Trifold Hinge Mechanism With Guided Motion for Flexible Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hinge mechanisms in trifold electronic devices face challenges in ensuring structural reliability and stability of flexible displays due to increased thickness and weight, which can lead to reduced service life and potential damage during folding and unfolding processes.
Innovation Solution
A hinge mechanism with a simplified structure that includes movable connectors and track slots to limit movement, ensuring stability and reliability by reducing the thickness of the main shaft and maintaining consistent length of the hinge mechanism, while avoiding uncontrolled movements that could damage the flexible display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the hinge mechanism uses a thicker main shaft to ensure structural strength, then the reliability of the flexible display is improved, but the overall thickness and weight of the device increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism is divided into multiple functional components: main shaft, first rotating assembly, second rotating assembly, first housing fastening bracket, and second housing fastening bracket. Each component is optimized independently to reduce overall weight while maintaining structural integrity through distributed load-bearing functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The thickness and dimensions of the main shaft are optimized through parameter adjustment to achieve the minimum required structural strength. The rotating assemblies are designed with optimized geometric parameters that maintain reliability while reducing material usage and overall weight.
2Ease of operation
If the hinge mechanism allows greater movement freedom for flexibility, then the ease of operation is improved, but the risk of uncontrolled movement damaging the flexible display increases
Solution Approach 1:
Track slots are introduced as intermediary elements between the rotating assemblies and the main shaft. These track slots guide and constrain the movement of connectors, ensuring that folding and unfolding operations follow precise trajectories while preventing uncontrolled movements that could damage the flexible display.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge mechanism incorporates dynamic constraints through the track slots that adapt to different folding positions. The connectors move freely within the track slot boundaries during operation, providing ease of movement, while the track slots themselves provide dynamic guidance that maintains stability throughout the folding and unfolding process.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
An electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device includes a first housing (3), a second housing (4), a third housing (5), a first hinge mechanism (1), and a second hinge mechanism (2). The first housing (3) is rotatably connected to the second housing (4) through the first hinge mechanism (1), and the second housing (4) is rotatably connected to the third housing (5) through the second hinge mechanism (2). When the electronic device is used, the first housing (3) and the second housing (4) are rotatable toward or away from each other under action of the first hinge mechanism (1), and the second housing (4) and the third housing (5) are rotatable toward or away from each other under action of the second hinge mechanism (2), so that the electronic device can be folded and unfolded based on different usage scenarios. In addition, in a folding process of the electronic device, the first hinge mechanism (1) may limit movement distances of the first housing (3) and the second housing (4) relative to a main shaft (102), and the second hinge mechanism (2) may form display accommodation space that meets bending requirements of a flexible display (6). This helps reduce pulling or squeezing on the flexible display (6), thereby enhancing structural reliability of the electronic device.