Pivoting Latch Assembly for Portable Device Covers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional portable electronic devices with sliding covers can be physically challenging for users to open and close due to the need for precise sliding and engagement of hook-shaped tabs, making it difficult for some users to access the battery compartment.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of spring-loaded latch assemblies pivotally located along the edges of the cover, allowing the user to depress and pivot tabs away from engagement with catches, facilitating easier removal and installation of the cover by lifting it outward, with a mechanism that includes a torsion spring to bias the latch into a rotational position and prevent excessive rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sliding cover mechanism with hook-shaped tabs is used, then the cover can be securely attached to the housing, but it becomes physically challenging for users to open and close
Solution Approach 1:
The latch assembly incorporates a pivotable latch member that transitions between engaged and disengaged states, replacing the static sliding mechanism. This dynamic element allows the cover to be securely held when closed while enabling easy release when the button is pressed, resolving the contradiction between secure attachment and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch mechanism uses a spring-loaded button that automatically returns to its engaged position after being pressed. This self-service feature eliminates the need for users to manually manipulate complex sliding mechanisms, making the cover easy to open and close while maintaining secure attachment during normal use.
2Reliability
If the cover is designed to be tightly secured to the housing, then the battery compartment is well protected, but users find it physically challenging to remove and install the cover
Solution Approach 1:
The latching function is segmented into two independent latch assemblies, each with its own button and latch member. This segmentation allows users to easily engage or disengage the cover by pressing one or both buttons, rather than applying force to a single tight-fitting sliding mechanism, thus improving ease of operation while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The button acts as an intermediary element between the user's finger and the latch member. By pressing the button, the user indirectly actuates the latch member to disengage from the catch, providing mechanical advantage and making it easier to remove and install the cover while maintaining secure attachment when closed.
3Device complexity
If conventional sliding latch mechanisms are used, then the structure is simple, but the mechanism is difficult to repair without replacing the entire housing
Solution Approach 1:
The latch assembly is segmented into modular components (base, latch member, button, spring) that can be independently accessed and replaced. The latch assembly is designed to be removable from the cover, allowing repair of individual components without replacing the entire housing or cover, thus improving ease of repair while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch assembly is extracted as a separate, removable unit from the cover. This allows the latch assembly to be easily removed and replaced if needed, enabling repair without affecting the housing or other components. The modular design separates the repairable latch mechanism from the permanent housing structure.
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
This design reduces the physical effort required to access the battery compartment, allowing for easier removal and reinstallation of the cover, providing a secure and user-friendly mechanism that also allows for easy repair of the latch assemblies without needing to replace the entire housing.
Implementation Method 1
a mechanism that includes a torsion spring to bias the latch into a rotational position and prevent excessive rotation
Implementation Method 2
spring-loaded latch assemblies pivotally located along the edges of the cover
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6
AI summary
An apparatus secures a cover onto a housing of a portable electronic device. The apparatus has a first latch that is pivotally connected to the cover by a first hinge, so that in a first rotational position, the first latch contacts a first catch on the housing and in a second rotational position, the first latch is remote from the first catch. A second latch assembly has a second latch that is pivotally connected to the cover by a second hinge, so that in one rotational position, the second latch contacts a second catch on the housing and in another rotational position, the second latch is remote from the second catch. By squeezing the first and second latches between two fingers, a user is able to disengage those latches from the catches and remove the cover from the housing.