Rotating Shaft Damping Structure for Smooth Foldable Hinges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rotating shaft structures in foldable electronic devices are not smooth during folding operations, leading to an inferior user experience due to inadequate damping and friction issues.
Innovation Solution
A rotating shaft structure comprising a main shaft component and a damping component with elastic parts and balls that roll into limiting slots, providing damping and thrust force to maintain the structure in a flattened state, reducing friction and improving the folding and unfolding experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a damping structure is added to control opening and closing of the rotating shaft structure, then reliability and force bearing are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damping component is segmented into multiple damping groups, each comprising an elastic part and a ball. This segmentation allows the damping function to be distributed across multiple simple units rather than requiring a single complex damping mechanism, thereby improving reliability through redundancy while keeping individual components simple.
Solution Approach 2:
Spherical balls are used as the damping elements that roll within limiting slots during rotation. The spherical shape enables smooth rolling motion with minimal friction compared to sliding contacts, providing effective damping functionality while maintaining simple geometric forms that are easy to manufacture and integrate.
2Force
If traditional damping structures are used, then force bearing is provided, but friction is high causing rough folding operation
Solution Approach 1:
The use of spherical balls instead of traditional sliding damping elements transforms the friction mechanism from sliding friction to rolling friction. The balls roll within the limiting slots during rotation, dramatically reducing friction and enabling smooth folding and unfolding operations while maintaining effective damping force.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional sliding mechanical damping structures with a rolling ball mechanism. This substitution fundamentally changes the friction characteristics from high sliding friction to low rolling friction, thereby improving operational smoothness while preserving the damping function.
3Volume of moving object
If the rotating shaft structure is designed for compactness, then device size is reduced, but damping performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The damping function is segmented into multiple independent damping groups distributed around the rotating shaft. Each group consists of a compact elastic part and a small ball, allowing the damping system to achieve effective damping performance through multiple units rather than requiring a single large damping component, thus maintaining compact overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping components are nested within the existing rotating shaft structure. The balls are contained within limiting slots that are part of the shaft body, and the elastic parts are positioned within the space between the shaft and housing, utilizing existing structural spaces rather than adding external bulk.
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 enhances the smoothness of the folding and unfolding process, extends the service life of the damping component, and provides a clear force change perception to users, thereby improving user experience and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
The first ball abuts against the circumferential surface of the first shaft body by using elastic force of the elastic part
Implementation Method 2
the first ball rolls relative to the circumferential surface of the first shaft body... a contact area between the first ball and each of the circumferential surface of the first shaft body and the first limiting slot is small. In this case, friction is small
Data Source
AI summary
A rotating shaft structure includes a damping component, a first shaft body and a second shaft body. A first limiting slot is disposed on a circumferential surface of the first shaft body. The damping component is located between the first shaft body and the second shaft body. The damping component includes one or more damping groups. Each damping group includes an elastic part and a first ball. The first ball abuts against the circumferential surface of the first shaft body by using elastic force of the elastic part. A second end of the elastic part is elastically connected to the circumferential surface of the second shaft body. In a rotation process of the first shaft body, the first ball rolls relative to the circumferential surface of the first shaft body and can be positioned in the first limiting slot.