PORTABLE TERMINAL FOR PROVIDING VISUAL AND ACOUSTIC CONVENIENCE AND ROTARY TYPE HINGE APPARATUS THEREFOR

• US 20080167086A1
• Filed: 01/02/2008
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwon, Hyun-Woo, Park, Jae-Wan
• Granted Patent: US 8,103,320 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0212 with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, i.e. folding around a first axis and rotating around a second axis perpendicular to the first
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0227 Rotatable in one plane, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0233 Including a rotatable display body part

Abstract

A rotary-type hinge apparatus for a folder-type portable terminal is provided. For a portable terminal including a main body, a folder, a connection member for coupling the main body with the folder, and a hinge apparatus for rotatably coupling the connection member to the main body, a rotary-type hinge apparatus includes housing means mounted in the connection member, cam means including a center cam unit having at least three cam faces and a pair of side cam units for moving towards or away from the center cam unit according to the rotation of the folder in order to maintain close contact with selected cam faces, and adjusting the rotation angle of the folder by cam movement with the selected cam faces while being accommodated in the housing means, elastic bodies for causing the side cam units to closely contact the selected cam faces while being accommodated in the housing means, and an axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the center cam unit. Thus, the rotary-type hinge apparatus can allow users to conveniently view moving pictures.

Claims

1. A rotary-type hinge apparatus for a portable terminal comprising:

a main body;

a folder;

a connection member for coupling the main body with the folder;

housing means mounted in the connection member;

cam means including a center cam unit having at least three cam faces and a pair of side cam units for moving towards or away from the center cam unit according to the rotation of the folder in order to maintain close contact with selected cam faces, and adjusting the rotation angle of the folder by cam movement with the selected cam faces while being accommodated in the housing means;

elastic bodies for causing the side cam units to closely contact the selected cam faces while being accommodated in the housing means; and

an axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the center cam unit.

2. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing means comprises:

a main hinge housing for accommodating the cam means and the elastic bodies in its longitudinal direction;

an upper hinge housing coupled to the main hinge housing; and

a subsidiary cover coupled to the upper hinge housing.

3. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein the center cam unit comprises a polygonal cross-section.

4. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cam faces are substantially flat.

5. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 4, wherein the side cam units are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center cam unit, in which each of the side cam units comprises a first face and a second face, wherein each of the first faces face each other with respect to the center cam unit and each of the second faces face the elastic bodies, respectively.

6. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein protrusions extending in the longitudinal direction are provided between the cam faces for stably supporting a close contact state between the cam faces and the side cam units.

7. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the pair of side cam units comprises a trapezoid-shaped cross-section, in which one face of each of the side cam units closely contacts one of the selected cam faces and the other face of each of the side cam units closely contacts one of the elastic bodies, respectively.

8. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connection member comprises a first portion coupled with the main body and a second portion coupled with the folder, and the axis is disposed in the first portion and the housing means are disposed in the second portion.

9. A portable terminal comprising:

a housing;

a cam located in the housing and including a center cam unit having at least three cam faces and a pair of side cam units, wherein the side cam units are for moving towards or away from the center cam unit according to the rotation of the center cam to maintain close contact with selected cam faces, and for adjusting a rotation angle of the cam; and

a plurality of elastic bodies located in the housing for causing the side cam units to closely contact the selected cam faces.

10. The portable terminal of claim 9, wherein the housing comprises:

a main hinge housing for accommodating the cam means and the elastic bodies in a longitudinal direction;

an upper hinge housing coupled to the main hinge housing; and

a subsidiary cover coupled to the upper hinge housing.

11. The portable terminal of claim 9, wherein the center cam unit comprises a polygonal cross-section.

12. The portable terminal of claim 9, wherein the at least three cam faces are substantially flat.

13. The portable terminal of claim 12, wherein the side cam units are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center cam unit, in which each of the side cam units comprises a first face and a second face, wherein each of the first faces face each other with respect to the center cam unit and each of the second faces face the elastic bodies, respectively.

14. The portable terminal of claim 9, wherein the center cam further comprises protrusions extending in a longitudinal direction between the cam faces for stably supporting a close contact state between the cam faces and the side cam units.

15. The portable terminal of claim 9, wherein each of the pair of side cam units comprises a trapezoid-shaped cross-section, in which one face of each of the side cam units closely contacts one of the selected cam faces and the other face of each of the side cam units closely contacts one of the elastic bodies, respectively.

16. A portable terminal comprising:

a main body;

a connection member rotating about a first hinge axis in a direction towards or away from the main body;

a folder including a display unit, mounted in the connection member to rotate about a second hinge axis and a third hinge axis while facing the first hinge axis, and stepwise adjusting the amount of rotation about the third hinge axis, in which the second hinge axis is spaced apart the first hinge axis and is oriented perpendicular to the first hinge axis and the third hinge axis is oriented perpendicular to the first hinge axis and the second hinge axis, and a rotary-type hinge apparatus mounted in the connection member to allow the folder to rotate about the third hinge axis and stepwise to adjust the angle of rotation about the third hinge axis.

17. The portable terminal of the claim 16, wherein the display unit is in a landscape view mode after the folder rotates about the second hinge axis.