Wireless Data Transceivers for Hinged Computing Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dual-display computing devices face issues with data transmission between two housings due to the wear and tear of cables, leading to potential malfunctions and failures from repeated flexing, which existing wired connections cannot effectively mitigate.
Innovation Solution
Implementing wireless data transceivers with extremely high-frequency communication between two housings, using magnets and bearings to ensure antennas remain aligned and within sight of each other, regardless of device orientation, thus eliminating the need for physical cables and reducing interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cables are used to connect components between two housings, then data transmission is established, but repeated flexing causes cables to fray or break leading to device failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cable connection system with a wireless communication system. Two transceivers (one in each housing) communicate data wirelessly, eliminating the physical cable that would fray or break from repeated flexing. This substitution resolves the contradiction by removing the mechanical component that causes reliability issues while maintaining data transmission functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces wireless transceivers as intermediary devices between the two housings to enable data transmission without direct physical cable connections. These transceivers act as mediators that transmit data through electromagnetic signals, allowing the housings to communicate while avoiding the wear and tear problems associated with repeated cable flexing during device orientation changes.
2Reliability
If wireless transceivers are used for data transmission, then cable-related failures are prevented, but maintaining antenna alignment across all orientations becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses magnetic attraction forces as a counterbalancing mechanism to maintain transceiver alignment. Magnets are positioned in each transceiver housing to create attractive forces that pull the transceivers into proper alignment positions, counteracting the effects of gravity and device orientation changes. This magnetic counterweight system automatically maintains alignment without requiring complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The transceivers are designed with self-aligning capabilities through magnetic attraction, allowing them to automatically maintain proper orientation without external intervention or complex control systems. The magnetic fields generated by the transceivers themselves create the alignment force, making the system self-regulating and reducing overall device complexity despite the wireless transmission requirement.
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
This solution enables reliable, interference-reduced data transmission between the two housings of a dual-display computing device, preventing cable-related failures and allowing for flexible device orientation without compromising performance.
Implementation Method 1
An attraction between the magnets of the first data transceiver and the magnets of the second data transceiver may cause one or both data transceivers to rotate, such that the antennas remain facing each other regardless of an orientation of the computing device.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device may include a first housing and a second housing attached by a hinge. A first data transceiver in the first housing may transmit signals, including a video signal, to a second data transceiver in the second housing. The second data transceiver may receive the signals and send the video signal to a display device in the second housing. Each data transceiver may include a frame on which is mounted a circuit board having an antenna, a set of magnets, and a pair of bearings on either end of the frame that enable each data transceiver to rotate. An attraction between the magnets of the first data transceiver and the magnets of the second data transceiver may cause one or both data transceivers to rotate, such that the antennas remain facing each other regardless of an orientation of the computing device.