TRANSFORMER

• US 20130016489A1
• Filed: 03/20/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc., Lianhong Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc., Lianhong Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: YEH, Yi-Chang, LIN, Tzu-Yu
• Granted Patent: US 8,861,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/807
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 19/08 for interconverting rotary motion and oscillating motion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/022 The hinge comprising two parallel pivoting axes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/1888 Geared connections

Abstract

A collapsible electronic equipment includes a pivot structure, a base and a cover. The pivot structure includes a first pivot assembly, a second pivot assembly, and a gear mechanism. The first pivot assembly is disposed on a side of the base. The second pivot assembly is disposed on a side of the cover. The gear mechanism is connected to the first pivot assembly and the second pivot assembly. The cover may be opened or closed relative to the base by the gear mechanism. When the cover is opened at 180 degrees relative to the base, the gap between the cover and the base is narrow, and the surfaces of the cover and the base are located on the same plane.

Claims

1. A pivot structure, comprising;

a gear mechanism having at least one connecting board and a gear set, wherein the gear set comprises a first gear, a plurality of transmitting gears, and an end gear, wherein the first gear, the transmitting gears, and the end gear are engaged in sequence;

a first pivot assembly having a first shaft passing through the connecting board and the first gear; and

a second pivot assembly having a second shaft passing through the connecting board and the end gear.

2. The pivot structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a bottom stand and a stand respectively disposed on the first shaft and the second shaft, wherein the stand is rotated between a closed angle and an opening angle relative to the bottom stand by the first pivot assembly and the second pivot assembly, and the stand is kept at a predetermined angle relative to the bottom stand.

3. The pivot structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein when the stand is rotated between 0 degree to 180 degrees relative to the bottom stand by the first gear and the end gear, the connecting board is rotated about the first shaft of the first pivot assembly and the second shaft of the second pivot assembly at a specified angle between a first middle angle and a second middle angle, wherein the connecting board is rotated about the first shaft of the first pivot assembly at a non-specified angle except the specified angle.

4. The pivot structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first middle angle is 40 degrees, and the second middle angle is 140 degrees.

5. The pivot structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the transmitting gears comprise a first transmitting gear, and the first gear has an A-shaped teeth portion departed from the first transmitting gear when the stand is rotated between 0 degree and the first middle angle relative to the bottom stand, and the A-shaped teeth portion drives the first transmitting gears to rotate the end gear, wherein the connecting board is rotated about the second shaft of the second pivot assembly when the stand is rotated between the first middle angle and the second middle angle relative to the bottom stand, and the A-shaped teeth portion departs from the first transmitting gear when the stand is rotated between the second middle angle and 180 degrees relative to the bottom stand.

6. The pivot structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first shaft is substantially parallel to the second shaft.

7. The pivot structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first shaft has a first non-circular shaft, the second shaft has a second non-circular shaft, and the connecting board has two circular holes with the first non-circular shaft and the second non-circular shaft passing therethrough, wherein the first gear has a non-circular hole with the first non-circular shaft passing therethrough, and the end gear has another non-circular hole with the second non-circular shaft of the second shaft passing therethrough.

8. The pivot structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first pivot assembly has a first torsion structure, the second pivot assembly has a second torsion structure, the first shaft has a first non-circular shaft, and the second shaft has a second non-circular shaft, wherein the first torsion structure is disposed on the first non-circular shaft and provides a first rotation torsion, and the second torsion structure is disposed on the second non-circular shaft and provides a second rotation torsion greater than the first rotation torsion.

9. The pivot structure as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first torsion structure comprises;

a first cam having a first projection and a non-circular hole with the first non-circular shaft passing therethrough;

a plurality of first disk-shaped elastic pieces pressing the first cam; and

a first retaining board disposed on an end of the first non-circular shaft to force the first disk-shaped elastic pieces pressing the first cam; and

a first nut disposed on the end of the first non-circular shaft to force the first disk-shaped elastic pieces pressing the first cam;

wherein when the first pivot assembly is at a closed angle relative to the second pivot assembly, the projection is received in a first recess of the connecting board adjacent to the projection.

10. The pivot structure as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first torsion structure comprises;

a second cam having a second projection and a non-circular hole with the second non-circular shaft passing therethrough;

a plurality of second disk-shaped elastic pieces pressing the second cam; and

a second retaining board and a second nut disposed on an end of the second non-circular shaft to force the second disk-shaped elastic pieces pressing the second cam;

wherein when the first pivot assembly is at a closed angle relative to the second pivot assembly, and the projection is received in a second recess of the connecting board.

11. A collapsible electronic equipment, comprising;

a base having a first base side and a second base side close to the first base side;

a cover having a first cover side and a second cover side, wherein the first cover side is substantially parallel to the first base side and is close to the second cover side; and

a pivot structure, comprising;

a first pivot assembly disposed on the second base side;

a second pivot assembly disposed on the second cover side; and

a gear mechanism connected to the first pivot assembly and the second pivot assembly,

wherein the cover is opened or closed relative to the base by the pivot structure.

12. The collapsible electronic equipment as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first pivot assembly and the second pivot assembly are substantially parallel to the first base side and the first cover side, and are substantially perpendicular to the second base side and the second cover side.

13. The collapsible electronic equipment as claimed in claim 11, wherein an end of the first pivot assembly is located inside the base, and the other end of the first pivot assembly is located outside the base, wherein an end of the second pivot assembly is located inside the cover, and the other end of the second pivot assembly is located outside the cover, wherein the gear mechanism is located outside of the base and the cover.

14. The collapsible electronic equipment as claimed in claim 13, wherein the second base side has a first groove, the second cover side has a second groove communicated with the first groove, the other end of the first pivot assembly is located within the first groove, the other end of the second pivot assembly is located within the second groove, and the gear mechanism is located in the first groove and the second groove.

15. The collapsible electronic equipment as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a first display screen disposed on the base and a second display screen disposed on the cover, wherein the first display screen is a touch screen.

16. The collapsible electronic equipment as claimed in claim 15, wherein the second display screen is a touch screen.

17. The collapsible electronic equipment as claimed in claim 15, wherein when the cover is opened at 180 degrees relative to the base, the maximal length of the gear mechanism is longer than the shortest distance between the first display screen and the second display screen.

18. The collapsible electronic equipment as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first display screen is adjacent to the first base side, and the second display screen is adjacent to the first cover side.

19. The collapsible electronic equipment as claimed in claim 11, wherein the gear mechanism has at least one connecting board and a gear set, wherein the gear set includes a first gear, a plurality of transmitting gears and an end gear, and the first gear, the transmitting gears, and the end gear are engaged in sequence.

20. The collapsible electronic equipment as claimed in claim 19, wherein the first pivot assembly has a first shaft passing through the connecting board and the first gear, and the second pivot assembly has a second shaft passing through the connecting board and the end gear.