Apparatus to perform load measurements on hinged devices

Abstract

To provide a method and an apparatus for performing load measurements on a flexible substrate related to material testing.SOLUTION: An example hinged device flexible substrate testing system includes: a first plate comprising a first surface configured to hold stationary a first side of a hinged device under test; a second plate comprising a second surface configured to hold a second side of the hinged device under test; a first cam follower coupled to the second plate; a first drive arm configured to move the first cam follower to cause the second plate to rotate about a hinge pivot axis of the hinged device under test; an actuator configured to rotate the drive arm; and a load cell configured to measure loads on the first plate while the actuator moves the second plate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [Related Applications] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 018,130, entitled "METHODS AND APPARATUS TO PERFORM LOAD MEASUREMENTS ON HINGED DEVICES," filed April 30, 2020, and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 220,587, entitled "METHODS AND APPARATUS TO PERFORM LOAD MEASUREMENTS ON HINGED DEVICES," filed April 1, 2021. The entirety of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 018,130 and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 220,587 are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This disclosure relates generally to materials testing, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for making load measurements on flexible substrates. [Background technology]

[0003] Reliability testing of an assembly, or exercising components of an assembly, may involve repeatedly subjecting the components to intended and / or unintended motion to verify reliable operation of the components and / or assembly for a defined minimum number of motion cycles. For example, reliability testing of a flexible substrate may involve repeatedly bending the substrate in one or more ways while testing for continuous operation of the device and / or monitoring for various failure modes. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A method and apparatus for performing load measurements on a hinged device is disclosed substantially as shown in and described in connection with at least one of the drawings, as more fully set forth in the claims.

[0005] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters represent like parts throughout. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary hinged device testing system for performing mechanical property tests on hinged devices, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0007] [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the hinged device test system of FIG. 1.

[0008] [Figure 3] 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the hinged device testing system of FIG. 1.

[0009] [Figure 4A] 4 is a front view of the exemplary hinged device testing system of FIG. 3 with the hinged device in an open or deployed position.

[0010] [Figure 4B] 4 is a front view of the exemplary hinged device testing system of FIG. 3 with the hinged device in a closed or folded position.

[0011] [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a more detailed view of an exemplary first plate, flexure, and load cell.

[0012] [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a side view of the exemplary hinged device testing system of FIG. 3.

[0013] [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the exemplary hinged device testing system of FIG. 3.

[0014] [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of another exemplary embodiment of the translation linkage of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The drawings are not necessarily to scale.

[0016] Where appropriate, like or identical reference numbers are used to refer to like or identical components.

[0017] Flexible specimens often include assemblies and / or devices with constraining mechanisms, such as simple hinges, double hinges, elliptical mechanisms, and / or other forms of constraints. Conventional measurement systems are not capable of characterizing the forces associated with flexible specimens with such constraining mechanisms because they cannot bend such specimens without over-constraining the specimen (resulting in damage) and / or because the reaction forces generated by the constraining mechanisms are typically orders of magnitude greater than the reaction forces generated by the flexible material specimen.

[0018] The disclosed exemplary hinged device testing systems perform repetitive stress testing and / or load measurements on hinged devices while reducing or minimizing additional stresses imposed on the hinged device by the hinged device testing system itself. For example, some disclosed hinged device testing systems allow the system to fold the specimen while allowing the specimen's constraining device(s) (e.g., hinge(s)) to determine the specimen's exact bending path, thereby testing the specimen in the same manner as it will ultimately be used for its intended purpose.

[0019] Some disclosed hinged device test systems include fixtures that provide for repeated folding and unfolding of hinged devices, such as hinged mobile electronic devices (e.g., smartphones). In some examples, the test system is configured so that the hinges of the hinged device control the folding and unfolding path of the bendable substrate while measuring the forces on the bendable substrate. Disclosed examples configure the fixture, such as a guide for moving parts, so that the fixture does not create additional forces on the hinge(s) of the hinged device when the sides of the hinged device are folded or unfolded together.

[0020] In some examples, the hinged device testing system includes a translational linkage that limits forces on the device that are not in a direction that is being measured using the hinged device testing system. As one example, the translational linkage can convert lateral forces on the measured side(s) of the hinged device into forces in the direction of measurement (e.g., forces normal to the plane of the hinged device, forces associated with the hinge's resistance to bending, etc.).

[0021] Disclosed examples of hinged device testing systems include a dynamic or moving portion and a stationary load-measuring portion. An example of the dynamic portion includes a rotating shaft that articulates multiple drive arms. Each drive arm features a slot through which a cam follower (e.g., a bearing) is free to move radially along the drive arm. Each bearing is fixed to a common mounting plate, which moves the portion of the hinged device attached to the mounting plate. The stationary load-measuring portion is fixed to the same base plate as the dynamic side. The stationary side features a static, stationary mounting plate to which another portion of the hinged device is attached. In some examples, the stationary mounting plate is suspended above the base plate using a parallel fixture. In addition to the parallel fixture, a load cell (e.g., including a corresponding adapter component) connects the stationary mounting plate to the base plate.

[0022] In some examples, the stationary side also includes a rigid attachment point that is decoupled from the load measurement path, and portions of the hinge can be attached to the attachment point to reduce or eliminate the hinge force. By providing a rigid attachment point for the specimen constraint mechanism, the disclosed examples allow for sensitive measurement of specimen bending forces because the reaction forces associated with the constraint mechanism are isolated from the load measurement.

[0023] The disclosed exemplary hinged device testing system is versatile enough to accommodate a variety of constraint mechanisms, including hinges, double hinges, and yet-to-be-conceived mechanisms. The disclosed examples can accommodate different specimen sizes with little or no adjustment (e.g., 2 mm bend, 3 mm bend, etc.). The disclosed examples can be expanded to test multiple specimens at once by connecting the specimens to the same drive shaft. Furthermore, the disclosed exemplary testing system is inexpensive.

[0024] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary hinged device testing system 100 for performing mechanical property tests on a hinged device 102. The exemplary hinged device 102 may be an electronic or other device having one or more hinges 104 that allow at least a first portion 106 and a second portion 108 of the hinged device 102 to be at least partially folded. The system 100 of Figure 1 is configured to repeatedly fold and unfold the hinged device 102 and measure forces (e.g., resistance forces, spring forces, etc.) associated with the folding and unfolding. Figure 1 shows the hinged device 102 in an unfolded or flat position (solid lines) and a folded position (dotted lines).

[0025] The exemplary system 100 includes a first plate 110, a second plate 112, one or more cam followers 114 coupled to the second plate 112, one or more drive arms 116, an actuator 118, one or more load cells 120, and a translation linkage 122. The system 100 may include additional features, such as a structural support or frame, processing circuitry, communication and / or input / output (I / O) circuitry, and / or any other components.

[0026] The first plate 110 has a first surface 124 to which the first side 106 of the hinged device 102 is attached or secured and is held stationary relative to the first surface 124. The second plate 112 has a second surface 126 to which the second side 108 of the hinged device 102 is attached or secured and is held stationary relative to the second surface 126. The plates 110, 112 are separated by a gap bridged by the hinge 104.

[0027] The drive arm(s) 116 move the corresponding cam follower(s) 114 to rotate the second plate 112 about the pivot axis of the hinge 104 of the hinged device 102. The actuator 118 rotates the drive arm(s) 116 to cause the second plate 112 to move the second portion 108 of the hinged device 102 from the first position (shown in solid lines) toward the first portion 106 in the folded position (shown in dashed lines). The drive arm(s) 116 enable movement of the cam follower(s) 114 along the length of the drive arm(s) 116 such that the system 100 limits or eliminates the force exerted on the first portion 106 of the hinged device 102 by the weight of the second plate 112 or the drive arm(s) 116, such that the measured force exerted on the first portion 106 of the hinged device 102 is determined entirely by the actuation of the hinge 104.

[0028] In some examples, the actuator 118 can be a motor attached to the drive arm(s) 116 to rotate the drive arm(s) 116 about a pivot of the drive arm(s) 116.

[0029] The load cell 120 measures the load on the first plate 110 while the actuator 118 moves the second plate 112. In particular, the load cell 120 measures the stress (e.g., bending force) on the hinged device 102 as it bends by measuring the load applied by the first side 106 of the hinged device 102 against the first plate 110.

[0030] The translational linkage 122 limits movement of the first plate 110 in a direction other than the direction in which the load cell 120 is loaded by the first plate 110. For example, if the load cell 120 is configured to measure a load in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the first surface 124, the translational linkage 122 limits movement of the first plate 110 in a direction parallel to the plane of the first surface 124 while allowing the load to be transferred from the first plate 110 to the load cell 120. An exemplary translational linkage 122 may include one or more four-bar linkages coupled to a frame that is fixed relative to the load cell 120. In some examples, the translational linkage 122 is further limited in a direction toward the load cell 120 to prevent overloading of the load cell 120. For example, a stop may be attached to the frame to prevent movement of the four-bar linkage(s) and first plate 110 toward the load cell 120 beyond the stop.

[0031] In operation, the example load cell 120 can be biased or offset after securing the hinged device 102 to the first plate 110 and the second plate 112 to subtract the preload from the test measurements. For example, the preload on the load cell 120 may result from the weight of the first plate 110, the weight of the translation linkage 122, and / or the weight of the first side 106 and / or hinge 104 of the hinged device 102 on the first plate 110. By determining the preload on the load cell 120, the load cell 120 can be calibrated or offset to measure the stress on the hinged device 102 during folding and unfolding.

[0032] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the hinged device test system 100 of Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the flexibly hinged device test system 100 includes a test fixture 201 and a computing device 202.

[0033] The exemplary computing device 202 may be a general-purpose computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a mobile device, a server, an all-in-one computer, and / or any other type of computing device. The computing device 202 of FIG. 2 includes a processor 203, which may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU). In some examples, the processor 203 may include one or more special-purpose processing devices, such as an FPGA, a RISC processor with an ARM core, a graphics processing unit, a digital signal processor, and / or a system-on-chip (SoC). The processor 203 executes machine-readable instructions 204, which may be stored locally at the processor (e.g., in an internal cache or on the SoC), in random access memory 206 (or other volatile memory), in read-only memory 208 (or other non-volatile memory, such as flash memory), and / or in a mass storage device 210. The exemplary mass storage device 210 may be a hard drive, a solid-state storage drive, a hybrid drive, a RAID array, and / or any other mass data storage device. The bus 212 allows communication between the processor 203 , the RAM 206 , the ROM 208 , the mass storage device 210 , the network interface 214 , and / or the input / output interface 216 .

[0034] An exemplary network interface 214 includes hardware, firmware, and / or software that connects computing device 202 to a communications network 218, such as the Internet. For example, network interface 214 may include IEEE 202.X compliant wireless and / or wired communications hardware for transmitting and / or receiving communications.

[0035] 2 includes hardware, firmware, and / or software that couples one or more input / output devices 220 to the processor 203 to provide input to and / or output from the processor 203. For example, the I / O interface 216 may include an image processing device that interfaces with a display device, a Universal Serial Bus port that interfaces with one or more USB-compliant devices, FireWire, Fieldbus, and / or any other type of interface. The example extensometer system 100 includes a display device 224 (e.g., an LCD screen) coupled to the I / O interface 216. Other example I / O device(s) 220 may include a keyboard, keypad, mouse, trackball, pointing device, microphone, audio speaker, display device, optical media drive, multi-touch touchscreen, gesture recognition interface, magnetic media drive, and / or any other type of input and / or output device.

[0036] Computing device 202 can access non-transitory machine-readable medium 222 via I / O interface 216 and / or I / O device(s) 220. Examples of machine-readable medium 222 in Figure 2 include optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile / video discs (DVDs), Blu-ray® discs, etc.), magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks), portable storage media (e.g., portable flash drives, Secure Digital (SD) cards, etc.), and / or any other type of removable and / or installed machine-readable medium.

[0037] Test fixture 201 is coupled to computing device 202. In the example of Figure 2, test fixture 201 is coupled to the computing device via I / O interface 216, such as a USB port, a Thunderbolt port, a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port, and / or any other type of serial or parallel data port. In some examples, test fixture 201 is coupled to network interface 214 and / or I / O interface 216 via a wired or wireless connection (e.g., Ethernet, Wi-Fi, etc.), either directly or via network 218.

[0038] Test fixture 201 includes frame 228, load cell 230, material fixture 236, and control processor 238. Frame 228 provides rigid structural support for the other components of test fixture 201 that perform the test. Load cell 230, which may implement load cell 120 of FIG. 1, measures the force applied to the material under test (e.g., hinged device 102) by actuator 246 via gripper 248 (e.g., plates 110, 112).

[0039] Actuator 246 applies a force to and / or forces a displacement of the material under test while gripper 248 grips or is otherwise coupled to actuator 246 the material under test.

[0040] Exemplary actuators that can be used to impart force and / or motion to components of the test fixture 201 include electric motors, pneumatic actuators, hydraulic actuators, piezoelectric actuators, relays, and / or switches. The exemplary test fixture 201 uses motors such as servo motors or direct drive linear motors, although other systems may use different types of actuators. For example, hydraulic actuators, pneumatic actuators, and / or any other type of actuator may be used based on the requirements of the system.

[0041] Exemplary grippers 248 include platens, clamps, and / or other types of fixtures depending on the mechanical property being tested and / or the material being tested. Grippers 248 can be manually configured and controlled by manual input and / or automatically controlled by control processor 238.

[0042] Test system 100 may further include one or more control panels 250 that include one or more input devices 252. Input device 252 may include buttons, switches, and / or other input devices located on an operator control panel. For example, input device 252 may include a button that controls actuator 246 to jog (e.g., position) gripper 248 to a desired position, a switch (e.g., a foot switch) that controls gripper 248 to open or close (e.g., via another actuator), and / or any other input device that controls operation of test fixture 201.

[0043] The example control processor 238 communicates with the computing device 202, for example, to receive test parameters from the computing device 202 and / or report measurements and / or other results to the computing device 202. For example, the control processor 238 may include one or more communication and / or I / O interfaces that enable communication with the computing device 202. The control processor 238 may control the actuators 246 to move in a given direction and / or control the velocity of the actuators 246, control the fixture(s) 236 to grip or release the material under test, and / or receive measurements from the displacement transducers 232, the load cells 230, and / or other transducers.

[0044] The example control processor 238 is configured to implement a cyclic motion testing process in which a test specimen (e.g., hinged device 102) is subjected to testing in the test fixture 201. For example, to measure stress on the hinged device 102 during or after a series of folding and unfolding motions, the control processor 238 controls the actuator 246 to move the gripper 248 (e.g., first plate 110 and second plate 112) while monitoring the load cell 230 to measure the stress on the hinged device 102. In some examples, the control processor 238 monitors the motor encoder of the actuator 246 to determine the folding angle and / or establish a folding degree per pulse ratio.

[0045] Figure 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the hinged device test system 100 of Figure 1. The exemplary view of Figure 3 shows the hinge 104 and first and second portions 106, 108 of the exemplary hinged device 102 mounted on the hinged device test system 100. Figure 3 also shows two exemplary drive arms 116a, 116b configured to move the second plate 112 via corresponding cam followers 114a, 114b. Figure 4A is an elevation view of the exemplary hinged device test system 100 of Figure 3 with the hinged device 102 in an open or deployed position. Figure 4B is an elevation view of the exemplary hinged device test system 100 of Figure 3 with the hinged device 102 in a closed or folded position.

[0046] 3, 4A, and 4B, the drive arms 116a, 116b include respective slots 302a, 302b extending radially from a pivot axis 304 of the drive arms 116a, 116b. In the example of FIG. 3, the actuator 118 actuates (e.g., rotates) the drive arms 116a, 116b via axles 306 that define the pivot axis 304. The slots 302a, 302b guide the respective cam followers 114a, 114b as the drive arms 116a, 116b rotate, while allowing the cam followers 114a, 114b to move freely along the length of the slots 302a, 302b as the drive arms 116a, 116b rotate. The cam followers 114a, 114b are coupled to the second plate 112 via a support shaft 314 that couples the cam followers 114a, 114b.

[0047] 3, 4A, and 4B limits loads from the hinges 104a, 104b to the load cell 120 via hinge support plates 308a, 308b coupled to the base plate 310. The hinge support plates 308a, 308b hold the first side of each hinge 104a, 104b separated from the first plate 110 during testing. As a result, resistance forces from the hinges 104a, 104b during folding and unfolding of the hinged device 102 are transferred to the hinge support plates 308a, 308b instead of being transferred to the first plate 110 and the load cell 120.

[0048] The example translational linkage 122 includes flexures 312a, 312b coupled to a base plate 310. The flexures 312a, 312b support the first plate 110 and allow for the transfer of load from the hinged device 102 to the load cell 120. The flexures 312a, 312b limit movement of the first plate 110 in directions other than the direction in which the load cell 120 measures force.

[0049] While the examples disclosed above include the entire hinged device 102, in other examples, the hinges 104a, 104b can be coupled directly to the first plate 110 and the second plate 112, without the first portion 106 and second portion 108 of the hinged device 102. Additionally or alternatively, while two drive arms 116a, 116b are shown in Figure 3, other examples can include one drive arm or more than two drive arms.

[0050] 5 is a more detailed view of the example first plate 110, flexures 312a, 312b, and load cell 120. The example flexures 312a, 312b are supported by brackets 502a, 502b coupled to the base plate 310.

[0051] Flexures 312a, 312b comprise metal strips attached to brackets 502a, 502b and first plate 110 to support the weight of first plate 110. First plate 110 is also coupled to load cell 120 to transfer a load to load cell 120 for measurement.

[0052] To avoid overloading the load cell 120, the first plate 110 includes stops configured to prevent the first plate 110 from advancing toward the load cell 120 beyond the stops. In the example shown, the stops are implemented using stop blocks 504a, 504b. Support brackets 506a, 506b couple the flexures 312a, 312b to the first plate 110. The blocks 504a, 504b are configured to stop the support brackets 506a, 506b coupling the flexures 312a, 312b to the first plate 110 after a predetermined amount of travel of the support brackets 506a, 506b (e.g., after a predetermined amount of load is applied to the first plate 110).

[0053] Figure 6 is a side view of the exemplary hinged device test system 100 of Figure 3. Figure 7 is a top view of the exemplary hinged device test system 100 of Figure 3.

[0054] Figure 8 shows a partially exploded view of another exemplary embodiment of the translational linkage 122 of Figure 1. The exemplary translational linkage 122 of Figure 8 includes a first four-bar linkage 802, a second four-bar linkage 804, and a frame 806. The frame 806 is stationarily coupled to the base plate 310 (e.g., via hinge support plates 308a, 308b, or another structure). The frame 806 and the load cell 120 are stationary relative to each other.

[0055] Inner linkages 808, 810 of four-bar linkages 802, 804 are coupled to the first plate 110. Intermediate linkages 812, 814, 816, 818 couple the inner linkages 808, 810 to the frame 806. Similar to flexures 312a, 312b in FIG. 3, the first four-bar linkage 802 and the second four-bar linkage 804 limit movement of the first plate 110 in a direction parallel to the surface of the first plate 110 to which the first portion 106 of the hinged device 102 is attached, while allowing load from the first plate 110 to be transferred to the load cell 120 (e.g., by extension post 308 coupled to the load cell 120) in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the first plate 110.

[0056] The methods and systems can be implemented in hardware, software, and / or a combination of hardware and software. The methods and / or systems can be implemented centrally in at least one computing system, or distributed, with different elements distributed across several interconnected computing systems. Any kind of computing system or other apparatus adapted to perform the methods described herein is suitable. A typical combination of hardware and software can include a general-purpose computing system, along with a program or other code that, when loaded and executed, controls the computing system to perform the methods described herein. Another typical embodiment can include an application-specific integrated circuit or chip. Some embodiments can include a non-transitory machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable) medium (e.g., a flash drive, an optical disk, a magnetic storage disk, etc.) that stores one or more lines of code executable by a machine, thereby causing the machine to perform a process as described herein. As used herein, the term "non-transitory machine-readable medium" is defined to include all types of machine-readable storage media and to exclude propagating signals.

[0057] As used herein, the terms "circuit" and "circuitry" refer to physical electronic components (i.e., hardware) and any software and / or firmware ("code") that can comprise, be executed by, and / or otherwise be associated with hardware. As used herein, for example, a particular processor and memory can include a first "circuit" when executing a first one or more lines of code, and a second "circuit" when executing a second one or more lines of code. As used herein, "and / or" means any one or more of the items in the list linked by "and / or." As an example, "x and / or y" means any element of the triplet {(x), (y), (x, y)}. In other words, "x and / or y" means "one or both of x and y." As another example, "x, y, and / or z" means any element of the seven-element set {(x), (y), (z), (x,y), (x,z), (y,z), (x,y,z)}. In other words, "x, y, and / or z" means "one or more of x, y, and z." As used herein, the term "exemplary" means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As used herein, the term "for example" begins a list of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations. As used herein, circuitry is "operable" to perform a function whenever it includes the necessary hardware and code (if either is necessary) to perform that function, regardless of whether implementation of that function is disabled or enabled (e.g., by a user-configurable setting, factory trim, etc.).

[0058] Although the present method and / or system has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and equivalent substitutions may be made without departing from the scope of the present method and / or system. For example, blocks and / or components of the disclosed examples may be combined, divided, rearranged, and / or otherwise modified. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present method and / or system is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Instead, the present method and / or system includes all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims, both literally and under the doctrine of equivalents. The inventions disclosed herein include the following: [Aspect 1] a first plate having a first surface configured to hold a first side of the hinged device under test stationary; a second plate having a second surface configured to hold a second side of the hinged device under test; a first cam follower coupled to the second plate; a first drive arm configured to move the first cam follower to rotate the second plate about a hinge pivot of the hinged device under test; an actuator configured to rotate the drive arm; a load cell configured to measure a load on the first plate while the actuator moves the second plate; A hinged device testing system comprising: [Aspect 2] 2. The hinged device testing system of claim 1, wherein the first plate and the second plate are configured to position the hinge of the hinged device under test based on a pivot axis of the drive arm. [Aspect 3] A hinged device testing system as described in aspect 1, wherein the drive arm has a slot extending radially from the pivot axis of the drive arm, the slot configured to guide the cam follower as the drive arm rotates. [Aspect 4] 4. The hinged device testing system of embodiment 3, wherein the slot is configured to allow the cam follower to move freely along the slot as the drive arm rotates. [Aspect 5] 2. The hinged device testing system of claim 1, wherein the second plate is configured to mount the cam follower at a plurality of positions on the second plate. [Aspect 6] 2. The hinged device testing system of claim 1, further comprising a translational linkage configured to limit movement of the first plate in a direction other than a direction in which the load cell is configured to measure a load. [Aspect 7] A hinged device testing system as described in aspect 6, wherein the translational linkage is configured to limit movement of the first plate in a direction parallel to the plane of the first surface and to allow a load to be transmitted from the first plate to the load cell in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the first surface. [Aspect 8] The translation link mechanism includes: a frame fixed to the load cell; a first four-bar linkage coupled to the frame and the first plate; 7. The hinged device testing system of embodiment 6, comprising: [Aspect 9] 9. The hinged device testing system of claim 8, wherein the translational linkage further comprises a second four-bar linkage coupled to the frame and the first plate. [Aspect 10] 7. The hinged device testing system of claim 6, wherein the translational linkage includes a flexure configured to support the first plate and enable transfer of load from the hinged device under test to the load cell. [Aspect 11] 2. The hinged device testing system of claim 1, further comprising a control circuit configured to control the actuator to move the second plate in a first direction to fold the hinged device under test or in a second direction to unfold the hinged device under test. [Aspect 12] 2. The hinged device testing system of embodiment 1, further comprising a hinge support plate configured to hold a first side of the hinge separated from the first plate. [Aspect 13] 13. The hinged device testing system of claim 12, wherein the second plate is configured to hold the second side of the hinge such that when the actuator moves the second plate, the hinge controls the bending path of the hinged device under test. [Aspect 14] A hinged device testing system as described in aspect 12, wherein the hinge support plate, the second plate, the first plate, the drive arm, and the cam follower are configured to limit the force applied to the load cell during folding and unfolding to the force of the hinged device being tested without generating force by the hinge during folding and unfolding.

Claims

1. a first plate having a first surface configured to hold a first side of the hinged device under test stationary; a second plate having a second surface configured to hold a second side of the hinged device under test; a first cam follower coupled to the second plate; a first drive arm configured to move the first cam follower to rotate the second plate about a hinge pivot of the hinged device under test; an actuator configured to rotate the drive arm; a load cell configured to measure a load on the first plate while the actuator moves the second plate; Equipped with a translation linkage configured to limit movement of the first plate in a direction other than a direction in which the load cell is configured to measure a load; the translational linkage is configured to restrict movement of the first plate in a direction parallel to the plane of the first surface and to allow a load to be transferred from the first plate to the load cell in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the first surface.

2. a first plate having a first surface configured to hold a first side of the hinged device under test stationary; a second plate having a second surface configured to hold a second side of the hinged device under test; a first cam follower coupled to the second plate; a first drive arm configured to move the first cam follower to rotate the second plate about a hinge pivot of the hinged device under test; an actuator configured to rotate the drive arm; a load cell configured to measure a load on the first plate while the actuator moves the second plate; Equipped with a translation linkage configured to limit movement of the first plate in a direction other than a direction in which the load cell is configured to measure a load; The translation link mechanism includes: a frame fixed to the load cell; a first four-bar linkage coupled to the frame and the first plate; A hinged device testing system comprising:

3. a first plate having a first surface configured to hold a first side of the hinged device under test stationary; a second plate having a second surface configured to hold a second side of the hinged device under test; a first cam follower coupled to the second plate; a first drive arm configured to move the first cam follower to rotate the second plate about a hinge pivot of the hinged device under test; an actuator configured to rotate the drive arm; a load cell configured to measure a load on the first plate while the actuator moves the second plate; Equipped with a translation linkage configured to limit movement of the first plate in a direction other than a direction in which the load cell is configured to measure a load; The translational linkage includes a flexure configured to support the first plate and to enable transfer of load from the hinged device under test to the load cell.

4. 4. The hinged device testing system of claim 1, wherein the first plate and the second plate are configured to position the hinge of the hinged device under test based on a pivot axis of the drive arm.

5. 4. The hinged device test system of claim 1, wherein the drive arm includes a slot extending radially from a pivot axis of the drive arm, the slot configured to guide the cam follower as the drive arm rotates.

6. The hinged device test system of claim 5 , wherein the slot is configured to allow the cam follower to move freely along the slot as the drive arm rotates.

7. The hinged device test system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second plate is configured to mount the cam followers at a plurality of positions on the second plate.

8. The hinged device test system of claim 2 , wherein the translation linkage further comprises a second four-bar linkage coupled to the frame and the first plate.

9. 4. The hinged device testing system of claim 1, further comprising control circuitry configured to control the actuator to move the second plate in a first direction to fold the hinged device under test or in a second direction to unfold the hinged device under test.

10. The hinged device testing system of any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a hinge support plate configured to hold a first side of the hinge separated from the first plate.

11. 11. The hinged device testing system of claim 10, wherein the second plate is configured to hold the second side of the hinge such that when the actuator moves the second plate, the hinge controls a bending path of the hinged device under test.

12. 11. The hinged device testing system of claim 10, wherein the hinge support plate, the second plate, the first plate, the drive arm, and the cam follower are configured to limit forces on the load cell during folding and unfolding to forces on the hinged device under test without causing forces to be generated by the hinge during folding and unfolding.

Images