Variable Axle Hinge for Portable Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable information handling systems with dual displays face challenges in rotating housing portions over objects like keyboards without damaging the hinge assembly or displays, due to minimal size and precise gear mechanisms that fail under excessive force.
Innovation Solution
A hinge assembly that allows variable distance between housing portions, using dual axle or single axle designs with scissor assemblies, mesh gears, helical gears, and breakaway brackets to accommodate objects, ensuring synchronized rotation and preventing damage by adjusting axle distances and engaging clutch gear ratios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If minimal size hinge assembly with precise gear mechanisms is used, then device footprint is reduced, but reliability deteriorates when excessive force is applied
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly transitions from a static fixed-distance structure to a dynamic variable-distance structure. The axles can adjust their relative distance between a first distance (normal operation) and a second distance (expanded position), allowing the system to adapt to external forces and objects, thereby preventing damage while maintaining compact size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of axle distance dynamically. The distance between the first axle and second axle is no longer fixed but can vary between two predetermined distances. This parameter change enables the hinge to accommodate objects like keyboards between housing portions without transmitting excessive force to the gear mechanisms.
2Manufacturing precision
If fixed distance between housing portions is maintained, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability deteriorates when objects are present
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly incorporates a dynamic distance adjustment mechanism that allows the axles to move between fixed positions. This enables the system to maintain precise alignment during normal operation while adapting to objects by expanding to a second distance, resolving the contradiction between fixed precision and flexible adaptability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If variable distance between axles is allowed, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: first axle, second axle, gear mechanisms, and distance adjustment mechanisms. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, making the complex system more manageable and maintainable while enabling variable distance capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary elements such as gear mechanisms and distance adjustment mechanisms that mediate between the housing portions and the axles. These intermediaries enable smooth transitions between distances while protecting the core rotational function from the complexity of distance variation.
4Ease of operation
If synchronized rotation is implemented, then housing portion coordination is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Gear mechanisms serve as intermediary elements that automatically synchronize the rotation of the first and second axles. The gear engagement provides mechanical coupling that ensures coordinated movement without requiring complex control systems, thereby achieving synchronized rotation while managing manufacturing precision requirements through robust mechanical design.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable information handling system housing rotationally couples first and second housing portions with a hinge assembly having first and second axles held in a parallel fixed lateral disposition and selectively engaging with a first or second gear assembly having a first or second gear ratio. A distance between the first and second axles varies based upon the selected gear assembly to adapt the information handling system to accept a keyboard between the first and second housings.