TWI392440B - Hinge assembly - Google Patents

Description

Hinge structure

The present invention relates to a hinge structure, and more particularly to a hinge structure for an electronic device.

An electronic device such as a notebook computer generally includes a body and a cover. The display screen is disposed on the cover. To provide a better viewing angle of the display screen, the cover body is generally rotatably coupled to the body by a hinge structure.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a hinge structure 10 includes a pivot shaft 11 , a fixing bracket 12 , a rotating bracket 13 , a limiting member 14 , a fixing member 15 , a rotating positioning member 16 , a spring assembly 17 and a nut 18 . .

The pivot shaft 11 has a non-circular cross section, and has a flange 111 formed at one end and a threaded portion 112 formed at the other end. A circular pivot hole 121 through which the pivot shaft 11 is disposed is defined in the fixing bracket 12, and a limiting protrusion 122 is formed in the vicinity of the pivot hole 121. The fixing bracket 12 is further formed with a fixing hole 123 below the limiting protrusion 122. The rotating bracket 13 is provided with a non-circular deformation hole 131 that cooperates with the end of the pivot shaft 11. A non-circular deformation hole 141 is formed in the center of the limiting member 14 to cooperate with the pivot shaft 11. A limiting notch 142 is defined in the periphery. The center of the fixing member 15 defines a circular hole 151 through which the pivot shaft 11 is bored, and a stud 152 is formed at the end. Two opposite protrusions (not shown) are also formed on one side of the fixing member 15. A non-circular deformation hole 161 is formed in the center of the rotation positioning member 16 to engage with the pivot shaft 11. Two opposite grooves 162 are formed on one side surface to cooperate with the protrusions on the fixing member 15.

When assembling, the pivot shaft 11 has one end of the threaded portion 112 sequentially passing through the non-circular deformation hole 141, the pivot hole 121, the circular hole 151, the non-circular deformation hole 161, and the elastic After the sheet set 17, it is screwed with the nut 18. Then, the rotating bracket 13 is fastened to the end of the pivot shaft 11 provided with the flange 111, and the protruding post 152 of the fixing member 15 is engaged with the fixing hole 123 of the fixing bracket 12. At this time, the rotating bracket 13, the limiting member 14, the rotating positioning member 16 and the pivot shaft 11 are non-rotatably connected.

In operation, the rotating bracket 13 rotates relative to the fixed bracket 12 to drive the pivot 11 to rotate, thereby driving the limiting member 14 and the rotating positioning member 16 to rotate. The limiting protrusion 122 on the fixing bracket 12 slides in the limiting notch 142 of the limiting member 14 to limit the rotation angle of the rotating bracket 13 . The rotation positioning member 16 cooperates with the fixing member 15 to position the rotating bracket 13 after being rotated through a certain angle.

However, the hinge structure 10 realizes the limiting function by the limiting protrusion 122 on the fixing member 12 and the limiting notch 142 on the limiting member 14 , and the limiting protrusion 122 protrudes out of the fixing bracket 12 . When the end of the limiting notch 142 is in contact with the limiting protrusion 122, stress concentration occurs at the joint between the limiting protrusion 122 and the fixing bracket 12, so that the limiting protrusion 122 is easily broken, and the impact resistance is poor, thereby affecting the rotation. The range of angles of rotation of the bracket 13 relative to the fixed bracket 12. Therefore, the hinge structure 10 has a poor limit effect. In addition, the hinge structure 10 adopts the limiting member 14 and the rotating positioning member 16 respectively to realize the limiting and positioning function, and the parts are more and the manufacturing cost is high.

In view of the above, it is necessary to provide a hinge structure with good limit effect and low manufacturing cost.

A hinge structure includes a pivot shaft, a rotating bracket, a fixing bracket, a fixing member and a limiting member, the rotating bracket and the limiting member are non-rotatably connected with the pivot shaft, and the fixing bracket and the fixing member and the pivot shaft are rotatably connected and fixed The piece is fixedly connected with the fixing bracket, the fixing member has a limiting step, and the periphery of the limiting member Forming a limiting surface matched with the limiting step, the limiting surface cooperates with the limiting step to limit the rotation angle of the hinge structure, and one of the fixing member and the limiting member is provided with a positioning protrusion, and A corresponding positioning groove is provided corresponding to the positioning protrusion.

The hinge structure of the hinge structure is formed by the limiting surface formed by the periphery of the limiting member and the limiting step of the fixing member, thereby limiting the rotation angle of the rotating bracket, and the breaking is not easy to occur during the limiting process, so the hinge structure has good impact resistance performance. With a large damage strength, the range of rotation angle of the rotating bracket relative to the fixed bracket can be stabilized during long-term use, thereby having a better limit effect. At the same time, the fixing member of the hinge structure and the positioning protrusion of the limiting member cooperate with the positioning groove, so that the rotating bracket can be positioned at a specific position. That is, the limiting member integrates the limiting function and the positioning function, which reduces the number of parts of the hinge structure, thereby reducing the cost and saving the assembly space, and is more suitable for satisfying the trend of thin and light electronic devices.

The hinge structure of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 , the hinge structure 30 of the present invention includes a pivot 31 , a rotating bracket 32 , a fixing bracket 33 , a fixing member 34 , a limiting member 35 , an elastic member 36 , and a first The friction plate 371, a second friction plate 372, two spacers 38 and a locking member 39.

The pivot 31 has a non-circular cross section, and has a disk-shaped flange 311 formed at one end and a threaded portion 312 formed at the other end. The pivot 31 forms one end of the flange 311 and further protrudes beyond the flange 311 to form a plug portion 313.

The rotating bracket 32 includes a base plate 321 on which a plurality of fixing holes 3211 are opened. An arc-shaped positioning plate 322 extends from one side of the substrate 321 . The arc-shaped positioning plate 322 defines a non-circular deformation hole 3221 that is engaged with the pivot 31 away from one end of the substrate 321 .

The fixing bracket 33 includes a fixing plate 331 and a supporting plate 332 extending perpendicularly from a side of the fixing plate 331. A plurality of fixing holes 3311 are defined in the fixing plate 331. A pivot hole 3321 is defined in an end portion of the support plate 332 away from the fixing plate 331 , and an engaging hole 3322 is defined in the middle portion. A notch 3323 is defined in the end of the support plate 332 away from the fixed plate 331.

The fixing member 34 includes a substantially disk-shaped pivoting portion 341 and a limiting portion 342. The limiting portion 342 is a substantially triangular protrusion formed by extending one end of the pivoting portion 341, and the thickness of the protruding portion is greater than the thickness of the pivoting portion 341 to form a limiting step 343. A circular shaft hole 3411 is defined in the center of the pivoting portion 341. The opposite side of the shaft hole 3411 is formed with two opposite positioning grooves 3412. The two positioning grooves 3412 define an oil groove 3413. A protrusion 3421 extends outwardly from a side opposite to the limiting step 343 on the limiting portion 342.

The limiting member 35 is substantially cylindrical and has a non-circular deformation hole 351 at the center thereof. One end of the limiting member 35 is a disc-shaped flange 352, and one side of the flange 352 is a columnar body 353. Two opposite positioning protrusions 354 are defined on the side of the columnar body 353 away from the one end of the flange 352 for engaging with the positioning groove 3412 of the fixing member 34. An oil groove 355 is defined in each of the positioning protrusions 354. The circumference of the columnar body 353 is an irregular cylindrical surface that protrudes outward to form a limiting surface 356 and an abutting surface 358. The limiting surface 356 and the abutting surface 358 are both planar, and the limiting surface 356 is connected to one end of the abutting surface 358, and the limiting surface The other end of the 356 and the abutting surface 358 is smoothly curved in an arc shape with the periphery of the columnar body 353.

The elastic member 36 is a group of elastic sheets in which a plurality of disc-shaped elastic sheets are stacked, and the elastic member 36 can also be other elastic members such as springs.

A circular through hole 3711 is defined in the center of the first friction plate 371, and a positioning piece 3712 is vertically extended at the edge, and the positioning piece 3712 is inserted into the notch 3323 of the fixing bracket 33. A plurality of oil grooves 3713 are formed on the side surface of the first friction plate 371. The center of the second friction plate 372 also has a circular through hole 3721, and a plurality of oil grooves 3723 are opened on the side surface.

A non-circular deformation hole 381 is defined in the center of the gasket 38, and a plurality of oil grooves 382 are opened on the side surface.

The locking member 39 is a nut that cooperates with the threaded portion 312 of the pivot 31.

Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5 simultaneously, when the hinge structure 30 is assembled, the pivot shaft 31 has one end of the threaded portion 312 passing through a spacer 38, a first friction plate 371, and a pivot hole 3321 on the fixing bracket 33. The two friction plates 372, the shaft hole 3411 of the fixing member 34, the non-circular deformation hole 351 of the limiting member 35, the elastic member 36 and the other spacer 38 are screwed together with the locking member 39. At the same time, the positioning piece 3712 of the first friction plate 371 is inserted into the notch 3323 of the fixing bracket 33; the protruding post 3421 of the fixing member 34 is inserted into the engaging hole 3322 of the fixing bracket 33; the limiting member 35 The positioning protrusion 354 of the limiting member 35 is correspondingly received in the positioning groove 3412 of the fixing member 34. The plug portion 313 of the pivot 31 is then snapped into the non-circular deformation hole 3221 of the rotary holder 32. At this time, the rotating bracket 32 and the limiting member 35 are non-rotatably connected with the pivot shaft 31, and the fixing bracket 33 and the fixing member 34 are fixed. It is rotatably connected to the pivot 31.

Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 6 simultaneously, when the hinge structure 30 is opened, the base plate 321 of the rotating bracket 32 is rotated in the clockwise direction, and the pivot 31 is rotated by the rotating bracket 32 to drive the limit on the pivot 31. When the member 35 rotates, the columnar body 353 of the limiting member 35 is in rolling engagement with the limiting step 343 on the fixing member 34. When the limiting surface 356 of the columnar body 353 abuts the limiting step 343, the rotating bracket 32 cannot continue to rotate. At this time, the rotating bracket 32 is at the maximum opening angle with respect to the fixed bracket 33. At the same time, since the limiting member 35 is driven by the axial elastic force of the elastic member 36, the positioning protrusion 354 of the limiting member 35 is engaged with the positioning groove 3412 of the fixing member 34, so that the rotating bracket 32 is opposite to the fixing bracket 33. Positioning. When the hinge structure 30 is closed, the base plate 321 of the rotating bracket 32 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, and the pivot shaft 31 is rotated by the rotating bracket 32, thereby driving the limiting member 35 on the pivot shaft 31 to rotate, and the limiting member 35 is driven. The columnar body 353 is in rolling engagement with the limiting step 343 on the fixing member 34 until the base plate 321 of the rotating bracket 32 is parallel with the fixing plate 331 of the fixing bracket 33, and the rotating bracket 32 is in a closed position with respect to the fixed bracket 33. During the opening of the hinge structure 30, the rotation of the rotating bracket 32 can be stopped at any position, so that the rotating bracket 32 stops at any position under the frictional force of each element.

When the hinge structure 30 is applied to an electronic device, the rotating bracket 32 and the fixing bracket 33 may be respectively connected to the cover body and the body of the electronic device. The hinge structure 30 is abutted against the limiting step 343 of the fixing member 34 by the limiting surface 356 of the limiting member 35 to limit the rotation angle range of the rotating bracket 32 relative to the fixing bracket 33, and is not easily broken during the limiting process. Moreover, the contact area of the limiting portion is large, so the impact resistance of the hinge structure 30 is good and can withstand the breakage. The bad strength is large, and the range of the rotation angle of the rotating bracket 32 relative to the fixed bracket 33 is kept stable during long-term use, thereby having a good limit effect. In addition, the positioning protrusion 354 disposed on the limiting member 35 cooperates with the positioning groove 3412 on the fixing member 34 to position the hinge structure 30 at a specific position. That is, the limiting member 35 integrates the limiting function and the positioning function, without separately providing a limiting member and a positioning member, thereby reducing the number of parts of the hinge structure 30, thereby reducing the cost and saving the assembly space. It is suitable for meeting the development trend of thin and light electronic devices. In addition, the fixing member 34, the limiting member 35, the first and second friction plates 371, 372 and the gasket 38 are all provided with oil grooves, which can reduce the wear of the components during the rotation, thereby further increasing the hinge structure. 30 lifetime.

It can be understood that the positioning member 35 of the hinge structure 30 may not form the positioning protrusion 354, but form a plurality of positioning grooves, and then form a plurality of positioning protrusions on the fixing member 34 to cooperate with the plurality of positioning grooves. In addition, the positioning protrusion 354 on the limiting member 35 and the positioning groove 3412 on the fixing member 34 can also be correspondingly arranged one, three or more, thereby increasing the positioning position of the rotating bracket 32 during the rotation.

Referring to FIG. 7, the hinge structure 50 of the preferred embodiment 2 of the present invention is substantially similar to the hinge structure 30 of the preferred embodiment 1, except that the periphery of the columnar body 553 of the limiting member 55 of the hinge structure 50 is different. A limiting surface 556 is formed to protrude outwardly, and the limiting surface 556 is a flat surface, and one end thereof has a circular arc-like smooth transition from the circumference of the columnar body 553, and the other end is curved outwardly from the cylindrical body 553. Pick up. That is, the hinge structure 50 omits the abutment surface 358 with respect to the hinge structure 30. During the process of opening the hinge structure 50, when the limiting surface 556 of the columnar body 553 is opposite to the limiting step 543 of the fixing member 54, the rotation The swivel bracket 52 cannot continue to rotate so as to be at a maximum opening angle with respect to the fixed bracket 53.

Referring to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 , the hinge structure 70 of the preferred embodiment 3 of the present invention is substantially similar to the hinge structure 30 of the first embodiment, except that the hinge structure 70 has a columnar shape of the limiting member 75 . The periphery of the body 753 protrudes outward to form a first limiting surface 756, a second limiting surface 758 and a connecting surface 757. The first and second limiting surfaces 756, 758 and the connecting surface 757 are all a plane, and one of the first and second limiting surfaces 756, 758 is connected to the connecting surface 757 at an acute angle, and the first and second limits are The other ends of the faces 756 and 758 are smoothly curved in an arc shape with the periphery of the columnar body 753. When the first limiting surface 756 is opposite to the limiting step 743 of the fixing member 74, the rotating bracket 72 is at a maximum opening angle with respect to the fixing bracket 73; when the second limiting surface 758 is opposite to the limiting step 743 of the fixing member 74 The rotating bracket 72 is in a closed position relative to the fixed bracket 73. Therefore, the hinge structure 70 can play a good limit function during the opening and closing process. When the hinge structure 70 is used for an electronic device, since the function of closing the time limit is provided, the display screen can be prevented from being oscillated or impacted when the cover body is closed.

In addition, since the connecting surface 757 does not affect the limiting function of the hinge structure 70, its shape may be arbitrarily replaced, such as a plane connecting a plurality of phases, or a curved surface or the like. By changing the relative positional relationship between the first and second limiting surfaces 756, 758, the range of the rotation angle of the rotating bracket 72 can be adjusted. The junction of the first and second limiting surfaces 756, 758 and the connecting surface 757 can also be rounded.

In summary, the present invention has indeed met the requirements of the invention patent, and has filed a patent application according to law. However, the above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this way, it is not possible to limit the scope of the patent application in this case. Equivalent modifications or variations made by persons skilled in the art in light of the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

(this invention)

30, 50, 70‧‧‧ hinge structure

31‧‧‧ pivot

311‧‧‧Flange

312‧‧ Thread Department

313‧‧‧ Sockets

32, 52, 72‧‧‧ rotating bracket

321‧‧‧Substrate

322‧‧‧ Positioning board

3211‧‧‧Fixed holes

3221‧‧‧Non-round deformation hole

33, 53, 73‧‧‧ fixed bracket

331‧‧‧ fixed plate

332‧‧‧Support board

3311‧‧‧Fixed holes

3321‧‧‧ pivot hole

3322‧‧‧Snap hole

3323‧‧‧ Notch

34, 54, 74‧‧‧ fixing parts

341‧‧‧ pivoting department

342‧‧‧Limited Department

343, 543, 743‧‧ ‧ limit steps

3411‧‧‧Axis hole

3412‧‧‧ positioning groove

3413‧‧‧ oil tank

3421‧‧‧Bump

35, 55, 75‧‧‧ Limits

351‧‧‧Non-round deformation hole

352‧‧‧Flange

353, 553, 753 ‧ ‧ columnar body

354‧‧‧Positioning bulges

355‧‧‧ oil tank

356, 556‧‧‧ Limiting surface

358‧‧‧Adjacent faces

36‧‧‧Flexible parts

371‧‧‧First friction plate

3711‧‧‧through hole

3712‧‧‧ Positioning piece

3713‧‧‧ oil tank

372‧‧‧Second friction plate

3721‧‧‧through hole

3723‧‧‧ oil tank

38‧‧‧shims

381‧‧‧Non-round deformation hole

382‧‧‧ oil tank

39‧‧‧Locks

756‧‧‧First limit surface

758‧‧‧second limit surface

757‧‧‧ connection surface

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hinge structure.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge structure of the preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the retaining member of the hinge structure shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of another perspective view of the hinge structure shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an assembled view of the hinge structure shown in Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge structure shown in Figure 5 taken along line VI-VI.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the hinge structure of the preferred embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the hinge structure of the preferred embodiment 3 of the present invention rotated to the first position.

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the hinge structure of the preferred embodiment 3 of the present invention rotated to the second position.

30‧‧‧Hinged structure

31‧‧‧ pivot

311‧‧‧Flange

312‧‧ Thread Department

313‧‧‧ Sockets

32‧‧‧Rotating bracket

321‧‧‧Substrate

322‧‧‧ Positioning board

3211‧‧‧Fixed holes

3221‧‧‧Non-round deformation hole

33‧‧‧Fixed bracket

331‧‧‧ fixed plate

332‧‧‧Support board

3311‧‧‧Fixed holes

3321‧‧‧ pivot hole

3322‧‧‧Snap hole

3323‧‧‧ Notch

34‧‧‧Fixed parts

341‧‧‧ pivoting department

342‧‧‧Limited Department

343‧‧‧Limited steps

3411‧‧‧Axis hole

3413‧‧‧ oil tank

3421‧‧‧Bump

35‧‧‧Limited parts

351‧‧‧Non-round deformation hole

352‧‧‧Flange

353‧‧‧ columnar body

354‧‧‧Positioning bulges

355‧‧‧ oil tank

356‧‧‧Limited surface

358‧‧‧Adjacent faces

36‧‧‧Flexible parts

371‧‧‧First friction plate

3711‧‧‧through hole

3712‧‧‧ Positioning piece

3713‧‧‧ oil tank

372‧‧‧Second friction plate

3721‧‧‧through hole

3723‧‧‧ oil tank

38‧‧‧shims

381‧‧‧Non-round deformation hole

382‧‧‧ oil tank

39‧‧‧Locks

Claims (12)

A hinge structure includes a pivot shaft, a rotating bracket, a fixing bracket, a fixing member and a limiting member, wherein the rotating bracket and the limiting member are non-rotatably connected with the pivot shaft, and the fixing bracket and the fixing member and the pivot shaft are The fixing member is fixedly connected to the fixing bracket, and the fixing member has a limiting step, and a periphery of the limiting member is formed with a limiting surface matching the limiting step, the limiting surface is The limiting step cooperates to limit the rotation angle of the hinge structure, and one of the fixing member and the limiting member is provided with a positioning protrusion, and the other is correspondingly provided with a positioning groove matched with the positioning protrusion. The hinge structure of claim 1, wherein the limiting member comprises a columnar body, and a peripheral edge of the columnar body protrudes outward to form a limiting surface and an abutting surface; the limiting surface The abutting surface is flat, and the limiting surface is connected to one end of the abutting surface. The limiting surface and the other end of the abutting surface respectively form an arc-like smooth transition with the peripheral edge of the columnar body. The hinge structure of claim 1, wherein the limiting member comprises a columnar body, and a peripheral edge of the columnar body protrudes outward to form a limiting surface, wherein the limiting surface is a plane, One end and the circumference of the columnar body have a circular arc-like smooth transition, and the other end is in contact with the curved peripheral edge of the columnar body that protrudes outward. The hinge structure of claim 1, wherein the limiting member comprises a columnar body, and a peripheral edge of the columnar body protrudes outward to form the limiting surface, and the number of the limiting surface is two. The first limiting surface and the second limiting surface are respectively a plane, and the first and second limiting surfaces are connected by a connecting surface, the first and the first The other end of the second limiting surface has an arc-like smooth transition with the circumference of the columnar body. The hinge structure of claim 1, wherein the fastener package a pivoting portion and a limiting portion, wherein the limiting portion is a protrusion formed by extending outwardly from one end of the pivoting portion, and the thickness of the protruding portion is greater than a thickness of the pivoting portion to form the limiting step . The hinge structure according to claim 1, wherein the pivot has a non-circular cross section, a flange is formed at one end, and a threaded portion is formed at the other end, the pivot forming one end of the flange to be further convex An insertion portion is formed outside the flange. The hinge structure of claim 6, wherein the rotating bracket has a non-circular deformation hole, and the limiting member also has a non-circular deformation hole, and the fixing bracket has a pivot hole, the fixing a circular shaft hole is formed in the member; the pivot shaft penetrates the pivot hole of the fixing bracket, the circular shaft hole of the fixing member, and the non-circular deformation hole of the limiting member, and the plug portion of the pivot portion Engaged into the non-circular deformation hole of the rotating bracket. The hinge structure of claim 1, wherein the fixing bracket has an engaging hole, and the fixing member is provided with a protruding post, and the protruding post is engaged in the engaging hole of the fixing bracket. The hinge structure of claim 1, wherein the hinge structure further comprises a first friction plate, a second friction plate, an elastic member and a locking member, wherein the first and second friction plates are respectively disposed on the fixing bracket The elastic member is disposed between the limiting member and the locking member, and the locking member is coupled to the pivot shaft. The hinge structure of claim 9, wherein a positioning piece is vertically extended at an edge of the first friction piece, and a fixing hole is defined in the fixing bracket, and the positioning piece is locked in the notch. The hinge structure according to claim 9, wherein the elastic member is a shrapnel group in which a plurality of disc-shaped elastic pieces are stacked. The hinge structure of claim 9, wherein the fixing member, the limiting member, the first and second friction plates are provided with oil grooves.