Elastic Hinge Members Preventing Flexible PCB Friction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The contact or friction between internal electronic components of flexible printed circuit boards and adjacent structures in transforming electronic devices causes noise and wear, leading to potential functional loss.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device design featuring a hinge structure with a first and second hinge plate, a hinge cover, and a flexible printed circuit board with fixing members to prevent direct contact during folding and unfolding, using a pair of fixing members to allow deformation within the hinge cover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the flexible printed circuit board is allowed to transform freely during folding and unfolding, then the device achieves better portability and flexibility, but contact or friction occurs between the circuit board and adjacent structures causing noise and wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a buffer member as an intermediary element positioned between the flexible printed circuit board and the hinge structure. This buffer member prevents direct contact between the circuit board and the hinge, thereby eliminating friction and wear while still allowing the circuit board to transform freely during folding and unfolding operations. The buffer member acts as a mediator that maintains the flexibility of the device while protecting the circuit board from damage.
2Strength
If the flexible printed circuit board contacts adjacent structures during transformation, then the structural support is maintained, but noise is generated and wear occurs leading to potential functional loss
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer member serves as an intermediary that eliminates harmful contact between the flexible printed circuit board and the hinge structure during device transformation. By positioning the buffer member between these components, the patent prevents friction-induced wear and noise generation while maintaining the structural integrity of the device. The buffer member absorbs the mechanical interaction that would otherwise cause damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer member provides beforehand cushioning by being pre-positioned between the flexible printed circuit board and the hinge structure. This cushioning effect is active before any contact or friction can occur, preventing wear and noise from the outset. The buffer member absorbs and distributes mechanical stresses during folding and unfolding, protecting the circuit board from direct contact with the hinge.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a first housing structure, a second housing structure, a hinge structure rotatably connecting the first housing structure and the second housing structure and including a first hinge plate and a second hinge plate, a hinge cover covering at least part of the hinge structure when the hinge structure is viewed from the outside, and a flexible printed circuit board crossing the hinge structure and extending from an inside of the first housing structure to an inside of the second housing structure and including a pair of fixing members to permit deformation of the flexible printed circuit board in the internal space of the hinge cover, wherein the hinge structure includes a first member attached to the first hinge plate, and a second member attached to the second hinge plate, and wherein the first member and the second member are disposed to face the flexible printed circuit board so as to prevent direct contact between the hinge structure and the printed circuit board during folding and/or unfolding of the electronic device.