Hinge assembly for foldable electronic device

• US 7,155,780 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2004
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FIH (Hong Kong) Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sutech Trading Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Rui Hao
• Primary Examiner(s): Sandy; Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JACKSON, ANDRE L
• Application Number:
  US10/920,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20050097705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 16326-328, 163/33, 163/37, 16340-342, 163/50, 163/51, 162/42, 162/55, 162/77, 162/84, 163/30, 37943311-43313, 379/433, 379/428, 361681-683, 361/803, 455/90, 455/550, 455/556, 455/575, 403/119, 403/120
• US Class Current: 16/326
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/1007 with positive locking
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1215 with a canted-coil torsion spring
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 3/16 with friction brakes
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 3/20 in hinges
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/606 for electronic devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0216 Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge

Abstract

A hinge assembly (10) for joining a body and a cover of a mobile phone includes an inner housing (100), a key (110), a pressure spring (120), a can (130), a slider (140), a damper (150), an outer housing (160), a fastener (170), and a torsion-bar spring (190). The can includes an acceptor (132) defining an axial slot (132b) in a peripheral wall thereof, and a protrusion (131) having a stepped hole. The slider has an adjoining block (141) received in the stepped hole. One end of the torsion-bar spring is secured onto the fastener, and the other end of the torsion-bar spring is received in the slot. A user presses the key to slidably remove the slider from the stepped hole of the can, whereupon the torsion-bar spring can rotationally drive the slider and the fastener, with the outer housing turning in unison therewith. Thus the cover is opened.

Claims

1. A hinge assembly for joining a body and a cover of a foldable electronic device, the hinge assembly comprising:

an outer housing being a hollow cylinder for being coupled to the cover;

an inner housing within said outer housing, said inner housing having two ends, one end being open, the other end being a head with a setting hole, wherein said head is coupled to the body;

a can received in the inner housing, said can having two ends, one end being a protrusion defining a hole, the other end being a cylindrical acceptor;

a torsion-bar spring received in said inner housing, said torsion-bar spring having opposite first and second ends, the second end of said torsion-bar spring being secured with said can;

a slider comprising a first end having a block and a second end being a cylinder defining a cavity, said block being engaged in the hole of said can, wherein when said slider axially moves, said block is freed from the hole of said can and is able to rotate relative to said can;

a securing portion coupled in said cavity of said slider and secured with said outer housing and the first end of said torsion-bar spring; and

a key received in said setting hole of said inner housing to press said block of said slider.

2. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pressure spring disposed around said protrusion of said can.

3. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein an internal radius of said outer housing is greater than an external radius of said inner housing.

4. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a damper, said damper being disposed between said inner housing and said outer housing.

5. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said damper comprises glue-like material that cannot become hardened.

6. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said damper comprises dampening oil.

7. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said securing portion further comprises a fastener, said fastener having a pair of orientation arms, an axial pole and two limiting holes.

8. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein said outer housing defines two cutouts in one end thereof, for securing said orientation arms of said fastener therein.

9. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein said securing portion further comprises an orientation pin joining said outer housing and said fastener.

10. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein said outer housing defines two orientation holes in a peripheral wall thereof, and said orientation pin joins said outer housing and said fastener by extending through said orientation holes and said limiting holes.

11. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second end of said torsion-bar spring is bent to form an axial end, and the first end of said torsion-bar spring is shaped to form a generally rectangular configuration fixed around said axial pole of said fastener.

12. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the acceptor of said can defines a slot in a peripheral wall thereof, and the axial end of said torsion-bar spring is coupled in said slot in order to axially slide therein.

13. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hole of said protrusion is a stepped hole which comprises a first chamber and a second chamber, said first and second chambers share a same axis, and a radius of said first chamber is greater than a radius of said second chamber.

14. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein said key is a step-like column which comprises a pressing portion, a cylindrical portion, a step and a driving peg, said pressing portion being generally parallelepiped-shaped to be fittingly received in said setting hole of said inner housing.

15. The binge assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein said step is shaped to be fittingly received in said first chamber.

16. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein said driving peg is shaped to be movably received in said second chamber.

17. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein said block of said slider has a rectangular cross section, and is shaped to be fittingly received in said second chamber.

18. A hinge assembly for joining a body and a cover of a foldable electronic device, the hinge assembly comprising:

an outer housing being a hollow cylinder for being coupled to the cover;

an inner housing within said outer housing, said inner housing having two ends, one end being open, the other end being a head with a setting hole, wherein said head is coupled to the body;

a can received in the inner housing, said can having two ends, one end being a protrusion defining a hole, the other end being a cylindrical acceptor;

a pressure spring disposed around said protrusion of said can;

a torsion-bar spring received in said inner housing, said torsion-bar spring having opposite first and second ends, the second end of said torsion-bar spring being secured with said can;

a slider comprising a first end having a block and a second end being a cylinder defining a cavity,

a securing portion coupled in said cavity of said slider and secured with said outer housing and the first end of said torsion-bar spring; and

a key received in said setting hole of said inner housing to press said block of said slider.

19. A hinge assembly for joining a body and a cover of a foldable electronic device, the hinge assembly comprising:

a can being only linearly moveble;

a fastener being only rotatably moveable;

a torsion plus compression spring having two opposite ends respectively restricted at the can and the fastener; and

a slider abutting against the spring;

wherein

when said slider is axially moved to a first axial position to compress the spring, one end of said slider is released from the can so as to allow the fastener with the associated said slider to be rotated by means of a biasing force generated by the spring; and

when said slider is axially moved to a second axial position and engaged with the can, the spring is relaxed axially but tensioned rotatably.

20. The binge assembly as claimed in claim 19, wherein the end of the spring restricted at the can is moveable axially.