Abstract:
A hinge for portable terminal that not only has both functions of allowing a second casing to open/close relative to a first casing and allowing the second casing to turn relative to the first casing in a direction right angle to the opening/closing direction, but also is capable of preventing external leakage of a lubricating oil and is formed to be as compact as possible. The hinge includes: a rotary hinge module; and an opening/closing hinge module wherein: the rotary hinge module has a fixed member attached to the first casing and a cylindrical rotary member attached to the fixed member with a turn thereof being controlled via a first cam mechanism; the opening/closing hinge module is provided in the cylindrical rotary member and has an opening/closing member which is rotatably mounted with a rotation thereof being controlled to be in a right angle direction to a direction of the turn of the rotary hinge module via a second cam mechanism and to which an end portion of the second casing is coupled; and the rotary hinge module operates from an instant when the opening/closing hinge module reaches a predetermined angle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a hinge for portable terminal suitable for use in portable terminals such as a cellular phone, a PHS, and a personal digital assistance (PDA). 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In recent years, the function and performance of portable terminals are getting remarkably higher and the portable terminals are becoming more compact. Among them, as for a cellular phone, a PHS, and the like, in moduleicular, the following structure is becoming on the mainstream in order to realize when not in use the compact size, the protection of a display portion, and further, the prevention of the malfunction of a keyboard portion. That is, a first casing having the keyboard portion and a microphone thereon and a second casing having the display portion, a speaker, and a camera thereon are foldable via a hinge, with the keyboard portion and the display portion facing each other. In such a cellular phone, PHS, or the like, the display portion is formed to be vertically long so as to have a slim shape. However, now that the portable terminals are additionally equipped with various functions, for example, a downloaded movie display function and a television image display function, such a vertically long display portion is in some cases poor in visibility for those who are used to viewing a laterally long screen such as a screen of a television, a movie, a personal computer, or the like. Moreover, there has also arisen a problem such that, when information originally assumed to be displayed on a laterally long display portion is transmitted or inputted to a portable terminal having such a vertically long display portion, the information cannot be completely displayed thereon. 
     This has given rise to a need for a hinge that not only foldably couples the second casing to the first casing, but also allows the second casing to turn relative to the first casing in a direction right angle to an opening/closing direction when it is at a predetermined opening/closing position. 
     As a hinge having such a function, that described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-69676 is known. 
     The hinge described in this patent application publication is structured such that a circulation spindle module of a rotary hinge module that is pivotally attached to a bottom of a first casing is bent to be led to an upper end side of a second casing and an opening/closing hinge module coupled to the second casing is attached to an upper end portion of the circulation spindle module. This structure has such a problem that a lubricating oil especially in the rotary hinge module leaks outside to stain hands and clothes, and in addition, the structure of the entire hinge becomes large to occupy a large mounting space, which hinders the downsizing of the portable terminal. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide, in a portable terminal such as a cellular phone, especially of a foldable type, a hinge for portable terminal which not only has both functions of allowing a second casing having a display portion thereon to open/close relative to a first casing having a keyboard portion thereon and of allowing the second casing to turn relative to the first casing in a direction right angle to a direction of the opening/closing, but also is capable of preventing a lubricating oil from leaking outside and is formed as compact as possible so that a mounting space can be saved. 
     In order to achieve the object stated above, the present invention includes: a rotary hinge module attached to an upper face side of a first casing having a keyboard portion thereon; and an opening/closing hinge module which is provided in the rotary hinge module and to which the second casing having a display portion is coupled to be openable/closable relative to the first casing, wherein: the rotary hinge module has a fixed member attached to the first casing and a cylindrical rotary member attached to the fixed member with a turn thereof being controlled via a first cam mechanism; the opening/closing hinge module is provided in the cylindrical rotary member and has an opening/closing member which is rotatably mounted with a rotation thereof being controlled to be in a right angle direction to a direction of the turn of the rotary hinge module via a second cam mechanism and to which an end portion of the second casing is coupled; and the rotary hinge module operates from an instant when the opening/closing hinge module is opened to a predetermined angle. 
     The above-described invention may also be structured such that at least one of the first cam mechanism and the second cam mechanism has an absorbing function, the absorbing function of the first cam mechanism being a function of automatically turning the cylindrical rotary member from a predetermined turn angle, and the absorbing function of the second cam mechanism being a function of automatically opening/closing the opening/closing member from a predetermined opening/closing angle. 
     The above-described invention may also be structured such that the opening/closing member is a hinge cylinder. 
     The above-described invention may further include a means for allowing the rotary hinge module to operate from the instant when the opening/closing hinge module is opened to the predetermined angle, the means being provided between the opening/closing member of the opening/closing hinge module and the fixed member of the rotary hinge module. 
     The above-described invention may be structured such that each of the first cam mechanism and the second cam mechanism is constituted of a cam and a cam floor in which cam portions are formed on respective facing surfaces thereof, one of the cam portions being in pressure contact with the other cam portion. 
     The above-described structure of the present invention can bring about the following effects. It is possible to prevent a screen from being scratched as much as possible when not in use since a face of the second casing where a display portion and a camera are provided is positioned on a lower side while the second casing is folded relative to the first casing. In addition, the second casing is allowed to open/close in the vertical direction by the opening/closing hinge module and is turnable in the direction right angle to the opening/closing direction in the opened state, which allows the use of the display portion in a laterally long state. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a plane view of a cellular phone in which the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention is embodied, showing the state when a first casing and a second casing are folded; 
         FIG. 2  is a right side view of the cellular phone in which the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention is embodied, showing the state when the first casing and the second casing are folded; 
         FIG. 3  is a plane view showing the state when the second casing is opened relative to the first casing from the state shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view showing the state when the second casing is turned after being opened 90° relative to the first casing from the state shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a plane view of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a left side view of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a right side view of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a module horizontal cross-sectional view showing an internal mechanism of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the internal mechanism of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a module enlarged plane view of a fixed member of a rotary hinge module of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a left side view of a cylindrical rotary member of the rotary hinge module of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a right side view of the cylindrical rotary member of the rotary hinge module of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 14  is a bottom view of the cylindrical rotary member of the rotary hinge module of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 15  is a plane view of an opening/closing member of an opening/closing hinge module of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 16  is a left side view of the opening/closing member shown in  FIG. 15 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a right side view of the opening/closing member shown in  FIG. 15 ; 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of a first hinge pin of the rotary hinge module of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view of a second hinge pin of the opening/closing hinge module of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 20  is a front view of a first cam of the rotary hinge module of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 21  is a left side view of the first cam shown in  FIG. 20 ; 
         FIG. 22  is a right side view of the first cam shown in  FIG. 20 ; 
         FIG. 23  is a developed view of the first cam shown in  FIG. 20 ; 
         FIG. 24  is a front view of a first cam floor of the rotary hinge module of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 25  is a right side view of the first cam floor shown in  FIG. 24 ; 
         FIG. 26  is a developed view of a cam portion of the first cam floor shown in  FIG. 24 ; 
         FIG. 27  is a front view of a second cam of the opening/closing hinge module of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 28  is a right side view of the second cam shown in  FIG. 27 ; 
         FIG. 29  is a left side view of the second cam shown in  FIG. 27 ; 
         FIG. 30  is a developed view of a cam portion of the second cam shown in  FIG. 27 ; 
         FIG. 31  is a front view of a second cam floor of the opening/closing hinge module of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 32  is a right side view of the second cam floor shown in  FIG. 31 ; 
         FIG. 33  is a developed view of a cam portion of the second cam floor shown in  FIG. 31 ; 
         FIG. 34  is an explanatory view to explain the operation of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 35  is an explanatory view to explain the operation of the hinge for portable terminal according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  to  FIG. 4  show a cellular phone B of a foldable type which is a kind of a portable terminal using a hinge A for portable terminal according to the present invention. The reference numeral  1  denotes a first casing having a keyboard portion  1   a  and a microphone  1   b  thereon, and the reference numeral  2  denotes a second casing having a display portion  2   a , a speaker  2   b , and a camera  2   c  thereon. The first casing  1  and the second casing  2  are coupled to each other at respective ends thereof via the hinge A for portable terminal to be turnable and openable/closable relative to each other. 
     This hinge A for portable terminal is composed of a rotary hinge module  3  and an opening/closing hinge module  4 . The rotary hinge module  3  is attached to an upper face of the end portion of the first casing  1 . The opening/closing hinge module  4  is attached to the rotary hinge module  3  to be openable/closable in a vertical direction which is a direction right angle to the rotary hinge module  3 . The second casing  2  is attached to the opening/closing hinge module  4  to be openable and closable. 
     As shown especially in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 10 , the rotary hinge module  3 , out of these components, is composed of a fixed member  5  and a cylindrical rotary member  7 . The fixed member  5  has right and left mounting pieces  5   a ,  5   a  attached to the end portion of the second casing  2  with fixing screws  5   c ,  5   c  . . . and has a pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b . The cylindrical rotary member  7  is turnably attached to the fixed member  5  via a first hinge pin  6 . The first hinge pin  6  passes through a center portion of the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b  in an axial direction and is rotatably mounted so as not to come off the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b  in the axial direction, and a deformed head portion  6   a  thereof is fixed to a mounting seat  7   a  provided in the cylindrical rotary member  7  via a fixing screw  8 . Note that the cylindrical rotary member  7  has a slit  7   c  through which a lead wire for electrical connection between the first casing  1  and the second casing  2  passes, as shown especially in  FIG. 6 . 
     As shown especially in  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10 , the reference numeral  9  denotes a first cam mechanism of the rotary hinge module  3 , and this first cam mechanism  9  is composed of: a first cam  10  which has at a center portion thereof an insertion hole  10   a  through which the first hinge pin  6  is rotatably inserted, the first hinge pin  6  restricting a rotation of the first cam  10 ; a first cam floor  11  facing the first cam  10 , similarly having at a center portion thereof an insertion hole  11   a  through which the first hinge pin  6  is rotatably inserted, and being slidable in an axial direction with a rotation thereof being restricted by the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b ; and a first resilient means  12  constituted of a compression spring which is coiled around the first hinge pin  6  to be resiliently interposed between an inner wall  5   d  of the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b  and the first cam floor  11 . 
     Here, a means for having the first cam  10  caught by the first hinge pin  6  is composed of a semicircular deformed hole  10   b  provided in the first cam  10  and a deformed head portion  6   a  of the first hinge pin  6  module of which is fitted in the deformed hole  10   b , as shown especially in  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 19  to  FIG. 21 . Further, a means for having the first cam floor  11  caught by the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b  is structured such that key portions  11   b ,  11   b  protruding from both side portions of the first cam floor  11  are fitted in key grooves  5   e ,  5   e  provided in the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b , as shown especially in  FIG. 9  to  FIG. 11 ,  FIG. 25 , and  FIG. 26 . Further, as shown especially in  FIG. 21  and  FIG. 22 , a stopper portion  10   c  is protrudingly provided on one side of an outer periphery of the first cam  10 , and this stopper portion  10   c  is fitted in a curved guide groove  5   f  provided in the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b  shown especially in  FIG. 11 . 
     On mutually facing surfaces of the first cam  10  and the first cam floor  11 , provided are cam portions  13 ,  14  formed of protruding portions  13   a ,  13   a / 14   a ,  14   a  and recessed portions  13   b ,  13   b / 14   b ,  14   b , as shown in  FIG. 20  to  FIG. 24 , and the cam portions  13 ,  14  are in pressure contact with each other as shown in  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10 . Note that, as shown in  FIG. 5  to  FIG. 10 , the reference numeral  15  denotes a washer whose deformed hole  15   a  is fitted to a deformed shaft portion  6   b  provided at an end portion of the first hinge pin  6 , and the end portion of the first hinge pin  6  is caulked, thereby restricting the axial-direction movement of the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b.    
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 5  to  FIG. 10 , the opening/closing hinge module  4  includes: an opening/closing member  16  which is constituted of a hinge cylinder rotatably inserted in one side of a cylinder portion  7   b  of the cylindrical rotary member  7 ; a second hinge pin  17  passing through a center portion of the opening/closing member  16  in an axial direction with a deformed head portion  17   a  thereof (see  FIG. 19 ) being fixedly inserted in a deformed hole  7   f  inside the cylindrical rotary member  7 ; a second cam  18  having at a center portion thereof an insertion hole  18   a  through which the second hinge pin  17  is rotatably inserted and having at a tail portion thereof a deformed protruding portion  18   b  which is fixedly inserted in the deformed hole  7   f  of the cylindrical rotary member  7  together with the deformed head portion  17   a  of the second hinge pin  17 ; a second cam floor  19  similarly having at a center portion thereof an insertion hole  19   a  which is formed in an axial direction and through which the second hinge pin  17  is inserted, and being slidable in the axial direction with a rotation thereof being restricted by the opening/closing member  16 ; and a second resilient means  20  constituted of a compression spring which is coiled around the second hinge pin  17  to be resiliently interposed between an inner wall  16   b  of the opening closing member  16  and the second cam floor  19 . As shown in  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10 , the deformed head portion  6   a  of the first hinge pin  6  and the deformed head portion  17   a  of the second hinge pin  17  are fixed by fixing screw  8  in a right angle direction. Incidentally, a means for having the second cam floor  19  caught by the opening/closing member  16  is composed of a pair of key portions  19   b ,  19   b  protruding from an outer periphery of the second cam floor  19  as shown especially in  FIG. 33  and key grooves  16   f ,  16   f  provided in the opening/closing member  16  so as to have the key portions  19   b ,  19   b  fitted therein as shown in  FIG. 10 ,  FIG. 15 , and  FIG. 17 . A second cam mechanism  25  is formed of cam portions  21 ,  22  provided on mutually facing surfaces of the second cam  18  and the second cam floor  19 . The cam portions  21 ,  22  are formed of protruding portions  21   a ,  21   a / 22   a ,  22   a  and recessed portions  21   b ,  21   b / 22   b ,  22   b  as shown in  FIG. 30  and  FIG. 31 , and are in pressure contact with each other as shown in  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10 . 
     The reference numeral  23  in  FIG. 5  to  FIG. 10  denotes a washer. A deformed hole  23   a  provided in the axial direction in an center portion of the washer  23  is fitted to a deformed shaft portion  17   b  provided at an end portion of the second hinge pin  17  and the end portion is caulked, so that the opening/closing member  16  is locked so as not to come off the cylindrical rotary member  7 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  to  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 15  to  FIG. 17 , the opening/closing member  16  has turn stoppers  16   c  in a groove form at a portion thereof protruding from the cylindrical rotary member  7  and has a cutout portion  16   d  at an end portion thereof inserted in the cylindrical rotary member  7 . 
     At an upper end portion of the fixed member  5  of the above-described rotary hinge module  3 , a cutout portion  5   g  shown in  FIG. 11  is provided, and this cutout portion  5   g  is normally engaged with a portion of the end portion of the opening/closing member other than the portion where the cutout portion  16   d  is provided, thereby restricting the turn of the cylindrical rotary member  7  as shown especially in  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 15 , and  FIG. 17 . 
     Here, the mounting pieces  5   a ,  5   a  of the fixed member  5  of the rotary hinge module  3  of the hinge A for portable terminal according to the present invention are fixed to the upper face of the upper end of the second casing  2 , using the fixing screws  5   c ,  5   c  . . . as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 4 . A mounting portion  16   e , which protrudes from one side of the cylindrical rotary member  7 , of the opening/closing member  16  of the opening/closing hinge module  4  is coupled to a mounting portion  1   c  out of mounting portions ( 1   c ,  1   d ) provided at an upper end portion of the first casing  1 , utilizing the turn stoppers  16   c , and the opening/closing member  16  is coupled to the other mounting portion  1   d  via a mounting portion  7   e  of the cylindrical rotary member  7 . 
     With this structure, even if an attempt is made to turn the second casing  2  in the horizontal direction relative to the first casing  1  while the first casing  1  and the second casing  2  are in the state shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 , the second casing  2  does not turn in the horizontal direction relative to the first casing  1  since the end portion of the opening/closing member  16  attached to the cylindrical rotary member  7  is fitted in the cutout portion  5   g  of the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b  of the fixed member  5  when the opening angle is 0° as shown especially in  FIG. 9 , so that the rotation of the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b  is hindered.  FIG. 34  is a view to explain this operation. 
     However, the first casing  1  and the second casing  2  are allowed to be opened/closed relative to each other in the vertical direction by the opening/closing hinge module  4 . The opening/closing operation by this opening/closing hinge module  4  is performed while being controlled by the respective cam portions  21 ,  22  of the second cam  18  and the second cam floor  19 . In this embodiment, automatic opening/closing is performed by an absorbing function owing to a resilient force of the second resilient means  20  from 20° prior to the maximum opening angle 150° and similarly from 20° prior to the closing angle 0°, and in addition, a free-stop function works between 20° and 130°, depending on facing positions of the protruding portions  21   a ,  21   a / 22   a ,  22   a  and the recessed portions  21   b ,  21   b / 22   b ,  22   b  constituting the respective cam portions  21 ,  22 . Specifically, automatic closing or opening is performed when the protruding portions  21   a ,  21   a  of the cam portion  21  of the second cam  18  drop in the recessed portions  22   b ,  22   b  of the cam portion  22  of the second cam floor  19 . The free-stop function works when the protruding portions  21   a ,  21   a  of the cam portion  21  of the second cam  18  are in pressure contact with the protruding portions  22   a ,  22   a  of the cam portion  22  of the second cam floor  19 .  FIG. 35  is a view to explain this operation. 
     As shown in  FIG. 35 , the second casing  2  turns in the horizontal direction relative to the first casing  1  with respect to the first hinge pin  6  as a fulcrum when the opening angle of the second casing  2  relative to the first casing  1  is in a range of 90 °±10°. In this opening angle range, the cutout portion  16   d  provided at the end portion of the opening/closing member  16  is positioned on the edge of the upper end of the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b , so that the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b  is freely rotatable. This turn angle is controlled in such a manner that the stopper portion  10   c  provided in the first cam  10  is fitted in the curved guide groove  5   f  provided in the pivotally supporting cylinder  5   b , and is 180° in this embodiment. 
     The turning state of the cylindrical rotary member  7 , namely, the turning state of the second casing  2  relative to the first casing  1  is as shown in  FIG. 4 , and this turning state enhances operability for picking up a laterally long image of a subject by the camera  2   c , and in addition, presents good visibility for viewing a laterally long image displayed on a screen of the display portion  2   a.    
     Incidentally, the whole structure of the first cam mechanism  9  and the second cam mechanism  25 , the shapes, mounting positions, and so on of the respective cam portions which are described above can be arbitrarily selected. 
     Further, the opening/closing hinge module  4  is structured such that the second hinge pin  17  is fixed and the opening/closing member  16  rotates. However, the reverse structure such that the opening/closing member  16  is fixed and the second hinge pin  17  rotates may be adopted. In this case, the mounting portion  1   c  of the first casing  1  is coupled to the second hinge pin  17 , and the opening/closing member serves as the second hinge pin  17 . 
     In this embodiment, it may be possible to omit the opening/closing member  16  and utilize a cylinder portion of the cylindrical rotary member  7 . In this case, the cutout portion  5   g  provided in the opening/closing member  16  and serving as the means for restricting the turn of the rotary hinge module  3  may be provided in this second hinge pin  17 . 
     As has been detailed hitherto, with the rotary hinge module and the opening/closing hinge module that are integrated to have a compact structure, the first casing having the keyboard portion thereon and the second casing having the display portion thereon of the portable terminal are not only foldable via the opening/closing hinge module with the keyboard portion and the display portion facing each other when not in use but also openable/closable. In addition, when they are opened for use, the second casing having the display portion is turned relative to the first casing via the rotary hinge module in a right angle direction to the opening/closing direction when necessary. This allows the use of the display portion both in a vertically long state and in a laterally long state.