any door. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0027] 2: Hinge bracket 4: Fitting part 6: Locking part 8: Plate 10: Hinge axis 102: Aluminum frame 112: Groove 114: Opening 202: Door 204: Pivot hole

Claims

1. A hinge bracket that can be attached to an aluminum frame, A groove is formed in the longitudinal direction of the aluminum frame, and an opening larger than the width of the groove is formed at a required position in the groove. A hinge bracket comprising: a fitting portion that fits into the opening; a locking portion formed at one end of the fitting portion that extends beyond the width of the groove and engages with the back side of the groove; a plate formed at the other end of the fitting portion that closes the front side of the groove; and a hinge shaft formed adjacent to the plate that rotatably supports the pivot hole of the door.

2. The hinge bracket according to claim 1, comprising a spacer attached to the tip of the hinge shaft and sized to correspond to the pivot hole of the door.

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