Rotatable Display Hinge With Spring Counterbalance Torque Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display devices lack the ability to maintain orientation effortlessly and provide a weightless experience during adjustment, as they often require significant force and do not counterbalance torque effectively throughout the range of travel.
Innovation Solution
The device employs a base assembly, arm assembly, and display assembly with a hinge mechanism that utilizes multiple biasing elements, including springs and a crankshaft, to counterbalance the weight of the display and arm, allowing nearly effortless rotation and maintaining net-zero torque throughout the range of travel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a display device uses a simple support structure, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to counterbalance torque and provide effortless adjustment is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs multiple biasing elements (springs) positioned at different locations and orientations to counterbalance the weight of the display assembly throughout its range of motion. These springs create counterbalancing torques that offset the gravitational torque, enabling effortless adjustment while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is divided into multiple functional components including individual biasing elements (springs), a crankshaft mechanism, and an arm assembly. This segmentation allows each component to perform a specific function in the torque counterbalancing system, achieving complex torque compensation through coordinated simple elements.
2Ease of operation
If a display device uses multiple biasing elements to counterbalance torque throughout the range of travel, then the weightless experience is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple biasing elements (first and second springs) are strategically positioned to counterbalance torque at different angular positions of the display assembly. The first spring counterbalances torque in a first angular range, while the second spring counterbalances torque in a second angular range, providing continuous torque compensation throughout the full range of motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The crankshaft mechanism dynamically transfers motion between the display assembly and the biasing elements, allowing the springs to engage and disengage at appropriate angular positions. This dynamic engagement ensures that the correct spring is active during each angular range, providing continuous torque counterbalancing without requiring both springs to be permanently engaged.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the display assembly is designed to maintain orientation during use, then the stability is improved, but the ease of rotation when adjusting is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism with biasing elements dynamically adjusts the torque characteristics based on the angular position of the display assembly. During adjustment, the biasing elements provide counterbalancing torque to enable easy rotation. Once positioned, the same mechanism maintains stable orientation by providing appropriate restoring torque to resist disturbances such as user touch forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing elements are pre-configured to provide counterbalancing torque that anticipates and offsets both the weight of the display assembly during adjustment and the stabilizing torque needed to maintain orientation during use. This preliminary anti-action allows the same mechanism to facilitate easy adjustment while maintaining stability.
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 solution enables effortless adjustment of the display with minimal user effort, providing a weightless experience and robustness to handle high touch forces, while maintaining stability and balance throughout the range of motion.
Implementation Method 1
a spring operable on a crankshaft of the crank mechanism and configured to impart a force on the crankshaft
Implementation Method 2
a crank mechanism including a crankshaft rotatable about a lower axis of rotation
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
The description relates to devices, such as computing devices having displays that can be rotated through a range of travel. The device can counter-balance the display to create a near weightless feel for the user when repositioning the display.