Patent Application
20070077971
The present invention relates to hinge assemblies and, particularly, to a hinge assembly for foldable electronic devices, such as mobile telephones, electronic notebooks, and the like.
With the development of wireless communication and information processing technologies, portable electronic devices such as mobile telephones and electronic notebooks are now in widespread use. These electronic devices enable consumers to enjoy high technology services anytime and anywhere. Consumers particularly favor foldable electronic devices due to their convenience and ease of storage.
Generally, foldable electronic devices have most of the electronics in one housing, called the body. The other housing, called the flip cover, normally contains fewer electronic components than the body. Other foldable electronic devices have all the electronics in the body, with the flip cover containing no electronics. Various types of hinge assemblies are used to join a body and a cover of a foldable electronic device, so that the flip cover can unfold up from and fold down upon the body. Manufacturers are constantly seeking to reduce the volume, size and weight of portable foldable electronic devices. Thus, it is desirable that the hinge assembly coupling the body with the flip cover is modularized and miniaturized. A modularized hinge assembly has moving parts such as a cam member, a cam follower, a shaft, and a spring, held together in a unified structure. Either the cam member or the cam follower directly contacts the spring. The structure is easily and quickly attached to the body and the flip cover during mass production. The cam member and the cam follower are kept in contact with each other under the force of the spring.
As the cam follower and the cam member are constantly in contact with each other, sliding friction may be produced between the cam member and the cam follower during relative rotation therebetween. This friction wastes energy (i.e. making opening and/or closing of the device more difficult) and causes abrasion of the cam member and the cam follower. The worn surface can further add to the friction therebetween and may eventually lead to premature malfunction or failure of the hinge assembly. In addition, such a hinge assembly can have many components, thus complicating manufacture. Moreover, during the process of opening and closing of the flip cover of the foldable electronic device, the cam member and the cam follower may undergo quick rotation relative to each other under the spring force of the spring, which may produce a large impact on the flip cover. Damage caused by these impacts may eventually lead to premature malfunction or failure of the foldable electronic device. Furthermore, the machining of cam surface of the cam and the cam follower is complicated.
What is needed, therefore, is a hinge assembly which overcomes above-described shortcomings.
In a first preferred embodiment, a hinge assembly includes a sleeve, a first magnetic member, a second magnetic member, and a locking member. The sleeve is hollow with an open end. The first magnetic member is a cylinder, and is received in the sleeve and not rotatable relative to the sleeve. The first magnetic member has a first face and a second face at a first end thereof The first face and the second face have opposing polarities. The second magnetic member is a cylinder. The second magnetic member is received in the sleeve and rotatable relative to the first magnetic member. The second magnetic member has a third face and a fourth face at an end thereof facing the first end of the first magnetic member. The third face and the fourth face have opposing polarities. The locking member is disposed at the open end of the sleeve and fixing connected with sleeve.
Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Many aspects of the hinge assembly can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present hinge assembly. Moreover, in the drawings like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Referring now to the drawings,
Referring now to
The sleeve 10 is a hollow cylinder with an open end. The other end of the sleeve 10 defines a hole 12 therein. The sleeve 10 has two symmetrical protruding walls 14 protruding from an outer periphery thereof and extending along an axial direction. The protruding walls 14 are recessed from an inner periphery of the sleeve 10 to form two sliding grooves 142 in the inner periphery. Two wedge-shaped latching blocks 144 are respectively disposed on an inner surface of the protruding walls 14 and adjacent the open end, for latching the locking member 40. The sleeve 10 is connected with the flip cover 202 via the protruding walls 14.
The first magnetic member 20 is an integrally formed cylinder. A diameter of the first magnetic member 20 is equal to or slightly less than an inner diameter of the sleeve 10 such that the first magnetic member 20 is received in the sleeve 10. The first magnetic member 20 has two symmetrical protrusions 22 formed on an outer periphery thereof and extending along an axis direction thereof, for engaging in the sliding grooves 142. Each protrusion 22 has a longitudinal recess 224, for containing the latching blocks 144 of the sleeve 10. The first magnetic member 20 has a first end 232 and a second end 234. Each one of the first end 232 and the second end 234 of the first magnetic member 20 can be divided into two or more faces. The adjacent faces of the first magnetic member 20 have opposing polarities. For example, in this embodiment, the first end 232 of the first magnetic member 20 is divided into a first face 242, and a second face 244. The first face 242 of the first magnetic member 20 forms a north (N) magnetic pole, and the second face 244 forms south (S) magnetic pole. Since a magnetic member has a north and a south magnetic poles, the second end 234 of the first magnetic member 20 has two faces having opposing magnetic poles, with south and north corresponding to the first face 242, and the second face 244, respectively.
The second magnetic member 30 is an integrally formed cylinder. The second magnetic member 30 includes a securing portion 32 and a cylinder portion 34 connecting with the securing portion 32. The securing portion 32 is connected with the body 204 of the mobile phone 200. A diameter of the cylinder portion 34 is equal to or slightly less than the inner diameter of the sleeve 10 such that the cylinder portion 34 of the second magnetic member 30 is received in the sleeve 10. One end of the cylinder portion 34 also can be divided into two or more faces. The adjacent faces of the second magnetic member 30 have opposing polarities. For example, in this embodiment, an end of the cylinder portion 34 facing to the first end 232 of the first magnetic member 10 is divided into a third face 342, and a fourth face 344. The third face 342 of the second magnetic member 30 forms a north (N) magnetic pole, and the fourth face 344 forms a south (S) magnetic pole.
The locking member 40 includes a sheet-like portion 44 with a central hole 42, and two opposing locking arms 46 extending in parallel in the same direction from an outer periphery of the sheet-like portion. The securing portion 32 of the second magnetic member 30 can pass through the central hole 42. Each locking arm 46 defines a rectangular opening 462 such that each latching block 144 can securely engage in a corresponding opening 462.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
If an external force is continuously applied to the first magnetic member 20 to rotate the first magnetic member 10 through a critical angle as shown in
In an alternative embodiment, each locking arm 46 may be designed to have a locking blocks protruding therefrom, the sleeve 10 also having two spaced openings defined in an outer periphery thereof Each locking blocks of the locking arm 46 being configured to engage in a corresponding opening of the first magnetic member 20. In addition, the locking member 40 can be omitted. The first magnetic member 20 and the second magnetic member 30 may be prevented from becoming separated from the sleeve 10 via the main body 202 of the mobile phone 200. The protruding walls 14 may be replaced by other fixing portion such as protrusion or groove formed on an outer periphery of the sleeve 10.
In the aforementioned description, the first and the second magnetic member 20, 30 of the present hinge assembly could be chosen from the group consisting of permanent magnets, electromagnets, or other materials possessing magnetism.
In the embodiments described above, a main advantage is that it has few main components, and occupies a relatively small volume. Accordingly, the space required in an application such as a mobile phone 200 is reduced. In addition, when the second magnetic member 30 is received in the sleeve 10, there may be a space between the sleeve 10 and the second magnetic member 30, and between the first magnetic member 20 and the second magnetic member 30, so that no sliding friction is produced between the sleeve 10, the first magnetic member 20 and the second magnetic member 30. The magnetic material adopted in the embodiment does not wear out easily with time and has no issue of elasticity decay and as a result the durability of the hinge assembly is greatly increased.
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200510100096.X | Sep 2005 | CN | national |
