Flexible information handling system display
View Patent ↗An information handling system having rotationally coupled housing portions supports a flexible display disposed across the housing portions with a hinge structure that manages flexible display curve radius in a folded configuration. A set of plural hinges having five geared rotational portions interconnect with a bar fixedly coupled to the center hinge rotational portion. The bar presses against a shape memory alloy support that manages curve radius of a flexible display during rotation of the hinges.
1. An information handling system comprising: first and second housing portions, at least one of the housing portions containing processing components that cooperate to process information; first and second hinges coupled to opposing sides of the first and second housing portions, the first and second hinges rotationally coupling the first and second housing portions to rotate between at least planar and closed configurations, each hinge having an odd number of plural interconnected rotational portions; a flexible display disposed over the first and second housing portions, the flexible display bending as the first and second hinges rotate the first and second housing portions from the planar to the closed configurations; and an interconnect bar coupled to a center rotational portion of the first hinge and the second hinge, the interconnect bar maintaining the flexible display position relative to the center rotational portions during rotational movement of the housing portions; the interconnect bar comprises an I shape having upper and lower surfaces fixedly coupled to first and second shape memory supports to maintain the first and second hinge center rotational portion in a distance when the housing portions are in both planar and closed configurations.
2. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising:
a flexible display frame disposed under and supporting the flexible display;
wherein at least a portion of the flexible display frame slides relative to the first housing portion during rotation of the first and second housing portions.
3. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the hinge has five interconnected rotational portions.
4. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the interconnect bar has an I-shape.
5. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the shape memory support at the upper side of the hinges maintains substantially a 3 mm radius when the housing portions rotate to the closed position.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein the shape memory support at the lower side of the hinges maintains substantially a 10 mm radius when the housing portions rotate to the closed position.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the hinge interconnected rotational portions comprise interconnected gears.
8. A method for rotationally coupling information handling system housing portions having a flexible display, the method comprising:
rotationally coupling first and second housing portions to each other with plural hinges, each hinge having an odd plural number of interconnected rotational portions, one of the interconnected rotational portions disposed at the center of each hinge;
fixing an interconnect bar to each of the plural hinges one center interconnected portion disposed at the center of each hinge;
fixing the interconnect bar to an upper support plate disposed over the plural hinges;
disposing a flexible display assembly over both housing portions the plural hinges, the flexible display assembly supported in in part by the upper support; and
maintaining the flexible display assembly at a constant position relative to the interconnect bar during rotation of the housing portions relative to each other; and fixing the interconnect bar to a lower support; disposing a flexible cover over the lower support; and maintaining the flexible cover at a constant position relative to the interconnect bar during rotation of the housing portions relative to each other; and the upper and lower support comprise a shaped memory alloy and fixedly coupled to upper and lower surfaces of the interconnect bar which formed an I shape.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the upper and lower support comprise a nickel titanium alloy.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein the upper and lower support comprises stainless steel.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein the hinge has five interconnected rotational portions having gears in communication with each other.
12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
rotating the housing portions from a planar configuration to a closed configuration; and
sliding the display assembly relative to each housing portion during the rotating.
13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
coupling a roller assembly to each housing portion at an end opposite the plural hinges; and
coupling each roller assembly to the flexible display assembly, each roller assembly managing sliding of the flexible display during rotation of the housing portions.