Friction hinge and vehicle interior component comprising same

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a friction hinge, comprising a friction shaft and a housing, wherein the friction shaft is provided with a cantilever structure formed into a mandrel friction portion, the housing is provided with a housing cavity to provide a cavity for the cantilever structure to be inserted into to form a friction pair, and when the friction shaft moves relative to the housing, torque is provided by means of friction between the inner wall of a hole of the housing cavity and the outer circle of the cantilever structure. The present disclosure further relates to a vehicle interior component comprising the friction hinge. According to the friction hinge of the present disclosure, a friction plate and a mandrel are combined into one friction shaft, reducing the number of the assembly parts; moreover, when assembling the friction shaft to the housing, precise alignment is not required, and the friction shaft can be installed into the housing at any angle and position of the circumference, thereby reducing the assembly difficulty, lowering the cost, and better facilitating batch production.

Description

Friction hinge and vehicle interior component including the same Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a friction pair, and more particularly to a friction hinge and a vehicle interior component including the friction hinge. Background Art

[0002] Friction hinge assemblies are known for providing friction torque in the rotational direction. These conventional friction hinge assemblies are relatively complex, consisting of at least three components: a housing, friction plates, and a core shaft. The housing is stationary, while one or more friction plates are held within it. The core shaft is securely connected to the rotating component and can rotate. During rotation, torque is generated by friction between the inner diameter of the friction plate holes and the outer diameter of the core shaft.

[0003] Obviously, the known friction hinge assembly requires high processing precision for each piece, such as fine grinding of the shaft core and fine punching of the friction plate, etc. The assembly is difficult to assemble, for example, each friction plate must be precisely aligned and assembled, resulting in a high assembly price.

[0004] Public content

[0005] In order to solve the problems of high assembly price and the like in the above-mentioned prior art, the present disclosure provides a friction hinge and a vehicle interior component including the friction hinge.

[0006] According to the friction hinge disclosed herein, it includes a friction shaft and a housing, wherein the friction shaft has a cantilever structure formed as a core shaft friction portion, and the housing has a shell cavity to provide a cavity for the cantilever structure to be inserted into to form a friction pair. When the friction shaft moves relative to the housing, torque is provided by friction between the inner wall of the hole of the shell cavity and the outer circle of the cantilever structure.

[0007] Preferably, the friction shaft further includes a cover, and the cantilever structure is connected to the cover.

[0008] Preferably, the cantilever structure comprises a connecting portion and a cantilever portion in the axial direction, wherein the cantilever portion is connected to the cover via the connecting portion.

[0009] Preferably, the cantilever portion and the cover define a slot therebetween.

[0010] Preferably, a through hole is formed inside the cantilever portion.

[0011] Preferably, the through hole is connected to the outside through a gap so that the cantilever portion forms a non-closed ring structure.

[0012] Preferably, the through hole and the cantilever portion are eccentrically arranged so that the annular structure of the cantilever portion has a gradually varying thickness.

[0013] Preferably, a plurality of friction protrusions are formed on the outside of the cantilever portion, which are interference-fitted with the inner wall of the hole of the housing cavity and provide rotational friction torque.

[0014] Preferably, the plurality of friction protrusions include: a pair of friction protrusions symmetrically located on both sides of the gap; and another friction protrusion located in the same radial direction of the cantilever portion as the gap.

[0015] Preferably, the plurality of friction protrusions include: a pair of friction protrusions symmetrically located on both sides of the gap; and another friction protrusion, the distance between the another friction protrusion and one of the pair of friction protrusions is different from the distance between the another friction protrusion and the other of the pair of friction protrusions.

[0016] Preferably, the housing further comprises a seal, which is connected and fixed at the outlet of the housing cavity to cooperate with the cover to form a closed space to protect the friction pair contained therein.

[0017] Preferably, the friction shaft further includes a shaft end interface, the shaft end interface and the cantilever structure are respectively connected to opposite sides of the cover, and the shaft end interface is connected to the rotating component.

[0018] Preferably, the shaft end interface includes a cylindrical two-side cut platform structure.

[0019] A vehicle interior component according to the present disclosure includes the friction hinge described above.

[0020] Preferably, the vehicle interior component includes a secondary instrument panel flip armrest, a flip small table, a flip screen, a rotating screen or a seat headrest ear piece.

[0021] Preferably, the vehicle interior component includes a fixed component fixed in the vehicle and a rotating component rotatable relative to the fixed component, wherein one of the friction shaft and the housing is fixedly connected to the fixed component, and the other is fixedly connected to the rotating component.

[0022] According to the friction hinge disclosed in the present invention, the friction plate and the core shaft in the prior art are combined into one friction shaft, the number of assembly parts is reduced, and there is no need for precise alignment when assembling the friction shaft to the housing. It can be installed at any angle position on the circumference, which reduces the difficulty of assembly, makes the cost lower, and is more conducive to mass production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] FIG1 is an overall schematic diagram of a vehicle equipped with a friction hinge according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG2 shows an application scenario of a friction hinge according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG3 shows another application scenario of the friction hinge according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 4 is an assembly diagram of a friction hinge according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the friction hinge of FIG. 4 .

[0028] FIG. 6 is a first view of the friction shaft of the friction hinge of FIG. 5 .

[0029] 7 is a second view of the friction shaft of the friction hinge of FIG. 5 .

[0030] FIG. 8 shows the interference friction between the friction protrusions in FIG. 7 and the housing.

[0031] FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the housing of the friction hinge of FIG. 5 .

[0032] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the friction shaft in FIG. 6 to FIG. 8 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and described in detail.

[0034] As shown in FIG1 , a friction hinge according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure is installed at the rotary hinge portion of an interior functional component product circled by a dotted frame of a vehicle V. As shown in FIG2 , a friction hinge A according to the present disclosure is installed on a flip armrest B of a secondary instrument panel. As shown in FIG3 , a friction hinge A according to the present disclosure is installed on a flip screen C. It should be understood that the illustrated application scenarios and locations are merely examples and not limitations, and can also be applied to components such as a flip tray table, a rotating screen, and seat headrest ears. These vehicle interior components all include a fixed component fixed to the vehicle and a rotating component rotatable relative to the fixed component.

[0035] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, a friction hinge A according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure includes a friction shaft 1 and a housing 2, wherein friction is generated between the friction shaft 1 and the housing 2 through relative motion. The friction shaft 1 integrates the functions of a core shaft and a friction plate, and during motion, torque is provided by friction between the inner wall of the hole of the housing 2 and the outer circle of the friction shaft 1. In this embodiment, the friction shaft 1 and the housing 2 are interference-fitted. It should be understood that theoretically, zero clearance or a very small clearance plus grease is also feasible. In this embodiment, the housing 2 is fixed, that is, the housing 2 is fixed to the fixed component, and the friction shaft 1 is fixed to the rotating component and can rotate. It should be understood that the housing can also be fixed to the rotating component after "changing the structural type", while the friction shaft is fixed to the fixed component.

[0036] Compared with the independent friction plates in the prior art, the friction hinge A disclosed in the present invention combines the friction plates and the core shaft into a new part, namely the friction shaft 1. The number of assembly parts is reduced from at least three (or more friction plates) to only two. Moreover, when the friction shaft 1 is assembled to the housing 2, the friction shaft 1 does not need to be precisely aligned and can be installed at any angle position on the circumference, which reduces the difficulty of assembly, makes the cost lower, and is more conducive to mass production.

[0037] As shown in Figure 6, the friction shaft 1 includes a shaft end interface 11 and a cover 12. The shaft end interface 11 is connected to the rotating component, and the cover 12 is fixedly connected to the shaft end interface 11. In this embodiment, the shaft end interface 11 comprises a cylindrical double-sided cut-flat structure. It should be understood that this cylindrical double-sided cut-flat structure is merely an example and not a limitation.

[0038] The friction shaft 1 includes a cantilever structure 15, which is fixedly connected to the end face of the cover 12 facing away from the shaft end interface 11 to provide elastic deformation. In fact, the cantilever structure 15 is formed as a core shaft friction part, and its thickness D can be adjusted as needed, that is, the torque can be adjusted accordingly.

[0039] In existing technologies with independent friction plates, the friction point is between the inner circumference of the friction plate and the outer circumference of the core shaft. This requires adjusting the friction torque in steps by changing the number of friction plates, and cannot achieve arbitrary torque changes. The friction hinge A disclosed herein changes the friction point to between the outer circumference of the friction shaft 1 and the inner wall of the hole in the housing 2. During the manufacturing process, the thickness D of the core shaft friction portion can be continuously adjusted through machining, allowing the desired friction torque to be adjusted within the design range, enabling the flip product to achieve any desired stopping or slow closing function at any angle.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 7 , the cantilever structure 15 includes a connecting portion 151 and a cantilever portion 152 in the axial direction, wherein the cantilever portion 152 is connected to the cover 12 through the connecting portion 151 .

[0041] A slot 13 is defined between the cantilever portion 152 and the cover 12, so that the cantilever portion 152 is formed into a resilient structure. It should be understood that the size of the slot 13 can be adjusted as needed to provide the required torque.

[0042] A through-hole 14 is formed within the cantilever portion 152, giving it a resilient structure. Specifically, the through-hole 14 communicates with the outside world via a gap 141, giving the cantilever portion 152 a non-closed annular structure. In this embodiment, the through-hole 14 is not located at the rotational center of the cantilever portion 152; instead, it is eccentrically positioned to create a gradually varying thickness in the annular structure of the cantilever portion 152, as shown in FIG8 .

[0043] Three friction protrusions 16 are formed on the exterior of the cantilever portion 152, which form an interference fit with the inner wall of the hole in the housing 2 and provide rotational friction torque, as shown in Figure 8. In this embodiment, in the illustrated orientation, two friction protrusions 16 are symmetrically located on either side of the gap 141, while the other friction protrusion 16 is located directly below the gap 141, i.e., in the same radial direction of the cantilever portion 152 as the gap 141. This arrangement ensures that the friction shaft 1 provides the same friction torque / force during forward and reverse rotation relative to the housing 2. It should be understood that the specific location and number of friction protrusions 16 can be adjusted as needed.

[0044] As shown in Figure 9, housing 2 includes a seal 21 and a housing cavity 22. Housing cavity 22 provides a cavity into which cantilever structure 15 of friction shaft 1 is inserted to form a friction pair. Seal 21 is attached and fixed at the outlet of housing cavity 22 to cooperate with cover 12 of friction shaft 1 to form a closed space, thereby protecting the friction pair contained therein and preventing the ingress of foreign matter. Specifically, the inner wall of housing cavity 22 forms an interference fit with friction protrusion 16 of friction shaft 1.

[0045] FIG10 shows a variant embodiment of the friction shaft 1. This variant differs from the friction shaft 1 shown in FIG6 to FIG8 only in that, with respect to the three friction protrusions 16 formed on the exterior of the cantilever portion 152, in the illustrated orientation, the first and second friction protrusions 16a, 16b are symmetrically located on either side of the slit 141. However, the third friction protrusion 16c is not located directly below the slit 141, but rather below the slit 141 and closer to the second friction protrusion 16b. In other words, the third friction protrusion 16c is not located in the same radial direction as the slit 141 and is therefore spaced at different distances from the first and second friction protrusions 16a, 16b. Due to this arrangement, the length of the first section 152a of the cantilever portion 152, located between the first and third friction protrusions 16a, 16c, is greater than the length of the second section 152b of the cantilever portion 152, located between the second and third friction protrusions 16b, 16c.

[0046] In the illustrated orientation of the friction shaft 1, this arrangement can provide a larger moment arm when the friction shaft 1 rotates clockwise relative to the housing 2, and a smaller moment arm when the friction shaft 1 rotates counterclockwise relative to the housing 2. That is, the force required for the friction shaft 1 to rotate clockwise relative to the housing 2 is smaller than the force required for the friction shaft 1 to rotate counterclockwise relative to the housing 2. Therefore, this arrangement can achieve the effect of providing different friction torques / friction forces in forward and reverse rotations.

[0047] In addition, according to other embodiments not shown, no matter which arrangement method the multiple friction protrusions 16 adopt, the cantilever portion 152 can form a multi-layer structure along its axial direction, that is, the thickness D can be formed by multiple layers, and grooves are provided between adjacent layers, and each layer is provided with one or more friction protrusions 16.

[0048] The housing 2 also includes mounting points 23 and mounting structures 24. Mounting points 23 are formed on mounting structures 24 to secure the housing 2. In this embodiment, mounting points 23 are screw holes, through which screws are installed to secure the housing 2 to the mounting bracket. It should be understood that the screw holes are merely illustrative and not limiting; rivet holes and other structures could also be used. In this embodiment, mounting structures 24 are tabs that contact the mounting bracket to prevent the housing 2 from rotating.

[0049] Clearly, the deformation stiffness of the cantilever structure 15 can be controlled by adjusting the width of the slot 13 or the shape of the through-hole 14 of the friction shaft 1. The interference fit between the friction shaft 1 and the housing 2 can be controlled by adjusting the size of the friction bumps 16. By adjusting the deformation stiffness and interference fit, the normal pressure at the interference fit between the friction shaft 1 and the housing 2 can be controlled, thereby controlling the friction torque during relative rotation.

[0050] The above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Various modifications are possible to the above embodiments of the present disclosure. In other words, any simple, equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims and the description of the present disclosure fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present disclosure. Anything not fully described in this disclosure represents conventional technical content.

Claims

1. A friction hinge, characterized in that: The friction hinge comprises a friction shaft and a shell, wherein the friction shaft has a cantilever structure formed as a core shaft friction portion, the shell has a shell cavity to provide a cavity for the cantilever structure to be inserted into to form a friction pair, and when the friction shaft moves relative to the shell, torque is provided by friction between the inner wall of the hole of the shell cavity and the outer circle of the cantilever structure.

2. The friction hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The friction shaft also includes a cover, and the cantilever structure is connected to the cover.

3. The friction hinge according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cantilever structure comprises a connecting portion and a cantilever portion in the axial direction, wherein the cantilever portion is connected to the cover through the connecting portion.

4. The friction hinge according to claim 3, characterized in that: A slot is defined between the cantilever portion and the cover.

5. The friction hinge according to claim 3, characterized in that: A through hole is formed inside the cantilever portion.

6. The friction hinge according to claim 5, characterized in that: The through hole is connected to the outside through the gap so that the cantilever portion is formed into a non-closed ring structure.

7. The friction hinge according to claim 6, characterized in that: The through hole and the cantilever portion are eccentrically arranged so that the annular structure of the cantilever portion has a gradually varying thickness.

8. The friction hinge according to claim 6, characterized in that: A plurality of friction protrusions are formed on the outside of the cantilever part, which are interference-fitted with the inner wall of the hole of the shell cavity and provide rotational friction torque.

9. The friction hinge according to claim 8, characterized in that: The plurality of friction protrusions include: a pair of friction protrusions symmetrically located on both sides of the gap; and another friction protrusion located in the same radial direction of the cantilever part as the gap.

10. The friction hinge according to claim 8, characterized in that The plurality of friction protrusions include: a pair of friction protrusions symmetrically located on both sides of the gap; and another friction protrusion, wherein the distance between the another friction protrusion and one of the pair of friction protrusions is different from the distance between the another friction protrusion and the other of the pair of friction protrusions.

11. The friction hinge according to claim 2, characterized in that: The shell also includes a seal, which is connected and fixed at the outlet of the shell cavity to cooperate with the cover to form a closed space to protect the friction pair contained therein.

12. The friction hinge according to claim 2, characterized in that: The friction shaft also includes a shaft end interface, the shaft end interface and the cantilever structure are respectively connected to opposite sides of the cover, and the shaft end interface is connected to the rotating component.

13. The friction hinge according to claim 12, characterized in that The shaft end interface includes a platform structure cut on both sides of the cylinder.

14. A vehicle interior component, characterized in that: The vehicle interior component comprises a friction hinge according to any one of claims 1-13.

15. The vehicle interior component according to claim 14, characterized in that The vehicle interior parts include a flip armrest of a secondary dashboard, a flip small table, a flip screen, a rotating screen or a seat headrest ear.

16. The vehicle interior component according to claim 14, characterized in that The vehicle interior component comprises a fixed component fixed in the vehicle and a rotating component rotatable relative to the fixed component, wherein one of the friction shaft and the housing is fixedly connected to the fixed component, and the other is fixedly connected to the rotating component.

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