Planar hinge assembly

• US 10,642,318 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lehmann, Alex J., Wang, Paul X.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lea-Edmonds, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US16/355,118
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/162 changing, e.g. reversing, the face orientation of the screen with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, e.g. for folding into tablet PC like position or orienting towards the direction opposite to the user to show to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1649 the additional display being independently orientable, e.g. for presenting information to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus

Abstract

A personal computing device comprises a single piece body having a seamless overall appearance and that includes a bendable portion that is capable of having a smoothly curved shape. The single piece body includes a first part capable of carrying a display suitable for presenting visual content, and a second part that is capable of carrying an input device suitable for accepting an input action. The personal computing device also includes a multi-state bending assembly carried by the single piece body at the bendable portion and positioned between and in mechanical communication with the first part and the second part. The multi-state bending assembly includes a planar assembly that, in a first state, is characterized as having a first thickness and allows relative movement of the first and second parts with respect to each other. In a second state, the planar assembly is characterized as having a second thickness, less than the first thickness, that is capable of maintaining a fixed angular displacement between the first and second parts.

Claims

1. A personal computing device, comprising:

a single piece body having layers of bendable material, wherein the single piece body includes (i) a first part capable of carrying a display, and (ii) a second part that is capable of carrying an input device; and

a multi-state planar hinge assembly carried by the layers of the bendable material and positioned between and in mechanical communication with the first part and the second part, wherein the multi-state planar hinge assembly includes a planar assembly formed of the layers of bendable material that, in a first state, the planar assembly is characterized as having a first thickness and allows relative movement of the first and second parts with respect to each other, and wherein in a second state, the planar assembly is characterized as having a second thickness less than the first thickness, and capable of maintaining a fixed angular displacement between the first part and the second part.

2. The personal computing device of claim 1, wherein:

the planar assembly includes an interlayer interposed between each of the layers of bendable material;

the first state is an uncompressed state where at least some of the layers of bendable material are separated by a first separation distance such that a mechanical coupling between the layers establishes a first resistance; and

the second state is a compressed state where at least some of the layers of bendable material are separated by a second separation distance such that the mechanical coupling establishes a second resistance.

3. The personal computing device of claim 2, wherein:

in the uncompressed state, an actuator permits a release of mechanical energy from the planar assembly thereby allowing at least some of the layers to maintain the first separation distance; and

in the compressed state, the actuator prevents the release of mechanical energy from the planar assembly.

4. The personal computing device of claim 1, wherein:

in the first state, the layers of the bendable material are capable of moving relative to each other; and

in the second state, the layers of the bendable material are fixed with respect to each other.

5. The personal computing device of claim 1, further comprising an actuator including at least one of an air pump, a vacuum pump, an electrostatic polymer or an air bladder.

6. The personal computing device of claim 1, further comprising:

an electronic trace that couples the first and the second parts.

7. The personal computing device of claim 1, wherein the single piece body is a laptop-computing device.

8. The personal computing device of claim 1, wherein:

the first part is a first electronic device having the display; and

the second part is a second electronic device having the input device.

9. The personal computing device of claim 8, wherein the first and second electronic devices communicate with each other by way of an electronic trace.

10. The personal computing device of claim 9, wherein the first electronic device is a first tablet computer and wherein the second electronic device is a second tablet computer.

11. The personal computing device of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor capable of providing a first signal in accordance with the first state and a second signal in accordance with the second state;

a processor communicating with the sensor and an actuator, wherein

the processor is capable of (i) receiving either the first signal or the second signal from the sensor, and (ii) causing the actuator to act on the planar assembly in accordance with either the first or second states.

12. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a first part that carries a display,

a second part that carries an input device; and

a solid-state hinge assembly coupled to the first part and the second part in a manner that allows relative angular movement between the first part and second part, wherein the solid-state hinge assembly includes;

a bending medium capable of (i) bending in response to an applied force, and (ii) providing a resistance to movement in accordance with an amount of the bending; and

a force actuator coupled to the bending medium and located within one of the first part or the second part, the force actuator capable of providing the applied force.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein:

the first part is a lid; and

the second part is a base capable of supporting the lid.

14. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the lid further carries a camera assembly and a speaker assembly; and

the input device is a keyboard.

15. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 14, wherein the force actuator is capable of providing:

(i) a first force corresponding to a first angular displacement between the lid and the base; and

(ii) a second force corresponding to a second angular displacement between the lid and the base, wherein the first and second angular displacements are different from each other.

16. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 15, wherein:

the first angular displacement corresponds to a first angle suitable for the display presenting visual content; and

the second angular displacement corresponds to a second angle that is suitable for the input device.

17. A method of operating an adjustable bending structure that includes a stack of layers of bendable material capable of bending in response to an applied force, wherein the adjustable bending structure (i) is in communication with a sensor capable of detecting a shape of the stack of layers and providing a signal, and (ii) is in communication with an actuator capable of receiving the signal and responding by applying a controller force that controls the shape of the stack of layers, the method comprising:

receiving, by the actuator, a first signal provided by the sensor, the first signal corresponding to a first controller force;

applying, by the actuator, the first controller force such as to cause the stack of layers to take on a first shape;

receiving, by the actuator, a second signal provided by the sensor, the second signal corresponding to a second controller force; and

applying, by the actuator, the second controller force such as to cause the stack of layers to take on a second shape that is different than the first shape.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein when the controller force is a null force, the shape of the stack of layers corresponds to an uncompressed state, otherwise, the shape of the stack of layers corresponds to a compressed state.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first controller force corresponds to the first shape and the second controller force corresponds to the second shape.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

providing varied number of interleaved layers at different locations of the stack of layers to adjust a relative stiffness.