Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Hinge – Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-24
2004-07-20
Mah, Chuck Y. (Department: 3676)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Hinge
Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...
C016S340000, C016S330000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06763552
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a shaft lock apparatus that is included in a member, such as a display device of a notebook personal computer, a notebook word processor, a mobile terminal apparatus, or an LCD monitor, or a rotatable lid of various machines, or the like, whose tilt angle is necessary to be adjusted.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 21
illustrates a conventional shaft lock apparatus stated in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2547422. This shaft lock apparatus is composed of a slider washer
110
, a rotating member
120
, a friction washer
130
, a spring washer
140
, and a retaining washer
150
, all of which are coaxially installed onto a shaft
100
. Moreover, in the rotating member
120
there is formed a fitting plate
123
, which is to be affixed to the main body of the device supporting a display panel or the like so as to be capable of being rotated.
The shaft
100
is furnished with a flange
101
, a fitting-axis portion
102
that extends from one side of the flange
101
and whose tip end is noncircular in shape, and a connecting-axis portion
103
that extends from the other side of the flange
101
and that is circular shaped. This shaft
100
, whose fitting-axis portion
102
is attached to a mating member, such as a display panel, rotates with the rotation of the mating member as one united body.
The connecting-axis portion
103
passes through the slider washer
110
, the rotating member
120
, the friction washer
130
, the spring washer
140
, and the retaining washer
150
, and in each of the slider washer
110
, the rotating member
120
, the friction washer
130
, the spring washer
140
, and the retaining washer
150
, the axial holes
111
,
121
,
131
,
141
, and
151
are formed so that the aforementioned the connecting-axis portion can pass through them. By caulking the passing-end portion of the connecting-axis portion
103
that passes through these members, the slider washer
110
, the rotating member
120
, the friction washer
130
, the spring washer
140
, and the retaining washer
150
are put together in such a way that the spring washer
140
and the retaining washer
150
closely contact with each other, being subject to pressure by the spring washer
140
. Because this pressure produces friction torque, the shaft
100
and the rotating member
120
are held at any intended angle, and as a result the tilt angle of the display panel can be adjusted.
In such a conventional shaft lock apparatus, it is not specified which member rotates, because any member can rotate against the shaft
100
at the time of the relative rotation of the shaft
100
and the rotating member
120
. Consequently, the region where friction arises cannot be specified, and the friction torque varies in the different rotating members. This makes it impossible to secure stable friction torque. Also, because of the complicated structure of the apparatus, the number of the members that cause friction torque is large and it is difficult to assemble the apparatus.
The object of the present invention, based on the consideration of the aforementioned problems of the conventional apparatus, is to provide a shaft lock apparatus that is capable of causing stable friction torque and that is capable of keeping any intended tilt angle by a simple structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention set forth in claim
1
is characterized such that it consists of:
(1) a rotating member, through which the shaft passes in a condition of free rotation, and
(2) an elastic pressure member that has (a) a belt-like flat portion of a specified width, and (b) rising portions that bend in the same direction from both sides of the flat portion, and whose flat portion is arranged in a direction such that the flat portion directly contacts the rotating member, or
(3) an elastic pressure member that has a curved shape, and is arranged in such a way that its central part directly contacts the rotating member; and such that it is furnished with
(1) said elastic pressure member, through which the aforementioned shaft passes, and which keeps the angle between the rotating member and the shaft at any desired degree by pressing the rotating member; and
(2) a retaining plate, through which the aforementioned shaft passes under a condition such that the shaft's rotation is restricted, and which presses said elastic pressure member onto the rotating member.
In this invention, because the rotation of the elastic pressure member is bound against the shaft, the elastic pressure member rotates as one united body with the shaft when the relative rotation of the shaft and the rotating member occurs. In this rotation, the angle between the rotating member and the shaft can be kept at any desired degree because the friction torque arises due to the elastic pressure member pressing against the rotating member. In such a structure, it is possible to stabilize the friction torque because the elastic pressure member always rotates together with the shaft. In addition, because the number of the parts is small the structure is simple, and therefore assembly is easy.
The elastic pressure member in this invention is either
(1) an elastic pressure member that has (a) a belt-like flat portion of a specified width, and (b) rising portions that bend in the same direction from both ends of the flat portion, and that is arranged in such a direction that its flat portion directly contacts the rotating member, or
(2) an elastic pressure member that has a curved shape, and is arranged in such a way that its central part directly contacts the rotating member.
When the elastic pressure member that has rising portions on both sides of its flat portion presses against the rotating member, the borders between the flat portion and the rising portions linearly contact the rotating member, whereby friction torque is produced. By this linear contact, the desired contact length can be ensured, and stable friction torque also can be obtained because the two portions on the two sides of the flat portions contact the rotating member. When the shaft rotates under this condition, the elastic pressure member rotates together with the shaft, and therefore the borders of the flat portion and the rising portions whirl around the shaft. Thus, because the borders of the flat portion and the rising portions contact with the rotating member in a circle track, the area of contact between the rotating member and the elastic pressure member increases, whereby abrasion of the two members is decreased and their durability improves.
In the case of an elastic pressure member that has a curved shape, its central part contacts the rotating member in such a way that the shape of the contacting area becomes circular, whereby friction torque is produced. Therefore, stable friction torque can be obtained. In this case, when the shaft rotates, the elastic pressure member rotates together with the shaft as one body, where the contact area between the shaft and the elastic pressure member has a circular shape, so the friction between the two members is decreased and their durability is improved.
The invention set forth in claim
4
is characterized such that it consists of
(1) a rotating member, through which the shaft passes in a condition of free rotation, and
(2) an elastic pressure member that has (a) a belt-like flat portion of a specified width, and (b) rising portions that bend in the same direction from both sides of the flat portion, and whose flat portion is arranged in such a direction that the flat portion directly contacts the rotating member, or
(3) an elastic pressure member that has a curved shape and that is arranged in such a way that its central part directly contacts the rotating member; and such that it is furnished with
(1) an elastic pressure member, through which the aforementioned shaft passes under a condition such that the shaft's rotation is bound, and which keeps the angle between the rotating member and the shaft at any desired degree by pre
Ikeda Hiroshi
Kitamura Yoshiharu
Otake Naohiko
Saitoh Makoto
Watadani Eiji
Lowe Hauptman & Gilman & Berner LLP
Mah Chuck Y.
NHK Spring Co. Ltd.
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