KR20070021097A - Bistable hinges with damping mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

Hinge for controlling pivot momentum. The hinge includes a first hinge portion and a second hinge portion pivotally mounted to the first hinge portion. The first hinge portion can move between and to an open position and a closed position relative to the second hinge portion. The connector extends along an axis and the first and second hinges are pivotably mounted about the connector on the axis. A gap is formed between at least one of the first and second hinge portions and the connector. The damping fluid is located in the gap for controlling the relative momentum of the first and second hinge portions between the open position and the closed position.

Hinged member, first hinge portion, cam face, second hinge portion, pressing member, axial bore, connector, damping fluid, device housing, hinge.

Description

Bistable Hinges with Damping Mechanisms {BISTABLE HINGE WITH DAMPENING MECHANISM}

The present invention relates to a hinge assembly for rotatably connecting a hinged member to a device housing, and more particularly, to maintain the hinged member in at least one of an open position and a closed position with respect to the device housing. A viscoelastic damped, viscoelastic dampened, self-latching hinge.

In the case of any hinge, it is possible to hold the hinged member in the open or closed position and to provide a hinge that is relatively slow and can damp the movement of the hinged member between the open and closed positions at a constant rate. It is desirable to. One such device is a higher competitive handheld communication device (eg, a lightweight cover in cellular and PCS phones or automobiles). The fierce competition between handheld communication devices has encouraged improvements to these devices, and these improvements have been particularly marketable, with particular emphasis on style and aesthetics.

In many devices, a spring biasing member is typically installed between the hinged member and the device housing and the housing opens the hinged component after the initial latching force has been manually overcome or after a separate manual latch has been released. Pressurize to position. However, known hinge assemblies are provided as composite parts assembled with hinged members and device housings. Known hinges of this type share expensive and costly axial forces on the device housing and hinged members. In the field of mobile communications devices which are aiming to produce even smaller telephone devices, the use of this type of hinge assembly is an early failure when such additional load is adjusted by the design of any type of device with a sufficient size to provide the required load path. And may result in structural failure of the mounting device for hinge in the device housing and / or the hinged member. In addition, this known hinge assembly has a sudden opening action and actually closes the flip half of the phone against the rear stop as soon as the opening movement is completed.

In other known hinges designed to address axial load problems, the pre-assembled hinges are provided to hold the hinged member in an open or closed position. The hinge includes an outer shell that interacts with the axial spring load such that no axial force is shared with the device housing or hinged member. However, this configuration is large and simple manufacturing operation and cannot be installed between the device housing and the hinged member. In addition, the hinged member does not remain stable in the open position because the closing and opening forces of the hinge are the same. In the open position, the spring force on the hinge actuated to hold the hinge in the open position is smaller when the hinge is in the closed position, and therefore the hinged member is prone to move or rattle when in the open position. Easy to bet This can cause pre-wearing of the hinge as well as the device housing and hinged member connected by the hinge. Moreover, in many devices the movement of the hinged member between the closed position and the open position is irregular and results in undesirable residual forces as well as pre-wear and / or failure of the hinge when moved to the open position. This type of hinge also has the problem of closing tightly as described in the paragraph above.

The present invention provides a relatively inexpensive prefabricated, self-accepted, two-position hinge, wherein the hinge is a first, open position to the device housing without sharing axial load on the hinged member or device housing. Or second, retaining the hinged member in the closed position resulting in a long operating life and allowing the hinged member to move at a relatively constant speed between the open and closed positions. This shares a good sense and appropriately shares the movement of the flip half of the phone or the car cover. The hinge of the present invention is simple and easily connected to the hinged member and the device housing with only finger pressure, without the use of tools, resulting in a reduction in the assembly cost of the final product.

Briefly described, the hinge according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first hinge portion for connecting to one of the hinged member and the device housing, and a second hinge portion for connecting the other of the hinged member and the device housing. . The first hinge portion has an axis and a cam follower when the second hinge portion has a cam face. The axial load bearing connector extends through the axial bore of the first and second hinge portions. The cam follower is pressed against the cam face while under pressure from the spring or the like. The viscoelastic fluid is located in the axial bore between the inner surface of at least one of the first and second hinge portions and the outer surface of the axial load bearing connector. The viscoelastic fluid damps the spring force that presses the cam follower against the cam face to adjust the movement of the cam follower with respect to the cam face under the pressing force, thus opening and / or closing the speed of the hinged member relative to the device housing Adjust it.

According to another aspect of the invention, the hinge is adapted to pivotally connect the hinged member to the device housing to maintain the hinged member in one of the open and closed positions relative to the device housing and open at a relatively constant speed. Rotate between position and closed position. The hinge includes a first hinge portion having an axis and a cam follower. The first hinge portion is connected to one of the hinged member and the device housing. The second hinge portion is provided to be aligned with the axis of the first hinge portion and to be rotatable about the axis. The second hinge portion has a cam face. The cam follower on the first hinge portion is in contact with the cam face. The cam face has a first position and a second position. The second hinge portion is connected with the other of the hinged member and the device housing. While the axial load bearing coupler is connected with the first and second hinge portions where the spring forces interact, the spring presses the cam follower against the cam face by the axial spring force. The viscoelastic fluid is located inside the gap between at least one of the inner surfaces of the axial bore and the outer surface of the axial load bearing connector. The viscoelastic fluid dampens the spring force that presses the cam follower against the cam face, thus slowing the movement of the cam follower with respect to the cam face, thus slowing the generally constant speed rotational movement of the hinge. The hinge keeps the hinged member in the open position with respect to the device housing when the cam follower is in the first position. The torque component is located between the first and second hinge portions. The torque component has a greater friction torque in the first direction of rotation of the first hinge relative to the second hinge than in the second direction of rotation of the first hinge relative to the second hinge, where the state is generally stable in the first position. To retain the hinged member.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method for assembling a hinged member to a device housing includes a first hinge portion having a first outer shape, a hinged member and a device housing with a first bore positioned along the hinge axis. Providing a prefabricated hinge comprising a second hinge portion having a second outer shape, the second bore complementing the second outer shape of the second hinge portion and engaging with the shape. Thus providing a hinged member and the other of the device housing in a positioned position, aligning the hinged member and the device housing such that the first and second bores are axially aligned, a first outer shape of the first hinged portion. Inserting a first hinge portion into the first bore through the second bore such that the additional couple is coupled to the first bore and the outer shape of the second hinge portion is coupled to the second bore, the first And providing a viscoelastic fluid inside the axial bore of the first and second hinge portions between the inner surface of the second hinge portion and the outer surface of the axial load bearing connection portion along the length of the hinge portion, wherein the first bore Is complementary to and combinable with the first outer shape of the first hinge portion, the second bore is of sufficient size so that the first hinge portion can pass there through.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method for assembling a hinge comprises providing a pin having first and second ends, disposing a first hinge having an axial bore formed in the pin, Disposing a second hinge portion having a second axial bore formed such that fluid is provided in a gap between the inner surface of the hinge portion and the outer surface of the axial load bearing connector along the total length of the hinge portion; Inserting a viscoelastic fluid inside the axial bore of the first and second hinge portions between the inner surface of the hinge portion and the outer surface of the pin and extending through the axial range of motion of the first hinge portion, and the second end of the pin And pressing the floating bushing into the counter bore, the first end including a head and a first end having a first diameter. The first hinge portion includes a cam follower. The second hinge portion is rotatable about an axis of the first hinge portion, the second hinge portion has a cam surface, the cam follower on the first hinge portion contacts the cam surface, and the second end of the pin is brought into the counterbore. Extending so that the second hinge includes a counterbore of a second diameter aligned with the axial bore on the opposite side from the cam face, the bushing having an inner diameter smaller than the first diameter and an outer diameter smaller than the second diameter, And the bushing is enlarged to press on the pin making an intermediate fit between the outer diameter and the bushing.

1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the hinge according to the invention;

2 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge shown in FIG. 1;

3 is a perspective view of the hinge shown in FIG. 1, installed in a collapsible telephone;

4 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge shown in FIG. 1 taken along line 4-4 shown in FIG.

5 is a graph showing a change in the axial displacement of the cam surface with respect to the angular position with respect to the hinge according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged sectional view of the telephone shown in FIG. 3 taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 3, showing an opening for hinge installation; FIG.

7 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the hinge according to the present invention;

8 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge according to the second preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the axial displacement of the cam surface relative to the angular position for the second preferred embodiment of the hinge shown in FIG. 7;

10 is an exploded perspective view of a hinge according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention similar to the hinge shown in FIG. 7;

11 is an exploded perspective view of a hinge according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention similar to the hinge shown in FIG. 7;

12 is a longitudinal sectional view of a hinge according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

13 is a perspective view of a hinge according to a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention;

14 is a sectional view of the hinge of the fifth embodiment taken along line 14-14 of FIG. 13; And

FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view of a hinge according to a sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention similar to the hinge shown in FIG.

The techniques described below are for the convenience of description and are not intended to be limiting. The terms "right", "left", "lower" and "upper" refer to directions in the drawings for reference. The terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the geometric center of the hinge according to the invention and the direction towards or away from the designated part thereof, respectively. Such terms include those specifically mentioned above, terms derived from those terms, and terms having similar meanings.

1 to 3, a hinge 10 in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. As shown in FIG. 3, the hinge 10 connects the hinged member 12 to a device housing 14, such as a cellular or radiotelephone housing, and the hinged member 12 is connected to the cellular phone housing 14. One of the microphone or speaker retaining members pivotally connected. The hinge 10 holds the hinged member 12 in one of the open position shown in FIG. 3 and in the closed position relative to the device housing 14 (shown in FIG. 3 by the dashed-dotted line 12 ′). The hinge 10 is further used for a relatively constant proportion of movement between the open and closed positions. For the device shown in FIG. 3, the hinged member 12 in the closed position is in face engagement with the device housing 14. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the hinge 10 is not limited to a cellular or radio telephone and can be used in many cases where the first member is pivotally mounted to the second member. For example, it can be seen that the hinge 10 is used in automobile doors, home doors, printer leads, houseware leads, container caps, or in many other cases.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hinge 10 includes a first hinge portion 20 having a longitudinal axis 22 and a cam follower 24. The first hinge portion 20 is connected to one of the hinged member 12 and the device housing 14, preferably to the hinged member 12. Preferably, the first hinge portion 20 comprises a separating housing 23 in which the cam follower 24 is movably positioned as described in detail below. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, as described in connection with the second embodiment of the present invention, which will be described in detail below, the first hinge portion 20 may be formed in a unitary piece with a cam follower 24. It will be appreciated from the present invention.

The hinge 10 also includes a second hinge portion 30 that is aligned with the axis 22 of the first hinge portion 20 and that is rotatable about the axis. The second hinge portion 30 includes a cam face 32 in its cross section. The cam follower 24 of the first hinge portion 20 is in contact with the cam face 32 shown in FIG. In a preferred embodiment, the second hinge portion 30 includes two cam faces 32a, 32b most clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. Each cam face 32a, 32b includes a first position 34 and a second position 36. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that only a single cam face 32 is required, and a cam follower contact with only a single cam face 32 is used if an operating angle of approximately 180 degrees or more is required. You will find out from

The spring 40 is provided to press the cam follower 24 against the cam face 32 with spring force, as described in more detail below. The spring 40 is seated relative to the end face 23a of the housing 23. Preferably, the spring 40 is a compression coil spring. However, other types of springs may be used if desired, such as disk springs or any other suitable spring.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cam follower 24 preferably includes two contacts 26, 28, respectively, for following the respective cam face 32a, 32b. The housing 23 of the first hinge portion 20 includes an axially arranged chamber 42 formed therein. The spring 40 is located in the chamber 42 and the cam follower 24 is also in contact with the spring 40 and slidably positioned in the chamber 42 so that the spring 40 applies the spring force to the cam face 32. The cam follower 24 moves in the axial direction at the first hinge portion 20 while applying it to the cam follower 24.

Preferably, the housing 23 includes an axial guide structure 44 as shown in FIG. 4, and the cam follower 24 includes a complementary axial alignment structure 46, so that the cam follower ( 24 restricts rotational movement relative to the housing 23 of the first hinge portion 20 but permits reciprocating movement within the housing 23. Preferably, the axial alignment structure 46 on the cam follower 24 takes the form of a projection extending radially from the opposite side of the cam follower 24, the projection forming an axial guide structure 44. Is housed in an axially extending groove in the housing 23 of the first hinge portion 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, each of the first and second hinge portions 20, 30 has axial bores 48, 50 formed therethrough, respectively. Preferably, the cam follower 24 also includes an axial bore 52 formed therethrough as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The axial load bearing connector 60 extends through the axial bores 48, 50, 52 to connect the first and second hinge portions 20, 30 together. The spring 40 force is not divided into the hinged member 12 or the device housing 14 by the hinge assembly 10 after it has been assembled with the device by interacting with the axial load bearing connector 60. Do not.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the axial load bearing connector 60 is preferably in the form of a pin 61 comprising first and second ends. Head 62 is located at the first end. One of the first and second hinge portions 20, 30, and preferably the second hinge portion 30, is connected to the second end. The torque component 64 is located on the pin 61 and the first and second hinges are through an extension 66 where the torque component 64 is coupled to the slot 68 on the first hinge 20. The other of the branches 20, 30 is preferably connected to the first hinge 20. The torque component 64 has a greater friction torque in the first direction of rotation of the pin 61 than in the second direction of rotation of the pin 61. This is because the first hinge portion 20 rotates in the first closing direction (ie clockwise in FIGS. 1 to 3) with respect to the second hinge portion 30. A larger torque is required to rotate 20 and less to rotate the first hinge portion 20 in the second opening direction (counterclockwise rotation in FIGS. 1 to 3) relative to the second hinge portion 30. This means that torque is required. Since the hinge 10 is directed because a larger torque is needed to initially close the hinged member 12 from the open position relative to the device housing 14 than is needed to open the hinged member 12 from the closed position, The use of the torque component 64 between the first and second hinge portions 20, 30 is used to hold the hinged member 12 in a stable state in the first open position.

Torque component 64 is a type of device constructed of substantially constant strength as disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,491,874, which is incorporated herein by reference. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that other types of torque components, such as torque components, which do not have a constant strength, may be used in the present invention if necessary.

Referring also to FIG. 2, the connection between the pin 61 and the second hinge portion 30 may preferably be achieved by a pressure fit bushing 70. The press fit bushing 70 has an inner diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the pin 61 and an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the bushing receiving bore 72 located at the second hinge portion 30. As shown in FIG. 2, after all components of the hinge 10 have been assembled to the pin 61, the press fit bushing 70 is pressed into the bore 72 in the second hinge 30. It is simultaneously pressed onto the second end of the pin 61 as will be. The bushing 70 extends over the second end of the pin 61 to contact the inner diameter of the bore 72, which forms a connection between the second end of the pin 61 and the second hinge portion 30, The pin 61 is firmly connected to and rotates with the second hinge portion 30 during movement with respect to the first hinge portion 20. However, those skilled in the art will connect the second end of the pin 61 to the second hinge 30 so that other types of connections, such as welding or mechanical deformation of the second end of the pin 61 or any other connecting device, may be used. It can be seen that it can be used in the present invention. Optionally, the pin 61 may be formed as part of the second hinge portion 30, and the head 62 may be formed on the first end after assembly of the hinge component on the pin 61.

As best shown in FIG. 4, a viscoelastic damping fluid 90 is located in the gap 92 between the inner surface of the hinge portions 20, 30 and the outer surface of the axial load bearing connector 60. This dampens the relative movement between the hinge portions 20, 30 and the connector 60 of the hinge 10, and thus the opening or closing movement of the hinged member 12 relative to the device housing 14. Preferably, the fluid 90 is located in the gap 92 through the total length of the hinge portions 20, 30 and through the axial range of motion of the first hinge portion. However, the fluid 90 is located between one of the hinge portions 20, 30 and the pin 61 without departing from the spirit of the invention. The damping provided by the fluid 90 cooperating with the spring force from the spring 40 acts similar to the spring in a series of collisions. The combination is used to control the hinge turnover, maintaining the turnover at a relatively constant speed. Suitable damping fluid 90 is preferably in the form of a shearstable grease based on synthetic hydrocarbon fluids such as NYE Ultra Heavy Damping NYOGEL PG-44A manufactured by NYE Lubricants of Fairhaven, Massachusetts. The gap 92 between the inner surface of the hinge portions 20, 30 and the outer surface of the axial load bearing connector 60 is preferably sized to obtain maximum attenuation from the fluid 90. It can be appreciated that various viscoelastic materials can be used and the gap dimensions can be varied over a wide range to provide various damping and motion control between the hinged member 12 and the device housing 14.

2 and 4, in order to assemble the hinge 10, the first hinge portion 20 is placed on the pin 61. Preferably, the washer 65 and the torque component 64 are installed on the pin 61 before the first hinge portion 20 is installed on the pin 61. The first hinge portion 20 includes a housing 23 on which a spring 40 and a cam follower 24 are placed. The second hinge portion 30 is placed on the pin 61 so that the second hinge portion 30 is centered on the axis 22 of the first hinge portion with the cam face 32 in contact with the cam follower 24. Rotate The viscoelastic fluid 90 passes through the length of the hinge portions 20, 30 and into the gap 92 between the outer and inner surfaces 54, 56 of the axial load bearing coupler 60 of the hinge portion throughout its range of motion. Is inserted. The press fit bushing 70 is pressed over the second end of the pin 61 and into the bushing receiving bore 72.

1, 3 and 6, the hinge 10 is assembled with the hinged member 12 and the device housing 14 using a simple assembly operation. As shown in FIG. 1, the first hinge portion 20 of the hinge 10 preferably comprises a first outer surface 76 and the second hinge portion 30 comprises a second outer surface 78. do. As shown in FIG. 6, one of the hinged member 12 and the device housing 14, preferably the device housing 14, has a first bore 80 positioned along the hinge axis 22. . The first bore 80 is complementary to and coupled to the first outer feature 76 of the first hinge portion 20. The hinged member 12 and the other of the device housing 14, preferably the hinged member 12, are hinges complementary to and engageable by the second outer feature 78 of the second hinge portion 30. It has a second bore 82 located along the axis 22. The second bore 82 is large enough to allow the first hinge portion 20 to pass through the bore. After aligning the hinged member 12 and the device housing 14 so that the first and second bores are axially aligned, the hinge 10 is moved from the outside of the hinged member 12 and the device housing 14. In the inserted state, the first hinge portion 20 passes through the second bore 82 into the first bore 80 such that the first outer shape 76 of the first hinge portion 20 is the first bore. Combine with 80. The hinge 10 is pressed into the position shown in FIG. 6 as the second outer feature 78 of the second hinge 30 engages with the second bore 82. This operation makes assembly of the hinged member 12 to the device housing 14 simple and efficient. A pivotable connection (not shown) is provided on the opposite side of the device housing 14 from the hinge 10 of the present invention to make the hinged connection more stable.

Preferably, the first and second hinge portions 20, 30 are formed with an outer generally frusto-conical taper extending from the second hinge portion 30 to the first hinge portion 20. And a plurality of radially outwardly extending ribs that engage the bores 80, 82 complementary to the device housing 14 and the hinged member 12, respectively. As best seen in FIG. 4, the axially extending rib grips the bore, between the first hinge portion 20 and the device housing 14, and the second hinge portion 30 and the hinged member ( 12) provide a solid connection between.

Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a graph showing a change in the axial displacement of the cam faces 32a and 32b with respect to the angular position about the axis 22. As shown in FIG. For purposes of explanation, both contacts 26, 28 of the cam follower 24 are shown displaced 180 degrees from each other. In the open position, the contacts 26, 28 of the cam follower 24 are in the first position 34 of the respective cam faces 32a, 32b. The spring 40 applies less force to the cam follower 24 in the first position 34 because the cam follower 24 is not compressed than when it is in the second position 36. The second position 36 is the uppermost position on the cam features 32a and 32b. The cam faces 32a, 32b also include a third intermediate position 38 axially offset from the first and second positions 34, 36. The cam follower 24 moves from the first position 34 to the third position 38, past the second position 36, where the maximum spring force must be overcome, as indicated at 24 ′ in FIG. 5. When moving, the intermediate position 38 comprises a preferably short shelf slightly offset from the second top position 36, to hold the hinged member 12 in the closed position relative to the device housing 14. do. The damping provided by the viscoelastic fluid 90 in the gap 92 slows the movement between the positions of each cam, in particular when the cam follower moves from the second position to the first position, and the hinged member is in the closed position. Corresponds to moving from the open position. The cam follower 24 must always move past the top position 36 on the cam features 32a and 32b to move the hinged member 12 towards or from the closed position 38. In the closed position, the hinged member 12 supports the device housing 14 to prevent further movement.

7-9 and 12, a second embodiment of a hinge 110 in accordance with the present invention is shown. Hinge 110 is similar in configuration to hinge 10 and has a second hinge including first hinge portion 120 and cam face 132 with cam follower 124 having contacts 126 and 128. Viscoelastic damping fluid disposed at intervals between the branches 130 and the gap 192 between the inner surfaces 154, 156 of the first and second hinge portions 120, 130 and the outer surfaces of the fins 160 ( 190). The first and second hinge portions 120 and 130 include circumferentially extending surfaces having a shape at one end surface, and preferably the same. The circumferentially extending surfaces are coupled to each other by being positioned about an axis 122 with respect to the second hinge portion 130 in the first position. The cam follower 124 on the first hinge portion 120 presses against a portion of the cam face 132 on the second hinge portion 130. Preferably, the contacts 126, 128 on the first hinge portion 120 bear the cam faces 132a, 132b on the second hinge portion 130.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 8 and 12, a pin 161 having a first end with a head 162 is provided. The pin 161 acts as an axial load bearing connector and is inserted through the compression coil spring 140 in the first and second hinge portions 120 and 130 through the bores 148 and 150 extending in the axial direction. . Viscoelastic fluid 190 is inserted in the gap 192 between the inner surfaces 154, 156 of the bores 148, 150 and the outer surface of the pin 161. However, those skilled in the art will omit the viscoelastic fluid 190 between the inner surface 156 of the second hinge path 130 and the pins 161 and thus these two portions will generally remain statuary with respect to each other. It will be appreciated from the present invention. The washer 164 is placed over the second end of the pin 161, and as shown in FIG. 7, the second end of the pin 161 is crimped to form the hinge assembly 110.

The viscoelastic fluid 190 is preferably the same as the viscoelastic fluid 90 described above, the relative movement between the hinges 120, 130 and the connector 160 of the hinge 110, and thus the device housing (this embodiment) Attenuates the opening or closing movement of the hinged member relative to the hinge member). As in this embodiment, the fluid 190 is located in the gap 192 through at least the total length of the hinge portion 120 and along the pin 161 through the axial range of motion of the first hinge 120. It is desirable to.

The first and second hinge portions 120, 130 include protrusions 176, 178 that allow the first and second hinge portions 120, 130 to be connected to the hinged member and the device housing (not shown). One of the hinged member and device housing in which the hinge 110 is used includes a slot (not shown) so that one of the protrusions 176, 178 is moved axially during the hinge movement. Optionally, the outer housing (similar to the housing 23 of the first embodiment) is provided with an axial channel through which one of the protrusions 176, 178 slides. The outer surface of this housing is anchored to one of the hinged member and the device housing (not shown) to prevent wear.

Referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is a graph showing a change in the axial displacement of the cam surfaces 132a and 132b based on the angular position about the axis 122. In the first position 134, the contacts 126, 128 of the cam follower 124 are located at the lowest position corresponding to the open position of the hinge 110, where the hinge member (not shown) is the device housing (not shown). (Not shown). The hinged member engages the cam follower 124 'with the contacts 126, 128 passing over the second top position 136 on the cam faces 132a, 132b and falling below the third intermediate position 138. Is moved to the indicated closed position. The physical position of the hinged member and the device housing in the closed position prevents the contacts 126, 128 from moving beyond the third intermediate position. In order to open the hinge 110, the initial force for compressing the spring must be overcome before the spring 140 expands and presses the hinge 110 to the open position. The damping provided by the viscoelastic fluid 190 in the gap 192 slows the motion between each cam position.

In the second embodiment of the hinge 110, the cam follower 124 moves from the first position 134 to the arrow 186 by moving upwards on the transition slope between the first and second cam faces 132a, 132b. Move up in the direction of. If the transition slopes are relatively steep compared to the cam faces 132a and 132b, they return the first hinge portion 120 to the first position relative to the second hinge portion 130, as indicated by reference numeral 134. Allow excessive expansion of the first and second hinge portions 120, 130 against the force of the spring 140 acting as

Preferably, the bores 148, 150 in the first and second hinge portions 120, 130 are sized to provide a slip fit on the pin 161 and to receive the fluid 190. This allows a partial use of the torsional force of the spring 140, so that a hinged member based on friction created between the cross sections of the spring 140 acting on the abutment surface of the first hinge portion 120 (not shown) Assistance in opening. The torsional force is proportional to the compressive force exhibited by the spring 140.

10, a third embodiment 210 of the present invention is shown. The components of the hinge 210 are similar to the components of the hinge 110 according to the second embodiment, as described above, such components having the first letter "2" instead of "1". And the same member number in the back seat. For example, the first hinge portion 120 of the second preferred embodiment is similar to the first hinge portion 220 of the third preferred embodiment. Accordingly, detailed descriptions of these similar components have been omitted for simplicity, and differences between the hinges 110 and 210 according to the second and third embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below.

In a third preferred embodiment, the tab 263 is provided on the head 262 of the axial connector pin 261. Tab 263 is positioned like protrusion 276 in the same slot in the housing or hinged member. This prevents the rotation of the pin 261 relative to the first hinge portion 220 to remove any torsional force applied by the spring 240 to the first hinged member 220.

Referring to Fig. 11, a fourth embodiment 310 of the present invention is shown. The components of the hinge 310 are similar to the components of the hinge 110 according to the second embodiment, as described above, such components having the first letter "3" instead of "1". And the same member number in the back seat. For example, the first hinge portion 120 of the second preferred embodiment is similar to the first hinge portion 320 of the fourth preferred embodiment. Accordingly, the detailed description of these similar components has been omitted for simplicity, and the difference between the hinges 110 and 310 according to the second and fourth embodiments of the present invention is described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 11, in a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention, the spring 340 is provided with protrusions at each end to allow torsional loading and unloading of the spring 340. 341, 343). The protrusions 341 at the first end of the spring 340 are aligned and located in the same slots in the housing or hinged member, such as the protrusions 376 of the first hinge portion 320. The protrusion 343 at the second end of the spring 340 is received in a recess 366 of the head 362 of the pin 361. Bore 348 in first hinge 320 is sized to form a gap (not shown) between the outer diameters of fins 361 to receive damping fluid (not shown). The bore 350 in the second hinge 330 is sized for a press fit on the pin 361.

As the hinged member (not shown) relative to the second hinge portion 330 is moved toward the closed position relative to the first hinge portion 320 located in the associated housing (not shown), the spring 340 is pressed and torsional load Receives. This provides a minimum holding force in the closed position of the hinge 310 because the torsional force acts in the open direction against a compressive force that acts to hold the contacts 326, 328 in the third intermediate position. Upon opening of the hinge 310, as soon as the compressive force of the spring 340 is overcome to move the contacts 326, 328 past the second top position, the torsional force of the spring 340 is combined with the unloaded compressive force to damp the fluid. Maximum assistance is provided to open the hinged member attached to the second hinge portion 340 relative to the housing attached to the first hinge portion 320 in a controlled state from.

13 and 14, a hinge device 410 according to a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The hinge device 410 is similar in construction to the above embodiment and includes a first hinge 420 with a longitudinal axis 422 and a second hinge 430 in the form of a cam follower. When the second hinge portion 430 is connected to the device housing 14, the first hinge portion 420 is one of the hinged member 12 and the device housing 14 (the two being shown by a dashed two-dotted line). It is preferably connected to the hinged member 12. As shown, the first hinge portion 420 is located in a bore (shown in phantom, 426) of the device housing 14, includes a slot 428, through which a pin (not shown) or Another obstacle of the device housing extends between the housing 14 and the first hinge portion 420 to prevent relative rotational movement. The second hinge portion 430 is slidably positioned in the bore 436 of the hinged member 12 to move along the longitudinal axis 422. Guide member 438 fits into slot 442 extending radially outward from bore 436. Guide member 438 has a longitudinal axis 422 relative to the hinged member while the second hinged portion 430 rotates with the hinged member 12 and rotates mutually between the hinged member and the device housing 14. Move in a linear direction. The first hinge portion 420 includes a cam surface 424 in contact with the cam follower surface 432 of the second hinge portion 430. The cam face 424 and the cam follower face 432 are constructed in a manner similar to the embodiment described above. The pressing member 440 shown herein in the form of a compression spring urges the cam face 432 against the cam follower face 424.

The axial load bearing coupler 460 extends through the axial bores 448 and 450 of the spring 440 and the first and second hinge portions, respectively, to connect with the first and second hinge portions 20 and 30. do. The spring 440 force interacts with the axial load bearing connector 460 such that the non-axial load is shared by the hinge assembly 410 to the hinged member 12 or the device housing 14 after assembly. As in this embodiment, the axial load bearing connector 460 is preferably in the form of a pin 461 including first and second ends. Head 462 is located at the first end and is used as a support for spring 440. Washer 465 or the like rests on the second end of pin 461 and is secured thereto by crimping or other known fastening means.

As shown in FIG. 14, an outer generally annular gap 480 is formed between the inner surface of the bore 436 of the hinged member 12 and the outer surface of the second hinge portion 430. An inner generally annular gap 482 is also formed between the inner surface of the bore 450 of the second hinge portion 430 and the outer surface of the pin 461. Viscoelastic damping fluid 490, which is preferably similar to viscoelastic damping fluid 90 described above, is located in annular gaps 480 and 482. With such a device, the relative rotational movement between the device housing 14 and the hinged member 12 is attenuated and / or controlled to a greater extent with the embodiment described above. The amount of damping provided by the viscoelastic fluid 490 is proportional to the surface area the fluid 490 contacts. The surface area of the outer surface of the cam and the inner surface of the sleeve is greater than the surface area of the outer surface of the pin 161 and the inner surface of the cam of the embodiment described above. Thus, an increase in attenuation is achieved by using viscoelastic fluid 490 in both gaps 480 and 482.

Referring to FIG. 15, there is shown a cross section of a hinge device 510 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The components of the hinge 510 are similar to the components of the hinge 410 according to the fourth embodiment described above, and such components give the first character to "5" instead of "4" and the back seat. Identified the same member number. Therefore, detailed description of these components has been omitted for brevity.

The hinge device 510 is slightly similar in configuration to the hinge device 410 and includes a second hinge portion 530 with a housing 580 and a cam follower 582 movably located within the housing 580. Include. Cam follower 530 is preferably similar in shape to the second hinge portion 430 described above, but may alternatively be shaped like the embodiment of FIG. 4. In this alternative embodiment, the interior surface of the housing 580 is complementary in shape. The outer surface of the housing 580 and the inner surface of the hinged member bore 536 are also complementary in a shape similar to the embodiment of FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 15, the housing 580 includes a guide member 584 that fits in a slot 542 extending radially outward of the bore 536. The guide member 538 ensures that the cam follower 530 moves in a linear direction along the longitudinal axis of the bore 536 during the mutual rotational movement between the hinged member 12 and the device housing 14.

An outer generally annular gap 592 is formed between the inner surface of the housing 580 and the outer surface of the cam follower 582. An inner generally annular gap 594 is also formed between the inner surface of the bore 550 of the cam follower 582 and the outer surface of the pin 561. Viscoelastic damping fluid 590, similar to viscoelastic damping fluid 90 described above, is located in annular gaps 592 and 594. With such a device, the damping fluid 590 needs to be fully received and / or sealed within the hinge device 510 and only install the hinge device as a bore of the hinged member 12 and the device housing 14. The relative rotational movement between the device housing 14 and the hinged member 12 is attenuated and / or controlled to a greater extent with the embodiment described above. The gap between the device housing 14 and the hinge 410 and / or the gap between the first hinge 430 and the pin 461 is also formed to receive Y or optionally viscoelastic damping fluid 490. It can be seen that.

In preferred embodiments 10, 110, 210, 310, 410, and 510, the hinged member is preferably held in an open position between 130 and 160 degrees with respect to the device housing. This is especially useful for radios or cellular phones. However, one skilled in the art can see from the present invention that the angular opening displacement is designed at any predetermined angle, and the present invention is not limited to a specific opening angle.

While various changes and modifications may be made to the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that such various changes and modifications are made within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (5)

Pivotally connect the hinged member to the device housing, and maintain the hinged member in one of the open and closed positions relative to the device housing and hinged while the hinged member is moving between the closed and open positions. As a hinge for damping the movement of the member, A first hinge portion having an axis and a first cam surface, the first hinge portion being connected to one of the hinged member and the device housing; A second hinge portion aligned with the axis of the first hinge portion, the second hinge portion having a second cam surface rotatable about the axis and engaged with the first cam surface; A pressing member for pressing the first and second cam surfaces together; A connector extending through the axial bore of the first and second hinge portions and having first and second ends for engaging the first and second hinge portions; At least one gap formed between at least one of the hinge portions and the connector; And A damping fluid located in at least one gap for controlling the relative movement of the first and second hinge portions between the closed position and the open position, And the first and second cam surfaces are arranged to drive at least a portion of one of the first and second hinge portions along the axis of the first hinge portion. A first hinge portion; A second hinge portion pivotally mounted to the first hinge portion for movement between and in an open position and a closed position; A connector pivotally mounted about the axial coupler and extending along the axis; A gap formed between at least one of the first and second hinge portions and the connector; And And a damping fluid positioned within the gap to control the relative momentum of the first and second hinge portions between the open and closed positions. A first hinge portion; A second hinge portion pivotally mounted to the first hinge portion for movement between and in an open position and a closed position; Couplers extending along the axis; And A damping fluid located inside the bore and contacting at least an outer surface of the second hinge portion to control the relative momentum of the hinge between the open and closed positions, And wherein the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion are pivotally mounted about an axial coupler, and the coupler, the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion are located in the bore. 4. The hinge of claim 3, wherein the bore is formed in a hinged member of the cellular telephone. The method of claim 3, wherein A first gap formed between the second hinge portion and the connector; And Further comprising a second gap formed between the second hinge portion and the surface of the bore, And the damping fluid is located within the first and second gaps.

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