Electronic devices with fiber composite friction hinges

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11163340-B2
Application number	US-202016900766-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2020
Priority date	Jul 9, 2019
Publication date	Nov 2, 2021
Grant date	Nov 2, 2021

Abstract

An electronic device may have a fiber composite friction hinge with first and second members that rotate relative to each other about a hinge axis. The fiber composite hinge may have first and second sets of interdigitated elongated fingers. Holes in the elongated fingers may receive a shaft of a fastener. The fastener may be tightened to squeeze the elongated fingers together along the hinge axis. The fiber composite hinge may be formed from a fiber composite material such as carbon fiber composite material. Fibers in the composite material may be embedded in binder such as polymer binder. The fibers may wrap around the holes and fold back on themselves in the fingers. Actuators may be provided to adjust the positions of portions of the hinge members. The electronic device may have a flexible layer such as a flexible display that overlaps the hinge structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a fiber composite friction hinge having first and second hinge members with interdigitated structures configured to allow the first and second hinge members to rotate relative to each other about a hinge axis;
a housing having first and second housing portions that are coupled respectively to the first and second hinge members and that rotate relative to each other about the hinge axis; and
electrical components coupled to the housing.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the interdigitated structures comprise interdigitated first and second sets of elongated fingers, wherein the first set of elongated fingers forms part of the first hinge member, and wherein the second set of elongated fingers forms part of the second hinge member.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the interdigitated first and second sets of elongated fingers have holes and wherein the fiber composite friction hinge comprises a fastener that passes through the holes and applies pressure to squeeze the interdigitated first and second sets of elongated fingers against each other.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the first and second hinge members are formed from fiber composite material and wherein a portion of the fiber composite material forms a spring.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the spring is adjacent to one of the holes and is formed from fibers in the fiber composite material.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the first and second sets of elongated fingers are formed from fiber composite material having fibers embedded in binder.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the fibers in the first and second sets of elongated fingers have fibers that wrap around the holes.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the first and second hinge members respectively have first and second support structures without fibers and wherein the first and second sets of elongated fingers are formed from fiber composite material and have ends that are embedded respectively in the first and second support structures.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the first and second hinge members respectively have first and second support structures formed from fiber composite material, wherein the first and second sets of elongated fingers are formed from the fiber composite material, and wherein fibers in the fiber composite material of the first and second elongated fingers extend into the first and second support structures, respectively.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising an actuator configured to adjust a position of a first portion of the first hinge member relative to a second portion of the first hinge member.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a flexible display that overlaps the hinge axis.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a display, wherein the first housing portion is configured to support the display and wherein the first housing portion includes fibers that extend into the first housing portion from the first hinge member.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the fiber composite friction hinge is formed from carbon fiber composite material.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein:
the interdigitated structures comprise fingers with holes;
the friction hinge comprises a fastener that passes through the holes and squeezes the fingers together;
the carbon fiber composite material incudes fibers embedded in binder; and
the fibers wrap around the holes and double back on themselves.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the fastener has a shaft that extends through the holes and has a head received within a recessed portion of the fiber composite friction hinge.

16. An electronic device, comprising:
first and second carbon fiber hinge members, wherein the first carbon fiber hinge member has first fingers, wherein the second carbon fiber hinge member has second fingers that are interdigitated with the first fingers;
a fastener that has a shaft that passes through the first and second fingers to allow the first and second fiber composite hinge members to rotate relative to each other about a hinge axis, wherein the fastener squeezes the first and second fingers together to create friction between the first and second carbon fiber hinge members;
a flexible layer that overlaps the hinge axis and that is configured to bend as the first and second fiber composite hinge members rotate relative to each other;
a sensor; and
control circuitry configured to gather sensor information from the sensor.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the flexible layer comprises a light-emitting diode display.

18. An electronic device, comprising:
a first carbon fiber hinge member having a first set of elongated fingers; and
a second carbon fiber hinge member having a second set of elongated fingers that is interdigitated with the first set of elongated fingers, wherein the first and second sets of elongated fingers have holes aligned with a hinge axis;
a fastener having a shaft that passes through the holes and that is configured to squeeze the first and second sets of elongated fingers together along the hinge axis;
an electrical component configured to gather input; and
wireless communications circuitry configured to wirelessly transmit information in response to the input.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 further comprising:
a flexible display that overlaps the hinge axis.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein portions of the first and second carbon fiber hinge members are configured to grip sides of a finger to hold the first and second carbon fiber hinge members to the finger.

21. An electronic device, comprising:
fibers;
a housing formed from polymer material that is overmolded over a first portion of the fibers to form a first housing portion and that is overmolded over a second portion of the fibers to form a second housing portion, wherein the fibers are uncovered with the polymer material and form a hinge in a gap between the first and second housing portions; and
electrical components coupled to the housing.

22. The electronic device defined in claim 21 wherein the fibers comprise fibers selected from the group consisting of: carbon fibers, glass fibers, polymer fibers, and metal fibers.

23. An electronic device, comprising:
a fiber composite housing formed from fibers in polymer binder;
a hinge having a first metal member that is overmolded by a first portion of the fiber composite housing and having a corresponding second metal member that is overmolded by a second portion of the fiber composite housing; and
electrical components coupled to the housing.

24. The electronic device defined in claim 23 wherein the fibers comprise carbon fibers.

25. The electronic device defined in claim 23 wherein the first metal member comprises first metal hinge fingers and wherein the second metal member comprises second metal hinge fingers that are interleaved with the first metal hinge fingers.

26. The electronic device defined in claim 25 wherein the fibers comprise carbon fibers.

27. The electronic device defined in claim 26 wherein the fi

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Wang Paul X
• Lancaster-Larocque Simon R
• Hamel Bradley J

Classifications

• G06F1/1652

  the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable · CPC title

• G09F9/301

  flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED · CPC title

• F16M13/04

  for supporting on, or holding steady relative to, a person, e.g. by chains {, e.g. rifle butt or pistol grip supports, supports attached to the chest or head (apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs or for projecting or viewing them G03B)} · CPC title

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title

• E05D11/087

  with substantially axial friction, e.g. friction disks · CPC title