Eccentric Hinge Shaft Cable Routing for Compact Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronic equipment with hinge mechanisms face issues of cable disconnection due to increased tension when the second housing is closed, which is exacerbated by the need for longer cables to prevent disconnection, leading to space constraints and hindered downsizing, especially in compact devices like mobile telephones.
Innovation Solution
The electronic equipment design features a hinge portion with a shaft where the center axis of the cylindrical surface is eccentric to the rotation center axis, allowing the cable to maintain sufficient space and reduce tension, preventing contact with the shaft and eliminating the need for excessively long cables, thus enabling compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cable is made longer to prevent disconnection when the second housing is closed, then cable disconnection is prevented, but the electronic equipment size increases due to space required for arranging the loosened cable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the cable routing path asymmetrically relative to the hinge mechanism. The cable is routed to follow an arc-shaped path that is offset from the hinge center, creating an asymmetric layout that allows the cable to maintain appropriate tension during housing movement without requiring excessive cable length, thereby preventing both disconnection and unnecessary volume increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes dimensional optimization by carefully designing the cable's three-dimensional routing path. The cable is arranged to move through multiple spatial dimensions around the hinge mechanism, utilizing available space efficiently. This dimensional approach allows the cable to accommodate housing movement without requiring excessive length, thus preventing volume increase while maintaining connection reliability.
2Volume of moving object
If the cable is routed near the hinge mechanism to save space, then electronic equipment size is reduced, but the cable tension increases causing disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the cable routing path asymmetrically relative to the hinge mechanism. The cable is routed to follow an arc-shaped path that is offset from the hinge center, creating an asymmetric layout that allows the cable to maintain appropriate tension during housing movement without requiring excessive cable length, thereby preventing both disconnection and unnecessary volume increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by designing the cable routing to dynamically adapt to the movement of the hinge mechanism. The cable is routed along an arc-shaped path that naturally adjusts its tension and position as the housing moves, allowing the cable to accommodate the dynamic movement without experiencing excessive tension that would cause disconnection, while maintaining compact dimensions.
Data Source
AI summary
In the electronic equipment of the present application, a center axis of a cylindrical portion 11a of a shaft 11 is eccentric with respect to a rotation center axis of the shaft 11, whereby even when a cable 21 comes closest to the shaft 11 in the turning of a first housing 1 or second housing 2, a sufficient space can be secured between the shaft 11 and the cable 21. Thus, in a turning range of the first housing 1 or second housing 2, it is highly unlikely that the shaft 11 and the cable 21 come into contact with each other, which avoids an increase in a tension of the cable 21 and wear on an insulation cover of the cable 21. By avoiding the increase in the tension of the cable 21, breakage of the electric wires in the cable 21 can be avoided.