EP-4741990-A1 - ELECTRONIC DEVICE COMPRISING FOLDABLE HOUSING

EP4741990A1EP 4741990 A1EP4741990 A1EP 4741990A1EP-4741990-A1

Abstract

An electronic device according to an embodiment includes a foldable housing including a first housing, a second housing, and a third housing; a flexible display; a first hinge assembly rotatably connecting the first housing with the second housing; a second hinge assembly rotatably connecting the second housing with the third housing; a first hinge cover surrounding the first hinge assembly; and a second hinge cover surrounding the second hinge assembly.

Inventors

JUNG, Soli
Yoon, Byounguk
KANG, JEONGHO
KIM, NAMWOO
KIM, MINHO
PARK, Changi
AHN, Jaeuk
YOON, Yeonggyu
CHOI, JUNYOUNG
HONG, Hyunchul

Assignees

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20240902

Claims (15)

An electronic device comprising: a foldable housing including: a first housing having a first width, a second housing having a second width narrower than the first width, and a third housing having a third width narrower than the second width; a flexible display supported by the first housing, the second housing, and the third housing; a first hinge assembly rotatably connecting the first housing and the second housing to each other; a second hinge assembly rotatably connecting the second housing and the third housing to each other; a first hinge cover, having a fourth width, at least partially covering the first hinge assembly; and a second hinge cover, having a fifth width narrower than the fourth width, at least partially covering the second hinge assembly.
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a second thickness of the second housing is thinner than a first thickness of the first housing and a third thickness of the third housing.
The electronic device of claim 2, further comprising a camera deco, at least partially surrounding a camera disposed within the second housing, at least partially protruded from a rear side of the second housing, and wherein a thickness of the camera deco protruded from the rear side substantially corresponds to a difference between the third thickness and the second thickness.
The electronic device of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, when the electronic device is in a folded state, the third housing is positioned between the first housing and the second housing, wherein, when the electronic device is in the folded state, the first hinge cover is opposite to the second hinge cover such that at least a portion of the foldable housing is positioned between the first hinge cover and the second hinge cover, and wherein, when the electronic device is in the folded state, a lateral side of the third housing facing the first hinge cover is spaced apart from a first virtual straight line, extending from a lateral side of the first housing adjacent to the first hinge cover to a lateral side of the second housing adjacent to the first hinge cover, toward the second hinge cover.
The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the folded state includes: a first folded state in which the third housing is folded with respect to the second housing, and a second folded state, in the first folded state, in which the first housing is folded (with respect to the second housing part), and wherein the first folded state and the second folded state are a state in which (the third housing part and the first housing part are) inwardly folded with respect to the flexible display.
The electronic device of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a second virtual straight line, extending from a lateral side of the second housing adjacent to the second hinge cover to a lateral side of the third housing adjacent to the second hinge cover, is spaced apart from a third virtual straight line, extending from an outer surface of the second hinge cover, by 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm.
The electronic device of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, when the electronic device is in a folded state, another lateral side of the first housing opposite a lateral side of the first housing adjacent to the first hinge cover is substantially aligned with an outer surface of the second hinge cover.
The electronic device of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, when the electronic device is in a folded state, the flexible display includes: a first area disposed on the first housing, a second area disposed on the second housing, a third area disposed on the third housing, a first deformable area at least partially curved between the first area and the second area, and a second deformable area at least partially curved between the second area and the third area, wherein the first deformable area includes: a flat portion perpendicular to the first housing and the second housing, a first curved portion curved from a first end of the flat portion to a second end of the first area, and a second curved portion curved from a third end of the flat portion to a fourth end of the second area.
The electronic device of claim 8, wherein, when the electronic device is in the folded state, a lateral side of the third housing facing the first hinge cover is spaced apart from a virtual straight line, extending from the second end to the fourth end, toward the second hinge cover.
The electronic device of claim 8, wherein, when the electronic device is in the folded state, a portion of a lateral side of the third housing facing the first hinge cover is spaced apart from a fourth virtual straight line, extending from the second end to the fourth end, toward the first hinge cover.
The electronic device of claim 10, wherein a curvature of the lateral side of the third housing is greater than a curvature of the first curved portion and the second curved portion.
The electronic device of any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising at least one key button or a fingerprint recognition portion exposed through another lateral side of the first housing opposite a lateral side of the first housing adjacent to the first hinge assembly.
The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the other lateral side of the first housing includes at least one of a groove or a protrusion formed on the other lateral side of the first housing.
The electronic device of claim 12, wherein, when the electronic device is in a folded state, the at least one key button or the fingerprint recognition portion protrude beyond the second hinge cover.
The electronic device of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein, when the electronic device is in a folded state, a step is formed on a lateral side of the first housing, and is positioned to adjacent the second hinge cover.

Description

[Technical Field] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device including a foldable housing. [Background Art] An electronic device may include a foldable housing and a flexible display to provide an improved user experience. For example, the foldable housing may include a plurality of housings. The foldable housing may have a structure in which the plurality of housings may be folded or unfolded more than once. For example, the foldable housing may include three housings rotatably coupled through two hinges. The flexible display may be at least partially modified based on an operation of the foldable housing. The above-described information may be provided as a related art for the purpose of helping to understand the present disclosure. No claim or determination is raised as to whether any of the above-described information may be applied as a prior art related to the present disclosure. [Disclosure] [Technical Solution] The present disclosure is presented in the attached claims, and drawings and their respective descriptions relate to advantageous embodiments of the present disclosure. An electronic device is provided. The electronic device may comprise a foldable housing including a first housing having a first width, a second housing having a second width narrower than the first width, and a third housing having a third width narrower than the second width. The electronic device may comprise a flexible display supported by the first housing, the second housing, and the third housing. The electronic device may comprise a first hinge assembly rotatably connecting the first housing and the second housing to each other. The electronic device may comprise a second hinge assembly rotatably connecting the second housing and the third housing to each other. The electronic device may comprise a first hinge cover, having a fourth width, at least partially covering the first hinge assembly. The electronic device may comprise a second hinge cover, having a fifth width narrower than the fourth width, at least partially covering the second hinge assembly. An electronic device is provided. The electronic device may comprise a foldable housing including a first housing, a second housing, and a third housing. The electronic device may comprise a flexible display supported by the first housing, the second housing, and the third housing. The electronic device may comprise a first hinge assembly rotatably connecting the first housing and the second housing. The electronic device may comprise a second hinge assembly rotatably connecting the second housing and the third housing. The electronic device may comprise a first hinge cover surrounding the first hinge assembly. The electronic device may comprise a second hinge cover surrounding the second hinge assembly. When the electronic device is in a folded state, a step may be formed between the first housing and the second hinge cover. [Description of the Drawings] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment according to an embodiment.FIG. 2A illustrates an unfolded state of an electronic device according to an embodiment.FIG. 2B illustrates a folded state of an electronic device according to an embodiment.FIG. 2C illustrates a flexible display and protection frames of an electronic device according to an embodiment.FIG. 3A illustrates a process in which an electronic device is transformed from an unfolded state to a folded state, according to an embodiment.FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device cut along line A-A' of FIG. 3B, according to an embodiment.FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device cut along line B-B' of FIG. 3B, according to an embodiment.FIG. 4B schematically illustrates an operation of an electronic device according to a comparative example.FIG. 4C schematically illustrates an operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment.FIG. 5A illustrates a flexible display, a first hinge structure, and a second hinge structure in a folded state.FIG. 5B schematically illustrates examples of a first deformable area in a folded state.FIG. 6 illustrates a flexible display and a first hinge structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment.FIG. 7A illustrates a flexible display and a second hinge structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment.FIG. 7B is a diagram for comparing a folded structure of a second area.FIG. 8A is an enlarged view of a first deformable area and a second deformable area.FIG. 8B illustrates an electronic device according to an embodiment and an electronic device according to a comparative example.FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to an embodiment including a second deformable area in an unfolded state.FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to an embodiment including a second deformable area in a folded state.FIG. 10A is a perspective view of an electronic device according to an e