Magnetic Hinge Spine for Stable Airplane-Mode Display Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
In airplane mode, the interaction with a touchscreen display on computing devices is hindered by the display moving and bouncing due to user input, leading to imprecise interactions and a frustrating user experience, as the input section of the keyboard is not accessible.
Innovation Solution
Magnetically coupling a keyboard spine to the keyboard enhances the connection between the display and the keyboard, providing additional support and stability during use, allowing the display to remain fixed relative to the keyboard, thereby improving interaction precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the display is supported on the keyboard using a kickstand in airplane mode, then the display can be positioned at an accessible angle, but the display moves and bounces during user interaction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical kickstand support system with a magnetic coupling system. The magnetic spine attaches to the keyboard back surface, providing stable support without the movement and bouncing issues of mechanical kickstands. This substitution of mechanical support with magnetic attraction resolves the contradiction between accessibility and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnetic spine acts as an intermediary between the display and the keyboard. Instead of directly supporting the display with a mechanical kickstand, the magnetic spine mediates the connection, providing stable attachment to the keyboard back surface while holding the display at the desired angle, thus eliminating display movement during use.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the keyboard is detached from the display, then the keyboard can be stored or used separately, but the display lacks additional support and stability
Solution Approach 1:
The magnetic coupling system provides dynamic adaptability - the keyboard can be easily attached and detached from the display based on user needs. When attached, the magnetic spine provides stable support; when detached, the keyboard can be stored or used separately. This dynamic connection resolves the contradiction between detachability and support stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into detachable components (display, keyboard, magnetic spine) that can be independently used or combined. The magnetic spine serves as a separate coupling element that can connect the keyboard to the display when needed, providing stability only when required, thus maintaining versatility while enabling stable support.
3Strength
If a magnetic connection is used to secure the keyboard to the display, then the connection strength and stability are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the magnetic coupling function from the complex mechanical hinge system and implements it as a separate magnetic spine component. This simplifies the overall structure by removing unnecessary mechanical complexity while maintaining strong connection strength through magnetic attraction. The magnetic spine is a simple rod-like component that provides both structural support and magnetic attachment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The magnetic connection secures the display to the keyboard, reducing movement and improving user interaction precision and overall experience by maintaining the display's stability during use in airplane mode.
Implementation Method 1
The keyboard back surface includes magnetic material. The spine includes magnetic material such that when the spine is rotated to contact the keyboard back surface, the magnetic material in the spine magnetically connects to the magnetic material in the keyboard back surface.
Data Source
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AI summary
A computing device (100) is movable into an airplane mode. A spine (116) on a hinge (105) connects a display (102) to a keyboard (104). The back surface (112) of the keyboard includes keyboard magnetic material and the spine includes spine magnetic material. The spine magnetic material is magnetically attracted to the keyboard. In the airplane mode, the spine is magnetically connected to the keyboard such that the display is secured relative to the keyboard.