HK1174680B - Double hinge axial cams - Google Patents

Description

Double-hinge axial cam

Technical Field

The invention relates to a double-hinge axial cam.

Background

Mobile phones and portable devices are becoming more popular and many include dual displays and/or display devices that open and close relative to a handheld base of the device. For example, a mobile computer device may be hinged to open two display devices, each integrated into one side or half of the device housing. However, the hinge mechanism may include relatively complex rotational hinges and hardware components to position the display screen for use. The hinge mechanism may also be obtrusive when disposed between display devices and/or may occupy space that could otherwise be used to implement a larger display device. Users typically want as small a device as possible to be carried in a pocket or bag, but also want devices with larger display surfaces.

Disclosure of Invention

This summary is provided to introduce simplified concepts of a dual-hinge axial cam that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

A dual hinge axial cam is described. In various embodiments, a portable device includes a first housing integrated with a display device and a second housing movably coupled to the first housing. The first housing is for opening and closing relative to the second housing, and the first and second housings are rotatable from a closed position of substantially zero degrees (0 °) to an open position of substantially one hundred eighty degrees (180 °), and through substantially three hundred sixty degrees (360 °). The double hinge is used for movably coupling the first housing and the second housing. The dual hinge includes an axial cam that applies a holding torque in the open position that resists the closing of the first and second housings.

In other embodiments, the second housing of the portable device is integrated with an additional display device, and the display device and the additional display device may be positioned adjacent to each other in the open position of the first and second housings as a surface display. Thus, in the closed position of the first and second housings, the display devices are viewable from opposite sides of the portable device (also referred to herein as an anti-book mode). The dual hinge includes a hinge link that couples the axial cam and is designed for mounting into first and second housings of the portable device. The axial cams each include a cam and a cam follower. One of the cams is integral with the hinge link and the second cam is removable from the hinge link. The second cam may be assembled into the hinge link after the hinge link is installed into the first and second housings of the portable device.

In other embodiments, the dual hinge can sequentially open the first and second housings by a first actuation and a second actuation, and close the first and second housings in reverse order. The axial cam of the dual hinge includes a cam and follower mechanism, one of which opens the first half of the dual hinge with a lower applied torque before the second half of the dual hinge opens and closes the first half of the dual hinge before the second half of the dual hinge closes. The cam surface of one of the cam followers has a different shape than the other cam follower, and the different shape of the cam follower acts on the cam to apply a smaller torque.

Drawings

Embodiments of a dual-hinge axial cam are described with reference to the following figures. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used to refer to like features and components:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a dual-hinge axial cam in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates another example of a dual-hinge axial cam in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a torque graph of a dual-hinge axial cam in accordance with one or more embodiments.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a portable device implemented with a dual-hinge axial cam in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary method of a dual-hinge axial cam in accordance with one or more embodiments.

Detailed Description

A dual hinge axial cam is described. In embodiments, the dual hinge allows a portable device (such as a mobile phone or computer device) having two housing portions to be opened to a flat position. The axial cam faces the axial actuation and may be implemented for friction/braking motion or for over-center/bi-stable motion. The double hinge may be used to open and close a first housing of the device relative to a second housing of the device, and the housing portions may be rotatable from a closed position of substantially zero degrees (0 °) to an open position of substantially one hundred and eighty degrees (180 °). The double hinge may also be used to rotate the housing portions of the portable device substantially three hundred and sixty degrees (360 °) relative to each other. The axis cam of the dual hinge applies a holding torque in the open position that resists the case closing (such as from a touch input to the display device). Additionally, the dual hinge can be mounted in the device and hidden from view in the hinge mechanism mounted below the display device, which can also allow the device to be designed to be thinner.

While features and concepts of the described systems and methods for a dual-hinge axial cam can be implemented in any number of different environments, systems, devices, and/or various configurations, embodiments of a dual-hinge axial cam are described in the context of the following example devices, systems, and configurations.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a dual-hinge axial cam 100 according to various embodiments described herein. The dual hinge axial cam includes a hinge link 102, and two cam and follower mechanisms 104, 106. The hinge link has an integrated cam 108 (e.g., molded or constructed as an integral component of the hinge link) and has a removable cam 110 (e.g., keyed to lock in place relative to the hinge link when installed). The first cam and follower mechanism 104 includes a cam follower 112 and a removable cam 110. Similarly, the second cam and follower mechanism 106 includes a cam follower 114 and an integrated cam 108. The first cam and follower mechanism 104 also includes a tension spring 116, and the second cam and follower mechanism 106 includes a tension spring 118. The tensioning spring exerts a force to push the respective cam follower towards the cam lobe (lobe) of the corresponding axial cam. The cam followers 112, 114 have stops that hold the cam followers 112, 114 in a fixed position relative to the respective cams 110, 108 as the hinge links rotate.

The removable cam 110 has a cam lobe 120 that actuates relative to the first cam follower 112. Similarly, the integrated cam 108 has a cam lobe 122 that actuates relative to the second cam follower 114. In one embodiment, each of these cams is balanced with three cam lobes each evenly spaced one hundred twenty degrees (120 °). A force vector having a force and a force direction is generated where the cam lobe contacts the cam follower, and the shape of the cam and the cam follower changes the force vector and the applied torque. In an alternative embodiment, the dual hinge may be implemented as a friction hinge, and the cam and follower mechanism is used to actuate based on friction between the cam and the cam follower. Torsion bar 124 couples hinge link 102 to a second hinge link (not shown), such as when both of the dual-hinge axial cams are mounted in a portable device (e.g., opposite ends or sides of the portable device). The double hinge may be implemented as a bi-stable hinge mechanism that may be used to sequentially close by a first actuation at 126 and a second actuation at 128 and then may reverse order when opening.

The first cam and follower mechanism 104 closes the first half of the double hinge (e.g., at 126) with a smaller applied torque before the second cam and follower mechanism 106 closes the second half of the double hinge (e.g., at 128). The first cam and follower mechanism 104 also opens the first half of the double hinge with a smaller applied torque before the second cam and follower mechanism 106 opens the second half of the double hinge. In one embodiment, the cam surface of the first cam follower 112 is shaped differently than the second cam follower 114, and the difference in shape of the cam surface may act on the cam 110 to apply a smaller torque. The sequence of opening the double hinge and the reverse sequence of closing the double hinge are further described with reference to the torque chart shown in fig. 3.

FIG. 2 further illustrates a dual-hinge axial cam according to various embodiments described herein. The dual-hinge axial cam 100 shown in fig. 1 is mounted in a hinge chassis 200, and the hinge assembly described with reference to fig. 1 is identified in fig. 2. The hinge chassis is shown in an open position and has a first half 202 and a second half 204 that are designed to be attached to respective housing portions of a portable device, such as a portable computer or mobile phone. For example, a first half 202 of the hinge chassis is attached to a first housing of the portable device, while a second half 204 of the hinge chassis is attached to a second housing of the portable device. The dual-hinge axial cam may then be used to open and close the first and second housings of the portable device relative to each other from a closed position of approximately zero degrees (0 °) to an open position of approximately one hundred and eighty degrees (180 °). The dual-hinge axial cam may also be implemented to rotate the housing portions of the portable device approximately three hundred and sixty degrees (360 °) relative to each other.

Fig. 3 illustrates a torque graph 300 of a dual-hinge axial cam according to various embodiments described herein. The torque chart shows the torque (in newton-millimeters) as the dual hinge opens from a closed position of zero degree (0 °) hinge angle to an open position of one hundred eighty degree (180 °) hinge angle, and then back to the closed position of zero degree (0 °) hinge angle. The portable device is closed at 302 (hinge angle 0 deg.) and a force is applied to begin opening the first and second housings of the device relative to each other. Between approximately thirty degrees (30 °) and eighty degrees (80 °), the axial cam is designed to provide a smooth and consistent opening torque, and then the device opens itself to the first detent at 304 (hinge angle 90 °). When the force is applied again (torque between 304 and 306), the first and second housings continue to open at 306. Between approximately one hundred twenty degrees (120 °) and one hundred seventy degrees (170 °), the axial cam is designed to again provide a smooth and consistent opening torque, and then the device opens itself to a second stop at 308 (hinge angle 180 °).

In the open position at 308, the axial cams of the dual hinges apply a holding torque that resists closing of the first and second housings in response to a touch input to a display device implemented as a touch screen display. When the force is applied again (torque between 308 and 310), the first and second housings begin to close in reverse order with respect to each other. Between approximately one hundred seventy degrees (170 °) and one hundred twenty degrees (120 °), the axial cam provides a smooth and consistent closing torque, and then the device closes itself to a stop at 312 (hinge angle 90 °). When force is again applied (torque between 312 and 314), the first and second housings continue to close at 314. Between approximately eighty degrees (80 °) and thirty degrees (30 °), the axial cam is designed to again provide a smooth and consistent closing torque, and then the device closes itself to a stop at 316 (hinge angle 0 °).

Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a portable device 400 that can be implemented to include a dual-hinge axial cam in accordance with various embodiments described herein. In embodiments, the portable device may be any form of consumer device, computer device, user device, communication device, telephone device, navigation device, television device, appliance device, gaming device, media playback device, and/or electronic device. In a first view 402, the portable device 400 is shown in a closed position. The portable device 400 has a first housing 404 that includes an integrated display device 406, and also has a second housing 408 that may include a physical keyboard or an additional display device 410 (e.g., shown in this example on the underside of the portable device). Thus, in the closed position of the first and second housings, the display devices are viewable from opposite sides of the portable device (also referred to herein as a reverse book mode).

The first housing 404 is movably coupled to the second housing 408 by a dual-hinge axial cam 412 that is mounted between the display devices of the device and is operable to open from a closed position of approximately zero degrees (0 °) to an open position of approximately one hundred eighty degrees (180 °), and rotate through approximately three hundred sixty degrees (360 °). In a second view 414, the portable device 400 is shown in an open position, such as when the second housing 408 is looped around and rotated upward at 416 to position the display device 406 and the additional display device 410 adjacent to one another to form a position of the surface display 418 (e.g., the two display devices appear as one larger display surface). In the open position, the dual-hinge axial cam is not visible and is designed to allow the display devices to be brought together in the open position.

In various embodiments, the dual-hinge axial cam 412 applies a holding torque in the open position that resists closing of the first and second housings in response to a touch input 420 to the display device. For example, one or both of the display devices may be an integrated touch screen display, and the touch input 420 to the touch screen is a directed force that the axial cam resists to hold the first and second housings of the portable device in the open position.

In a third view 422, the casing 424 of the second housing 408 is shown to illustrate the mounting features for mounting the dual-hinge axial cam 412 into the first and second housings of the portable device. The sleeve of the second housing has hinge slots 426 and each hinge link 102 is inserted into the hinge slots 426 prior to being attached to the other half of the double hinge (which is subsequently attached to the first housing). Referring to fig. 1, the removable cam 110 is designed for installation into the hinge link 102 after the hinge link is installed into the first and second housings of the portable device. This results in a narrower hinge slot 426 that is only wide enough to accommodate the width of the hinge link, not the combined width of both the hinge link and the cam. The narrower slots in the case of the housing are more resistant to debris intrusion into the portable device and the smaller or narrower hinge slots better maintain the structural integrity of the housing.

Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary method 500 of a dual-hinge axial cam. The order in which the method blocks are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method, or an alternate method.

At block 502, a first housing of a portable device is opened relative to a second housing of the portable device in sequence. For example, the dual-hinge axial cam 412 (fig. 4) sequentially opens the first housing 404 of the portable device 400 relative to the second housing 408 of the portable device. The first and second housings are operable to open and close relative to each other from a closed position of substantially zero degrees (0) to an open position of substantially one hundred eighty degrees (180) and rotate through substantially three hundred sixty degrees (360). The sequence of opening the first and second housings relative to each other includes opening the first half of the double hinge with a lesser applied torque before the second half of the double hinge is opened. In one embodiment, a smaller torque is applied to the cam and follower mechanism of the first half of the dual hinge to sequentially open the first and second housings of the portable device. The axial cam of the double hinge may be used to cause the first actuation to open the first half of the double hinge before the second half of the double hinge opens.

At block 504, a display device integrated in a first housing of a portable device is positioned adjacent to an additional display device integrated in a second housing of the portable device. For example, the dual-hinge axial cam 412 is designed to position the display device 406 and the additional display device 410 adjacent to each other to form a flat display 418 in the open position (e.g., the two display devices appear as one larger display plane).

At block 506, a holding torque is applied in the open position that resists closing of the first and second housings in response to an input to the display device. For example, the dual-hinge axial cam 412 applies a holding torque in the open position that resists closing of the first and second housings in response to the input 420 to the display device. For example, one or both of the display devices may be an integrated touch screen display and the touch input 420 to the touch screen is a directional force that an axial cam resists to hold the first and second housings of the portable device in an open position.

At block 508, a first housing of a portable device is closed relative to a second housing of the portable device in a reverse order. For example, the dual-hinge axial cam 412 closes the first housing 404 of the portable device 400 relative to the second housing 408 of the portable device in reverse order. The reverse order includes: the first half of the double hinge is closed before the second half of the double hinge is closed. A small torque is applied to the cam and follower mechanism of the first half of the dual hinge to close the first and second housings of the portable device in reverse order. The axial cam of the double hinge may be used to cause a second actuation to close the first half of the double hinge before the second half of the double hinge is closed.

Although embodiments of the dual-hinge axial cam have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methods, the subject of the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as example implementations of a dual-hinge axial cam.

Claims (6)

1. A portable device (400) comprising:

a first housing (404), the first housing (404) integrated with a display device (406);

a second housing (408), the second housing (408) movably coupled to the first housing, the first housing for opening and closing relative to the second housing (408), the first and second housings configurable from a closed position (402) of substantially zero degrees (0 °) to an open position (414) of substantially one hundred and eighty degrees (180 °); and

a dual hinge (100), the dual hinge (100) movably coupling a first housing and a second housing, the dual hinge comprising an axial cam (100), the axial cam (100) configured to apply a holding torque in an open position that resists closing of the first and second housings, the axial cam of the dual hinge comprising a cam and follower mechanism, one of the cam and follower mechanisms opening a first half of the dual hinge with a lesser applied torque prior to opening of a second half of the dual hinge and closing the first half of the dual hinge prior to closing of the second half of the dual hinge, a cam surface of one of the cam followers having a different shape than the other cam follower, and the different shape of the cam followers acting on the axial cam to apply the lesser torque.

2. A double hinge (100) comprising:

a hinge chassis (200), the hinge chassis (200) configured to be attached to a first housing (404) of a portable device (400) and a second housing (408) of the portable device, the first and second housings for opening and closing relative to each other from a closed position (402) of substantially zero degrees (0 °) to an open position (414) of substantially one hundred and eighty degrees (180 °); and

an axial cam (110), the axial cam (110) configured to apply a holding torque in the open position that resists first and second housing closures responsive to an input to a display device (406) integrated into the first housing, the axial cam of the dual hinge including a cam and follower mechanism, one of the cam and follower mechanisms opening a first half of the dual hinge with a lesser applied torque before the second half of the dual hinge opens and closing the first half of the dual hinge before the second half of the dual hinge closes, a cam surface of one of the cam followers having a different shape than the other cam follower, and the different shape of the cam followers acting on the axial cam to apply the lesser torque.

3. The dual hinge of claim 2, wherein the axial cam acts as a bi-stable mechanism for the opening of the first and second housings and the closing of the first and second housings.

4. The dual hinge of claim 2, wherein the cam surface of the first cam follower comprises a different shape than the second cam follower, said cam surface acting on the cam to apply said lesser applied torque.

5. The dual hinge of claim 2, wherein the dual hinge is configured as a friction hinge comprising the cam and follower mechanism for actuation based on friction between a cam and a cam follower.

6. The dual hinge of claim 2, wherein:

the dual hinge further comprises a hinge link configured to couple the axial cam, the hinge link further configured to be mounted in the first and second housings of the portable device;

the axial cams each include a cam and a cam follower, a first cam being integral with the hinge link and a second cam being configured to be removable from the hinge link; and

the second cam is further configured to be installed into the hinge link after the hinge link is installed into the first and second housings of the portable device.