Hinge mechanism and electronic device

Abstract

The application discloses a hinge mechanism and an electronic device, and belongs to the field of communication devices. The hinge mechanism comprises a base, a floating support part, an elastic reset part and a cam. The floating support part is arranged on one side of the base close to a screen of the electronic device, and the floating support part is movably connected with the base. The elastic reset part is connected between the base and the floating support part. The cam is arranged on one side of the base facing the floating support part, and the cam abuts against the floating support part. The cam rotates to drive the floating support part to overcome the elastic force of the elastic reset part and move in a direction away from the base.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of communication equipment technology, specifically relating to a hinge mechanism and an electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] To balance portability and large display area, foldable electronic devices are increasingly favored by consumers. Furthermore, inward-folding designs offer better protection for the display screen, gradually becoming the mainstream design for foldable electronic devices. However, in current inward-folding electronic devices, the creases after folding are quite noticeable, and the display screen is subjected to significant compression, which can negatively impact its lifespan. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a hinge mechanism and an electronic device to solve the problems of obvious creases, severe compression, and short lifespan of the display screen in current inward-folding electronic devices.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application disclose a hinge mechanism applied to an electronic device. The electronic device includes a plurality of screen support portions for supporting a display screen. Two adjacent screen support portions are rotatably connected by the hinge mechanism. The hinge mechanism includes a base, a floating support portion, an elastic reset member, and a cam. The floating support portion is disposed on the side of the base near the screen of the electronic device and is movably connected to the base. The elastic reset member is connected between the base and the floating support portion.

[0005] The cam is disposed on the side of the base facing the floating support, and the cam abuts against the floating support. The cam rotates to drive the floating support to overcome the elastic force of the elastic reset member and move away from the base.

[0006] Secondly, this application discloses an electronic device including a display screen, a screen support portion and the aforementioned hinge mechanism, wherein the screen support portion is rotatably connected to both opposite sides of the base in the hinge mechanism, and the display screen is supported on the floating support portion of the hinge mechanism and each of the screen support portions.

[0007] This application discloses a hinge mechanism in which a floating support and a base are movable relative to each other. A cam is provided on the side of the floating support facing the base, and an elastic reset member connects the floating support and the base. Under the combined action of the cam and the elastic reset member, the distance between the floating support and the base can reciprocate. When this hinge mechanism is applied to an inward-folding electronic device, the cam can be linked to the state of the electronic device. When the electronic device is in the unfolded state, the cam can drive the floating support away from the base to provide support for the corresponding part of the electronic device's display screen, ensuring a better display effect. Conversely, when the electronic device is in the folded state, the cam can rotate to avoid the floating support, allowing the floating support to reset under the action of the elastic reset member and move towards the base. This provides clearance space for the electronic device's display screen, expands the display screen's capacity, reduces the degree of compression on the display screen, minimizes creases on the display screen, and extends the display screen's lifespan. Attached Figure Description

[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the hinge mechanism disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0010] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a portion of the hinge mechanism including a floating support section disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0011] Figure 3 This is an assembly diagram of the floating support and the base in the hinge mechanism disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0012] Figures 4-7 This is a schematic diagram of a hinge mechanism disclosed in the embodiments of this application in different states;

[0013] Figures 8-11 This is a schematic diagram of another hinge mechanism disclosed in the embodiments of this application in different states;

[0014] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of another hinge mechanism disclosed in the embodiments of this application.

[0015] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0016] 100 - Base, 110 - Limiting groove

[0017] 210 - Floating support part, 220 - Connecting part, 230 - Threaded connector,

[0018] 300-Elastic Reset Component

[0019] 400-cam

[0020] 510 - Drive motor, 520 - Axle, 530 - Rotating connector. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0022] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0023] like Figures 1 to 12 As shown in the illustration, this application discloses a hinge mechanism that can be applied to electronic devices to create foldable electronic devices, specifically inward-folding electronic devices. The electronic device includes a display screen and multiple screen support components. Optionally, there can be two screen support components, and the display screen can be supported on the hinge mechanism and the multiple screen support components. Of course, the electronic device may also include other structures such as a processor, battery, and camera module; for the sake of brevity, these will not be listed here.

[0024] In the operation of the aforementioned electronic device, taking two screen support units as an example, one end of the display screen can be fixed to one screen support unit, and the other end of the display screen can be fixed to another screen support unit. The two adjacent screen support units are respectively set on opposite sides of the hinge mechanism, and the two adjacent screen support units form a rotatable connection relationship through the hinge mechanism. This allows the two adjacent screen support units to rotate relative to the hinge mechanism, thereby enabling the electronic device to switch between a folded state and an unfolded state. Of course, during the relative rotation of the two screen support units, the two screen support units can also drive the display screen to deform accordingly, so that the display screen switches between a folded state and an unfolded state. This allows the electronic device to have both a large display area and good portability, improving the user experience.

[0025] like Figures 1-12 As shown in the embodiments of this application, the hinge mechanism includes a base 100, a floating support 210, an elastic reset member 300, and a cam 400. The base 100 is the fundamental part of the entire hinge mechanism. Other structures in the hinge mechanism can be directly or indirectly mounted on the base 100 to form a connection with it. The base 100 can be made of rigid materials such as metal or plastic. The specific shape and size of the base 100 can be determined based on the actual structure of other components in the hinge mechanism, and are not limited here.

[0026] like Figure 3 As shown, the floating support portion 210 is disposed on the side of the base 100 near the screen of the electronic device. As described above, the base 100 is the basic part of the hinge mechanism and is basically located in the middle of the hinge mechanism, thereby enabling the base 100 to provide support for the display screen and allowing the display screen to be directly or indirectly supported on the base 100. That is, the base 100 has a support side, and the side where the display screen is located relative to the base 100 is the support side of the base 100, that is, the side of the base 100 near the screen. In this embodiment, by placing the floating support portion 210 on the support side of the base 100, the floating support portion 210 can be further used to provide support for the display screen, thereby improving the screen's support effect.

[0027] Furthermore, the floating support 210 is movably connected to the base 100, and their relative movement direction is their distribution direction, thereby enabling the floating support 210 to move towards or away from the base 100. Specifically, the aforementioned distribution direction can be a direction perpendicular to the display surface of the display screen in its unfolded state; more intuitively, the aforementioned direction can be... Figure 3 Middle direction A.

[0028] In the above embodiment, by providing a floating support 210 with the ability to move relative to the base 100, the floating support 210 can move relative to the base 100 during the folding process of the display screen of the inward-folding electronic device, providing a clearance function for the display screen. When the hinge mechanism is provided with a floating support 210, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, an elastic reset member 300 can be provided for the floating support 210. As above, the hinge mechanism disclosed in this application includes an elastic reset member 300. The elastic reset member 300 is connected between the floating support 210 and the base 100 so as to provide a reset function for the floating support 210. After the floating support 210 moves relative to the base 100 under other forces, once the aforementioned other forces are removed, the floating support 210 can move relative to the base 100 in the opposite direction under the elastic action of the elastic reset member 300 to complete the reset work.

[0029] Specifically, one end of the elastic reset member 300 can be fixedly connected to the floating support portion 210, and the other end of the elastic reset member 300 can be fixedly connected to the base 100. By selecting the elastic reset member 300 with appropriate parameters, the elastic reset member 300 is in a natural state when the distance between the floating support portion 210 and the base 100 is minimized. Furthermore, during the process when the elastic reset member 300 is acted upon by other components such as the aforementioned cam 400 and moves away from the base 100 to support the display screen, the elastic reset member 300 can be stretched simultaneously. Thus, when the floating support portion 210 is no longer acted upon by other forces such as the cam driving force, the elastic reset member 300 can restore its deformation, causing the floating support portion 210 to move closer to the base 100.

[0030] Of course, by changing the specific location of the elastic reset member 300, the elastic reset member 300 can be in its natural state when the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 is at its minimum, and then compressed when the floating support 210 moves away from the base 100. Specifically, for example... Figure 3As shown, the base 100 may be provided with a limiting groove 110. The floating support 210 has a connecting part 220 on the side facing the base 100. The connecting part 220 extends into the limiting groove 110 from the side where the bottom of the limiting groove 110 is located, and the connecting part 220 is also connected to a threaded connector 230 such as a screw. The nut of the threaded connector 230 and the groove opening of the limiting groove 110 mutually limit each other. The elastic reset member 300 is sleeved outside the connecting part 220. The elastic reset member 300 elastically abuts against the nut of the threaded connector 230 and the bottom of the groove 110. This can reduce the installation difficulty of the elastic reset member 300 and improve the operational reliability of the elastic reset member 300. In this case, when the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 is the smallest, the elastic reset member 300 is in a natural state or a partially compressed state. As the floating support 210 moves away from the base 100, the elastic reset member 300 is gradually compressed.

[0031] As described above, the floating support 210 can be driven by components such as the cam 400 to move relative to the base 100. Specifically, the cam 400 can be positioned on the side of the floating support 210 facing the base 100, that is, on the side of the floating support 210 away from its screen support side, to prevent the cam 400 from obstructing the floating support 210's support function for the display screen. Specifically, there can be one cam 400, which can be positioned at the middle of the floating support 210 along its length to ensure that the driving effect provided by the cam 400 to the floating support 210 is relatively stable. Of course, there can also be multiple cams 400, with the multiple cams 400 having the same shape and size to ensure that the multiple cams 400 provide the same driving effect to the floating support 210. The multiple cams 400 can be distributed along the length of the floating support 210 to ensure that the driving effect received at any position on the floating support 210 is basically the same.

[0032] Of course, in order to ensure that the cam 400 has the ability to drive the floating support 210, the cam 400 needs to have the ability to rotate. Optionally, the cam 400 may be provided with a wheel axle 520, and by connecting the wheel axle 520 to a driving member, the cam 400 is driven to rotate under the action of the driving member. The driving member can be an automatic driving member or a passive driving member, that is, the cam 400 can be driven to rotate automatically by means of electric drive or pneumatic drive, or the cam 400 can form a transmission relationship with the screen support of the electronic device, so that the cam 400 can be driven to rotate manually while the user drives the two screen supports.

[0033] Subsequently, by having the cam 400 abut against the floating support portion 210, it is ensured that when the cam 400 is driven to rotate, it can drive the floating support portion 210 to move away from the base 100. This reduces the distance between the floating support portion 210 and the corresponding part of the display screen, allowing the floating support portion 210 to provide support for the corresponding part of the display screen. Under the support of the cam 400, the floating support portion 210 can provide reliable support for the display screen. Of course, the maximum distance that the cam 400 can drive the floating support portion 210 to move away from the base 100 needs to be determined based on the specific parameters of the display screen. This ensures that when the display screen is in the unfolded state, the cam 400 can drive the floating support portion 210 to the position with the maximum distance from the base 100 and to fit against the display screen, thus providing reliable support for the display screen.

[0034] Meanwhile, as described above, an elastic reset member 300 is also provided between the floating support 210 and the base 100. Furthermore, while the cam 400 rotates to drive the floating support 210 to move away from the base 100, the floating support 210 also overcomes the elastic force of the elastic reset member 300, thereby increasing the elastic potential energy of the elastic reset member 300. Then, when the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 reaches its maximum value, if the cam 400 continues to rotate, since the cam 400 cannot continue to apply a driving force to the floating support 210 to move away from the base 100, the elastic reset member 300 can restore its own deformation and apply an elastic force to the floating support 210, so that the floating support 210 squeezes the cam 400 and drives the floating support 210 to move closer to the base 100, so that the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 returns to its minimum. In this case, the floating support 210 can provide a clearance function for the display screen, thereby increasing the storage space of the display screen as it rotates and is folded with the screen support, thus reducing the degree of compression of the display screen, preventing the display screen from developing obvious creases, and improving the service life of the display screen.

[0035] This application discloses a hinge mechanism in which a floating support 210 and a base 100 are movable relative to each other. A cam 400 is provided on the side of the floating support 210 facing the base 100, and an elastic reset member 300 connects the floating support 210 and the base 100. Under the combined action of the cam 400 and the elastic reset member 300, the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 can reciprocate. Therefore, when this hinge mechanism is applied to an inward-folding electronic device, the cam 400 can be correlated with the state of the electronic device. Furthermore, when the electronic device is in the unfolded state, the cam 400... The cam 400 can drive the floating support 210 away from the base 100 to provide support for the corresponding part of the display screen of the electronic device, ensuring that the display screen has a better display effect. Correspondingly, when the electronic device is in a folded state, the cam 400 can rotate to avoid the floating support 210, so that the floating support 210 can be reset under the action of the elastic reset member 300 and move towards the base 100, providing clearance space for the display screen of the electronic device, expanding the storage space of the display screen, reducing the degree of compression of the display screen, minimizing the formation of creases on the display screen, and improving the service life of the display screen.

[0036] As described above, an elastic reset member 300 is also connected between the floating support 210 and the base 100. The elastic reset member 300 is used to ensure that the floating support 210 is always supported on the cam 400, ensuring that the floating support 210 has the ability to automatically reset. In order to improve the motion stability of the floating support 210, such as Figure 2 As shown, there can be multiple elastic reset members 300. All multiple elastic reset members 300 are connected between the floating support 210 and the base 100, so that the floating support 210 can move relative to the base 100 under the combined action of multiple elastic reset members 300, ensuring that the movement stability between the floating support 210 and the base 100 is relatively high.

[0037] Specifically, multiple elastic reset members 300 can be distributed at intervals along the length direction of the floating support 210. In another embodiment of this application, the multiple elastic reset members 300 can also be arranged in a row and column pattern, which can further improve the stability of the relative movement process between the floating support 210 and the base 100.

[0038] As described above, the cam 400, through contact with the floating support portion 210, drives the floating support plate to move relative to the rotation axis of the cam 400 during its rotation, thereby changing the distance between the floating support portion 210 and the base 100. The outer peripheral surface of the cam 400 is the surface in contact with the driven components such as the floating support portion 210. This outer peripheral surface may include a circumferential surface and a driving surface. Any point on the circumferential surface is equidistant from the rotation axis of the cam 400. The driving surface protrudes relative to the circumferential surface, ensuring that the distance between the driving surface and the rotation axis of the cam 400 is greater than the distance between the circumferential surface and the rotation axis. Furthermore, the driving surface can be symmetrical, and the distance between different positions distributed along the rotation direction of the cam 400 and the cam 400 in the region between the middle position and the starting (or ending) end of the driving surface gradually increases (or gradually decreases).

[0039] Furthermore, during the process of the circumferential surface of the cam 400 contacting the floating support part 210, the distance between the floating support part 210 and the rotation axis of the cam 400 remains unchanged. As the cam 400 contacts the floating support part 210 sequentially from the starting end of the driving surface to the position where the distance between the driving surface and the rotation axis of the cam 400 is the largest, the distance between the floating support part 210 and the rotation axis of the cam 400 gradually increases, thereby increasing the distance between the floating support part 210 and the base 100, so that the floating support part 210 can provide support for the display screen.

[0040] Optionally, by designing the driving surface of the driven component, the distance between different positions on the driving surface of the cam 400 and the rotation axis of the cam 400 can be linearly related to the rotation angle. That is, during the process of the driving surface of the cam 400 cooperating with the floating support 210, when the cam 400 rotates through the same angle, the change vector of the distance between the floating support 210 and the rotation axis of the cam 400 is equal.

[0041] In another embodiment of this application, the outer peripheral surface of the cam 400 includes a first driving surface and a second driving surface. Both the first driving surface and the second driving surface are used to drive the floating support 210 to move relative to the base 100. That is, when either the first driving surface or the second driving surface is in contact with the floating support 210, the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 will be greater than the minimum distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100.

[0042] Of course, to ensure that the floating support 210 is in a state of minimum distance from the base 100 to avoid obstructing the display screen, optionally, the outer periphery of the cam 400 includes the aforementioned circumferential surface, and the first driving surface or the second driving surface is connected to the circumferential surface; alternatively, the outer periphery of the cam 400 may only include the first driving surface and the second driving surface. In this case, when the floating support 210 engages with the starting end of one of the first driving surface and the second driving surface, the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 is the minimum distance. It should be noted that regardless of whether the outer periphery of the cam 400 includes a circumferential surface, when the floating support 210 engages with the starting end of the first driving surface or the second driving surface, the floating support 210 and the base 100 are always in a state of minimum distance.

[0043] In order to ensure that both the first driving surface and the second driving surface can provide a relatively stable driving effect for the floating support 210, both the first driving surface and the second driving surface can be arc-shaped surfaces to improve the continuity of the floating support 210 when it cooperates with the first driving surface and the second driving surface.

[0044] Meanwhile, since the size of the clearance space required for the display screen during folding (i.e., the dimension in the thickness direction of the base 100) does not change linearly with the folding angle of the display screen, in this embodiment, the curvatures of the first driving surface and the second driving surface are different. In this case, when the floating support 210 contacts and engages with the first driving surface and the second driving surface respectively, and the cam 400 rotates through the same angle in the same direction, the amount of change in the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 in the thickness direction of the base 100 is different. Therefore, by adopting the technical solution disclosed in this embodiment, the specific curvature parameters of the first driving surface and the second driving surface, as well as the specific correspondence between the first driving surface, the second driving surface, and the folding process of the display screen can be determined according to the specific parameters of the display screen in the electronic device.

[0045] Optionally, the outer peripheral surface of the cam 400 can have one first driving surface and one second driving surface, and the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 can be switched back and forth between maximum and minimum by reciprocating the rotation of the cam 400. Alternatively, the number of both the first driving surface and the second driving surface can be two, and the two first driving surfaces are connected to each other, with a second driving surface provided on the side of each first driving surface facing away from the other. That is, along the circumference of the cam 400, the second driving surface, the first driving surface, and the second driving surface are distributed sequentially. In this case, the cam 400 can continuously rotate in a certain direction, thereby switching the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 back and forth between maximum and minimum.

[0046] Of course, depending on the specific folding of the display screen, the outer peripheral surface of the cam 400 can include a third driving surface in addition to the first driving surface and the second driving surface, or it can also include more driving surfaces with different curvatures, such as a fourth driving surface, so that the change in the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 can match the folding of the display screen as closely as possible, thereby improving the support and avoidance effect provided by the floating support 210 to the display screen.

[0047] As described above, the cam 400 can be driven to rotate automatically or manually. In one specific embodiment of this application, such as... Figures 4-7 As shown, the hinge mechanism includes a drive motor 510, which is connected to the cam 400 via a transmission, thereby enabling the drive motor 510 to drive the cam 400 to rotate. This can improve the automation level of the hinge mechanism and thus enhance the user experience.

[0048] Specifically, the drive motor 510 can be a rotary motor. The cam 400 can be directly mounted on the drive shaft of the drive motor 510, thereby completing the rotational action under the drive of the drive motor 510. Alternatively, the cam 400 can also be equipped with a transmission shaft. The cam 400 and the transmission shaft can be connected by a key to form a relatively fixed relationship in the rotational direction of the cam 400. The transmission shaft and the drive shaft of the drive motor 510 can be fixedly connected by bolts or other connecting parts, thereby ensuring that the drive motor 510 can drive the cam 400 to rotate via the transmission shaft.

[0049] Of course, depending on the specific conditions of the driving surface on the cam 400, the drive motor 510 can be selected as a unidirectional or bidirectional rotating device, thereby ensuring that the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 can switch back and forth between the maximum and minimum values ​​when the cam 400 rotates. In addition, as mentioned above, the outer peripheral surface of the cam 400 may include a first driving surface and a second driving surface with different curvatures. In this case, the rotational speed of the drive motor 510 can be adapted to the folding and unfolding rate of the display screen. That is, when the display screen is folded (or unfolded) at a preset angle, the angle through which the drive motor 510 drives the cam 400 to rotate is equal to the aforementioned preset angle, reducing the control difficulty of the drive motor 510.

[0050] Additionally, an encoder can be configured to detect the screen folding angle, thereby determining the drive angle of the drive motor 510 based on the screen folding angle. This causes the cam 400 to rotate through the corresponding angle, providing the display screen with the required support or clearance. In another embodiment of this application, the hinge mechanism may further include an angle sensor. The angle sensor can detect the angle rotated by the screen support relative to the base 100, achieving relatively high detection accuracy.

[0051] In another embodiment of this application, the cam 400 includes a protruding driving portion. The outer peripheral surface of the driving portion includes a driving surface, which drives the floating support portion 210 to move relative to the base 100, thereby changing the distance between the floating support portion 210 and the base 100. In this case, the outer peripheral surface of the cam 400 also includes a circumferential surface, and the circumferential surface is connected end-to-end with the driving surface to form the outer peripheral surface of the cam 400. When the floating support portion 210 engages with the circumferential surface of the cam 400, the distance between the floating support portion 210 and the base 100 is minimized.

[0052] Furthermore, the curvature of any two arcs on the driving surface is equal, that is, the curvature of the driving surface is a fixed value. In this case, when the driving surface of the cam 400 contacts the floating support 210 and the cam 400 rotates to drive the floating support 210, if the cam 400 rotates through the same angle, the change in the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 is a constant value, which can reduce the machining difficulty of the cam 400.

[0053] As described above, the display screen can be supported on multiple screen support sections, and adjacent screen support sections are rotatably connected by a hinge mechanism. More specifically, the hinge mechanism includes a rotating connector 530. In the rotation direction of the cam 400, the rotating connector 530 is configured to be fixed relative to the screen support section and rotate relative to the base 100. That is, in the process of connecting the screen support section and the hinge mechanism, the rotating connector 530 in the hinge mechanism is used to connect with the screen support section, so that the screen support section can rotate relative to the base through the rotating connector 530, thereby enabling adjacent screen support sections to rotate relative to each other.

[0054] In the above embodiments, the curvature of the driving surface can be a constant value. Based on this, in order to ensure that the floating support 210 can adapt to the non-linear changes in the clearance space required by the display screen during folding and unfolding, optionally, the drive motor 510 is configured such that the angle through which the drive cam 400 rotates is different from the angle through which the rotating connector 530 rotates relative to the base 100. The rotating connector 530 is a component in the hinge mechanism that represents the rotation angle of the screen support of the electronic device relative to the base 100.

[0055] In this embodiment, the driving operation of the drive motor 510 can be set using a preset algorithm so that the angle through which the drive motor 510 drives the cam 400 to rotate is different from the angle through which the rotating connector 530 (i.e., the screen support part) rotates relative to the base 100. This allows the floating support part 210 to adapt to the deformation of the display screen, providing precise support and avoidance at all times. More specifically, the linkage relationship between the drive motor 510 and the display screen can be set according to the specific parameters of the display screen. Furthermore, the specific shape and other parameters of the rotating connector 530 can be determined based on the specific structure and dimensions of the components in the hinge mechanism and the screen support part, etc., which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0056] As described above, the relative rotation angle between the screen support and the base 100 can be obtained using an angle sensor. During the installation of the angle sensor, it can be coupled with the rotating connector 530 to obtain the angle through which the screen support rotates relative to the base 100 by detecting the rotation angle of the rotating connector 530 relative to the base 100. This allows the drive motor 510 to determine the required angle through which the drive cam 400 rotates based on the aforementioned angle. Of course, when using the angle sensor to obtain the angle through which the screen support rotates relative to the base 100, the initial value of the angle sensor needs to be calibrated. Specifically, the initial value can be the angle between the screen support and the base 100 when the two screen supports are located on opposite sides of the base 100, i.e., when the electronic device is in the unfolded state. In addition, in order to ensure that the angle through which either of the two screen support parts rotates relative to the base 100 can be used as the driving standard for the drive motor 510, the hinge mechanism may also include a synchronization component. The two screen support parts are synchronously connected through the synchronization component, so that when either screen support part rotates relative to the base 100, it can drive the other screen support part to rotate relative to the base 100.

[0057] To minimize the number of electrical devices in the hinge mechanism and improve its reliability, in another embodiment of this application, such as... Figures 8-12 As shown, the cam 400 can be driven to rotate manually. Specifically, in an electronic device including the hinge mechanism disclosed in this application, the component that rotates relative to the base 100 includes the aforementioned screen support. When using the electronic device, the user can unfold or fold the electronic device by applying opposite forces to the two screen support components. Therefore, in this embodiment, the driving force applied by the user during the unfolding or folding of the electronic device can be used to drive the cam 400 to rotate.

[0058] Specifically, the hinge mechanism in this embodiment includes the aforementioned rotating connector 530. The screen support is rotatably engaged with the base 100 via the rotating connector 530. That is, in the rotation direction of the cam 400, the rotating connector 530 is configured to be fixed relative to the screen support, and the rotating connector 530 rotates relative to the base 100. Furthermore, by making the rotating connector 530 and the cam 400 drive each other, the rotating connector 530 can rotate relative to the base 100 along with the screen support during the user's drive of the screen support, thereby driving the cam 400 to rotate relative to the base 100, causing the distance between the floating support 210 and the base 100 to change.

[0059] Specifically, the cam 400 may be provided with a wheel and axle 520, and the two are connected to each other by a key connection. This allows the rotating connecting member 530 to form a transmission relationship with the cam 400 through the wheel and axle 520 and other transmission connecting members, thereby reducing the assembly difficulty between components in the hinge mechanism. In another embodiment of this application, the cam 400 and the rotating connecting member 530 can be a single integrally formed structural component; that is, in this embodiment, as shown... Figure 12 As shown, the cam 400 and the rotating connector 530 can be formed in one piece, which can reduce the number of parts in the hinge mechanism and thus reduce the assembly difficulty of the entire hinge mechanism.

[0060] During the process of driving the cam 400 to rotate using the rotating connector 530, since the rotating connector 530 and the screen support have the same rotation angle, in order to make the movement of the floating support 210 adapt to the deformation of the display screen, in this embodiment, the cam 400 can include the first driving surface and the second driving surface with different curvatures, so that the floating support 210 can provide the display screen with the required support and avoidance function at all times.

[0061] As described above, there can be multiple elastic reset members 300, and adjacent screen support portions are connected by rotating connectors 530, meaning that at least two rotating connectors 530 are provided in a hinge mechanism. Therefore, based on the above embodiment, two of the multiple rotating connectors 530 used to connect to the two adjacent screen support portions can be distributed along the rotation axis of the cam 400. In other words, the projections of the aforementioned two rotating connectors 530 partially overlap along the rotation axis of the cam 400. This can reduce the size of the base 100 perpendicular to the rotation axis of the cam 400, improving the structural compactness of the hinge mechanism.

[0062] In detail, among the plurality of rotating connectors 530 used to connect two adjacent screen support portions, at least one rotating connector 530 is used to connect the base 100 and a certain screen support portion, and at least another rotating connector 530 is used to connect the base 100 and another screen support portion. Based on this, in the process of arranging the aforementioned at least two rotating connectors 530, the aforementioned two rotating connectors 530 can be distributed along the rotation axis of the cam 400, that is, the projection portions of the two on the rotation axis of the cam 400 coincide, or more precisely, the projection (partial) portions of the aforementioned two rotating connectors 530 that are away from the corresponding screen support portion coincide.

[0063] Based on the above embodiments, during the arrangement of multiple elastic reset members 300, the cams 400 and elastic reset members 300 can be grouped in a one-to-one correspondence, that is, each cam 400 is correspondingly provided with an elastic reset member 300; at the same time, the elastic reset members 300 are all located on one side of the corresponding cam 400, that is, the line connecting the corresponding elastic reset members 300 and the cam 400 is perpendicular to the rotation axis. By adopting the aforementioned technical solution, the corresponding (or grouped) cams 400 and elastic reset members 300 can form a force-acting component, and their positions on the floating support 210 are equivalent, while the directions of their forces are opposite, thereby further improving the stability of the floating support 210 when moving relative to the base 100.

[0064] Based on the hinge mechanism disclosed in any of the above embodiments, this application also discloses an electronic device. The electronic device includes a display screen, a screen support, and any of the above-mentioned hinge mechanisms. The screen support is rotatably connected to both opposite sides of the base 100 in the hinge mechanism. Specifically, the hinge mechanism is provided with a rotating connector 530, and the screen support is rotatably engaged with the base 100 through the rotating connector 530. Furthermore, the display screen is supported on the floating support 210 of the hinge mechanism and each screen support. Optionally, the display screen is an integral flexible display screen, or the area of ​​the display screen corresponding to the hinge mechanism is a flexible structure. Both of these ensure that the display screen has the ability to fold and unfold.

[0065] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0066] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A hinge mechanism applied to an electronic device, the electronic device including a plurality of screen support portions for supporting a display screen, wherein two adjacent screen support portions are rotatably connected by the hinge mechanism, characterized in that, The hinge mechanism includes a base, a floating support, an elastic reset member, and a cam. The floating support is disposed on the side of the base near the screen of the electronic device and is movably connected to the base. The elastic reset member is connected between the base and the floating support. The cam is disposed on the side of the base facing the floating support, and the cam abuts against the floating support. The cam rotates to drive the floating support to overcome the elastic force of the elastic reset member and move away from the base, so that the floating support provides support for the display screen of the electronic device. When the electronic device is in a folded state, the cam is used to avoid the floating support. The floating support is reset under the action of the elastic reset member and moves towards the base to provide clearance space for the display screen of the electronic device.

2. The hinge mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer peripheral surface of the cam includes a first driving surface and a second driving surface. Both the first driving surface and the second driving surface are used to drive the floating support to move relative to the base. Both the first driving surface and the second driving surface are arc-shaped surfaces with different curvatures.

3. The hinge mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hinge mechanism also includes a drive motor, which is connected to the cam drive to drive the cam to rotate.

4. The hinge mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cam includes a protruding drive part, the outer peripheral surface of the drive part is a drive surface, the drive surface is used to drive the floating support part to move relative to the base, and the curvature of the drive surface is a fixed value. The hinge mechanism includes a rotating connector, which is configured to be fixed relative to the screen support of the electronic device and rotate relative to the base in the rotation direction of the cam. The drive motor is configured to drive the cam to rotate through an angle different from the angle through which the rotating connector rotates relative to the base.

5. The hinge mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hinge mechanism also includes an angle sensor for detecting the angle by which the screen support rotates relative to the base.

6. The hinge mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The hinge mechanism includes a rotating connector that is connected to the cam drive. In the rotation direction of the cam, the rotating connector is configured to be fixed relative to the screen support of the electronic device and to rotate relative to the base.

7. The hinge mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that, The cam and the rotating connector are integrally formed structural components.

8. The hinge mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, There are multiple elastic reset members, and each elastic reset member is connected between the floating support and the base.

9. The hinge mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that, Two of the multiple rotating connectors used to connect to two adjacent screen support portions are distributed along the rotation axis of the cam. The cam and the elastic reset member are arranged in a group corresponding to each other, and along the rotation axis, the elastic reset member is located on one side of the corresponding cam.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that, The device includes a display screen, a screen support, and a hinge mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the screen support is rotatably connected to both opposite sides of the base in the hinge mechanism, and the display screen is supported on the floating support of the hinge mechanism and each of the screen supports.

Images