Description SLIDE HINGE

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a slide hinge used to allow a sliding-type apparatus to be opened/closed, and more particularly to a technology which can improve a sliding-type construction so as to achieve simplification of a structure, as well as improvement in performance. Background Art

[2] Portable appliances, such as a mobile terminal, a camera, etc., have suggested various kinds of opening/closing manners in view of a function and a design. In a case where an appliance is opened and closed in such a manner that the front surface part of the appliance slides respective to the main body, a slide hinge, such as a push rod, a spring, etc., is interposed between the front surface part and the main body part so as to generate an operating force.

[3] As shown in FIG. 1, in a conventional slide hinge, coil springs 2 are arranged within rods 1 , which can extend and retract, so as to generate extension and compression force in a linear direction or a curved direction. As shown in FIGs. 2A to 2C, end parts 3 and 3a of the slide hinge are assembled with a lower part of a front surface part A of the appliance and an upper part of a main part B thereof, respectively. Therefore, while sliding is performed (FIG.2A <-> FIG. 2C), the rods 1 extend and retract within rod guides 4 so as to allow the front surface part A to move upward and downward. However, the circumferential surface of each of the rods 1 is more than 1.2mm although based on 4 rods, and when another component included therein is considered, the thickness of each rod 1 becomes more than 1.5mm. Therefore, this is obstacle to sliming the appliance.

[4] Also, at least two ~ four springs are required, and at least two ~ four rods are required so that the number of a welding and a fastening point for assembling with parts has to be 4-6. Accordingly, there is a limit in reducing a prime cost and slimness, and assembling with a plurality of parts also adversely affects durability of a product so that the degree of decrease of force according to increase of the number of parts to be opened/closed is relatively high. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[5] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the present invention provides a slide hinge which achieves structural simplification so as to reduce a prime cost and also improve slimness of an appliance including the slide

hinge.

Technical Solution

[6] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a slide hinge including: a torsion elastic member including one spiral shaped part formed in an inner direction and another spiral shaped part formed from a center of the one torsion toward an outer direction at a same plane as the one spiral shaped part so as to have two torsion layers, the torsion elastic member having both ends opposite to each other; and a pair of end receiving parts receiving both ends of the torsion elastic member so as to fix both ends in a main body of the slide hinge, wherein the pair of end receiving parts is connected with bridges extending while having a arc-shape, the bridges are assembled with each other by stepped jaws included at a track while being positioned at an inner side and an outer side at a same level, respectively, the bridge positioned at the outer side has a length allowing the outer bridge to be positioned within an interior angle formed at a dead center by both end receiving parts when the main body slides, the bridge positioned at an inner side has a length allowing the inner bridge to be assembled with the outer bride at an initial state where the main body slides, or at a state where the main body completes sliding movement, the end receiving parts are installed opposite to each other while centering the torsion elastic member, and the bridges assembled with each other reciprocally move along the stepped jaws while keeping their assembling when the main body slides.

Advantageous Effects

[7] According to the present invention, the number of components of a slide hinge is reduced into three components, and a sliding hinge is completely assembled when a torsion elastic member is assembled with an end receiving part which is an injection- molding part, or only end receiving parts are engaged with each other after the torsion elastic member is insertion-injected. Therefore, a process thereof is remarkably simplified so that mass-productivity increases.

[8] Also, in view of the function of the slide hinge, the end receiving part encloses the end part of the torsion elastic member so that flatness can be secured and the weight and the prime cost of a product can be remarkably reduced.

[9] Particularly, the end receiving part according to the present invention can be designed suitably for the configuration of the torsion elastic member, and is designed so as not to excess the thickness of the torsion elastic member due to a stepped jaw part. Therefore, the slide hinge can have a thickness of 0.8- 1.2mm so that the height of the device is half of the height of the conventional art.

[10] Also, since the torsion elastic member according to the present invention can relatively increase preload within a limited space, a stable force is easily implemented

at both ends of the slide hinge. Accordingly, the operating angle of the torsion elastic member decreases so that reliability increases. Brief Description of the Drawings

[11] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[12] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an example of a slide hinge using a conventional push rod;

[13] FIGs. 2A to 2C are a view illustrating an example of the operation of a conventional slide hinge;

[14] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the construction of a slide hinge according to the present invention;

[15] FIGs. 4A and 4B are a view illustrating a sliding hinge according to the present invention completely assembled; and

[16] FIGs. 5 A to 5C are a view illustrating an example of operation of a slide hinge according to the present invention. Mode for the Invention

[17] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[18] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the construction of a slide hinge according to the present invention, in which a torsion elastic member 10 and a pair of end receiving parts 20 and 30 are illustrated.

[19] The torsion elastic member 10 according to the present invention has one spiral shaped part formed in an inner direction while making one torsion layer and the other spiral shaped part formed from the center thereof toward an outer direction at the same plane as the one spiral shaped part while making another torsion layer, so that the torsion elastic member 10 has the two torsion layers. The torsion elastic member 10 has both ends 102 and 103 formed toward directions opposite to each other at different torsion layers, respectively. If the both ends are properly supported, preload can easily increase so that a stable fore can be implemented under the above structure.

[20] Assembling end parts 201 and 301 of the end receiving parts 20 and 30 are installed opposite to each other at both ends 102 and 103 of the torsion elastic member 10, respectively. Therefore, the assembling end parts 201 and 301 are fixed in a main body, and are connected with each other by bridges 40 and 50 of an arc- shape extending from other ends 202 and 302.

[21] The bridges 40 and 50 are parts which linearly move while repeatedly retracing and expending according to the operation of the torsion elastic member when the main

body slides, and the end receiving parts which are injection-molding parts, allow the bridges 40 and 50 to be adapted for the operation of the torsion elastic member.

[22] Such end receiving parts 20 and 30 are installed at the torsion elastic member 10 so that the operation of the torsion elastic member can be regularly performed and deformation of the torsion elastic member can be delayed. So as to insert the torsion elastic member 10 into the end receiving parts 20 and 30, a groove or stepped jaws 202 and 203, at which the torsion elastic member 10 can be positioned, are formed at the end receiving parts 20 and 30 so that the end parts 102 and 103 of the torsion elastic member 10 can be fixed in the groove or the stepped jaws.

[23] At this time, it is important to fix or support the ends parts 102 and 103 so as to prevent the torsion elastic member from being separated from the end receiving parts. This can be achieved by bending, receiving, and supporting ends thereof 104 and 105.

[24] As shown in the front view of FIG. 4A and the rear view of FIG. 4B, the bridges 40 and 50 are assembled while being positioned at an inner side A and an outer side B, respectively by stepped jaws 401 and 501 included at a track along which bridges move. The bridge 40 positioned at the outer side has a length C allowing the bridge 40 to be positioned within an exterior angle formed at a dead center by both the end receiving parts when the main body slides as shown in FIG. 5B. The bridge 50 positioned at the inner side has a length D allowing the bridge 50 to be assembled with the outer bride 40 (a length allowing the inner bridge to reach the outer bridge) at an initial state where the main body slides as shown in FIG. 5A or at a state where sliding of the main body is completed as shown in FIG. 5C.

[25] As a result, a bridge having a shorter length is positioned at the outer side so that lengths of bridges are controlled so as to prevent the end receiving parts (or bridges) from being obstacles while an interior angle is changed according to the sliding movement. The pair of bridges has to have a limit means such as a latching jaw, etc., at assembling ends 402 and 502 so that a movement range thereof is limited so as to prevent the bridges from being released. The stepped jaws 401 and 501 are included at the track. The stepped jaw 401 of the outer bridge 40 has a lower inner part, and the stepped jaw 501 of the inner bridge 50 has a lower outer part so that the stepped jaws are engaged with each other so as to form a path along which the brides move.

[26] Accordingly, the pair of end receiving parts is installed opposite to each other while centering the torsion elastic member as shown in FIGs. 4A and 4B, and the bridges engaged with each other reciprocally move along the stepped jaws while keeping their engagement as shown in FIGs. 5A to 5C when the main body slides.