Electronic device

Abstract

The application relates to an electronic device, which comprises a shell assembly, a flexible display screen and a capacitive grid sensor. The shell assembly comprises a first shell and a second shell connected to the first shell. The flexible display screen is connected to the first shell, and the second shell is used to slide relative to the first shell to switch the electronic device between a folded state and an unfolded state, and drive the flexible display screen in and out of the shell assembly during the switching process. The capacitive grid sensor is arranged in the shell assembly and is used to detect the sliding distance of the second shell relative to the first shell. During the switching process between the unfolded state and the folded state, the electronic device can obtain the area of the flexible display screen extending out of the shell assembly according to the measurement result of the capacitive grid sensor, and then adaptively adjust the area of the display region of the flexible display screen. The capacitive grid sensor has the advantages of simple structure, high resolution and low power consumption, can improve the control precision of the display region of the flexible display screen of the electronic device, and has good anti-interference performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of terminal technology, and in particular to an electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] Flexible screens possess the characteristic of being able to bend, making it possible to equip electronic devices with stretchable flexible screens. When the flexible screen is folded up, the electronic device has a relatively small overall size; when the flexible screen is unfolded, the electronic device has a relatively large display area. However, during the unfolding and folding process, the display area of ​​the flexible screen needs to be adaptively adjusted, and the control precision is difficult to guarantee. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides an electronic device to improve the control accuracy of the display area of ​​the flexible screen of the electronic device.

[0004] An electronic device, comprising:

[0005] A shell assembly, including a first shell and a second shell connected to the first shell;

[0006] A flexible display screen is connected to the first housing; a second housing is used to slide relative to the first housing to allow the electronic device to switch between a retracted state and an unfolded state, and to move the flexible display screen in and out of the housing assembly during the switching process; and

[0007] A capacitive grating sensor is disposed on the housing assembly and is used to detect the sliding distance of the second housing relative to the first housing.

[0008] During the switching between the extended and retracted states of the aforementioned electronic device, a capacitive grating sensor is located on the housing assembly and is used to detect the sliding distance of the second housing relative to the first housing. Based on the measurement results from the capacitive grating sensor, the electronic device can determine the area of ​​the flexible display screen extending beyond the housing assembly, and thus adaptively adjust the display area of ​​the flexible display screen. The capacitive grating sensor has advantages such as simple structure, high resolution, and low power consumption. It not only improves the control accuracy of the display area of ​​the flexible display screen in the electronic device but also has good anti-interference performance.

[0009] In one embodiment, the capacitive grating sensor includes a fixed electrode plate and a moving electrode plate that are parallel to each other. The fixed electrode plate is connected to the first housing and includes a transmitting electrode and a receiving electrode that are insulated from each other. The moving electrode plate is connected to the second housing and includes a reflecting electrode. When the electronic device switches between a retracted state and an extended state, at least part of the moving electrode plate covers the fixed electrode plate.

[0010] In one embodiment, the emitting electrode includes a plurality of emitting plates spaced apart and insulated from each other, the plurality of emitting plates being arranged along the sliding direction of the second housing relative to the first housing; the reflecting electrode includes a plurality of reflecting plates spaced apart and insulated from each other, the plurality of reflecting plates being arranged along the sliding direction of the second housing relative to the first housing, and the spacing width between adjacent reflecting plates is equal.

[0011] In one embodiment, a first shielding sheet is provided between adjacent reflective sheets, the width of the first shielding sheet being equal to the width of the reflective sheet, and each reflective sheet and one of the first shielding sheets adjacent to it correspond to eight reflective sheets.

[0012] In one embodiment, the first shielding plate is grounded, and a second shielding plate is provided between the transmitting electrode and the receiving electrode.

[0013] In one embodiment, the flexible display screen includes a fixed portion and a free portion, the fixed portion being fixedly connected to the first housing, and the free portion bypassing the end of the second housing away from the first housing and extending into the housing assembly; a groove is formed on the side of the first housing opposite to the fixed portion, and the fixed electrode plate is accommodated in the groove.

[0014] In one embodiment, at least one of the fixed electrode plate and the moving electrode plate is disposed on a flexible circuit board.

[0015] In one embodiment, at least one of the fixed electrode plate and the moving electrode plate is disposed on a printed circuit board.

[0016] In one embodiment, the electronic device includes a processor communicatively connected to the capacitive sensor, the processor being configured to adjust the area of ​​the display region of the flexible display screen according to the sliding distance.

[0017] In one embodiment, the sliding distance includes two or more distance intervals, and the processor is configured to control the area of ​​the display region of the flexible display screen according to the distance intervals. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment, wherein the first housing is in a second position;

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the electronic device from another perspective;

[0021] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Exploded view of the electronic device shown;

[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the electronic device shown, wherein the first housing is in the first position;

[0023] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the electronic device from another perspective;

[0024] Figure 6 for Figure 1 Front view of the electronic device shown;

[0025] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of the electronic device shown along point AA;

[0026] Figure 8 for Figure 4 Front view of the electronic device shown;

[0027] Figure 9 for Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of the electronic device shown along BB;

[0028] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of an electronic device equipped with a capacitive grating sensor according to one embodiment;

[0029] Figure 11 This is an exploded view of a capacitive grating sensor according to one embodiment.

[0030] Figure label:

[0031] 100. Electronic device; 10. Housing assembly; 12. First housing

[0032] 14. Second shell 142. Rear cover 16. Reception space

[0033] 20. Flexible display screen 20a, fixed end 20b, free part

[0034] 30. Guide component; 40. Camera module; 50. Drive mechanism

[0035] 60. Tensioning assembly; 61. Moving part; 70. Capacitive grid sensor

[0036] 71, fixed electrode plate 711, emitter electrode 7111, emitter plate

[0037] 713, Receiving electrode 715, Second shielding plate 73, Moving electrode plate

[0038] 731, Reflective Electrode 7311, Reflective Sheet 733, First Shielding Sheet Detailed Implementation

[0039] To facilitate understanding of this application, a more complete description will be provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings. However, this application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of this application.

[0040] As used herein, "electronic device" refers to, but is not limited to, a device capable of receiving and / or transmitting communication signals connected via any one or more of the following connection methods:

[0041] (1) Via wired connection, such as via Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), digital cable, or direct cable connection;

[0042] (2) Via wireless interface, such as cellular network, wireless local area network (WLAN), digital television network such as DVB-H network, satellite network, AM-FM broadcast transmitter.

[0043] An electronic device configured to communicate via a wireless interface can be referred to as a "mobile terminal". Examples of mobile terminals include, but are not limited to, the following electronic devices:

[0044] (1) Satellite phone or cellular phone;

[0045] (2) A personal communications system (PCS) terminal that can combine cellular radio telephone with data processing, fax and data communication capabilities;

[0046] (3) Radio telephone, pager, Internet / intranet access, web browser, notepad, calendar, personal digital assistant (PDA) equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver;

[0047] (4) Conventional above-knee and / or palm-sized receivers;

[0048] (5) Conventional knee-mounted and / or handheld wireless telephone transceivers, etc.

[0049] Please combine Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The electronic device 100 of this embodiment includes a housing assembly 10, a flexible display screen 20, and a guide 30. The housing assembly 10 has a hollow structure, and the flexible display screen 20, guide 30, etc., can all be disposed in the housing assembly 10. The electronic device 100 may also include a circuit board (not shown) and a battery (not shown), both of which can be disposed in the housing assembly 10. The circuit board may integrate the processor, power management module, storage unit, and baseband chip of the electronic device 100. The flexible display screen 20 is communicatively connected to the processor, and the battery can power the flexible display screen 20 and the electronic components on the circuit board. Of course, the electronic device 100 may also include a camera module 40, which is communicatively connected to the circuit board, and the battery can power the camera module 40. It is understood that the electronic device 100 of this application embodiment includes, but is not limited to, mobile phones, tablet computers, and other terminal devices or other portable electronic devices 100. In this application embodiment, a mobile phone is used as an example for description.

[0050] Combination Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 In this embodiment, the housing assembly 10 includes a first housing 12 and a second housing 14, which are capable of relative movement. Specifically, in this embodiment, the second housing 14 and the first housing 12 are slidably connected. In other words, the second housing 14 can slide relative to the first housing 12, thereby driving the flexible display screen 20 in and out of the housing assembly 10. For example, one of the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 may be provided with a slide rail, and the other may slide along the slide rail, so that the end of the first housing 12 away from the second housing 14 and the end of the second housing 14 away from the first housing 12 move closer to each other or move away from each other.

[0051] The second housing 14 can slide relative to the first housing 12 to a first position and a second position. (Combined) Figure 4 When the second housing 14 is in the first position, the electronic device 100 is in an unfolded state, which has a relatively large display area and can improve the user experience of the electronic device 100; when the second housing 14 is in the second position (see reference...), Figure 1When the electronic device 100 is in a folded state, it has a relatively small size and is easy to carry. It is understood that in the embodiments described below, "first position," "second position," and similar expressions refer to the relative positions of the first housing 12 and the second housing 14. For simplicity, expressions such as "the second housing 14 is in the first position" or "in the first position" mean that the second housing 14 is in the first position relative to the first housing 12, that is, the electronic device 100 is in an unfolded state; expressions such as "the second housing 14 is in the second position" or "in the second position" mean that the second housing 14 is in the second position relative to the first housing 12, that is, the electronic device 100 is in a folded state.

[0052] In this embodiment of the application, using the first position as a reference, the positions of the end of the first housing 12 furthest from the second housing 14 and the end of the second housing 14 furthest from the first housing 12 can be more clearly determined. Figure 4 For example, when the second housing 14 is in the first position, the leftmost end of the electronic device 100 in the width direction is the end of the second housing 14 that is away from the first housing 12, and the rightmost end of the electronic device 100 in the width direction is the end of the first housing 12 that is away from the second housing 14.

[0053] In this embodiment, when the second housing 14 is in the first position, the overall width of the electronic device 100 is greater than its width in the second position, so that the width dimension of the exposed flexible display screen 20 is variable. In other words, the dimension of the electronic device 100 in the width direction is variable. In this embodiment, external interfaces of the electronic device 100, such as data cable jacks, charging cable jacks, or headphone jacks, can be located at the ends in the width direction. In other embodiments, when the second housing 14 is in the first position, the overall length of the electronic device 100 is greater than its length in the second position, so that the length dimension of the exposed flexible display screen 20 is variable. In other words, the dimension of the electronic device 100 in the length direction is variable. In this embodiment, external interfaces of the electronic device 100, such as data cable jacks, charging cable jacks, or headphone jacks, can be located at the ends in the length direction.

[0054] Specifically, please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7The first housing 12 and the second housing 14 can together form a receiving space 16. It is understood that the receiving space 16 can change with the relative movement of the first housing 12 and the second housing 14. The receiving space 16 can be used to place electronic components such as the guide 30, circuit boards, and batteries. The flexible display screen 20 may include a fixed portion 20a and a free portion 20b disposed opposite to each other. The fixed portion 20a is disposed on the first housing 12 and fixed relative to the position of the first housing 12. In the second position, the flexible display screen 20 bypasses the guide 30, and the free portion 20b of the flexible display screen 20 is accommodated within the housing assembly 10, so that a portion of the flexible display screen 20 is hidden within the housing assembly 10. The portion of the flexible display screen 20 hidden within the housing assembly 10 is not used for display. In other words, in the retracted state, the free portion 20b bypasses the end of the second housing 14 furthest from the first housing 12 and extends into the housing assembly 10.

[0055] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the relatively fixed positions of the two objects mean that the two objects cannot move relative to each other under normal circumstances. The two objects with relatively fixed positions can be physically directly connected, or they can be indirectly connected through an intermediate structure. Taking the fixing part 20a and the first housing 12 as an example, the relatively fixed positions of the fixing part 20a and the first housing 12 can be achieved by the fixing part 20a being in direct contact with the first housing 12, for example, by using threaded fasteners or clamps to directly fix the fixing part 20a and the first housing 12, or by the fixing part 20a being indirectly fixed to the first housing 12 through structures such as an adhesive layer or an intermediate connecting plate.

[0056] It is understood that the fixed part 20a and the free part 20b can be distinguished in the following way: when the second housing 14 is in the second position relative to the first housing 12, that is, when the electronic device 100 is in the retracted state, the part of the flexible display screen 20 exposed on the housing assembly 10 is the fixed part 20a of the flexible display screen 20, and the part of the flexible display screen 20 housed in the housing assembly 10 can be regarded as the free part 20b.

[0057] Furthermore, the second housing 14 may include a rear cover 142, which, in the second position, covers the free portion 20b of the flexible display screen 20. The rear cover 142 may have a light-transmitting area, allowing the portion of the flexible display screen 20 housed in the housing assembly 10 to also be used for display in the second position, enabling the user to view the information displayed on the flexible display screen 20 through the light-transmitting area, thereby expanding the usage scenarios of the electronic device 100. For example, in this embodiment, the electronic device 100 does not need a front-facing camera; a rear-facing camera module 40 can be used to achieve functions such as selfies and video calls. The light-transmitting area may be made of transparent glass or formed by an opening in the rear cover 142. After the first housing 12 slides relative to the second housing 14 to the first position, at least a portion of the flexible display screen 20 housed in the housing assembly 10 is exposed. The exposed flexible display screen 20 can be used for display, giving the electronic device 100 a relatively large display area to improve the user experience.

[0058] In this embodiment, the guide 30 is disposed at the end of the second housing 14 furthest from the first housing 12. During the process of the first housing 12 switching from a second position to a first position relative to the second housing 14, the guide 30 can guide the flexible display screen 20 to deform and unfold within the second housing 14. The guide 30 can limit the bending radius of the flexible display screen 20 within a suitable range to avoid damage to the flexible display screen 20 caused by an excessively small bending radius. Of course, the guide 30 can also prevent the flexible display screen 20 from having an excessively large bending radius, resulting in an excessively large thickness of the electronic device 100. Figure 7 As shown, in some embodiments, the guide 30 may be a rotating shaft structure with protruding teeth, and the flexible display screen 20 is linked with the guide 30 through engagement or other means. When the first housing 12 slides relative to the second housing 14, the portion of the flexible display screen 20 engaged with the guide 30 moves and unfolds or retracts into the housing assembly 10 via the guide 30.

[0059] It is understood that in other embodiments, the guide 30 may also be a round shaft without teeth. During the process of the first housing 12 switching from the second position to the first position, the guide 30 expands a portion of the flexible display screen 20 that is attached to the guide 30, so that more of the flexible display screen 20 is exposed on the outside of the housing assembly 10 and is in a flat state. In this embodiment, the guide 30 is rotatably disposed on the second housing 14. During the gradual unfolding of the flexible display screen 20, the guide 30 can rotate with the movement of the flexible display screen 20 to reduce the resistance encountered by the flexible display screen 20 during unfolding and to reduce the wear of the guide 30.

[0060] In other embodiments, the guide 30 may also be fixed to the second housing 14, and the guide 30 has a smooth surface. During the unfolding of the flexible display screen 20, the guide 30 slidably contacts the flexible display screen 20 through its smooth surface. In other words, in this embodiment, the guide 30 may be integrally formed or welded to the second housing 14, and the guide 30 may be considered as part of the second housing 14. The free portion 20b of the flexible display screen 20 bypasses the end of the second housing 14 away from the first housing 12 and extends into the housing assembly 10.

[0061] During the process of the first housing 12 switching from the first position to the second position, the flexible display screen 20 can be retracted by the guide 30, that is, the portion of the flexible display screen 20 that is unfolded in the second housing 14 is retracted into the housing assembly 10. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the electronic device 100 may include a drive mechanism 50, which may be disposed within the housing assembly 10. The drive mechanism 50 may be linked with the second housing 14 or the first housing 12 to drive the second housing 14 to slide relative to the first housing 12, thereby causing the flexible display screen 20 to unfold or retract.

[0062] See Figure 8 and Figure 9 The electronic device 100 may include a tensioning component 60. The free portion 20b of the flexible display screen 20 is linked to the tensioning component 60. During the process of the second housing 14 switching from a first position to a second position, the tensioning component 60 drives the flexible display screen 20 to reset, thereby causing a portion of the flexible display screen 20 to retract into the housing component 10. The tensioning component 60 can also be used to apply tension to the free portion 20b during the extension and retraction of the flexible display screen 20 into the housing component 10, so that the flexible display screen 20 can be smoothly extended into the second housing 14 or retracted into the housing component 10. After the flexible display screen 20 is retracted into the housing component 10, the electronic device 100 can achieve a relatively small external size, thereby improving the portability of the electronic device 100.

[0063] In some embodiments, a tensioning assembly 60 is disposed within the housing assembly 10 and connected to the free portion 20b of the flexible display screen 20. The tensioning assembly 60 may include an elastic element (not shown) and a movable element 61, the movable element 61 being rotatably connected to the second housing 14. The elastic element may be a torsion spring, with one free portion connected to the second housing 14 and the other free portion connected to the movable element 61, and the torsion spring being sleeved on the movable element 61. During the switching between a first position and a second position relative to the second housing 14, the torsion spring undergoes torsional deformation and applies tension to the flexible display screen 20 through the movable element 61.

[0064] During the process of the flexible display screen 20 extending from the shell assembly 10, i.e., during the process of the second shell 14 switching from the second position to the first position, the free portion 20b of the flexible display screen 20 drives the movable member 61 to rotate relative to the second shell 14, thereby releasing the flexible display screen 20 wound around the movable member 61. The elastic member accumulates elastic potential energy, and the tension force applied by the movable member 61 to the flexible display screen 20 acts as resistance, allowing the flexible display screen 20 to unfold smoothly within the second shell 14. During the process of the flexible display screen 20 retracting from the shell assembly 10, i.e., during the process of the second shell 14 switching from the first position to the second position, the elastic member releases elastic potential energy and drives the movable member 61 to reset. The tension force applied by the movable member 61 to the flexible display screen 20 acts as power, allowing the flexible display screen 20 to smoothly retract from the shell assembly 10, so that the free portion 20b is wound around the movable member 61. In some embodiments, the tensioning member 60 may also be connected to the first shell 12.

[0065] In other embodiments, the tensioning component 60 may have other structural forms. For example, the movable member 61 and the elastic member may be omitted. The tensioning component 60 includes an elastic rope connected to the second housing 14 or the first housing 12, so that the elastic rope can apply tension to the flexible display screen 20 during the sliding of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12. Alternatively, in an embodiment where the electronic device 100 includes a drive mechanism 50, the drive mechanism 50 may be connected to the movable member 61 of the tensioning component 60. During the process of the flexible display screen 20 extending out of the housing assembly 10, the drive mechanism 50 gradually releases the flexible display screen 20 and applies tension to it, so that the flexible display screen 20 unfolds smoothly in the second housing 14. During the process of the flexible display screen 20 retracting into the housing assembly 10, the drive mechanism 50 drives the free portion 20b of the flexible display screen 20 to gradually wind around the movable member 61, so that the flexible display screen 20 smoothly retracts into the housing assembly 10. In this embodiment, the drive mechanism 50 may be a motor or a combination of a motor and a gear set.

[0066] It is understood that in embodiments where the guide 30 is a rotating shaft structure with protruding teeth and the flexible display screen 20 engages with the protruding teeth, the drive mechanism 50 can be connected to the second housing 14 and its output end can be connected to the guide 30 to drive the guide 30 to rotate and retract the free part 20b into the housing assembly 10, and cause the second housing 14 to slide to the second position. In other embodiments, the drive mechanism 50 can be connected to the first housing 12, and its output end can be connected to the movable part of the tensioning assembly 60 to drive the movable part 61 of the tensioning assembly 60 to rotate and retract the free part 20b of the flexible display screen 20 into the housing assembly 10, and cause the second housing 14 to slide to the second position.

[0067] It is understood that in this embodiment, the first position and the second position can be regarded as two extreme positions of the movement of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12. In the first position, the display area of ​​the flexible display screen 20 reaches its maximum, and under normal circumstances, the second housing 14 can no longer move away from the first housing 12. In the second position, the display area of ​​the flexible display screen 20 reaches its minimum, and under normal circumstances, the second housing 14 can no longer move towards the first housing 12. The first and second positions can be achieved by setting limiting structures on the first housing 12, the second housing 14, or the guide 30. For example, a spring can be provided on the first housing 12, and two slots can be provided on the second housing 14. In the first position, the spring engages with one of the slots, thereby positioning the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 in the first position; in the second position, the spring engages with the other slot, thereby positioning the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 in the second position.

[0068] It is understandable that multiple intermediate positions can be set between the first and second positions to achieve positioning of the first housing 12 relative to the second housing 14 in multiple positions, and to enable the flexible display screen 20 to have different display areas at different intermediate positions, thereby expanding the application scenarios of the electronic device 100. Multiple intermediate positions can also be achieved using a limiting structure, for example, by using a spring and a slot to achieve positioning of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12 in multiple intermediate positions.

[0069] refer to Figure 10 and Figure 11In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 may further include a capacitive grating sensor 70, which is disposed on the housing assembly 10 and used to detect the sliding distance of the first housing 12 relative to the second housing 14. The processor of the electronic device 100 is communicatively connected to the capacitive grating sensor 70, thereby responding to the detection result of the capacitive grating sensor 70 and adaptively adjusting the area of ​​the display area of ​​the flexible display screen 20. For example, during the process of the second housing 14 switching from a second position (i.e., a retracted state) to a first position (i.e., an unfolded state), the flexible display screen 20 housed within the housing assembly 10 gradually unfolds out of the second housing 14. The capacitive grating sensor 70 can detect the sliding distance of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12, and the processor can adjust the area of ​​the display area of ​​the flexible display screen 20 in response to the sliding distance, so that the area of ​​the display area gradually expands as the flexible display screen 20 extends. During the process of switching the electronic device 100 from the first position (i.e., the unfolded state) to the second position (i.e., the retracted state), the flexible display screen 20 unfolded in the second housing 14 is gradually retracted into the housing assembly 10. The capacitance sensor 70 can also detect the sliding distance of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12. The processor can adjust the area of ​​the display area of ​​the flexible display screen 20 in response to the sliding distance, so that the area of ​​the display area gradually shrinks as the flexible display screen 20 is retracted.

[0070] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the sliding distance of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12 can be divided into two or more distance intervals, and the processor is configured to control the area of ​​the display area of ​​the flexible display screen 20 according to the corresponding distance interval. For example, the sliding distance of the second housing 14 from the first position to the second position can be divided into three distance intervals. When the sliding distance of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12 falls into a certain distance interval, the processor adjusts the area of ​​the display area of ​​the flexible display screen 20 in response to that distance interval. In other words, in this embodiment, the flexible display screen 20 has three corresponding display areas during the switching process of the electronic device 100 from an unfolded state to a retracted state. This setting simplifies the control strategy for the display area and avoids instability caused by changes in the display area due to minor movements of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12.

[0071] It is understandable that the more detailed and refined the distance interval, the smoother the change in the display area will be during the movement of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12. Although the detection accuracy of the capacitive grating sensor 70 is limited by its resolution, it can still be further improved by combining software algorithms to make the change in the display area smoother.

[0072] refer to Figure 10 and Figure 11The capacitive grating sensor 70 includes a fixed electrode plate 71 and a moving electrode plate 73 that are parallel to each other. The fixed electrode plate 71 is connected to the first housing 12 and includes a transmitting electrode 711 and a receiving electrode 713 that are insulated from each other. The moving electrode plate 73 is connected to the second housing 14 and includes a reflecting electrode 731. When the electronic device 100 switches between a retracted state and an extended state, at least a portion of the moving electrode plate 73 covers the fixed electrode plate 71. In some embodiments, both the moving electrode plate 73 and the fixed electrode plate 71 are rectangular plates. In the retracted state, the moving electrode plate 73 covers the fixed electrode plate 71, and the two have a relatively large corresponding area; in the extended state, at least a portion of the transmitting electrode 711 covers the reflecting electrode 731. During detection, the transmitting electrode 711 and the reflecting electrode 731 of the capacitive grating sensor 70 form a capacitor, and the reflecting electrode 731 and the receiving electrode 713 form a capacitor. When the electronic device 100 switches between a retracted state and an extended state, the periodic excitation signal applied to the transmitting electrode 711 is coupled to the receiving electrode 713 by two pairs of capacitors: the transmitting electrode 711 and the reflecting electrode 731, and the reflecting electrode 731 and the receiving electrode 713. This results in a regularly changing composite signal on the receiving electrode 713. The relative movement distance between the moving electrode 73 and the fixed electrode 71 can be calculated from this regularly changing composite signal, thereby determining the sliding distance of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12, and thus controlling the display area of ​​the flexible display screen 20.

[0073] Furthermore, the emitting electrode 711 includes a plurality of emitting sheets 7111 spaced apart and insulated from each other, the plurality of emitting sheets 7111 being arranged along the sliding direction of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12. The reflecting electrode 731 includes a plurality of reflecting sheets 7311 spaced apart and insulated from each other, the plurality of reflecting sheets 7311 being arranged along the sliding direction of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12, and the spacing width between adjacent reflecting sheets 7311 is equal. In some embodiments, the emitting sheets 7111, the reflecting sheets 7311, and the receiving electrode 713 are all strip-shaped, with adjacent emitting sheets 7111 and adjacent reflecting sheets 7311 arranged in parallel.

[0074] Furthermore, a first shielding plate 733 is provided between adjacent reflectors 7311. The width of the first shielding plate 733 is equal to the width of the reflector 7311, and each reflector 7311 and its adjacent first shielding plate 733 correspond to eight transmitting plates 7111. The first shielding plate 733 is used to prevent capacitive coupling between adjacent reflectors 7311, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the capacitive grating sensor 70. In the capacitive grating sensor 70, multiple transmitting plates 7111 can be grouped, with each group containing eight transmitting plates 7111. Adjacent groups do not share transmitting plates 7111. During the operation of the capacitive grating sensor 70, eight square wave excitation voltage signals of equal amplitude, same frequency, and phase difference of π / 4 are sequentially applied to each group of transmitting plates 7111. After coupling by two pairs of capacitors, a capacitive grating voltage signal is formed on the receiving electrode 713. During the movement of the moving electrode 73 relative to the fixed electrode 71, the movement distance of the moving electrode 73 relative to the fixed electrode 71 can be calculated based on the change of the capacitive grating voltage signal.

[0075] Furthermore, the first shielding plate 733 can be grounded to simplify the circuit setup and ensure the operational reliability of the capacitive grating sensor 70. Furthermore, a second shielding plate 715 is provided between the transmitting electrode 711 and the receiving electrode 713. The second shielding plate 715 is used to prevent capacitive coupling between the transmitting electrode 711 and the receiving electrode 713, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the capacitive grating sensor 70.

[0076] In some embodiments, a recess (not shown) may be provided on the side of the first housing 12 facing away from the fixing part 20a, and the fixed electrode plate 71 is accommodated in the recess. This arrangement can improve the compactness of the internal components of the electronic device 100. Compared with the arrangement of directly stacking the fixed electrode plate 71 on the first housing 12, the recess can reduce the overall thickness, which is beneficial to the thinner and lighter design of the electronic device 100.

[0077] In some embodiments, at least one of the fixed electrode plate 71 and the moving electrode plate 73 is disposed on a flexible printed circuit board (FPC). The flexible printed circuit board has a relatively thin thickness and can be well attached to the first housing 12 or the second housing 14. Of course, in other embodiments, at least one of the fixed electrode plate 71 and the moving electrode plate 73 is disposed on a printed circuit board (PCB). The printed circuit board has relatively good structural rigidity, which can ensure the parallelism requirements between the moving electrode plate 73 and the fixed electrode plate 71, thereby improving the detection accuracy.

[0078] During the switching between the unfolded and retracted states of the aforementioned electronic device 100, the capacitive grating sensor 70, located on the housing assembly 10 and used to detect the sliding distance of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12, allows the electronic device 100 to determine the area of ​​the flexible display screen 20 extending beyond the housing assembly 10 based on the measurement results from the capacitive grating sensor 70. This allows for adaptive adjustment of the display area of ​​the flexible display screen 20. The capacitive grating sensor 70 has advantages such as simple structure, high resolution, and low power consumption. It not only improves the control accuracy of the display area of ​​the flexible display screen 20 of the electronic device 100 but also has good anti-interference performance. For example, the capacitive grating sensor 70 can effectively avoid external static and transient magnetic field interference, is less likely to interfere with surrounding circuits, and is less susceptible to factors such as temperature and drops.

[0079] Furthermore, the capacitive grating sensor 70 uses non-contact detection, so it does not increase the sliding resistance of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12 during detection, and the measurement accuracy will not decrease due to surface wear of the measuring components. Moreover, the capacitive grating sensor 70 has a significant price advantage, with a cost-performance ratio far exceeding that of similar sensors such as Hall sensors, thus reducing the component cost of the electronic device 100 while ensuring control accuracy.

[0080] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0081] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: A shell assembly, including a first shell and a second shell connected to the first shell; The flexible display screen is connected to the first housing; The second housing is used to slide relative to the first housing to switch the electronic device between a retracted state and an extended state, and to move the flexible display screen in and out of the housing assembly during the switching process; and A capacitive grating sensor is disposed on the housing assembly and is used to detect the sliding distance of the second housing relative to the first housing.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The capacitive grating sensor includes a fixed electrode plate and a moving electrode plate that are parallel to each other. The fixed electrode plate is connected to the first housing and includes a transmitting electrode and a receiving electrode that are insulated from each other. The moving electrode plate is connected to the second housing and includes a reflecting electrode. When the electronic device switches between a retracted state and an extended state, at least part of the moving electrode plate covers the fixed electrode plate.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The emitting electrode includes a plurality of emitting plates that are spaced apart and insulated from each other. The plurality of emitting plates are arranged along the sliding direction of the second housing relative to the first housing. The plurality of emitting plates are divided into multiple groups, each group containing 8 emitting plates. Adjacent groups do not share emitting plates. The reflecting electrode includes a plurality of reflecting plates that are spaced apart and insulated from each other. The plurality of reflecting plates are arranged along the sliding direction of the second housing relative to the first housing, and the spacing between adjacent reflecting plates is equal.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, characterized in that, A first shielding sheet is provided between adjacent reflectors. The width of the first shielding sheet is equal to the width of the reflector. Each reflector and its adjacent first shielding sheet correspond to the same group of 8 emitters.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first shielding plate is grounded, and a second shielding plate is provided between the transmitting electrode and the receiving electrode.

6. The electronic device according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that, The flexible display screen includes a fixed part and a free part. The fixed part is fixedly connected to the first housing. The free part bypasses the end of the second housing away from the first housing and extends into the housing assembly. A groove is formed on the side of the first housing opposite to the fixed part, and the fixed electrode plate is housed in the groove.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, characterized in that, At least one of the fixed electrode plate and the moving electrode plate is disposed on the flexible circuit board.

8. The electronic device according to claim 6, characterized in that, At least one of the fixed electrode plate and the moving electrode plate is disposed on a printed circuit board.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electronic device includes a processor communicatively connected to the capacitive sensor, the processor being configured to adjust the area of ​​the display region of the flexible display screen according to the sliding distance.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The processor is configured to control the area of ​​the display region of the flexible display screen according to the distance range into which the sliding distance falls.

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