Foldable Hinge Waterdrop Shape Gap Elimination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable electronic devices with wide bend radii in FOLED display panels experience a gap in the center when closed, increasing device thickness, and existing hinges with numerous components complicate manufacturing and increase the likelihood of failure due to local stress and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A hinge design featuring a gear set, rotational arms, and a torque mechanism that guides the FOLED display into a waterdrop cross-sectional shape, reducing stress and eliminating the gap by using a sliding mechanism to adjust force distribution and a simpler, more robust construction with fewer components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a wide bend radius is used in the FOLED display panel, then the display can be folded without permanent creases, but a gap appears in the center when the device is closed, increasing device thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by designing the display panel to form a waterdrop-shaped cross-section when closed, with a rounded bend radius at the fold. This curved geometry eliminates the gap between display halves while maintaining a wide enough bend radius to prevent permanent creases, thus resolving the contradiction between durability and thickness.
2Force
If existing hinge designs with numerous components are used, then torque performance can be achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases and reliability decreases due to local stress and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple hinge components into a simplified integrated structure. The new hinge design combines the functions of multiple separate components (rotational arms, guides, torque mechanisms) into a unified assembly with fewer parts, reducing manufacturing complexity and potential failure points while maintaining adequate torque performance through optimized structural design.
3Ease of manufacture
If a simplified hinge construction with fewer components is used, then manufacturing simplicity and reliability improve, but torque performance and force distribution control may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes geometric parameters of the simplified hinge structure, such as arm lengths, angles, and material properties, to achieve adequate torque performance. By carefully selecting and adjusting these parameters, the design maintains sufficient force control capabilities despite having fewer components, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and torque performance.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture related to foldable electronic devices are disclosed herein. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a gear set, a first pair of rotational arms coupled to the gear set, and a first guide set carried by the first pair of rotational arms and couplable to a display of the electronic device, the first guide set having a first guide on a first side of the gear set and a second guide on a second side of the gear set, the second side opposite the first side, wherein the gear set is to rotate the first pair of rotational arms to move the electronic device between an opened orientation and a closed orientation, the first pair of rotational arms to bring the first guide of the first guide set into proximity with the second guide of the first guide set in the closed orientation to cause the display to have a waterdrop cross-sectional shape in the closed orientation.