JP2003194042A - Pivoting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pivoting device to allow two components to be pivoted to each other in which an automatic releasing mechanism is installed and which is formed from a smallest possible number of component parts to suppress the cost. <P>SOLUTION: The pivoting device P includes a first 10 and a second shaft 12 which are set so that they can make relative rotating motions round a common rotational axis and are arranged displaceable from each other between the first and second displacement positions along the rotational axis. Between the first and second shafts, a restraining means (10e and 28) capable of being released are installed so as to restrain the relative rotating motions of the two shafts, and the restraining means restrains the relative rotating motions of the two shafts in the first displacement position and is released so as to admit their relative motions in the second position. Between the two shafts a compression spring 14 is installed so as to generate relative rotating motions between the two shafts when the restraining means is released. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pivoting device for pivotally attaching two parts to each other.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The pivoting device as described above can be used, for example, in a portable electronic device such as a notebook personal computer, an electronic notebook, an electronic dictionary or a mobile phone.
That is, in such a portable electronic device, a keyboard is arranged on the upper surface of the electronic device main body, and an opening / closing lid for covering the keyboard arranging surface is pivotally attached to the electronic device main body, and a liquid crystal is provided on the inner surface of the opening / closing lid. A common structural feature is that a display panel is attached, and the pivoting device can be used for pivotally attaching the opening / closing lid to the electronic device body.

The first requirement of this type of pivoting device is that it be of low cost. Further, in order to electrically connect the control circuit board inside the electronic equipment main body to the liquid crystal display panel of the opening / closing lid, the flexible wiring sheet is extended between them, so that the flexible wiring sheet is used for the pivot device. It is also required to have a small and compact structure so as to secure the space.

[0004]

By the way, in the field of portable electronic equipment as described above, it is common to manually open / close the opening / closing lid, but there is a demand for automatic opening / closing of the opening / closing lid. . There are two possible methods for realizing the automatic opening mechanism of the opening / closing lid. That is, one is a method of forming an automatic opening mechanism separately from the pivotal attachment device, and the other is a method of incorporating the automatic opening mechanism into the pivotal attachment device. The former method is not realistic because it involves a relatively large cost for individually configuring the automatic opening mechanism and also has the disadvantage that the design of the portable electronic device itself must be fundamentally changed. Not a thing. On the other hand, the latter method, that is, the method of incorporating the automatic opening mechanism into the pivoting device is realistic, but it is necessary to devise it in order to construct such a pivoting device at the lowest cost.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is a pivotal attachment device in which two parts are pivotally attached to each other and an automatic opening mechanism is incorporated, and the pivotal attachment has the number of parts reduced as much as possible for cost reduction. It is to provide a device.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A pivoting device according to the present invention is used to pivotally attach two parts to each other, a first shaft member and a second shaft member retained on each of the two parts. It is equipped with. The first and second shaft members are assembled together so as to be capable of relative rotational movement about a common axis of rotation, yet relative to one another along the axis of rotation.
Is displaceable between the relative displacement position and the second relative displacement position. The pivoting device according to the invention further comprises the first and second shaft members for constraining relative rotational movement between the first and second shaft members.
And a releasable rotational movement restraint means provided between the first and second shaft members, the rotational movement restraint means having the first and second relative movement positions when the first and second shaft members take the first relative displacement position. Second
When the first and second shaft members assume the second relative displacement position by restricting the relative rotational motion between the shaft members, the rotational motion restricting means causes the relative rotation between the first and second shaft members. Released to allow rotational movement. The pivoting device according to the present invention is further provided between the first and second shaft members to cause relative rotational movement between the first and second shaft members upon release of the rotational motion restraint means. An elastic energy storage means is provided.

In the pivot device according to the invention, preferably:
The elastic energy storage means is configured to always elastically bias the first and second shaft members to the first relative displacement position.

The pivoting device according to the invention further comprises means for inhibiting rotational movement between the first and second shaft members to define the range of relative rotational movement between the first and second shaft members. You may.

In the pivoting device according to the present invention, the above-mentioned 2
When the two parts are respectively defined as a movable part and a stationary part, the first shaft member is fixed to the movable part and the second shaft member is fixed to the stationary part about the rotation axis. It is retained on the stationary part so that it is prevented from rotational movement but is allowed to displace along the axis of rotation.

In the pivoting device according to the present invention, preferably, the second shaft member is moved from the first relative displacement position to the second relative displacement position against the elastic biasing force of the elastic energy storage means. An operation button for displacing it toward is provided on the second shaft member.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, with reference to the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of a pivotal attachment device according to the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the pivot device is configured to be used for pivotally attaching the opening / closing lid to the main body of the mobile phone.

First, referring to FIG. 1, an external view of a pivoting device according to the present invention is shown in an elevation view, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show the pivoting device of FIG. 1 in a longitudinal sectional view and a transverse sectional view, respectively. . As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the pivot device has a first
In the present embodiment, the first shaft member 10 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the second shaft member 12 is concentric within the first shaft member 10. It is rotatably and slidably inserted. That is, the first and second shaft members 10 and 12 are rotatable relative to each other about a common longitudinal center axis X (FIG. 2) and slide along the longitudinal center axis X. It is freely movable. In addition,
2 is a vertical sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 3, and FIG. 3 is a lateral sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG.

A compression coil spring 1 is provided in the first shaft member 10.
4 is provided, and the compression coil spring 14 has the first and second
Between the shaft members 10 and 12 of FIG. In order to hold the compression coil spring 14 in the first shaft member 10, the first
A spring holding member 16 is attached to the shaft member 10. As will be described later, after the compression coil spring 14 is held and restrained in the first shaft member 10, a twisting force is applied to the compression coil spring 14, and at this time, the second shaft member 12 is It receives an elastic rotational force that allows it to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. In short, the compression coil spring 14 functions as elastic energy storage means for exerting an elastic rotational force applied to the second shaft member 12.

As described above, the second shaft member 12 receives the elastic rotational force indicated by the arrow A by the compression coil spring 14, but the second shaft member 12 has a rotational movement restraining means as described later. Is restrained and fastened in the position shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Second shaft member 12
An operation button 18 is attached to the second shaft member 12, and the second shaft member 12 is elastically biased relative to the first shaft member 10 in a direction indicated by an arrow B in FIG. 2 by pressing the operation button 18. When displaced to the position shown in FIG. 4 against the force, the restraint by the rotational movement restraining means is released, whereby the second shaft member 12 is rotated in the direction of arrow A to the position shown in FIG. . In short, the compression coil spring 14 has not only the function of exerting an elastic rotational force on the second shaft member 12, but also the function of elastically retaining the second shaft member 12 in the rotational motion restraining position.

In the present embodiment, the compression coil spring 14 is formed from a suitable steel material and the other components, namely the first
The second shaft members 10 and 12, the spring holding member 16, and the operation button 18 are integrally molded from a suitable synthetic resin material. However, the components other than the compression coil spring 14 may be made of a suitable light metal material such as an aluminum alloy instead of the synthetic resin material.

Referring to FIG. 6, an external view of the first shaft member 10 is shown in an elevation view, and FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show the first shaft member 10 of FIG. Shown as plan and end views. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a lateral sectional view taken along the line IIX-IIX of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is taken along the line IX-IX of FIG. It is an arrow end view.

As is apparent from FIGS. 6 and 9, the ratchet teeth 1 are provided along the circumference of one end of the first shaft member 10.
0a is formed, and the ratchet teeth 10a are engaged with the spring holding member 16 as described later. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the first shaft member 1
On the other end side of 0, an inner flange portion 10b extending inward in the radial direction is formed, and an inner annular end surface of the inner flange portion 10b provides an annular shoulder portion 10c.

A projecting portion 10d integrally projects from the inner peripheral wall surface of the first shaft member 10. The projecting portion 10d is shown in FIG.
And as is apparent from FIG. 4, it extends along the central longitudinal axis X by a predetermined distance from the annular shoulder 10c. Protrusion 10
d functions as a rotational movement blocking means for defining the range of the rotational movement of the second shaft member 12. Also, the annular shoulder 1
A recess 10e is formed in the recess 0c, and the recess 10e has a substantially trapezoidal outline when observed from the direction shown in FIG. As will be described later, a part of the first shaft member 10 engages with the recess 10e, whereby the rotational movement of the second shaft member 12 with respect to the first shaft member 10 is restricted and prevented. That is, the recess 10e constitutes a part of the above-mentioned rotational movement restraining means.

The substantially central portion of the first shaft member 10 has a thick portion 1
It is formed as 0f, and 3 is formed on the peripheral wall of the thick portion 10f.
One groove portion 10g is formed at an appropriate interval. These three grooves 10g extend along the central axis X in the longitudinal direction and are used for fixing the first shaft member 10 to the opening / closing lid of the mobile phone as described later.

Referring to FIG. 10, the external appearance of the second shaft member 12 is shown in an elevational view, FIG. 11 shows the second shaft member 12 of FIG. 10 as a vertical sectional view, and FIGS. Each of the second shaft members 12 of FIG. 10 is shown as an end view observed from both end faces thereof, and FIG. 14 shows a part of the second shaft member 12 of FIG. 10 as a bottom view. Note that FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line XI-XI of FIG. 13, and FIG.
FIG. 13 is an end view taken along the line XII-XII of FIG.
14 is an end view taken along the line XIII-XIII of FIG.
3 is a partial rear view taken along the line XIV-XIV of FIG.

The second shaft member 12 includes a central body portion 12a, which has a first body portion 12a ₁ having a circular cross section and a radius equal to the radius of the _first body portion 12a _1. and a has and second body portion 12a exhibiting a cross-sectional semi-circular _2, and a third body portion 12a ₃ Metropolitan exhibiting a first body portion 12a has a smaller radius than the _first radius and cross section semi-circular . The outer diameter of the first body portion 12a ₁ of the central body portion 12a is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the first shaft member 10, so that when the central body portion 12a is housed in the first shaft member 10, The second shaft member 12 is rotatable within the first shaft member 10 and is displaceable along the central axis in the longitudinal direction.

A groove 20 having a U-shaped cross section is formed at a suitable position around the _first main body portion 12a ₁ , and one end of the compression coil spring 14 is received in the groove 20. In order to store elastic energy in the compression coil spring 14, a twisting force is applied to the compression coil spring 14 in a manner described later. At this time, the compression coil spring 1
Since one end of No. 4 is constrained in the groove 20, torsion stress is stored in the compression coil spring 14 as elastic energy.

As shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 13,
The second body portion 12a ₂ has a rectangular abutment surface 2 having a width corresponding to the difference between the radius of the second body portion 12a ₂ and the radius of the third body portion 12a _3.
2 ₁ and 22 ₂ are provided and these rectangular abutment surfaces 22 ₁ and 22 ₂ are diametrically arranged as best seen in FIG. The widths and lengths of the rectangular abutting surfaces 22 ₁ and 22 ₂ match the widths and lengths of the protrusions 10 d protruding from the inner peripheral wall surface of the first shaft member 10, and the rectangular abutting surfaces 2
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, 2 ₁ and 22 ₂ abut against the respective surfaces of the protrusion 10d according to the rotational position of the second shaft member 12.

Further, a pair of arm elements 12b having a semicircular cross section are projected in a cantilever manner from a central region of the end surface of the first body portion 12a ₁ of the central body portion 12a, and a pair of arm elements 21b. Hook portions 24 are formed at their respective free ends. As is apparent from FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, each hook portion 24 is provided with a semi-circular taper surface, and the pair of hook portions 24 have a spring holding member at the time of assembling the present pivoting device, as will be described later. Used for engagement with 16.

As best shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a convex portion 28 is formed in a substantially central region of the arcuate end face 26 of the second main body portion 12a ₂ of the central main body portion 12a. Is provided with a shape complementary to the recess 10e formed in the annular shoulder 10c of the first shaft member 10.
That is, when the second shaft member 12 is placed in the relative position as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 with respect to the first shaft member 10, the protrusion 28 is fitted into the recess 10e. At this time, even if the second shaft member 12 receives an elastic rotational force to rotate in the direction shown by the arrow A (FIG. 3),
Due to the fitting of the convex portion 28 and the concave portion 10e, the rotational movement of the second shaft member 12 with respect to the first shaft member 10 is restricted and prevented. In short, the convex portion 28 and the concave portion 10e constitute the rotational movement restraining means described above.

Third body portion 12a of central body portion 12a
_A pair of semicircular cross-section arm elements 12c from the end face of ₃
Are projected in a cantilever manner, and a pair of arm elements 1
A semicircular tapered surface 30 is provided at each free end of 2c. As is apparent from FIGS. 10, 11, 13 and 14, each arm element 12c has its tapered surface 30.
Grooves 32 are formed adjacent to each other, and the pair of grooves 32 are used for attaching the operation button 18 to the second shaft member 12 at the time of assembling the pivotal attachment device, as described later.

Referring to FIG. 15, an external view of the spring holding member 16 is shown in an elevation view, FIG. 16 shows the spring holding member 16 of FIG. 15 in a longitudinal sectional view, and FIGS. 17 and 18 respectively show FIG. The spring holding member 16 is shown as an end view of the spring holding member 16 observed from both end surfaces thereof. Note that FIG. 16 shows the XV of FIG.
FIG. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line I-XVI, and FIG. 17 is XVII- of FIG.
FIG. 18 is an end view taken along the line XVII of FIG.
FIG. 9 is an end view taken along the line I-XVIII of FIG.

The spring holding member 16 is a cylindrical body portion 16a.
And one end face side is provided with an end face wall portion 16b as apparent from FIGS. 16, 17 and 18.
A circular opening 34 is formed in the central region of the end wall 16b, and the circular opening 16b is sized and shaped to receive the pair of arm elements 12b of the second shaft member 12. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, a groove 36 having a U-shaped cross section extends radially from the circular opening 34, and the other end of the compression coil spring 14 is received in the groove 36. .

Further, as apparent from FIGS. 16, 17 and 18, a pair of arc-shaped openings 38 are formed in the end face wall portion 16b of the spring holding member 16 adjacent to the peripheral edge thereof.
The pair of arcuate openings 38 are diametrically symmetrical. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the cylindrical main body 16
Ratchet teeth 16c are formed along the arcuate openings 38 on the inner peripheral wall of a. When the present pivoting device is assembled, the ratchet teeth 16c are the ratchet teeth 10 on the side of the first shaft member 10.
a is engaged.

As is clear from the comparison between FIG. 9 and FIG. 17, the tooth orientation of the ratchet tooth 10a on the first shaft member 10 side and the tooth orientation of the ratchet tooth 16c on the spring holding member 16 side are opposite. Therefore, the spring holding member 16 is
Both ratchet teeth 10a incorporated in the shaft member 10 of
When 16 and 16c are engaged with each other, the spring holding member 16 is applied to the spring holding member 16 in a direction indicated by an arrow C in FIG. Can be rotated. This is because when the spring holding member 16 is applied with a rotational force of a predetermined amount or more, both the first shaft member 10 and the spring holding member 16 undergo a slight elastic deformation, so that the ratchet teeth 16c move the ratchet teeth 10a. Because you can get over it. On the contrary, when a rotational force is applied to the spring holding member 16 in the direction opposite to the arrow C, both ratchet teeth 10a and 16c positively mesh with each other. The rotation of the spring holding member 16 with respect to the shaft member 10 is reliably prevented.

It should be noted that the pair of arcuate openings 38 are used to receive a suitable tool, with which a rotational force above a predetermined level is exerted on the spring holding member 16.

A pair of hook portions 16d are provided on the peripheral edge of the spring holding member 16 on the side of the end face wall portion 16b, and the pair of hook portions 16d are adjacent to the pair of arcuate openings 38 and are arranged diametrically symmetrically. As is apparent from FIGS. 15, 16 and 17, each hook portion 16d is provided with a tapered surface. The pair of hook portions 16d are used for fixing the first shaft member 10 to the opening / closing lid side of the mobile phone as described later.

Referring to FIG. 19, the external appearance of the operation button 18 is shown in an elevation view, and FIGS. 20, 21 and 22 show the operation button 18 of FIG. 19 as a longitudinal sectional view, an end view and a bottom view, respectively. . 20 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line XX-XX of FIG. 19, FIG. 21 is an end view taken along the line XXI-XXI of FIG. 19, and FIG. 22 is taken along line XXII-XXII of FIG. It is a bottom view which follows the arrow.

The operation button 18 is the thick portion 1 of the first shaft member 10.
It is composed of a cylindrical main body 18a having the same diameter as 0f, and one end face of the cylindrical main body 18a has an end face wall portion 18a.
b is formed. As is apparent from FIGS. 19, 20 and 22, the outer wall surface of the end wall portion 18b is formed as a spherical surface, on which the user of the mobile phone puts his / her thumb, for example.

As best shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the plate-shaped element 18c is projected from the central region of the inner wall surface of the end wall portion 18b, and the plate-shaped element 18c is projected when the pivotal attachment device is assembled. 18 c is a pair of arm elements 12 of the second shaft member 12.
It is housed between c. A pair of frame body elements 18d are integrally formed on the inner wall surface of the end wall portion 18b, and the pair of frame body elements 16d are arranged on both sides of the plate-like element 18c as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21. It Each frame element 18d
Is composed of a pair of support pieces 18d ₁ protruding from the inner wall surface of the end wall portion 18b, and a connecting piece 18d ₂ integrally connecting the tips of the pair of support pieces 18d ₁ . At the time of assembling the present pivoting device, the pair of connecting pieces 18d ₂ are engaged in the grooves 32 formed in the pair of arm elements 12c of the second shaft member 12, respectively.

On the peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical main body portion 18a of the operation button 18, three groove portions 18e are provided in the thick portion 1 of the first shaft member 10.
The groove portion 10g is formed at the same interval as the groove portion 10g formed in 0f, and the size and shape of the groove portion 18e are also the same as those of the first shaft member 10.
The size and shape of the side groove portion 10g are the same. As shown in FIG. 6, the groove portion 10g on the first shaft member 10 side has a thick portion 10f.
Formed on the operation button side, but the groove portion 18e on the operation button side is formed.
, Does not penetrate the cylindrical body portion 18a as best shown in FIG. The concave portion 10e on the first shaft member 10 side and the convex portion 28 on the second shaft member side 12 are fitted to each other to restrain the relative rotational movement between the first and second shaft members 10 and 12. During this time, the groove portion 10g on the first shaft member 10 side and the groove portion 18e on the operation button 18 side are aligned with each other along the central axis X in the longitudinal direction (FIG. 1). The groove portion 18e on the operation button 18 side is used to mount the second shaft member 12 on the telephone body side of the mobile phone as described later.

As shown in FIGS. 20, 21 and 22, two rectangular openings 40 are formed in the cylindrical main body portion 18a of the operation button 18 adjacent to the end wall portion 18b in the diametrical direction. However, the rectangular opening 40 is formed for die cutting when the operation button 18 is integrally molded,
It is not directly related to the function of this pivot device.

Next, the assembly of the present pivoting device will be described. First, the second shaft member 12 is inserted into the first shaft member 10, and at this time, the central body portion of the second shaft member 12 is inserted. 1
2a is housed in the first shaft member 10 and the pair of arm elements 12c is inserted into the inner flange portion 10b, and the second shaft member 12 is provided in the recess 10e on the first shaft member 10 side. The side convex portion 28 is fitted. Next, the compression coil spring 14 is inserted into the pair of arm elements 12b of the second shaft member 12 and is housed in the first shaft member 10, with one end of the compression coil spring 14 being the second
It is put in the groove 20 formed in the central body portion 12a of the shaft member 12.

After the compression coil spring 14 is housed, the spring holding member 16 is attached to the first shaft member 10 side. For such mounting, first, the taper surface of the hook portion 24 of the pair of arm elements 12b of the second shaft member 12 is directed to the circular opening 34 of the end surface wall portion 16b of the spring holding member 16. This is performed by pushing in the spring holding portion 16. That is, when the spring holding member 16 is pushed in, the pair of arm elements 12b elastically deforms, so that the hook portion 24
Passes through the circular opening 34 of the end face wall portion 16b, the pair of arm elements 12b is inserted into the circular opening 34, and the ratchet teeth 16c on the spring holding member 16 side are the ratchet teeth on the first shaft member 10 side. It is engaged with the tooth 10a. Thus, the spring holding member 16 is attached to the first shaft member 10 as shown in FIG. When the spring holding member 16 is pushed, the other end of the compression coil spring 14 is put into the groove 36 formed in the end surface wall portion 16b of the spring holding member 16.

Next, the operation button 18 is attached to the pair of arm elements 12c of the second shaft member 12. For such mounting, the tapered surfaces 3 of the pair of arm elements 12c
0 is a connecting piece 18d of a pair of frame body elements 18d of the operation button 18.
_This is done by pressing the operation button 18 while the button is in between the _two . That is, when the operation button 18 is pressed,
The pair of arm elements 12c are elastically deformed, so that the pair of connecting pieces 18d ₂ are engaged with the grooves 32 of the pair of arm elements 12c, and thus the operation button 18 is moved to the second shaft member 12 as shown in FIG. To be attached to.

After that, the end face wall portion 16 of the spring holding member 16
As described above, a suitable tool is attached to the pair of arcuate openings 38 of a, and when the spring holding member 16 is rotated with respect to the first shaft member 10 in the direction of arrow C (FIG. 17), it is compressed. Torsional stress is stored in the coil spring 14 as elastic energy, and thus the second shaft member 12 is made into the first shaft member 10.
However, the compression coil spring 14 receives an elastic force that causes it to rotate in the direction of arrow A (FIG. 3), but the recess 10e on the first shaft member 10 side has a second
Since the convex portion 28 on the shaft member side of is fitted,
The shaft member 12 of FIG.
It is retained in the rotational movement restraining position as shown in FIG.

The pivoting device constructed as described above can be used in a mobile phone as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. That is, the mobile phone comprises a telephone main body 42 and an opening / closing lid 44 pivotally attached to the telephone main body 42, and the present pivoting device can be used to pivotally attach the opening / closing lid 44 to the telephone main body 42.

More specifically, a pair of bearings 46a and 46b are provided on one end side of the telephone main body 42, and a pair of bearings 48a and 48b are provided on one end side of the opening / closing lid 44. These two pairs of bearings (46a and 46b; 48a
23 and 48b), as is apparent from FIG. 23, the bearings 46a and 48a and the bearings 46b and 48b are adjacent to each other. Bearing 4
6a and 48a are adapted to mount a pivoting device according to the invention, indicated generally by the reference P, and bearings 46b and 48b are only adapted to rotatably receive a conventional pivot axis S. Is. Therefore, the bearings 46a and 48a for mounting the pivoting device P according to the present invention will be described below.

In FIG. 25, only the telephone main body 42 is shown, and a keyboard arrangement area is generally indicated by a reference symbol K on the upper surface of the telephone main body 42. As shown in FIG. 26, a shaft hole 50 is formed in the bearing 46a.
The inner diameter of is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the thick portion 10f of the first shaft member 10. As described above, the outer diameter of the thick portion 10f of the first shaft member 10 is equal to the outer diameter of the central body portion 12a of the second shaft member 12.

As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 27, the shaft hole 5
Three arc-shaped projections 52 are formed at 0, and these arc-shaped projections 52 extend along the central axis of the shaft hole 50. The arrangement interval of the three arc-shaped projections 52 is the same as the arrangement interval of the three groove portions 10g formed in the thick portion 10f of the first shaft member 10, and thus is formed in the cylindrical main body portion 18a of the operation button 18. The arrangement interval of the three groove portions 18e is also the same. Each arcuate projection 52 is provided with a shape complementary to the groove portions 10g and 10e. Thus, since the arcuate projection 52 can slidably engage with both the groove portions 10g and 10e, neither the thick portion 10f of the first shaft member 10 nor the cylindrical main body portion 18a of the operation button 18 is inserted into the shaft hole 50. Can be inserted.

Only the opening / closing lid 44 is shown in FIG. 28, and a liquid crystal display panel is attached to the lower surface of the opening / closing lid 44, but the liquid crystal display panel cannot be seen in FIG. As shown in FIG. 29, a shaft hole 54 is formed in the bearing 48a, and the inner diameter of the shaft hole 54 is made equal to the diameter of the shaft hole 50 of the bearing 46a.

As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 30, the shaft hole 5
Four arc-shaped projections 56 are formed on the shaft 4, and these arc-shaped projections 56 extend along the central axis of the shaft hole 50. Regarding the arrangement interval and the size and shape of the three arc-shaped projections 56, the bearing 46
It is the same as the three arc-shaped projections 52 provided in the shaft hole 50 of a, and thus each arc-shaped projection 56 can slidably engage with the groove portion 10g of the thick portion 10f of the first shaft member 10.

As shown in FIG. 30, an annular shoulder portion 58 is formed in the shaft hole 54 at a position recessed by a predetermined distance. Therefore, the thick portion 10f of the first shaft member 10 is predetermined in the shaft hole 54. When inserted by a distance, the end face of the thick portion 10f abuts against the annular shoulder portion 54, so that the first shaft member 10 cannot pass through the shaft hole 50.

Pivot device P for bearings 46a and 48a
When the bearings 46a and 48a are aligned as shown in FIG. 23, each of the three arc-shaped projections 52 on the bearing 46a side has three arc-shaped projections 5 on the bearing 48a side.
6 are aligned respectively. In such a state, when the pivoting device P is placed from the spring holding member 16 side to the shaft hole 50 of the bearing 46a and the three groove portions 10g are aligned with the arc-shaped projections 52, the pair of spring holding members 16 are aligned. Hook part 16d
Of the three arcuate projections 52 are abutted against two arcuate projections 52 that are diametrically opposed to each other.

Then, in such an abutting state, the pivoting device P
When is pushed into the shaft hole 50, the hook portion 16d is elastically deformed and enters the shaft hole 50, and then the spring holding member 16 is inserted into the shaft hole 50. When the pivoting device P is further pushed, the spring holding member 16 passes through the shaft hole 50 and is inserted into the shaft hole 54 of the bearing 48a, while the cylindrical body 18a of the operation button 18 is inserted into the shaft hole 54 of the bearing 48a. Be passed through.

When the pivoting device P is pushed until the end surface of the thick portion 10f of the first shaft member 10 abuts against the annular shoulder portion 58 of the shaft hole 54, the pair of hook portions 1 of the spring holding member 16 is pushed.
6d passes through the shaft hole 54 of the bearing 48a and engages with the edge of the shaft hole 54 as shown in FIG. 23, which prevents the pivoting device P from being pulled out from the bearings 46a and 48a. Further, when the end surface of the thick portion 10f of the first shaft member 10 abuts against the annular shoulder portion 58 of the shaft hole 54, the arc-shaped projection 52 of the bearing 46a is engaged only with the groove portion 18e on the operation button 18 side. The arcuate projection 56 of the bearing 48a is engaged only with the groove portion 10g on the first shaft member 10 side. In other words, the rotational movement of the operation button 18 in the bearing 46a, that is, the rotational movement of the second shaft member 12 is blocked, and the rotational movement of the first shaft member 10 in the bearing 48a is blocked. Become.

In this state, when the operation button 18 is pushed along the longitudinal axis X against the elastic force of the compression coil spring 14 (FIG. 4), the operation button 18 and the second shaft member 12 are pressed.
Is displaced from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG.
Of the second shaft member 1 of the second shaft member 1
2 is released from the constraint state of the rotational movement of the first shaft member 10 and thus the opening / closing lid 44 is elastically stored in the compression coil spring 14 as a torsional stress.
Is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow D, and its rotational movement is the rectangular abutment surface 22 of the central body portion 12a of the second shaft member 12.
_It is performed until ₂ collides with the protrusion 10d.

Of course, when the opening / closing lid 44 is returned to the position shown in FIG. 24, the second lid is placed in the recess 10e on the first shaft member 10 side.
The convex portion 28 on the side of the shaft member 12 is fitted due to the elastic biasing force of the compression coil spring 14, and the rotational movement of the first shaft member 10 with respect to the second shaft member 12 is restricted. When the opening / closing lid 44 is returned to the position shown in FIG. 24, torsion stress acts on the compression coil spring 14 and is stored as elastic energy.

[0054]

As is clear from the above description, the pivoting device according to the present invention can be constructed with a small number of parts, despite incorporating the automatic opening mechanism.
It is possible to provide an inexpensive pivoting device for various electronic devices and the like that require an automatic opening mechanism. Further, since the pivoting device according to the present invention has the automatic opening / closing mechanism built therein, it is possible to give the opening / closing lid an automatic opening / closing function without making a great design change to various electronic devices.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an elevational view showing an embodiment of a pivot device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3, showing the operation button of the pivotal attachment device of FIG. 1 at a displacement position different from that of FIG.

5 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3, showing the second shaft member of the pivot device of FIG. 1 in a rotational position different from that of FIG.

6 is an elevational view showing the outer appearance of a first shaft member of the pivotal attachment device of FIG. 1. FIG.

7 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IIX-IIX in FIG.

FIG. 9 is an end view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG.

10 is an elevational view showing the outer appearance of a second shaft member of the pivotal attachment device of FIG. 1. FIG.

11 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line XI-XI of FIG.

12 is an end view taken along the line XII-XII in FIG.

13 is an end view taken along the line XIII-XIII in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a partial rear view taken along the line XIV-XIV in FIG.

15 is an elevational view showing the outer appearance of a spring holding member of the pivotal attachment device of FIG. 1. FIG.

16 is a vertical sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI in FIG.

17 is an end view taken along the line XVII-XVII in FIG.

FIG. 18 is an end view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG.

FIG. 19 is an elevational view showing the appearance of the operation button of FIG.

20 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line XX-XX in FIG.

21 is an end view taken along the line XXI-XXI of FIG. 19 as viewed in the direction of arrows.

22 is a bottom view taken along the line XXII-XXII in FIG. 19 as viewed in the direction of arrows.

23 is a plan view of a mobile phone using the pivotal attachment device of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 24 is an elevational view of FIG. 23.

25 is a plan view of a telephone body of the mobile phone shown in FIG. 23.

FIG. 26 is an elevational view of FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a partially enlarged view of the bearing provided in the telephone body of FIG.

28 is a plan view of the opening / closing lid of the mobile phone of FIG. 23. FIG.

FIG. 29 is an elevational view of FIG. 25.

30 is a partially enlarged view of the bearing provided on the opening / closing lid of FIG. 29. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 First shaft member 12 Second shaft member 14 Compression coil spring 16 Spring holding member 18 operation buttons

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 3J105 AA13 AA14 AB02 AB11 AC06                       BA13 BA22 BB44 BC03 DA13                       DA32

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A pivoting device for pivotally attaching two parts to each other, comprising a first shaft member and a second shaft member held by each of the two parts, wherein the first and second shaft members are provided. The two shaft members are assembled with each other so as to be capable of relative rotational movement about a common axis of rotation, and yet with respect to each other a first relative displacement position and a second relative displacement position along the rotation axis. And a releasable rotational movement restraint provided between the first and second shaft members to restrain relative rotational movement between the first and second shaft members. Means for restricting relative rotational movement between the first and second shaft members when the first and second shaft members assume the first relative displacement position. However, when the first and second shaft members assume the second relative displacement position, The rolling movement restraint means is released so as to allow relative rotational movement between the first and second shaft members, and further, when the rolling movement restraint means is released, the rolling movement restraint means is provided between the first and second shaft members. The first to generate a relative rotational movement
And an elastic energy storage means provided between the second shaft member and the second shaft member. 2. The pivoting device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic energy storage means is configured to constantly elastically bias the first and second shaft members to the first relative displacement position. A pivoting device characterized by being 3. The pivoting device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising first and second shaft members for defining a range of relative rotational movement between the first and second shaft members. A pivoting device, characterized in that a rotational movement blocking means is provided therebetween. 4. The pivoting device according to claim 1, wherein the two parts are defined as a movable part and a stationary part, respectively.
The shaft member is fixed to the movable-side component,
Of the shaft member is prevented from rotational movement about the axis of rotation with respect to the stationary part, but is retained by the stationary part so as to permit displacement along the axis of rotation. Characterized pivoting device. 5. The pivotal attachment device according to claim 4, wherein the second shaft member is moved from the first relative displacement position to the second relative position against the elastic biasing force of the elastic energy storage means.
The pivoting device is provided with an operation button for displacing it toward the relative displacement position of the second shaft member.