Patent Grant
7448891
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2003-28617 filed May 6, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinge apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hinge apparatus for connecting a plurality of electronic apparatus in a plurality of rotational directions so that those electronic apparatus can be rotated relative to each other, and a wiring member adopted to the hinge apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a separately prepared small-sized electronic apparatus such as a display unit is connected, in a rotatable manner, to portable electronic apparatus that can be carried and used by a user such as a photographing apparatus, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a notebook computer, a portable audio/video playing apparatus, among other devices. The display unit includes a display panel such as an liquid crystal display (LCD) for use in video playing, and the display unit is connected, in a rotatable manner in at least one direction, to the portable apparatus body by means of a hinge apparatus. The rotatable connection is provided so that a user can watch an image played on the display panel when the portable electronic apparatus is positioned in a variety of postures.
Referring to
Referring to
The first hinge part 131 connects the display unit 120 to the portable apparatus body 110 in a rotatable manner so that they can be rotated in a first and the second rotational directions (a, b) that open and close around the X-axis as a center of rotation. The X-axis extends along the primary axis of the first hinge axis 132. The second hinge part 135 connects the display unit 120 to the portable apparatus body 110 in a rotatable manner so that they can also be rotated in a third and fourth rotational directions (c, d) around the Y-axis as a center of rotation. The Y-axis extends along the primary axis of the second hinge axis 136. The display unit 120 can be rotated to a predetermined angle in an opening direction (a) from a closed position in which the display unit 120 was received in a reception part 117. Generally, the hinge axes 132, 136 are so arranged that such X-axis and Y-axis are substantially perpendicular to each other.
A conventional hinge apparatus 130 having the foregoing construction makes the display unit 120 rotatable in a plurality of directions with respect to the portable apparatus body 110. Therefore, a user can conveniently watch an image played on the display panel 123 even when using the photographing apparatus 100 positioned in various postures. Also, the conventional hinge apparatus 130 prevents the wiring member 140 from being exposed to the outside of the photographing apparatus 100, by inserting the wire-shaped wiring member 140 into the through holes 132a, 136a of the first and the second hinge axes 132, 136. Therefore, appearance of the photographing apparatus 100 becomes neat and clean and destruction of the wiring member 140, which could be generated when the wiring member 140 is exposed to the outside, is prevented.
In such a conventional hinge apparatus 130, however, there exists an inconvenience in that the through holes 132a, 136a should be formed on the first and the second hinge axes 132, 136, respectively, in order to connect the display unit 12 to the portable apparatus body 110 so that signal transfer may be mutually possible. Further, the wire-shaped wiring member 140 should be inserted into those through holes 132a, 136a.
As the amount of information exchanged through the wiring member 140 between the display unit 120 and the portable apparatus body 110 increases, however, the portable apparatus 100 is required to have a sufficiently thick wiring member 140 and a large connector 141. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the portable apparatus 100 becomes cumbersome and, accordingly, it becomes difficult to provide a compact portable electronic apparatus. Also, the larger the rotational range of the display unit 120 is set, the greater the possibility that the wire-shaped wiring member 140 can be destroyed. Therefore, it is not easy to extend the rotational range of the display unit 120.
In an effort to solve the problems as described above, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a wiring member for electrically coupling a first and second electronic apparatus together, wherein the first and second electronic apparatus comprises a portable apparatus body and a display unit, respectively, and the first and second electronic apparatus are connected by a hinge apparatus. The hinge apparatus comprises a first hinge part connected, in a rotatable manner, to the first electronic apparatus and a second hinge part having a second hinge axis connected at a predetermined angle to a first hinge axis of the first hinge part. The wiring member comprises a first winding part for winding around an outer peripheral surface of the first hinge axis, a second winding part for winding around an outer peripheral surface of the second hinge axis and a connecting part for connecting the first and the second winding parts, to each other.
It is another object of the invention to provide a hinge apparatus comprising a first hinge part connected, in a rotatable manner, to a first electronic apparatus and a second hinge part having a second hinge axis connected at a predetermined angle to a first hinge axis of the first hinge part. It is still a further object of the invention to provide a wiring member for connecting the first and the second electronic apparatus by sequentially passing by the first and the second hinge axes in a manner of winding around the outer peripheral surfaces of each of the first and the second hinge axes.
The above objects and other advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Certain embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the description of the embodiment of the present invention, same drawing reference numerals are used for the elements having the same construction and function as the elements of the conventional portable electronic apparatus shown and described in
In an embodiment of the present invention, the hinge apparatus connects different first and second electronic apparatuses so that those electronic apparatus are rotatable in a first and second rotational directions that are mutually inclined with respect to each other. Through use of the hinge apparatus, the first and second electronic apparatuses are capable of transferring electrical signals between them.
Referring to
The first hinge part 210 supports the display unit 120 in a rotatable manner in the first and the second directions (a, b) to which the display unit 120 is opened and closed. The first hinge part 210 includes a first fixing member 211 fixed on the inside of the portable apparatus body 110, a first hinge axis 213 installed in a rotatable manner with respect to the first and the second directions (a, b), at the first fixing member 211, and a first rotating member 215 extended from the first hinge axis 213. For reference, the first and the second directions (a, b) in an embodiment of the present invention have, as a center of rotation, a virtual X-axis extended along the primary axis of the first hinge axis 213. The second hinge part 230 is used to rotate the display unit 120 in the third and fourth directions (c, d), that are inclined according to some known angle with respect to the rotational direction of the first hinge axis 213 after the display unit 120 is detached from the reception part 117 (refer to
The wiring member 250 connects the display unit 120 with the portable apparatus 110 so that electrical signals can be transferred between them. The wiring member 250 extends from the display unit 120 up to the portable apparatus body 110 by first passing by the second hinge axis 231 and then the first hinge axis 213.
The casing 240 encloses the first and the second hinge parts 210, 230 and the portion of wiring member 250 exposed between the display unit 120 and the portable apparatus body 110 with the display unit 120 connected to the portable apparatus body 110.
The hinge apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention having such construction is characterized in that the wiring member 250 connects the display unit 120 with the portable apparatus body 110 by winding around the outer peripheral surfaces of the first and the second hinge axes 213, 231 a predetermined number of times, without passing through the first and the second hinge axes 213, 231.
The hinge apparatus 200 preferably incorporates a printed metal pattern in its inside so that the above-mentioned electrical signal transfer can occur. The hinge apparatus 200 also has, on both its ends, integrally formed connectors 251 connected to the first and the second connectors 110b, 124 (shown in
The hinge apparatus 200 is preferably configured so that the display unit 120 can be rotated in the first through the fourth rotational directions (a˜d) within a predetermined angle with respect to the portable apparatus body 110. Restricting rotation to specific predetermined angles prevents the wiring member 250 from being twisted and spoiled due to excessive rotation or infinite rotation of the display unit 120 in one direction. Therefore, the rotational range of the display unit 120 by the hinge apparatus 200 with respect to the portable apparatus body 110 is determined by a restricting means.
Referring to
The rotational range restriction of the display unit 120 determines the minimum lengths of the first and the second winding parts 253, 255 for winding around the first and the second hinge axes 213, 231, respectively. As the rotational range of the display unit 120 increases the minimum lengths of the first and the second winding parts 253, 255 also increases. This prevents the wiring member 250 from being damaged or degraded by winding/unwinding of the first and the second winding parts 253, 255 upon rotation of the display unit 120. Since the display unit 120 is restricted from rotating beyond about 180° in the first through the fourth rotational directions (a˜d), respectively, the first and the second winding parts 253, 255 are formed of such a length that the wiring member 250 can wind around the first and the second hinge axes 213, 231 more than about 1.5 times. Therefore, twisting of, and subsequent damage to, of the wiring member 250 can be prevented while the display unit 120 rotates in the first through the fourth rotational directions (a˜d) with respect to the portable apparatus body 110.
If winding parts 253, 255 are formed in such a length that they can wind around each of the hinge axes 213, 231 several times, rotation of the display unit 120 is easily performed and space for winding/unwinding is minimized. The length of the respective winding part 253, 255, however, cannot be made infinitely long, as the volume of the hinge apparatus 200 would become large due to the thickness of the winding parts 253, 255 enclosing the hinge axes 213, 231. It would then be difficult to provide the compact electronic apparatus (i.e., photographing apparatus 100) if the lengths of the winding parts 253, 255 are formed unnecessarily long. Therefore, the lengths of the first and the second winding parts 253, 255 should be appropriately adjusted within such a range that the volume of the hinge apparatus 200 can be minimized in agreement with the predetermined rotational range, and that the winding parts 253, 255 cannot be damaged or degraded upon rotation of the display unit 120. This is particularly so in the case of the second winding part 255 as it is wound around the second hinge axis 231, which is arranged in a space narrower than the first hinge axis 213. In view of these concerns, the second winding part 255 is formed in a length that can wind around the second hinge axis 231 about 3.5 times. When constructed in this manner, damage to the wiring member 250 is prevented upon rotation of the display unit 120 and the volume occupied by the second winding part 255 for winding or unwinding around the outer peripheral surface of the second hinge axis 231 is minimized as well.
Referring back to
Preferably, the wiring member 250 having such construction additionally includes a predetermined reinforcing member 270. The reinforcing member 270 prevents the fourth corner part 257b from being torn out upon exertion of a shearing stress on the fourth corner part 257b as the second winding part 255 winds around the second hinge axis 231. In the embodiment of the present invention described above, the reinforcing member 270 is installed in the inside of the fourth corner part 257b, and is provided in the form of a metal pattern installed regardless of signal exchange between the first and the second boards 110a, 126. As one skilled in the art can appreciate, any type of reinforcing member whatsoever can be used to prevent shearing stress form tearing the fourth corner part 257b.
According to the second embodiment of the present invention, the first connector 110b is arranged in the direction of the primary axis of the first hinge axis 213. Therefore, the wiring member 250′ according to the second embodiment of the present invention additionally includes the third corner part 257a′. A metal pattern 270 is installed as a reinforcing member on the third corner part 257a′ in order to prevent the third corner part 257a′ from being damaged or degraded due to shearing stress as in the case of the fourth corner part 257b of the first embodiment of the present invention, described above. The shapes of the third and the fourth corner parts 257b′ can change in various ways depending on the positions of the first and the second connectors 100b, 124.
In the above description the hinge apparatus has been described for use only in the composite photographing apparatus 100 which is both a camcorder and a digital still camera. The hinge apparatus can be used in the display unit of the portable apparatus. The description of the present invention, however, is not necessarily limited to that specific case. For example, the present invention can also be readily applied to other kinds of portable electronic apparatus that includes a display unit rotatable in a plurality of directions, such as a portable phone, a PDA, a notebook computer, and other portable electronic devices.
A hinge apparatus and wiring member constructed in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention as described above, can connect the display unit 120 with the portable apparatus body 110 so that the wiring member 250, 250′ is not exposed to the outside. This accomplished without even requiring the complicated process of forming through holes on a central portion of each hinge axis, and inserting the wiring member 250, 250′ into those through holes.
As FPC is used for the wiring member 250, 250′, the particular problem of the prior art that the connector should be separately installed on the end of the wiring member is resolved and the rotational range of the display unit can be extended without damaging of the wiring member.
While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent that the present invention is not limited to those constructions and operations as they are, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, all such proper modifications, changes and equivalents of the embodiments of the present invention will fall within the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2003-0028617 | May 2003 | KR | national |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20040231105 A1 | Nov 2004 | US |
