Slider-Crank Hinge Structure for Laptop Cooling Clearance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic apparatuses face challenges in achieving efficient cooling due to high intake resistance from narrow gaps between the main body chassis and the placement surface, which is exacerbated by the need for a suitable design that does not include large leg portions.
Innovation Solution
A hinge device with a slider-crank mechanism that includes a first shaft, a second shaft, a crank, a slider, and a link, allowing the main body chassis and display chassis to rotate while maintaining a suitable design in the closed state and creating an appropriate gap in the open state by protrusion of the link from the non-facing surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the height of the leg portion is increased to reduce intake resistance, then cooling efficiency is improved, but design appearance deteriorates due to large leg portion
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge device employs a slider-crank mechanism that dynamically adjusts the gap between the main body chassis and placement surface. The link portion moves from a retracted position in the closed state to a protruding position in the open state, creating variable clearance rather than a fixed static structure. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to optimize both closed-state aesthetics and open-state cooling performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a temporal dimension to the gap structure by making it changeable between states. The link portion's position varies with the opening angle, transforming the gap from a static parameter to a dynamic one that adapts to different operational states. This resolves the contradiction by having different gap configurations for different states rather than compromising either.
2Productivity
If a large leg portion is provided to secure gap width, then intake resistance is reduced, but device compactness deteriorates in closed state
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism creates a dynamic clearance structure where the link portion extends to provide adequate intake gap only when the device is in the open state. In the closed state, the link retracts to maintain a compact profile. This dynamic behavior allows the system to achieve both compactness when portable and adequate airflow when in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The slider-crank mechanism is pre-configured so that upon opening the device, the link portion automatically protrudes to establish the necessary intake gap before the device is fully opened for use. This preliminary action ensures cooling airflow is ready when needed without requiring permanent structural modifications.
3Productivity
If the link portion protrudes in closed state, then gap is secured, but design appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge device utilizes the slider-crank mechanism to dynamically control the link portion's position based on the opening angle. The link is designed to protrude only when the opening angle exceeds a predetermined threshold, maintaining a sleek closed-state appearance while providing necessary gap width when the device is open for cooling during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the positional parameter of the link portion based on the operational state. In the closed state, the link position parameter is set to retracted for aesthetics; in the open state, it transitions to a protruding position to secure adequate gap width for cooling airflow.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is a hinge device that can obtain a suitable design in a closed state and can secure a gap of an appropriate width with a placement surface in an open state. A hinge device connects a main body chassis and a display chassis to each other to be rotatably, and includes a first shaft that is pivotally supported by the main body chassis in the vicinity of a connection edge to the display chassis, a second shaft that is fixed to the display chassis in the vicinity of a connection edge to the main body chassis, a crank that connects the first shaft and the second shaft in a non-rotatable manner, a slider that is provided on the main body chassis to be slidable in a Y direction, and a link that pivotally supports the slider and pivotally supports the second shaft. As the main body chassis and the display chassis rotate from the closed state in which the main body chassis and the display chassis are stacked to the open state, a lower arc portion of the link protrudes from a lower surface of the main body chassis.