Foldable Device Hinge Mechanism for Display Crease Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable devices with flexible displays face challenges in accommodating curved portions during folding and maintaining a flat display when unfolded, leading to potential damage and distortion.
Innovation Solution
A foldable device design incorporating a hinge shaft system with support portions and a restriction unit that allows the flexible display to be bent into a curved receiving space during folding and supports it flat during unfolding, using a combination of support arms, guide pins, and cam mechanisms to manage the display's curvature and path differences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the flexible display is sharply bent during folding, then the device can be compacted to a smaller size, but the flexible display may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The curved receiving space is pre-formed in the first body to accommodate the curved portion of the flexible display before folding occurs. This preliminary structural preparation allows the display to be gently guided into the curved path rather than being sharply bent, preventing damage while achieving compact folding.
Solution Approach 2:
The curved receiving space acts as an intermediary structure between the flat display and the folded state. It provides a transitional curved path that mediates the folding process, allowing the flexible display to bend smoothly without sharp creases that would cause damage.
2Manufacturing precision
If the flexible display is supported to remain flat during unfolding, then screen distortion is reduced, but the device cannot be folded to a compact size
Solution Approach 1:
The support portion is designed to be movable between a support position (when unfolded) and a receiving position (when folded). This dynamic adjustment allows the system to maintain screen flatness during unfolding while enabling compact folding when the support portion moves to accommodate the curved display portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The display system is segmented into a flat display portion and a curved portion that can be independently managed. The curved portion can be received in the curved receiving space while the flat display portion remains supported, allowing both flatness and compact folding to be achieved through spatial segmentation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the support portion is maintained at all times, then the display remains flat, but the curved portion cannot be accommodated during folding
Solution Approach 1:
The support portion is designed with movable capability between support position and receiving position. This dynamic characteristic allows it to maintain display flatness during unfolding (when in support position) while enabling folding accommodation (when moved to receiving position), thus providing both stability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The support portion changes its positional parameter between two states: support position for maintaining flatness and receiving position for accommodating curved portions. This parameter change enables the system to adapt between conflicting requirements of flatness and folding capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable device includes a flexible display including first, second, and third portions; a body including first, second, and third support portions which respectively supports the first, second, and third portions; a hinge including a first rotation axis which connects the first support portion to the third support portion, and a second rotation axis which connects the second support portion to the third support portion; and a slot hole which is rotatably coupled with the first and second rotation axes, and which moves the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis when the first support portion and the second support portion rotate with respect to the third support portion. The first and second rotation axes allow the first and second support portions to rotate with respect to the third support portion when the flexible display changes from an open state to a closed state.