Compact Case Hinge Unit with Inclined Shaft and Frame Guide
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional compact cases with hinge units require complex and costly manufacturing processes, including separate assembly of cap members and through holes, leading to increased mold complexity and costs, as well as a risk of the hemispheric tip end of the hinge unit falling out when the lid is opened beyond a certain angle.
Innovation Solution
A compact case design that eliminates the need for through holes by using a frame body with inclined surfaces and a tongue piece to guide the hinge unit, allowing for easy assembly and secure connection of the lid and container bodies without dedicated cap members, reducing mold complexity and assembly costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a through hole is formed in the hinge section of the container body to insert the hinge unit, then the hinge unit can be connected to the lid body and container body, but the mold becomes complex and large sized, increasing mold cost and shaping cost
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of forming a through hole in the container body to insert the hinge unit from the inside, the invention inverts the approach by forming a through hole in the lid body and inserting the hinge unit from the outside. This allows the hinge unit to be connected without requiring complex mold mechanisms for forming holes in the container body, thereby simplifying the mold structure while maintaining connection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the hinge connection structure into separate components: the hinge unit with case section and shaft section, the lid body with receiving hole, and the container body with hinge section. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently with simpler molds, and then assembled together, reducing overall mold complexity while ensuring reliable connection.
2Reliability
If a cap member is used to close up the hinge section from the outer side to fix the shaft section, then the hinge unit can be securely assembled, but the manufacturing process becomes complex and costly with multiple separate assembly steps
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the cap member function into the lid body itself. The lid body is designed with an integrated structure that includes both the receiving hole and the closing portion that secures the shaft section. This eliminates the need for a separate cap member and reduces the number of assembly steps, making the manufacturing process simpler while maintaining assembly reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid body is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as the covering element, contains the receiving hole for the hinge unit, and includes the closing portion that secures the shaft section. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated cap members and simplifies the overall manufacturing process while ensuring reliable assembly.
3Ease of manufacture
If the tip end of the hinge unit is made hemispheric to improve workability during assembly, then the hinge unit can be easily fitted into the hole, but the tip end section easily falls out of the receiving hole when the lid body is opened beyond a certain angle
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses an asymmetric shape for the tip end of the hinge unit shaft section, specifically an inclined surface rather than a hemispheric shape. This asymmetric design allows the shaft section to be easily inserted into the receiving hole during assembly while preventing it from falling out when the lid body is opened, as the inclined surface creates a directional fit that maintains stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameter of the hinge unit tip end from a hemispheric shape to an inclined surface shape. This parameter change maintains the ease of assembly by allowing smooth insertion into the receiving hole, while simultaneously improving stability by creating a configuration that prevents the shaft section from dislodging when the lid body is opened beyond a certain angle.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
[Problem to be solved] To provide a compact case built-in with a hinge unit that can be easily assembled while reducing manufacturing costs of parts. [Solving Means] A compact case 1 with a lid body 20 connected, in an openable and closable manner, via a hinge using at least one or more hinge unit 30, to a back end of a flat box shaped container body 10, the compact case includes a frame body 41 of a plate-like member having a flat shape along a peripheral shape of an upper opening of the container body, the back end of the container body is formed with a hinge storing section 11 for storing a case section of the hinge unit so that a shaft section of the hinge unit is protruded, a back end of the lid body is formed with a receiving hole 21a in which the shaft section of the hinge unit is to be inserted, the frame body is attached to the container body so as to cover up the hinge storing section, the shaft section of the hinge unit is inserted in the receiving hole in a state the case section of the hinge unit is fixed to the container body, and the container body and the lid body are connected in an openable and closable manner.