Ball-Damped Hinge Assembly for Compact, Smooth Terminal Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Miniaturization of hinge assemblies in terminal devices leads to reduced strength and shortened service life, along with potential rotation pauses due to increased friction and wear, affecting user experience.
Innovation Solution
A hinge assembly design incorporating two hinge arms, central shafts, balls in interference fit, and connecting gears that provide damping force without additional space, ensuring smooth rotation and extended service life by reducing wear through point contact and even force distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the hinge assembly is miniaturized to reduce device size, then the terminal device becomes more compact, but the strength of the hinge assembly decreases and service life is shortened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs spherical balls in interference fit with central shafts to create point contact mechanisms. This spherical geometry concentrates force at specific points, maximizing the strength-to-size ratio of the hinge assembly components while maintaining compact dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge assembly is divided into multiple components including hinge arms, central shafts, balls, and connecting gears. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while contributing to the overall strength of the miniaturized assembly.
2Volume of moving object
If the hinge assembly is miniaturized, then the terminal device size is reduced, but the service life of the hinge assembly is shortened
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical balls create point contact with the central shafts, which reduces the contact area and distributes wear more evenly throughout the rotation cycle. This point contact mechanism minimizes surface degradation and extends the service life of the miniaturized hinge assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The balls act as intermediary elements between the hinge arms and central shafts, providing a damping force that reduces impact and wear during rotation. This intermediary mechanism protects the contact surfaces and extends component life.
3Device complexity
If traditional hinge designs are used, then the structure is simple, but rotation is not smooth due to increased friction and wear
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical balls rolling in interference fit with the central shafts create a bearing-like mechanism that significantly reduces friction compared to traditional sliding contacts. This geometry enables smooth rotation while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional sliding friction mechanisms with a rolling contact system using balls in interference fit. This substitution transforms the friction mechanism from sliding to rolling, dramatically improving rotation smoothness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enhances the service life of hinge assemblies by maintaining smooth rotation and reducing wear, while maintaining a compact size without increasing the assembly's size, thereby improving user experience and durability.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of balls (30) are in interference fit with two central shafts (20)... the plurality of balls (30) provide a damping force
Data Source
AI summary
A hinge assembly includes two hinge arms, a fixing structure, and a plurality of balls. Each of the two hinge arms includes a gear portion. A shaft hole and at least one groove are defined on the gear portion, and the shaft hole connects to the at least one groove. The fixing structure includes two central shafts, each of the two central shafts passes through the shaft hole respectively. Each ball is accommodated in the at least one groove. The balls are in interference fit with the two central shafts. The balls and the two central shafts generate a damping force while they rotate relative to each other or tend to rotate relative to each other to maintain the position of the two hinge arms. The hinge assembly has a long service life and sufficient space. A terminal device is provided according to the present disclosure.