Foldable Terminal Screen Linkage for Readability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable electronic devices with a screen unit hinged to a base often have a rectangular configuration, resulting in a long and narrow screen that can be difficult for users to read, especially when folded.
Innovation Solution
A portable folding electronic device with a base and screen unit connected by a linkage providing at least two degrees of freedom, allowing the screen unit to be moved from a folded position aligned with the base's length dimension to a tilted position aligned with its width dimension, enabling easier reading and potentially a tablet-type configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the screen unit is folded onto the base with the hinge at the short side, then the device can be compact and portable, but the screen becomes long and narrow which makes reading difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The screen unit is made dynamically reconfigurable through a two-degree-of-freedom linkage mechanism. The screen can transition between a folded position (aligned with base length) and a tilted position (aligned with base width), allowing the display orientation to adapt to readability requirements while maintaining compact portability when folded.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an additional degree of freedom by allowing the screen unit to tilt relative to the base in addition to folding. This creates a new spatial dimension for screen orientation, enabling the screen to be aligned with either the length or width dimension of the base depending on the desired viewing configuration.
2Ease of operation
If the screen unit is made rectangular to improve readability, then the screen becomes long and narrow when folded, but this complicates the device structure
Solution Approach 1:
The linkage mechanism is segmented into multiple independent components: a first linkage member connecting the screen unit to the base, and a second linkage member providing additional support. This segmentation allows each component to be simpler in design while collectively achieving the complex two-degree-of-freedom motion required for screen repositioning.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a
Figure 2b~2d
AI summary
A portable folding electronic device has a base with a longer length dimension and a shorter width dimension and a user interface on one surface. The user interface may be oriented for use when the base has a portrait orientation. The device also has a screen unit with a longer length dimension and a shorter width dimension and a screen on one surface. A linkage connects the base to the screen unit. The linkage provides at least two degrees of freedom between the base and the screen unit such that the screen unit may be moved to a first position folded onto the base, with the length dimension of said screen unit aligned with the length dimension of the base, and to a second position tilted with respect to the base, with the length dimension of the screen unit aligned with the width dimension of the base.