Patent Application
20100122432
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to hinge assemblies and, particularly, to an automatically opening hinge assembly for foldable devices such as portable telephones, portable computers, and etc.
2. Description of Related Art
At present, one of the most popular portable electronic device in the marketplace is the foldable cellular telephone, which generally includes a cover section and a body section. The cover section and the body section are rotatably interconnected through a hinge assembly, for changing the portable electronic device between open and closed positions.
One kind of hinge assembly employs a cam and a spring-loaded follower, which allows the cover section to fold outwardly from the body section and then be held in an open position. However, these types of hinge assemblies require a significant amount of components and the structure of the hinge assembly is complex.
Therefore, there is a room for improvement within the art.
Many aspects of the hinge assembly can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily 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, in which:
Referring now to the drawings,
The hinge assembly 10 in the exemplary embodiment includes a first coupling element 12, a second coupling element 14, and a columnar elastic element 16 configured for connecting the first coupling element 12 and the second coupling element 14. The elastic element 16 provides an elastic restoring force to make the first coupling element 12 rotate relative to the second coupling element 14.
The first coupling element 12 is substantially cylindrical, including a first end surface 121 facing the second coupling element 14, and a peripheral wall 123. The first coupling element 12 defines a first hole 122 in the first end surface 121, for accommodating one end of the elastic element 16. The first coupling element 12 defines a first groove 124 in the peripheral wall 123. The first groove 124 is configured to engage with the cover section 20 of the mobile phone 100 so that the first coupling element 12 and the cover section 20 cannot rotate relative to each other.
Referring to
The cover section 20 has a first sleeve 22 protruding from one end thereof. The first sleeve 22 is a substantially hollow cylinder, and has an inner wall 221. The inner wall 221 has a first sleeve block 222 protruding therefrom and corresponding to the first groove 124. The first sleeve block 222 may engage with the first groove 124 of the first coupling element 12 so that the first coupling element 12 and the cover section 20 cannot rotate relative to each other. The inner wall 221 has a first trough 224 and a second trough 226 located parallel to and apart from each other. The first trough 224 is used for latching with the first latching block 1426, the second trough 226 is used for latching with the second latching block 1427.
The body section 30 has a second sleeve 32 and a third sleeve 34 apart from the second sleeve 32, both of which protruding from one end of the body section 30. The second sleeve 32 may pivotably couple with the first sleeve 22 by one hinge assembly 10, the third sleeve 34 may pivotably couple with the first sleeve 22 by another hinge assembly 10 (not shown).
The second sleeve 32 is a substantially hollow cylinder, and has an inner wall 321. The inner wall 321 has a second sleeve block 322 protruding therefrom and corresponding to the second groove 1421. The second sleeve block 322 may engage with the second groove 1421 of the second coupling element 14 so that the second coupling element 14 and the body section 30 cannot rotate relative to each other.
In assembly, one end of the elastic element 16 is inserted into and fixed (e.g., hot melt) within the first hole 122 of the first coupling element 12, another end of the elastic element 16 is inserted into and fixed (e.g., hot melt) within the second hole 1423 of the second coupling element 14, so the first coupling element 12, the second coupling element 14, and the elastic element 16 are assembled together. After that, the cover section 20 is assembled onto the body section 30. At this time, the first sleeve 22 is positioned between the second sleeve 32 and the third sleeve 34, and aligned to the second sleeve 32 and the third sleeve 34. Then, the first coupling element 12 is passed through the second sleeve 32 until it enters into the first sleeve 22. At this stage, the first sleeve block 222 of the cover section 20 is engaged in the first groove 124 of the first coupling element 12 so that the first sleeve 22 cannot rotate relative to the first coupling element 12. The second sleeve block 322 of the body section 30 is engaged in the second groove 1421 of the second coupling element 14 so that the second sleeve 32 cannot rotate relative to the second coupling element 14. The first connecting block 1424 and the second connecting block 1425 are inserted into the first sleeve 22 and tightly resist against the inner wall 221 of the first sleeve 22, thereby the cover section 20 and the body section 30 are assembled by the hinge assembly 10. Additionally, the first latching block 1426 of the first connecting block 1424 is latched within the first trough 224, so that the cover section 20 cannot rotate relative to the body section 30, i.e., the portable electronic device 100 is in closed position.
When opening the cover section 20 of the portable electronic device 100, a force is exerted on the cover section 20 to make the cover section 20 rotate relative to the body section 30, thus driving the first sleeve 22 to rotate relative to the second sleeve 32. As mentioned above, the first sleeve 22 is engaged with the first coupling element 12, the second sleeve 32 is engaged with the second coupling element 14, and the first coupling element 12 rotates relative to the second coupling element 14 until the cover section 20 reaches an open position (seen
When closing the cover section 20, the cover section 20 is rotated in a direction towards the body section 30, in this process, the second latching block 1427 releases outwardly from the second trough 226. At that time, the cover section 20 continuously rotate towards the body section 30 by the elastic restoring force of the elastic element 16, until the first latching block 1426 of the first connecting block 1424 is latched within the first trough 224 again, as such, the portable electronic device 100 is in a closed position.
It is to be understood, however, that even through numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200810305666.2 | Nov 2008 | CN | national |
