Tilting hinge

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a hinge, and more particularly to a tilting hinge suitably us able for supporting a personal computer monitor, television display unit and the like, which are of a stationary type.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] Recently, the liquid crystal display (LCD) has been used widely as a personal computer monitor, television display unit and the like. The display unit is thinner than the conventional cathode ray tube (CRT). Normally, the stationary type display unit is supported on a stand. To freely change the angle of the display unit in relation to the stand, the display unit is installed to the stand with a tilting hinge so that it can be tilted up and down, rotatable and horizontally oscillated to a desired position.

[0006] As a means for tilting up and down the display unit, tilting hinges have been proposed which employ a torsion spring having a torque with which the weight of the display unit can be supported and also a friction mechanism provided in addition to the torsion spring.

[0007] Many tilting hinges use only a friction mechanism for rotating the display unit but only a few use a means for oscillating the display unit horizontally.

[0008] In the well-known means for tilting up and down the display unit in relation to the stand, the moment generated when the display unit is tilted changes depicting a trigonometric function curve while the torque of the torsion spring changes linearly. Thus, the force of operation required for changing the angle of the display unit varies from one to another tilted angle of the display unit. Further, with an increased weight of the display unit and for easier operation of the tilting hinge for setting the display unit at a desired angle, the number of turns of the torsion spring should be increased, which will result in a large tilting hinge.

[0009] With the conventional means for rotating the display unit, the latter is rotated steplessly, so that the user will not feel no detent when the display unit is stopped and the weight and long-term use of the display unit will cause the friction mechanism to be abraded. As a result, the performance of the titling hinge will be lower so that the display unit cannot be stably stopped from rotating.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention has an object to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing a tilting hinge adapted such that the force of operation required for tilting up and down a display unit will not vary from one to another tilted angle of the display unit.

[0011] The present invention has another object to provide a tilting hinge with which the user can rotate the display unit with a detent and which can be used with no performance degradation even after it has been used for a long term and permits to oscillate the display unit horizontally.

[0012] The present invention has a still another object to provide a tilting hinge which can attain the above objects in combination.

[0013] The above object can be attained by providing a tilting hinge including a stand member, a fixing member installed to the top of the stand member with a pivot pin to be frictionally pivotable horizontally, a support member installed to either side plate of the fixing member with a hinge pin to be frictionally pivotable vertically, an actuator pin installed to either side plate of the support member and penetrated through an arcuate elongated hole formed in both the side plates of the fixing member, a slider provided in contact with the actuator pin to be slidable vertically between both the side plates of the fixing member, a compression spring provided between the slider and a bottom plate of the fixing member, and a rotating plate installed to the front side of the support member with a pivot pin to be frictionally pivotable vertically and to which the display unit is to be fixed.

[0014] In the above tilting hinge according to the present invention, means for frictionally pivoting the support member vertically in relation to the fixing member is provided with the hinge pin being installed to the fixing member and the support member being installed to the hinge pin to be tiltable up and down, a first friction washer is provided between one side of the support member and a large-diameter portion of the hinge pin with the hinge pin being inserted through the center of the first friction washer, a second friction washer is provided on the other side of the support member with the hinge pin being inserted through the center of the second friction washer, and a spring washer and pressing washer are provided adjacent to the second friction washer with the hinge pin being inserted through the centers of the spring and pressing washers, the pressing washer on the hinge pin being calked.

[0015] In the above tilting hinge according to the present invention, a cam is formed at a portion of the slider at which the slider is in contact with the actuator pin.

[0016] Further in the above tilting hinge according to the present invention, a detent stopping mean s is provided to stop the rotating plate with a detent.

[0017] Moreover, in the above tilting hinge according to the present invention, the detent stopping means is an elongated guide hole formed in the rotating plate and through which a stopper pin projected from the support member and a catch plate is provided at each of the beginning and trailing ends of the elongated guide hole to catch the stopper pin.

[0018] These objects and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a personal computer display unit, television display unit and the like of a stationary type, which are to be supported with the tilting hinge according to the present invention;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a front view of the tilting hinge according to the present invention;

[0021] FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the tilting hinge in FIG. 2;

[0022] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the tilting hinge in FIG. 2;

[0023] FIG. 5 is a rear view of the tilting hinge in FIG. 2;

[0024] FIG. 6 is an axial sectional view of the tilting hinge in FIG. 2;

[0025] FIG. 7 shows, enlarged in scale, the first friction mechanism A in FIG. 6;

[0026] FIG. 8 shows, enlarged in scale, the third friction mechanism in FIG. 6;

[0027] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view, enlarged in scale, of the second friction mechanism B of the tilting hinge according to the present invention;

[0028] FIG. 10 shows, enlarged in scale, the second friction mechanism in FIG. 9;

[0029] FIG. 11 is a front view of the shaft of the first friction mechanism A;

[0030] FIG. 12 is a front view of the shaft of the second friction mechanism B;

[0031] FIG. 13 is a front view of the shaft of the third friction mechanism C;

[0032] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the first friction washer used in the first and third friction mechanisms A and C.

[0033] Referring now to FIG. 1, there are illustrated a support stand 1 and a liquid crystal display unit (will be referred to as “LC display unit” hereinafter) 20. The LC display unit 20 is installed to the support stand by means of the tilting hinge according to the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 2 and subsequent Figures show the construction and major components of the tilting hinge according to the present invention. As shown, the tilting hinge includes a plate 2 for fixation to the top of the stand 1. The fixing plate 2 has a top plate 2ato which a support plate 3 bent to have a generally U shape as viewed from the front is installed to be frictionally pivotable horizontally by a first friction mechanism A.

[0035] As best shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 11 and 14, the first friction mechanism A includes a rotating shaft 4, first friction washer 5, second friction washer 6, spring washer 7, pressing washer 8 and a clamping nut 9. The rotating shaft 4 consists, axially thereof, a head portion 4a, middle- diameter portion 4bhaving a non-circular cross section (will be referred to as “non-circular middle-diameter portion” hereafter and the term “non-circular” will be used for a member having any shape other than a circular one), small-diameter portion 4c, non-circular small-diameter portion 4dand an externally threaded portion 4eformed on the non-circular small-diameter portion 4d. The support plate 3 consists of a base plate portion 3ahaving formed therein a through-hole 3bin which the non-circular middle-diameter portion 4bof the rotating shaft 4 is engaged. The fixing plate 2 has formed in the top plate 2athereof a circular bearing hole 2bthrough which the small-diameter portion 4cof the rotating shaft 4 is rotatably penetrated. The first friction washer 5 is provided between the bottom of the fixing plate 2 and support plate 3 and has formed in the center thereof a through-hole 5athrough which the small-diameter portion 4cof the rotating shaft 4 is penetrated. The first friction washer 5 has an engagement piece 5bprojecting from the edge thereof and engaged in an engagement hole 2cformed in the fixing plate 2. The second friction washer 6 is placed under the fixing plate 2, with the top plate portion 2aof the fixing plate 2 being placed between the first friction washer 5 and second friction washer 6. The second friction washer 6 has formed in the center thereof a non-circular through-hole 6ain which the non-circular small-diameter portion 4dof the rotating shaft 6 is engaged. The spring washer 7 has a circular through-hole 7aformed in the center thereof and the pressing washer 8 has a non-circular through-hole 8aformed in the center thereof. The spring washer 7 and pressing washer 8 are provided near the bottom of the second friction washer 6 with the non-circular portion 4bof the rotating shaft 4 being inserted through the circular through-hole 7aand non-circuit through-hole 8a. The clamping nut 9 is screwed on the external thread 4eof the non-circular small-diameter portion 4d, at the pressing washer 8, of the rotating shaft 4. Thus, the support plate 3 is frictionally rotatable horizontally only when the support plate 3 is applied with a predetermined rotation moment. Note that the frictionally rotating portion of the first friction mechanism A is applied with a lubricant. The first friction washer 5 has formed therein a plurality of oil traps 5cto receive the lubricant.

[0036] Further, the tilting hinge includes a fixing member 10 having side plate portions 10awhose lower portions are secured with screws 11 to respective side plate portions 3cthe support plate 3 has at the opposite ends thereof. The fixing member 10 is also a spring case. The fixing member 10 houses a compression spring 12 and a cam slider 13 fitted on the compression spring 12.

[0037] The tilting hinge further includes a support member 15 consisting of a pair of side plates 15a, each being bent to have a generally L shape, and a support plate portion 17. The side plates 15aof the support member 15 are installed to the tops of the side plate portions 10aof the fixing member 10 with a pair of hinge pins 14 to be frictionally pivotable up and down. The support plate portion 17 has a concavity 17aformed in the center thereof and is secured to the front side of the side plates 15awith screws or rivets 16. A rotating plate 19 is installed to the support plate portion 17 to be frictionally pivotable longitudinally about a shaft 18. The LC display unit 20 is to be fixed to the rotating plate 19. As best shown in FIG. 2, the rotating plate 19 has formed therein an arcuate elongated guide hole 19ain which a stopper pin 21 projected from the support plate portion 17 is guided. A catch plate 22 having a catcher 22ain which the stopper pin 21 is removably received is fixed at each of the beginning and trailing end of the elongated guide hole 19a.

[0038] Each of the side plate portions 10aof the fixing member 10 has an arcuate elongated guide hole 10bformed therein. The tilting hinge also includes an actuator 23 formed from an actuating pin. The actuating pin of the actuator 23 is provided between the side plates 15aof the support member 15 and penetrated through the arcuate elongated guide holes 10b. The tilting hinge also includes a slider 13 having a cam 13aformed on the upper side thereof The actuating pin of the actuator 23 abuts the cam 13aof the slider 13.

[0039] Further, the tilting hinge includes second friction mechanisms B which pivot the support member 15 frictionally up and down. Since the second friction mechanisms B are identical in construction to each other, only one of them will be described below concerning its internal structure with reference to FIGS. 9, 10, 12 and 14. Each of the above hinge pins 14 consists, axially thereof, of a non-circular fixing portion 14a, large-diameter portion 14band a small-diameter portion 14c. The support member 15 is coupled to the fixing member 10 tiltably up and down with the non-circular fixing portion 14aof the hinge pin 14 being fitted in a non-circular fixing hole 10cformed in the side plate portion 10aof the fixing member 10 while the small-diameter portion 14cof the hinge pin 14 is inserted in a through-hole 15bformed one of the side plates 15aof the support member 15. The side plate 15ais laid between a first friction washer 25 and second fiction washer 26 with the small-diameter portion 14cof the hinge pin 14 being inserted in through-hole 25aand 26aformed in the centers of the friction washers 25 and 26, respectively. At the second friction washer 26, there are further provided a spring washer 27 and plain washer 28 with the small-diameter portion 14cof the hinge pin 14 being inserted in through-holes 27aand 28aformed in the centers of the washers 27 and 28, respectively. The first friction washer 25 has an engagement piece 25bprojected from the outer edge thereof and which is engaged in an engagement recess 14dformed in the large-diameter portion 14bof the hinge pin 14, and the second friction washer 26 has an engagement piece 26bprojected from the outer edge thereof and which is engaged in an engagement hole 15cformed in the side plate 15aof the support member 15. By calking the plain washer 28 on the small-diameter portion 14cof the hinge pin 14, the first and second friction washers 25 and 26 are pressed to the side plate 15aof the support member 15. When the support member 15 is tilted, a friction torque will be generated in the pressed-contact portion. Note that the portions of the second friction mechanisms B which are frictionally pivoted are also applied with a lubricant.

[0040] Further, the tilting hinge includes a third friction mechanism C which frictionally pivots the rotating plate 19 in relation to the support plate portion 17 of the support member 15. The third friction mechanism C will further be described below with reference to FIGS. 6, 8, 13 and 14. The aforementioned shaft 18 consists, axially thereof, of a non-circular fixing portion 18a, large-diameter portion 18b, non-circular middle-diameter portion 18c, small-diameter portion 18dand a non-circular small-diameter portion 18e. The shaft 18 is secured to the support plate portion 17 with the non-circular fixing portion 18abeing fitted in a non-circular fixing hole 17bformed in the support plate portion 17 and calked at the end thereof. The non-circular middle-diameter portion 18cof the shaft 18 is inserted and engaged in a non-circular through-hole 31aformed in the center of a fixing spacer 31, and the small-diameter portion 18dis inserted rotatably in the arcuate elongated guide hole 19ain the rotating plate 19. The rotating plate 19 has provided on the opposite sides thereof a large-diameter first friction washer 32 and small-diameter friction washer 33, respectively, with the small-diameter portion 18dof the shaft 18 being inserted in through-holes 32aand 33aformed in the centers of the friction washers 32 and 33, respectively, and engagement pieces 32band 33bprojected from the edges of the friction washers 32 and 33, respectively, being engaged in engagement holes 19c, respectively, formed in the rotating plate 19. A spring washer 34 and pressing washer 35 are further provided adjacent to the small-diameter second friction washer 33 with the small-diameter portion 18dand non-circular small-diameter portion 18eof the shaft 18 being inserted in a through-hole 34aand non-circular through-hole 35aformed in the centers of the washers 34 and 35, respectively. The non-circular small-diameter portion 18eof the shaft 18 is externally threaded at 18f. By turning to tighten a clamping screw 36 on the external thread 18fon the non-circular small-diameter portion 18eof the shaft 18, the fixing spacer 31 and spring washer 34 are pressed to one side of the first and second friction washers 32 and 33, respectively. When the rotating plate 19 is rotated, a friction torque will be generated at the born position of the rotating plate 19. Note that the portion of the third friction mechanism C which is frictionally pivoted is also applied with a lubricant and the first friction washer 32 has a plurality of oil traps 32cformed therein.

[0041] Therefore, when the LC display unit 20 is pressed up or down in the direction of arrow (a) as in FIG. 1, the pressure is conveyed to the rotating plate 19 and support member 15 which will in turn be pivoted about the hinge pins 14. Thus the LC display unit 20 is allowed to be tilted. At this time, a torque generated about the axes of the hinge pins 14 due to the weight of the LC display unit 20 is canceled by a torque generated about the axes of the hinge pins 14 by the compression spring 12 and conveyed via the slider 13 and actuator 23, so that the LC display unit 20 will be sustained against spontaneous tumble. The display unit 30 is stopped and held stably at a desired tilted position owing to the friction generated by the second friction mechanisms B. At this time, since a curve depicted by the rotation moment generated by the compression spring 12 and the cam 13aof the slider 13 can be made to approximately coincide with that depicted by the torque of the LC display unit 20, the LC display unit 20 can always be tilted with the same operating force when at any tilted position.

[0042] Further, the up- and down-tilt angle of the LC display unit 20 is limited by the actuator 23 fitted in the elongated guide holes 10b.

[0043] For turning the LC display unit 20 from a vertical position (with the long side being upright) to a horizontal position (with the long side being horizontal) or vice versa, the LC display unit 20 is to be rotated by hand in the direction of arrow (c) as in FIG. 1. In this case, the tilting hinge according to the present invention functions as will be described herebelow. Namely, as the LC display unit 20 is rotated to the vertical position, it will leave the catcher 22aof one of the catch plates 22 that is holding the stopper pin 21, the shaft 18 be frictionally pivoted about the shaft 18 by a friction generated by the third friction mechanism C, the stopper pin 21 is moved along the elongated guide hole 19aand engaged in the catcher 22aof the other catch plate 22, and thus the LC display unit 20 is stably stopped after rotated through 90 deg. Since the LC display unit 20 is controlled in rotation to the vertical position by the third friction mechanism C, it will stably be stopped and held at a desired angle which is smaller than 90 deg. At such a position, the user will feel a detent when the stopper pin 21ais engaged in the catcher 22aof the catch plate 22.

[0044] For oscillating the LC display unit 20 horizontally in the direction of arrow (b) as in FIG. 1, the LC display unit 20 is to be pressed clockwise or counterclockwise. The force applied to the LC display unit 20 will be conveyed to the rotating plate 19, support member 15, fixing,member 10 and then to the support plate 3 which will in turn be rotated along with the rotating shaft 4 and against the frictional resistance of the first friction mechanism A, thereby permitting to stably stop the LC display unit 20 at a desired oscillated position.

[0045] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the torque may be changed as desired by changing the resilience of the compression spring 12, shape of the cam 13aof the slider 13, shape of the actuator 23 and the distance between the actuator 23 and hinge pin 14.

[0046] According to another aspect of the present invention, the support plate 3 may be formed integrally with the fixing member 10, and also a resilience of the compression spring 12, shape of the cam 13aof the slider 13, shape of the actuator 23 and a distance between the actuator 23 and hinge pin 14 may freely be selected as mentioned above. Moreover, the first to third friction mechanisms A to C are not limited to the above-mentioned ones. Namely, the first to third friction mechanisms A to C may be swapped among them, and it may freely be selected as necessary how to use each of the friction washers, that is, whether it should be engaged on the rotating shaft or on any other member and on which side of each friction washer the friction torque should be generated. Furthermore, the support member 15 may be provided integrally with the side plates 15aand support member 17 although they are provided separated in the embodiment having been described above. The tilting hinge is adapted for the LC display unit 20 to be stopped with a detent at a single position or at a plurality of positions when the LC display unit 20 is at a middle angular position.

[0047] In the aforementioned embodiment, the non-circular portions of the rotating shaft 4, hinge pin 14 and shaft 18 are formed to have a generally elliptic cross section by cutting the components at both sides. However, this cross-sectional shape may be a semi-circularity, a polygon or a recessed circle. In this case, the non-circular through-holes in which the non-circular portions are to be inserted should be formed to match the shapes of the mating non-circular portions.