Foldable terminal

Abstract

The present application provides a foldable terminal, comprising a flexible screen component, a supporting component, a sliding component and a driving component, wherein the flexible screen component, the sliding component and the supporting component are stacked in sequence along a first direction, the flexible screen component comprises a flexible cover and a flexible screen, the flexible cover is fixedly covered on the flexible screen, at least part of the flexible cover exposes the flexible screen, the sliding component is fixedly connected to a side of the flexible screen facing away from the flexible cover, the supporting component is fixedly connected to the flexible cover, the driving component is connected between the sliding component and the supporting component, and the driving component is used to drive the sliding component to slide relative to the supporting component along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction when the flexible screen component is deformed under force, so that the sliding component can adapt to the length change of the flexible screen component during the bending process, thereby reducing the wrinkling of the flexible screen component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to electronic equipment, and in particular to a foldable terminal. Background Art

[0002] The gradual maturity of flexible screen technology has led to significant changes in terminal display methods. For example, foldable electronic devices have attracted widespread attention from manufacturers and users due to their display's ability to flexibly switch modes based on different usage scenarios. However, flexible screens are prone to wrinkling (also known as arching) due to bending, making them prone to peeling after repeated folding. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Embodiments of the present application provide a foldable terminal capable of reducing wrinkling.

[0004] In the first aspect, the present application provides a foldable terminal, including a flexible screen component, a supporting component, a sliding component and a driving component, the flexible screen component, the sliding component and the supporting component are stacked in sequence along a first direction, the flexible screen component includes a flexible cover and a flexible screen, the flexible cover is fixedly covered on the flexible screen, at least part of the flexible cover exposes the flexible screen, the sliding component is fixedly connected to a side of the flexible screen facing away from the flexible cover, the supporting component is fixedly connected to a portion of the flexible screen exposed from the flexible cover, the driving component is connected between the sliding component and the supporting component, and the driving component is used to drive the sliding component to slide relative to the supporting component along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction when the flexible screen component is deformed under force.

[0005] In the foldable terminal provided in the first aspect of the present application, since the sliding component is fixedly connected to the side of the flexible screen facing away from the flexible cover plate, the sliding component is fixedly connected to the edge of the flexible cover plate, and the driving component is connected between the sliding component and the supporting component, the driving component drives the sliding component to slide relative to the supporting component along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction when the flexible screen component is deformed under force, so that the sliding component can adjust its position to adapt to the length change of the flexible screen component during the bending process, and the supporting component controls the position of the flexible cover plate, thereby reducing the wrinkling phenomenon of the flexible screen component, improving the surface flatness of the flexible screen component, and reducing the peeling phenomenon of the inner layer of the flexible screen component.

[0006] In addition, since the sliding component moves relative to the supporting component when the flexible screen component is deformed, the stress generated by the deformation of the flexible screen component can be reduced, thereby reducing the relative displacement between the inner layers during the bending process of the flexible screen component, and further reducing the peeling phenomenon of the inner layer of the flexible screen component.

[0007] According to the first aspect, in a first possible implementation of the present application, the sliding component has a first guide structure on a side facing the supporting component, and the supporting component has a second guide structure on a side facing the sliding component. The first guide structure is slidably connected to the second guide structure and is used to guide the sliding of the sliding component relative to the supporting component, thereby improving the smoothness of the movement of the sliding component relative to the supporting component.

[0008] According to the first aspect or the first possible implementation of the first aspect, in the second possible implementation of the present application, the first guide structure includes a fixed portion and a first limiting portion protruding from the outer wall of the fixed portion, the second guide structure is a slide groove, and a first supporting portion is provided on the inner wall of the second guide structure. The fixed portion is slidably passed through the second guide structure, and the first limiting portion is in contact with the first supporting portion. The movement of the sliding component relative to the supporting component is limited by the cooperation between the first limiting portion and the first supporting portion.

[0009] According to the first aspect or the first to second possible implementations of the first aspect, in the third possible implementation of the present application, the first guide structure further includes a second limiting portion, the second limiting portion is protruding on the outer wall of the fixed portion, and is arranged in the first direction at intervals from the first limiting portion, and the inner wall of the second guide structure is further provided with a second supporting portion protruding along the first direction at intervals from the first supporting portion, wherein the first supporting portion is located at one end of the second guide structure close to the sliding component, and the second limiting portion is in contact with the second supporting portion. During the bending process of the flexible screen component, the first supporting portion and the first limiting portion cooperate with each other, and the cooperation between the second supporting portion and the second limiting portion can limit the sliding of the sliding component relative to the supporting component, prevent movement in the first direction of the stacking of the supporting component and the sliding component, and improve the stability and reliability of the sliding of the sliding component relative to the supporting component.

[0010] According to the first aspect or the first to third possible implementations of the first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation of the present application, the second guide structure further includes a first connecting section, a second connecting section, and a third connecting section sequentially connected along the first direction, the aperture of the first connecting section being larger than the aperture of the second connecting section, thereby forming the first abutting portion, and the aperture of the third connecting section being larger than the aperture of the second connecting section, thereby forming the second abutting portion; the fixing portion is provided through the first connecting section, the second connecting section, and the third connecting section, and in the second direction, a gap is provided between the outer wall of the fixing portion and the inner wall of the second connecting section, for limiting the sliding stroke of the sliding component relative to the support component and preventing excessive movement of the sliding component. When the foldable terminal is in a flattened state, the gap distance between the outer wall of the fixing portion and the inner wall of the second connecting section on the side away from the bendable area is D, so that the movable distance of the sliding component relative to the support component 30 is less than or equal to D.

[0011] According to the first aspect or the first to fourth possible implementations of the first aspect, in a fifth possible implementation of the present application, a receiving groove is provided in one of the support component and the sliding component, the driving component is received in the receiving groove, and the driving component is further connected to the other of the support component and the sliding component. Since the driving component is received in the receiving groove, the thickness of the foldable terminal can be reduced and interference with the driving component by other components of the foldable terminal can be reduced.

[0012] According to the first aspect or the first to fifth possible implementations of the first aspect, in the sixth possible implementation of the present application, the supporting component and the other of the sliding components are provided with a stop block, the stop block is slidably received in the receiving groove, the driving component is connected to the stop block, and the stop block can facilitate the assembly of the driving component while also guiding the sliding of the sliding component relative to the sliding component.

[0013] According to the first aspect or the first to sixth possible implementations of the first aspect, in the seventh possible implementation of the present application, the driving component includes at least one of an elastic telescopic structure and the motor. If the driving component includes an elastic telescopic structure, it is beneficial to simplify the structure of the driving component and the foldable terminal, and reduce the mass. If the driving component includes a motor, it is beneficial to be able to control the movement distance of the sliding component relative to the supporting component in the foldable terminal according to the length of the flexible screen component, thereby improving the accuracy of the foldable terminal.

[0014] According to the first aspect or the first to seventh possible implementations of the first aspect, in the eighth possible implementation of the present application, the number of the sliding components and the number of the supporting components are both two, the two sliding components are arranged on the flexible screen component at intervals, and each supporting component is slidably covered on a side of the sliding component away from the flexible screen component, so that the foldable terminal includes two non-bendable areas and one bendable area, and the foldable terminal includes a closed state and a flattened state. The closed state means that the two supporting components are stacked and the flexible screen component is located at the outermost side of the foldable terminal. The flattened state means that the two supporting components are located on the same plane. During the process of switching the foldable terminal from the flattened state to the closed state, the sliding component moves in a direction away from the bendable area. The foldable terminal is an external folding terminal device, which can reduce the space occupied by the foldable terminal, thereby facilitating the storage, carrying, and use of the foldable terminal. In the flattened state, the sliding component is pressed in a direction away from the bendable area, thereby improving the surface flatness of the flexible screen component of the foldable terminal and enhancing the product surface quality of the foldable terminal.

[0015] According to the first aspect or the first to eighth possible implementations of the first aspect, in a ninth possible implementation of the present application, a hinge component is further included between the two support components, and the support component is hinged to the hinge component.

[0016] According to the first aspect or the first to ninth possible implementations of the first aspect, in the tenth possible implementation of the present application, when the foldable terminal is in a flattened state, the driving component is in a compressed state, and the gap distance between the stop block and the inner wall of the receiving groove away from the bendable area is D, that is, the distance that the sliding component slides relative to the supporting component is less than or equal to D.

[0017] According to the first aspect or the first to tenth possible implementations of the first aspect, in the eleventh possible implementation of the present application, the gap distance between the outer wall of the fixed part and the inner wall of the second connecting section away from the bendable area is D, that is, the distance that the sliding part slides relative to the supporting part is less than or equal to D.

[0018] According to the first aspect or the first to eleventh possible implementation methods of the first aspect, in the twelfth possible implementation method of the present application, the driving component includes an elastic telescopic structure, the supporting component has a receiving groove on the side facing the sliding component, a first protrusion is provided on the inner wall of the receiving groove, the sliding component has a stopper on the side facing the supporting component, a second protrusion is provided on the stopper, and the stopper is slidably received in the receiving groove, one end of the elastic telescopic structure is sleeved on the first protrusion, and the other end of the elastic telescopic structure is sleeved on the second protrusion, the first protrusion and the second protrusion limit the elastic telescopic structure, reducing the possibility of the sliding component loosening when moving relative to the supporting component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 A structural block diagram of a foldable terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a three-dimensional exploded view of a partial structure of a foldable terminal shown;

[0021] Figure 3a is a schematic diagram of a foldable terminal in a closed state;

[0022] Figure 3b is a schematic diagram of a foldable terminal in a flattened state;

[0023] Figure 3c is a schematic diagram of a foldable terminal in an intermediate state;

[0024] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional exploded schematic diagram of the flexible screen component;

[0025] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a flexible screen component;

[0026] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a three-dimensional exploded view of the flexible screen, adhesive, and sliding components;

[0027] Figure 7 A schematic plan view of the flexible screen and the sliding component assembled together;

[0028] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the flexible screen component, sliding component, support component, and hinge component assembled together;

[0029] Figure 9 A schematic diagram showing the flexible screen component, sliding component, support component, and hinge component assembled together from another perspective;

[0030] Figure 10 is another schematic diagram of a partial structure of a foldable terminal;

[0031] Figure 11 for Figure 10 A partial cross-sectional view of region I along line II-II is shown;

[0032] Figure 12 for Figure 10 A partial cross-sectional view of region III along line IV-IV is shown;

[0033] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of a partial structure of a foldable terminal provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of a partial structure of a foldable terminal provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the arrangement of driving components in a foldable terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] It should be understood that expressions such as "include" and "may include" used in this application indicate the existence of the disclosed functions, operations, or constituent elements, and do not limit one or more additional functions, operations, and constituent elements. In this application, terms such as "include" and / or "have" may be interpreted as indicating specific characteristics, numbers, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof, but may not be interpreted as excluding the existence or possibility of adding one or more other characteristics, numbers, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0038] In addition, in this application, the expression "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the associated listed words. For example, the expression "A and / or B" may include A, may include B, or may include both A and B.

[0039] In this application, expressions including ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" may modify various elements. However, such elements are not limited by the above expressions. For example, the above expressions do not limit the order and / or importance of the elements. The above expressions are only used to distinguish one element from other elements. For example, a first user device and a second user device indicate different user devices, even though the first user device and the second user device are both user devices. Similarly, without departing from the scope of this application, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element.

[0040] When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "accessed" to another component, it should be understood that the component is not only directly connected to or accessed to the other component, but also that another component may exist between the component and the other component. On the other hand, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected to" or "directly accessed" to another component, it should be understood that no component exists between them.

[0041] The embodiments of the present application provide a foldable terminal, wherein the foldable terminal provided can be any terminal such as a foldable terminal, a wearable device, an AR (augmented reality)\VR (virtual reality) device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, an UMPC (ultra-mobile personal computer), a netbook, a PDA (personal digital assistant), etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, the foldable terminal provided may be a mobile phone. The structure of the mobile phone is exemplarily described below using the foldable terminal 100 as an example.

[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, the foldable terminal 100 may specifically include: a processor 101, a radio frequency (RF) circuit 102, a memory 103, a flexible screen component 10, a Bluetooth device 105, one or more sensors 106, a Wi-Fi device 107, a positioning device 108, an audio circuit 109, a peripheral interface 110, and a power supply device 111. These components can be connected through one or more communication buses or signal lines ( Figure 1 Those skilled in the art will appreciate that Figure 1 The hardware structure shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the foldable terminal 100. The foldable terminal 100 may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0044] The following combination Figure 1 The various components of the foldable terminal 100 are described in detail:

[0045] The processor 101 is the control center of the foldable terminal 100. It connects various components of the foldable terminal 100 using various interfaces and circuits. It executes various functions of the foldable terminal 100 and processes data by running or executing applications (apps) stored in the memory 103 and calling data stored in the memory 103. In some embodiments, the processor 101 may include one or more processing units.

[0046] The radio frequency circuit 102 can be used to receive and transmit wireless signals during the process of sending and receiving information or making calls. In particular, the radio frequency circuit 102 can receive downlink data from the base station and pass it to the processor 101 for processing. In addition, uplink data can be sent to the base station. Generally, the radio frequency circuit includes but is not limited to an antenna, at least one amplifier, a transceiver, a coupler, a low noise amplifier, a duplexer, etc. In addition, the radio frequency circuit 102 can also communicate with other devices via wireless communication. The wireless communication can use any communication standard or protocol, including but not limited to Global System for Mobile Communications, General Packet Radio Service, Code Division Multiple Access, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, Long Term Evolution, email, Short Message Service, etc.

[0047] The memory 103 is used to store applications and data. The processor 101 executes various functions and data processing of the foldable terminal 100 by running the applications and data stored in the memory 103. The memory 103 mainly includes a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area can store an operating system and applications required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.). The data storage area can store data created when using the foldable terminal 100 (such as audio data, a phone book, etc.). In addition, the memory 103 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as a disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage device. The memory 103 can store various operating systems, such as the iOS operating system developed by Apple and the Android operating system developed by Google.

[0048] The flexible screen component 10 is used to provide input and / or output functions for the user. In this embodiment, the flexible screen component 10 is a flexible display screen component for displaying images.

[0049] The foldable terminal 100 may further include a Bluetooth device 105 for enabling data exchange between the foldable terminal 100 and other short-range terminals (e.g., foldable terminals, smart watches, etc.). The Bluetooth device 105 in the embodiment of the present application may be an integrated circuit or a Bluetooth chip.

[0050] The foldable terminal 100 may also include at least one sensor 106, such as a light sensor, a motion sensor, and other sensors. Specifically, the light sensor may include an ambient light sensor and a proximity sensor, wherein the ambient light sensor may adjust the brightness of the flexible screen component 10 according to the brightness of the ambient light, and the proximity sensor may turn off the power of the flexible screen component 10 when the foldable terminal 100 is moved to the ear. As a type of motion sensor, the accelerometer sensor can detect the magnitude of acceleration in all directions (generally three axes), and can detect the magnitude and direction of gravity when stationary. It can be used for applications that identify the posture of the foldable terminal (such as horizontal and vertical screen switching, related games, magnetometer posture calibration), vibration recognition related functions (such as pedometer, tapping), etc. As for other sensors that can be configured with the foldable terminal 100, such as gyroscopes, barometers, hygrometers, thermometers, infrared sensors, etc., they will not be described in detail here.

[0051] The Wi-Fi device 107 is used to provide the foldable terminal 100 with network access that complies with Wi-Fi standard protocols. The foldable terminal 100 can access a Wi-Fi access point through the Wi-Fi device 107, thereby enabling the user to send and receive emails, browse the web, and access streaming media, thereby providing the user with wireless broadband Internet access. In some other embodiments, the Wi-Fi device 107 can also serve as a Wi-Fi wireless access point to provide Wi-Fi network access to other terminals.

[0052] The positioning device 108 is used to provide the foldable terminal 100 with a geographic location. It is understood that the positioning device 108 can specifically be a receiver of a positioning system such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Beidou Satellite Navigation System, or the Russian GLONASS (GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM). After receiving the geographic location sent by the above positioning system, the positioning device 108 sends the information to the processor 101 for processing, or sends it to the memory 103 for storage. In some other embodiments, the positioning device 108 can also be a receiver of the Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS). The AGPS system assists the positioning device 108 in performing ranging and positioning services by acting as an auxiliary server. In this case, the auxiliary positioning server communicates with the positioning device 108 (i.e., the GPS receiver) of the terminal, such as the foldable terminal 100, via a wireless communication network to provide positioning assistance. In some other embodiments, the positioning device 108 can also be a positioning technology based on Wi-Fi access points. Since each Wi-Fi access point has a globally unique MAC address, a terminal can scan and collect broadcast signals from surrounding Wi-Fi access points when Wi-Fi is turned on, thereby obtaining the MAC addresses broadcast by the Wi-Fi access points. The terminal then sends this data (e.g., MAC address) identifying the Wi-Fi access point to a location server via a wireless communication network. The location server retrieves the geographic location of each Wi-Fi access point and, based on the strength of the Wi-Fi broadcast signal, calculates the terminal's geographic location and sends it to the terminal's positioning device 108.

[0053] The audio circuit 109, speaker 113, and microphone 114 provide an audio interface between the user and the foldable terminal 100. The audio circuit 109 converts received audio data into electrical signals and transmits them to the speaker 113, which then converts the signals into sound signals for output. Meanwhile, the microphone 114 converts the collected sound signals into electrical signals, which are then received by the audio circuit 109 and converted into audio data. The audio data is then output to the RF circuit 102 for transmission to, for example, another foldable terminal, or to the memory 103 for further processing.

[0054] The peripheral interface 110 is used to provide various interfaces for external input / output devices (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, external display, external memory, and a subscriber identity module card). For example, it can be connected to a mouse via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, or to a subscriber identity module (SIM) card provided by a telecommunications operator via metal contacts on a SIM card slot. The peripheral interface 110 can be used to couple these external input / output peripheral devices to the processor 101 and memory 103.

[0055] The foldable terminal 100 may also include a power supply device 111 (such as a battery and a power management chip) to supply power to each component. The battery can be logically connected to the processor 101 through the power management chip, thereby managing charging, discharging, and power consumption through the power supply device 111.

[0056] although Figure 1 Not shown, the foldable terminal 100 may further include a camera (front camera and / or rear camera), a flash, a micro-projection device, a near field communication (NFC) device, etc., which will not be described in detail here.

[0057] Foldable terminals usually also include a supporting component that carries a flexible screen component. The flexible screen component is usually a laminated structure. For example, a flexible screen component includes a flexible cover plate and a flexible screen that are stacked. The flexible screen includes a substrate, a display layer, a polarizing layer and a touch layer that are stacked in sequence, wherein the touch layer and the flexible cover plate are bonded by an optical adhesive layer, the touch layer and the polarizing layer are bonded by a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and the polarizing layer and the display layer are bonded by a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. The displacement between the inner layers of the flexible screen when the flexible screen component is deformed by force is mainly caused by the optical adhesive layer and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and wrinkles will be caused when the displacement is insufficient. Simulation studies have found that peeling caused by wrinkling is more likely than peeling caused by misalignment.

[0058] Existing outward-folding terminals have two methods: one is that the flexible cover is bonded to the supporting component (such as the housing) through adhesive, and the flexible screen back plate is not bonded to the supporting component (such as the housing), resulting in severe wrinkling of the screen when the flexible screen component is bent; the other is that both the flexible cover and the flexible screen (such as the back plate) are bonded to the supporting component (such as the housing). Although the flexible screen component cannot be misaligned, it is prone to peeling. The above two methods mainly ignore the thickness of the flexible screen itself and cannot solve the problem of misalignment between the layers of the flexible screen during the bending process, thus failing to avoid problems such as delamination and arching of the flexible screen component after long-term bending.

[0059] Based on this, see Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present application, the foldable terminal 100 includes a flexible screen component 10, a sliding component 30, a supporting component 50 and a driving component 70. The flexible screen component 10, the sliding component 30 and the supporting component 50 move in a first direction (eg Figure 2 ) are stacked in sequence. The flexible screen component 10 includes a flexible cover 11 and a flexible screen 15, and the flexible cover 11 is fixedly covered on the flexible screen 15. At least a portion of the flexible cover 11 exposes the flexible screen 15. The sliding component 30 is fixedly connected to the side of the flexible screen 15 facing away from the flexible cover 11. The supporting component 50 is fixedly connected to the portion of the flexible cover 11 that exposes the flexible screen 15. The driving component 70 is connected between the sliding component 30 and the supporting component 50. The driving component 70 is used to drive the sliding component 30 along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction (for example, Figure 2 The sliding component 30 slides relative to the supporting component 50 in the X direction shown in the figure, so that the sliding component 30 can adapt to the length change of the flexible screen component 10 during the bending process, reduce the wrinkling phenomenon of the flexible screen component 10, reduce the relative displacement between the inner layers of the flexible screen component 10, and reduce the peeling phenomenon of the inner layer 10 of the flexible screen component.

[0060] In this embodiment, there are two sliding components 30 and two supporting components 50. The two sliding components 30 are fixedly arranged at intervals on the side of the flexible screen 15 away from the flexible cover 11, and each supporting component 50 is correspondingly arranged on the side of a sliding component 50 away from the flexible screen component 10. The flexible screen component 10, the sliding component 30 and the supporting component 50 are stacked in sequence. The edge of the supporting component 50 is fixedly connected to the edge portion of the flexible cover 11 where the flexible screen 15 is exposed. The foldable terminal 100 also includes a hinge component 90, which is located between the two supporting components 50 and is hinged to the supporting component 50 to achieve relative rotation of the two supporting components 50, so that the flexible screen component 10 is deformed under force.

[0061] Since the two sliding components 30 are fixedly arranged on the flexible screen component 10 at intervals, each supporting component 50 is correspondingly arranged on a side of the sliding component 50 away from the flexible screen component 10, so that the foldable terminal 100 forms a bendable area 301 (such as Figure 3a-3c As shown) and two non-bendable areas 301 (as shown Figure 3a-3c shown).

[0062] In this embodiment, the foldable terminal 100 is an outward-folding terminal device, and the foldable terminal 100 includes a closed state, a flattened state, and an intermediate state. The closed state refers to that the two support components 50 are stacked and the flexible screen component 10 is located at the outermost side of the foldable terminal 100, and the angle between the two support components 50 is approximately 0°. The flattened state means that the two support components 50 are approximately located on the same plane, that is, the angle between the two support components 50 is approximately 180°. The intermediate state refers to any state in the process from the closed state to the flattened state (or from the flattened state to the closed state), that is, the angle between the two support components 50 is greater than 0° and less than 180°.

[0063] When the foldable terminal 100 is in the closed state (eg Figure 3a As shown in FIG), the foldable terminal 100 can occupy a smaller space, thereby facilitating the storage, carrying and use of the foldable terminal 100. When the foldable terminal 100 is in a flattened state (as shown in FIG), the foldable terminal 100 can be stored, carried and used more conveniently. Figure 3b ) and the intermediate state (such as Figure 3c As shown), the foldable terminal 100 can have a larger display area, thereby facilitating the user to operate and read the foldable terminal 100.

[0064] It can be understood that the foldable terminal 100 can also be an inward-folding terminal device. The inward-folding terminal device means that when the foldable terminal 100 is in a closed state, the flexible screen component 10 is located on the inner side of the foldable terminal 100.

[0065] See also Figure 4 As shown, the flexible screen component 10 also includes an optical adhesive layer 13. The flexible cover 11 and the flexible screen 15 are bonded together into a whole through the optical adhesive layer 13. The flexible cover 11 is used to protect the flexible screen 15, and the flexible screen 15 is used to display images. The flexible screen 15 can be, for example, a flexible OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display, a flexible liquid crystal display (LCD), or other types of flexible display screens. In this embodiment, the circumference of the flexible cover 11 is larger than that of the flexible screen 15. Please refer to Figure 5 The edge of the flexible screen 15 exposes the flexible cover plate 11 in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the flexible screen component 10 and the support component 50. The flexible screen 15 has a laminated structure. For example, the flexible screen includes a substrate, a display layer, a polarizing layer, and a touch layer stacked in sequence. The touch layer is bonded to the flexible cover plate via an optical adhesive layer, the touch layer is bonded to the polarizing layer via a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and the polarizing layer is bonded to the display layer via a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer.

[0066] It can be understood that there is no limitation on the type of the flexible screen 15. The flexible screen 15 can omit the touch layer, that is, it does not have a touch function; or the flexible screen 15 can omit the display layer and the polarizing layer, that is, it only has a touch function.

[0067] See also Figure 6 and Figure 7 The sliding component 30 is fixed to the side of the flexible screen 15 away from the flexible cover 11 and is located in the non-bendable area 301 (combined with the Figure 3a As shown). It is understandable that the sliding component 30 is not limited to being fixed to the flexible screen 15 by the adhesive 40, and the sliding component 30 and the flexible screen 15 can also be fixed by other means, such as snap connection.

[0068] See also Figure 8 and Figure 9 , the support component 50 is located on the side of the sliding component 30 away from the flexible screen component 10, the support component 50 is fixedly connected to the flexible cover plate 11, and the support component 50 is slidably connected to the sliding component 30. The sliding component 30 is clamped between the flexible screen 15 and the support component 50. In this embodiment, at least a portion of the support component 50 extends out of the sliding component 30 and is fixedly connected to the edge of the flexible cover plate 11 by an adhesive 40. The adhesive 40 can be liquid glue or solid glue. It can be understood that it is not limited to fixing the support component 50 on the flexible cover plate 11 by the adhesive 40, and the support component 50 and the flexible cover plate 11 can also be fixed by other means, such as snap connection.

[0069] See also Figure 10 and Figure 11 The sliding member 30 includes a main body 31 and a first guide structure 33 provided on the main body 31. The main body 31 is fixedly connected to the flexible screen 15 in the non-bendable area 301. The first guide structure 33 is configured to be slidably connected to the support member 50. A second guide structure 53 is provided on the side of the support member 50 facing the sliding member 30. The second guide structure 53 is slidably connected to the first guide structure 33 and is configured to guide the movement of the sliding member 30 relative to the support member 50.

[0070] The first guide structure 33 is a protruding column (also known as an undercut mechanism) extending along the stacking direction of the sliding member 30 and the support member 50, and the second guide structure 53 is a sliding groove. The first guide structure 33 includes a fixing portion 331, a first limiting portion 333, and a second limiting portion 335. The fixing portion 331 is protruding from the side of the main body 31 facing the support member 50. The first limiting portion 333 and the second limiting portion 335 are protruding from the outer wall of the fixing portion 331 at intervals along the circumference of the fixing portion 331 and are used to limit the sliding movement of the sliding member 30 relative to the support member 50. The first limiting portion 333 is provided at one end of the fixing portion 331 close to the main body 31.

[0071] A first abutting portion 531 and a second abutting portion 533 are formed on the inner wall of the second guide structure 53 along the first direction. The fixing portion 331 is provided through the second guide structure 53, wherein the first limiting portion 333 contacts the first abutting portion 531, and the second limiting portion 335 contacts the second abutting portion 533. In this way, during the bending process of the flexible screen component 10, the first abutting portion 531 cooperates with the first limiting portion 333, and the second abutting portion 533 cooperates with the second limiting portion 335, so that during the sliding process of the sliding component 30 relative to the supporting component 50, the sliding component 30 is limited to move in the first direction, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the sliding of the sliding component 30 relative to the supporting component 50.

[0072] More specifically, the second guide structure 53 is a stepped groove, comprising a first connecting section 534, a second connecting section 535, and a third connecting section 536, which are sequentially connected. The aperture of the second connecting section 535 is larger than that of the first connecting section 534, forming a first abutting portion 531. The aperture of the third connecting section 536 is larger than that of the first connecting section 534, forming a second abutting portion 533. A gap 537 is defined between the outer wall of the fixing portion 331 and the inner wall of the second connecting section 535. The gap 537 limits the sliding travel of the sliding member 30 relative to the support member 30. When the foldable terminal 100 is in the flattened state, the gap 537 between the outer wall of the fixing portion 331 and the inner wall of the second connecting section 535, which is located away from the bendable region 103, has a distance D, ensuring that the sliding distance of the sliding member 30 relative to the support member 30 is less than or equal to D.

[0073] It can be understood that the second guide structure 53 is not limited to a stepped groove, the aperture in the second guide structure 53 can be consistent, and a boss can be directly provided on the inner wall of the second guide structure 53; one of the first limiting portion 333 and the second limiting portion 335 can be omitted, and correspondingly, one of the first abutting portion 531 and the second abutting portion 533 can be omitted; the structure of the first guide structure 33 is not limited, and the structure of the second guide structure 53 is not limited. The first guide structure 33 can be a slide groove, and the second guide structure 53 can be a boss, and the first guide structure 33 and the second guide structure 53 can be slidably connected; the sliding component 30 can omit the first guide structure 33, and the supporting component 50 can omit the second guide structure 53, and the sliding component 30 can slide relative to the supporting component 50 when the flexible screen component 10 is deformed under force.

[0074] In this embodiment, the driving component 70 includes an elastic telescopic structure, which is used to drive the sliding component 30 to slide relative to the support component 50 when the flexible screen component 10 is deformed by force. The use of an elastic telescopic structure for the driving component 70 helps to simplify the structure of the foldable terminal 100 and reduce its weight. The support component 50 is also provided with a receiving groove 55 on the side facing the sliding component 30 to accommodate the driving component 70, thereby reducing the thickness of the foldable terminal 100 and preventing other components or structures of the foldable terminal 100 from interfering with the driving component 70. In this embodiment, the elastic telescopic structure can be a cylindrical spring.

[0075] See also Figure 12 A first boss 551 is provided on the side wall of the receiving groove 55. The sliding component 30 is also provided with a stopper 35 on the side of the main body 31 facing the support component 50. The stopper 35 is slidably received in the receiving groove 55. A second boss 351 is provided on the outer wall of the stopper 35 corresponding to the first boss 551. A gap 557 is provided between the stopper 35 and the inner wall of the receiving groove 55 to enable the stopper 35 to slide in the receiving groove 55. One end of the driving component 70 is sleeved on the outside of the first boss 551, and the other end of the driving component 70 is sleeved on the outside of the second boss 351, so that the driving component 70 is connected between the support component 50 and the sliding component 70. The first boss 551 and the second boss 351 limit the elastic telescopic structure, reducing the possibility of loosening when the sliding component 30 moves relative to the support component 50.

[0076] Assume that the foldable terminal 100 is in a flattened state, that is, the angle between the two supporting components 50 is 180 degrees, which is the initial state, the driving component 70 is in a compressed state, the gap distance D between the stopper 35 and the inner wall of the receiving groove 55 on the side away from the bendable region 303, and the gap distance D between the outer wall of the fixing portion 331 and the inner wall of the second connecting section 533 on the side away from the bendable region 303.

[0077] When the foldable terminal 100 is bent and deformed from the initial state, the elastic force of the driving component 70 drives the sliding component 30 toward a direction away from the bendable area 103 (eg, Figure 11 and Figure 12(direction indicated by the arrow in the middle). As the sliding component 30 moves relative to the supporting component 50, the gap 557 between the stopper 35 and the inner wall of the receiving groove 55 away from the bendable area 103 becomes smaller, and the gap 537 between the outer wall of the fixing portion 331 and the inner wall of the second connecting section 533 away from the bendable area 103 becomes smaller. When the gap 557 between the stopper 35 and the inner wall of the receiving groove 55 away from the bendable area 103 is reduced to 0, and the gap 537 between the outer wall of the fixing portion 331 and the inner wall of the second connecting section 533 away from the bendable area 103 is reduced to 0, the foldable terminal 100 switches to a closed state. During the folding process of the foldable terminal 100 from the flat state to the closed state, the sliding component 30 drags the flexible screen component 10 to assist the flexible screen component 10 and the various layers in the flexible screen 15 to shift.

[0078] On the contrary, when the foldable terminal 100 moves from the closed state to the flattened state, the elastic force of the driving component 70 drives the sliding component 30 to move toward the direction of the bendable area 303, and the gap distance 557 between the stopper 35 and the inner wall of the receiving groove 55 away from the bendable area 103 increases to D, and the gap 537 between the outer wall of the fixing portion 331 and the inner wall of the second connecting section 533 away from the bendable area 103 increases to D.

[0079] When flattened, the sliding member 30 compresses the flexible screen member 10 away from the bendable region 303, thereby improving the surface smoothness of the flexible screen member 10 of the foldable terminal 100 and enhancing the product surface quality of the foldable terminal 100. The sliding member 30 also frees up the flexible screen member 10 to fold in any desired direction. During the folding process of the foldable terminal 100, the support member 50 controls the movement of the flexible screen member 10, reducing the possibility of wrinkles on the surface of the flexible screen member 10.

[0080] It is understood that the driving component 70 is not limited to a cylindrical spring. In other embodiments, the driving component 70 may also be a torsion spring, such as Figure 13 As shown, Figure 13 This is a planar diagram of the structure of a foldable terminal. The support component 50 is provided with a mounting portion 571 and a first stopper 573 on the side facing the flexible screen component 30. The sliding component 30 is provided with a second stopper 37 on the side facing the support component 50. The driving component 70 is sleeved on the mounting portion 571. One end of the driving component 70 abuts against the first stopper 573, and the other end of the driving component 70 abuts against the second stopper 37. It should be noted that for the convenience of illustration, Figure 13 The sliding member 30 is shown only partially, and the supporting member 50 is shown only partially.

[0081] In one embodiment, see Figure 14The driving component 70 includes a motor, which includes a base 73 and a driving shaft 75 provided on the base 73. The base 73 is fixed to the supporting component 50. The driving shaft 75 is connected to the sliding component 30 and is used to drive the sliding component 30 to move relative to the supporting component 50. It should be noted that for the convenience of illustration, Figure 13 The sliding member 30 is shown only partially, and the supporting member 50 is shown only partially.

[0082] Please refer again Figure 1 The sensor 106 is also used to detect the deformation of the flexible screen component 10 under force and generate a detection signal to feed back to the processor 101. The processor 101 controls the driving component 70 to slide relative to the sliding component 30 according to the detection signal. For example, the sensor 106 includes an angle sensor 1061 and a pressure sensor 1063. The angle sensor 1061 is used to detect the position of the flexible screen component 10 under force and generate a detection signal to feed back to the processor 101. The processor 101 controls the driving component 70 to slide relative to the sliding component 30 according to the detection signal. Figure 3a The pressure sensor 1063 is used to detect whether the portion of the foldable terminal 100 in the bendable area 303 (for example, the flexible screen component 10 or the hinge component 90 located in the bendable area 303) is under pressure and generates a pressure detection signal and feeds it back to the processor 101. The processor 101 is used to control the movement of the driving component 70 according to the angle detection signal and the pressure detection signal. For example, if the processor 101 determines that the angle between the two portions of the foldable terminal 100 in the non-bendable regions 301 is 180 degrees based on the angle detection signal of the angle sensor 1061, and if the processor 101 determines that the portion of the foldable terminal 100 in the bendable region 303 is under pressure based on the pressure detection signal of the pressure sensor 1063, the processor 101 controls the sliding component 30 to move relative to the support component 50 in a direction away from the bendable region 303. If the processor 101 determines that the angle between the two portions of the foldable terminal 100 in the non-bendable regions 301 is 0 degrees (i.e., the foldable terminal 100 is in a closed state) based on the angle detection signal of the angle sensor 1061, and if the processor 101 determines that the portion of the foldable terminal 100 in the bendable region 303 is under pressure based on the pressure detection signal of the pressure sensor 1063, the processor 101 controls the sliding component 30 to move relative to the support component 50 in the direction of the bendable region 303. Because the processor 101 controls the driving component 70 to drive the sliding component 30 based on the detection signal of the sensor 106, the intelligence of the foldable terminal 100 is improved.

[0083] It can be understood that the type and number of sensors 106 are not limited. The sensor 106 can detect the status of the flexible screen component 10 and generate a detection signal to feed back to the processor 101. For example, the sensor 106 can also include multiple flexible curvature sensors 1065. The processor 101 determines whether the flexible screen component 10 is deformed under force by measuring the curvature of each area of ​​the flexible screen component 10 through the flexible curvature sensor 1065.

[0084] It is understood that the number of the driving components 70 may be more than two. For example, the arrangement of the driving components 70 may be as follows: Figure 15 shown.

[0085] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A foldable terminal, characterized in that: The foldable terminal further comprises a sliding component, a supporting component, a sliding component and a driving component, wherein the flexible screen component, the sliding component and the supporting component are stacked in sequence along a first direction, the flexible screen component comprises a flexible cover and a flexible screen, the flexible cover is fixedly covered on the flexible screen, at least part of the flexible cover exposes the flexible screen, the sliding component is fixedly connected to a side of the flexible screen facing away from the flexible cover, the supporting component is fixedly connected to a part of the flexible cover exposing the flexible screen, the driving component is connected between the sliding component and the supporting component, the driving component is used to drive the sliding component to slide relative to the supporting component along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction when the flexible screen component is deformed under force, the foldable terminal further comprises a processor and a sensor, the sensor is used to detect the deformation of the flexible screen component under force and generate a detection signal to feed back to the processor, the processor controls the driving component to drive the sliding component according to the detection signal of the sensor, and the driving component comprises a motor.

2. The foldable terminal according to claim 1, wherein: The sliding component has a first guide structure on the side facing the supporting component, and the supporting component has a second guide structure on the side facing the sliding component. The first guide structure is slidably connected to the second guide structure to guide the sliding of the sliding component relative to the supporting component.

3. The foldable terminal according to claim 2, wherein: The first guide structure includes a fixing portion and a first limiting portion protruding from the outer wall of the fixing portion. The second guide structure is a sliding groove structure. A first supporting portion is provided on the inner wall of the second guide structure. The fixing portion is slidably penetrated in the second guide structure, and the first limiting portion is in contact with the first supporting portion.

4. The foldable terminal according to claim 3, wherein: The first guide structure also includes a second limiting portion, which is protruded from the outer wall of the fixed portion and arranged to be spaced apart from the first limiting portion in the first direction. The inner wall of the second guide structure is also protruded with a second supporting portion along the first direction, spaced apart from the first supporting portion, wherein the first supporting portion is located at one end of the second guide structure close to the sliding component, and the second limiting portion is in contact with the second supporting portion.

5. The foldable terminal according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second guide structure also includes a first connecting section, a second connecting section and a third connecting section which are connected in sequence along the first direction. The aperture of the first connecting section is larger than the aperture of the second connecting section to form the first abutting portion. The aperture of the third connecting section is larger than the aperture of the second connecting section to form the second abutting portion. The fixing portion is passed through the first connecting section, the second connecting section and the third connecting section, and there is a gap between the outer wall of the fixing portion and the inner wall of the second connecting section.

6. The foldable terminal according to claim 1, wherein: One of the supporting component and the sliding component is provided with a receiving groove, the driving component is received in the receiving groove, and the driving component is further connected to the other one of the supporting component and the sliding component.

7. The foldable terminal according to claim 6, wherein: The other of the supporting component and the sliding component is provided with a stopper, the stopper is slidably received in the receiving groove, and the driving component is connected to the stopper.

8. The foldable terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The driving component also includes an elastic telescopic structure.

9. The foldable terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The number of the sliding components and the number of the supporting components are both two, and the two sliding components are arranged on the flexible screen component at intervals, and each of the supporting components is slidably covered on a side of the sliding component away from the flexible screen. The foldable terminal includes two non-bendable areas and one bendable area, and the foldable terminal includes a closed state and a flattened state. The closed state refers to that the two supporting components are stacked and the flexible screen component is located at the outermost side of the foldable terminal. The flattened state refers to that the two supporting components are located on the same plane. During the process of switching the foldable terminal from the flattened state to the closed state, the sliding component is driven by the driving component to move in the direction away from the bendable area.

10. The foldable terminal according to claim 9, wherein: It also includes a hinge component located between the two supporting components, wherein the supporting component is hinged to the hinge component.

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