Hinge module and foldable device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9244497-B2
Application number	US-201314064214-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2013
Priority date	Jul 3, 2013
Publication date	Jan 26, 2016
Grant date	Jan 26, 2016

Abstract

A hinge module is disposed between a first body and a second body. A first bracket is fixed on the first body to fix a shaft. A second bracket is fixed on the second body and passed through by the shaft, so that the second bracket can be rotated relative to the first bracket. An electromagnet is installed on the shaft. A magnetic element is installed on the shaft, and capable of being attracted or repelled with the electromagnet. At least one of the electromagnet and the magnetic element is capable of being moved along the shaft axially but substantially incapable of being rotated with the shaft as an axis. When the electromagnet is activated, at least one of the electromagnet and the magnetic element is axially moved to press the second bracket to increase a torque of a rotation of the second bracket relative to the first bracket.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hinge module adapted to be disposed between a first body and a second body to facilitate in rotating the second body relative to the first body, and the hinge module comprises:
a shaft;
a first bracket fixed on the first body and fixedly supporting the shaft;
a second bracket fixed on the second body and rotatably passed through by the shaft, for rotating the second bracket relative to the first bracket;
an electromagnet directly or indirectly installed on the shaft; and
a magnetic element directly or indirectly installed on the shaft, and attracted to or repelled by the electromagnet under the magnetic force of the electromagnet;
wherein at least one of the electromagnet and the magnetic element is movable axially along the shaft but not rotatable with the shaft as an axis, and in response to the force of the electromagnet being activated by electric power, at least one of the electromagnet and the magnetic element is moved axially to a first position and presses the second bracket to increase a rotational friction, and thereby a torsion required for a rotation of the second bracket relative to the first bracket is increased,
wherein the second bracket has a bearing to be passed through by the shaft, the bearing includes a first lateral side and a second lateral side opposite to each other, the electromagnet is installed adjacent to the first lateral side and incapable of being moved axially, the magnetic element is installed on the shaft adjacent to the second lateral side and capable of being moved axially, and the electromagnet generates a magnetic attraction force to attract the magnetic element so as to move the magnetic element to the first position to press the second lateral side of the bearing.

2. A hinge module adapted to be disposed between a first body and a second body to facilitate in rotating the second body relative to the first body, and the hinge module comprises:
a shaft;
a first bracket fixed on the first body and to fixedly supporting the shaft;
a second bracket fixed on the second body and rotatably passed through by the shaft, for rotating the second bracket relative to the first bracket;
an electromagnet directly or indirectly installed on the shaft; and
a magnetic element directly or indirectly installed on the shaft, and attracted to or repelled by the electromagnet under the magnetic force of the electromagnet;
wherein at least one of the electromagnet and the magnetic element is movable axially along the shaft but not rotatable with the shaft as an axis, and in response to the force of the electromagnet being activated by electric power, at least one of the electromagnet and the magnetic element is moved axially to a first position and presses the second bracket to increase a rotational friction, and thereby a torsion required for a rotation of the second bracket relative to the first bracket is increased,
wherein the second bracket has a bearing rotatably passed through by the shaft, the bearing includes a first lateral side and a second lateral side opposite to each other, the electromagnet is installed adjacent to the first lateral side and incapable of being moved axially, the magnetic element is installed on the shaft and between the electromagnet and the second bracket and capable of being moved axially, and the electromagnet generates a magnetic repulsion force to repel the magnetic element so as to move the magnetic element to the first position to press the first lateral side of the bearing.

3. The hinge module of claim 1 , further comprising:
a restraint element capable of generating a magnetic attraction force with the magnetic element, which is fixed on the shaft and spaced apart from the bearing by a distance greater than a thickness of the magnetic element, so that the magnetic element is capable of being moved axially between the bearing and the restraint element, and magnetically attached to the restraint element without touching the bearing in case the electromagnet is not working.

4. The hinge module of claim 3 , further comprising:
a spacer fixed on the shaft and sandwiched between the bearing and the restraint element so the magnetic element is capable being moved axially on the spacer.

5. The hinge module of claim 1 , further comprising:
a bearing located on the second bracket, and passed through by the shaft; and
an elastic piece tube telescoped on the shaft and maintained in pressing at least one side of the bearing, so as to generate a basic torsion of the rotation of second bracket relative to the first bracket.

6. The hinge module of claim 4 , wherein the magnetic element has an inner bevel surface, and an outer bevel surface formed on the spacer or the shaft within a range of axial movement of the magnetic element, so that the magnetic element is capable of being moved axially when the magnetic element is restricted from rotating with the shaft as the axis after being installed on the spacer or the shaft.

7. The hinge module of claim 1 , further comprising an angle detector adapted to detect an included angle between the second bracket and the first bracket.

8. The hinge module of claim 7 , wherein the angle detector includes a variable resistor, and the variable resistor further includes a fixing element and a movable element, the fixing element is directly and indirectly fixed on the shaft, and the movable element is directly or indirectly fixed on the second bracket so as to be rotated synchronously with the second bracket, so that the included angle between the second bracket and the first bracket is correspondingly obtained through a variation of resistance values obtained when rotating the movable element relative to the fixing element.

9. The hinge module of claim 7 , wherein the angle detector includes a triggering member, and the triggering member further includes a triggering cam and a triggering switch capable of driving the electromagnet, the triggering cam is directly or indirectly fixed on the second bracket so as to be rotated synchronously with the second bracket in relative to the shaft, and the triggering switch is fixed on a rotation path of the triggering cam, so that the second bracket is touched and pressed by the triggering cam when rotating the second bracket relative to the first bracket to a preset angle, thereby driving the electromagnet.

10. The hinge module of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnet is controlled by a control command, and the control command includes at least one of commands for driving the electromagnet, controlling a current size, or altering a magnetic field direction of the electromagnet.

11. A foldable device, comprising:
a first body;
a second body; and
a hinge module disposed between the first body and the second body to facilitate rotation of the second body relative to the first body, and the hinge module comprises:
a shaft;
a first bracket fixed on the first body and fixedly supporting the shaft;
a second bracket fixed on the second body and rotatably passed through by the shaft, for rotating the second bracket relative to the first bracket;
an electromagnet directly or indirectly installed on the shaft; and
a magnetic element directly or indirectly installed on the shaft, and attracted or repelled with the electromagnet under the magnetic force of the electromagnet;
wherein at least one of the electromagnet and the magnetic element is movable axially along the shaft but not rotatable with the shaft as an axis, and in response to the force of the electromagnet activated by electric power, at least one of the electromagnet and the magnetic element is moved axially to a first position and presses the second bracket to increase a rotational frict

Assignees

• Wistron Corp

Inventors

• Tsai Shao-Huai

Classifications

• E05Y2900/606

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• G06F1/1679

  for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA (G06F1/1681 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y10T16/5401

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G06F1/1616

  with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position · CPC title

• G06F1/1681 Primary

  Details related solely to hinges (hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683) · CPC title