Rotatable Display Hinge With Spring-Crankshaft Counterbalance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display devices with adjustable positions lack a seamless and effortless rotation mechanism, often requiring significant force and not providing a weightless experience to the user due to unbalanced torque throughout the range of travel.
Innovation Solution
A device with a base assembly, arm assembly, and display assembly that utilizes a combination of biasing elements, such as springs and crankshafts, to counter-balance the weight of the display, allowing nearly effortless rotation and maintaining a nearly net-zero torque throughout the range of travel by translating the arm angle into a corresponding display angle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a display device uses a traditional hinge or mounting mechanism for adjustment, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the user must apply significant force to rotate the display and cannot experience a weightless adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs springs as biasing elements that act as counterweights to offset the gravitational force on the display. These springs are configured to provide upward force that balances the display weight at different angular positions, allowing the user to rotate the display with minimal effort. The counterbalancing mechanism effectively neutralizes the weight sensation during adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a multi-stage hinge assembly with dynamic characteristics that allow smooth rotation through varying torque requirements. The hinge incorporates friction control mechanisms and progressive resistance that adapt to the user's input force, enabling effortless initiation and maintenance of rotation while providing stability at desired positions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a display device uses a multi-stage hinge assembly with multiple components, then the display can be positioned at various angles, but the torque required to rotate the display varies significantly throughout the range of travel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs springs with specific force constants and pre-loads that are calibrated to compensate for the varying torque requirements across the display's rotation range. By carefully selecting spring parameters (stiffness, initial compression), the system maintains relatively constant rotational effort regardless of the display's angular position, while still allowing positioning at multiple angles.
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing elements are configured to create an equipotential energy distribution across the rotation range, where the potential energy stored in the springs balances the gravitational potential energy changes of the display. This results in a system where the user experiences consistent, minimal force requirements throughout the entire range of motion, enabling smooth transitions between positions.
3Ease of operation
If a display device uses biasing elements to counter-balance weight, then the user experiences a weightless sensation, but the device requires precise calibration to maintain net-zero torque throughout the range of travel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates pre-calibrated springs that are pre-loaded during manufacturing to provide the correct counterbalancing force from the outset. The multi-stage hinge assembly is pre-adjusted to ensure proper geometric relationships between components, so that when assembled, the system automatically provides net-zero torque across the rotation range without requiring field calibration by the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing element system is designed to be self-regulating, where the springs automatically adjust their compression and extension to maintain equilibrium at different positions. The mechanical design incorporates features such as adjustable mounting points and friction control that allow the system to self-calibrate during initial use, reducing the need for precise manual calibration while maintaining the weightless experience.
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 device enables effortless rotation and maintains a weightless experience by counter-balancing the display's weight, ensuring that the user can easily adjust the display without feeling significant resistance or torque, even when the display is rotated to various angles.
Implementation Method 1
a spring configured to impart a spring force on the crankpin to counter-balance the rotational forces imparted on the crankshaft by the display
Implementation Method 2
counter-balance rotation of the display around the display shaft... counter-balance the rotational forces imparted on the crankshaft by the display
Implementation Method 3
The arm is configured to translate rotation of the display around the display shaft to rotation of the arm around a crankshaft... nearly net-zero torque throughout the range of travel
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
The description relates to devices, such as computing devices having displays that can be rotated through a range of travel. The device can counter-balance the display to create a near weightless feel for the user when repositioning the display.