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EP-4311207-B1 - FOLDING MECHANISM, SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE

EP4311207B1EP 4311207 B1EP4311207 B1EP 4311207B1EP-4311207-B1

Inventors

  • CHENG, Dongcun
  • ZHANG, HENG
  • DONG, Fei
  • XU, JINGWEI

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20220315

Claims (13)

  1. A foldable mechanism, comprising a first screen support plate (210), a second screen support plate (220), a third screen support plate (230), a first housing seat (310), a second housing seat (320) and a base (410), wherein: the first housing seat (310) is arranged on the first screen support plate (210), and the first screen support plate (210) is rotatably matched with the first housing seat (310); the second housing seat (320) is arranged on the second screen support plate (220), and the second screen support plate (220) is rotatably matched with the second housing seat (320); the base (410) is provided with a plurality of first rotating parts (412), and the first housing seat (310) and the second housing seat (320) are rotationally connected to the plurality of first rotating parts (412) in a one-to-one correspondence through their respective second rotating parts (302); the foldable mechanism has an unfolded state and a folded state, and in the unfolded state, respective first sides (203) of the first screen support plate (210) and the second screen support plate (220) are located between respective second sides of the first screen support plate (210) and the second screen support plate (220), the third screen support plate (230) is located between the first screen support plate (210) and the second screen support plate (220), and the first screen support plate (210), the second screen support plate (220), and the third screen support plate (230) are arranged in a flush manner away from a first surface (201) of the base (410); and in the folded state, a spacing between the respective first sides (203) of the first screen support plate (210) and the second screen support plate (220) is greater than that of the respective second sides of the first screen support plate (210) and the second screen support plate (220); wherein the third screen support plate (230) is movably connected to the base (410) along its own thickness direction, in the unfolded state, a spacing between the third screen support plate (230) and the base (410) along the thickness direction of the third screen support plate (230) is a first spacing, in the folded state, a spacing between the third screen support plate (230) and the base (410) along the thickness direction of the third screen support plate (230) is a second spacing, and the second spacing is smaller than the first spacing; wherein in the unfolded state, the third screen support plate (230) is supported on at least one of the first housing seat (310) and the second housing seat (320), and in the folded state, the third screen support plate (230) is supported on the base (410); characterized in that the respective first sides (203) of the first screen support plate (210) and the second screen support plate (220) being close to the third screen support plate (230) are both provided with a first bonding edge, two opposite sides of the third screen support plate (230) are both provided with a second bonding edge, and in the unfolded state, each second bonding edge is bonded on the corresponding first bonding edge.
  2. The foldable mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the foldable mechanism further comprises a first connecting shaft (751), a second connecting shaft (752), a first synchronous swing arm (741) and a second synchronous swing arm (742), the first synchronous swing arm (741) is fitted with the first connecting shaft (751) in a limiting manner in a rotation direction of the second rotating part (302), and the second synchronous swing arm (742) is fitted with the second connecting shaft (752) in a limiting manner in a rotation direction of the second rotating part (302); and the first synchronous swing arm (741) is fitted with the first housing seat (310), the second synchronous swing arm (742) is fitted with the second housing seat (320), the first synchronous swing arm (741) and the second synchronous swing arm (742) are connected through a gear synchronization mechanism, and the first housing seat (310) and the second housing seat (320) rotate synchronously through a gear synchronization mechanism; wherein the gear synchronization mechanism includes a first meshing tooth (781) arranged on the first connecting shaft (751), a second meshing tooth (782) arranged on the second connecting, a first gear (791) and a second gear (792), the first meshing tooth (781) meshes with the first gear (791), the first gear (791) meshes with the second gear (792), and the second gear (792) meshes with the second meshing tooth (782).
  3. The foldable mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the foldable mechanism further includes a first cam sleeve (731), a second cam sleeve (732), and an elastic part (720), the first connecting shaft (751) is sleeved with the first cam sleeve (731) and the second cam sleeve (732), the first synchronous swing arm (741) is fixed with the first cam sleeve (731), the second cam sleeve (732) and the first connecting shaft (751) rotate in fitting with each other in the rotation direction of the second rotating part (302), and when the first cam sleeve (731) and the second cam sleeve (732) rotate relative to each other, the elastic part (720) is in a stretched state or a compressed state.
  4. The foldable mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the foldable mechanism further comprises a mounting part (714), the mounting part (714) is fixed on the base (410), the mounting part (714) is provided with a first limiting part (711) and a second limiting part (712) that are opposite and fixed along the rotational axis of the second rotating part (302), the first cam sleeve (731), the second cam sleeve (732) and the elastic part (720) are all provided between the first limiting part (711) and the second limiting part (712), and the elastic part (720) is disposed on a side of the second cam sleeve (732) away from the first cam sleeve (731); wherein the mounting part (714) is further provided with a third limiting part (713) located between the first limiting part (711) and the second limiting part (712), and the first cam sleeve (731), the second cam sleeve (732) and the elastic part (720) are provided between the first limiting part (711) and the third limiting part (713), and a further first cam sleeve (731), a further second cam sleeve (732) and a further elastic part (720) are provided between the second limiting part (712) and the third limiting part (713).
  5. The foldable mechanism according to claim 4, wherein both the first synchronous swing arm (741) and the second synchronous swing arm (742) are fixed with multiple sets of first cam sleeves (731), second cam sleeves (732) and elastic parts (720).
  6. The foldable mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the foldable mechanism further comprises a cover body (420), the cover body (420) is fixedly connected to a side of the base (410) away from the first screen support plate (210), wherein the first screen support plate (210) and the second screen support plate (220) and a rotational axis direction of the second rotating part (302) are located in a plane in the unfolded state, and in the folded state, a projection of the cover body (420) on this plane covers the third screen support plate (230), the first housing seat (310), the second housing seat (320) and the base (410); wherein the first housing seat (310) and/or the second housing seat (320) include an avoidance structure, the avoidance structure is provided with an avoidance groove, and in the unfolded state, sides of the cover body (420) are accommodated in the avoidance groove.
  7. The foldable mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a receiving groove is provided on the base (410), the first rotating part (412), the first housing seat (310) and the second housing seat (320) are arranged in the receiving groove, and at least a part of the second rotating part (302) of the first housing seat (310) and the second housing seat (320) is accommodated in the receiving groove; wherein one of the first rotating part (412) and the second rotating part (302) comprises a slider, the other is provided with a slide groove, and the slide groove and the slider are slidably fitted; wherein the first rotating part (412) is provided on two opposite sides of the receiving groove, and two opposite sides of the first housing seat (310) and the second housing seat (320) are provided with the second rotating part (302).
  8. The foldable mechanism according to claim 1, wherein on the rotational axis direction of the second rotating part (302), a plurality of first rotating parts (412) are arranged at intervals or in a staggered manner.
  9. The foldable mechanism according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of first housing seats (310) and/or a plurality of second housing seats (320).
  10. A bracket structure, characterized by comprising a first housing (110), a second housing (120), and the foldable mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the first housing seat (310) is fixedly connected to the first housing (110), a side of the first housing (110) and a side of the first housing seat (310) facing the first screen support plate (210) are both provided with an inclined avoidance support surface, and an inclination angle of the inclined avoidance support surface is equal to an angle between the first screen support plate (210) and an outer surface of the first housing (110) in the folded state; the second housing seat (320) is fixedly connected to the second housing (120), a side of the second housing (120) and a side of the second housing seat (320) facing the second screen support plate (220) are both provided with an inclined avoidance support surface, and an inclination angle of the inclined avoidance support surface is equal to an angle between the second screen support plate (220) and an outer surface of the second housing (120) in the folded state; and in the folded state, the first screen support plate (210) and the second screen support plate (220) are respectively supported on the corresponding inclined avoidance support surfaces.
  11. The bracket structure according to claim 10, wherein the bracket structure comprises a rotating part, the first screen support plate (210) is rotatably connected to the first housing (110) through the rotating part, the rotating part comprises a third rotating part and a fourth rotating part (520), one of the third rotating part and the fourth rotating part (520) is connected to the first housing (110), the other is connected to the first screen support plate (210), the third rotating part includes an inserting block, the fourth rotating part (520) is provided with an inserting slot, the inserting block and the inserting slot are both provided with an arc-shaped mating surface, and the inserting block and the inserting slot are rotatably fitted through the arc-shaped mating surface.
  12. The bracket structure according to claim 11, wherein there are both a plurality of third rotating parts and a plurality of fourth rotating parts (520), and the plurality of third rotating parts and the plurality of fourth rotating parts (520) are fitted in one-to-one correspondence.
  13. An electronic device, characterized by comprising a first display module (610) and the bracket structure according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the first display module (610) includes a flexible display screen, the first display module (610) is arranged on the bracket structure, and the first display module (610) can be supported by the first housing (110), the second housing (120), the first screen support plate (210), the second screen support plate (220), and the third screen support plate (230).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present application belongs to the technical field of communication devices, and in particular relates to a foldable mechanism, a bracket structure, and an electronic device. BACKGROUND With the advancement of technologies, the styles of electronic devices such as mobile phones are becoming more and more diverse, such as the tablet type, the sliding cover type, and the foldable type. Foldable electronic devices have large display areas and high portability and other advantages, and therefore are more and more favored by consumers. Foldable electronic devices are generally divided into the outward-foldable type and the inward-foldable type, and the inward-foldable type can provide a better protection effect for the display screen and is adopted by more manufacturers. However, in the process of the display screen being folded inward, it is easy to form creases on the display screen, resulting in a short service life of the display screen. WO 2020/186889 A1 (HUAWEI TECH CO LTD [CN]) 24 September 2020 (2020-09-24); & EP 3876504 A1 (HUAWEI TECH CO LTD [CN]) 8 September 2021 (2021-09-08) discloses: The present application provides a rotary shaft mechanism and a mobile terminal. Connecting rods and swing arms are rotatably connected to a main shaft assembly, and the swing arms and the connecting rods rotate around different axes when being rotatably connected to the main shaft assembly, so that relative rotation and sliding are generated between the swing arms and the connecting rods; and a support plate is driven to rotate by means of the swing arms or the connecting rods, so as to form, when the flexible screen is folded, a space enclosed by the main shaft assembly and the support plate and used for accommodating the folding part of the flexible screen, improving the bending effect of the flexible screen. In addition, by means of the rotation of the connecting rods and the sliding and rotation of the swing arms relative to the rotary shaft, the thickness of the folding mechanism after being folded is approximately equal to the thickness of the two housings stacked together, thereby improving the effect of the mobile terminal after being folded. US 2021/044682 A1 (LIU XIAOJIE [CN] ET AL) 11 February 2021(2021-02-11) discloses: The present invention provides a mobile terminal having an inward-foldable flexible screen and its hinge comprises a left support plate, a middle support plate, a right support plate, a left support frame, a right support frame, and a central U-shaped cover; the middle support plate is a liftable plate whose position corresponds to the middle U-shaped cover, and the descent distance of the middle support plate in the first half of the hinge being folded from the unfolded state is greater than that of the second half of the hinge being folded from the unfolded state. The present invention can be used as the hinge of the mobile terminal with the flexible screen on the inside, and can quickly form the space for the flexible screen to be bent when folded, to avoid the flexible screen from being damaged, and to make the middle mechanism of the hinge not exposed after being folded. US 10761574 B1 (HSU AN-SZU [TW] ET AL) 1 September 2020(2020-09-01) discloses: A flexible electronic device includes a flexible display, a support mechanism for carrying the flexible display thereon,and two hinge mechanisms. Each of the hinge mechanisms is disposed between first and second substrate units and interconnects inboard end edges of the first and second substrate units of the support mechanism, and includes first and second linking units pivotable relative to a mounting assembly. With a first height between first outer and inner pivot axes of the first linking unit and a second height between second outer and inner pivot axes of the second linking unit, substrate seats can be moved away from inner support plates, and the inner support plates are movable downwardly to provide a leeway space for a bending part of the flexible display to be bendably received therein. SUMMARY The present application discloses a foldable mechanism, a bracket structure, and an electronic device, in order to solve the problem of a short service life of the display screen of a current inward-foldable electronic device due to the easy formation of creases on the display screen. In order to solve the above problems, the embodiment of the present application is implemented as follows: According to a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application discloses a foldable mechanism according to claim 1. According to a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application discloses a bracket structure, which includes a first housing, a second housing, and the above-mentioned foldable mechanism; where the first housing seat is fixedly connected to the first housing, and a side of the first housing and a side of the first housing seat facing the first screen support plate are both provided with an inclined avoidanc