EP-4741989-A1 - HINGE STRUCTURE AND PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE COMPRISING SAME

EP4741989A1EP 4741989 A1EP4741989 A1EP 4741989A1EP-4741989-A1

Abstract

Disclosed are a portable electronic device including a housing, in which at least a portion of a display is disposed, and a hinge structure coupled to the housing, wherein at least one of arms included in the hinge structure includes a plurality of sub-arms, and is rotated at a specific angle and in different directions due to pressing of an elastic body included in the hinge structure, and a portable electronic device including the same.

Inventors

KIM, JONGKEUN
BAIK, JINWOOK
KANG, JAEHO
HAN, YONGHWA

Assignees

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20240627

Claims (15)

A portable electronic device, comprising: a flexible display; a first housing and a second housing accommodating the flexible display; and a hinge structure comprising a hinge coupled to the first housing and the second housing, wherein the hinge structure includes: a first rotation member comprising a bracket coupled to the first housing and a second rotation member comprising a bracket coupled to the second housing; a first arm coupled to the first housing and a second arm coupled to the second housing; and a first elastic body configured to press the first arm and a second elastic body configured to press the second arm, wherein the first arm includes: a first upper arm disposed between the first rotating member and the first elastic body, and having an inclined surface formed thereon; and a first lower arm disposed between the first upper arm and the first rotation member to face the first upper arm, and having an inclined surface formed thereon.
The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a first link disposed in the first housing and coupled to the first rotation member; a second link disposed in the second housing and coupled to the second rotation member; a third link disposed in the first housing and coupled to the first arm; a fourth link disposed in the second housing and coupled to the second arm.
The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein the first upper arm is configured to rotate by a specific angle in a first direction in response to a pressure of the first elastic body, wherein the first lower arm is configured to rotate by a specific angle in a second direction different from the first direction.
The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein the first upper arm is configured to rotate counterclockwise by the specific angle in response to the pressure of the first elastic body and the first lower arm is configured to rotate clockwise by the specific angle, based on a third direction from the first elastic body toward the first rotation member.
The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein a lower portion of a first upper arm rail disposed on the first upper arm is maintained in a contact state with a lower portion of the first link rail disposed on the third link, in response to rotation of the first upper arm.
The portable electronic device of claim 5, wherein an upper portion of the first upper arm rail is maintained in a non-contact state with an upper portion of the first link rail, in response to rotation of the first upper arm.
The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein an upper portion of a first lower arm rail disposed on the first lower arm is maintained in a contact state with an upper portion of a second link rail disposed on the third link, in response to the rotation of the first lower arm.
The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein a lower portion of the first lower arm rail is maintained in a non-contact state with a lower portion of the second link rail, in response to rotation of the first lower arm.
The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein the second arm includes: a second upper arm disposed between the second rotating member and the second elastic body, and having an inclined surface formed thereon; a second lower arm disposed between the second upper arm and the second rotation member and facing the second upper arm, and having an inclined surface formed thereon.
The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the second upper arm is configured to rotate by a specific angle in the second direction and the second lower arm is configured to rotate by a specific angle in the first direction, in response to a pressure of the second elastic body.
The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the second upper arm is configured to rotate clockwise by a specific angle and the second lower arm is configured to rotate counterclockwise by a specific angle in response to the pressure of the second elastic body, based on a third direction from the second elastic body to the second rotation member.
The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein a lower portion of a second upper arm rail disposed on the second upper arm is maintained in a contact state with a lower portion of a third link rail disposed on the fourth link in response to the rotation of the second upper arm.
The portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein an upper portion of the second upper arm rail is maintained in a non-contact state with an upper portion of the third link rail.
The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein an upper portion of a second lower arm rail disposed on the second lower arm is maintained in a contact state with an upper portion of a fourth link rail disposed on the fourth link and a lower portion of the second lower arm rail is maintained in a non-contact state with a lower portion of the fourth link rail, in response to the rotation of the second lower arm.
The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein the first upper arm includes: a first upper arm body including a first upper arm rail coupled to a first link rail formed on the third link; a first upper arm header including a hole formed in a center; a first upper arm connector configured to connect the first upper arm body and the first upper arm header, wherein the first upper arm header includes: a first upper step protruding from an inner surface facing the first lower arm, a second upper step formed on the inner surface and disposed at a position spaced apart from the first upper step; a first inclined surface formed in a direction from the first upper step to the second upper step; and a second inclined surface formed in a direction from the second upper step to the first upper step, wherein the first lower arm includes: a first lower arm body including a first lower arm rail coupled to a second link rail formed on the third link; a first lower arm header with a hole formed in a center; a first lower arm connector configured to connect the first lower arm body and the first lower arm header, wherein the first lower arm header includes: a third upper step protruding from an inner surface facing the first upper arm, a fourth upper step formed on the inner surface and disposed at a position spaced apart from the third upper step; a third inclined surface formed in a direction from the third upper step to the fourth upper step; a fourth inclined surface formed in a direction from the fourth upper step to the third upper step.

Description

Field The disclosure relates to hinge structures and an electronic device including the same. Description of Related Art A portable electronic device may output at least one screen corresponding to various functions. When using these functions, the user may wish to use a wider screen. When the display is to be expanded for display of a screen in a typical portable electronic device, an overall size of the electronic device has to be increased, which may decrease portability. Accordingly, portable electronic devices with foldable displays are being provided so that the size of the screen may be increased while portability is maintained. A foldable portable electronic device may provide a plurality of housings to support areas of the display in an unfolded state, and may include a hinge structure that connects the plurality of housings. The hinge structure connects the plurality of housings while the plurality of housings are in a folded or unfolded state, and may support the housings at a specific angle. The above information may be provided as a related art for aiding understanding of the disclosure. None of the foregoing may be claimed as the prior art related to the disclosure, or used in determining the prior art. SUMMARY An electronic device (or a portable electronic device) according to various example embodiments of the disclosure includes: a flexible display, a first housing and a second housing accommodating the flexible display, and a hinge structure comprising a hinge coupled to the first housing and the second housing, the hinge structure includes a first rotation member comprising a bracket coupled to the first housing and a second rotation member comprising a bracket coupled to the second housing, a first arm coupled to the first housing and a second arm coupled to the second housing, and a first elastic body configured to press the first arm and a second elastic body configured to press the second arm, and the first arm includes a first upper arm disposed between the first rotating member and the first elastic body, and having an inclined surface (or slope) formed thereon, and a first lower arm disposed between the first upper arm and the first rotation member to face the first upper arm, and having an inclined surface (or slope) formed thereon. A hinge structure according to various example embodiments of the disclosure includes: a first rotation member comprising a bracket coupled to a first housing of a portable electronic device and a second rotation member comprising a bracket coupled to a second housing of the portable electronic device, a first arm coupled to the first housing and a second arm coupled to the second housing, a first elastic body configured to press the first arm and a second elastic body configured to press the second arm, the first arm includes a first upper arm disposed between the first rotating member and the first elastic body, and having a first inclined surface formed thereon, and a first lower arm disposed between the first upper arm and the first rotation member to face the first upper arm, and having a second inclined surface formed thereon, the first upper arm is configured to rotate clockwise in response to a pressure of the first elastic body and a state of contact between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface, such that at least a portion of the first upper arm is disposed in contact with a rail formed on one side of a third link, and the first lower arm is configured to rotate counterclockwise in response to the pressure of the first elastic body and the state of contact between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface such that at least a portion of the second upper arm is disposed in contact with a rail formed on one side of a fourth link. Other various embodiments are disclosed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an example portable electronic device in unfolded and folded states according to various embodiments;FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of some components of a portable electronic device in an unfolded state according to various embodiments;FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge structure according to various embodiments;FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of a first surface of a first upper arm according to various embodiments;FIG. 4B is a perspective view, in which a first surface of the first upper arm is observed according to various embodiments;FIG. 4C is a perspective view, in which a second surface of the first upper arm is observed according to various embodiments;FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an example of a first surface of a first lower arm according to various embodiments;FIG. 5B is a perspective view