KR100650541B1 - Portable device having two units being folded or unfolded by rotation and rotation device for use in the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, there is provided a portable device having a first unit and a second unit which are rotated and folded relative to each other, and is suitable for providing rotation between both units. A hinge mounted to the second unit, the rack being provided on the first unit and having a rack extending along the track, a coupling shaft movably fitted to the track, and a rotating member provided with a pinion interacting with the rack. There is provided a rotating device including a device and a first elastic member provided in the first unit to apply a force to move the coupling shaft to one side on the track.

Cell phone, hinge, rack, pinion, elastic member

Description

PORTABLE DEVICE HAVING TWO UNITS BEING FOLDED OR UNFOLDED BY ROTATION AND ROTATION DEVICE FOR USE IN THE SAME}

1A and 1B are exploded perspective views of a folding cellular phone according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge device of Figure 1a

Figure 3 is a plan view showing the inside by cutting the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion of the first case unit in the fully folded state of the mobile phone of Figure 1a

4a to 4c show step by step operations of the mobile telephone of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the cam surface of FIG. 2 with the cam follower deployed; FIG.

6A and 6B are exploded perspective views of the folding cellular phone according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating the inside of the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit of the first case unit by cutting the mobile telephone of FIG.

8A to 8C show step by step operations of the mobile telephone of Fig. 6A.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: clamshell mobile phone 12: first case unit

16: second case unit 20: the hinge

40: rotating member 42: pinion

46, 47: cam follower 54: cam surface

136: rack 200: elastic member

The present invention relates to a coupling device for connecting the two units in a device (eg, a mobile phone, a PDA, a portable computer, etc.) having two units coupled to fold or unfold one another.

A portable device such as a clamshell mobile phone has two case units coupled by a hinge device. One unit is provided with a keypad provided with a button, and the other unit is usually provided with a liquid crystal display device. When using the phone, extend it to expose the keypad and the liquid crystal display. The hinge unit combines the two case units and at the same time allows the two units to fold and unfold smoothly.

The structure of a normal hinge apparatus is as follows. The hinge device includes a rotating member, a linear moving member, an elastic member, and a housing. The housing accommodates the rotating member, the linear moving member, and the elastic member. The rotating member may rotate about a rotation axis within the housing, and a portion including the rotation shaft may protrude out of the housing to form a coupling portion. The linear moving member is in contact with the rotating member but does not rotate in the housing and linearly moves along the rotation axis of the housing. The elastic member exerts a force to closely contact the linear movement member and the rotating member in the housing. At this time, by appropriately shaping the surface of the linear moving member and the contact with the rotating member, the rotating member is easily rotated in some sections without the external force, so as to maintain a well stopped state at a predetermined position.

One of the two case units of the mobile phone to be connected to the hinge device configured as described above is fixed to the housing and the other is fixed to the engaging portion of the rotating member. The two units thus connected are not rotated with each other in the expanded or closed state by the action of the hinge device. In order to close or unfold the two members in an unfolded or closed state, an external force must first be applied to the two members by hand. In later sections, the two units are usually configured to close or unfold automatically.

An object of the present invention is a portable device having two units connected so as to be folded and unfolded, such as a clamshell mobile phone, which is automatically unfolded when one of the two units is slid to the other while the two units are fully folded. And to provide a rotary device for connecting the two units.

According to one aspect of the invention,

A rotary device provided in a portable device having a first unit and a second unit that are rotated and folded relative to each other, and is suitable for providing rotation between both units,

A track provided in the first unit,

A rack provided in the first unit and extending along the track;

A hinge device having a coupling shaft movably fitted to the track and a rotating member provided with a pinion interacting with the rack, the hinge device being mounted to the second unit;

A first elastic member provided in the first unit and applying a force to move the coupling shaft to one side on the track;

The hinge device further includes a contact member connected to the second unit and in contact with and interacting with the rotating member, and a second elastic member providing a force in a direction in which the contact member and the rotating member come into contact with each other,

One of the rotating member and the contact member of the hinge device is provided with a cam follower, the other is a cam portion having a second inclined surface interacting with the cam follower and inclined opposite to the first inclined surface and the first inclined surface. Prepared,

As the coupling shaft moves along the track, the rotating member rotates and the cam follower is provided to move between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface.

In the rotating device, when the pinion rotates while interacting with the rack such that the coupling shaft moves in a direction that resists the elastic force of the first elastic member, the cam follower is the inclined surface of the cam part. You can move from one slope to another.

In the rotating device, the coupling shaft of the rotating member of the hinge device is cylindrical, one side may further include a pressure member in contact with the first elastic member and the other side in contact with the coupling shaft.

In the rotating device, the hinge device may further include a housing in which the contact member and the second elastic member are accommodated.

According to another aspect of the invention,
A first unit having a track and a rack extending along the track;
The second unit,
A hinge device having a coupling shaft movably fitted in the track of the first unit and a rotating member provided with a pinion for interacting with the rack of the first unit, the hinge device being mounted to the second unit;
A first elastic member provided in the first unit and configured to apply a force to move the coupling shaft to one side on the track, and the hinge device is connected to the second unit and is in contact with the rotating member and interacts with each other. And a second elastic member which provides a force in a direction in which the member and the contact member are in contact with the rotating member.
One of the rotating member and the contact member of the hinge device is provided with a cam follower, the other is a cam portion having a second inclined surface interacting with the cam follower and inclined opposite to the first inclined surface and the first inclined surface. Prepared,
As the coupling shaft moves along the track, the rotating member is rotated, and the cam follower is provided with a portable device capable of moving between the first and second inclined surfaces.

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Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1A to 5 are diagrams of a cellular phone 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1A, 1B, and 3, the foldable cellular phone 10 includes a first case unit 12 provided with a liquid crystal display, a second case unit 16 provided with a keypad, and a first case. The hinge device 20 which connects the unit 12 and the 2nd case unit 16 is provided. The first case unit 12 includes a first coupling part 13 and a second coupling part 14 protruding from the reference surface 121 on which the keypad is provided. The first coupling part 13 and the second coupling part 14 are located at both ends of one end of the reference surface 121 of the first case unit 12, respectively. Hereinafter, at the reference surface 121, the end side at which the first coupling part 13 is provided is made upper and the opposite side is made lower. The first coupling part 13 and the second coupling part 14 are provided with first receiving grooves 131 and second receiving grooves 141 facing each other. The first receiving groove 131 extends along the longitudinal direction (up and down direction) of the first case unit 12. A first track 1311 extending along the longitudinal direction of the first case unit 12 is provided inside the first receiving groove 131. At one end of the first track 1311 (an end located close to the lower end of the first case unit 12), a protrusion 132 into which one end of the first A elastic member 200 described later is fitted is provided. The coupling shaft 41 of the rotating member 40, which will be described later, of the hinge device 20 is fitted to the first track 1311 so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the first case unit 12, and the hinge device 20. 1A pressing member 210 and the first A elastic member 200 which will be described later to push the coupling shaft 41 toward the upper end of the first case unit 12 is accommodated. One end of the first A pressing member 210 is in contact with the coupling shaft 41 of the hinge device 20 and the opposite end thereof is in contact with one end of the first A elastic member 200. One end of the hinge device 20 in contact with the coupling shaft 41 forms a concave arc-shaped groove concave in accordance with the shape of the cylindrical coupling shaft 41, and the first end of the first elastic member 200 is in contact with the coupling shaft 41. An accommodation hole 211 in which one end of the first A elastic member 200 is accommodated, and a protrusion 212 provided in the bottom of the accommodation hole 211 and fitted into one end of the first A elastic member 200 are provided. The first A elastic member 200 is a compression coil spring. In the first receiving groove 131, a rack positioned outside the first track 1311 and extending along the length direction of the first case unit 12 and interacting with the pinion 42 described later of the hinge device 20 ( 135). The rack 135 is provided to face the same side as the reference plane 121 on the side closer to the reference plane 121. The second accommodating groove 141 has the same configuration except that the rack 135 is not provided in the first accommodating groove 131. The coupling column 18 of the second case unit 16 to be described later is movably inserted into the second track 1411b of the second receiving groove 141, and the coupling column 18 of the second case unit 16 is movable. The first B pressing member 310 and the first B elastic member 300, which will be described later, to push toward the upper end of the first case unit 12 are accommodated. Since the first B pressing member 310 and the first B elastic member 300 have the same configuration as that of the first A pressing member 210 and the first A elastic member 200, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The second case unit 16 has a mounting hole 17 to which the housing 30 of the hinge device 20 to be described later is mounted, and a coupling pillar fitted to the second track 1411 of the first case unit 12 ( 18). The mounting holes 17 and the coupling pillars 18 are provided at the upper sides of the second case unit 16, respectively. The housing 30 of the hinge device 20 is mounted to the mounting hole 17 so as not to rotate relatively. The coupling column 18 is cylindrical and rotatable in a state fitted to the second raceway 1411 of the first case unit 12.

1A and 2, the hinge device 20 includes a housing 30, a rotating member 40, a linear moving member 40, a second elastic member 80, and a coupling rod 90. And a stop ring 99. The housing 30 has an end wall 32 and side walls 34 extending along the axis of rotation 100 from the end wall 32. The opposite side of the end wall 32 is open to form the inlet of the housing 42. The through hole 321 is provided in the center of the end wall 32. Through the through hole 321, the end of the coupling rod 90, which will be described later, protrudes and is coupled by a stop ring 99 such as an E-ring. The side wall 34 is formed by connecting a plurality of flat walls. When the flat walls are inserted into the mounting holes 17 of the second case unit 16 of the mobile phone 10, the flat walls serve as a key and can rotate together with the housing 30. In addition, as will be described later, the linear movement member 50 accommodated therein also serves to rotate together. The housing 30 is made of a metal (for example, a metal such as a brass plate), and is preferably manufactured by a method of deep drawing. Alternatively, the plastic resin material may be formed by injection molding.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 2, the rotating member 40 includes a pinion 42 and a rear portion of the pinion 42 (hereinafter, referred to as “front”) in which the opening of the housing 30 is formed in the hinge device 20. The cam follower 44 provided in the part in which the 1st end wall 32 was formed is defined as "back", and the coupling shaft 41 provided in front of the pinion 42 is provided. The pinion 42 interacts with the rack 135 of the first case unit 12. The engagement shaft 41 is cylindrical and rotatably fitted in the first track 1311 of the first case unit 12 of the mobile telephone 10. The cam follower 44 includes first and second cam follower protrusions 46 and 47. The two cam driven protrusions 46 and 47 have the same shape and are arranged to be symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis 100, respectively. The two cam driven protrusions 46 and 47 extend toward the cam surface 54 of the linear moving member 50 described later in a direction parallel to the rotation axis 100. The two cam driven protrusions 46 and 47 are inclined so that their thickness decreases toward the ends thereof, and the ends thereof are preferably rounded. The rotating member 40 is provided with a passage hole 43 penetrating through the center along the rotation axis 100. The coupling rod 90 to be described later passes through the passage hole 43. Although not shown, the head 92 of the coupling rod 90 to be described later is expanded to accommodate the coupling pillar 41 side entrance of the passage hole 43. The coupling column 41 and the pinion 42 of the rotating member 40 are positioned outside the housing 30, and the two cam driven protrusions 46 are accommodated inside the housing 30. The rotating member 40 is rotated with respect to the housing 30 about the rotation axis 100 by the coupling rod 90.

Referring to FIG. 2, the linear movement member 50 has a cylindrical portion formed by extending from a central portion on the side opposite to the side wall 52, the cam portion 54 formed on the surface facing the rotating member 40, and the cam portion 54. The boss 56 is provided. The linear movement member 40 is provided with a through hole 58 penetrating along the rotation axis 100. The coupling rod 90 passes through the through hole 58. The side wall 52 is shaped like the side wall 34 of the housing 30. The linear movement member 50 having such a shape may be linearly moved along the rotational axis 100 in the housing 30 but not in the rotational motion. The cam portion 54 is formed along the circumferential direction of the rotation axis 100, the shape profile of which is shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 5, the cam portion 54 has a shape in which the same shape is repeated at 180 degrees, and includes a first inclined surface 541, a first top portion 542, a second inclined surface 543, and a first valley portion. 544, the third inclined surface 545, the second top portion 546, the fourth inclined surface 547, and the second valley portion 548 are sequentially connected. Insert grooves 5441 and 5481 are provided in the first and second valleys 544 and 548, respectively.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the second elastic member 80 is a compression coil spring, which is accommodated in the housing 30 so that one side is in contact with the end wall 32 of the housing 30 and one side of the linear moving member 50. It is fitted to the boss 56 and pushes the linear member 50 toward the rotary member 40.

Now, with reference to Figs. 4A to 4C and 5, the operation of the embodiment will be described in detail. Fig. 4A shows the positional relationship between the mobile phone in the fully folded state and the hinge device and the rack at that time. Referring to Figure 4a, the pinion 42 of the hinge device 20 is pushed by the first A pressing member (210 in Figure 3) is located at one end. In this state, the two cam driven protrusions 46 and 47 of the hinge apparatus 20 are located in the 1st inclined surface 541 and the 3rd inclined surface 545 of the cam part 54, respectively (P1 position of FIG. 5). At this time, by the interaction between the two cam driven protrusions 46 and 47 and the cam portion 54, the hinge 20 functions to stably maintain the folded state of the cellular phone 10. 4B shows a state in which the second case unit 16 is pulled toward the lower end of the first case unit 12 to move the cellular phone 10 in this state, and the relative case is linearly moved relative to the first case unit 12. It is. Referring to FIG. 4B, the pinion 42 of the hinge device 20 rotates in interaction with the rack 135. In this process, the two cam longitudinal projections 46 and 47 of the hinge device 20 extend beyond the first top portion 542 and the second top portion 546 of the cam portion 54, respectively, to the second inclined surface 543 and the fourth inclined surface. It is in the position just reached 547 (P2 position in Fig. 5). When the hand holding the second case unit 16 is released in this state, the mobile phone 10 is automatically unfolded by the interaction between the two cam longitudinal projections 46 and 47 and the cam portion 54, and at the same time the hinge device 20 Pinion 42 is pushed by the 1A pressing member (210 in FIG. 2) so that the cellular phone 10 is in a fully unfolded state as shown in FIG. 4C. Referring to Fig. 4C, two cam driven protrusions 46 and 47 are fitted into the first and second insertion grooves 5441 and 5481 of the cam portion 54, respectively (P3 position in Fig. 5). It can keep the unfolded state stable.

6A to 8D are diagrams of a cellular phone 10a according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 6A to 7, the rack 135a is provided to face the reference surface 121a on a side away from the reference surface 121a, and the first and first biasing members 210a and 310a and the first and second elasticities are provided. Since the members 200a and 300a are configured to push the second case unit 16a toward the lower end of the first case unit 12a, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

8A to 8C, the operation of the second embodiment will now be described in detail. Fig. 8A shows the positional relationship between the mobile phone in the fully folded state and the hinge and the rack at that time. Referring to Fig. 8A, the pinion 42a of the hinge device 20a is pushed by the first A pressing member (210a in Fig. 7) and positioned at one end. In this state, the two cam driven protrusions 46a and 47a of the hinge apparatus 20a are located in the 1st inclined surface 541a and the 3rd inclined surface 545a of the cam part 54a, respectively. At this time, by the interaction between the two cam driven protrusions 46a and 47a and the cam portion 54a, the hinge device 20a functions to stably maintain the folded state of the mobile phone 10a. 8B shows a state in which the second case unit 16a is pushed toward the upper end of the first case unit 12a in order to unfold the cellular phone 10a in a relative linear movement with respect to the first case unit 12a. have. Referring to Fig. 8B, the pinion 42a of the hinge device 20a is rotated in interaction with the rack 135a. In this process, the two cam longitudinal projections 46a and 47a of the hinge device 20a extend beyond the first top portion 542a and the second top portion 546a of the cam portion 54a, respectively, to the second inclined surface 543a and the fourth inclined surface. It is in the position just reached 547a. When the hand holding the second case unit 16a is released in this state, the mobile phone 10a is automatically unfolded by the interaction between the two cam longitudinal projections 46a and 47a and the cam portion 54a, and at the same time the hinge device 20a Pinion 42a is pushed by the first-A pressing member (210a in FIG. 7) so that the cellular phone 10a is fully expanded as shown in FIG. 8c. Referring to Fig. 8C, two cam driven protrusions 46a and 47a are fitted into the first and second insertion grooves 5441a and 5481a of the cam portion 54a, respectively, so that the mobile phone 10a can be held in an unfolded state stably. do.

In the above two embodiments, the coupling device is used as a folding type mobile phone, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be used in all other devices having two units that are combined to fold or unfold one another.

According to the configuration of the present invention can achieve all the objects of the present invention described above. Specifically, the mobile phone to which the two case units are connected by the rotating device according to the present invention can be unfolded automatically by sliding a case unit slightly in a fully folded state and thus can be used more conveniently.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and that such modifications and variations also fall within the present invention.

Claims (5)

A rotary device provided in a portable device having a first unit and a second unit that are rotated and folded relative to each other, and is suitable for providing rotation between both units, A track provided in the first unit, A rack provided in the first unit and extending along the track; A hinge device having a coupling shaft movably fitted to the track and a rotating member provided with a pinion interacting with the rack, the hinge device being mounted to the second unit; A first elastic member provided in the first unit and applying a force to move the coupling shaft to one side on the track; The hinge device further includes a contact member connected to the second unit and in contact with and interacting with the rotating member, and a second elastic member providing a force in a direction in which the contact member and the rotating member come into contact with each other, One of the rotating member and the contact member of the hinge device is provided with a cam follower, the other is a cam portion having a second inclined surface interacting with the cam follower and inclined opposite to the first inclined surface and the first inclined surface. Prepared, The rotating member rotates as the coupling shaft moves along the track, and the cam follower can move between the first and second inclined surfaces. The cam follower according to claim 1, wherein the cam follower rotates when the pinion interacts with the rack such that the coupling shaft moves in a direction that resists the elastic force of the first elastic member in the track. Rotator that moves from one slope to another. The rotating apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the coupling shaft of the rotating member of the hinge apparatus is cylindrical, and one side of the rotating apparatus further includes a pressing member in contact with the first elastic member and the opposite side of the rotating shaft. The rotating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hinge device further comprises a housing in which the contact member and the second elastic member are accommodated therein. A first unit having a track and a rack extending along the track; The second unit, A hinge device having a coupling shaft movably fitted in the track of the first unit and a rotating member provided with a pinion for interacting with the rack of the first unit, the hinge device being mounted to the second unit; A first elastic member provided in the first unit and applying a force to move the coupling shaft to one side on the track; The hinge device further includes a contact member connected to the second unit and in contact with and interacting with the rotating member, and a second elastic member providing a force in a direction in which the contact member and the rotating member come into contact with each other, One of the rotating member and the contact member of the hinge device is provided with a cam follower, the other is a cam portion having a second inclined surface interacting with the cam follower and inclined opposite to the first inclined surface and the first inclined surface. Prepared, The rotating member rotates as the coupling shaft moves along the track and the cam follower can move between the first and second inclined surfaces.

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