The invention relates to a slide mechanism for portable devices, such as cellular telephones, portable computers, or personal digital assistants (PDA's), comprising a first device part, for example a bottom shell, and a second device part, for example a top shell, the bottom shell and top shell being movable relative to each other such that by means of a control mechanism defining the direction of motion they can assume a first end position and second end position, and comprising at least one spring whose one end is connected with the bottom shell and whose other end is connected with the top shell, optionally by means of intermediate parts, the relative spring motion of a device part from one end position to a force reversal point being used to create a spring tension of the spring that pushes the device part to its other end position.
A slide mechanism of this type is known, for example, from EP 1 422 911 [U.S. Pat. No. 6,822,287]. Disclosed therein is a cellular telephone with a top shell and a bottom shell that are disposed in movable fashion relative to each other. The leg springs employed here with a multiply wound center coil force the top shell from its first position to its second position after overcoming a toggle point.
A first publication of prior art that is not verifiable discloses a slide mechanism that employs leg springs with a spiral-type coil.
A publication of verifiable prior art reveals that the slide mechanism therein requires multiple guide elements, thereby resulting in a relatively large overall height. The overall height is furthermore affected by the number of stacked turns of the leg springs, that is the spring height. To sum up, what is disadvantageous about the prior art is the relatively large overall height that conflicts with the miniaturization requirements for portable devices of at the same time ever-increasing functionality.
Even when leg springs with spiral-type coils are used, an overall height of at least two spring turns is required since the inner end of the spiral must run over the other turns to an anchor point on the lower or top shell in order to ensure an appropriate force transmission of the spring energy to the corresponding device part.
The problem to be solved by the invention is therefore to create a novel slide mechanism for portable devices that has a smaller overall height.
This problem is solved by a slide mechanism as described in claim 1, in particular, having the characterizing features that the spring has two spring legs with one connection point each, the spring legs being coupled to each other by a force deflection leg that is essentially tension-free even under spring tension.
In the slide mechanism according to the invention, no stacked spring turns are required, which reduces its overall height accordingly. In addition, the spring according to the invention is able to directly engage the top and bottom shells, without any mediating intermediate parts being required, although such parts can nevertheless by utilized if this is advantageous. Since unlike leg springs having helical-type or spiral-type coils, the spring according to the invention does not require any overlapping spring turns or spring legs and this spring can be fabricated in an especially simple manner, for example, by stamping, and installed in the slide mechanism in an automated production process.
The spring of the slide mechanism is preferably point-symmetric relative to its center point, the center point of the spring being situated approximately at the center of the toggle leg.
The toggle leg causes the spring to effect a rotational motion about its center point as spring tension is created and released.
In an especially advantageous embodiment of the slide mechanism according to the invention, the spring legs are designed as being essentially curved about the toggle leg and/or the center point of the spring, thereby minimizing the movement space for the spring when it effects the rotational motion.
What is furthermore preferred is a slide mechanism, the spring legs of which are of a meander-type design, individual spring-leg segments being associated with each other by means of meander-type bights. It is advantageous in this regard if the spring-leg segments are designed as being essentially curved about the toggle leg and/or the center point of the spring.
The meander-type concatenation of multiple spring-leg segments allows the spring properties in terms of the number, geometry, and length of the individual spring-leg segments to be adapted to the available space, to the force requirements for moving the top and bottom shells together, to the requisite spring travel, as well as to the physical limits of the material employed.
As was already mentioned, curved spring-leg segments result in a smaller space requirement in terms of rotational motion, and due to the contraction of the spring and creation of spring tension allow for greater spring travel.
Depending on the requirements for the slide mechanism, it may be advantageous if the toggle leg has a bearing at the symmetry point at which the spring is rotatably mounted on at least one of the device parts. This prevents the spring from being displaced in addition to its rotational motion by the motion of the device parts relative to each other.
Further advantages of the invention are revealed in the following description of the drawing. Therein:
In the figures, a portable device—such as, for example, a cellular telephone, portable computer (notebook, laptop, or tablet PC) or personal digital assistant (PDA)—is identified collectively by reference number 10.
The device 10 has a slide mechanism identified generally at 11, where a first device part 12—hereinafter also identified as the bottom shell 12—is movable relative to a second device part 13—hereinafter identified as the top shell 13—the two being movable relative to each other.
In
In the embodiment, the frame 15 is associated with the top shell 13 or second device part 12, and is designed as an intermediate part. It is also equally possible for the frame 15 and the slide 16 to be an integral part or material-uniform-integral parts of the top shell 13 and bottom shell 12.
The only additional element required by the slide mechanism 11 according to the invention is a spring 17 that functions to semiautomatically open the device 10, that is, to effect a semiautomatic motion of the bottom shell 12 relative to the top shell 13.
The spring 17 has a first spring leg 18 and a second spring leg 19 having respective connection points 20 and 21 and coupled to each other by means of a toggle leg 22. The fundamental design can best be seen in the base form of spring 17 in
The spring 17 is designed point-symmetrically relative to a center point M, and for this reason the center point M is also identified as a symmetry point M. With reference to end points 23 of the toggle leg 22 where it is connected to the spring legs 18 and 19, the center or symmetry point M is located approximately in the center of the toggle leg 22. At the same time the center point M corresponds to the intersection of a straight line G drawn between the connection points 20 and 21 and crossing the toggle leg 22.
The importance of the toggle leg 22 can be explained most easily with reference
The point-symmetrical design of the spring 17 relative to the center point M of the toggle leg 22 in combination with the curved spring legs centered on this symmetry point M thus produce a rotation of spring 17 while creating spring tensions centered on the point M, and thereby a self-stabilization, so that connection points 20 and 21 move toward each other in linearly along the straight line G.
With regard to the alternative design of spring 17 illustrated in
Due to the straight-line motion of the connection points 20 and 21, only one spring 17 is required in the slide mechanism 11 according to the invention.
As is evident in particular in
Aside from the material selected for the spring—this can be fabricated not only out of suitable metals but also out of plastic—the number of turns formed by the spring-leg segments 24 through 28 and meander-type bights 29 determine the spring resistance and spring travel. Depending on the requirements to be met by the slide mechanism 11, additional spring turns can be used to adapt the spring 17 to the given specifications, e.g. for the space available for the spring 17, force requirements for moving the parts of the device, the requisite spring travel, or the physical limits of the material.
In addition to what was described above, another perspective view of the spring 17 provided in
In place of the above-described connection points 20 and 21 that are designed as fastening eyes, in
The perspective view also discloses the essential advantage of the spring 17 as compared to springs of the prior art. The springs used up until now require a certain minimum overall height for the slide mechanism as a function of the number of stacked spring turns. In the spring shown here, the spring turns lie adjacent each other in a single common plane, with the result that only the thickness or height of the material determines the height of the spring 17.
Additionally now shown here, but described in detail by a priority document, is the fact that the spring 17 can have a bearing, in particular at its center point M, by which this element is rotatably or pivotally mounted on a device part such as the top and bottom shells 13, 12. This mounting prevents any relative motion of the spring relative to the respective device part.
In the first end position of the slide mechanism 11 or the top shell 13, the spring 17 has a first rest position; it is in a state of maximum relaxation, in other words, is either essentially untensioned or has a constant pretension with respect to predefined factors.
With reference to
The spring 17 is tensioned by alternately compressing the individual turns or spring-leg segments 24 toward the symmetry point M, or, extending these in the opposite direction, away from the symmetry point M.
This is in particular shown clearly in
At the same time, each second spring leg 25 is extended or deflected in the opposite direction away from the symmetry point M. This is particularly evident when making a comparative examination of
The force actively exerted on the top shell 13 or the frame 15 ends at the toggle point of spring 17 (
The slide mechanism 11 according to the invention is not limited to only a displacement of two device parts using the spring 17 described in detail here; it can also be employed analogously so as to pivot two device parts an arcuate movement, where the link 11 must be designed accordingly.
The dark regions of the spring 17 indicated at C represent regions virtually free of tension, where the tension increases in the increasingly lighter regions. The dark regions identified at D in turn are sites of greatest spring tension. This diagram clearly illustrates that the tension ratios relative to the center point M, not shown here, of the toggle leg 22 are also mirror-symmetrical. The toggle leg 22 is itself largely tension-free and by itself has a negligible spring action. It functions primarily to connect the inner ends of the two spring legs 18 and 19. Also illustrated is the rotational motion of the spring 17 about the center point M of the toggle leg 22 by means of arrows R.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2006 025 018.4 | May 2006 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/DE2007/000729 | 4/24/2007 | WO | 00 | 3/25/2008 |