US 11,953,950 B2
Articulated hinge device and electronic device using the same
Tetsuo Kondo, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to KEM HONGKONG LIMITED, Tsimshatsui (HK)
Filed by KEM HONGKONG LIMITED, Kowloon (HK)
Filed on Jun. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/839,763.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-109206 (JP), filed on Jun. 30, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0004198 A1, Jan. 5, 2023
Int. Cl. G06F 1/16 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 1/1681 (2013.01) [G06F 1/1652 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An articulated hinge device for coupling a first casing and a second casing of an electronic device in a foldable manner by a relative folding motion between an opened position and closed position, said articulated hinge device being arranged on a back side of a flexible display sheet attached over inner surfaces of both said first casing and said second casing, said articulated hinge device comprising:
a frame portion consisting of an odd number (1+2n, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2) of vertical frames arranged in parallel along a width direction, a shorter-side direction thereof being said width direction and a longitudinal direction thereof being a vertical direction,
a first base frame arranged in parallel with a vertical frame at one end of said frame portion in said width direction and attached to said first casing;
a second base frame arranged in parallel with a vertical frame at the other end of said frame portion in said width direction and attached to said second casing;
an articulated portion comprising articulation joints respectively arranged between adjacent frames for rotatably displacing adjacent frames along a predetermined trajectory, while changing directions and angles of rotation thereof in a frame row composed of said first base frame and said second base frame, both base frames being parallel to each other on both sides in said width direction of said odd number of vertical frames;
a synchronous driving portion for coupling said adjacent frames in a frame row in series by gears and for synchronously displacing each of said adjacent frames in a direction away from each other, said first base frame and said second base frame shifting relative to each other in a closed position direction, and synchronously displacing each of said adjacent frames in the direction in which the both move away from each other, said first base frame and said second base frame shifting relative to each other in an opening direction;
a stop holding portion for stopping said first base frame in a rotation movement thereof relative to said vertical frame adjacent to said first base frame, as well as said second base frame in a rotation movement thereof relative to said vertical frame adjacent to said second base frame, and for holding them between said closed position and said opened position; and
wherein said synchronous driving portion is configured to ensure that a plurality of synchronous gear trains are provided along said width direction, wherein three adjacent frames in parallel are coupled as one group by gears in series, and said synchronous gear trains adjacent along said width direction share said two adjacent frames close to the adjacent synchronous gear train among three gears which make up one group.