Reliability Evaluation for Hinge of Folder Devices Using ESPI

Folder type electronic devices have hinge to support the rotational motion of folder. This hinge is stressed by the rotational inertia moment of folder at the maximum open limit position of folder. This stress is repeated whenever the folder is open, and it is a cause of hinge fracture. In this paper, the reliability evaluation for the hinge fracture in the folder type cellular phone is discussed. For this, the durability testing machine using crank-rocker mechanism is developed to evaluate the life cycle of the hinge, and the degradation after repetitions of opening and shutting is evaluated from the deformation around the hinge, where the deformation is measured by ESPI (electronic speckle pattern interferometer). Experimental results showed that ESPI was able to measure the deformation of hinge precisely, so we could monitor the change of deformation around the hinge as the repetition number of folder open is increased.