Damping mechanism, folding hinge and foldable electronic device

Abstract

The present application provides a damping mechanism, a folding hinge and a foldable electronic device. The damping mechanism includes a gear set, a guide part and a fixed assembly, wherein: the gear set includes a plurality of gears meshing with each other in sequence, the fixed assembly includes a plurality of fixed shafts corresponding to the gears in the gear set, between each pair of corresponding fixed shafts and gears, the fixed shaft extends along the axial direction of the gear, and the fixed shaft is axially fixed to the gear; an elastic member is provided between the fixed shaft and the guide part, and the elastic member is in a force storage state to provide the guide part with a force in the direction of the gear, so that the guide part presses each rolling ball against the first end face of the gear set. The use of the damping mechanism can reduce the wear of the damping mechanism, increase the service life of the damping mechanism, effectively reduce the attenuation amplitude of the damping force, and reduce the difficulty of processing and detection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of foldable display devices, and particularly to a damping mechanism, a folding hinge, and a foldable electronic device. Background Art

[0002] With the increasing maturity of flexible foldable screen technology, flexible foldable terminal products have become a major trend. Foldable terminal products (such as electronic devices like foldable mobile phones, foldable tablets, foldable computers, etc.) need to meet high reliability, good operation experience and appearance in order to be accepted by consumers. As a core functional component of foldable terminal products, the reliability and operation experience of the folding hinge largely depend on the performance of the damping mechanism. Currently, the existing damping mechanism is a spring-cam damping mechanism. By arranging a mutually cooperating cam group axially on the gear, and making the cam group abut against the spring, by rotating the gear, the cam generates relative movement in the axial direction of the gear, and the spring applies an axial force to the cam. While rotating the gear, the cam is squeezed by the spring to rotate, realizing the functions of self-opening / self-closing and damping stop. However, in this damping mechanism, the convex teeth on the cam are often of irregular shapes, which are prone to generate large frictional forces at the convex teeth during rotation, the convex teeth are liable to wear, the damping force decays greatly, and the service life of the damping mechanism is short. At the same time, the curved surface of the convex teeth with irregular shapes is difficult to machine, difficult to detect, and not easy to control the machining accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a damping mechanism, a folding hinge, and a foldable electronic device to reduce the wear of the damping mechanism, improve the service life of the damping mechanism, effectively reduce the attenuation amplitude of the damping force, and at the same time reduce the machining and detection difficulties.

[0004] In a first aspect, this application provides a damping mechanism, including a gear set, a guiding part, and a fixing component. Among them: The gear set includes a plurality of meshing gears. Along the meshing direction of the gear set, connecting parts are respectively provided on the gears at both ends of the gear set; at least two ball grooves are provided on the first end face of any one gear, and when the gear set is in the positioning station, among any two adjacent gears, one ball groove of one gear cooperates with one ball groove of the other gear to form a receiving groove.

[0005] The guiding part is located on the side of the gear set where the receiving groove is formed, and the guiding part can move in the axial direction of the gear along the direction close to or away from the gear; on the side of the guiding part facing the gear set, positioning grooves corresponding to the receiving grooves one by one are provided, the openings of the positioning grooves face the receiving grooves, and a rolling ball is provided in each positioning groove; and when the gear set is in the positioning station, the opening of each positioning groove is opposite to the opening of the corresponding receiving groove, so that a part of the rolling ball is located in the receiving groove and a part is located in the positioning groove.

[0006] The fixing component includes a plurality of fixed shafts respectively arranged corresponding to the gears in the gear set. Each fixed shaft passes through the corresponding gear. The fixed shaft extends along the axial direction of the gear, and the fixed shaft is axially fixed to the gear. The fixing component further includes an elastic member disposed on the side of the guiding portion away from the gear set. The elastic member is in a state of storing energy to provide a force towards the gear direction for the guiding portion, so that the guiding portion presses each rolling ball against the first end face of the gear set.

[0007] For the damping mechanism provided in this application, since both the rolling balls and the ball grooves cooperating with them are spherical regular curved surfaces, the friction is small, and the wear of the rolling balls and the ball grooves is small. It can effectively improve the service life of the damping mechanism and reduce the attenuation amplitude of the damping force. In addition, since both the rolling balls and the ball grooves are regular curved surfaces, the processing technology is relatively simple and easy to detect.

[0008] In a possible embodiment of this application, the first end face of any gear is provided with 4 ball grooves, and the 4 ball grooves are evenly arranged along the circumferential direction of the first end face of the gear. Thus, the two connecting rods can be stopped at different angles.

[0009] In a possible embodiment of this application, the ball groove is a 1 / 4 ball groove. Thus, the accommodating groove formed by the combination of the ball grooves of two adjacent gears can be a hemispherical groove, which can improve the stability of the rolling balls at the positioning station.

[0010] In a possible embodiment of this application, the radius of the ball groove is the same as the radius of the rolling ball. Thus, the rolling ball can be in full contact with the ball groove to effectively improve the stability of the rolling ball at the positioning station.

[0011] In a possible embodiment of this application, the guiding portion is sleeved on the fixed shaft and can move closer to or away from the gear set along the fixed shaft. Thus, the fixed shaft can be used as a guiding shaft, and the guiding portion can make a reciprocating motion closer to or away from the gear set along the fixed shaft.

[0012] In a possible embodiment of this application, a positioning portion is provided at one end of the fixed shaft away from the gear set, and the elastic member is located between the positioning portion and the guiding portion. By arranging the elastic body between the positioning portion and the guiding portion, the elastic body can apply a force to the guiding portion.

[0013] In a possible embodiment of this application, the elastic member is a spring, and the spring is sleeved on the fixed shaft. Sleeving the spring on the fixed shaft can improve the overall stability. In another possible embodiment, the elastic member can also be a spring piece, such as a V-shaped spring piece or a W-shaped spring piece, etc.

[0014] In a possible embodiment of the present application, the inner diameter of the positioning groove is smaller than the diameter of the rolling ball, and the spherical surface of the rolling ball abuts against the opening edge of the positioning groove facing the gear. Thus, under the action of the force applied by the elastomer to the guiding portion, the rolling ball always abuts against the opening edge of the positioning groove.

[0015] In a possible embodiment of the present application, the positioning groove is a hemispherical groove, and the radius of the positioning groove is the same as the radius of the rolling ball, and the spherical surface of the rolling ball abuts against the hemispherical surface of the positioning groove. In this structure, half of the rolling ball is located in the positioning groove and abuts against the hemispherical surface of the positioning groove, thereby increasing the stability of the contact between the rolling ball and the positioning groove.

[0016] In a possible embodiment of the present application, the guiding portion includes a guide sleeve and a pressing block disposed between the guide sleeve and the elastic member, and the positioning groove is disposed on the guide sleeve.

[0017] Wherein, the positioning groove can be a through groove, and a columnar protrusion is provided on the side of the pressing block facing the guide sleeve, and the columnar protrusion is inserted into the through groove. In this structure, the columnar protrusion can be used to apply a force to the rolling ball.

[0018] In a possible embodiment of the present application, the inner diameter of the through groove is smaller than the diameter of the rolling ball, and the spherical surface of the rolling ball abuts against the opening edge of the through groove facing the gear. In this structure, the spherical surface of the rolling ball can also abut against the columnar protrusion at the same time to increase the contact points between the rolling ball and the guiding portion.

[0019] In another possible embodiment of the present application, the inner diameter of the through groove is larger than the diameter of the rolling ball, and the columnar protrusion abuts against the spherical surface of the rolling ball away from the gear set. In this structure, the rolling ball can enter the through groove completely during the sliding process, and the columnar protrusion can abut against the rolling ball. In this way, the rolling ball is more stable during the rolling process and can effectively prevent the rolling ball from falling off.

[0020] In a possible embodiment of the present application, the damping mechanism further includes a fixing member disposed on one side of the second end face of any one of the gears, and any one of the fixed shafts extends along the axis of the corresponding gear to the fixing member and is connected to the fixing member to realize the positioning of the fixed shaft.

[0021] In a second aspect, the present application provides a folding hinge, including a rotating shaft assembly. The rotating shaft assembly includes two fixing portions and a rotating portion located between the two fixing portions. The folding hinge further includes the damping mechanism as described in the first aspect of the present application. Among them, one connecting member of the damping mechanism is fixedly connected to one fixing portion, and the other connecting member is fixedly connected to the other fixing portion. In this folding hinge, the gear set of the damping mechanism constitutes a part of the rotating portion.

[0022] In a third aspect, the present application provides a foldable electronic device, including two housings, a flexible display screen disposed on the two housings, and a folding hinge as described in the second aspect of the present application. One fixing portion of the folding hinge is fixedly connected to one housing, the other fixing portion is fixedly connected to the other housing, and the rotating portion is located between the two housings. Description of the Drawings

[0023] Figure 1 Schematic assembly structure diagram of a damping mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 Schematic structure diagram of a connecting rod gear according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 Schematic structure diagram of a synchronous gear according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4 Exploded structure diagram of a damping mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the state when the included angle between the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod is 0° in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the state when the included angle between the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod is 180° in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 7 Schematic structure diagram of a folding hinge provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 8 Schematic structure diagram of a foldable electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Reference Signs:

[0032] 1 - Foldable electronic device; 11 - First housing; 12 - Second housing; 13 - Flexible display screen; 20 - Folding hinge;

[0033] 21 - First fixing portion; 22 - Second fixing portion; 23 - Rotating portion; 10 - Damping mechanism; 100 - Gear assembly;

[0034] 100a - First end face; 100b - Second end face; 101 - Gear; 102 - Ball groove; 102a - Accommodating groove; 103 - Connecting rod;

[0035] 103a - First connecting rod; 103b - Second connecting rod; 104 - Connecting rod gear; 105 - Fixed cam; 106 - Rotating cam;

[0036] 107 - Convex tooth; 200 - Guide part; 201 - Guide sleeve; 2011 - Positioning groove; 2012 - First mounting hole; 202 - Pressure block;

[0037] 2021 - Columnar protrusion; 2022 - Second mounting hole; 300 - Fixing component; 301 - Fixing shaft; 302 - Gasket;

[0038] 303 - Annular protrusion; 304 - Fixing piece; 400 - Rolling ball; 500 - Elastic piece. Detailed implementation manner

[0039] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] The damping mechanism is a key component of a foldable electronic device. The opening and closing of the foldable electronic device can be realized by using the damping mechanism. When the foldable electronic device is in the open state and there is no external force, the foldable electronic device can maintain the open state; similarly, when the foldable electronic device is in the closed state and there is no external force, the foldable electronic device can maintain the closed state.

[0041] The existing damping mechanism includes two link gears. A fixed cam and a rotating cam are provided axially on the link gears. Among them, the rotating cam rotates with the rotation of the link gears, and the fixed cam remains stationary. The rotating cam and the fixed cam are respectively provided with mutually cooperating convex teeth. A spring is provided on the side of the rotating cam away from the fixed cam. When the damping mechanism is in the positioning station, the convex teeth of the rotating cam and the convex teeth of the fixed cam are in a biting state. When an external force is applied to rotate the link gears, the rotating cam rotates on the surface of the fixed cam. In addition, the convex teeth on the rotating cam rotate along the convex teeth on the fixed cam. Under the interaction of the convex teeth on the rotating cam and the convex teeth on the fixed cam, the rotating cam will move in the direction of squeezing the spring. When the top surfaces of the two mutually cooperating convex teeth come into contact, the rotating cam moves to the maximum displacement point in the direction of squeezing the spring. At this time, when the external force is removed, the rotating cam will move in the direction of the fixed cam under the reaction force of the spring, so that the rotating cam and the fixed cam are in a biting state again. In this damping mechanism, the convex teeth usually provided on the rotating cam and the fixed cam are of irregular shapes to realize the relative rotation of the rotating cam and the fixed cam. Therefore, in the damping mechanism of this structure, it is easy to generate a large frictional force on the biting surface of the convex teeth, and the convex teeth are prone to wear, which may lead to the attenuation of the damping force. At the same time, the curved surface of the convex teeth with irregular shapes is difficult to process, difficult to detect, and the processing accuracy is not easy to control.

[0042] To solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a damping mechanism, which can be applied to foldable electronic devices. Among them, the foldable electronic device can be but is not limited to mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, televisions, etc.

[0043] The terms used in the following embodiments are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present application. As used in the specification and appended claims of the present application, the singular forms "a", "an", "the", "above-mentioned", "said", and "this" are intended to include expressions such as "one or more" as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0044] Reference to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" etc. described in this specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the present application. Thus, statements such as "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in other some embodiments", "in still other embodiments" etc. that appear in different places in this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments", unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprise", "include", "have" and their variants all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0045] Figure 1 It is a schematic assembly structure diagram of a damping mechanism 10 according to an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 1 shown, the damping mechanism 10 of this embodiment includes a gear set 100, a guiding portion 200, a fixing assembly 300, and an elastic member 500. Referring together Figure 2 , Figure 2 It is an exploded structure diagram of a damping mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] Continuing to refer Figure 2 , the gear set 100 may include gears 101 and connecting rods 103. Among them, the number of gears 101 is at least two, and by way of example, it is two, three, four, five, or six. Along the meshing direction of the gear set 100, the gears 101 at both ends of the gear set 100 are respectively connected to the connecting rods 103 to form connecting rod gears. It can be understood that the gears 101 in the gear set 100 can be synchronous gears so that the meshing gears 101 can rotate synchronously. When a steering force is applied to the connecting rod 103, the connecting rod 103 can drive the gear 101 to rotate. In addition, when the two connecting rods 103 move in the direction of approaching or separating from each other, relative rotation occurs between two adjacent gears 101, so that the damping mechanism 10 has multiple rotation positions.

[0047] Referring to Figure 2, in a possible embodiment of the present application, when specifically setting the gear 101, any gear 101 may include a first end face 100a and a second end face 100b perpendicular to its axis. In the gear set 100, the first end faces 101a of different gears 101 are all on the same side, and the second end faces 101b of different gears 101 are also all on the same side.

[0048] In order to enable the damping mechanism 10 to switch between multiple rotation positions, in a possible embodiment of the present application, the damping mechanism 10 of the embodiment of the present application may further include a rolling ball 400. In addition, ball grooves 102 may be provided on each gear 101 of the gear set 100.

[0049] When specifically setting the ball grooves 102 on the gear 101, the number of ball grooves 102 on each gear 101 may be at least two. Exemplarily, referring to Figure 3 , Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a connecting-rod gear formed after the connecting rod 103 and the gear 101 of an embodiment of the present application are connected. Among them, two ball grooves 102 are provided on the first end face 100a of the gear 101 connected to the connecting rod 103. In addition, when the gear set 100 includes at least three gears 101, reference may be made to Figure 4 , Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the gear 101 located between two end gears 101 in an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 4 shown, for the gear 101 located between two end gears 101, four ball grooves 102 may be provided on its first end face 100a, and the four ball grooves 102 are evenly arranged along the circumferential direction of the first end face 100a of the gear 101. This setting method can facilitate the alignment connection between the connecting rod 103 and the gear 101, and reverse assembly between two connecting-rod gears can be avoided when assembling the gear set 100. At the same time, the ball grooves 102 on the gear 101 located between two end gears 101 are symmetrically arranged, which can reduce the selectivity and achieve rapid alignment when installing the gear set 100.

[0050] In addition to the above setting method, the number of ball grooves 102 on any gear 101 can also be the same. As an alternative embodiment, the number of ball grooves 102 provided in any gear 101 can also be three, four, five, or six. When the number of ball grooves 102 provided is different, the damping mechanism 10 can achieve the stop function at multiple angles. For example, when the number of ball grooves 102 on any gear 101 is three and they are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the first end face 100a, the stop can be achieved at 0° and 120° between the two connecting rods 103; when the number of ball grooves 102 on any gear 101 is four and they are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the first end face 100a, the stop can be achieved at 0°, 90°, and 180° between the two connecting rods 103; when the number of ball grooves 102 on any gear 101 is six and they are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the first end face 100a, the stop can be achieved at 0°, 60°, 120°, and 180° between the two connecting rods 103.

[0051] Refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , wherein, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the state when the included angle between the two connecting rods is 0°, Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the state when the included angle between the two connecting rods is 180°. It can be seen that with the damping structure 10 adopting the technical solution of the present application, the two connecting rods 103 can achieve the stop at multiple angles during the rotation process.

[0052] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the center of the ball of the ball groove 102 is located on the circumferential line of the first end face 100a of any gear 101. When specifically setting the ball groove 102, exemplarily, the ball groove 102 can be a 1 / 4 ball groove. At this time, the spherical surface of the ball groove 102 can be a 1 / 4 spherical surface.

[0053] Continue to refer to Figure 2 , when the meshing gears 101 are in the positioning station, at this time, without applying any external force, the included angle between the two connecting rods 103 can remain unchanged. Among them, in the positioning station, the ball grooves 102 between any two adjacent gears 101 will be combined in pairs to form a receiving groove 102a respectively, and the rolling ball 400 is located in the receiving groove 102a; the opening of the receiving groove 102a is perpendicular to the first end face 100a of each gear 101 and faces the guiding portion 200.

[0054] In an embodiment of the present application, the guiding portion 200 is disposed close to the receiving groove 102a. At the same time, a positioning groove 2011 is provided on one side of the guiding portion 200 facing the gear set 100. Wherein, when the gear set 100 is in the positioning station, the positioning grooves 2011 and the receiving grooves 102a are arranged in one-to-one correspondence, and a rolling ball 400 is arranged between each pair of the positioning grooves 2011 and the receiving grooves 102a. It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the opening diameter of the positioning groove 2011 can be made smaller than the diameter of the rolling ball 400, and the spherical surface of the rolling ball 400 abuts against the opening of the positioning groove 2011 facing the gear set 100, so that the rolling ball 400 is held between the gear set 100 and the guiding portion 200.

[0055] When the gear set 100 is in the positioning station, a part of the sphere of the rolling ball 400 is located in the receiving groove 102a, and a part of the sphere is located in the positioning groove 2011. When the gear set 100 is in the sliding station, the receiving groove 102a is separated into two ball grooves 102, and the rolling ball 400 is extruded out of the ball groove 102 by the rotating gear 101, but a part of the sphere of the rolling ball 400 is always located in the positioning groove 2011, so as to prevent the rolling ball 400 from falling off the damping mechanism 10. In the sliding station, the rolling ball 400 is located outside the ball groove 102.

[0056] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the number of the rolling balls 400 can be set to at least two. During the process of rotating the gear set 100, the at least two rolling balls 400 can provide support points for the guiding portion 200, and further improve the movement stability of the guiding portion 200 during the rotation of the rolling balls 400.

[0057] Referring to Figure 2 , taking the gear set 100 having four gears 101 as an example, at this time, the number of the rolling balls 400 can be set to three. In this way, a rolling ball 400 can be arranged between every two adjacent gears 101, so as to improve the symmetry between the gears 101 in the gear set 100, and it can also effectively improve the movement stability of the guiding portion 200 and the force balance.

[0058] In an embodiment of the present application, when specifically setting the guiding portion 200, the guiding portion 200 may include a guide sleeve 201. The positioning groove 2011 is provided on the side of the guide sleeve 201 facing the gear set 100.

[0059] Continuing to refer to Figure 2 , in another embodiment of the present application, the guiding portion 200 further includes a pressing block 202, and the pressing block 202 is arranged on the side of the guide sleeve 201 away from the gear set 100. At this time, the guide sleeve 201 is arranged between the gear set 100 and the pressing block 202.

[0060] In an embodiment of the present application, the positioning groove 2011 provided on the guide sleeve 201 is a through groove. Correspondingly, columnar protrusions 2021 are provided at positions on the pressing block 202 corresponding to each positioning groove 2011. The outer dimension of the columnar protrusion 2021 is smaller than the inner diameter of the positioning groove 2011, and it can be inserted into the positioning groove 2011. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the positioning groove 2011 is larger than the diameter of the rolling ball 400. At this time, the end of the columnar protrusion 2021 abuts against the spherical surface of the rolling ball 400 on the side facing the pressing block 202. In this way, no matter whether the damping mechanism 10 is in the positioning station or the sliding station, the rolling ball 400 can always be stably located in the positioning groove 2011, and under the action of the pressing block 202, the rolling ball 400 is always in contact with the first end face 100a of the gear 101.

[0061] Among them, as an exemplary illustration, the columnar protrusion 2021 can be, for example, a cylindrical protrusion or a square block protrusion, etc. The surface shape of its end in contact with the rolling ball 400 can be, for example, a spherical surface, and the radius of curvature of this spherical surface can be the same as the radius of the rolling ball 400 to increase the contact area with the rolling ball 400 and improve stability.

[0062] In an embodiment of the present application, the position of the guide sleeve 201 can be fixed, and the pressing block 202 can move in the direction of pressing the guide sleeve 201 and can move away from the gear set 100 under the action of the extrusion force of the rolling ball 400.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present application, a first mounting hole 2012 is provided on the guide sleeve 201, and a second mounting hole 2022 is provided on the pressing block 202. The guide sleeve 201 can be connected to the fixing assembly 300 through the first mounting hole 2012. In addition, the pressing block 202 can be connected to the fixing assembly 300 through the second mounting hole 2022.

[0064] Continue to refer to Figure 2 , in an embodiment of the present application, the fixing assembly 300 includes a plurality of fixing shafts 301, and the plurality of fixing shafts 301 are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the gears 101 in the gear set 100.

[0065] In each pair of corresponding fixed shafts 301 and gears 101, one end of the fixed shaft 301 penetrates through the gear 101 along the axial direction of the gear 101, and the other end sequentially passes through the first mounting hole 2012 of the guide sleeve 201 and the second mounting hole 2022 of the pressing block 202. Additionally, a fixing member 304 is provided on the side of the second end face 100b of the gear 101, and the fixed shaft 301 is connected to the fixing member 304 after passing through the gear 101. Among them, each pair of corresponding fixed shafts 301 and gears 101 can be fixedly connected or rotatably connected, and no specific limitation is made here. Correspondingly, the fixed shaft 301 and the fixing member 304 can be fixedly connected or rotatably connected, for example. As long as the axial position of the gear 101 on the fixed shaft 301 can be kept fixed. In an embodiment of the present application, the fixed shaft 301 and the fixing member 304 are fixedly connected, and the fixed shaft 301 and the gear 101 are rotatably connected.

[0066] In an embodiment of the present application, a positioning portion is provided at one end of each fixed shaft 301 away from the gear 101. In an optional embodiment, the positioning portion includes an annular protrusion 303 located at the end of the fixed shaft 301, and a gasket 302 sleeved on the fixed shaft 301 and disposed close to the annular protrusion 303. It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the gasket 302 can be a split structure. At this time, one gasket 302 can be provided corresponding to each fixed shaft. Additionally, the gasket 302 can also be an integral structure. At this time, the gasket 302 needs to be opened with holes at positions corresponding to each fixed shaft 301 to sleeved the gasket 302 on each fixed shaft 301. In order to improve the overall linkage of the damping mechanism, in the embodiment of the present application as Figure 3 shown, a gasket 303 with an integral structure is selected.

[0067] As Figure 2 shown, in an embodiment of the present application, the elastomer 500 can be disposed between the guiding portion 200 and the gasket 302, and there is an elastic force between the elastomer 500 and the pressing block 202 to enable the pressing block 202 to move in a direction close to or away from the guide sleeve 201. When specifically setting the elastomer 500, the elastomer 500 can be, but is not limited to, a spring. In this way, when the damping mechanism 10 is in the positioning station, the spring is in a compressed state to enable the rolling ball 400 to be between the receiving groove 102a and the positioning groove 2011. In an optional embodiment of the present application, a spring piece can be used to replace the spring, that is, the fixing assembly 300 includes spring pieces sleeved on each fixed shaft 301. The spring piece can be, for example, a V-shaped spring piece or a W-shaped spring piece, etc. When the damping mechanism is in the positioning station, the spring piece is also in a compressed state to enable the rolling ball 400 to be between the receiving groove 102a and the positioning groove 2011.

[0068] The following will be described in conjunction with Figure 2A detailed description of the movement process of the damping mechanism according to the embodiments of the present application is given.

[0069] When the gear set 100 is in the positioning station, the 1 / 4 ball grooves of two adjacent gears 101 in the gear set 100 form a receiving groove 102a. The radius of the ball groove 102 is the same as the radius of the rolling ball 400. The formed receiving groove 102a corresponds one-to-one with the positioning groove 2011 provided on the guide sleeve 201, and the inner diameter of the positioning groove 2011 is larger than the diameter of the rolling ball 400. At this time, for each rolling ball 400 between the receiving groove 102a and the positioning groove 2011, half of the sphere is inside the receiving groove 102a and half of the sphere is inside the positioning groove 2011. The columnar protrusion 2021 on the pressing block 202 extending into the positioning groove 2011 presses the rolling ball 400 tightly against the inside of the receiving groove 102a under the action of the spring 302. When it is necessary to change the relative positions of the two connecting rods 103 in the gear set 100, a certain torsional force needs to be applied to the two connecting rods 103. If the applied torsional force is too small, the gear set 100 will be in a stable stop state.

[0070] When a torsional force is applied to the two connecting rods 103 of the gear set 100, the gear set 100 starts to rotate. The rotation of the gear 101 separates the two ball grooves 102 forming the receiving groove 102a, pushes the rolling ball 400 to gradually move out of the receiving groove 102a, and makes the rolling ball 400 gradually enter the positioning groove 2011. At this time, the rolling ball 400 applies a force to the columnar protrusion 2021, pushing the pressing block 202 to move in the direction of squeezing the spring. When the gear set 100 rotates until the two ball grooves 102 of the adjacent gears 101 form the receiving groove 102a again, the rolling ball 400 enters the receiving groove 102a again under the restoring force of the elastic body and is limited in the receiving groove 102a by the columnar protrusion 2021.

[0071] It can be understood that when the rolling ball 400 is located at a position on the first end face 100a of the gear 101 other than the ball groove 102, the state of the rolling ball 400 is an unstable state. At this time, under the action of the elastic body, the rolling ball 400 will be pushed to move towards the position of the ball groove 102, driving the gear set 100 to rotate, thereby realizing the self-opening and self-closing functions of the two connecting rods 103.

[0072] For the damping mechanism provided by the embodiments of the present application, since both the rolling ball 400 and the ball groove 102 cooperating with it are spherical regular curved surfaces, the friction is small, and the wear of the rolling ball 400 and the ball groove 102 is small, which can effectively improve the service life of the damping mechanism. In addition, since both the rolling ball 400 and the ball groove 102 are regular curved surfaces, the processing technology is relatively simple and easy to detect.

[0073] Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiments of the present application provide a folding hinge 20, asFigure 7 As shown, the folding hinge 20 includes a rotating shaft assembly, which includes a first fixing portion 21, a second fixing portion 22, a rotating portion 23 located between the first fixing portion 21 and the second fixing portion 22, and the damping mechanism 10 of any one of the above embodiments of the present application. Referring together Figure 2 to FIG. [FIGURE NUMBER], in one embodiment of the present application, one connecting rod 103 in the damping mechanism is fixedly connected to the first fixing portion 21, and the other connecting rod 103 is fixedly connected to the second fixing portion 22. The gear set 100 of the damping mechanism constitutes a part of the rotating portion 23.

[0074] Continuing to refer Figure 7 to FIG. [FIGURE NUMBER], the folding hinge 20 may include two damping mechanisms 10 of the embodiments of the present application, which are respectively arranged at both ends of the rotating shaft along the axial direction of the rotating shaft of the rotating portion 23. Among them, the number of damping mechanisms 10 provided is not limited to two, and may be set to three or four, etc., and can be specifically set according to the size of the flexible display screen.

[0075] It can be understood that the connection relationship between the first fixing portion 21 and the second fixing portion 22 and the two connecting rods 103 in the damping mechanism 10 can be interchanged. Combining together Figure 2 with FIG. [FIGURE NUMBER], in the same folding hinge 20, taking the direction from the gear set 100 to the elastic body 500 in any damping mechanism 10 as the reference, the arrangement directions of different damping mechanisms 10 along the axis of the rotating portion 23 can be set in the same direction or in the opposite direction.

[0076] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present application provides a foldable electronic device 1, as Figure 8 shown. The foldable electronic device 1 may include a first housing 11, a second housing 12, a folding hinge 20, and a flexible display screen 13. Among them, the folding hinge 20 is located between the first housing 11 and the second housing 12, and the folding hinge 20 can enable the first housing 11 to generate a flipping motion close to or away from the second housing 12 relative to the second housing 12. The flexible display screen 13 is assembled on the surfaces of the first housing 11, the second housing 12, and the folding hinge 20, and generates a flipping motion along with the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 according to the rotation of the folding hinge 20.

[0077] Continuing to refer Figure 8 Please note that the "[FIGURE NUMBER]" in the translation is a placeholder that needs to be replaced with the actual figure number in the original document., in the foldable electronic device 1, the first fixing part 21 is fixedly connected to the first housing 11, and the second fixing part 22 is fixedly connected to the second housing 12. When the first housing 11 is flipped, the first housing 11 drives the first fixing part 21 to move, and the first fixing part 21 moves around the rotating part 23. Similarly, when the second housing 12 is flipped, the second housing 12 drives the second fixing part 22 to move, and the second fixing part 22 moves around the rotating part 23, so as to realize the relative rotation of the first housing 11 and the second housing 12. When rotating, the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 can be flipped in opposite directions at the same time to realize the separation or closing of the first housing 11 and the second housing 12.

[0078] When using the foldable electronic device 1, it is usually desired that the relative positions of the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 can be kept unchanged at certain specific angles, for example, kept unchanged at 180°, at this time the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 are in the same plane, so that the flexible display screen 13 of the foldable electronic device 1 is fully opened. By using the damping mechanism of the embodiment of the present application, the relative positions of the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 can still be maintained unchanged after the external force is removed, thereby realizing the stop function of the flexible display screen 13.

[0079] It can be understood that when the foldable electronic device 1 is closed, the flexible display screen 13 part can be arranged either on the outside of the foldable electronic device or on the inside of the electronic device, and no specific limitation is made in the present application.

[0080] The above is only the specific implementation manner of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A damping mechanism, characterized in that: It includes a gear set, a guide part and a fixing component, wherein: The gear set comprises a plurality of gears meshing with each other in sequence, and the gears at both ends of the gear set are provided with connecting pieces respectively along the meshing direction of the gear set; at least two ball grooves are provided on the first end surface of any of the gears, and when the gear set is in the positioning position, in any two adjacent gears, a ball groove of one gear cooperates with a ball groove of the other gear to form a receiving groove with an opening facing the first direction; Along the first direction, the guide part is located at a side of the gear set where the receiving groove is formed, and the guide part can move in the direction of the gear axis in a direction close to or away from the gear; the guide part is provided with a positioning groove corresponding to the receiving groove on one side of the gear set, the positioning groove opening faces the receiving groove, and each positioning groove is provided with a rolling ball; and when the gear set is in a positioning position, each positioning groove is opposite to the corresponding receiving groove opening, so that a part of the rolling ball is located in the receiving groove, and a part of the rolling ball is located in the positioning groove; A fixed assembly, comprising a plurality of fixed shafts corresponding to the gears in the gear set, wherein between each pair of corresponding fixed shafts and gears, the fixed shafts extend along the axis direction of the gears, and the fixed shafts are axially fixed to the gears; An elastic member is provided between the fixed shaft and the guide portion, and the elastic member is in a force storage state to provide the guide portion with a force toward the gear direction, so that the guide portion presses each rolling ball against the first end surface of the gear set.

2. The damping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first end surface of any of the gears is provided with four ball grooves, and the four ball grooves are evenly arranged along the circumference of the first end surface of the gear.

3. The damping mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The ball groove is a 1 / 4 ball groove.

4. The damping mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The guide portion is sleeved on the fixed shaft and can move along the fixed shaft to approach or move away from the gear set.

5. The damping mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: A positioning portion is provided at one end of the fixed shaft away from the gear, and the elastic member is located between the positioning portion and the guide portion.

6. The damping mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The elastic member is a spring, and the spring is sleeved on the fixed shaft.

7. The damping mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The inner diameter of the positioning groove is smaller than the diameter of the rolling ball, and the spherical surface of the rolling ball abuts against the opening of the positioning groove facing the gear.

8. The damping mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The guide portion includes a guide sleeve and a pressure block arranged between the guide sleeve and the elastic member. The positioning groove is arranged on the guide sleeve, and the opening of the positioning groove faces the gear set.

9. The damping mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The positioning groove is a through groove, and a columnar protrusion is provided on a side of the pressing block facing the guide sleeve, and the columnar protrusion can be inserted into the through groove.

10. The damping mechanism according to claim 9, characterized in that: The inner diameter of the through slot is smaller than the diameter of the rolling ball, and the spherical surface of the rolling ball abuts against the opening of the through slot toward the gear; or, the inner diameter of the through slot is larger than the diameter of the rolling ball, and the columnar protrusion abuts against the spherical surface of the rolling ball away from the gear.

11. The damping mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: A fixing piece is provided on one side of the second end surface of any of the gears, and any of the fixing shafts extends along the axis of the corresponding gear to the fixing piece and is connected to the fixing piece.

12. A folding hinge, comprising a rotating shaft assembly, wherein the rotating shaft assembly comprises two fixed parts and a rotating part located between the two fixed parts, characterized in that: It also includes the damping mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein one connecting member of the damping mechanism is fixedly connected to one fixing portion, and another connecting member is fixedly connected to another fixing portion.

13. A foldable electronic device, comprising two housings and a flexible display screen disposed on the two housings, characterized in that: It includes the folding hinge as described in claim 12, wherein one fixed portion of the folding hinge is fixedly connected to one shell, another fixed portion is fixedly connected to another shell, and the rotating portion is located between the two shells.

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