Electronic device

This Application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 099201545, filed on Jan. 26, 2010, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

1. Field of the Invention

This application relates in general to an electronic device and in particular to a foldable laptop PC or tablet PC.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIG. 1 , a conventional tablet PC primarily comprises a main body 10 and a display module 20 pivotally connected to the main body 10 . When the display module 20 is unfolded with respect to the main body 10 , as shown in FIG. 1 , the display module 20 is rotatable around a first axis C 1 or a second axis C 2 for convenient viewing from different angles. When the display module 20 and the main body 10 are folded, as shown in FIG. 2 , a joining mechanism may be provided to restrict rotation or sliding of the display module 20 relative to the main body 10 .

Conventional laptop or tablet PCs apply hook and slot mechanisms to restrict relative motion between the display module 20 and the main body 10 . However, the hooks and slots may adversely affect aesthetic and integral appearance of the main body 10 or the display module 20 . Furthermore, the protruding hooks can easily be damaged due to impact or wear and tear.

The application provides an electronic device, including a main body, a display module pivotally connected to the main body, a first magnet in the main body, a second magnet in the display module, a lever movably disposed in the main body, and a joining member movably disposed in the main body and connected to the lever. When the display module and the main body are folded, the second magnet attracts the first magnet, and the lever pushes the joining member to protrude from the main body and join with the display module.

The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective diagrams of a conventional foldable tablet PC;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective diagrams of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4A is a perspective diagram of an unfolded display module with respect to a main body according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4B is a large view of the portion A 1 in FIG. 4A ;

FIG. 5A is a perspective diagram of a display module folded with respect to a main body according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5B is a large view of the portion A 2 in FIG. 5A .

An embodiment of an electronic device, such as a notebook PC or tablet PC shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B , primarily comprises a main body 100 and a display module 200 pivotally connected thereto. When using the electronic device, as the arrow shows in FIG. 3A , the display module 200 is unfolded with respect to the main body 100 . Furthermore, the display module 200 is rotatable around the X or Y axis with respect to the main body 100 , as shown in FIG. 3B , so that the users can see the screen D from different viewing angles. When the display module 200 and the main body 100 are folded, relative rotation between the display module 200 and the main body 100 is restricted by a joining mechanism as shown in FIGS. 4A-5B .

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B , wherein FIG. 4A is a perspective diagram showing the display module 200 unfolded with respect to the main body 100 , and FIG. 4B is a large view of the portion A 1 in FIG. 4A . The main body 100 in FIG. 4B comprises a first casing 110 with a joining member 120 , a lever L, a first magnet M 1 , a first spring R 1 , and a second spring R 2 disposed therein. When the display module 200 is unfolded, the joining member 120 is accommodated in a first opening H 1 of the first casing 110 , wherein a top surface of the joining member 120 is substantially aligned with a surface 111 of the first casing 110 , so as to not affect aesthetic and integral appearance of the main body 10 .

In FIG. 4B , the lever L is pivotally connected with the first casing 110 via a hinge 130 . The lever L comprises a first section L 1 and a second section L 2 fixed to each other, wherein the first section L 1 connects the hinge 130 with the first magnet M 1 , and the second section L 2 connects the first magnet M 1 with the joining member 120 . In this embodiment, the second section L 2 has a spoon-shaped portion with a bottom surface S 1 and a top surface S 2 formed thereon. The distance between the bottom surface S 1 and the first opening H 1 exceeds that of the top surface S 2 and the first opening H 1 .

The first spring R 1 in FIG. 4B is a tensional spring connecting the lever L with the first casing 110 . The second spring R 2 is a compression spring between and in contact with the joining member 120 and the first casing 110 . When the display module 200 is unfolded with respect to the main body 100 , the lever L is forced by the first spring R 1 , such that the first magnet M 1 is stationary in a first position P 1 , as shown in FIG. 4B . Additionally, the joining member 120 is forced by the second spring R 2 and hidden in the first opening H 1 . In this state, the joining member 120 does not protrude beyond the surface 111 of the first casing 110 to not affect aesthetic and integral appearance of the main body 10 .

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B , wherein the FIG. 5A is a perspective diagram showing the display module 200 folded with respect to the main body 100 , and FIG. 5B is a large view of the portion A 2 in FIG. 5A , wherein a second casing 210 of the display module 200 abuts with the first casing 110 of the main body 100 . As depicted in FIG. 5B , a second magnet M 2 is disposed in the display module 200 and attracts the first magnet M 1 from the first position P 1 to a second position P 2 when the display module 200 is folded to the main body 100 .

As the first magnet M 1 is attracted by the second magnet M 2 from the first position P 1 to the second position P 2 , the spoon-shaped portion of the lever L rotates around the hinge 130 . Meanwhile, the joining member 120 slides from the bottom surface S 1 through a slope S 12 to the top surface S 2 , as the arrow indicates in FIG. 5B . Thus, the joining member 120 is elevated and protrudes from the surface 111 of the first casing 110 , so as to join with a second opening H 2 of the second casing 210 .

As described above, when the display module 200 and the main body 100 are folded, the joining member 120 protrudes from the surface 111 of the first casing 110 and joins to the second opening H 2 of the second casing 210 by magnetic attraction between the first and second magnets M 1 and M 2 , so as to restrict rotation between the display module 200 and the main body 100 . On the contrary, when unfolding the display module 200 with respect to the main body 100 , the first and second magnets M 1 and M 2 are distanced from each other, the lever L is pushed by the first spring R 1 , so that the first magnet M 1 returns to the first position P 1 . Specifically, when the display module 200 is unfolded, the joining member 120 is forced by the second spring R 2 to disappear in the first opening H 1 , so as to not affect aesthetic and integral appearance of the main body 10 .

The present application provides an electronic device with a joining mechanism capable of not affect aesthetic and integral appearance thereof. Also, when of the electronic device is folded, rotation between the display module and the main body are restricted, thus providing convenient usage to users.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.