Electronic device

Abstract

The present application provides an electronic device, which includes: a device main body and a flexible screen disposed on the device main body; the device main body has a main display surface and a secondary display surface disposed opposite to the main display surface; the flexible screen is located on the main display surface and can slide relative to the device main body; wherein, the device main body is further configured to be foldable along an axis, and at least a part of the flexible screen slides from the main display surface to the secondary display surface after the device main body is folded. In the above manner, the user can slide the flexible screen located on the main display surface to the secondary display surface for use after the device main body is folded, so as to realize the reuse of the flexible screen.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of electronic devices, and more particularly to an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of electronic devices, electronic devices have become an indispensable entertainment and social tool in people's daily lives, and people's requirements for electronic devices are also getting higher and higher. Taking mobile phones as an example, in order to obtain a larger display area, some manufacturers have launched foldable mobile phones to bring users a different usage experience from tablet phones. However, the screens of most foldable mobile phones can only be used in the unfolded state and cannot be used in the folded state. Therefore, how to enable the screen of a foldable mobile phone to still be used in the folded state has become the main focus of the industry. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An embodiment of this application provides an electronic device, which includes: a device main body and a flexible screen disposed on the device main body; the device main body has a main display surface and a secondary display surface disposed opposite to the main display surface; the flexible screen is located on the main display surface and is slidable relative to the device main body; wherein, the device main body is further configured to be foldable along an axis, and at least a partial area of the flexible screen slides from the main display surface to the secondary display surface after the device main body is folded.

[0004] For the electronic device provided by the embodiment of this application, by slidably disposing the flexible screen on the main display surface of the device main body, and at least a partial area of the flexible screen can also slide from the main display surface to the secondary display surface opposite to the main display surface of the device main body after the device main body is folded along the axis, it enables the flexible screen to still be slid to the secondary display surface for use after the device main body is folded, realizing the reuse of the flexible screen. Description of the Drawings

[0005] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of this application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0006] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device 10 provided by the embodiment of this application;

[0007] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device 10 in the folded state in ; <9350002>2> Figure 3 is Figure 1Partial structural schematic diagram of the electronic device 10;

[0009] Figure 4 is Figure 2 Partial structural schematic diagram of the electronic device 10;

[0010] Figure 5 is Figure 2 Another partial structural schematic diagram of the electronic device 10;

[0011] Figure 6 is Figure 1 Another partial structural schematic diagram of the electronic device 10;

[0012] Figure 7 is Figure 2 Yet another partial structural schematic diagram of the electronic device 10;

[0013] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structural composition of the electronic device 10 provided in the embodiments of the present application Detailed implementation manners

[0014] As used herein, an "electronic device" (or simply referred to as a "terminal") includes, but is not limited to, a device configured to receive / transmit communication signals via a wired connection (such as via a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), digital cable, direct cable connection, and / or another data connection / network) and / or via a wireless interface (such as for a cellular network, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), digital television network such as DVB-H network, satellite network, AM-FM broadcast transmitter, and / or another communication terminal). A communication terminal configured to communicate via a wireless interface may be referred to as a "wireless communication terminal", "wireless terminal" or "mobile terminal". Examples of mobile terminals include, but are not limited to, satellite or cellular telephones; Personal Communication System (PCS) terminals that may combine cellular radiotelephone with data processing, facsimile, and data communication capabilities; PDAs that may include radiotelephones, pagers, Internet / intranet access, web browsers, notepads, calendars, and / or Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers; and conventional laptop and / or palmtop receivers or other electronic devices including radiotelephone transceivers. A mobile phone is an electronic device configured with a cellular communication module.

[0015] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be specifically noted that the following embodiments are only used to illustrate the present application, but do not limit the scope of the present application. Similarly, the following embodiments are only partial embodiments of the present application rather than all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0016] As used in this application, the mention of "embodiment" means that the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The phrase appears in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Those skilled in the art will explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0017] Please refer to Figures 1 to 2 , Figure 1 which is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device 10 provided by an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device 10 in a folded state in

[0018] The electronic device 10 provided by an embodiment of this application may be a foldable mobile phone, a foldable tablet computer, a foldable personal digital assistant, a foldable e-book reader, or other devices with a display function. In this embodiment, the electronic device 10 is taken as a foldable mobile phone as an example for the following description. As Figures 1 to 2 shown, the electronic device 10 may include: a device body 100 and a flexible screen 200. Among them, the device body 100 can be folded to change the form of the electronic device 10. The flexible screen 200 can be disposed on the device body 100 and can slide relative to the device body 100, and at least a part of the flexible screen 200 can slide from one side of the device body 100 to the other opposite side of the device body 100 after the device body 100 is folded. With such a setting, the flexible screen 200 can be used as the main screen of the electronic device 10 before the device body 100 is folded, and can also be used as the secondary screen of the electronic device 10 after the device body 100 is in the folded state, so that the flexible screen 200 can be used for two purposes, achieving the purpose of reusing the flexible screen 200.

[0019] The device body 100 can be folded along the axis Y to change the form of the electronic device 10. As Figures 1 to 2 shown, the axis Y can be the symmetric folding line of the device body 100, that is, the device body 100 can be generally symmetrically disposed along the axis Y. At the same time, the device body 100 can also be folded along the axis Y in an inward folding manner. In addition, the device body 100 may further include a middle frame, a rear cover, and various functional components connected to the middle frame, such as a rotating shaft, a circuit board, a camera, and a battery, etc. Among them, the specific structure and folding method of the device body 100 can refer to the folding screen mobile phone in the prior art, and this embodiment does not make any limitations here.

[0020] Optionally, the axis Y can also be the asymmetric folding line of the device body 100. For example, one-third or one-fourth of the device body 100 can be folded along the axis Y. At the same time, in addition to the inner folding method along the axis Y, the device body 100 can also be folded along the axis Y in an outer folding manner. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0021] In all the directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...) in the embodiments of the present application, they are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement conditions between components in a certain specific posture (as shown in the drawings). If this specific posture changes, then the directional indications will also change accordingly. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally further includes steps or units not listed, or optionally further includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0022] Please refer to Figures 3 to 5 , Figure 3 is Figure 1 a partial structural schematic diagram of the electronic device 10 in Figure 4 is Figure 2 a partial structural schematic diagram of the electronic device 10 in Figure 5 is Figure 2 another partial structural schematic diagram of the electronic device 10 in. The following only takes the device body 100 shown in the drawings as an example of folding along the axis Y in an inner folding manner for illustration.

[0023] Such as Figures 3 to 4As shown in the figure, before the device body 100 is folded, it can have a main display surface 110 and a secondary display surface 120 that are arranged back to back. Among them, since the device body 100 is folded in an inward folding manner, the main display surface 110 can be hidden after the device body 100 is folded, while the secondary display surface 120 can be exposed outside the electronic device 10 before and after the device body 100 is folded. At the same time, the main display surface 110 can be used to carry the flexible screen 200 before the device body 100 is folded, so that the flexible screen 200 can be used as the main screen of the electronic device 10 before the device body 100 is folded, providing a larger display area for the electronic device 10. The secondary display surface 120 can be used to carry at least part of the flexible screen 200 after the device body 100 is folded, so that at least part of the flexible screen 200 can be used as the secondary screen of the electronic device 10 after the device body 100 is folded, facilitating the user to operate the device body 100 in the folded state through the flexible screen 200 on the secondary display surface 120. In this embodiment, when the device body 100 is folded, only part of the flexible screen 200 can slide from the main display surface 110 to the secondary display surface 120, so as to reduce the sliding stroke of the flexible screen 200 and reduce the wear generated during the sliding process of the flexible screen 200.

[0024] Compared with the solution of designing a fixed secondary screen independently on the secondary display surface 120, the flexible screen 200 in this embodiment can be used for two purposes with one screen, which is beneficial to reducing the material cost and power consumption of the electronic device 10. At the same time, since the flexible screen 200 does not slide to the secondary display surface 120 before the device body 100 is folded, there is no need to worry about scratching the flexible screen 200 when the device body 100 is placed on the table for use before being folded. In addition, considering the usage time, usage scenarios, and production costs, the fixed secondary screen in the foregoing solution generally does not have the same performance as the main screen, and there are differences in parameters such as refresh rate, resolution, and color gamut between the two. However, in this embodiment, by using the flexible screen 200 for two purposes with one screen, the performance difference between the main and secondary screens can also be eliminated, improving the user experience.

[0025] Optionally, when the device body 100 is folded in an outward folding manner, to facilitate the user's use of the electronic device 10, the positions of the main display surface 110 and the secondary display surface 120 can be interchanged, that is, the main display surface 110 can be exposed outside the electronic device 10 both before and after the folding of the device body 100, while the secondary display surface 120 can be hidden after the folding of the device body 100. Thus, when the device body 100 is in the folded state, at least part of the flexible screen 200 can be located on the secondary display surface 120 and hidden, thereby reducing the area of the flexible screen 200 exposed outside the electronic device 10 to reduce the probability of the flexible screen 200 being impacted or worn due to exposure. In this embodiment, to enable the user to use the device body 100 in the folded state, only a part of the flexible screen 200 can slide from the main display surface 110 to the secondary display surface 120 to be hidden, while the remaining part of the area can still be located on the main display surface 110, so as to facilitate the user to operate the device body 100 in the folded state by using the flexible screen 200 located on the main display surface 110.

[0026] As Figures 3 to 4 shown, the main display surface 110 can have a first main display surface 111 and a second main display surface 112 formed by being separated by the axis Y, and the first main display surface 111 and the second main display surface 112 can be symmetrically arranged with respect to the axis Y. Among them, before the device body 100 is folded, the first main display surface 111 and the second main display surface 112 can be in the same plane. After the device body 100 is folded, the first main display surface 111 and the second main display surface 112 can be respectively in two parallel or approximately parallel planes. At the same time, the first main display surface 111 and the second main display surface 112 can be used to jointly carry the flexible screen 200 before the device body 100 is folded to provide a larger display area for the electronic device 10. After the device body 100 is folded, the flexible screen 200 located on the first main display surface 111 can slide to the secondary display surface 120, while the flexible screen 200 located on the second main display surface 112 can slide to the first main display surface 111. In this embodiment, since only a part of the flexible screen 200 slides to the secondary display surface 120 after the device body 100 is folded, the secondary display surface 120 can be only the surface of the device body 100 opposite to the first main display surface 111.

[0027] Optionally, the first main display surface 111 and the second main display surface 112 may not be symmetrically arranged about the axis Y, and the proportional distribution between the two may also be adjusted according to the design requirements of the electronic device 10. This embodiment does not limit this. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" in this application are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second", and "third" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features.

[0028] Optionally, as Figure 5 shown, in addition to only having a partial area sliding onto the secondary display surface 120 after the device body 100 is folded, the entire area of the flexible screen 200 may also slide onto the secondary display surface 120 after the device body 100 is folded. At this time, in order to facilitate the secondary display surface 120 to carry the entire flexible screen 200, the secondary display surface 120 may include, in addition to the surface of the device body 100 that is opposite to the first main display surface 111, the surface of the device body 100 that is opposite to the second main display surface 112. In this embodiment, since the expansion of the secondary display surface 120 may affect the rear camera of the electronic device 10, the rear camera of the electronic device 10 may preferably adopt an under-screen camera solution.

[0029] As Figures 3 to 4 shown, the device body 100 may further have a curved surface 130 that is respectively connected to the first main display surface 111 and the secondary display surface 120. Among them, when the device body 100 is folded along the axis Y, a partial area of the flexible screen 200 may also slide onto the curved surface 130, and the curved surface 130 may support the flexible screen 200, so that the area of the flexible screen 200 located on the curved surface 130 may form the effect of a curved screen, enhancing the appearance expressiveness of the electronic device 10. At the same time, since the flexible screen 200 covers the first main display surface 111 and the secondary display surface 120 after the device body 100 is folded, the crease formed by the flexible screen 200 due to the folding of the device body 100 is relatively shallow, and the crease formed by the influence of the curved surface 130 is relatively deep. For this reason, the curved surface 130 may also have a relatively large bending radius to weaken the crease formed by the support of the flexible screen 200 by the curved surface 130, so that the flexible screen 200 does not have an obvious crease when used as the main screen.

[0030] Optionally, in order to enable the device body 100 to also have the effect of a curved screen in the unfolded state, when the device body 100 is not folded, in addition to being located on the first main display surface 111 and the second main display surface 112, the flexible screen 200 may also be located on the curved surface 130 at the same time to form the effect of a curved screen under the support of the curved surface 130.

[0031] Further, in order to prevent the secondary display surface 120 from being directly exposed and affecting the appearance refinement of the electronic device 10, the device body 100 may further be provided with a decorative member 140. As Figures 3 to 4 shown, the decorative member 140 may be disposed on the secondary display surface 120, and may have an appearance effect similar to that of the rear cover in the device body 100, so as to cover and decorate the secondary display surface 120 when the flexible screen 200 is not slid onto the secondary display surface 120, and enhance the appearance expressiveness of the electronic device 10. At the same time, since the decorative member 140 is located on the secondary display surface 120, the decorative member 140 can also support the flexible screen 200 slid onto the secondary display surface 120.

[0032] As Figures 3 to 4 shown, the device body 100 may further be provided with a driving mechanism 150 connected to the flexible screen 200, and the driving mechanism 150 can use a driving force to drive the flexible screen 200 to slide relative to the device body 100 after being powered on, so as to realize the dual use of the flexible screen 200. For example, the driving mechanism 150 may include a driving motor 151, a gear 152 connected to the output shaft of the driving motor 151, and a rack 153 meshing with the gear 152. Among them, the rack 153 may be located on the middle frame of the device body 100 and can slide relative to the device body 100 under the action of the gear 152. The flexible screen 200 may be connected to the rack 153 and can slide relative to the device body 100 under the drive of the rack 153. At the same time, the rotation of the output shaft of the driving motor 151 can be linked with the folding of the device body 100. For example, a sensor for sensing parameters such as the folding angle, folding direction, and folding speed of the device body 100 may be disposed in the device body 100, and the parameters obtained by the sensor can be transmitted to a chip that controls the rotation of the driving motor 151, so that the driving motor 151 can drive the flexible screen 200 to slide relative to the device body 100 according to the folding parameters of the device body 100, so as to improve the synchronization of the folding of the device body 100 and the sliding of the flexible screen 200.

[0033] Please refer to Figures 6 to 7 , Figure 6 which Figure 1 is another partial structural schematic diagram of the electronic device 10 in Figure 7 and Figure 2 is yet another partial structural schematic diagram of the electronic device 10 in

[0034] Optionally, in addition to realizing the sliding of the flexible screen 200 by an electric drive method, the sliding of the flexible screen 200 may also be realized by an external force push-pull method. As Figures 6 to 7As shown, the device body 100 may be provided with a push-pull mechanism 160 connected to the flexible screen 200, and the push-pull mechanism 160 may drive the flexible screen 200 to slide relative to the device body 100 under the push and pull of an external force. For example, the push-pull mechanism 160 may include: a sliding member 161 provided on the middle frame of the device body 100, and limiting members 162 respectively provided on the sliding member 161 and the middle frame of the device body 100. Among them, the sliding member 161 may be exposed outside the electronic device 10, and the sliding member 161 may slide relative to the middle frame of the device body 100 under the push and pull of the user. The limiting member 162 may be a magnetic member with magnetic attraction ability, which may be used to adsorb and fix the position of the sliding member 161 when the sliding member 161 slides in place. In this way, the flexible screen 200 may also slide relative to the device body 100 by the user's push and pull, so as to reduce the power consumption of the electronic device 10 during use.

[0035] It can be understood that the structures of the foregoing driving mechanism 150 and push-pull mechanism 160 are only illustrative, and the specific structures of the two may also be adaptively adjusted according to the design requirements of the electronic device 10, and are not limited to the structures described in the foregoing embodiments. This embodiment does not make any limitations in this regard.

[0036] The flexible screen 200 may be an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) screen, which may have a display panel, a touch panel, and a protective film stacked in sequence. Among them, the display panel is mainly used to display images and may be used as an interactive interface to instruct the user to perform the above-mentioned touch operations on the protective film. The touch panel may be used to respond to the user's touch operations and convert the corresponding touch operations into electrical signals and transmit them to the processor of the electronic device 10, so that the electronic device 10 can respond to the user's touch operations accordingly. The material of the protective film may be a flexible material such as polyimide (PI), colorless polyimide (CPI), etc., which may be used to protect the display panel. At the same time, the protective film, the display panel, the touch panel, and the protective film may be bonded together by means of adhesives such as OCA (Optically Clear Adhesive) and PSA (Pressure Sensitive Adhesive). Optionally, the touch panel may also be directly integrated into the display panel.

[0037] The flexible screen 200 may be located on the main display surface 110, and a partial area of the flexible screen 200 may slide from the main display surface 110 to the secondary display surface 120 after the device body 100 is folded along the axis Y. As Figures 3 to 4As shown in the figure, the flexible screen 200 may include: a first display area 210 and a second display area 220, and the first display area 210 and the second display area 220 may be symmetrically arranged about the axis Y. Among them, when the device body 100 is not folded, the first display area 210 may be located on the first main display surface 111, the second display area 220 may be located on the second main display surface 112, and the two may be used together as the main screen of the electronic device 10, so that the electronic device 10 may have a larger display area. When the device body 100 is folded, at least part of the first display area 210 may slide from the first main display surface 111 to the secondary display surface 120, and at least part of the second display area 220 may slide from the second main display surface 112 to the first main display surface 111. At this time, the first display area 210 may be used alone as the secondary screen of the electronic device 10, so that the main and secondary screens of the electronic device 10 may have the same performance. In this embodiment, when the device body 100 is folded, all areas of the first display area 210 may slide to the secondary display surface 120, and all areas of the second display area 220 may slide to the first main display surface 111.

[0038] Optionally, when the device body 100 is folded, only part of the first display area 210 may slide to the secondary display surface 120, and only part of the second display area 220 may slide to the first main display surface 111. At the same time, the first display area 210 and the second display area 220 may not be symmetrically arranged about the axis Y, and the proportional distribution of the two may also be adjusted according to the design requirements of the electronic device 10, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0039] Furthermore, the flexible screen 200 may further include a third display area 230 respectively connected to the first display area 210 and the second display area 220. As Figures 3 to 4 shown, when the device body 100 is not folded, the third display area 230 is arranged along the axis Y, and the first display area 210 and the second display area 220 may be respectively located on opposite sides of the third display area 230. When the device body 100 is folded, the third display area 230 may slide to the curved surface 130 and may be bent under the support of the curved surface 130, so that the flexible screen 200 may have the effect of a curved screen to enhance the appearance expressiveness of the electronic device 10.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 which is a schematic structural composition diagram of the electronic device 10 provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0041] As Figure 8As shown, the electronic device 10 may include an RF circuit 910, a memory 920, an input unit 930 (i.e., the touch panel in the above embodiment), a display unit 940 (i.e., the display panel in the above embodiment), a sensor 950, an audio circuit 960, a wifi module 970, a processor 980, and a power supply 990 (i.e., the battery in the above embodiment), etc. Among them, the RF circuit 910, the memory 920, the input unit 930, the display unit 940, the sensor 950, the audio circuit 960, and the wifi module 970 are respectively connected to the processor 980, and the power supply 990 is used to supply electrical energy to the entire terminal device 900. At the same time, the RF circuit 910 is used to receive and send signals; the memory 920 is used to store data instruction information; the input unit 930 is used to input information, which can be other input devices such as operation buttons in addition to the touch panel; the display unit 940 can be used for image display; the sensor 950 includes an infrared sensor, a laser sensor, etc., and is used to detect user proximity signals, distance signals, etc.; the speaker 961 and the microphone 962 are connected to the processor 980 through the audio circuit 960 and are used to receive and send sound signals; the wifi module 970 is used to receive and transmit wifi signals, and the processor 980 is used to process the data information of the mobile terminal device.

[0042] In the electronic device 10 provided by the embodiment of the present application, the flexible screen 200 is slidably disposed on the main display surface 110 of the device body 100, and at least a part of the flexible screen 200 can also slide from the main display surface 110 to the secondary display surface 120 disposed opposite to the main display surface 110 on the device body 100 after the device body 100 is folded along the axis Y, so that the flexible screen 200 can still slide to the secondary display surface 120 for use after the device body 100 is folded, realizing the reuse of the flexible screen 200.

[0043] The above are only some embodiments of the present application, and thus do not limit the protection scope of the present application. Any equivalent device or equivalent process transformation made using the content of the specification and drawings of the present application, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, shall be equally included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes: a device body and a flexible screen disposed on the device body; The device body is configured to be foldable along an axis, and has a first main display surface and a second main display surface separated by the axis, and a secondary display surface disposed opposite to the first main display surface; The flexible screen is slidable relative to the device body, and has a first display area located on the first main display surface and a second display area located on the second main display surface; wherein, When the device body is folded, at least a part of the first display area slides onto the secondary display surface; at least a part of the second display area slides onto the first main display surface.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The device body also has a curved surface connecting the first main display surface and the secondary display surface; wherein, when the device body is folded, a part of the flexible screen also slides onto the curved surface.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein The flexible screen further includes a third display area respectively connected to the first display area and the second display area; wherein, when the device body is folded, the first display area slides onto the secondary display surface, the second display area slides onto the first main display surface, and the third display area slides onto the curved surface.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The device body is further provided with a decorative member located on the secondary display surface, and the decorative member is configured to cover the device body and support the flexible screen that slides onto the secondary display surface.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The first main display surface and the second main display surface are symmetrically disposed about the axis.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The first display area and the second display area are symmetrically disposed about the axis.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The device body is further provided with a driving mechanism connected to the flexible screen, and the driving mechanism is configured to drive the flexible screen to slide relative to the device body in an electrically driven manner.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that The device body is further provided with a pushing and pulling mechanism connected to the flexible screen, and the pushing and pulling mechanism is configured to drive the flexible screen to slide relative to the device body by an external force pushing and pulling.

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