Multi-Hinge Portable Terminal Surface Reversal Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable terminals face limitations in enlarging display devices due to adverse impacts on portability, and existing designs struggle to provide sufficient space for display devices while maintaining miniaturization and protecting input/output components.
Innovation Solution
A portable terminal design featuring a pair of housings that rotate around two hinge axes, allowing for the reversal of surfaces to position a keypad parallel to a display device, thereby maximizing display space within a limited installation area and protecting the keypad.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the display device is enlarged to improve multimedia functionality, then the display area increases, but the portability of the terminal deteriorates due to increased size
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal is divided into multiple segments (first housing, second housing, third housing) connected by hinge modules, allowing the display area to be distributed across multiple surfaces that can be unfolded to create a large effective display area while each individual housing segment remains compact for portability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes three-dimensional unfolding through multiple hinge axes (first hinge axis and second hinge axis) to expand the display area in multiple spatial dimensions simultaneously, transforming a two-dimensional display limitation into a three-dimensional spatial solution where the total display area exceeds the footprint of any single housing segment
2Length of moving object
If the terminal is miniaturized to improve portability, then the terminal size decreases, but the installation space for the display device becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple housing segments are nested or folded together in a compact configuration for portability, with the second housing containing or being adjacent to the third housing, allowing the large display area to be collapsed into a small form factor when not in use
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal employs dynamic hinge modules that allow the housing segments to rotate and unfold between compact and expanded states, enabling the display installation space to dynamically expand from a minimal folded configuration to a large unfolded configuration
3Ease of operation
If the keypad is exposed to the exterior for ease of operation, then data input is convenient, but the keypad becomes vulnerable to malfunction due to constant exposure
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the keypad permanently exposed on the exterior, the patent positions the keypad on an interior surface of a housing segment that faces the display when unfolded, inverting the conventional arrangement so the keypad is protected during transport but accessible during operation
Solution Approach 2:
The housing segments are pre-configured with the keypad on an interior surface, and the hinge modules are pre-designed to automatically position the keypad in parallel with the display when unfolded, so the protective arrangement is already in place before use and requires no additional action to activate
Data Source
AI summary
A portable terminal with multiple hinges including a first housing and a second housing foldably coupled to the first housing. The portable terminal includes a pair of side hinge arms formed to protrude from a first surface of the second housing, a hinge apparatus installed between the side hinge arms to couple the first housing and the second housing such that the first housing and the second housing pivot in a direction toward or away from each other while facing each other, and a display device installed on a second surface opposite to the first surface of the second housing, in which when the first housing and the second housing are unfolded, the first housing pivots in a direction such that the first surface and the second surface of the first housing are reversed to each other.