Hinge length adjustment device for folding screen terminal and folding screen terminal

Abstract

Relating to the technology of folding screen terminals, the present application provides a hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal and a folding screen terminal, which are arranged between a screen fixing plate and a hinge side plate of the folding screen terminal, the adjustment device comprising a follower, a pushed member and a transmission member; the follower is arranged on an intermediate plate, the intermediate plate can rotate relative to the hinge side plate, the follower has a pushing portion, the intermediate plate drives the follower to move, thereby driving the pushing portion to move in a direction approaching or away from the pushed member; the pushed member includes a pushed portion, the pushed portion corresponds to the pushing portion, and the movement of the follower drives the pushed member to move; the input end of the transmission member is transmission-connected to the pushed member, and the output end of the transmission member is connected to the screen fixing plate, and is transmitted to the transmission member through the movement of the pushed member, thereby driving the hinge side plate to move in a direction approaching or away from the screen fixing plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to foldable screen terminal technology, and in particular to a hinge length adjustment device for a foldable screen terminal and a foldable screen terminal. Background Art

[0002] Following the release of Samsung's second-generation folding phone and Huawei's Mate X folding phone, almost all major mobile phone manufacturers have been vigorously developing folding smartphones. Among them, the most difficult and technologically demanding folding phone technology should be the folding hinge mechanism.

[0003] After unfolding and folding, the length of the screen of a foldable phone must remain the same and cannot be pulled or compressed. This is determined by the characteristics of the screen. The folding hinge is arranged below the screen of the phone, and the length of the hinge in the folded state is shorter than that in the unfolded state (this is for external folding screen phones), otherwise the hinge mechanism will pull the screen.

[0004] Therefore, the difficulty in designing a folding mobile phone is to develop a mechanism that continuously and stably ensures that the length of the folding hinge changes synchronously during the rotation of the folding hinge. Although it is generally achieved through a multi-link mechanism in the prior art, the existing multi-link mechanism has complicated components. After long-term use and wear, it is easy to have problems with follow-up due to the matching tolerance between the parts. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the technical problem of hinge length compensation of folding screen terminals in the prior art, the present application provides a hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal and a folding screen terminal that can continuously and stably compensate for changes in hinge length.

[0006] In the first aspect, the present application provides a hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal, which is arranged between a screen fixing plate and a hinge side plate of the folding screen terminal, and the adjustment device includes a follower, a pushed member and a transmission member; the follower is arranged on an intermediate plate, and the intermediate plate can rotate relative to the hinge side plate, and the follower has a pushing part, and the intermediate plate drives the follower to move, thereby driving the pushing part to move in a direction approaching or away from the pushed member; the pushed member includes a pushed part, and the pushed part corresponds to the pushing part, and the movement of the follower drives the pushed member to move; the input end of the transmission member is transmission-connected to the pushed member, and the output end of the transmission member is connected to the screen fixing plate, and is transmitted to the transmission member through the movement of the pushed member, thereby driving the hinge side plate to move in a direction approaching or away from the screen fixing plate.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present application, the angular movement of the follower member drives the pushed member to move in the axial direction of the angular movement.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present application, the follower includes a guide groove and an arc-shaped plate that slides in the guide groove, and the pushing portion of the arc-shaped plate is a chamfered edge corresponding to one side of the pushed portion, thereby pushing the pushed portion.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present application, the pushed portion of the pushed member extends into the guide groove, and the pushed portion is pushed by the pushing portion to slide in the guide groove.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present application, the pushed member includes a connected pushed plate and an engaging plate, the open end of the pushed plate is the pushed portion, and the engaging plate includes an engaging portion corresponding to the transmission member, thereby engaging with the transmission member for transmission.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present application, the input end of the transmission member includes a transmission mechanism in which a rack and a gear cooperate, and / or the output end of the transmission member includes a screw transmission mechanism.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present application, the transmission member includes a gear, a shaft and a lead screw, the gear is fixed to one end of the shaft, and the lead screw is arranged in a forward direction at the other end of the shaft.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present application, the axial direction of the transmission member and the moving direction of the pushed member are perpendicular to each other.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present application, two groups of the adjustment devices are included, which are respectively arranged between the screen fixing plates and the hinge side plates on both sides of the folding screen terminal.

[0015] In a second aspect, the present application provides a folding screen terminal, comprising a hinge length adjustment device for the folding screen terminal as described above.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present application, it includes a screen fixing plate, a flexible screen and a hinge assembly, wherein two ends of the flexible screen are respectively fixed to the two screen fixing plates at both ends, and the hinge assembly includes two hinge side plates at both ends and multiple intermediate plates in the middle.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present application, a synchronization component is further included, and two ends of the synchronization component are respectively fixed to the two screen fixing plates to synchronize the angular movement of the two screen fixing plates relative to the hinge component.

[0018] The above technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0019] In order to solve the problem of poor stability of the hinge length compensation mechanism of the folding screen terminal in the prior art, the embodiment of the present application mainly utilizes the rotational motion between the hinge middle plate and the side plate to be converted into the power for length compensation, and then drives a transmission member to move the side plate relative to the screen fixing plate, thereby adjusting the distance between the two, so as to achieve screen position compensation adjustment at both ends of the hinge. The adjustment device can mainly include a follower for collecting angular motion, a pusher for transmitting the action of the follower to the transmission member, and a transmission member that finally converts the rotational motion into a change in the distance between the side plate and the screen fixing plate. Only three main components are required to complete the hinge length compensation, and even fewer matching components.

[0020] During the rotation of the folding hinge, the transmission parts are used to achieve continuous and stable movement and adjustment, thereby ensuring that the length of the folding hinge changes synchronously. Compared with the multi-link compensation mechanism, its motion clearance is smaller and has fewer components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged structural diagram at A in the middle.

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the component decomposition structure of a hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the component decomposition structure of a foldable screen terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the screen fixing plate provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Description of reference numerals:

[0029] Screen fixing plate 1; slide groove 11; screw hole 12; track groove 13; hinge side plate 2; adjustment device 3; follower 31; pushing part 311; guide groove 312; arc plate 313; arc plate 314; pushed member 32; pushed part 321; pushed plate 322; meshing plate 323; meshing part 324; transmission member 33; gear 331; shaft member 332; lead screw 333; first intermediate plate 41; second intermediate plate 42; second intermediate plate 43; fourth intermediate plate 44; fifth intermediate plate 45; synchronization component 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0031] In order to solve the problem of poor stability of the hinge length compensation mechanism of the folding screen terminal in the prior art, the embodiment of the present application mainly utilizes the rotational motion between the hinge middle plate and the side plate to be converted into the power for length compensation, and then drives a transmission member to move the side plate relative to the screen fixing plate, thereby adjusting the distance between the two, so as to achieve screen position compensation adjustment at both ends of the hinge. The adjustment device can mainly include a follower for collecting angular motion, a pusher for transmitting the action of the follower to the transmission member, and a transmission member that finally converts the rotational motion into a change in the distance between the side plate and the screen fixing plate. Only three main components are required to complete the hinge length compensation, and even fewer transmission matching components.

[0032] The following is an exemplary description of the specific embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 for Figure 1 The enlarged structural diagram at A in the middle, and Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the component decomposition structure of a hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] An embodiment of the present application provides a hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal, which is arranged between a screen fixing plate 1 and a hinge side plate 2 of the folding screen terminal. The adjustment device 3 mainly includes a follower 31, a thrust member 32 and a transmission member 33.

[0035] The follower 31 is selectively arranged on one of the middle plates, and the middle plate can rotate relative to the hinge side plate 2. The follower 31 has a pushing portion 311. The middle plate drives the follower 31 to move, thereby driving the pushing portion 311 to move in a direction close to or away from the pushed member 32. The pushed member 32 includes a pushed portion 321, and the pushed portion 321 corresponds to the pushing portion 311. The movement of the follower 31 drives the pushed member 32 to move. The input end of the transmission member 33 is transmission-connected to the pushed member 32, and the output end of the transmission member 33 is connected to the screen fixing plate 1. The transmission is transmitted to the transmission member 33 through the movement of the pushed member 32, thereby driving the hinge side plate 2 to move in a direction close to or away from the screen fixing plate 1. Therefore, the hinge side plates 2 at both ends of the screen move inward or outward synchronously, so as to achieve dynamic compensation of the screen fixed thereon in the length direction, and avoid the problem of stress concentration.

[0036] In the embodiment, during the rotation of the folding hinge, the transmission member is used to achieve continuous and stable movement and adjustment, thereby ensuring that the length of the folding hinge changes synchronously. Compared with the multi-link compensation mechanism, the movement gap is smaller and the number of components is less.

[0037] See also Figure 3 According to the embodiment of the present application, the angular motion R direction of the follower 31 drives the pushed member 32 to move in the rotation axis X direction of the angular motion, so as to realize the conversion of the motion mode once, so as to convert the rotary motion into the linear motion, so that the subsequent transmission member can be used for conversion.

[0038] In this embodiment, the transmission ratio from the input end to the output end of the transmission member 33 can be selected to dynamically adapt to the length change of the hinge assembly in the length direction in the folded and unfolded states.

[0039] According to the embodiment of the present application, the follower 31 mainly includes a guide groove 312 and an arc plate 313 that slides in the guide groove 312. The pushing portion 311 of the arc plate 313 is a chamfered edge corresponding to one side of the pushed portion 321, thereby pushing the pushed portion 321. It can be understood that the guide groove 312 can be formed between two arc plates 314. That is, the guide limit mechanism of the hinge can be realized, and the output of the compensation power can also be realized.

[0040] The combination of the follower 31 and the two arc-shaped plates 314 can be in the form of an angular motion limiting mechanism between two common intermediate plates, and the only difference is that the pushing portion 311 is formed by beveling, so that the pushed portion 321 of the pushed member 32 can extend into and fit in. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the beveled edge of the pushing portion 311 and the beveled edge of the pushed portion 321 are beveled at mutually matching angles, and both can be beveled at an angle of 45 degrees, so as to achieve a better push-fit mode.

[0041] According to the embodiment of the present application, the pushed portion 321 of the pushed member 32 extends into the guide groove 312, and the pushed portion 321 is pushed by the pushing portion 311 to slide in the guide groove 312. This means that the pushed member 32 can also use the guide groove 312 to achieve sliding limit.

[0042] According to the embodiment of the present application, the pushed member 32 includes a connected pushed plate 322 and an engaging plate 323, the open end of the pushed plate 322 is the pushed portion 321, and the engaging plate 323 includes an engaging portion 324 corresponding to the transmission member 33, thereby engaging with the transmission member 33 for transmission.

[0043] According to the embodiment of the present application, the input end of the transmission member 33 includes a transmission mechanism in which a rack and a gear cooperate, and / or the output end of the transmission member 33 includes a lead screw transmission mechanism. According to the embodiment of the present application, the transmission member 33 includes a gear 331, a shaft 332 and a lead screw 333, wherein the gear 331 is fixed to one end of the shaft 332, and the lead screw 333 is arranged in the forward direction at the other end of the shaft 332. The rotation axis Y direction of the transmission member 33 is perpendicular to the movement direction X of the pushed member 32. The input end is selected as a gear structure meshing with the pushed member 32 for transmission, and the gear structure and the pushed member 32 can be a first transmission ratio, which can be selected as a 1:1 transmission ratio. The output end is selected as the lead screw 333 and the corresponding meshing screw hole 12 on the screen fixing plate 1 (see Figure 5 ), the second transmission ratio between the ball screw 333 and the screw hole 12 is smaller than the first transmission ratio.

[0044] In an optional embodiment, the threads on the lead screw 333 can also be arranged in a non-equidistant manner, such as gradually increasing the pitch from the open end to the gear end, so as to adapt to the different compensation distance requirements of the hinge assembly from the initial stage to the final folding stage. That is, the moving speed ratio of the hinge side plate 2 in the Y direction can be gradually increased. This implementation method is selected according to the structural requirements of the hinge assembly, for example, it can be selected as 3 to 1. In order to better adapt to the situation where the hinge assembly rotation and the screen length compensation displacement requirements are different.

[0045] A pair of shaft ears 21 can be arranged on the hinge side plate 2 to rotatably fix the transmission member 33. The shaft member 332 can be selectively inserted into the corresponding holes arranged on the shaft ears 21 to achieve assembly and fixation.

[0046] According to an embodiment of the present application, two groups of the adjustment devices 3 are included, which are respectively arranged between the screen fixing plate 1 and the hinge side plate 2 on both sides of the folding screen terminal.

[0047] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the component decomposition structure of a foldable screen terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the screen fixing plate provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0048] The embodiment of the present application also provides a folding screen terminal, which mainly includes a screen fixing plate 1, a flexible screen and a hinge assembly, wherein the two ends of the flexible screen are respectively fixed to the two screen fixing plates 1 at the two ends, and the hinge assembly includes two hinge side plates 2 at the two ends and a plurality of intermediate plates in the middle. It also includes a synchronization assembly 5, wherein the two ends of the synchronization assembly are respectively fixed to the two screen fixing plates 1 to synchronize the angular movement of the two screen fixing plates 1 relative to the hinge assembly.

[0049] In the embodiment of the present application, the folding hinge assembly mainly includes a first middle plate 41, a second plate 42, a second plate 43, a fourth plate 44, a fifth plate 45, two left and right hinge side plates 2, a screen fixing plate 1, an adjustment device 3, a synchronization assembly 5 and other components.

[0050] The flexible screen may be a flexible foldable screen, which is arranged at the outermost side of the terminal. When the entire device is folded, the screen is still at the outermost side (not shown in the attached figure here).

[0051] The screen fixing plate 1 is arranged at the bottom of the flexible screen, and the two are fixedly connected and cannot have relative movement. The function of this screen fixing plate 1 is to support the screen and drive the screen to move together.

[0052] The first middle plate 41, the second plate 42, the second plate 43, the fourth plate 44, the fifth plate 45, the left and right hinge side plates 2, and the screen fixing plate 1 are all placed under the mobile phone screen and are in the same plane, which can support the screen and prevent the screen from being dented when the finger presses the screen.

[0053] The left and right hinge side panels 2 can be slidably inserted into the sliding groove 11 of the screen fixing plate 1 through the outer side panels for cooperation, so that limited sliding between the two can be achieved.

[0054] The gears of the synchronization component 5 can mainly include a horizontal plate, which can extend into the track groove 13 corresponding to the screen fixing plate 1. When the screen and the screen fixing plate are folded together, the horizontal plate is driven, and the horizontal plate drives the gear set to rotate, thereby realizing synchronous folding and rotation of the left and right sides. Since the specific structure of the synchronization component 5 has been clearly shown in the figure, technicians in this field can obviously understand and reproduce its structure and function, and it is not a technical transformation point of the present application, so it will not be repeated here.

[0055] An arc-shaped shell can be arranged between two adjacent middle plates, and corresponding track grooves are arranged on the adjacent middle plates. The motion trajectory of the folding hinge can be controlled by cooperating between the arc-shaped shell and the track groove. The middle plate and the hinge side plate 2 also cooperate with the track groove through the wedge-shaped arc shell to ensure the motion trajectory of the side plates on both sides.

[0056] The wedge-shaped arc plate and the wedge-shaped arc shell of the middle plate are simultaneously installed in the arc-shaped track groove of the left hinge side plate 2 and are in surface contact with each other. A rack feature is provided on the other side of the wedge-shaped arc plate, and the rack and the gear installed on the left plate are meshed with each other. A ball screw is provided on the other end of the gear shaft, and the ball screw cooperates with the corresponding screw groove inside the screen support plate; when moving from the unfolded state to the folded state, the left hinge side plate 2 and the middle plate move relative to each other, and the wedge-shaped arc shell of the middle plate moves into the arc-shaped track groove of the left plate. At this time, the wedge-shaped arc plate is pushed axially by the wedge-shaped arc shell, and moves along the axial direction, while driving the rack on the other side to move. The rack drives the gear shaft installed on the left hinge side plate 2 to move, and the gear shaft drives the ball screw to rotate, and the ball screw drives the screen fixing plate to move toward the center of the folding mechanism.

[0057] Since the ball screw mechanism has reversible motion, the screen length can still be reversely compensated during the process of moving from the folded state to the unfolded state, which will not be elaborated here. On the other hand, the elastic reset effect of the screen itself can be utilized to achieve reset. When moving from the folded state to the unfolded state, the screen's own elasticity can push the screen fixing plate outward, thereby achieving compensation.

[0058] Of course, you can also choose to configure a reverse adjustment device to achieve screen movement compensation from the folded state to the unfolded state.

[0059] This proposal only introduces the movement principle and implementation scheme of the folding structure on one side. The other part is symmetrical with this part and has the same principle, so it will not be repeated here.

[0060] The patent of this invention proposes a synchronous external folding scheme based on a ball screw motion process compensation mechanism. The folding trajectory mechanism is mainly realized by an inclined wedge arc trajectory groove, the synchronization mechanism is mainly realized by gear meshing, and the compensation mechanism is mainly realized by a ball screw. It can not only meet the basic functions of the folding hinge, but also ensure continuous and stable synchronous changes in the length of the folding hinge.

[0061] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0062] The foregoing is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, which enables those skilled in the art to understand or implement the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. A hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal, arranged between a screen fixing plate (1) and a hinge side plate (2) of the folding screen terminal, characterized in that: The adjusting device (3) comprises a follower (31), a thrust member (32) and a transmission member (33); The follower (31) is arranged on an intermediate plate of the hinge, the intermediate plate can rotate relative to the hinge side plate (2), the follower (31) has a pushing portion (311), the intermediate plate drives the follower (31) to move, thereby driving the pushing portion (311) to move in a direction close to or away from the pushed member (32); The pushed member (32) comprises a pushed portion (321), the pushed portion (321) corresponds to the pushing portion (311), and the movement of the follower (31) drives the pushed member (32) to move; The input end of the transmission member (33) is transmission-connected to the push-receiving member (32), and the output end of the transmission member (33) is connected to the screen fixing plate (1). The push-receiving member (32) is moved to the transmission member (33), thereby driving the hinge side plate (2) to move in a direction approaching or away from the screen fixing plate (1).

2. The hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angular movement of the follower (31) drives the pushed member (32) to move in the direction of the rotation axis of the angular movement.

3. The hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The follower (31) comprises a guide groove (312) and an arc-shaped plate (313) that slides in the guide groove (312); the pushing portion (311) of the arc-shaped plate (313) is a chamfered edge corresponding to one side of the pushed portion (321), thereby pushing the pushed portion (321).

4. The hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal according to claim 3, characterized in that: The pushed portion (321) of the pushed member (32) extends into the guide groove (312), and the pushed portion (321) is pushed by the pushing portion (311) to slide in the guide groove (312).

5. The hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pushed member (32) comprises a connected pushed plate (322) and an engaging plate (323); the open end of the pushed plate (322) is the pushed portion (321); the engaging plate (323) comprises an engaging portion (324) corresponding to the transmission member (33), thereby engaging with the transmission member (33) for transmission.

6. The hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The input end of the transmission member (33) includes a transmission mechanism in which a rack and a gear cooperate, and / or the output end of the transmission member (33) includes a ball screw transmission mechanism.

7. The hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal according to claim 6, characterized in that: The transmission member (33) comprises a gear (331), a shaft member (332) and a lead screw (333); the gear (331) is fixed to one end of the shaft member (332), and the lead screw (333) is arranged in a forward direction at the other end of the shaft member (332).

8. The hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal according to claim 6, characterized in that: The axis (Y) direction of the transmission member (33) and the moving direction of the pushed member (32) are perpendicular to each other.

9. The hinge length adjustment device for a folding screen terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: It comprises two groups of adjustment devices (3), which are respectively arranged between the screen fixing plate (1) and the hinge side plate (2) on both sides of the folding screen terminal.

10. A folding screen terminal, characterized in that: A hinge length adjustment device (3) for a folding screen terminal comprising the device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The folding screen terminal according to claim 10, characterized in that: It comprises a screen fixing plate (1), a flexible screen and a hinge assembly, wherein two ends of the flexible screen are respectively fixed to two screen fixing plates (1) at the two ends, and the hinge assembly comprises two hinge side plates (2) at the two ends and a plurality of intermediate plates in the middle.

12. The folding screen terminal according to claim 11, characterized in that: It also comprises a synchronization component (5), the two ends of which are respectively fixed to the two screen fixing plates (1) so as to synchronize the angular movement of the two screen fixing plates (1) relative to the hinge component.

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