PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9129659-B2
Application Number: US-201113281123-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Buckling shock mounting

Abstract:
A buckling shock mounting and method related thereto are discussed herein. In one embodiment, the buckling shock mounting may take the form of a plurality of panels oriented uprightly within a plane to form at least one geometric shape. The plurality of panels are made of a uniform material and each of the panels is configured to buckle when a threshold amount of force is applied perpendicularly to the plane.

Claims:
The invention claimed is:  
     
       1. A buckling shock mounting comprising:
 a plurality of panels oriented transverse to a plane; 
 wherein the plurality of panels are made of a uniform material; 
 wherein each of the panels is configured to buckle without breaking when a threshold amount of force is applied perpendicularly to the plane, and wherein each of the panels is configured to deflect in accordance with a first force-to-displacement ratio for a first applied force that is less than the threshold amount, and deflect in accordance with a second force-to-displacement ratio for a second applied force that is greater than the threshold amount, and 
 wherein the first force-to-displacement ratio is greater than the second force-to-displacement ratio. 
 
     
     
       2. The buckling shock mounting of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of geometric shapes formed within the plane by the plurality of panels. 
     
     
       3. The buckling shock mounting of  claim 2 , wherein a first geometric shape buckles at a first threshold amount of force and a second geometric shape buckles at a second threshold amount of force. 
     
     
       4. The buckling shock mounting of  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of at least one panel is increased to increase the threshold amount of force that causes the panels to buckle. 
     
     
       5. The buckling shock mounting of  claim 1 , wherein a thickness of a group of panels is increased to increase the threshold amount of force that causes the panels to buckle. 
     
     
       6. The buckling shock mounting of  claim 1 , comprising a first region having a first buckling threshold and a second region having a different buckling threshold. 
     
     
       7. The buckling shock mounting of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one geometric shape comprises at least one of a rectangle, a triangle, a heptagon, or a hexagon. 
     
     
       8. An electronic device comprising:
 a housing; 
 a shock sensitive component mounted within the housing; 
 a buckling shock mounting made of a uniform material and supporting the component, wherein
 the buckling shock mounting comprises a plurality of geometric cells having sidewalls configured to buckle without breaking upon application of a threshold amount of force applied in a first direction;
 wherein at least one sidewall is configured to deflect in accordance with a first force-to-displacement ratio for a first applied force that is less than the threshold amount, and deflect in accordance with a second force-to-displacement ratio for a second applied force that is greater than the threshold amount, and 
 wherein the first force-to-displacement ratio is greater than the second force-to-displacement ratio. 
 
 
 
     
     
       9. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the buckling shock mounting comprises a rubber or foam material. 
     
     
       10. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the buckling shock mounting comprises:
 a first region configured to buckle upon application of a first amount of force; and 
 a second region configured to buckle upon application of second amount of force, wherein the second amount of force is less than the first amount of force. 
 
     
     
       11. The electronic device of  claim 10 , wherein the sidewalls of the first region are thicker than the sidewalls of the second region. 
     
     
       12. The electronic device of  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the cells takes the shape of a rectangle, a triangle, a heptagon, and a hexagon. 
     
     
       13. The electronic device of  claim 10 , wherein the cells of the first region and the second region have different geometric shapes. 
     
     
       14. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the shock sensitive component comprises one of a: camera, a display, a speaker, a microphone, a printed circuit board, or a hard disk drive. 
     
     
       15. The electronic device of  claim 8  further comprising a second buckling shock mounting coupled between the housing and the shock sensitive component. 
     
     
       16. The electronic device of  claim 15 , wherein the second buckling shock mounting is configured to help maintain alignment of the shock sensitive component within the housing. 
     
     
       17. The electronic device of  claim 15 , wherein the second buckling shock mounting comprises:
 a first region configured to buckle upon application of a first amount of force; and 
 a second region configured to buckle upon application of second amount of force, wherein the second amount of force is less than the first amount of force. 
 
     
     
       18. A method of manufacturing an electronic device comprising a shock sensitive component, the method comprising:
 creating a housing; 
 positioning a component within the housing; 
 coupling a buckling shock mounting to the component on a side of the component opposite of the housing, the buckling shock mounting comprising a plurality of panels arranged within a plane to form a geometric shape,
 wherein the plurality of panels are configured to buckle without breaking when a threshold amount of force is applied to the panels, the panels buckling in a direction other than a direction in which the force is applied, the panels are configured to deflect in accordance with a first force-to-displacement ratio for a first applied force that is less than the threshold amount, and deflect in accordance with a second force-to-displacement ratio for a second applied force that is greater than the threshold amount, and 
 wherein the first force-to-displacement ratio is greater than the second force-to-displacement ratio. 
 
 
     
     
       19. The method of manufacturing of  claim 18  further comprising coupling a second buckling shock mounting between the housing and the component. 
     
     
       20. The method of manufacturing of  claim 18 , wherein the second buckling shock mounting is configured to buckle at a force approximately equal to that of the panels of the buckling shock mounting.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure is generally related to apparatus and method for protecting components from mechanical shock and, more particularly, to a buckling shock mounting that provides rigid support to components and is configured to buckle under threshold amount of force. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Electronic devices commonly include components that may be negatively impacted by mechanical shock. In some cases, mechanical shock may render a component inoperable and, in some cases, prevent the device from properly operating. As many of today&#39;s electronic devices are handheld or portable, the likelihood that a particular device gets dropped at some point during its useful life is relatively high. As such, shock absorbers have been implemented to help decrease the impact of mechanical shock experienced by certain components. Conventional shock absorbers, however, may be generally incapable of providing a desired amount of cushion against shock. Further, they may not provide adequate support to hold the component in a desired position within a housing of the devices. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments related to buckling shock mountings for components within an electronic device are discussed. In one embodiment, the buckling shock mounting may take the form of a plurality of panels oriented uprightly within a plane to form at least one geometric shape. The plurality of panels are made of a uniform material and each of the panels is configured to buckle when a threshold amount of force is applied perpendicularly to the plane. 
     Another embodiment may take the form of an electronic device having a housing and a shock sensitive component mounted within the housing. A buckling shock mounting made of a uniform material supports the component within the housing. The buckling shock mounting includes a plurality of geometric cells having sidewalls configured to buckle upon application of a threshold amount of force. 
     Yet another embodiment may take the form of a method of manufacturing an electronic device having buckling shock mounting. The method includes creating a housing and positioning a component within the housing. Additionally, the method includes coupling a buckling shock mounting to the component on a side of the component opposite of the housing. The buckling shock mounting has a plurality of panels arranged within a plane to form a geometric shape and is rigid to support the shock sensitive component. The plurality of panels are configured to buckle when a threshold amount of force is applied to the panels. 
     While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following Detailed Description. As will be realized, the embodiments are capable of modifications in various aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrate a buckling shock absorber in accordance with an example embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view of the buckling shock absorber of  FIG. 1  taken along line II-II. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the buckling shock absorber of  FIG. 1  after a force exceeding a buckling threshold is applied. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the buckling shock absorber of  FIG. 3  taken along line IV-IV. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a component mounted on a buckling shock absorber within a housing of an electronic device. 
         FIG. 6A  illustrates the component of  FIG. 5  displaced within the housing of the electronic device after a force exceeding a buckling threshold caused the buckling shock absorber to buckle. 
         FIG. 6B  is a plot illustrating for comparing force to displacement profiles of the buckling shock absorber and a conventional absorber. 
         FIG. 7A  illustrates a component mounted on a buckling shock absorber having panels of varying thickness. 
         FIG. 7B  is a top view of a buckling shock absorber having panels of varying thickness and cells of varying size and shape. 
         FIG. 7C  is a top view of a buckling shock absorber having panels of varying thickness and cells of varying size. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a component mounted on a buckling shock absorber within a housing of an electronic device having a second buckling shock absorber mounted to the housing. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a method of manufacturing an electronic device having a buckling shock absorber. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments may take the form of a shock absorber configured to buckle when a threshold amount of force is applied. Up to the buckling point, the shock absorber is rigid to support a shock sensitive component within a device housing. In particular, the shock absorber may maintain form, holding the component in place, until after the threshold amount of force is applied. Once the threshold has been surpassed, the shock absorber buckles to absorb the force. 
     Turning to the drawings and referring initially to  FIG. 1 , an example buckling shock mounting  100  is illustrated. As used herein, the term “buckling shock mounting” refers to a shock absorbing member that is configured to provide rigid support before buckling to absorb a force that exceeds a threshold. As such, the terms “shock absorber,” “buckling shock absorber,” and the like may be used interchangably herein with “buckling shock mounting.” 
     Generally, the shock absorber  100  may be a unitary member made of a resilient material. That is, the shock absorber  100  may be formed as a unitary member made of rubber, plastic, foam rubber, or other suitable material. The shock absorber  100  may use a uniform material. That is, the shock absorber  100  may use only one type of material with no additional features or structures of another material are used. Thus, the manufacturing process for the buckling shock mounting may include a single step molding process in some embodiments. Other methods of manufacturing the shock absorber  100  may include any suitable process may be implemented to form the shock absorber  100 , including a molding and/or machining process. 
     The shock absorber  100  is generally planar with a cellular internal structure. That is, within the shock absorber  100 , a number of cells  102  are defined by inter-joined panels  104 . The panels  104  are arranged within the plane of the shock absorber  100 . Generally, each panel  104  is itself planar and oriented perpendicular within the plane defined by the shock absorber  100 . Thus, the panels  104  provide vertical sidewalls within the shock absorber  100  that define the cells  102 . 
     As illustrated, both the shock absorber  100  and the cells  102  may be rectangular in shape (e.g., square). In other embodiments, the cells  102  may take any suitable geometric shape. For example, the cells  102  may be triangles, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons and so forth. Additionally, it should be appreciated that the shock absorber  100  may take and suitable geometric shape. In some embodiments, the cells may take the form of more than one geometric shape. That is, the cells  102  may be both triangular and rectangular, for example. Further, in some embodiments, the shape of the shock absorber  100  may not have the same shape as the cells  102 . That is, the shock absorber  100  may have a rectangular shape and while the cells are a triangular shape. 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the panels  104  taken along line II-II in  FIG. 1 . As may be seen, the panels  104  are substantially vertical and provide vertical sidewalls to the cells  102 . Depending on the shape of the cells  102 , the panels  104  may be substantially parallel, as shown or may be angled relative to each other. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the shock absorber  100  when force is applied causing the panels  104  to buckle.  FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the panels  104  taken along line IV-IV in  FIG. 3 . Generally, the direction in which the panels  104  buckle does not impact the functionality of the shock absorber  100 . In some cases, the direction of buckling may be by design, while in other embodiments, the direction of buckling may occur at random. As such, some panels may buckle inwardly and other outwardly. In some embodiments, all panels  104  may buckle in the same direction. As shown, the panels  104  may all buckle outwardly from a center of the shock absorber  100 . 
     It should be appreciated that in addition to buckling, the panels  104  may compress to absorb force. In particular, the points of intersection  106  for the panels are compressed when the panels  104  buckle. Further, the panels themselves may compress after buckling, depending upon the amount of force applied. Due to the resilient nature of the material of which the shock absorber  100  is made, the compression and buckling is temporary once the force is removed and the shock absorber  100  and its panels  104  return to their original shape and return a component to its intended position. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a device  108  with a component  110  mounted within its housing  112 . The component  110  may take any form, but more particularly may be one that is sensitive to shock. For example, the component  110  may take the form of a camera, a display, a hard disk drive, a speaker, a microphone, a printed circuit board, or other such component. In  FIG. 5 , the component  110  may be a camera. 
     The shock absorber  100  supports the component  110  within the housing  112 . That is, the shock absorber  100  is located between the component  110  and a support structure  114  within the housing  112 . The support structure  114  may be a structure to which the component is typically mounted. In some embodiments, the support structure  114  may be part of the housing  112 . In other embodiments, the support structure  114  may be mechanically coupled to the housing  112  and the component  110  may not be directly coupled to the housing  112 . In some cases, the component  110  or a portion of the component may abut or be proximately located to the housing  112 . 
     The mounting of the component  110  to the support structure  114  may serve a dual purpose. First it may provide rigid support of the component so that it may be held in a desired position within the housing  112 . In particular, because of the cellular structure of the shock absorber  100  it is able to provide rigid support up to a certain level of force before absorbing the force through bucking and compressing. As such, the shock absorber  100  may generally hold the component rigidly in position. 
     Second, the shock absorber  100  helps to prevent the component from being exposed to an excessive force that may present an issue for the component. To achieve this, the shock absorber  100  may absorb any force that is above a threshold level though buckling and compression. The threshold level may be determined based on the particular sensitivity of the component to mechanical shock. For example, a camera maybe more sensitive to mechanical shock than a microphone. As such, the threshold level of force that causes a shock absorber to buckle may be lower for supporting a camera than a shock absorber that is to support a microphone. Customizing the threshold level for buckling of the shock absorber is discussed in greater detail below. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6A , displacement of the component  110  within the housing  112  is illustrated when a force  120  causes the panels  104  of the shock absorber  100  to buckle. The force  120  may be caused by impact of the device  108  after a fall, for example. The buckling of the panels  104  absorbs the force, substantially lessening the impact of the force  120  on the component  110 . With the buckling of the panels  104 , the component  110  may move relative to both the housing  112  and the support structure  114 . In particular, the component  110  may be brought closer to the support structure  114  and may be separated from the housing  112 . 
       FIG. 6B  is a plot  122  comparing the displacement profile of a conventional foam or rubber absorber with that of the present buckling shock mounting  100 . The vertical axis may represent the amount of force applied to the shock absorbers and the horizontal axis represents the displacement. As the plot is merely illustrative in nature, no units or scale is provided. Rather, the plot is to show the relative displacement characteristics for comparison. It should be appreciated, therefore, that in an actual implementation, the curves may take a different shape and the relationship between the curves may be different. 
     In  FIG. 6B , a curve line  124  represents the displacement profile for the buckling shock mounting  100  discussed herein. As may be seen, the buckling shock mounting remains rigid (e.g., it substantially does not displace) until a threshold amount of force is applied at approximately the area indicated by the arrow  126 . This indicates when the panels buckle to absorb the force. In contrast, the curve  128  illustrates a conventional absorber that may have a nearly linear displacement when any force is applied. As such, the conventional absorber would be inadequate to support a component in place within a housing. 
     In some cases, the size of one or more panels  104  may be changed to customize the shock absorbing response of the panels (e.g. to customize the threshold at which the panels buckle). For example,  FIG. 7A  illustrates two panels  104 ′ that have an increased thickness so that a threshold force that causes the panels to buckle is greater than that of the other panels  104 . Specifically, W 2  is greater than W 1 , thus providing greater rigidity in  104 ′ than  104 . In other embodiments, the thickness of one or more panels may be decreased so that the amount of force that causes buckling of the panels may be less than other panels. As such, the rigidity and force threshold for one or more panels may be customized based on its thickness. 
     It should be appreciated a single shock mounting may have one or more zones having customized force thresholds. That is, there may be multiple regions of a single shock mounting that have either thicker or thinner panels relative to other panels to provide buckling at a different threshold from other regions.  FIG. 7B  illustrates the example where panels  104 ′ are thicker than panels  104  creating a first region  140  having a first threshold for buckling and a second region  142  having a different buckling threshold. Further, a third region  144  may be created based on changing the shape and/or density of the cells  102  of the shock mounting. Specifically, as the size of the cells is decreased, there is effectively more panels resulting in a higher threshold for buckling for a particular region of the shock mounting. The distribution of cells  102  may be altered by changing the thickness of the panels  104 ′. In other embodiments, the size of the cells  102  may be altered to accommodate the thicker or thinner panels, as shown in  FIG. 7C  with cells  102 ′. 
     The creation of regions having different rigidity and buckling thresholds may be useful in a variety of different cases. For example, it may be useful when a particular component has unevenly distributed weight. Thicker panels may be provided to support the heavier portions of the component. Further, a single shock absorber may be utilized to support and provide mechanical shock protection to components that may have different mechanical shock sensitivities. Returning to the camera and microphone example, a single shock absorber having regions with different rigidity and buckling thresholds may be used to support both components. 
     In some embodiments, more than one shock absorber may be utilized to provide shock absorption in multiple directions. Additionally, the shock absorbers may provide alignment assistance to components where alignment may be important. For example, in  FIG. 8  a second shock absorber  130  is provided on the opposite side of the component from the shock absorber  100 . As illustrated, the second shock absorber  130  may generally have smaller panels  132  (e.g., shorter and thinner) than the panels of the shock absorber  100 . However, the second shock absorber may function in a similar manner to the shock absorber  100 . In particular, the shock absorber  130  may provide rigid support to the component  110  up to a threshold level of force before buckling to absorb the force. Further, the second shock absorber  130  is resilient so that it returns to a resting state once the force is removed. 
     As illustrated, a portion  134  of the component  110  may extend at least partially though the housing  112  of the device  108 . In the event that a force is applied that causes the component  110  to deflect in one direction (e.g., to the right) after the first shock absorber has buckled and compressed, it is possible that the portion  134  of the component may become stuck behind the housing  112  and out of place to properly function. Accordingly, the second shock absorber  130  may be configured to help align the component  110  within the housing  112 . That is panels  132  may help urge the component  110  into proper alignment. In some embodiments, one or more panels of the second shock absorber  130  may be located adjacent to and even in contact with the portion  134  of the component  110  to help maintain proper alignment of the component. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a method  150  of manufacturing an electronic device having shock absorbers in accordance with an example embodiment. Initially, a housing for the device is created (Block  152 ). The housing may be manufactured in accordance with any suitable process such as, but not limited to: a molding process, a machining process, and/or an assembly process. A shock absorber is adhered to a support structure within the housing (Block  154 ) and a component is coupled to the shock absorber (Block  156 ). A second shock absorber may be coupled the housing adjacent to the component (Block  158 ). 
     The foregoing describes some example embodiments of shock absorbers and methods of manufacturing devices having shock absorbers that provide rigid support for components as well as protection against mechanical shock. Although the foregoing discussion has presented specific embodiments, persons skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. For example, the shock absorber may include structures that prevent buckling in a certain direction and or relief cuts in panels to help encourage buckling of the panels in a desired direction.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20111025
Publication Date: 20150908
Grant Date: 20150908
Priority Date: 20111025
Inventors: MONTEVIRGEN ANTHONY S.
LYNCH STEPHEN B.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04N23/50", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/50", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "F16F3/0876", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N5/2251", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G11B33/08", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/185", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/185", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G11B33/08", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "F16F3/0876", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/185", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "F16F3/0876", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G11B33/08", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 48135802