Patent Application
20050208984
The invention relates to a mobile phone and an unfolding device thereof, and in particular, to a mobile phone that can unfold its upper housing portion by magnetic force.
In foldable mobile phones, upper housing portions are usually unfolded manually. Specifically, after the upper housing portion is manually unfolded to a predetermined angle, it is fully unfolded by a spring in a hinge of the mobile phone.
Recently, hinges for utilizing in mobile phones for automatically unfolding upper housing portions are provided. One type of hinge is semi-automatic. After a button connected to the hinge is pushed, a cam of the semi-auto hinge is separated from another cam thereof. Then, a spring of the hinge provides a force to fully unfold the upper housing portion.
Another type of hinge is electronic. After a button on a body of the mobile phone is pushed, a motor is actuated to drive a gear set, thus unfolding the upper housing portion.
It is very inconvenient to manually unfold the upper housing portion with one hand. Additionally, a certain force is required to push the button connected to the semi-auto hinge. Besides, the semi-auto hinge intends to be longer in length due to the mechanism design. Furthermore, the cost of the electronic hinge is also higher, and generates noises during operation.
Accordingly, an embodiment of the invention provides a mobile phone comprising a body, an upper housing portion, an actuation assembly, a magnetic device, and a hinge. The upper housing portion is rotatably disposed on the body. The actuation assembly is disposed on the body. The magnetic device is disposed in the body, and is coupled to the actuation assembly. The hinge is disposed in the body and the upper housing portion. When the magnetic device generates magnetic force, the upper housing portion is rotated relative to the body to be unfolded by the hinge.
Furthermore, the actuation assembly comprises a switch and a button. The switch is coupled to the magnetic device. The button is disposed on the body in a manner such that the button can contact and separate from the switch. The mobile phone further comprises a printed circuit board disposed on the body. The magnetic device and the switch are disposed on the printed circuit board.
It is understood that the magnetic device may comprise a coil.
Additionally, the hinge comprises a first cam, a second cam, a first spring, a housing, a second spring, a shaft, and two E-shaped rings. The first cam is disposed in the body so as to be moved between a first position and a second position. The first cam comprises a rod and a wedge-shaped notch therein. The second cam is disposed in the upper housing portion so as to be rotated between a third position and a fourth position. When the first cam is in the first position, the second cam is in the third position, contacting the first cam. When the first cam rotates to the second position, separating from the second cam by the magnetic force from the magnetic device, the second cam rotates to the fourth position to unfold the upper housing portion. The second cam comprises a second receiving portion, a hollow portion receiving the rod, and a wedge-shaped protrusion contacting the wedge-shaped notch when the first cam is in the second position. The second cam also comprises an inclined surface, facing the housing, in the second receiving portion to abut the end of the first spring. The housing comprises a first receiving portion, and is disposed in the body to receive the first spring. The first spring rotates the second cam to the fourth position from the third position. One end of the first spring enters the first receiving portion when the second cam is in third position. The end enters the second receiving portion when the second cam is in fourth position. The second spring on the first cam returns the first cam to the first position. The shaft passes through the second spring, the first cam, the second cam, the first spring, and the housing. The E-shaped rings are disposed on the shaft and fix the shaft to the housing.
It is noted that only the first cam comprises magnetism, but the second cam does not comprise magnetism.
Moreover, the body comprises a first hole receiving the first cam, and a third hole receiving the housing. The upper housing portion comprises a second hole receiving the second cam.
An unfolding device for an electronic device is also provided. The electronic device comprises a body and an upper housing portion rotatable relative to the body. The unfolding device comprises an actuation assembly, a magnetic device, and a hinge. The actuation assembly is disposed on the body. The magnetic device is disposed in the body, and is coupled to the actuation assembly. The hinge is disposed in the body and the upper housing portion. When the magnetic device generates magnetic force, the upper housing portion is rotated relative to the body and unfolded by the hinge.
The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
a is a schematic view of a mobile phone as disclosed in an embodiment of the invention;
b-1c are schematic views of the assembled mobile phone in
a is an exploded view of a hinge in
b is a-cross section of the hinge in
c is a schematic view of a first cam and a second cam in
a-4d are schematic views of the hinge in different positions; and
a-5c are schematic views of one end of the spring between a second receiving portion of the second cam and a first receiving portion of the housing.
a-1c are schematic views of a mobile phone 100 as disclosed in an embodiment of the invention. The mobile phone 100 comprises a body 10, an upper housing portion 20, an actuation assembly 30, a magnetic device 40, a hinge 50, and a printed circuit board 60. The actuation assembly 30, the magnetic device 40, and the hinge 50 constitute an unfolding device of an embodiment of the invention.
The body 10 is a basic component of the mobile phone 100, and comprises basic functions required by the mobile phone 100. The body 10 is formed with a first hole 11 and a third hole 12. The upper housing portion 20 comprises a second hole 21, and is rotatably disposed on the body 10.
The actuation assembly 30 comprises a switch 31 and a button 32, and is disposed on the body 10. The switch 31, corresponding to the button 32, is located on the printed circuit board 60, and is coupled to the magnetic device 40. After the button 32 is pressed, the switch 31 is activated to transmit signals. The button 32 is disposed on a side of the body 10 in a manner such that the button 32 can contact and separate from the switch 31. The button 32 comprises a plate 321 actuating the switch 31. That is, in a normal state, the button 32 is separated from the switch 31. To unfold the upper housing portion 20, the button 32 is pushed to contact and actuate the switch 31 via the plate 321. After removing external force, the button 32 and the switch 31 are separated again.
The magnetic device 40 is disposed on the printed circuit board 60 in the body 10, and is located below the hinge 50. When receiving electric current, the magnetic device 40 generates a magnetic field to repulse a first cam 51 of the hinge 50 in an axial direction. It is understood that the magnetic device 40 may be a coil.
The printed circuit board 60 is disposed on the body 10 to process the signals of the mobile phone 100. For example, after the button 32 actuates the switch 31 to transmit signals, the printed circuit board 60 supplies the electric current to the magnetic device 40.
The hinge 50 is disposed in the body 10 and the upper housing portion 20 to provide torsion force for unfolding the upper housing portion 20. That is, when the magnetic device 40 generates magnetic force, the upper housing portion 20 is rotated relative to the body 10 to be unfolded by the hinge 50. Referring to
The first cam 51 is disposed in the first hole 11 of the body 10 to be moved between a first position as shown in
The second cam 52 is disposed in the second hole 21 of the upper housing portion 20 to be rotated between a third position as shown in
The first spring 53 is disposed in the housing 54 to rotate the second cam 52 to the fourth position from the third position. The housing 54 is disposed in the third hole 12 of body 10, and comprises a first receiving portion 541.
The second spring 55 is located in the first cam 51 to return the first cam 51 to the first position. The shaft 56 passes through the second spring 55, the first cam 51, the second cam 52, the first spring 53, and the housing 54. The E-shaped rings 57 are disposed on the shaft 56 to fix the shaft 56 to the housing 54.
Referring to
Closing of the upper housing portion 20 is the same as in conventional technology, and detailed description thereof is thus omitted. It is noted that when the second cam 52 is moved to third position as shown in
As stated above, the upper housing portion can be easily unfolded by the magnetic force.
It is understood that, while the unfolding device of the embodiment is described in application to a mobile phone, it is not limited thereto, and may be applied in other foldable electronic devices with upper housing portions.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93107635 | Mar 2004 | TW | national |
