JP2003194041A - Hinge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hinge used in a cellular phone, etc., structured hollow using a decreased number of component parts capable of giving a certain sense of fixation to the user when the cellular phone is closed and full opened. <P>SOLUTION: The hinge is composed of a rotary part consisting of a spring of a cylindrical shape and a cylindrical rotary holding member whereto the spring is attached and a fixation part of a cylindrical shape, the same as the spring, to be fitted to the spring. The spring is furnished with a notch having an appropriate length in the longitudinal direction from one end of the spring, and a notch having an appropriate length is formed extending in the circumferential direction from the end of the notch. A projection is formed bent in the notch part of the spring, and a groove to admit fit-in of the projection on the spring is formed at the inside surface of the cylindrical member as the fixation part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hinge most suitable for mobile phones.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hinge used in a mobile phone or the like has a shaft penetrating through its center. Taking the most common one as an example, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, a shaft 20 and a friction plate 21 fixed to the shaft 20,
A rotating portion 22 rotatably attached to the shaft 20, a friction plate 23 fixed to the shaft 20 in the rotating portion 22, and a disc spring 24 that also presses the friction plate 23 into the rotating portion 22 in the rotating portion 22. And a nut 25 for fixing the disc spring 23 to the shaft 20 so as not to fall off. The above hinge prevents the display part from falling down toward the operation part by its own weight when the mobile phone is used due to the friction between the friction plates 21 and 23 pressed by the disc spring 24 and the rotating part 22. There is something.

Conventionally, in a mobile phone or the like, a hinge having a click mechanism has been used in some cases in order to give the user a firm sense of fixation when opening and closing and when fully opened. As shown in FIG. 24, a general structure of a hinge having a conventional click mechanism is as follows: a cam convex part 101 and a cam concave part 102; a coil spring 103 that presses the convex part 101 and a concave part 102; a press washer 104; Axis 10
5, and a sheath 106 covering them, the rotating shaft 1
The cam convex part 101 and the press washer 104 are fixed to the cam 05, while the rotary shaft 105 is inserted so that the cam concave part 102 and the coil spring 103 can rotate.

In the above hinge, the pressing force of the coil spring 103 is used to obtain the frictional resistance value required for the hinge during rotation, and the convex portions of the cam convex component 101 and the cam concave component 102 fit into the concave portions. It is used as a click sound when you click in.

These conventional hinges have a large number of parts, and it is extremely difficult to reduce the number of parts. In addition, since the parts are minute, the efficiency of the assembly work is poor and the manufacturing cost is reduced. It was difficult. Further, since the rotary shafts 20 and 105 are indispensable parts, there is no space inside, and therefore wiring and connectors cannot be incorporated in the hinge, and therefore the conventional hinge can be operated with the display part of a mobile phone or the like. When it is used for connecting to the display section, it is necessary to separately provide a space for wiring and a connector for connecting the display section and the operation section.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above situation, a main object of the present invention is to provide a hinge having a hollow structure in which wirings and connectors can be incorporated.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce the number of parts,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a hinge having a structure that has a high efficiency of assembling work and is inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hinge in which the frictional resistance at the time of rotation required for the hinge of a mobile phone or the like has a value that is not excessive or insufficient.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a hinge having a click mechanism that can give a user a secure feeling when the opening / closing is closed and fully opened.

Other objects of the invention other than those described above will be understood from the following description.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention as set forth in claim 1 is tubular and has a notch provided from one end thereof along the length direction and from the end of the notch. A spring member provided with a notch of an appropriate length along the circumferential direction, a holding member for holding the spring member at one end thereof, and a fitting member that covers the entire spring member and is in close contact with the outer surface of the spring member. It is characterized by comprising a tubular member for

The invention described in claim 2 is the same as claim 1.
In the hinge described in (3) above, the convex portion is bent and formed in the notch portion of the spring member, and a suitable number of groove portions into which the convex portion of the spring member is fitted are provided on the inner surface of the tubular member.

The invention described in claim 3 is the same as claim 1
Alternatively, the hinge according to claim 2 is characterized in that resistance is imparted at the time of rotation by friction between the spring member and the inner surface of the tubular member due to the expansion of the spring member.

The invention according to claim 4 is the hinge according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the rotation holding member is made of plastics. The invention is the hinge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tubular member is made of metal or plastics.

In the present invention, the spring member and the rotation holding member that holds the spring member form the rotating portion of the hinge, and the tubular member forms the fixing portion of the hinge.

The spring material adopted by the present invention has a tubular shape as a whole, and is provided with a notch extending from an appropriate position in the length direction to the end. For this reason, the spring material generally has a C-shaped cross section from the notch. Section C
The shape is not limited to a C-shaped cross-section in the strict sense that the end faces of the cutouts face each other, but a spiral shape in which one of the end faces of the cutouts is wound outside and the other is inward. Needless to say, it also includes a modification such as a modified C-shaped cross section having a convex portion.

Further, the notch provided in the spring member has an appropriate length in the length direction from one end, and extends appropriately from the end of the notch in the circumferential direction. This makes it possible to obtain the frictional resistance value required for the hinge during rotation.

A protrusion may be formed by bending in the notch of the spring material. In this case, the inner surface of the tubular member is provided with a groove portion into which the convex portion of the spring member is fitted. The convex portion of the spring member is fitted into the groove portion formed on the inner surface of the tubular member by the rotation or is separated from the groove portion.

The end portion of the spring material on the non-notched side is attached to a cylindrical holding member. The notch is not provided over the entire length of the spring material in order to secure the rotation center when the spring material rotates while rubbing against the inner surface of the tubular member and to secure the required torsional strength.

When iron is a spring material, the above spring material is usually punched into a flat plate shape by press working, bent by the same press working, and finally hardened. Is usually manufactured by punching into a flat plate shape by press working and bending it by press working so as not to lose the springiness.

Since the rotation holding member rotates together with the spring member, it is preferably made of plastics so as to facilitate integration with the spring member.

Therefore, in the hinge of the present invention, when a rotational force is applied to the rotation holding member, the spring member pressed against the inner surface of the tubular member rotates, and the friction between the spring member and the inner surface of the tubular member is caused. Rotational resistance can be obtained.

When the spring material is formed with a convex portion,
When a groove is formed on the inner surface of the tubular member, when a rotational force is applied to the rotation holding member, the convex portion of the spring material fitted in the groove of the tubular member is deformed and disengaged from the groove, In that case, a strong rotation resistance can be obtained, and after coming out of the groove, the parts of the spring material other than the convex parts are deformed and hit the inner surface of the tubular member, and due to the friction between the spring material and the inner surface of the tubular member, A slight rotational resistance can be obtained. Then, when the convex portion of the spring material is fitted into the groove portion of the tubular member, a clicking sound can be obtained, and at the same time, a stable state with respect to the rotational force can be obtained.

The value of the rotation resistance of the spring material is naturally determined by appropriately selecting the value of the spring elasticity according to the application of the hinge.

[0025]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example in which the present invention is implemented as a hinge which is used as a pair of two, FIG. 1 for the right side, and FIG. 2 for the left side. Since the structure for the right side is the same as that for the left side, only the right side will be described, and the description for the left side will be omitted.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a rotating portion A comprising a spring material 1 and a rotation holding member 2 for holding the spring material 1, and a fixed portion B.
And a cylindrical member 3 that covers the spring material 1 attached to the rotation holding member 2.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the spring material 1 is
A notch 4 which is cylindrical and has an appropriate length from one end along the length direction and an appropriate length from the end to the circumferential direction.
Is provided, and a convex portion 5 is formed by bending in the cutout portion.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the end of the spring material 1 on the side where the notch 4 is not provided is press-fitted into one surface of the cylindrical rotation holding member 2 made of plastics. Groove 7
Is press-fitted into and is attached to the rotation holding member 2,
In this way, the rotating portion A is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cylindrical member 3 which is the fixed portion B has the same length as the spring member 1 attached to the rotation holding member 2, and the inner surface of the cylindrical member 3 is the spring member 1. It is formed to have a diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter, and on the inner surface, two groove portions 6 into which the convex portions 5 of the spring material 1 are fitted are provided at upper and lower portions. The material of the cylindrical member 3 is metal or plastics corresponding to the spring material 1.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the spring member 1 attached to the rotation holding member 2 is fitted to the inner surface of the tubular member 3, and the entire tubular member 3 is fitted by the tubular member 3. It is assembled as a hinge by covering the.

The above hinge is for the right side of FIG.
The one for the left side in FIG. 2 is arranged and used so that the tubular member 3 faces each other. When a rotational force is applied to the rotation holding members 2 for the right side and the left side, the spring material 1 is deformed, and the convex portion 5 is disengaged from the groove portion 6 of the tubular member 3 which is the fixed portion B and rotated. . At this time, the value of the rotational resistance becomes large, and the value of the rotational resistance becomes small until the convex portion 5 is fitted into the other groove portion 6 after being removed from the groove portion 6. When the convex portion 5 of the spring material 1 is fitted into the other groove portion 6, a clicking sound is emitted. Therefore, by using the above-mentioned hinge in a mobile phone, the positions where the convex portion 5 and the groove portion 6 are provided are adjusted so that the convex portion 5 of the spring material 1 fits into the groove portion 6 of the tubular member 3 when closed and when fully opened. This will give the user a firm sense of fixation.

Another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the right and left hinges described above are integrated. . That is, the rotating parts A for the right side and the left side of the above-mentioned hinge are fitted to the left and right ends of one tubular member 3, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 13, the hinge of this embodiment is used by being attached to a connecting portion between a display portion and an operating portion of a mobile phone or the like.

Another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 14. The embodiment of FIG.
Is another form. Spring material 1 shown in (a)
0 is a form in which the tip is formed in a C-shape in cross section, and the spring material 10 shown in (b) and (c) has a C-shape in cross section from the cut-out point and one of the end faces of the cut-out. Is a spiral type in which the coil is wound so as to be inward with respect to the other, and the spring member 10 shown in (d) and (e).
Is a spiral type in which a spring member 1 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 having a convex portion 5 is wound so that one of the end faces of the cutout is wound inward with respect to the other end face. It is a thing. As described above, the embodiment of the present invention includes a spring material that is not C-shaped in cross section in a strict sense. This form is effective for increasing the value of rotation resistance.

In the hinge described above, both the rotating portion A and the fixed portion B are hollow. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, FIG. 17, and FIG. 19, wiring can be passed inside and a connector can be built in.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 18, the wiring can be passed from the outer surface of the rotating portion A to the hollow inside thereof, and into the hollow inside, and the connector can be provided inside the hollow inside. It can also be built in.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, from the hollow inside of the rotating portion A to the outer surface of the fixed portion B, or from the outer surface of the rotating portion A to its hollow inside, and fixing The wiring can be passed through the outer surface of the portion B, and the connector can be built in the hollow inside.

If the wiring is passed inside or the connector is built in, it is not necessary to separately provide the wiring and the space for it in the mobile phone.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the rotating portion is composed of the cylindrical spring member and the cylindrical rotation holding member, and the fixing portion fitted therein is also cylindrical. Hollow wiring and connectors can be built inside.

Further, according to the present invention, the rotating member is composed of a cylindrical spring member and a cylindrical rotation holding member, and the rotating member is fitted into the cylindrical member which is the fixing member. With the friction of the inner surface of the cylindrical member, resistance during rotation can be obtained.

Further, according to the present invention, the rotating part is composed of the cylindrical spring member and the cylindrical rotation holding member, and is fitted to the cylindrical member which is the fixed part. Conventional hinge rotation axis, fixed plate, friction plate, coil spring,
The function of the holding plate can be replaced by a rotating part consisting of two parts, and the number of parts of the hinge can be omitted.

Further, according to the present invention, when the convex portion is provided on the spring member of the rotating portion and the groove portion into which the convex portion is fitted is provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical member which is the fixed portion, the cam convex component of the conventional hinge described above. The function of the coil spring that pushes the convex part, the rotary shaft, and the press washer can be replaced by the rotating part that consists of two parts, and the cam concave part and the fixing part that covers them can be replaced by one part. It is possible to expect an excellent effect that the number of parts of the hinge can be omitted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hinge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a hinge according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a rotating portion of the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the rotating portion of the embodiment of FIG.

5 is a right side view of the rotating portion of the embodiment of FIG.

6 is a left side view of the rotating portion of the embodiment of FIG.

7 is a left side view of the fixing portion of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the fixing portion of the embodiment of FIG.

9 is a perspective view showing an assembling process of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an assembling process of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an embodiment different from FIGS. 1 and 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an assembling process of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state where the embodiment of FIG. 11 is used in a mobile phone.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a different embodiment of the present invention, (a)
Is a modification of an example different from the examples of FIGS. 1 and 2, (b) is a different modification of the example of (a), (c) is a modification of the example of (a) different from (b), (d) ) Is a modification of the example of FIG.
(E) is another modification of the example of FIG.

15 is a schematic perspective view of an example of wiring using the hollow portion of the embodiment of FIG.

16 is a schematic perspective view of another wiring example using the hollow portion of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view of one wiring example using the hollow portion of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 18 is a schematic perspective view of another wiring example using the hollow portion of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective view of one wiring example using the hollow portion of the embodiment of FIG.

20 is a schematic perspective view of another wiring example using the hollow portion of the embodiment of FIG.

21 is a schematic perspective view of another wiring example using the hollow portion of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional hinge.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the hinge of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is an exploded perspective view of a hinge having a conventional click mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

A rotating part B fixed part 1 spring material 2 Rotation holding member 3 tubular members 4 notches 5 convex 6 groove 7 Press fit groove 10 Spring material 20 axes 21,23 Friction plate 22 Rotating part 24 Disc spring 25 nuts 101 cam convex parts 102 Cam recessed product 103 coil spring 104 Presser washer 105 rotation axis 106 sheath

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Toshio Mori             2-6-5 Nishioi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Yu Kanazawa             541-29, Funagata, Funagata-cho, Mogami-gun, Yamagata Prefecture F term (reference) 3J105 AA02 AA03 AA12 AB11 AB24                       AB46 AC07 DA01 DA15 DA23

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A spring member, which is tubular and has a notch provided from one end thereof along the length direction and a notch having an appropriate length from the end of the notch along the circumferential direction, and the spring member. A hinge comprising: a holding member which is held at one end thereof; and a tubular member which covers the entire spring material and is fitted into the outer surface of the spring material while being in close contact therewith. 2. The spring member according to claim 1, wherein a convex portion is bent and formed in a cutout portion of the spring member, and an appropriate number of groove portions into which the convex portion of the spring member is fitted are provided on an inner surface of the tubular member. Hinge. 3. The hinge according to claim 1, wherein resistance is imparted during rotation by friction between the spring member and the inner surface of the tubular member due to the expansion of the spring member. 4. The hinge according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the holding member is made of plastics. 5. The hinge according to claim 1, wherein the tubular member is made of metal or plastics.