Foldable Display Hinge Joints With Rotation-Limit Contact Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pivotable support systems for foldable display panels lack effective mechanisms to prevent inadvertent or inadvertent folding, leading to potential damage and limited flexibility in use.
Innovation Solution
A pivotable support apparatus with a hinge structure and joint mechanism that includes parallel rotational axes, synchronized gear, and sliding plates to control the unfolding and folding limits, ensuring stable support and preventing excessive rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a pivotable support system allows free folding movement for flexibility, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential inadvertent folding and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by designing a limiting mechanism that pre-establishes boundaries to prevent harmful folding movements before they occur. The joint structure with defined contact surfaces and the synchronized gear mechanism create predetermined stops that actively prevent inadvertent folding, thus maintaining reliability while preserving operational flexibility within safe limits.
2Reliability
If a limiting mechanism is added to prevent excessive rotation, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the limiting function with the existing pivotable support structure by integrating the joint structure and synchronized gear mechanism into the core support system. Rather than adding separate limiting devices, the patent combines multiple functions (support, synchronization, and limiting) into unified components, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The limiting mechanism operates through self-service principles where the joint structure's geometric constraints and the synchronized gear's inherent mechanical properties automatically prevent excessive rotation without requiring external control systems or additional actuation, thus achieving reliability improvement with minimal added complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If a joint structure with contact surfaces is used to define rotation limits, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the rotation limiting function into distinct contact surfaces on separate joint components. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured and precision-machined independently to achieve accurate rotation limits, while the modular nature of segmented components facilitates easier assembly and interchangeability, thereby balancing manufacturing precision with ease of manufacture.
Data Source
AI summary
A pivotable support apparatus for supporting a foldable display panel is provided. The pivotable support apparatus includes a binge structure; and a joint structure including at least me row of joints, a respective row of joints comprising a plurality of joints connected to each other. A respective joint of the plurality of joints includes an upper portion and a lower portion. Contacts respectively between respective first upper side surfaces of respective upper portions of respective first adjacent joints and respective second upper side surfaces of respective upper portions of respective second adjacent joints define a limit to which the pivotable support apparatus can be unfolded.