Viscoelastic material for shock protection in an electronic device
First Claim
1. An electronic device comprising:
- a housing;
a component positioned within the housing; and
a boundary element comprising a plurality of layers positioned within the housing adjacent to the component, each of the plurality of layers providing a shock response characteristic different from that of other layers;
whereinthe combination of the plurality of layers reduces the effects of shock events of varying magnitude on the component; and
the component positioned adjacent the boundary element is operative to move in at least one direction within the housing during the shock events.
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Abstract
This invention is directed to reducing the effect of shocks on electronic device components. The electronic device component may be surrounded by a boundary element operative to deform in response to impacts. By deforming, the boundary element may be operative to absorb energy received by the shock or impact without passing the energy on to the electronic device component. To maximize the effectiveness of the boundary element over a range of different impacts (e.g., strong, instantaneous impacts and weak impacts over time), a viscoelastic material may be used. The characteristic properties of the viscoelastic material may be selected based on expected impacts to the electronic device component.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An electronic device comprising:
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a housing; a component positioned within the housing; and a boundary element comprising a plurality of layers positioned within the housing adjacent to the component, each of the plurality of layers providing a shock response characteristic different from that of other layers;
whereinthe combination of the plurality of layers reduces the effects of shock events of varying magnitude on the component; and the component positioned adjacent the boundary element is operative to move in at least one direction within the housing during the shock events. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An electronic device comprising:
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a housing; a component positioned within the housing; and a boundary element positioned within the housing adjacent to the component, the boundary element having a shape adapted to reduce effects of shock events of varying magnitude on the component;
whereinthe component is operative to move in at least one direction within the housing during the shock events. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An electronic device comprising:
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a component positioned within a housing; and a boundary element comprising two or more layers positioned adjacent to the component, each of the two or more layers providing a shock response characteristic different from that of other layers, and at least one of the two or more layers of the boundary element comprises one of; a ridge structure adapted to reduce the effects of shock events of a predetermined magnitude on the component by deforming;
ora group of ribs adapted to reduce the effects of shock events of the predetermined magnitude on the component by crushing;
whereinthe combination of the two or more layers reduces the effects of shock events of varying magnitude on the component; and the component positioned adjacent the boundary element is operative to move in at least one direction within the housing during the shock events. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification