Abstract:
A multi-staged hinge assembly and a portable electrical device comprising the multi-staged hinge assembly are provided. The multi-staged hinge assembly utilizes a non-circular spindle to associate with a plurality of movable elements disposed thereon. One of the body portions of the portable electrical device automatically tilts at an angle after the body portion slides by the multi-staged hinge assembly. The user could further adjust the angle to meet the demands of various situations.

Description:
This application claims the benefits of the priority based on Taiwan Patent Application No. 097143183 filed on Nov. 7, 2008, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention provides a multi-staged hinge assembly for a portable electrical device that is capable of driving a portable electrical device to automatically tilt after sliding. 
     2. Descriptions of the Related Art 
     According to the advancement of the manufacturing processes and mobile communication technologies, portable electrical devices are becoming increasingly popular and also gradually miniaturized in size. With different designed structures, the portable electrical devices can provide more diversified operational styles to satisfy the various needs of users. 
     For example, to allow users to browse information displayed on the screens of the portable electrical devices more clearly and input relatively complex instructions, the portable electrical devices now tend to be designed with both a larger and wider display and a keyboard comprising multiple keys. Because these components occupy a large volume, common portable electrical devices currently available are mostly of a clamshell or slide design for convenient use. 
     The operation for a portable electrical device  1  of a slide design is shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . The portable electrical device  1  comprises a first body portion  11  and a second body portion  13 , in which the first body portion  11  is provided with a keyboard  111  and the second body portion  13  is provided with a display  131 . In more detail,  FIG. 1A  illustrates a configuration where the portable electrical device  1  is closed. In this configuration, the portable electrical device  1  mainly exposes the display  131  at the front of the second body portion  13  and keys  15  located at the side to apply general operations such as simple instruction input, incoming call answering and so on. In reference to  FIG. 1B , when the input of a relatively complex instruction with the keyboard is needed, the second body portion  13  can be slid with respect to the first body portion  11  to expose the keyboard  111 . 
     Hence, when using the conventional portable electrical device, the user can only rely on himself or herself to adjust the portable electrical device to a particular angle with respect to the users&#39; eyes for comfortable watching depending on different use conditions and environmental brightness. In other words, when the user operates the portable electrical device at different operational conditions (e.g., held in a hand or put on a desk), the optimal viewing angle of the portable electrical device varies. Hence, using the portable electrical device under different conditions by only adjusting the orientation in which it is held in the hand by the user would fail to satisfy the user&#39;s needs during an extended time of use, thereby causing inconvenience. 
     In view of this, this invention provides a multi-staged hinge assembly for a portable electrical device, which allows the user to use different tilt angles depending on different use conditions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One objective of this invention is to provide a multi-staged hinge assembly and a portable electrical device. Because the multi-staged hinge assembly of this invention uses a non-circular spindle in conjunction with movable components that have different axial holes and movement between the movable components is actuated by cam structures, sleeves that are needed in conventional hinge assemblies are eliminated straightforwardly, which results in a simpler construction, smaller overall volume, higher assembling efficiency and consequently lower costs. Therefore, the multi-staged hinge assembly of this invention is especially suitable for portable electrical devices of the slide type. 
     Another objective of this invention is to provide a multi-staged hinge assembly and a portable electrical device. With the cam structures, the elastic components can provide a pre-compressed elastic energy to tilt the particular structures of the portable electrical device to an angle automatically after the sliding movement. Then, the user may make further adjustments to the angle as desired so that the portable electrical device using the multi-staged hinge assembly of this invention can present different tilt angles for watching to satisfy the diversified needs. 
     This invention provides a multi-staged hinge assembly, which comprises a spindle, an elastic device, a first movable component and a second movable component. The elastic device, the first movable component and the second movable component are sequentially disposed onto the spindle, with each of the first movable component and the second movable component with a respective cam structure. The first movable component is adapted to travel in a non-rotating displacement towards a direction away from the first portion along the spindle when being subjected to an axial thrust from the elastic device, whereas the second movable component is adapted to travel in a non-displacing rotation in response to an action resulting from the cam structures. 
     Additionally, this invention further provides a portable electrical device, which comprises a first body portion, a second body portion, a sliding module and the aforesaid multi-staged hinge assembly. Each of the sliding module and the multi-staged hinge assembly is connected to the first body portion and the second body portion so that by combining the slide module and the multi-staged hinge assembly, the second body portion is capable of sliding and then rotating with respect to the first body portion. In this way, the two body portions of the portable electrical device rotate with respect to each other in response to the action resulting from the multi-staged hinge assembly. Moreover, the two body portions may further form different angles therebetween to facilitate the user&#39;s operation. With the technology disclosed by this invention, the second body portion can slide and then be tilted automatically at a predetermined angle with respect to the first body portion, and the second body portion can be adjusted to any tilt angle within a specific range depending on the user&#39;s preferences and environmental conditions to provide a multi-staged hinge assembly of a free stop design. Alternatively, the partial structures of the multi-staged hinge assembly may be modified so that after the second body portion is automatically tilted at the predetermined angle, the user may further apply a force to rotate the second body portion automatically to another predetermined angle make the so-called click-point adjustment. Of course, the multi-staged hinge assembly of this invention may be designed with a plurality of click points to satisfy the different needs of users and deliver the optimal effect. 
     The detailed technology and preferred embodiments implemented for the subject invention are described in the following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  are schematic views illustrating the operation of a conventional portable electrical device of a slide type; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a multi-staged hinge assembly of this invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view of the multi-staged hinge assembly of this invention in another configuration; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of the multi-staged hinge assembly of this invention in a further configuration; 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  are schematic views of a portable electrical device incorporating the multi-staged hinge assembly of this invention in a closed configuration; 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are schematic views of the portable electrical device of this invention in an open configuration after sliding; 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  are schematic views of the portable electrical device of this invention in an automatic tilting configuration; 
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  are schematic views of the portable electrical device of this invention in another operational configuration; and 
         FIGS. 9A and 9B  are schematic views of other embodiments of the multi-staged hinge assembly of this invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIG. 2  depicts the first embodiment of this invention, which is a multi-staged hinge assembly  2 . The multi-staged hinge assembly  2  comprises a stopper  20 , a spindle  21 , an elastic device  23 , a first movable component  25  and a second movable component  27 . The spindle  21  is in the form of a long rod, and for purposes of disclosure and description, the spindle  21  may be defined to comprise a first portion  21   a  and a second portion  21   b . The stopper  20  is fixed on the first portion  21   a  of the spindle  21  opposite the first movable component  25 , and the elastic device  23  is disposed onto the first portion  21   a  between the stopper  20  and the first movable component  25 . The elastic device  23  has two opposite ends abutted against the stopper  20  and the first movable component  25  respectively. 
     In this embodiment, the elastic device  23  includes a spring, preferably a pre-compressed spring (i.e., pre-stored with elastic energy), that is disposed onto the first portion  21   a  of the spindle  21 . Conceivably, the maximum distance between the stopper  20  and the first movable component  25  must not exceed the free length of the spring (i.e., a length of the spring when no compressive force is applied thereon). Thus, the spring is initially held in a pre-compressed state so that when the elastic force thereof is released, an axial thrust is applied along the spindle  21 . Furthermore, because one end of the spring abuts against the stopper  20  that is fixed, the axial thrust will be released from the first portion  21   a  towards the second portion  21   b  so that the first movable component  25  tends to be forcedly moved towards a direction away from the first portion  21   a . However, instead of being limited to a spring, the elastic device  23  may also be made of other elastic elements in other embodiments, and may be readily substituted by those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     To achieve the tendency of the aforesaid movement in this embodiment, the spindle  21  is designed with a non-circular cross-section, and the first movable component  25  is formed with a first axial hole (not shown) with a non-circular cross-section complementary to that of the spindle  21 . With the first axial hole, the first movable component  25  can be movably disposed onto the spindle  21 . Conceivably, as the spindle  21  and the first movable component  25  are fitted together by the non-circular cross-sections, movement of the first movable component  25  on the spindle  21  is restricted. In other words, the first movable component  25  is restricted from rotating over the spindle  21  but is only allowed to displace axially on the spindle  21 , i.e., to move in a non-rotating displacement. 
     Next, the relationships between the first movable component  25  and the second movable component  27  will be further described. Both the first movable component  25  and the second movable component  27  are substantially disposed onto the second portion  21   b  of the spindle  21 . Unlike the first movable component  25  comprising a non-circular first axial hole, the second movable component  27  comprises a second axial hole (not shown) which has a substantially circular cross-section for the spindle  21  to penetrate therethrough. With the fitment of the non-circular cross-section of the spindle  21  and the second axial hole with circular cross-section of the second movable component  27 , the second movable component  27  can move in a non-displacing rotation over the spindle  21 . 
     To drive the second movable component  27  to rotate by the first movable component  25 , the first movable component  25  and the second movable component  27  are designed to have a first cam structure  251  and a second cam structure  271  respectively. The first cam structure  251  is formed on the first movable component  25  at an end opposite the elastic device  23 , and the second cam structure  271  is formed on the second movable component  27  at an end abutting against the first cam structure  251 . Specifically, each of the cam structures are substantially formed with a inclined surface; i.e., the first cam structure  251  of the first movable component  25  comprises a first inclined surface  251   a , and the second cam structure  271  of the second movable component  27  comprises a second inclined surface  271   a . The first inclined surface  251   a  is operatively associated with the second inclined surface  271   a  in such a way that the second inclined surface  271   a  can slide relative to the first inclined surface  251   a . The first inclined surface  251   a  further comprises a first engagement end  251   b , and the second inclined surface  271   a  further comprises a second engagement end  271   b . The second engagement end  271   b  is operatively associated with the first engagement end  251   a  in such a way that when the second inclined surface  271   a  slides to a predetermined extent with respect to the first inclined surface  251   a , the second engagement end  271   b  will be stopped by abutting against the first engagement end  251   b.    
     In reference to both  FIGS. 2 and 3 , when the elastic device  23  applies the axial thrust toward the second portion  21   b  along the spindle  21  so that the first movable component  25  is forced to move in a non-rotating displacement away from the first portion  21   a  (i.e., towards the second portion  21   b ), the first movable component  25  which can only move in a non-rotating displacement on the spindle  21  will drive the second movable component  27  to travel in a non-displacing rotation on the spindle  21  because through the interaction of the first cam structure  251  and the second cam structure  271 , the second inclined surface  271   a  of the second movable component  27  is adapted to slide relative to the first inclined surface  251   a  of the first movable component  25 . Consequently, the second cam structure  271  is rotated from a first position shown in  FIG. 2  to a second position shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     In reference to  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4 , the multi-staged hinge assembly  2  may further comprise a third movable component  29  with a third axial hole (not shown) for the spindle  21  to penetrate therethrough. Similar to the second axial hole of the second movable component  27 , the third axial hole of the third movable component  29  also has a substantially circular cross-section. Thus, the third movable component  29  is disposed onto the second portion  21   b  of the spindle  21  and rotatably engages with the second movable component  27  at one end opposite the first movable component  25  (i.e., the second movable component  27  is disposed between the first movable component  25  and the third movable component  29 ). When the second movable component  27  rotates from the first position shown in  FIG. 2  to the second position shown in  FIG. 3 , the third movable component  29  also rotates synchronously with the second movable component  27 . 
     As shown, the second movable component  27  and the third movable component  29  further comprise a male structure  275  and a female structure  291  respectively for operatively associating with each other so that the third movable component  29  is adapted to engage with the second movable component  27 . In some cases, the third movable component  29  may also move in a non-displacing rotation relative to the second movable component  27  similarly. For example, the male structure  275  is formed on the second movable component  27  at an end engaged with the third movable component  29 , and the female structure  291  is formed on the third movable component  29  at an end engaged with the second movable component  27 . In reference to both  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the male structure  275  is a protrusion, while the female structure  291  comprises at least two recesses. The protrusion is adapted to engage with each of the recesses respectively. When the second movable component  27  and the third movable component  29  are at the second position as shown in  FIG. 3 , a further external force applied to the third movable component  29  will drive the third movable component  29  to rotate with respect to the second movable component  27  to have the male structure  275  engage with another female structure  291  instead. As a result, the third movable component  29  is rotated from the second position shown in  FIG. 3  to the third position shown in  FIG. 4  with respect to the second movable component  27 . It should be noted that what is illustrated above is only for purposes of description rather than limitation. In other embodiments, the male structure  275  and the female structure  291  may further be other complementary structures. Moreover, there may be more male structures  275  and female structures  291  so that the third movable component  29  can be rotated to more than two positions with respect to the second movable component  27 . 
     With the design of this embodiment, when the first movable component  25  travels in the non-rotating displacement, the second movable component  27  and the third movable component  29  will travel together in the non-displacing rotation accordingly and the third movable component  29  may further rotate with respect to the second movable component  27 . 
     It should be noted that, the multi-staged hinge assembly  2  disclosed in this embodiment uses the non-circular spindle  21  in conjunction with the different movable components  25 ,  27 ,  29  to bring about necessary relative movement. Through the different designs of the cross-sections of the axial holes, the inclined surfaces or the cam structures, different directions and angles of rotation may be obtained. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the spindle  21  is fixed while the second movable component  27  and the third movable component  29  can rotate with respect to the spindle  21 ; however, as can be known from the principle of relative movement, arrangements where the third movable component  29  is fixed and the spindle  21  moves relative thereto may also be used in practice, which will be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art based on concepts of this invention. 
       FIGS. 5A to 8B  depict another embodiment of this invention, which is a portable electrical device  5  comprising the aforesaid multi-staged hinge assembly  2 . The portable electrical device  5  mainly comprises a first body portion  51 , a second body portion  53 , a sliding module (not shown) and the multi-staged hinge assembly  2  disclosed in the aforesaid embodiment. Both the sliding module and the multi-staged hinge assembly  2  are connected to the first body portion  51  and the second body portion  53  respectively. In this embodiment, the portable electrical device  5  is provided with two multi-staged hinge assemblies  2 , the detailed structure and operations of which are just as set forth in the above embodiment and will not be described again herein. Additionally, as the conventional portable electrical device  1  shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the first body portion  51  of this embodiment may further comprise a keyboard (not shown) and the second body portion  53  may further comprise a display (not shown). However, the main difference lies in that with the multi-staged hinge assembly  2 , the first body portion  51  and the second body portion  53  of this embodiment are able to rotate relative to each other, which would be unable for the conventional portable electrical device  1 . 
     In more detail, the second body portion  53  of the portable electrical device  5  is connected to the third movable component  29  of the multi-staged hinge assemblies  2  by means of a connecting member  55   a . The stopper  20  is fixedly and integrally connected to the spindle  21  to form a single piece. The first body portion  51  is connected to the stopper  20  of the multi-staged hinge assemblies  2  by means of another connecting member  55   b . In reference to  FIGS. 5A and 5B , only one of the multi-staged hinge assemblies  2  will be described below. In the initial closed configuration of the portable electrical device  5 , the first body portion  51  and the second body portion  53  abut against each other, i.e., a lower edge  56  of the second body portion  53  abuts against an upper edge  54  of the first body portion  51 . Therefore, in this configuration, the multi-staged hinge assemblies  2  are restricted from any movement, with the elastic device  23  being kept at a pre-compressed state (e.g., a spring in a pre-compressed state). 
     Further, in reference to  FIGS. 6A and 6B , when the keyboard needs to be operated or a wider display field is needed, the user may slide the second body portion  53  along the surface  52  of the first body portion  51  under the guide of the sliding module to expose the keyboard (usually arranged on the surface  52 ). Accordingly, the portable electrical device  5  turns from the closed configuration into an open configuration for the user to input instructions into the portable electrical device  5  through the keyboard. 
     Once the second body portion  53  guided by the sliding module slides to the position shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , the detent force generated when the lower edge  56  of the second body portion  53  abuts against the upper edge  54  of the first body portion  51  disappears and the multi-staged hinge assemblies  2  are no longer restricted from movement. Then, the elastic energy of the pre-compressed elastic device  23  is released to rotate the multi-staged hinge assemblies  2  from the first position shown in  FIG. 2  to the second position shown in  FIG. 3 , in which case the portable electrical device  5  exhibits a relative positional relationship between the first body portion  51  and the second body portion  53  as shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B . In reference to both  FIGS. 2 and 3 , in this stage, due to the engagement of the male structure  275  of the second movable component  27  and the female structure  291  of the third movable component  29 , the third movable component  29  rotates synchronously with the second movable component  27  without any relative rotation therebetween. Also, because the stopper  20  is connected integrally to the first body portion  51  by means of the connecting member  55   b , the connecting member  55   a  and the third movable component  29  will automatically result with a corresponding rotation while the first body portion  51  and the connecting member  55   b  remains stationary. That is, the second body portion  53  will rotate automatically with respect to the first body portion  51  to provide an automatic tilting effect. The rotation that automatically tilts the second body portion  53  will stop until the first engagement end  251   b  and the second engagement end  271   b  of the multi-staged hinge assemblies  2  are engaged with each other (i.e., the second position shown in  FIG. 3 ). At this point, the second body portion  53  forms a tilt angle θ with the first body portion  51 . Substantially, the tilt angle θ may be about 0° to 20°, which is well suitable for general handheld use conditions. 
     In reference to  FIGS. 8A and 8B , the user may further adjust the tilt angle of the second body portion  53  with respect to the first body portion  51 . Specifically, the user may apply a force to rotate the second body portion  53  to a larger tilt angle θ′. In practice, the tilt angle θ′ may be about 20° to 50° and larger than the tilt angle θ, which is well suitable for use in conditions where the portable electrical device  5  is placed flat on a table. 
     During this stage, as shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4 , the tilt angle is adjusted by changing the relative position between the female structures  291  of the third movable component  29  and the male structure  275  of the second movable component  27 . When subjected to a force, the third movable component  29  will rotate with respect to the second movable component  27 ; i.e., the male structure  275  (i.e., the protrusion) of the second movable component  27  will slide from one recess to another of the female structure  291  and be engaged. Once the male structure  275  slides through the dome portion where the two female structures  291  join with each other, the protrusion can slide along the dome portion to rotate the third movable component  29  from the second position to the third position with the elastic energy released from the elastic device  23  and effect between the male structure  275  and the female structures  291  even if the user stops applying the force to the second body portion  53 . Accordingly, the second body portion  53  of the portable electrical device  5  automatically rotates from the previous tilt angle θ to another predetermined angle θ′ to accomplish the so-called click point adjustment. Of course, the multi-staged hinge assemblies  2  of this invention may also have a plurality of click points to satisfy the different needs of the users and deliver an optimal effect. 
     It should be noted that the dome portion where the two female structures  291  join with each other is only provided as an example but not for purposes of limitation. Rather, the male structure  275  and the female structures  291  may be designed differently depending on practical needs. For example, as shown in  FIG. 9A , the male structure  275  and the female structures  291  are formed of a material with a large friction coefficient, and the protrusion of the male structure  275  and the recesses of the female structures  291  have modified tip ends so that they are flatter. In addition, the distance between the two female structures  291  of the third movable component  29  is extended to form a flat portion. In this case, during the rotation of the third movable component  29  from the aforesaid second position to the third position, if the user does not further apply a force, the male structure  275  may temporarily come to a stop on the flat portion of the third movable component  29 , i.e., between these female structures  291 , due to the static friction between the protrusion and the flat portion. This provides a free stop effect which lasts until the user has decided an optimal viewing angle. 
     In another example as shown in  FIG. 9B , if respective contact surfaces of the second movable component  27  and the third movable component  29  are formed of materials with a sufficiently large friction coefficient and the elastic device has a large elastic coefficient (i.e., with large elastic energy), the male structure  275  and the female structures  291  may even be eliminated and, instead, the static friction generated when the contact surfaces of the second movable component  27  and the third movable component  29  abut against each other may be used directly for position purposes. In this case, when the third movable component  29  rotates from the aforesaid second position to the third position, the third movable component  29  may temporarily come to a stop with respect to the surface of the second movable component  27  if the user does not further apply a force. 
     Furthermore, another way to increase the friction between the contact surfaces is to form the recesses of the female structures  291  and the protrusion of the male structure  275  as a plurality of complementary fine structures, e.g., a plurality of complementary fine grooves, which may also provide multiple options of relative angles between the second body portion  27  and the first body portion  25 . In other words, those skilled in the art may provide the second body portion  53  with multiple tilt angles through different designs of the male structure  275  and the female structures  291 . 
     According to the above description, the multi-staged hinge assembly of this invention and the portable electrical device comprising the multi-staged hinge assembly use a spindle with non-circular cross-section in conjunction with cam structures of a plurality of movable components, which results in a simpler construction, smaller volume, reduced assembling time and lower costs of the multi-staged hinge assembly. In a portable electrical device comprising the multi-staged hinge assembly, subsequent to the relative sliding movement, the body portion will firstly be tilted at a particular tilt angle automatically, and then the user may further adjust the body portion to any desired angle depending on different conditions. Therefore, it is surely convenient for use. 
     The above disclosure is related to the detailed technical contents and inventive features thereof. People skilled in this field may proceed with a variety of modifications and replacements based on the disclosures and suggestions of the invention as described without departing from the characteristics thereof. Nevertheless, although such modifications and replacements are not fully disclosed in the above descriptions, they have substantially been covered in the following claims as appended.