Wedge-Shaped Laptop Housing for Lightweight Structural Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable computing devices face challenges in achieving a balance between being lightweight, durable, and aesthetically pleasing, as lighter enclosures tend to be more flexible and prone to damage, while stronger enclosures are heavier and less portable, and often lack aesthetic appeal.
Innovation Solution
A wedge-shaped portable computing device design featuring a lightweight and durable outer housing made from materials like aluminum, with a hollow clutch assembly and integrally formed fastening components, incorporating a high-speed memory card and card connector with short signal paths and a split ground plane, and a touchpad made from glass for structural rigidity and reduced thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If lightweight materials are used for the enclosure, then the device weight is reduced and portability is improved, but the structural rigidity and strength decrease leading to buckling and bowing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs aluminum alloy materials that combine lightweight properties with enhanced structural strength. The aluminum enclosure is designed with optimized thickness and structural features that provide sufficient rigidity while maintaining low weight, resolving the contradiction between portability and structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the thickness parameter of the aluminum enclosure to achieve the right balance between weight and strength. By carefully selecting and adjusting the thickness parameter, the design achieves adequate structural rigidity without excessive weight, addressing the trade-off between these two properties.
2Strength
If thicker and stronger materials are used for the enclosure, then structural rigidity and strength are improved, but the device weight increases reducing portability
Solution Approach 1:
The use of aluminum alloy provides a material solution that inherently offers high strength-to-weight ratio. This composite material approach allows achieving the required structural rigidity without the weight penalty associated with traditional thicker metal enclosures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts the thickness parameter of the aluminum enclosure to an optimized value that provides sufficient strength while minimizing weight. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction by finding the sweet spot where structural requirements are met without excessive weight addition.
3Reliability
If metal enclosure materials are used, then electrical grounding and RF shielding are improved, but the aesthetic appeal and design flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies surface treatment parameters to the aluminum enclosure that enhance its aesthetic appearance. Through anodization or other surface finishing processes, the metal surface is modified to provide attractive colors and textures while preserving the underlying metal's electrical grounding and RF shielding properties.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable computing device includes at least a base portion of a lightweight material that includes at least a wedge shaped top case having a trough formed at an interfacing edge thereof. The trough includes a raised portion having a first contact surface and a receiving area, and a bottom case coupled to the top case to form a complete housing for at least a portion of the portable computing device for enclosing at least a plurality of operational components and a plurality of structural components. The portable computing device also includes at least a lid portion pivotally connected to the base portion by a hinge assembly. In the described embodiments, the lid portion has a display in communication with one or more of the plurality of components in the base portion by way of or more electrical conductors that electrically connect the base portion to the lid portion.