Dual-Axis Hinge Gear Ratio for Flush Cover-Base Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dual-axis hinges with gears are not suitable for foldable tablet personal computers as they obstruct the screen, require equal thicknesses for the cover and base, and fail to maintain alignment at varying included angles, limiting their application in portable devices with different specifications.
Innovation Solution
A dual-axis hinge design featuring a connecting bracket, upper and lower rotating brackets, upper and lower active gears, and a transmission gear assembly that adjusts the velocity ratio of the gears to ensure alignment and equal rotation, allowing the cover and base to form a continuous plane regardless of thickness or angle differences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional hinges with gears are mounted in the middle of the cover and base, then the hinge structure is compact, but the hinge covers part of the screen and the screens cannot form a continuous whole screen
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge structure is extracted from the central position and relocated to the edge of the base. This removes the obstruction from the screen area, allowing the screens on the cover and base to form a continuous whole screen when the device is opened, while maintaining the compactness of the hinge structure itself.
2Ease of manufacture
If the gears have the same diameter and teeth number, then the manufacturing is simplified, but the cover and base must have the same thickness which limits design flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces adjustable parameters in the hinge structure, specifically allowing the gears to have different diameters and teeth numbers. The transmission ratio can be adjusted to match different thickness ratios between the cover and base, enabling the hinge to adapt to various device specifications while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized gear components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the gears have different diameters and teeth number, then the hinge can accommodate different thickness ratios, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent manages the complexity by systematically varying gear parameters (diameter, teeth number) based on the specific thickness ratio requirements. Different gear configurations are designed for different application scenarios, allowing the hinge to accommodate various device specifications without requiring a completely different structure for each case.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the conventional hinge is at an included angle not equal to 90 degrees with the base, then the design flexibility increases, but the gears with the same diameter cannot maintain equal rotating rates and cause misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the gear parameters (teeth number, diameter) to compensate for non-90 degree included angles. By changing the transmission ratio, the system maintains equal rotating rates between gears even when the hinge is at different included angles with the base and cover, ensuring that the top surfaces remain aligned without forming a drop.
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 dual-axis hinge enables the cover and base to align without drops or obstructions, forming a continuous screen and maintaining an even surface, regardless of thickness or angle variations, thus accommodating devices with different specifications.
Implementation Method 1
The transmission gear assembly is connected between the upper and lower active gears to adjust a velocity ratio of the upper and lower active gears
Data Source
AI summary
A dual-axis hinge is mounted between a cover and a base of a portable device and has a connecting bracket, an upper rotating bracket, a lower rotating bracket, an upper active gear, a lower active gear and a transmission gear assembly. The connecting bracket is mounted between the upper and lower rotating brackets. The upper and lower active gears are connected respectively to the upper and lower rotating brackets. The transmission gear assembly is connected between the upper and lower active gears to adjust a velocity ratio of the upper and lower active gears. Therefore, the cover and the base align with each other without a drop whether or not the upper and lower active gears are the same in teeth number or whether or not the included angles between the upper and lower rotating brackets with the connecting bracket are the same.