Latch with magnetically-assisted operation for information handling systems (IHSS)

Abstract

A latch with magnetically-assisted operation is described. In some embodiments, a latch may include: a first magnetic device fixedly coupled to a first portion of an information handling system (ihs); a second magnetic device coupled to a second movable portion of the ihs; and a carrier, comprising: a compression bracket fixedly coupled to the first portion of the ihs, the compression bracket having a slot configured to accommodate the second magnetic device, at least one guidepost configured to receive a return spring, and at least one stopping pin; and a actuator bracket movably coupled to compression bracket, the actuator bracket having a button configured to translate the second magnetic device with respect to the first magnetic device, at least one orifice configured to engage with the at least one guidepost, and at least one detent configured to engage with the at least one stopping pin.

Description

202A 207A. Similarly, second orifice 203B may have a diameter between the diameter of second return spring 202B 207B and second guidepost 202B 207B. First and second stopping pins 206A-B have a shape configured to match the shape of detents 205A-B and to limit the amount of traveling or translation. that actuator bracket 210 204 is allowed to have.

When compression bracket 210 is coupled to actuator bracket 204, actuator bracket 204 becomes operable to slide in and out of guideposts 207A-B when actuator 107 is pressed (e.g., directly by a user or against a surface), against opposing forces presented by return springs 202A-B. When actuator 107 is no longer pressed, return springs 202A-B cause actuator bracket 204 to return to its default position, as stopping pins 206A-B engage with detents 205A-B.

FIG. 3 shows latch components 200 and carrier 201 in assembled form300, according to some embodiments. Assembled components 300 include actuator 107 in its initial, “home,” or “rest” position, such that magnetic devices 106A and 106B are offset from one another in the Y direction by a selected distance. As a result, a first portion of magnetic device 106A that has a uiven polarity (e.g., S) sits immediately above a first portion of magnetic device 1.0613 having opposing polarity (e.g., N). A second portion of magnetic device 106A sits above a groove or channel in chassis 102 that allows magnetic device 106B to travel in the Y direction. Finally, a second portion of magnetic device 106B sits under a plain surface of kickstand 103.

FIG. 4 is a lateral view of latch components 200 and carrier 201, and illustrates a gap 401 in the Z-direction between magnetic devices 106A and 106B. In some cases, gap 401 may be of the order of 0.7 mm and/or it may be adjustable (e.g., via hinge 104) to empirically adjust magnetic forces among the various magnetic devices.

FIG. 5 is a top view of assembled components 300 in home configuration 500 when kickstand 103 is either fully open or closed, in the absence of activation of actuator 107. FIG. 6 is a top view of assembled components 300 in depressed configuration 600 when kickstand 103 is activated via, actuator 107. The transitions among the various different configurations are explained in more detail in FIGS. 7-9.

Broadly, magnets in the chassis attract corresponding magnets in the kickstand when in home configuration 500. Conversely, magnets in the chassis translate when a button is depressed, resulting in a repulsion force for corresponding magnets in kickstand and therefore aiding in the opening of the kickstand (e.g., easier to open, faster opening action, etc.).

FIGS. 7-9 are block diagrams illustrating the magnetically-assisted operation of latch 105 according to some embodiments. Particularly, stage 700 corresponds to home configuration 500 and stage 900 corresponds to depressed configuration 600. Stage 800 is an intermediate stage reached during operation of latch 105 as it opens to deploy kickstand 103.

In stage 700, portion 701 of magnetic device 106B sits below a plain portion of kickstand 103, portion 702 of magnetic device 106B sits below portion 703 of magnetic device 106A, and portion 704 of magnetic device 106A sits above a plain portion of chassis 102. The dominant force in this configuration is an attractive force between portions 702 and 703, which operates to maintain kickstand 103 closed (alongside forces provided by any clamping magnets 108A-D) against repelling forces between portions 701 and 703, and between 702 and 704 (alongside forces provided by spring-loaded hinge 104).

Stage 800 is reached in response to actuator 107 being activated to cause magnetic device 106B to translate in the Y direction with respect to magnetic device 106A. In this state of unstable equilibrium, a balance is reached such that: the attractive force between portions 702 and 703 (in conjunction with any clamping magnets 108A-D) is approximately equal in magnitude to an opposing force that is the sum of: (a) repelling forces between portions 701 and 703, and (b) repelling forces between 702 and 704 (in conjunction with any forces applied by spring-loaded hinge 104).

In stage 900, actuator 107 is at is maximum travel distance, such that magnetic device 106A is immediately above magnetic device 106B. In this state, repelling forces between portions 701 and 703, and between 702 and 704 (in conjunction with any forces applied by spring-loaded hinge 104) dominate any attractive forces between portions 701 and 704, or between portions 702 and 703 (in conjunction with any forces applied by clamping magnets 108A-D).

Still referring to FIGS. 7-9, it should be noted that, in many cases, the opening of kickstand 103 begins to take place immediately after stage 800, when gap 401 begins to increase. Hence, in these cases, stage 900 may not be reached and/or it may not be necessary to provide opening assistance of kickstand 103.

FIGS. 10-12 are perspective views illustrating an application of latch 105 in IHS 100 to some embodiments. In this example, IHS 100 is integrated into a laptop or tablet device having IHS portion 1001 coupled to chassis or lid 102, for instance, via coupler 1002 (e.g. a hinge with guideposts and/or electrical terminals, such as pogo pins or the like).

In some cases, IHS portion 1001 may include a processor and/or other IHS components, whereas chassis 200 102 may house a liquid crystal display (LED) or the like. In other cases, IHS portion 1001 may be a keyboard or docking station, and chassis 200 102 may house a touch screen or tablet device.

As previously discussed, chassis 102 may be coupled to kickstand 103 via spring-loaded hinge 104. Kickstand 103 may include kickstand latch portion 105A and chassis 102 may include chassis latch portion 105B.

When in state 1000, IHS portion 1001 sits closed horizontally on surface 101. Then, in state 1100, a user manipulates and opens chassis 102 away from IHS portion 1001 around coupler 1002 such that the rear portion of latch 105B touches surface 101 and therefore begins to activate actuator 107 (at any selected activation angle 1101—e.g., 90°). In state 1200, as actuator 107 becomes depressed against surface 101, magnetic device 106B translates with respect to magnetic device 106A, thus magnetically assisting in the opening of kickstand 103. Once opened, kickstand 103 helps to support IHS 100 against surface 101.

In some embodiments, the size, number, and position of the various components described herein may be selected empirically without undue experimentation. For example, in some cases, the following specifications may be used to manufacture the aforementioned systems: magnet material=N42; magnet size=2 mm×12 mm×1 mm on the kickstand side and 2 mm×12 mm×3.2 mm on the chassis side; magnet quantity (kickstand)=2; magnet quantity (chassis)=2; Z-gap or distance=0.7 mm; holding force per latch=99 gf; total holding force=198 gf.

For purposes of this disclosure, an IHS may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, calculate, determine, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, communicate, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, science, control, or other purposes. For example, an IHS may be a personal computer (e.g., desktop or laptop), tablet computer, mobile device (e.g., personal digital assistant (PDA) or smart phone), server (e.g., blade server or rack server), a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The IHS may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the IHS may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, touchscreen and/or a video display. The IHS may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.

FIG. 13 illustrates example components of IHS 100 according to some embodiments. As shown, IHS 100 includes one or more processors 1301. In various embodiments, IHS 100 may be a single-processor system including one processor 1301, or a multi-processor system including two or more processors 1301. Processor(s) 1301 may include any processor capable of executing program instructions, such as any general-purpose or embedded processor implementing any of a variety of Instruction Set Architectures (ISAs).

IHS 100 comprises chipset 1302 that may include one or more integrated circuits that are connected to processor(s) 1301. In certain embodiments, chipset 1302 may utilize QPI (QuickPath Interconnect) bus 1303 for communicating with the processor(s) 1301. Chipset 1302 provides processor(s) 1301 with access to a variety of resources. For instance, chipset 1302 provides access to system memory 1305 over memory bus 1304. System memory 1305 may be configured to store program instructions and/or data accessible by processors(s) 1301. In various embodiments, system memory 1305 may be implemented using any suitable memory technology, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM) or nonvolatile/Flash-type memory.

Chipset 1302 may also provide access to Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) 1307. In certain embodiments, graphics processor 1307 may part of one or more video or graphics cards that have been installed as components of IHS 100. Graphics processor 1307 may be coupled to the chipset 1302 via graphics bus 1306 such as provided by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus or a PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) bus. In certain embodiments, GPU 1307 generates display signals and provides them to display device 1308.

In certain embodiments, chipset 1302 may also provide access to one or more user input devices 1311. In such embodiments, chipset 1302 may be coupled to a super I/O controller 1310 that provides interfaces for a variety of user input devices 1311, in particular lower bandwidth and low data rate devices.

For instance, super I/O controller 1310 may provide access to a keyboard and mouse or other peripheral input devices. In certain embodiments, super I/O controller 1310 may be used to interface with coupled user input devices 1311 such as keypads, biometric scanning devices, and voice or optical recognition devices. These I/O devices may interface with super I/O controller 1310 through wired or wireless connections. In certain embodiments, chipset 1302 may be coupled to super I/O controller 1310 via Low Pin Count (LPC) bus 1313.

Other resources may also be coupled to processor(s) 1301 of IHS 100 through chipset 1302. In certain embodiments, chipset 1302 may be coupled to a network interface 1309, such as provided by a Network Interface Controller (NIC) that is coupled to IHS 100. In certain embodiments, network interface 1309 may be coupled to chipset 1302 via PCIe bus 1312. According to various embodiments, network interface 1309 may also support communication over various wired and/or wireless networks and protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.). In certain embodiments, chipset 1302 may also provide access to one or more Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports 1316.

Chipset 1302 also provides access to one or more solid state storage devices 1315 using PCIe bus interface connection 1318. In certain embodiments, chipset 1302 may also provide access to other types of storage devices. For instance, in addition to solid state storage device 1315, IHS 100 may also utilize one or more magnetic disk storage devices, or other types of the storage devices such as optical drive(s) 1314 or a removable-media drive. In various embodiments, solid state storage device 1315 may be integral to IHS 100, or may be located remotely from IHS 100.

Upon powering or restarting IHS 100, processor(s) 1301 may utilize instructions stored in Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) chip 1317 to initialize and test hardware components coupled to IHS 100 and to load an Operating System (OS) for use by IHS 100. Generally, BIOS 1317 provides an abstraction layer that allows the OS to interface with certain hardware components that utilized by IHS 100. It is through this hardware abstraction layer that software executed by the processor(s) 1301 of IHS 100 is able to interface with I/O devices that coupled to IHS 100.

In various embodiments, IHS 100 may not include each of the components shown in FIG. 13. Additionally or alternatively, IHS 100 may include various components in addition to those that are shown. Furthermore, some components that are represented as separately may, in other embodiments, be integrated with other components. For example, in various implementations, all or a portion of the functionality provided by the illustrated components may instead be provided by components integrated into the one or more processor(s) 1301 as a system-on-a-chip (SOC) or the like.

It should be understood that various operations described herein may be implemented in software or software modules executed by logic or processing circuitry, hardware, or a combination thereof. The order in which each operation of a given method is performed may be changed, and various operations may be added, reordered, combined, omitted, modified, etc. It is intended that the invention(s) described herein embrace all such modifications and changes and, accordingly, the above description should be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although the invention(s) is/are described herein with reference to specific embodiments, various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention(s), as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention(s). Any benefits, advantages, or solutions to problems that are described herein with regard to specific embodiments are not intended to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element of any or all the claims.

Unless stated otherwise, terms such as “first” and “second” are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements that such terms describe. Thus, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other prioritization of such elements. The terms “coupled” or “operably coupled” are defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless stated otherwise. The terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”) and “contain” (and any form of contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a system, device, or apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more elements possesses those one or more elements but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements. Similarly, a method or process that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more operations possesses those one or more operations but is not limited to possessing only those one or more operations.

Claims

1. A latch An information handling system (ihs), comprising:

a first magnetic device fixedly coupled to a first portion of an information handling system (ihs);

a second magnet coupled to a carrier magnetic device coupled to a movable second portion of the ihs; and

a carrier, comprising:

a compression bracket fixedly coupled to the first portion of the ihs, the compression bracket having a surface configured to accommodate the second magnetic device, at least one guidepost configured to receive a return spring, and at least one stopping pin; and

an actuator bracket coupled to the compression bracket, the actuator bracket having a button configured to translate the second magnetic device with respect to the first magnetic device, at least one orifice configured to engage with the at least one guidepost, and at least one detent configured to engage with the at least one stopping pin

a chassis;

a kickstand coupled to the chassis; and

an assembly coupled to the chassis, wherein the assembly comprises a first magnetic device coupled to an actuator and a guidepost coupled to the actuator, wherein the actuator comprises a button, and wherein the actuator is configured to:

translate the first magnetic device from a first position to a second position with respect to a second magnetic device coupled to the kickstand; and

compress a spring having the guidepost inserted therein, wherein the guidepost is insertable into an orifice in the assembly through the spring, and wherein the spring is configured to return the first magnetic device to the first position.

2. The latch ihs of claim 1, wherein the first magnetic device and the second magnetic device have a same polarity orientation.

3. The latch of claim 1, wherein the first magnetic device translates in response to operation of the button.

4. The latch ihs of claim 3 1, wherein when the actuator bracket first magnetic device is in a the first position, the first magnetic device and the second magnetic device interact under a predominantly attractive force.

5. The latch ihs of claim 4, wherein when the actuator bracket first magnetic device is in the first position, a first portion of the first magnetic device having a first polarity is aligned with a first portion of the second magnetic device having a second polarity opposite the first polarity.

6. The latch ihs of claim 4, wherein when the actuator bracket first magnetic device is in a the second position, the first magnetic device and the second magnetic device interact under a predominantly repulsive force.

7. The latch ihs of claim 6, wherein when the actuator bracket first magnetic device is in the second position: (i) a first portion of the first magnetic device having a first polarity is aligned with a second portion of the second magnetic device having a second polarity opposite the first polarity, and (ii) a second portion of the first magnetic device having the second polarity is aligned with a first portion of the second magnetic device having the first polarity.

8. The latch of claim 3, wherein the second portion of the ihs includes a kickstand.

9. The latch ihs of claim 8 1, wherein the actuator bracket is operated in response to physical contact of the button with of the actuator, wherein the button of the actuator comprises a surface perpendicular to the first portion guidepost.

10. The latch ihs of claim 3 1, wherein the second portion of the ihs kickstand is coupled to the first portion chassis via a spring-loaded hinge.

11. The latch ihs of claim 3 10, wherein the first portion of the ihs includes chassis comprises one or more clamping magnets, and wherein the second portion of the ihs includes kickstand comprises a corresponding set of one or more clamping magnets.

12. The latch ihs of claim 11, wherein when the first magnetic device is in a the first position, forces applied to the second portion kickstand by the spring-loaded hinge are smaller than a sum of: (i) attractive forces between the first and second magnetic devices, and (ii) attractive forces between the clamping magnets, wherein when the first magnetic device is in a second an intermediate position, the attractive forces between the clamping magnets are equal to a sum of: (i) the forces applied to the second portion kickstand by the spring-loaded hinge, and (ii) repulsive forces between the first and second magnetic devices, and wherein when the first magnetic device is in a third the second position, the attractive forces between the clamping magnets is are smaller than a sum of: (i) repulsive forces between the first and second magnetic devices, and (ii) the forces applied to the second portion kickstand by the spring-loaded hinge.

13. The latch of claim 1, wherein the second distance is zero.

14. The latch ihs of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first or second magnetic devices includes comprises an electromagnetic coil.

15. An assembly carrier coupled to an information handling system (ihs), comprising:

a first magnetic device;

an actuator bracket having a button configured to translate a second the first movably coupled to an information handling system (ihs) magnetic device from a first position to a second position with respect to a first second magnetic device fixedly coupled to a kickstand, wherein the actuator bracket further comprises: at an orifice configured to engage with; and

a guidepost and a detent configured to engage with a stopping pin; and a compression bracket fixedly coupled to the ihs, wherein the compression bracket further comprises: a surface configured to accommodate the second magnet, the guidepost, and the stopping pin, coupled to the actuator, wherein the guidepost is inserted insertable into an orifice in the assembly carrier through a return spring, wherein the return spring is configured to be compressed when the first magnetic device is translated to the second position, and wherein the return spring is configured to return the first magnetic device from the second position to the first position.

16. The assembly carrier of claim 15, wherein the first magnetic device and the second magnetic device have a same polarity orientation, and wherein the first magnetic device translates in response to operation of the button actuator.

17. The assembly carrier of claim 16, wherein when the actuator bracket is in a first position, a first portion of the first magnetic device having a first polarity is aligned with a first portion of the second magnetic device having a second polarity opposite the first polarity, and the first magnetic device and the second magnet magnetic device interact under a predominantly attractive force.

18. The assembly carrier of claim 16, wherein when the actuator is in a second position: (i) a first portion of the first magnetic device having a first polarity is aligned with a second portion of the second magnetic device having a second polarity opposite the first polarity, (ii) a second portion of the first magnetic device having the second polarity is aligned with a first portion of the second magnetic device having the first polarity, and (iii) the first magnetic device and the second magnetic device interact under a predominantly repulsive force.

19. A method, comprising:

operating an actuator of a carrier an assembly coupled to a chassis of an information handling system (ihs), wherein the carrier holds assembly comprises a first magnet that is movable relative to the chassis by operation of the actuator magnetic device; and

supporting at least a portion of the ihs using a kickstandcoupled to the chassis, wherein the kickstand holds comprises a second magnet fixed relative to the kickstand magnetic device, wherein the chassis includes ihs comprises one or more clamping magnets and the kickstand includes comprises a corresponding set of one or more clamping magnets, wherein when the first magnetic device is in a first position, forces applied to the kickstand by a spring-loaded hinge coupling the kickstand to the chassis ihs are smaller than a sum of: (i) attractive forces between the first and second magnets magnetic devices, and (ii) attractive forces between the clamping magnets, wherein when the first magnetic device is in a second position, the attractive forces between the clamping magnets are equal to a sum of: (i) the forces applied to the kickstand by the spring-loaded hinge, and (ii) repulsive forces between the first and second magnets magnetic devices, and wherein when the first magnetic device is in a third position, the attractive forces between the clamping magnets is smaller than a sum of: (i) repulsive forces between the first and second magnets magnetic devices, and (ii) the forces applied to the kickstand by the spring-loaded hinge.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the actuator is configured to: (a) translate the first magnetic device with respect to the second magnetic device; and (b) compress a return spring having a guidepost inserted therein.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the guidepost is configured to travel with respect to an orifice in the assembly through the return spring.