Foldable Hinge Breakage Prevention for Impact-Induced Shear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable electronic devices are prone to breakage and malfunction due to shearing stress when one housing receives an external impact, causing the other housing to displace and misalign along the folding axis.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a breakage prevention structure that eliminates the flow gap between hinge modules, ensuring smooth folding and unfolding operations by maintaining structural integrity during impacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a flow gap is provided between the rotator and hinge housing for smooth folding and unfolding operations, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to displacement under external impact
Solution Approach 1:
The breakage prevention structure is pre-configured in the hinge module to eliminate the flow gap between the rotator and hinge housing before any impact occurs. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when external impact is applied, the housings are already constrained and cannot displace relative to each other, thus preventing display breakage while maintaining normal folding operations
Solution Approach 2:
The breakage prevention structure acts as an intermediary element between the rotator and hinge housing. It mediates the interaction by providing a constraint mechanism that prevents excessive displacement during impact while allowing normal folding movements, thus resolving the contradiction between operational smoothness and impact resistance
2Weight of moving object
If the electronic device is made slimmer to meet consumer needs, then the weight and volume are reduced, but the strength and impact resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire device thicker to improve impact resistance, the breakage prevention structure applies local reinforcement only at the hinge module where the folding mechanism is located. This localized approach adds minimal weight and volume while providing targeted protection against impact-induced display breakage at the most vulnerable point
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic device, according to various embodiments, comprises: a first housing; a second housing; a hinge device for movably connecting the first housing and the second housing with respect to each other on the basis of a folding shaft, the hinge device including a hinge housing including an accommodating part, and a hinge module disposed in the accommodating part and including at least one rotator connecting the first housing and the second housing; and a flexible display disposed so as to be supported by at least a portion of the first housing, the second housing, and the hinge device, wherein at least a portion of the at least one rotator may be disposed to be at least partially in contact with the hinge housing in a folded state and spaced apart from the hinge housing by a predetermined distance in an unfolded state.