Rollable Display Gear Assembly with Sensor-Based Deformation Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Electronic devices with rollable displays face deformation and damage issues due to repeated rolling or external forces applied to their gear components, limiting their functionality and durability.

Innovation Solution

An electronic device equipped with a gear assembly that includes sensors to detect gear damage and deformation, using a processor to analyze sensing signals and adjust driving conditions to prevent or reduce damage, and display information about the gear's condition.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the gear assembly is driven repeatedly or external force is applied, then the rolling or sliding function is maintained, but the gear components become deformed or damaged

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegear durabilityVSAvoidgear component integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor detects gear damage or deformation before it leads to complete failure. The processor analyzes the sensing signal and identifies damage in advance, allowing the system to take preventive action by adjusting driving conditions or notifying the user, thus preventing catastrophic gear failure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors gear condition through sensors and provides feedback to the processor. Based on the analyzed sensing signals, the system adjusts driving conditions in real-time to prevent further damage when gear deformation is detected, creating a closed-loop protection mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If sensors and processing circuits are added to detect gear damage, then gear damage identification capability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegear damage detection accuracyVSAvoidsensor and circuit integration

Core Design Contradiction:

Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor and processing circuit are integrated into the existing gear assembly structure, serving multiple functions: detecting gear damage, monitoring operational status, and providing feedback for adaptive control. This multi-functionality approach minimizes additional complexity while maximizing detection capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12556120B2Rollable electronic device including gear assembly

Publication Date: 2026.02.17 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

AI summary

An electronic device may include a housing including a first housing and a second housing configured to receive at least a portion of the first housing and move with respect to the first housing, a display configured to be extended based on a slide of the first housing, a motor disposed in the housing, a gear assembly configured to move the first housing and including a first gear connected to the motor and a second gear configured to mesh with the first gear, at least one sensor disposed in the housing and configured to detect a driving state of at least a portion of the gear assembly, and at least one processor operatively connected with the motor and the at least one sensor. The at least one processor may sense, through the at least one sensor, a signal related to the driving state of at least the portion of the gear assembly while at least one of the first gear or the second gear is driven and identify whether at least one of the first gear or the second gear is deformed based on the sensed signal.