Reconfigurable Mobile Device Screen Extension Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile devices with large screens face challenges in reducing size for portability while maintaining usability, as techniques like reducing bezel size and using flexible LCDs have limitations in minimizing thickness and ease of folding.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable mobile device design featuring a multistage supporter with movable bodies and projectors that allow the screen to extend for maximum size and fold for minimum size, using a screen with laminated layers and touch sensing capabilities, and projectors that adjust image size based on screen exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the display size of mobile devices is increased to meet growing content consumption needs, then the screen area is improved, but the device size and portability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a flexible display that can dynamically change its configuration between unfolded (large screen area) and folded (compact device size) states. The display transitions from a rigid fixed-size structure to a dynamic reconfigurable structure, allowing the device to adapt between maximizing screen area for content consumption and minimizing device size for portability.
Solution Approach 2:
When the flexible display is folded, the screen is nested within the device body, with the display layers being inserted into recesses or compartments of the housing. This nesting approach allows the large-screen display to be compacted into a small form factor, enabling the device to achieve both large screen area when unfolded and small device size when folded for portability.
2Length of stationary object
If a flexible LCD is used to reduce device thickness, then the device can be folded, but the folded portion requires a large radius making it difficult to reduce thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flexible display into multiple layers (flexible substrate layer, functional layers, protective layers) that can be independently folded and stacked. This segmentation allows each layer to be folded with a smaller radius, and when stacked together, they achieve the required compact thickness without requiring a single large-radius fold, thereby reducing overall device thickness while maintaining flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The folded flexible display layers are nested within the device housing, with each layer being inserted into designated recesses. This nesting mechanism allows the folded display to achieve minimal thickness by stacking compactly, avoiding the need for large folding radii and enabling significant reduction in device thickness while maintaining structural integrity.
3Area of stationary object
If the screen is made extendable to maximize size during use, then the screen area is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible display structure composed of thin, flexible layers that can be bent and folded without requiring complex mechanical expansion mechanisms. The flexibility of the display layers themselves enables the screen to extend and retract smoothly, achieving variable screen area while avoiding the need for complex linkages, motors, or structural components that would increase device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The extendable screen utilizes a nesting mechanism where the flexible display layers are stored within the device body and extended by being pulled out and unfolded. This approach achieves variable screen area through a relatively simple nesting and unfolding mechanism rather than complex expansion structures, maintaining ease of implementation while providing adjustable screen sizes.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~2C
Figure 3A~3D
AI summary
A reconfigurable mobile device is provided. The reconfigurable mobile device includes a first body, a second body that is disposed at a side of the first body and is movable with respect to the first body, a multistage supporter that is provided between the first body and the second body and comprises at least two supporting members that are inserted and received in at least one of the first body and the second body according to movement of the first body and the second body, a screen that is provided in the multistage supporter and is wound or unwound according to the movement of the first body and the second body, and a projector that is provided in at least one of the first body and the second body and configured to project an image toward the screen.