Patent Publication Number: US-2011056048-A1

Title: Hinge

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The disclosure relates to a hinge. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A collapsible device, such as a notebook computer, or a clamshell mobile phone, generally including a main body and a cover often uses a hinge to interconnect the main body and the cover. The hinge allows the cover to be rotatable with respect to the main body, and to be folded with the main body for saving space. 
     A hinge normally includes a first element and a second element fixed to the main body and the cover of the collapsible device, respectively. The first and second elements are rotatable relative to and in friction engagement with each other for maintaining the cover at any angle with respect to the main body. During rotation, friction between the first and second elements may be too much to damage the first and the second elements. Therefore, the first and second elements are easy worn after frequent usage, resulting in preventing the cover from being able to stay at certain desirable positions, which creates quite an inconvenience for users. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded, isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a hinge. 
         FIG. 2  is similar to  FIG. 1 , but viewed from another perspective. 
         FIG. 3  is an assembled, isometric view of the hinge of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is an assembled, isometric view of the hinge of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an exemplary embodiment of a hinge includes a shaft  10 , a connecting member  20 , a rotating member  30 , a first interfering member  40 , a second interfering member  50 , a plurality of elastic rings  60 , a fastener  70 , and two friction members  80 . In the embodiment, the fastener  70  is a nut. 
     The shaft  10  includes a fixing portion  12 , a shaft body  14 , and a resisting portion  16  connected between the fixing portion  12  and the shaft body  14 . The fixing portion  12  has a double-D shaped cross-section for being fixed to the connecting member  20 . The shaft body  14  has a double-D shaped cross-section, and forms a threaded portion (not labeled) on a circumference of a distal end of the shaft body  14 , for engaging with the fastener  70 . A cambered resisting protrusion  162  protrudes from a circumference of the resisting portion  16 . 
     The connecting member  20  includes a connecting board  22  defining a plurality of fixing holes  220 , and a fixing board  24  perpendicularly extending from a side of the connecting board  22 . The fixing board  24  defines a fixing hole  26  having a double-D shape, corresponding to the fixing portion  12  of the shaft  10 , for fixing the shaft  10  to the connecting member  20 . 
     The rotating member  30  includes a fixing body  31  defining a plurality of fixing holes  310 , and a pivoting portion  32  parallel connected to the fixing body  31 . The pivoting portion  32  includes a first side  33  and a second side  35  opposite to the first side  33 . The pivoting portion  32  defines a through hole  34  and a fixing hole  36 . The through hole  34  extends through the first and second sides  33  and  35 , for allowing the shaft body  14  to rotatably pass therethrough. At least three posts  332  extend from the first side  33 , around the through hole  34 . Correspondingly, at least three dents  352  are defined in the second side  35 , thereby, resulting in reducing a contacting surface between the resisting portion  16  of the shaft  10  and the second side  35 . A wedge-shaped resisting block  354  protrudes out from the second side  35 , along an edge of the pivoting portion  32 . One end of the second resisting block  354  is smoothly and slantingly connected to the second side  35 . 
     The first interfering member  40  defines a round hole  42  therein, for allowing the shaft body  14  of the shaft  10  to rotatably pass therethrough. The first interfering member  40  includes a matching side  45  opposite to the first side  33  of the rotating member  30 . A first depressed portion  44  and a second depressed portion  46  are defined in the matching side  45 , opposite each other across the round hole  42 . The first depressed portion  44  extends along a cambered edge of the round hole  42 , and the second depressed portion  46  extends along an edge of the first interfering member  40 . A fixing post  48  axially extends inverse of the matching side  45  from the first interfering member  40 . 
     The second interfering member  50  is generally washer-shaped, and defines a matching hole  51  having a double-D shape, corresponding to the shaft body  14  of the shaft  10 , for unrotatably fitting about the shaft body  14  of the shaft  10 . A first protrusion  54  and a second protrusion  56  extend from the second interfering member  50 , opposite each other across the matching hole  51 . The first protrusion  54  extends along an edge of the matching hole  51 , and the second protrusion  56  extends adjacent to a circumference of the second interfering member  50 . 
     Each elastic ring  60  provides elasticity along an axial direction of the shaft  10 , to tighten the rotating member  30 , both of the first and second interfering members  40  and  50 , and one of the friction members  80 . Each elastic ring  60  defines a round through hole  62 , allowing the shaft body  14  of the shaft  10  to rotatably pass therethrough. 
     Each friction member  80  defines a double-D shaped fixing hole  82 , for unrotatably receiving the shaft body  14  of the shaft  10 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , in assembly, the fixing portion  12  of the shaft  10  is fixedly received in the fixing hole  26  of the connecting member  20 , therefore, the shaft  10  is fixed to the connecting member  20 . The shaft body  14  of the shaft  10  is passed through the through hole  34  of the rotating member  30 , the fixing hole  82  of one of the friction members  80 , the round hole  42  of the first interfering member  40 , the matching hole  51  of the second interfering member  50 , the through holes  62  of the plurality of elastic rings  60 , and the fixing hole  82  of the other friction member  80  one by one in that order, with the distal end of the shaft body  14  engaging in the fastener  70  for preventing the rotating member  30 , the first and second interfering members  40  and  50 , the friction members  80 , and the plurality of elastic rings  60  from disengaging from the shaft  10 . 
     In the aforementioned assembly, the fixing post  48  of the first interfering member  40  is fixed in the fixing hole  36  of the rotating member  30 , therefore, the first interfering member  40  is rotated with the rotating member  30 . The first and second protrusions  54  and  56  of the second interfering member  50  are engaged in the first and second depressed portions  44  and  46  of the first interfering member  40 , respectively. The at least three posts  332  of the rotating member  30  resist against the corresponding friction member  80 , which results in reducing a friction force between the friction member  80  and the rotating member  30   
     In use, the connecting member  20  is fixed to one of a cover and a base of a collapsible device (not shown), via the plurality of fixing holes  220 , and the rotating member  30  is fixed to the other one of the cover and the base of the collapsible device, via the plurality of fixing holes  310 . Therefore, during rotation of the cover relative to the base, the rotating member  30  rotates relative to the connecting member  20 , together with the first interfering member  40 . As a result, the at least three posts  332  of the rotating member  30  slide on a corresponding side abutting the rotating member  30  of the friction member  80 . In the meanwhile, the first and second protrusions  54  and  56  of the second interfering member  50  are moved onto the matching side  45  of the first interfering member  40 , or into the first and second depressed portions  44  and  46  of the first interfering member  40 , respectively. When the rotating member  30  is rotated to a predetermined degree relative to the connecting member  20 , the resisting block  354  of the rotating member  30  resists against the resisting protrusion  162  of the shaft  10 . Therefore, the rotating member  30  cannot be rotated further relative to the connecting member  20 . As a result, the cover is stably maintained at the predetermined degree with respect to the base resulting preventing the cover from over-rotating. 
     Obviously, in one embodiment, the at least three posts  332  also can protrude from the second side  35  of the rotating member  30 , and resist against the resisting portion  16  of the shaft  10 . In another embodiment, the at least posts  332  also can extend from the side abutting the rotating member  30  of one of the friction member  80 . 
     It is believed that the present embodiment and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the description or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the example hereinbefore described merely being exemplary embodiment.