Hinge assembly for a wireless charger

• US 9,577,467 B1
• Filed: 11/19/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Karanikos, Demetrios B., Thompson, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US14/946,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20170070077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/22 The load being a portable electronic device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction

Abstract

A wireless charger for an electronic device. The charger includes a base having a base opening and an interior cavity defined by an upper shell, a lower shell and an inner sidewall extending between the upper and lower shells to define the base opening. An aperture is formed through the inner sidewall between the interior cavity and the base opening and a hinge is connected to the base within the interior cavity and extends through the aperture. The charger further includes a wireless charging assembly that is pivotably attached to the base by the hinge and moveable between a down position in which the wireless charging assembly is disposed within the base opening and an up position in which the wireless charging assembly extends outside the base. The charging assembly has a charging surface and a power transmitting unit disposed adjacent to the charging surface where the power transmitting unit is configured to wirelessly transmit power across the charging surface to a power receiving unit of a portable electronic device.

Claims

1. A hinge assembly for a wireless charging device, the hinge assembly comprising:

a pin block having a pin receiving groove formed at an upper surface and first and second footings spaced apart from each other on opposite sides of the pin block, each footing including a shelf and a seat elevated with respect to the shelf;

a first friction beam attached to the seat of the first footing and extending over the shelf of the first footing;

a second friction beam attached to the seat of the second footing and extending over the shelf of the second footing;

a rotatable pin disposed within the pin receiving groove, the rotatable pin having first and second opposing ends with the first end extending over the first friction beam and the second end extending over the the second friction beam;

a first tensioner operatively coupled between the first friction beam and the shelf of the first footing to press the first friction beam against the first end of the rotatable pin;

a second tensioner operatively coupled between the second friction beam and the shelf of the second footing to press the second friction beam against the second end of the rotatable pin; and

a stem coupled to the rotatable pin between the first and second footings such that the stem rotates with the rotatable pin.

2. The hinge assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein the pin block further includes a cutout between the first and second footings that allows the stem to rotate within the cutout.

3. The hinge assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein the pin block further includes first and second supports spaced apart from each other, the first support positioned adjacent to the first footing, the second support positioned adjacent to the second footing and wherein the pin receiving groove includes a first portion in the first support and a second portion in second support.

4. The hinge assembly set forth in claim 3 wherein the first support includes a first front face having a first vertically aligned slot formed in the first front face and the second support includes a second front face having a second vertically aligned slot formed in the second front face.

5. The hinge assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein the stem includes a first end attached to the rotatable pin, a second end and a U-shaped portion between the first and second ends.

6. The hinge assembly set forth in claim 5 wherein the stem further includes a channel extending along a length of the stem through the U-shaped section and a U-shaped cap covering the channel.

7. The hinge assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the first and second tensioners is configured to adjust the level of friction applied by its respective friction beam to the rotatable pin.

8. The hinge assembly set forth in claim 7 wherein the first and second tensioners each comprise screws threadably coupled to a through hole formed in the first and second shelves, respectively.

9. The hinge assembly set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

a first clip attached to the pin block, the first clip having a first aperture opening aligned with a first end of the pin receiving groove;

a second clip attached to the pin block, the second clip having a second aperture aligned with a second end of the pin receiving groove opposite the first end; and

wherein the first end of the rotatable pin extends through the first aperture of the first clip and the second end of the rotatable pin extends through the second aperture of the second clip.

10. A hinge assembly for a wireless charging device, the hinge assembly comprising:

a pin block having a pin receiving groove formed at an upper surface and first and second footings, each footing including a shelf and a seat elevated with respect to the shelf,

a friction beam attached to the seat of the footing and extending over the shelf of the footing;

a rotatable pin disposed within the pin receiving groove, the rotatable pin including a section extending over the friction beam;

a tensioner operatively coupled between the friction beam and the shelf of the footing to press the friction beam against the section the rotatable pin;

a stem coupled to the rotatable pin such that the stem rotates with the rotatable pin;

wherein the pin block further includes first and second supports spaced apart from each other, the first support positioned adjacent to the first footing, the second support positioned adjacent to the second footing;

and wherein the pin receiving groove includes a first portion in the first support and a second portion in the second support.

11. The hinge assembly set forth in claim 10 wherein:

the friction beam includes a first section that extends over the first footing and a second section that extends over the second footing; and

the tensioner is operatively coupled to force the first section of the friction beam against the first end of the rotatable pin and to force the second end of the friction beam against the second end of the rotatable pin.

12. A hinge assembly for a wireless charging device, the hinge assembly comprising:

a pin block having;

first and second opposing footings, each footing including a shelf and a seat elevated with respect to the shelf;

first and second opposing supports between the first and second footings, the first support adjacent to the first footing and the second support adjacent to the second footing;

a first pin receiving groove at an upper surface of the first support;

a second pin receiving groove at an upper surface of the second support aligned with the first pin receiving groove; and

a bridge extending between the first and second supports;

a first clip attached to the first support and having a first aperture opening aligned with the first pin receiving groove; and

a second clip attached to the second support and having a second aperture aligned with the second pin receiving groove;

a rotatable pin extending across the first and second supports within the first and second pin receiving grooves, the rotatable pin having first and second opposing ends and a central section between the opposing ends, wherein the rotatable pin is positioned so that the first end extends through the first aperture of the first clip over the first shelf and the second end extends through the second aperture over the second shelf;

a first friction beam attached to the seat of the first footing and extending over the first shelf between the first shelf and the first end of the rotatable pin;

a second friction beam attached to the seat of the second footing and extending over the second shelf between the second shelf and the second end of the rotatable pin;

a first tensioner operatively coupled between the first friction beam and the first shelf to force the first friction beam against the first end of the rotatable pin;

a second tensioner operatively coupled between the second friction beam and the second shelf to force the second friction beam against the second end of the rotatable pin;

a stem coupled to the rotatable pin between the first and second supports such that the stem rotates with the rotatable pin.

13. The hinge assembly set forth in claim 12 wherein the stem further includes extending along a length of the stem through the U-shaped section and a U-shaped cap covering the channel.

14. A wireless charging assembly for an electronic device, the wireless charging assembly comprising:

a housing;

a charging surface; and

a power transmitting unit disposed within the housing adjacent to the charging surface, the power transmitting unit configured to wirelessly transmit power across the charging surface to a power receiving unit of a portable electronic device;

a hinge assembly coupled to the housing, the hinge assembly comprising;

a pin block having a pin receiving groove formed at an upper surface and first and second opposing footings, each footing including a shelf and a seat elevated with respect to the shelf;

a first friction beam attached to the seat of the first footing and extending over the shelf of the first footing;

a second friction beam attached to the seat of the second footing and extending over the shelf of the second footing;

a rotatable pin disposed within the pin receiving groove, the rotatable pin having first and second opposing ends with the first end extending over the shelf of the first footing and the first friction beam and the second end extending over the shelf of the second footing and the second friction beam;

a first tensioner operatively coupled between the first friction beam and the shelf of the first footing to press the first friction beam against the first end of the rotatable pin;

a second tensioner operatively coupled between the second friction beam and the shelf of the second footing to press the second friction beam against the second end of the rotatable pin; and

a stem coupled to the rotatable pin between the first and second supports such that the stem rotates with the rotatable pin.

15. The wireless charging assembly set forth in claim 14 wherein the pin block further includes first and second supports spaced apart from each other, the first support positioned adjacent to the first footing, the second support positioned adjacent to the second footing and wherein the pin receiving groove includes a first portion in the first support and a second portion in second support.

16. The wireless charging assembly set forth in claim 15 wherein the first support includes a first front face having a first vertically aligned slot formed in the first front face and the second support includes a second front face having a second vertically aligned slot formed in the second front face.

17. The wireless charging assembly set forth in claim 14 wherein the stem includes a first end attached to the rotatable pin, a second end and a U-shaped portion between the first and second ends, a channel extending along a length of the stem through the U-shaped section, and a cap covering the channel.

18. The wireless charging assembly set forth in claim 14 wherein each of the first and second tensioners is configured to adjust the level of friction applied by its respective friction beam to the rotatable pin.