Multi-Layered Cam Hinge for Office Equipment Cover Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hinge devices for office equipment covers suffer from noise generation and limited free stop section during closure, leading to potential user injury and reduced product sensibility due to the lack of effective damping and free stop functions.
Innovation Solution
A hinge device incorporating a multi-layered cam and slider mechanism, featuring a stop cam and down cams, which allows for a free stop section and slow down section, reducing noise and improving user control by extending the free stop range and incorporating a compression coil spring for elastic support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single cam part is used to close the cover in tight contact, then the cover can be securely closed, but the free stop section becomes too small causing loud noise and potential user injury
Solution Approach 1:
The single cam part is segmented into multiple cam parts (first cam part, second cam part, third cam part) with different functions. The first cam part provides tight contact for secure closure, the second cam part creates a free stop section to reduce noise and injury risk, and the third cam part enables upper movement of the hinge body for thick documents. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by distributing functions across multiple components.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge body is designed to dynamically change its position relative to the main body during cover closure. The upper movement section allows the hinge body to move upward when thick documents are present, creating adaptive behavior that maintains document glass contact while accommodating varying document thicknesses.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a damping function is provided to close the cover slowly, then noise is reduced, but the cover cannot maintain an opened state to a desirable angle
Solution Approach 1:
The cam mechanism is segmented into distinct functional sections: a free stop section that allows the cover to be held at various angles without damping, and a separate slow down section that provides controlled closure only when needed. This segmentation enables both noise reduction during closure and flexible positioning during the opened state.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-layered cam structure provides continuous functional action throughout the cover's range of motion. The free stop section maintains the cover at any desired angle, while the slow down section continuously reduces speed during closure, ensuring both positioning flexibility and noise reduction are maintained throughout the entire operation cycle.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the hinge body moves upward for thick documents, then the gap between document glass and cover increases, but the cover closure mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The upward movement function for thick documents is merged into the same hinge body structure that performs the primary cover closure function. The third cam part is integrated into the existing hinge mechanism, allowing the hinge body to perform both its traditional closure role and the new upward movement role without requiring a completely separate mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge body is designed with multi-functionality to accommodate various document thicknesses. The same hinge mechanism that closes the cover normally also enables upper movement when thick documents are present, making the device universally applicable to different document types without increasing overall system complexity.
4Reliability
If multiple separate components are used to provide free stop and slow down functions, then each function can be optimized, but the number of parts and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional components (first cam part, second cam part, third cam part) are merged into a single integrated hinge cam structure. This consolidation provides free stop, slow down, and upward movement functions while reducing the total number of separate parts compared to using independent components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge cam is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously provides free stop section, slow down section, and upward movement capability. This universal design achieves multiple optimized functions within a single component, reducing part count and cost while maintaining functional reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The multi-layered cam and slider mechanism effectively reduces noise and enhances user safety by allowing controlled closure and improved sensibility through extended free stop functionality and reduced part count, thereby lowering costs.
Implementation Method 1
a compression coil spring(40) being disposed inside the housing(10); a slider(50) being disposed on the upper portion inside the housing(10) and being elastically supported by the compression coil spring(40)
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a hinge device for opening and closing a cover of office equipment, and more particularly to a hinge device disposed at a cover which is rotatably opened and closed and having a multi-layered cam and a slider, so that a free stop section and a slow down section are performed in closing the cover, thereby reducing a noise in closing the cover and improving a sensibility of product. The hinge device for opening and closing a cover of office equipment of the present invention comprises: a housing (10) which is disposed at a main body (110) of an office equipment and having a pair of hinge holes (11) on the upper portion thereof; a rotational lever(20) which is fixedly disposed at a cover (120) and having hinge holes(21) at the rear thereof and being provided with a hinge connection part(22) inserted into the upper portion inside the housing (10) at the lower portion of the rear thereof; a hinge shaft(30) being inserted into the hinge holes (11) of the housing (10) and the hinge holes(21) of the rotational lever(20) and combined with them and supporting rotation of the rotational lever(20) and the cover (120); a compression coil spring(40) being disposed inside the housing (10); and a slider(50) being disposed on the upper portion inside the housing (10) and being elastically supported by the compression coil spring(40), and the upper end portion of which contacts with the lower end surface of the hinge connection part(22) of the rotational lever(20); wherein the hinge connection part(22) of the rotational lever(20) is located at the front of hinge holes(21), so that a multi-layered cam(23) is provided to the lower end surface of the hinge connection part(22) and a supporting surface (51) is formed on the upper end surface of the slider (50), the multi-layered cam(23) of the rotational lever(20) has a stop cam(23a) in the center and at both sides thereof, down cams(23b) which locate at the rear than the surface of the stop cam(23a) and are lower than the stop cam(23a), the supporting surface(51) of the slider(50) has an inclined plane that is getting higher toward the front, at the center of the front end, a stop surface (51a) which contacts with the stop cam(23a) of the rotational lever(20) and down surfaces(51b) which is protruded from both sides of the stop surface(51a) and contact with the down cams(23b) are provided.