Hinge assembly for portable electronic device

A foldable electronic device having at least two components hinged together by a hinge assembly, said hinge assembly comprising:

• a main shaft having an outer thread at one end thereof;
• a cam comprising a surface at an one end thereof, the cam defining an inner thread engaging with the outer thread of the main shaft;
• a follower comprising a latching surface at one end thereof, a central hole receiving the main shaft therethrough, the latching surface abutting the surface of the cam;
• a first elastic element;
• a control abutting against the first elastic element, and merely being linearly moveable;
• a sleeve;
• and
• a second elastic element for biasing the follower;
• wherein
• when the control is axially moved to a first axial position to compress the spring, one end of the control is released from the sleeve so as to allow the sleeve with the cam and the follower to be rotated by means of a biasing force generated by the second elastic element;
• when said slider is axially moved to a second axial position and engaged with the sleeve by means of a biasing force generated by the first elastic element, the cam and the follower stop rotating.

A foldable electronic device comprising:

• a first component of said foldable electronic device comprising a main shaft disposed therein and movable along therewith;
• a second component of said foldable electronic device comprising a cam disposed therein and movable along therewith, said cam movably engagable with said main shaft to connect said first component with said second component, and movement of said cam being simultaneously axial along said main shaft and rotary about said main shaft due to engagement thereof with said main shaft;
• a follower movably disposed next to said cam and resiliently movable between a first position thereof and a second position thereof along said main shaft in said electronic device;
• and
• a control disposed next to said follower and operable from an outside of said electronic device, said control controllable engagable with said follower so as to confine exclusively axial movement of said follower from said first position thereof to said second position thereof in order for closing said second component onto said first component, and disengagable from said follower by outside operation so as to release said follower to move axially and rotarily together with said cam from said second position thereof to said first position thereof in order for opening said second component away from said first component.