Patent Publication Number: US-2007119024-A1

Title: Swing hinge device for portable terminal and portable terminal having the same

Description:
PRIORITY  
      This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of an application entitled “Swing Hinge Device For Portable Terminal” filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Nov. 30, 2005 and assigned Serial No. 2005-116007, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a portable terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hinge device for rotatably coupling one housing of a portable terminal to another housing of a portable terminal.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Generally, a portable terminal is a device for providing a wireless communication function between users, or between a user and a service provider through a mobile communication base station. A user can receive and use through the portable terminal various kinds of services, such as a voice communication service, a short message sending service, a mobile banking service and a TV viewing service, and contents such as on-line games, video-on demand, and the like.  
      The portable terminals can be generally classified, based on their shapes, into bar type portable terminals, flip-type portable terminals, folding type portable terminals, and sliding type portable terminals. Bar type portable terminals have a communication circuit and an input/output device such as a transmitter and a receiver disposed in a housing, and a flip type portable terminal has a flip cover which is coupled to a bar type portable terminal. A folder type portable terminal has a pair of housings which are capable of rotating and opening and have an input/output device which is arranged on the housings. The sliding type portable terminal has been recently developed and increases the portability and convenience of a portable terminal. The sliding type and folder type portable terminals have been favored by individual users.  
      Early mobile communication services using the portable terminal were limited to voice communication services, short message sending services, and the like. Service has been expanded to include transmitting files such as game, music and moving picture files, on-line game services, and multimedia services. Recently, digital multimedia broadcasting has been made commercially available for portable terminals. As a result, a portable terminal has been introduced which has a foldable structure like the folder type portable terminal and further has a housing including a display unit. The housing with the display unit may be rotated to locate the display unit transversely. To achieve the rotating operation of the housing, the portable terminal has three housings. That is, the portable terminal has a pair of housings coupled to each other to be foldable and an additional housing rotatably mounted on one of the housings.  
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show a conventional hinge device  100  for a portable terminal. The hinge device  100  has first and second hinge bases  101  and  102  that are rotatably coupled to each other while facing each other. The first and second hinge bases  101  and  102  couple the housings forming the portable terminal to each other.  
      The first hinge base  101  is fixed to one of the housings of the portable terminal and has a receiving groove  111  on a surface thereof and a supporting shaft  113  extending from a center portion of the receiving groove  111 . The supporting shaft  113  extends through the second hinge base  102 . A restraining member  106 , such as a C-ring, is assembled in a coupling groove  117  of an end of the supporting shaft  113  so that the first and second hinge bases  101  and  102  are rotatably assembled with each other while facing each other.  
      A guide plate  103  and a washer plate  105  are stacked and received in the receiving groove  111  of the first hinge base  101 . The guide plate  103  has guide protrusions  135  on an inner periphery thereof and a plurality of stopper grooves  131  formed on a surface thereof.  
      When the guide plate  103  is coupled to and encloses the supporting shaft  113 , the guide protrusions  135  are matched with guide slots  115  formed in the supporting shaft  113 , thereby restraining the guide plate  103  from rotating with respect to the first hinge base  101 . In addition, the stopper grooves  131  are arranged so as to face the second hinge base  102 . Balls  104  are interposed between the second hinge base  102  and the guide plate  103 . Although not shown, stopper grooves are formed on the second hinge base  102 , which are alternatively matched with the stopper grooves  131  of the guide plate  103  when the second hinge base  102  rotates. When the second hinge base  102  rotates to match the stopper grooves of the second hinge base  102  with the stopper grooves  131  of the guide plate  103 , the balls  104  are engaged with the stopper grooves  131  so as to fix the second hinge base  102  to the first hinge base  101 . When the balls  104  are engaged with the stopper grooves  131 , the second hinge base  102  is maintained in a fixed state before a user applies a predetermined amount of force to the housing coupled to the second hinge base  102 .  
      At this time, the washer plate  105  has a wave shape and gives the guide plate  103  a resilient force so that the guide plate  103  contacts the second hinge base  102 , thereby stably maintaining the fixed state of the second hinge base  102 .  
      A portable terminal having three housings has large dimensions or thickness as compared with its structure, so it is inconvenient to carry the portable terminal. Furthermore, the structure of the conventional hinge device (that is, the guide plate and washer plate stacked between the first and second hinge bases and balls that are interposed between the second hinge base and the guide plate, as described above) limits the amount that the thickness of a portable terminal can be reduced. Furthermore, since the conventional hinge device is produced by assembling a plurality of parts, manufacturing productivity is hindered.  
      Accordingly, there is a need for an improved hinge device for a portable terminal which allows for the reduction in the size of the terminal.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      An aspect of the present invention is to address at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a hinge device for a portable terminal which can contribute to the reduction is size of the portable terminal, thereby improving the portability of the portable terminal.  
      Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a hinge device for a portable terminal which has a reduced number of parts as compared to conventional hinge devices, and which can be easily assembled, thereby improving manufacturing productivity.  
      In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a hinge device for a portable terminal comprises a first hinge base, a second hinge base, and an elastic member. The first hinge base comprises a receiving groove on a surface of the hinge base. The second hinge base is rotatably coupled to the first hinge base and comprises stopper ribs which extend from a surface of the second hinge base and are arranged along a circumferential direction. The elastic member is disposed in the receiving groove of the first hinge base and presses an outer peripheral surface of the stopper ribs as the second hinge base rotates with respect to the first hinge base.  
      In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a portable terminal comprises a first housing, a first hinge base, a second housing, a second hinge base, and an elastic member. The first hinge base is disposed on the first housing and comprises a surface and a receiving groove formed in the surface. The second hinge base is disposed on the second housing, and the second hinge base is coupled to the first hinge base. The second hinge base comprises stopper ribs which extend from a surface of the second hinge base, and the stopper ribs are arranged to form a substantially circular outer peripheral surface. The elastic member is received in the receiving groove of the first hinge base and presses the outer peripheral surface of the stopper ribs. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The above and other objects, features, and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a conventional hinge device for a portable terminal;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the conventional hinge device shown in  FIG. 1 , in which the hinge device is assembled;  
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a hinge device for a portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the hinge device shown in  FIG. 3 , in which the hinge device is assembled;  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view from the bottom of the hinge device shown in  FIG. 3 ;  
       FIG. 6  is a partially cut-away perspective view of the hinge device shown in  FIG. 4 ;  
       FIG. 7  is a plan view of the hinge device in  FIG. 3 , in which an elastic member is assembled with the first hinge base of the hinge device;  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a portable terminal with the hinge device in  FIG. 3 ; and  
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the portable terminal shown in  FIG. 8 , in which a third housing is rotated. 
    
    
      Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures.  
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
      The matters defined in the description such as a detailed construction and elements are provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the exemplary embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.  
      As shown in  FIGS. 3 through 6 , a hinge device  200  of a portable terminal, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, is provided with first and second hinge bases  201  and  202  rotatably coupled to each other and facing each other. An elastic member  203  is disposed between the first and second hinge bases  201  and  202 . The elastic member  203  is arranged around an exterior peripheral surface of a stopper rib  223  formed on the second hinge base  202 . In an exemplary embodiment, the elastic member presses against the exterior peripheral surface of the stopper rib  223 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 7 , the first hinge base  201  has a receiving groove  211  formed on a surface of the first hinge base  201 , and the receiving groove  211  receives the elastic member  203 . At least a pair of supporting ribs  213  are formed at a predetermined distance in the receiving groove  211  and extend from a bottom surface of the first hinge base  201 . In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, two pairs of supporting ribs are provided. The supporting ribs  213  are spaced at a predetermined distance from each other and arranged in a circumferential direction of the first hinge base  201 . In addition, the first hinge base  201  has coupling holes, and the like formed therein to couple the first hinge base  201  to the housing of the portable terminal.  
      The elastic member  203  is stably seated in the receiving groove  211 , so as to enclose an exterior peripheral surface of the supporting ribs  213 . The elastic member  203  has a loop shape, and includes a pair of stopper portions  231  bent toward a center of the first hinge base  201  and a pair of supporting portions  233  bent toward the exterior peripheral surface of the first hinge base  201 . The stopper portions  231  and the supporting portions  233  are alternately arranged along the circumferential direction of the first hinge base  201 . In the present exemplary embodiment, the elastic member  203  includes two pairs of stopper portions  231  and supporting portions  233 , respectively.  
      The stopper portions  231  are located between the supporting ribs  213 , and protrude into the supporting ribs  213 . The supporting portions  233  are formed to correspond to the shape of the receiving groove  211 , so as to support the elastic member  203 , thereby maintaining itself stably seated in the receiving groove  211 .  
      When the elastic member  203  is stably seated in the receiving groove  211 , the elastic member  203  provides elasticity and maintains the state that the stopper portions  231  protrude inside the supporting ribs  213 .  
      The second hinge base  202  has a supporting shaft  221  formed on a surface thereof, which extends through the first hinge base  201  over the other surface of the first hinge base  201 . A coupling groove  227  is formed on an exterior peripheral surface of an end portion of the supporting shaft  221 . When the second hinge base  202  is coupled to the first hinge base  201  while facing the first hinge base  201 , the coupling groove  227  is exposed to the other surface of the first hinge base  201  and then a restraining member  204 , such as a C-ring, is assembled to the coupling groove  227 . As a result, the second hinge base  202  is rotatably coupled to the first hinge base  201 .  
      The second hinge base  202  has a stopper rib  223  formed on a surface thereof. When the second hinge base  202  is coupled to the first hinge base  201 , the stopper rib  223  is located in the receiving groove  211 , of which an outer peripheral surface faces an inner peripheral surface of the supporting rib  213 . At this time, a part of the elastic member  203 , particularly the stopper portions  231 , presses the outer peripheral surface of the stopper rib  223 . Accordingly, the second hinge base  202  rotates relative to the first hinge base  201 , and the elastic member  203  provides a frictional force to the second hinge base  202 , thereby restricting the rotation or movement of the second hinge base  202 .  
      On the other hand, a plurality of stopper grooves  225  are formed at a desired angle with respect to one another on the outer peripheral surface of the stopper rib  223 . In the present exemplary embodiment, the stopper grooves  225  are formed in two pairs to match the stopper portions  231 . As the second hinge base  202  rotates, therefore, the stopper portions  231  are engaged with the stopper grooves  225 , respectively. When the stopper portions  231  are engaged with the stopper grooves  225 , the second hinge base  202  stops its rotation. When the stopper portions  231  are engaged with the stopper grooves  225  and enough exterior force to elastically deform the stopper portions  231  is applied to the stopper portions  231 , the second hinge base  202  may rotate.  
      In the conventional hinge device, the guide plate is interposed between the first and second hinge bases, while the balls are located between the second hinge device and the guide plate to act as stoppers. In the hinge device  200  according to exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the elastic member functions as a stopper, thereby allowing the hinge device to have a reduced thickness.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the portable terminal  300 , having the hinge device  200 , includes first and second housings  301  and  302  assembled with each other so as to be capable of folding toward each other, and a third housing  303  rotatably coupled to the second housing  302  while facing the second housing  302 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , the third housing  303  can rotate on the second housing  302  with respect to the second housing  302  and arrange the display unit  331  transversely, so that a user may conveniently use the display unit  331  for such activities as watching television using digital multimedia broadcasting services.  
      The first housing  301  has a keypad  311  and a transmitter  313  on a surface thereof. As the second housing  302  is folded toward the first housing  301 , the keypad  311  and the transmitter  313  are open and closed. The first housing  301  has side hinge arms  315  on both sides of one end of the first housing  301 , while speaker units  315   a  are mounted on outer surfaces of the side hinge arms  315  respectively.  
      The second housing  302  serves as a connecting member which connects the third housing  303  to the first housing  301 . The second housing  302  has a center hinge arm  325  formed at an end of the second housing  302  and coupled to the side hinge arms  315  so as to be capable of rotating around a first hinge axis A 1 . As the center hinge arm  325  is rotatably coupled to the side hinge arms  315 , the second housing can be assembled along with the third housing  303  with the first housing  301  to be folded toward the first housing  301 . A camera lens  329  may be provided to the center hinge arm  325 . The camera lens  329  can also rotate around the first hinge axis A 1  and take pictures from different angles.  
      The third housing  303  has the display unit  331  and a microphone  333  mounted on an inner surface thereof, and an outer surface of the third housing  303  is coupled around a second hinge axis A 2  to an inner surface of the second housing  302 .  
      At this time, the hinge device  200  allows the second housing  302  to be rotatably assembled with the third housing  303 . That is, the first hinge base  201  is fixed to one of the second and third housings  302  and  303 , while the second hinge base  202  is fixed to the other housing. Thus, the third housing  300  rotates around the second hinge axis A 2 , and may be transversely arranged.  
      When the third housing  303  rotates, the second hinge base  202  rotates with respect to the first hinge base  201 , and then stops its rotation when the stopper portions  231  are engaged with the stopper grooves  225 , respectively. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, there are two pairs of stopper portions  231  and stopper grooves  225  and they are arranged at equal angles. Therefore, the third housing  303  rotates by an angle of, for example, about 90 degrees around the second hinge axis A 2 , and then stops its rotation, thereby locating the display unit  321  transversely.  
      When the first and second hinge bases have the above-described constructions, the hinge device according to the exemplary embodiment of present invention can reduce the thickness of the portable terminal in comparison with the conventional hinge device. The conventional hinge device has a thickness of, for example, 4.5 mm, while the hinge device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention has a thickness of, for example, 3.15 mm. Therefore, it can be understood that the thickness of the hinge device according to the present invention may be reduced by, for example, up to about 30 percent, as compared with the conventional hinge device. Since a typical portable terminal  300  has a. thickness of about 30 mm, for example, the thickness of the portable terminal may be reduced by about 4 percent when the thickness of the hinge device is reduced by about 30 percent.  
      On the other hand, the hinge device  200  can be applied to portable terminals with any shape if the portable terminal has a pair of housings rotatably coupled to each other. For example, the hinge device may also applied to a bar type portable terminal in which a rotary housing provided with a display unit is rotatably mounted on a bar type housing. That is, the rotary housing is mounted on the bar type housing by means of the hinge device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. If the bar type portable terminal has a thickness of, for example, 20 mm˜25 mm, and the hinge device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is used with the bar type portable terminal, the thickness of the portable terminal is reduced by about 5˜7 percent.  
      As described above, the hinge device for the portable terminal according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which a pair of the housings are coupled to each other while facing each other and in which the number of parts is reduced so as to allow easy assembly, thereby contributing to increased manufacturing productivity. Furthermore, to produce the stopper function, the stacked stopper structure is replaced with a structure in which the elastic member presses the stopper rib, thereby minimizing the size of the portable terminal and improving the portability of the portable terminal.  
      While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.