Synchronized Gear Hinge Mechanism for Foldable Display Reliability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current hinge mechanisms for foldable electronic devices face challenges in ensuring structural reliability and stability, leading to potential damage and reduced lifespan due to uneven stress distribution on flexible displays during folding and unfolding.
Innovation Solution
A hinge mechanism featuring a synchronization assembly with gear surfaces that engage to enable high-precision gear transmission, a main shaft with a rotating support member, and sliding connections between gear connecting rods and housing mounting brackets, ensuring synchronous rotation and reducing the main shaft's thickness for improved reliability and compactness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the main shaft thickness is increased to improve structural strength, then the reliability of the hinge mechanism improves, but the device becomes heavier and less compact
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism is divided into multiple functional modules: first and second rotating assemblies on opposite sides of the main shaft, each with independent rotating members and gear connecting rods. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for strength while maintaining overall compactness, resolving the contradiction between reliability and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite structural design where the main shaft integrates multiple functional features (first gear surface, second gear surface, track slots) into a single component. This composite approach maximizes structural efficiency and strength-to-weight ratio, improving reliability without increasing weight.
2Manufacturing precision
If complex gear transmission mechanisms are added to achieve synchronous rotation, then the precision of synchronization improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into the main shaft: it provides gear surfaces for both first and second rotating assemblies, incorporates track slots for connecting rods, and serves as the central rotation axis. This consolidation reduces the number of separate components while maintaining high synchronization precision through direct gear engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
Gear connecting rods act as intermediaries that translate rotational motion from one side to the other through the main shaft. The track slots in the main shaft guide these connecting rods, ensuring precise synchronous movement without requiring complex linkage mechanisms, thus reducing overall device complexity.
3Strength
If the main shaft performs minimal avoidance for gear assemblies, then the structural completeness and strength of the main shaft improves, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The main shaft features locally optimized gear surfaces (first gear surface, second gear surface) with precise tooth profiles and engagement geometries. These localized high-precision features ensure accurate meshing with the gear connecting rods while the rest of the main shaft maintains structural completeness and strength, resolving the contradiction between strength and manufacturing precision.
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 proposed hinge mechanism enhances structural reliability by evenly distributing stress across the flexible display, preventing deformation and damage, while maintaining a lightweight and compact design, thus improving the overall reliability and longevity of foldable electronic devices.
Implementation Method 1
a gear surface of the third gear is engaged with a gear surface of the fourth gear
Data Source
AI summary
The hinge mechanism includes a main shaft and a synchronization assembly, the synchronization assembly includes a first gear assembly and a second gear assembly, the first gear assembly includes a first gear connecting rod and a third gear connecting rod that are rotatably coupled, and the second gear assembly includes a second gear connecting rod and a fourth gear connecting rod that are rotatably coupled. The main shaft includes a rotating support member. The first gear connecting rod and the rotating support member are rotatably coupled via gear surfaces that are engaged with each other, the second gear connecting rod and the rotating support member are rotatably coupled via gear surfaces that are engaged with each other, and the third gear connecting rod and the fourth gear connecting rod are rotatably coupled via gear surfaces that are engaged with each other.