Foldable Hinge with Arcuate Rails for Flexible Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable electronic devices with flexible displays face damage due to excessive tension and depression during folding and unfolding, as existing hinges do not adequately manage the bending requirements of these devices.
Innovation Solution
A hinge design featuring two brackets and a sliding module, with adjustable arcuate rails and key rails, allows for controlled movement and reduced tension by varying the sliding paths of axle and rail keys, enabling the brackets to shift between unfolded and folded states while minimizing stress on the flexible display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional hinge is used to connect two housing bodies, then the flexible display can be folded and unfolded, but the flexible display is subjected to excessive tension and depression resulting in damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs arcuate inboard rails and arcuate outboard rails with specific curvature radii to guide the brackets along curved trajectories during folding. This curvature design ensures the flexible display bends along an optimal path that minimizes tension and depression, resolving the contradiction between enabling folding operation and protecting the display from damage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts geometric parameters including the curvature radii of arcuate rails, the spacing between pivot sections, and the dimensions of auxiliary extending frames to optimize the folding trajectory. By carefully selecting these parameters, the hinge controls the bending radius and path of the flexible display to reduce harmful tension and depression while maintaining foldability
2Reliability
If the brackets are designed to shift between unfolded and folded states, then the hinge can support the flexible display, but the moving mechanism increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge is divided into modular components including two brackets with pivot sections, a sliding module with rail seat, rail keys, axle keys, and auxiliary extending frames. This segmentation allows each component to perform a specific function while maintaining overall reliability, and the modular structure actually simplifies manufacturing and assembly compared to a monolithic design
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding module acts as an intermediary mechanism between the two brackets, using rail keys sliding along arcuate rails to control the relative movement. This intermediary structure provides precise control over the folding trajectory while maintaining a relatively simple overall mechanism that supports the flexible display reliably
Data Source
AI summary
A hinge includes two brackets and a sliding module. Each bracket has a support shaft and a support plate for supporting a flexible display. The sliding module includes a rail seat, two rail keys, two axle keys and two auxiliary extending frames. The rail seat has two arcuate inboard rails, two receiving slots and two arcuate outboard rails. Each rail key has a key body received in the receiving slot, a sliding protrusion slidable along the arcuate inboard rail, and an arcuate key rail opposite to the sliding protrusion. The axle keys are slidable along the arcuate key rails, and are journalled on the support shafts. The auxiliary extending frames are slidable along the arcuate outboard rails and slidably connected with the support plates. With adjustment of the rails, moving paths of the keys are adjusted to meet the requirement of bending of the flexible display.