Foldable Glass Cover Hinge With Local Ion Exchange for Low Distortion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional electronic device covers lack sufficient damage resistance and flexibility, particularly when folded, leading to potential damage and distortion of graphical output.
Innovation Solution
A foldable cover with a hinge structure formed from ion-exchangeable glass material, featuring varying thickness and ion-exchanged layers to balance bending, damage resistance, and minimize distortion, along with a coating for enhanced protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cover member is made thinner to facilitate bending, then the ease of operation is improved, but the damage resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies ion exchange to modify the physical and chemical parameters of the glass cover member. By exchanging smaller sodium ions with larger potassium ions, compressive stress is introduced into the glass structure, significantly enhancing its strength and damage resistance. This allows the cover to maintain thin dimensions for flexibility while achieving sufficient structural strength through chemical modification rather than increasing thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover member integrates multiple functional layers including the glass substrate, ion-exchanged strengthening layers with different compositions, and coating layers. This composite structure combines the flexibility of thin glass with the enhanced strength from ion-exchanged regions and the protective properties of coating layers, resolving the contradiction between thinness for bending and strength for damage resistance.
2Ease of operation
If the hinge is made thinner to facilitate bending, then the ease of operation is improved, but the structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge region undergoes ion exchange with specific parameters optimized for this critical area. The ion-exchanged layer in the hinge has controlled depth and composition (potassium ions) that provide localized compressive stress to reinforce the thin hinge structure, preventing structural failure during repeated folding while maintaining the necessary flexibility for bending operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different ion-exchanged layer characteristics to different regions of the cover member. The hinge region receives a specifically tailored ion-exchanged layer with appropriate depth and composition to provide localized strengthening exactly where structural integrity is most critical during folding, while other regions have different ion exchange characteristics optimized for their specific functions.
3Strength
If ion exchange is applied to strengthen the cover member, then the damage resistance is improved, but the distortion of graphical output worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The ion exchange process is applied with spatially varying parameters across different regions of the cover member. By controlling the depth, composition, and distribution of ion-exchanged layers locally, the patent optimizes each region for its specific function while minimizing overall distortion. The hinge region, for example, has different ion exchange characteristics compared to the display coverage areas, balancing strengthening needs with optical performance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The ion exchange parameters (temperature, time, concentration, depth) are precisely controlled and optimized to achieve the desired balance between strengthening and minimizing distortion. By adjusting these parameters, the patent achieves sufficient damage resistance through compressive stress while limiting the magnitude of shape changes that could distort graphical output on the flexible display.
4Strength
If a coating is applied to enhance protection, then the damage resistance is improved, but the device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple protective functions into an integrated coating system applied to the glass cover member. Rather than adding separate complex components, the coating layers are directly applied to and integrated with the glass surface, merging structural protection, surface hardening, and potentially optical enhancement functions into a unified layer that strengthens the cover without requiring additional mechanical components or complex assemblies.
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 solution provides a foldable cover that maintains structural integrity and minimizes graphical output distortion while offering damage resistance, allowing for a small bend radius and flexible operation.
Implementation Method 1
The cover member may be strengthened at least in part through ion exchange. The strengthening of the cover member may provide a balance between facilitating bending of the cover member, providing damage resistance to the cover member
Implementation Method 2
a first stress pattern comprising a first rear compressive region defining a first compressive stress profile and a first compressive region depth, a second stress pattern comprising a second rear compressive region defining a second compressive stress profile and a second compressive region depth, and a third stress pattern comprising a third rear compressive region defining a third compressive stress profile that is different from each of the first and the second compressive stress profiles
Data Source
AI summary
A strengthened foldable cover may include a cover member formed from a glass material. A hinge of the cover member defines a bend in the folded configuration of the foldable cover. One or more portions of the cover member that define the hinge may be strengthened differently than other portions of the cover member in order to facilitate bending of the cover member while providing damage resistance and minimizing distortion of graphical output from the display assembly.