Convertible Electronic Assembly Hinge and Input Device Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic assemblies, such as convertible laptops and tablets, face issues with keyboard exposure affecting tablet performance and top-heavy designs requiring support, as well as insecure attachment of additional input devices like styluses, leading to frequent loss.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a hinge assembly with complementary sections and recesses between a display subassembly and a base subassembly, allowing for conversion between exposed and hidden states, and secure attachment of input devices using magnetic and conductive contacts, ensuring stable orientation and preventing detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the keyboard is folded behind the display device to convert from laptop to tablet mode, then the device can function as a tablet, but the keys remain exposed behind the display device which diminishes tablet operation performance
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard is completely removed from the visible area behind the display device and stored within a compartment formed by the base housing and keyboard housing. This extraction eliminates the visual and physical distraction of exposed keys, allowing users to operate the tablet mode without the keyboard interfering with the display or user experience.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the tablet computer and keyboard are attached along the longer edge, then the combination is formed, but the combination becomes top heavy requiring a kickstand or other support to maintain useful angle
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly is repositioned from the longer edge attachment to connect the display device and base housing in a manner that redistributes weight more effectively. By changing the dimensional arrangement of the connection point and utilizing the compartment structure, the center of gravity is optimized to reduce the top-heavy effect and minimize or eliminate the need for external kickstands.
3Ease of operation
If magnets are used to attach additional input devices like styluses to the assembly, then attachment is provided, but the magnets may not secure the input devices and result in detachment and loss
Solution Approach 1:
The magnetic attachment mechanism is integrated with the hinge assembly structure. The hinge assembly incorporates magnetic elements that work in conjunction with the compartment design to provide both mechanical retention and magnetic holding force. This combined approach ensures that input devices like styluses are securely attached and cannot easily detach, eliminating the reliability issues of standalone magnetic attachments.
Data Source
AI summary
Convertible electronic assemblies and subassemblies are provided that include display subassemblies and base subassemblies. The display subassembly includes a housing and a display device visually presenting information. The base subassembly including a housing and an input device that receives input from an operator. The housing of the display subassembly has hinge sections that mate with hinge recesses in the housing of the base subassembly. The display subassembly and the base subassembly are coupled with each other by inserting the hinge sections of the display subassembly into the recesses of the base subassembly and the display subassembly and the base subassembly are separated from each other by pulling the hinge sections of the display subassembly out of the recesses of the base subassembly.