Foldable electronic device

• US 9,107,301 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2012
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Compal Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Compal Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Pan, Hung-Sung, Lin, Hung-Jui, Lai, Tzu-Chien, Yeh, Hsin, Chang, Long-Cheng, Yu, Po-Chin, Wen, Chuan-Hao, Chen, Yung-Hsiang, Wu, Ting-Wei, Chang, Hui-Lian, Lin, Ming-Wang, Kuo, Chung-Hao, Chou, Jui-Wen, Chen, Chuang-Yueh, Lee, Jui-Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Haughton, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): WRIGHT, INGRID D
• Application Number:
  US13/688,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20130170124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.01, 361/679.02, 361/679.08, 361/679.09, 361/679.21, 361/679.26, 361/679.27, 361724-727, 36167955-67958, 248917-924, 4555751-5754, 37943311-43313, 345168-173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1618 the display being foldable up to the back of the other housing with a single degree of freedom, e.g. by 360° rotation over the axis defined by the rear edge of the base enclosure
• 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: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0226 Hinges

Abstract

A foldable electronic device includes a first body, a second body and a hinge body. The hinge body is pivoted to the first body around a first pivoting axis and pivoted to the second body around a second pivoting axis so that the first body is able to rotate relatively to the second body. When the first body rotates to a first position relatively to the second body, a first front surface of the first body is closed to a second front surface of the second body on a closing plane, and a pivoting plane where the first pivoting axis and the second pivoting axis are located on and the closing plane are oblique to each other.

Claims

1. A foldable electronic device, comprising:

a first body;

a second body; and

a hinge body, pivoted to the first body around a first pivoting axis and pivoted to the second body around a second pivoting axis, wherein the first body, the second body and the hinge body are three separate bodies, the first pivoting axis does not coincide with the second pivoting axis so that the first body is able to rotate to any angle relatively to the second body, wherein when the first body rotates to a first position relatively to the second body, a first front surface of the first body is closed to a second front surface of the second body on a closing plane, and a pivoting plane where the first pivoting axis and the second pivoting axis are located on and the closing plane are oblique to each other.

2. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the first body rotates to the first position relatively to the second body, orthogonal projection of the front edge of the first body on the closing plane and orthogonal projection of the front edge of the second body on the closing plane are aligned with each other.

3. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first body has a first back surface opposite to the first front surface, the second body has a second back surface opposite to the second front surface, when the first body rotates to a second position relatively to the second body, the first back surface of the first body is borne at the second back surface of the second body on a bearing plane, and the pivoting plane and the bearing plane are oblique to each other.

4. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 3, wherein when the first body rotates to the second position relatively to the second body, the orthogonal projection of the front edge of the first body on the bearing plane is protruded from the orthogonal projection of the front edge of the second body on the bearing plane.

5. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

an antenna model, disposed at the front edge of the first body.

6. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a speaker, disposed at the hinge body.

7. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 6, wherein when the first body rotates to the first position relatively to the second body, the speaker is hidden, while when the first body rotates relatively to the second body to make included angle between the first front surface of the first body and the second front surface of the second body greater than 0°

, the speaker is exposed.

8. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the first body rotates relatively to the second body to make included angle between the first front surface of the first body and the second front surface of the second body greater than 0°

but less than 180°

, the first body, the second body and the hinge body are present in an NB mode.

9. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the first body rotates relatively to the second body to make included angle between the first front surface of the first body and the second front surface of the second body greater than 180°

but less than 360°

, the first body, the second body and the hinge body are present in a show off mode.

10. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first body has a display at the first front surface and the second body has a keyboard at the second front surface.

11. A foldable electronic device, comprising:

a first body;

a second body; and

a hinge body, having an electronic component, wherein the hinge body is pivoted to the first body around a first pivoting axis and pivoted to the second body around a second pivoting axis, wherein the first body, the second body and the hinge body are three separate bodies, the first pivoting axis does not coincide with the second pivoting axis so that the first body is able to rotate to any angle relatively to the second body, and when the first body rotates to a first position relatively to the second body, a first front surface of the first body is closed to a second front surface of the second body on a closing plane, and a pivoting plane where the first pivoting axis and the second pivoting axis are located on and the closing plane are oblique to each other.

12. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the electronic component is a speaker, wherein when the first body rotates to the first position relatively to the second body, the speaker is hidden, and when the first body rotates relatively to the second body to make included angle between the first front surface of the first body and the second front surface of the second body greater than 0°

, the speaker is exposed.

13. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 12, wherein when the first body rotates relatively to the second body to make included angle between the first front surface of the first body and the second front surface of the second body greater than 0°

but less than 180°

, the first body, the second body and the hinge body are present in an NB mode.

14. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 12, wherein when the first body rotates relatively to the second body to make included angle between the first front surface of the first body and the second front surface of the second body greater than 180°

but less than 360°

, the first body, the second body and the hinge body are present in a show off mode.

15. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 11, wherein when the first body rotates to the first position relatively to the second body, orthogonal projection of the front edge of the first body on the closing plane and orthogonal projection of the front edge of the second body on the closing plane are aligned with each other.

16. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first body has a first back surface opposite to the first front surface, the second body has a second back surface opposite to the second front surface, when the first body rotates to a second position relatively to the second body, the first back surface of the first body is borne at the second back surface of the second body on a bearing plane.

17. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 16, wherein when the first body rotates to the second position relatively to the second body, the orthogonal projection of the front edge of the first body on the bearing plane is protruded from the orthogonal projection of the front edge of the second body on the bearing plane.

18. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

an antenna model, disposed at the front edge of the first body.

19. The foldable electronic device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first body has a display at the first front surface and the second body has a keyboard at the second front surface.