Shaft mechanism and electronic equipment

Abstract

The present application provides a hinge mechanism and an electronic device, which relate to the technical field of electronic products. The hinge mechanism is provided with a support member in at least one of the main shaft and the connecting plate assembly. When the electronic device switches between the unfolded state and the folded state, the flexible circuit board will repeatedly contact and separate from the support member, and the flexible circuit board will be deformed at the contact portion with the support member. By configuring the support member to include a supporting body and a protective portion, the protective portion is arranged on a side surface of the supporting body facing the flexible circuit board, the protective portion at least covers the contact portion of the support member, and the side surface of the protective portion facing the flexible circuit board is an insulating wear-resistant surface. In this way, the flexible circuit board contacts the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective portion, which can prevent the surface of the flexible circuit board from being worn. In addition, the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective portion has a good insulating effect, which can prevent the flexible circuit board from short-circuiting, thereby improving the reliability and service life of the flexible circuit board.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic products, and in particular to a rotating shaft mechanism and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] Foldable electronic devices, such as foldable mobile phones or laptops, have the advantages of being easy to carry and having large screen displays, and are becoming increasingly popular among consumers.

[0003] The two main bodies of the foldable electronic device are connected by a hinge mechanism, and the relative rotation between the two main bodies is achieved through the movement of the hinge mechanism, so as to realize the switching of the foldable electronic device between the folded state and the unfolded state. In the foldable electronic device, a flexible circuit board passing through the hinge mechanism needs to be provided to realize the electrical connection between the two main bodies. When the foldable electronic device switches between the folded state and the unfolded state, the hinge mechanism moves relative to the main body, and the part of the flexible circuit board located in the hinge mechanism also moves and deforms accordingly, and the flexible circuit board repeatedly rubs against the structural parts in the hinge mechanism.

[0004] However, during the long-term use of foldable electronic devices, the surface of the flexible circuit board is easily worn by the structural components, exposing the conductive wires in the flexible circuit board, thereby causing a short circuit between the flexible circuit board and the structural components, resulting in damage to the flexible circuit board. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a hinge mechanism and an electronic device. The hinge mechanism is not easy to wear the flexible circuit board, will not cause the flexible circuit board to be damaged by short circuit, and can improve the reliability of the electronic device.

[0006] One aspect of the present application provides a rotating shaft mechanism, comprising:

[0007] Spindle;

[0008] A connecting plate assembly, movably connected to both sides of the main shaft in the width direction;

[0009] At least one of the main shaft and the connecting plate assembly includes a support member, the support member is configured to support the flexible circuit board; the support member has a contact portion, the contact portion is used to receive the deformed portion of the flexible circuit board;

[0010] The support member includes a support body and a protective part, the protective part is connected to a surface of the support body facing the flexible circuit board, the protective part at least covers the contact part, and the surface of the protective part facing the flexible circuit board is an insulating wear-resistant surface.

[0011] The shaft mechanism provided by the present application is provided with a support member in at least one of the main shaft and the connecting plate assembly, and the support member is used to support the corresponding part of the flexible circuit board. In other words, when the electronic device switches between the unfolded state and the folded state, the flexible circuit board will repeatedly contact and separate from the support member, and the support member has a contact part that contacts the flexible circuit board, and the flexible circuit board will be deformed at the contact part. By setting the support member to include a supporting body and a protective part, the supporting body is the main supporting structure of the supporting member, the protective part is arranged on the side surface of the supporting body facing the flexible circuit board, the protective part at least covers the contact part of the supporting member, and the side surface of the protective part facing the flexible circuit board is an insulating wear-resistant surface. In this way, the flexible circuit board contacts the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective part, and the friction coefficient of the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective part is small, which can prevent the surface of the flexible circuit board from being worn. In addition, the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective part has a good insulating effect, which can avoid short circuits in the flexible circuit board, improve the reliability of the flexible circuit board, and extend the service life of the electronic device.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner, when the flexible printed circuit board contacts the protective portion, the flexible printed circuit board smoothly transitions at the contact position.

[0013] When the flexible circuit board contacts the protective part of the support, the flexible circuit board is smoothly transitioned at the contact part between the flexible circuit board and the protective part, so as to avoid the flexible circuit board being excessively squeezed by the rotating shaft mechanism, thereby avoiding the flexible circuit board from being cracked or broken, so as to ensure the reliability and service life of the flexible circuit board.

[0014] In a possible implementation manner, the protection portion covers a surface of one side of the support body facing the flexible circuit board.

[0015] By making the protective part cover the surface of the support body facing the flexible circuit board, the protective part has a large coverage area and a small installation tolerance, which can ensure that the protective part effectively covers the contact part of the support member and ensures that the flexible circuit board is in contact with the protective part. In addition, the contact area between the protective part and the support body is large, which can enhance the connection strength between the protective part and the support body and improve the integrity and reliability of the support member.

[0016] In a possible implementation manner, the protection portion includes a metal substrate and an insulating lubricating coating, and the insulating lubricating coating at least covers a surface of the metal substrate facing the flexible circuit board.

[0017] By setting a metal substrate as the main structure of the protective part, the metal substrate has a high structural strength, which can meet the structural strength requirements of the protective part and reduce the thickness of the protective part. In addition, the overall thickness of the support member is reduced, and the overall thickness of the rotating shaft mechanism is reduced. By covering the surface of the metal substrate facing the flexible circuit board with an insulating lubricating coating, an insulating wear-resistant surface is formed on the surface of the protective part facing the flexible circuit board. This can prevent the surface of the flexible circuit board from being worn, avoid short circuits in the flexible circuit board, and reduce the risk of the flexible circuit board being burned out.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the insulating lubricating coating covers the outer surface of the metal substrate.

[0019] By making the insulating lubricating coating cover the entire outer surface of the metal substrate, it is convenient to spray the insulating lubricating coating on the outer surface of the metal substrate. In addition, when the metal substrate is a symmetrical structure, it is not necessary to position the metal substrate, which can improve the installation efficiency and installation accuracy of the protective part.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the insulating lubricating coating includes one of a polyimide coating, a polytetrafluoroethylene coating, a polyphenylene sulfide coating, and a polyetheretherketone coating.

[0021] By using these polymer coatings as insulating lubricating coatings, these polymer coatings have low friction damping and are easy to plastically deform, which can increase the contact area with the metal substrate and relieve stress concentration. In addition, these polymer coatings have good corrosion resistance and shock absorption functions, which can avoid the occurrence of corrosive wear and impact wear. In addition, these polymer coatings have good stability and high reliability.

[0022] In a possible implementation manner, the thickness of the smallest portion of the metal substrate is greater than or equal to 0.2 mm.

[0023] By making the thickness of the smallest part of the metal matrix greater than or equal to 0.2 mm, the metal matrix can meet the requirements of metal die-casting, ensuring that the metal matrix can be manufactured and formed, and ensuring the reliability of the metal matrix.

[0024] In a possible implementation manner, the protective portion includes a plastic matrix.

[0025] By setting the plastic matrix as the main structure of the protective part, the friction coefficient of the plastic matrix is ​​small and the wear resistance is good. In addition, the plastic matrix can be insulated, and there is no need to spray or other surface treatment on the plastic matrix, which can save the production cost of the protective part. In addition, the weight of the plastic matrix is ​​small, which can reduce the weight of the support.

[0026] In a possible implementation manner, the thickness of the smallest portion of the plastic substrate is greater than or equal to 0.3 mm.

[0027] By making the thickness of the smallest part of the plastic matrix greater than or equal to 0.3 mm, the plastic matrix meets the injection molding requirements, ensuring that the plastic matrix can be manufactured and formed, and ensuring the reliability of the plastic matrix.

[0028] In a possible implementation manner, the protection portion further includes an insulating lubricating coating, and the insulating lubricating coating at least covers a surface of one side of the plastic substrate facing the flexible circuit board.

[0029] By providing an insulating lubricating coating on the surface of the plastic substrate so that the insulating lubricating coating covers at least one surface of the plastic substrate facing the flexible circuit board, the friction coefficient of the protective part can be further reduced, the lubrication and wear resistance of the protective part can be enhanced, and the protective part can be prevented from wearing the flexible circuit board.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the insulating lubricating coating covers the outer surface of the plastic substrate.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the insulating lubricating coating includes one of a polyimide coating, a polytetrafluoroethylene coating, a polyphenylene sulfide coating, and a polyetheretherketone coating.

[0032] Another aspect of the present application provides an electronic device, comprising a first housing, a second housing, a folding screen and the aforementioned hinge mechanism, wherein the first housing and the second housing are respectively connected to two sides of the hinge mechanism;

[0033] The folding screen includes a first non-bending portion, a bendable portion and a second non-bending portion which are arranged in sequence. The first non-bending portion and the second non-bending portion are respectively attached to the first shell and the second shell, and the bendable portion is supported by the rotating shaft mechanism.

[0034] The electronic device provided by the present application includes a first shell, a second shell, a folding screen and a hinge mechanism, wherein the hinge mechanism is movably connected between the first shell and the second shell, the first non-bending portion and the second non-bending portion of the folding screen are respectively attached to the first shell and the second shell, and the bendable portion of the folding screen is supported by the hinge mechanism. The hinge mechanism is provided by arranging a support member in at least one of the main shaft and the connecting plate assembly, and the support member is used to support the corresponding part of the flexible circuit board. In other words, when the electronic device switches between the unfolded state and the folded state, the flexible circuit board will repeatedly contact and separate from the support member, and the support member has a contact portion that contacts the flexible circuit board, and the flexible circuit board will deform at the contact portion. By arranging the support member to include a supporting body and a protective portion, the supporting body is the main supporting structure of the supporting member, the protective portion is arranged on a side surface of the supporting body facing the flexible circuit board, the protective portion at least covers the contact portion of the supporting member, and the side surface of the protective portion facing the flexible circuit board is an insulating wear-resistant surface. In this way, the flexible circuit board contacts the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective portion, and the friction coefficient of the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective portion is small, which can prevent the surface of the flexible circuit board from being worn. In addition, the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective part has a good insulating effect, which can prevent the flexible circuit board from short circuiting, improve the reliability of the flexible circuit board, and extend the service life of the electronic equipment.

[0035] In a possible implementation, when the electronic device is in a folded state, the first shell and the second shell are relatively stacked, and the folding screen is located between the first shell and the second shell;

[0036] The support member is a shaft cover of the main shaft, and the contact parts are two ends of the support member in the width direction.

[0037] When the electronic device is an inward-folding electronic device, the flexible circuit board repeatedly contacts and rubs against both ends of the shaft cover of the main shaft in the width direction. At this time, the support member can be used as the shaft cover of the main shaft, and the supporting body can be the main supporting structure of the shaft cover. By covering the protective part at least at both ends of the width direction of the supporting body, the flexible circuit board contacts the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective part. The surface of the flexible circuit board can be prevented from being worn, and the short circuit between the flexible circuit board and the protective part can be avoided, so as to improve the reliability of the flexible circuit board and extend the service life of the flexible circuit board.

[0038] In a possible implementation manner, the orthographic projection of the protection portion on the support body is located within the coverage area of ​​the support body;

[0039] Furthermore, a distance between an edge of the protection portion and a corresponding edge of the support body is less than or equal to a limit bending radius of the flexible circuit board.

[0040] By making the orthographic projection of the protection part on the support body within the coverage area of ​​the support body, the protection part is prevented from protruding beyond the support body, and the protection part is prevented from interfering with the housing assembly, so as to prevent the protection part from affecting the appearance of the shaft cover. In addition, by making the distance between the edge of the protection part and the corresponding edge of the support body less than or equal to the limit bending radius of the flexible circuit board, it can be ensured that the flexible circuit board will not contact the support body, avoid the flexible circuit board being worn by the support body, and avoid the flexible circuit board and the support body from being short-circuited, so as to ensure the reliability and service life of the flexible circuit board.

[0041] In a possible implementation, when the electronic device is in the unfolded state, the distance between the contact portion of the support member and the connecting plate assembly is a preset distance, and the difference between the preset distance and the thickness of the flexible circuit board is greater than or equal to 0.3 mm.

[0042] By controlling the difference between the preset distance between the contact part of the support member and the connecting plate assembly and the thickness of the flexible circuit board to be greater than or equal to 0.3 mm, the flexible circuit board can move and deform smoothly with the movement of the hinge mechanism, thereby preventing the flexible circuit board from being stuck, worn or broken.

[0043] In a possible implementation, when the electronic device is in a folded state, the first shell and the second shell are relatively stacked, and the folding screen is surrounded by the first shell and the second shell;

[0044] Wherein, the support member includes a first support member, and the first support member is located on the connecting plate assembly.

[0045] When the electronic device is an outward folding electronic device, the flexible circuit board repeatedly contacts and rubs with the connecting plate assembly. At this time, by setting the first support member as a structural member in the connecting plate assembly that repeatedly contacts and rubs with the flexible circuit board, during the long-term use of the electronic device, the flexible circuit board contacts the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective part in the first support member. This can prevent the surface of the flexible circuit board from being worn, avoid short circuit between the flexible circuit board and the protective part, thereby improving the reliability of the flexible circuit board and extending the service life of the flexible circuit board.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the connection plate assembly includes an inner connection plate and an outer connection plate sequentially connected to the side of the main shaft, the first support member is the inner connection plate, and the contact portion is away from the first end of the inner connection plate and close to the second end of the inner connection plate;

[0047] The first end of the inner connecting plate is an end of the inner connecting plate close to the main shaft, and the second end of the inner connecting plate is an end of the inner connecting plate away from the main shaft.

[0048] By sequentially connecting the inner connecting plate and the outer connecting plate on the side of the main shaft, the plane workpiece occupied by the connecting plate assembly is large, and the bendable part can be supported stably. In addition, the inner connecting plate and the outer connecting plate can move relative to each other, and the posture of the connecting plate assembly is more flexible, which can meet the bending requirements of the bendable part. At this time, it is mainly the part of the inner connecting plate that is away from its first end and close to its second end that repeatedly contacts and rubs with the flexible circuit board, and this part is the contact part of the inner connecting plate. Therefore, by using the first support member as the inner connecting plate, the protective part at least covers the contact part of the inner connecting plate, so that the flexible circuit board contacts the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective part. The surface of the flexible circuit board can be prevented from being worn, and the short circuit between the flexible circuit board and the protective part can be avoided, so as to improve the reliability of the flexible circuit board and extend the service life of the flexible circuit board.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the hinge mechanism further includes a decorative plate, which is movably connected to both sides of the main shaft in the width direction, and the decorative plate is located on the side of the main shaft away from the folding screen.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the support member further includes a second support member, the second support member is a decorative plate, and the contact portion is close to the first end of the decorative plate and away from the second end of the decorative plate;

[0051] The first end of the decorative plate is an end of the decorative plate close to the main axis, and the second end of the decorative plate is an end of the decorative plate away from the main axis.

[0052] When the electronic device is an outward folding electronic device, the flexible circuit board may also repeatedly contact and rub against the decorative plate. Mainly, the portion of the decorative plate close to its first end and away from its second end repeatedly contacts and rubs against the flexible circuit board, and this portion is the contact portion of the decorative plate. Therefore, by using the second support member as a decorative plate, the protective portion at least covers the contact portion of the decorative plate, so that the flexible circuit board contacts the insulating and wear-resistant surface of the protective portion. This can prevent the surface of the flexible circuit board from being worn, and avoid short circuits between the flexible circuit board and the protective portion, so as to improve the reliability of the flexible circuit board and extend the service life of the flexible circuit board. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application when in an unfolded state;

[0054] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device shown in the folded state;

[0055] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device in a semi-expanded state;

[0056] Figure 4A schematic diagram of the exploded structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of an electronic device;

[0058] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the electronic device along line AA;

[0059] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the movement of an electronic device;

[0060] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a flexible printed circuit board being burned out due to a short circuit at the rotating shaft mechanism;

[0061] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of another electronic device;

[0062] Fig.10 for Fig. 9 A partial cross-sectional view of the electronic device along line BB;

[0063] Fig.11 is a partial structural diagram of a third electronic device in an unfolded state;

[0064] Fig.12 for Fig.11 A partial structural diagram of an electronic device in a folded state;

[0065] Fig.13 A partial structural diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application when in an unfolded state;

[0066] Fig.14 for Fig.13 A partial structural diagram of an electronic device in a folded state;

[0067] Fig.15 for Fig.13 The local enlarged structure diagram at A in the middle;

[0068] Fig.16 A partial structural diagram of another electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present application when in an unfolded state;

[0069] Fig.17 for Fig.16 A partial structural diagram of an electronic device in a folded state.

[0070] Description of reference numerals:

[0071] 10-Electronic equipment;

[0072] 100-display screen; 100a-folding screen; 100b-bar screen; 200-housing assembly; 300-flexible circuit board;

[0073] 101-first non-bending portion; 102-bending portion; 103-second non-bending portion; 210-first housing; 220-second housing; 230-rotating shaft mechanism;

[0074] 201-middle frame; 202-back cover; 211-first circuit board; 212-first battery; 221-second circuit board; 222-second battery; 231-main shaft; 232-connecting plate assembly; 233-decorative plate; 234-support member;

[0075] 2311-shaft cover; 2312-support seat; 2313-base plate; 2314-cover plate; 2321-connecting plate; 2322-inner connecting plate; 2323-outer connecting plate; 2341-support body; 2342-protection part;

[0076] a-contact point; b-contact part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0077] The terms used in the implementation section of this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0078] The embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which may be a foldable electronic device. Furthermore, the electronic device may be a consumer electronic product. Exemplarily, the electronic device includes, but is not limited to, a foldable mobile phone, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a netbook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer, a multimedia player, an e-book reader, a vehicle-mounted device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, or a wearable device and other foldable electronic products. Among them, the wearable device includes, but is not limited to, a smart bracelet, a smart watch, a smart head-mounted display, smart glasses, etc.

[0079] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application when in an unfolded state. Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device shown is in a folded state. Figure 3 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device in a semi-expanded state.

[0080] Reference Figures 1 to 3As shown, this embodiment is described by taking the electronic device 10 as a foldable mobile phone as an example.

[0081] For the electronic device 10, in different usage scenarios, the electronic device 10 may have different usage states. Figure 1 The electronic device 10 is shown in an unfolded state, and the unfolding angle α of the electronic device 10 is, for example, 180°. At this time, the electronic device 10 can realize a large-screen display; Figure 2 The electronic device 10 is shown in a folded state. At this time, the electronic device 10 is small in size and easy to carry. Figure 3 The electronic device 10 is shown in a semi-expanded state. At this time, the electronic device 10 is suspended at an angle between the expanded state and the folded state. Exemplarily, the suspension angle β of the electronic device 10 may be 120°, 130°, 140° or 150°, etc.

[0082] It should be noted that the angles described in this embodiment are allowed to have a slight deviation. Figure 1 The unfolding angle α of the electronic device 10 shown is 180°, which means that the unfolding angle α may be 180°, or approximately 180°, such as 170°, 175°, 185° or 190°, etc. The angles described below by way of example may be understood in the same way.

[0083] in addition, Figures 1 to 3 The electronic device 10 shown in FIG. 1 is an electronic device 10 that can be folded once, and the electronic device 10 includes two parts that can rotate relative to each other. When the two parts rotate to coplanar, the electronic device 10 is in an unfolded state (eg, Figure 1 When the two parts are rotated to overlap each other, the electronic device 10 is in a folded state (as shown); Figure 2 When the two parts rotate to a certain angle between the unfolded state and the folded state, the electronic device 10 is in a semi-expanded state (as shown); Figure 3 as shown).

[0084] In other embodiments, the electronic device 10 may also be an electronic device that can be folded more than twice. In this case, the electronic device 10 may include multiple parts that are rotated and connected in sequence. Two adjacent parts can be relatively far apart to be unfolded to an unfolded state, and two adjacent parts can be relatively close to be folded to a folded state.

[0085] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4As shown, the electronic device 10 includes a display screen 100 and a housing assembly 200. One side surface of the display screen 100 is used to display image information, and the side surface of the display screen 100 is usually defined as its front side, and the other side surface opposite to the front side is its back side. The housing assembly 200 is arranged around the side and back side of the display screen 100 to support and fix the display screen 100 and provide protection. The front side of the display screen 100 is exposed outside the housing assembly 200, so that the user can view the content displayed on the display screen 100 or perform input operations on the electronic device 10.

[0086] The display screen 100 of the electronic device 10 may include a folding screen 100a, and the folding screen 100a may include a first non-bending portion 101, a bendable portion 102, and a second non-bending portion 103 arranged in sequence along a first direction, or in other words, in the first direction, the bendable portion 102 is located between the first non-bending portion 101 and the second non-bending portion 103. The folding method of the electronic device 10 may be: Figures 1 to 3 In the horizontal fold shown in FIG, the first direction can be Figure 4 Of course, the electronic device 10 can also be folded vertically, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0087] For example, the foldable screen 100a may be made of a flexible material so that the bendable portion 102 is bendable. The foldable screen 100a may be an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display screen.

[0088] The housing assembly 200 is used to support and fix the folding screen 100a, and drive the folding screen 100a to switch between the folded state and the unfolded state. Figure 4 As shown, the shell assembly 200 includes a first shell 210, a second shell 220 and a hinge mechanism 230. The hinge mechanism 230 is connected between the first shell 210 and the second shell 220. The first shell 210 and the second shell 220 are rotatably connected through the hinge mechanism 230, thereby realizing relative rotation between the first shell 210 and the second shell 220.

[0089] The first shell 210 supports and fixes the first non-bending portion 101 of the folding screen 100a, and the second shell 220 supports and fixes the second non-bending portion 103 of the folding screen 100a. In other words, the first non-bending portion 101 of the folding screen 100a is fixedly connected to the first shell 210, and the second non-bending portion 103 of the folding screen 100a is fixedly connected to the second shell 220, and the bendable portion 102 of the folding screen 100a is arranged corresponding to the hinge mechanism 230.

[0090] During use of the electronic device 10, the first non-bending portion 101 and the second non-bending portion 103 of the folding screen 100a always remain in a planar state, while the bendable portion 102 of the folding screen 100a can be bent. When the hinge mechanism 230 drives the first shell 210 and the second shell 220 to rotate relative to each other, the first non-bending portion 101 and the second non-bending portion 103 of the folding screen 100a change their orientations accordingly, and the bendable portion 102 of the folding screen 100a bends or flattens as the orientations of the first non-bending portion 101 and the second non-bending portion 103 change.

[0091] The first shell 210 and the second shell 220 can be rotated in a direction away from each other until they are coplanar. At this time, the shell assembly 200 is in an unfolded state, and the folding screen 100a is in an unfolded state as the shell assembly 200 is unfolded. Figure 1 The first shell 210 and the second shell 220 can also rotate in a direction close to each other until they are relatively stacked. At this time, the shell assembly 200 is in a folded state, and the folding screen 100a is in a folded state along with the folding of the shell assembly 200. Figure 2 It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the electronic device 10 is an inward-folding electronic device as an example. When the electronic device 10 is in a folded state, the first non-bending portion 101 and the second non-bending portion 103 of the folding screen 100a are relatively fitted, and the housing assembly 200 is arranged outside the folding screen 100a, and the folding screen 100a is located between the first housing 210 and the second housing 220. In this way, when the inward-folding electronic device is in a folded state, the housing assembly 200 can provide protection for the folding screen 100a to prevent the folding screen 100a from being scratched by hard objects.

[0092] Reference Figure 2 or Figure 3 As shown, if the inward-folding electronic device needs to realize the display function in the folded state, a straight screen 100b can be added to the back of the shell, and the electronic device 10 relies on the straight screen 100b to realize the display function in the folded state. In other words, the inward-folding electronic device may include a folding screen 100a and a straight screen 100b. The folding screen 100a can be mounted on the front of the shell assembly 200. With the movement of the shell assembly 200, the folding screen 100a can switch between the unfolded state and the folded state. When the electronic device 10 is in the folded state, the folding screen 100a is not visible to the outside. The straight screen 100b can be mounted on the back of the shell assembly 200, and the straight screen 100b is displayed when the electronic device 10 is in the folded state.

[0093] In other examples, the electronic device 10 may also be an external folding electronic device. When the electronic device 10 is in the folded state, the first non-bending portion 101 and the second non-bending portion 103 of the folding screen 100a are opposite to each other, and the housing assembly 200 is located between the first non-bending portion 101 and the second non-bending portion 103. In other words, when the external folding electronic device is in the folded state, the folding screen 100a is surrounded by the first housing 210 and the second housing 220, and the folding screen 100a is visible to the user, and the folding screen 100a can be used to realize the display function. Therefore, there is no need to add an additional straight screen 100b on the back of the housing in order to realize the display function of the electronic device 10 in the folded state.

[0094] In addition, in some embodiments, the electronic device 10, especially the inward folding electronic device, can be suspended at a certain angle between the unfolded state and the folded state. For example, the hovering angle of the electronic device 10 can be 120°, 130°, 140° or 150°, etc. Among them, the housing assembly 200 can be suspended in a semi-expanded state between the folded state and the unfolded state by relying on the damping force provided by the housing assembly 200, and the folding screen 100a stays in the semi-expanded state with the housing assembly 200. At this time, the bendable portion 102 of the folding screen 100a is also in a bent state, and the bending degree of the bendable portion 102 is less than the bending degree when it is in the folded state, and the first non-bending portion 101 and the second non-bending portion 103 of the folding screen 100a are relatively inclined, and the angle between the first non-bending portion 101 and the second non-bending portion 103 is, for example, 120°, 130°, 140° or 150°, etc.

[0095] Continue to refer to Figure 4 In the housing assembly 200 of the foldable electronic device, the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 may both include a middle frame 201, and the first non-bending portion 101 and the second non-bending portion 103 of the foldable screen 100a may be supported on the front of the corresponding middle frame 201. For an external foldable electronic device or an internal foldable electronic device without an additional straight screen 100b, the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 of the electronic device 1 may both further include a back cover 202, and the back cover 202 is connected to a side surface of the middle frame 201 away from the foldable screen 100a; for an internal foldable electronic device with an additional straight screen 100b, one of the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 may not include the back cover 202, but may install the straight screen 100b on the back of the middle frame 201 instead.

[0096] In the first housing 210 and the second housing 220, the middle frame 201 and the back cover 202 (or the straight screen 100b) together form a receiving cavity, and some functional components (not shown in the figure) of the electronic device 10 are installed in the receiving cavity. For example, components such as circuit boards, batteries, camera modules, microphones, and speakers are installed in the receiving cavity.

[0097] As mentioned above, the electronic device 10 may include an inward folding electronic device and an outward folding electronic device. Among them, the inward folding electronic device may include a horizontally folding electronic device and a vertically folding electronic device. As the name implies, the horizontally folding electronic device 10 is unfolded or folded in the horizontal direction, and the vertically folding electronic device 10 is unfolded or folded in the vertical direction.

[0098] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of an electronic device. Figure 6 for Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the electronic device along line AA in FIG. Figure 5 or Figure 6 As shown in the figure, the electronic device 10 is an inward folding electronic device as an example, and specifically the electronic device 10 is a horizontally folding electronic device as an example. Figure 5 The electronic device 10 is rotated laterally in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure to unfold or fold the electronic device 10.

[0099] Reference Figure 5 or Figure 6 As shown, in the horizontally folded electronic device 10, the first housing 210, the hinge mechanism 230 and the second housing 220 are arranged along Figure 5 . The X direction shown in is arranged sequentially. Circuit boards may be arranged in both the first housing 210 and the second housing 220. The circuit board arranged in the first housing 210 may include a first circuit board 211. The first circuit board 211 is, for example, the most important circuit board in the electronic device 10. The first circuit board 211 may be provided with system-on-a-chip (SOC), memory, radio frequency devices, power chips and other devices. The circuit board arranged in the second housing 220 may include a second circuit board 221. For example, radio frequency devices, power chips and other devices may be provided on the second circuit board 221. Devices that cannot be integrated into the first circuit board 211 may be integrated into the second circuit board 221.

[0100] Batteries may also be disposed in both the first housing 210 and the second housing 220. For example, a first battery 212 is disposed in the first housing 210, and a second battery 222 is disposed in the second housing 220. By disposing two batteries, the total capacity of the batteries disposed in the housing assembly 200 is increased, ensuring that the requirements of the electronic device 10 can be met. In addition, by disposing the two batteries in the first housing 210 and the second housing 220, respectively, the weight of the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 is more balanced, thereby improving the user experience of the electronic device 10.

[0101] As for other components such as the camera module, microphone, speaker, etc., they can be centrally arranged in the first shell 210 or the second shell 220, or some components can be arranged in the first shell 210 and some components can be arranged in the second shell 220.

[0102] Continue to refer to Figure 5 or Figure 6 Since there is a relative movement between the first shell 210 and the second shell 220, in order to realize the electrical connection between the first shell 210 and the second shell 220, it is usually necessary to set a flexible circuit board 300 passing through the hinge mechanism 230 to connect the components in the first shell 210 and the components in the second shell 220. For example, one end of the flexible circuit board 300 is connected to the first circuit board 211 in the first shell 210, and the other end of the flexible circuit board 300 is connected to the second circuit board 221 in the second shell 220. All other components in the first shell 210 are electrically connected to the first circuit board 211, and all other components in the second shell 220 are electrically connected to the second circuit board 221, so as to realize the electrical connection between the components.

[0103] Among them, the flexible printed circuit 300 (Flexible Printed Circuit, FPC for short) is a printed circuit board with high reliability and excellent flexibility made of polyimide or polyester film as a substrate. The flexible printed circuit 300 has the advantages of high wiring density, light weight, thin thickness, good bending performance, etc., and is suitable for passing through the rotating shaft mechanism 230 to connect the device in the first shell 210 and the device in the second shell 220. The flexible printed circuit 300 passing through the rotating shaft mechanism 230 can be called a through-shaft FPC.

[0104] Reference Figure 6 As shown, the rotating shaft mechanism 230 may include a main shaft 231 and a connecting plate assembly 232. The main shaft 231 extends along the extending direction of the side edges of the first shell 210 and the second shell 220 facing each other ( Figure 5 The connecting plate assemblies 232 are movably connected to both sides of the main shaft 231. The connecting plate assemblies 232 on both sides of the main shaft 231 are respectively connected to the first shell 210 and the second shell 220. For example, the connecting plate assemblies 232 on both sides of the main shaft 231 are respectively connected to the middle frame 201 of the first shell 210 and the middle frame 201 of the second shell 220. The connecting plate assemblies 232 on both sides of the main shaft 231 move relative to the main shaft 231, driving the first shell 210 and the second shell 220 to move relative to each other, thereby realizing the switching of the electronic device 10 between the unfolded state and the folded state.

[0105] The main shaft 231 is the main supporting structure of the rotating shaft mechanism 230, which is equivalent to the rotating shaft of the first shell 210 and the second shell 220. The first shell 210 and the second shell 220 rotate relative to the main shaft 231. The first shell 210 and the second shell 220 are connected to both sides of the main shaft 231 through the connecting plate assembly 232. The connecting plate assembly 232 moves relative to the main shaft 231 to realize the switching of the rotating shaft structure between the unfolded state and the folded state, thereby driving the electronic device 10 to unfold and fold.

[0106] In the process of the movement of the rotating shaft mechanism 230, the main shaft 231 can be considered to be fixed, and the part of the flexible circuit board 300 corresponding to the main shaft 231 can be fixedly connected to the main shaft 231. In the process of the electronic device 10 switching between the unfolded state and the folded state, the flexible circuit board 300 will move with the movement of the electronic device 10, and the flexible circuit board 300 will be deformed. For example, the flexible circuit board 300 changes between the bent state and the unfolded state.

[0107] During the long-term use of the electronic device 10, the flexible circuit board 300 repeatedly contacts with one (or some) structural parts in the rotating shaft mechanism 230, and rubs repeatedly at the contact position. In order to ensure the structural strength of the rotating shaft mechanism 230, many structural parts in the rotating shaft mechanism 230 are made of metal. When the structural parts that the flexible circuit board 300 contacts and rubs are metal parts, since the surface of the metal structural parts is relatively rough, the flexible circuit board 300 repeatedly contacts and rubs with the structural parts for a long time, which easily causes the flexible circuit board 300 to be scratched and worn.

[0108] When the surface layer (e.g., polyimide layer) of the flexible circuit board 300 is worn, the metal wire (e.g., copper wire) inside the flexible circuit board 300 is exposed and contacts the structural parts, which may cause a short circuit with the metal structural parts. Since a large current (e.g., the current of battery charging) needs to pass through the flexible circuit board 300, if a short circuit occurs in the flexible circuit board 300, there is a risk that the flexible circuit board 300 will be burned out.

[0109] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the movement of an electronic device. Figure 7 As shown in the figure, the local structure of the electronic device 10 at the location of the hinge mechanism 230 is shown, and the electronic device 10 is shown moving to different positions. The electronic device 10 can be gradually transformed from the folded state to the unfolded state in the manner shown by the arrows in the figure.

[0110] Figure 7In the example, the electronic device 10 is an inward-folding electronic device, and specifically the electronic device 10 is a horizontally folding electronic device 10. The main shaft 231 of the hinge mechanism 230 may include a shaft cover 2311 and a support seat 2312. The shaft cover 2311 is located on the side of the hinge mechanism 230 away from the folding screen 100a. For example, the shaft cover 2311 can be arranged close to the back cover 202 of the housing assembly 200. The support seat 2312 is arranged on the side of the shaft cover 2311 close to the folding screen 100a. The support seat 2312 can be bonded to the shaft cover 2311 or integrally formed on the shaft cover 2311 by injection molding. Alternatively, the support seat 2312 can be locked on the shaft cover 2311 by fasteners such as screws and rivets.

[0111] Taking the connecting plate assembly 232 on one side of the main shaft 231 as an example, the connecting plate assembly 232 may include at least one connecting plate 2321, and the connecting plate 2321 is movably connected to the main shaft 231. The connecting plate 2321 may be movably connected to the support seat 2312. Exemplarily, the connecting plate assembly 232 includes a connecting plate 2321, the length direction of which is ( Figure 5 The two ends of the connecting plate assembly 232 (in the Y direction) may extend to the two ends of the length direction of the main shaft 231. Alternatively, the connecting plate assembly 232 may include a plurality of connecting plates 2321, and the plurality of connecting plates 2321 may be arranged at intervals along the length direction of the main shaft 231.

[0112] When the electronic device 10 is in the unfolded state, the housing assembly 200 can be shielded outside the shaft cover 2311, for example, the back cover 202 of the first housing 210 and the back cover 202 of the second housing 220 are shielded on both sides of the shaft cover 2311 respectively. When the electronic device 10 is in the folded state, the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 move relative to each other until they are stacked, the housing assembly 200 is located on the side of the shaft cover 2311, and the side surface of the shaft cover 2311 away from the folding screen 100a is exposed outside the housing assembly 200, forming a part of the appearance surface of the electronic device 10. In this regard, the shaft cover 2311 is usually made of metal material, or in other words, the shaft cover 2311 is a metal part, so that the shaft cover 2311 and the housing assembly 200 maintain the same texture and color, and ensure that the main shaft 231 has sufficient structural strength to ensure that the stability and reliability requirements of the electronic device 10 are met.

[0113] When the flexible circuit board 300 is used in an inward-folding electronic device, the flexible circuit board 300 can be arranged between the shaft cover 2311 and the support seat 2312. In other words, the portion of the flexible circuit board 300 passing through the main shaft 231 is located between the shaft cover 2311 and the support seat 2312. Exemplarily, the flexible circuit board 300 is clamped between the shaft cover 2311 and the support seat 2312, and the portion of the flexible circuit board 300 passing through the main shaft 231 can also be fixed by bonding or magnetic adsorption.

[0114] Continue to refer to Figure 7 As shown, since the flexible circuit board 300 is fixed between the shaft cover 2311 and the support seat 2312, when the electronic device 10 switches between the unfolded state and the folded state, the portion of the flexible circuit board 300 between the shaft cover 2311 and the support seat 2312 does not deform, and the flexible circuit board 300 and the ends of the shaft cover 2311 in the width direction repeatedly contact and separate. Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 The diagram shows the situation that the flexible circuit board 300 is short-circuited and burnt out at the rotating shaft mechanism 230. Since the surface of the metal shaft cover 2311 is relatively rough, and the edges of the shaft cover 2311 often have edges and processing burrs, the flexible circuit board 300 is repeatedly in contact and friction with the two ends of the shaft cover 2311 for a long time, which easily causes the surface layer of the flexible circuit board 300 at the contact point a (contacting with the two ends of the shaft cover 2311) to be worn, exposing the metal wires in the flexible circuit board 300. In turn, the flexible circuit board 300 is short-circuited with the metal shaft cover 2311 at this position and burnt out (shown by a dotted circle in the figure).

[0115] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of another electronic device. Fig.10 for Fig. 9 A partial cross-sectional view of the electronic device along line BB. Fig. 9 or Fig.10 As shown in the figure, the electronic device 10 is an inward folding electronic device as an example, and specifically the electronic device 10 is a vertically folded electronic device 10 as an example. Fig. 9 The electronic device 10 is rotated vertically in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure to unfold or fold the electronic device 10.

[0116] Reference Fig. 9 or Fig.10 As shown, unlike the horizontally foldable electronic device 10, in the vertically foldable electronic device 10, the first housing 210, the hinge mechanism 230 and the second housing 220 are arranged along the Fig. 9 The Y direction shown in is set sequentially.

[0117] Similar to the horizontally foldable electronic device 10, in the vertically foldable electronic device 10, a circuit board may be provided in both the first housing 210 and the second housing 220. The circuit board provided in the first housing 210 may include a first circuit board 211, which is, for example, the most important circuit board in the electronic device 10. The circuit board provided in the second housing 220 may include a second circuit board 221, and devices that cannot be integrated into the first circuit board 211 may be integrated into the second circuit board 221. Batteries may also be provided in both the first housing 210 and the second housing 220, for example, a first battery 212 is provided in the first housing 210, and a second battery 222 is provided in the second housing 220. As for other devices such as a camera module, a microphone, and a speaker, they may be centrally provided in the first housing 210 or the second housing 220, or some devices may be provided in the first housing 210 and some devices may be provided in the second housing 220.

[0118] The flexible circuit board 300 passes through the hinge mechanism 230 to connect the components in the first housing 210 and the components in the second housing 220. For example, one end of the flexible circuit board 300 is connected to the first circuit board 211 in the first housing 210, and the other end of the flexible circuit board 300 is connected to the second circuit board 221 in the second housing 220. This will not be described in detail here.

[0119] Reference Fig.10 As shown, the rotating shaft mechanism 230 may include a main shaft 231 and a connecting plate assembly 232. The main shaft 231 extends along the extending direction of the side edges of the first shell 210 and the second shell 220 facing each other ( Fig. 9 The connecting plate assembly 232 is movably connected to both sides of the main shaft 231. The connecting plate assemblies 232 on both sides of the main shaft 231 are respectively connected to the first shell 210 and the second shell 220. For example, the connecting plate assemblies 232 on both sides of the main shaft 231 are respectively connected to the middle frame 201 of the first shell 210 and the middle frame 201 of the second shell 220. In addition, the main shaft 231 of the rotating shaft mechanism 230 may include a shaft cover 2311 and a support seat 2312, the connecting plate assembly 232 may include at least one connecting plate 2321 arranged along the extension direction of the main shaft 231, and the flexible circuit board 300 may be arranged between the shaft cover 2311 and the support seat 2312. No further details are given here.

[0120] Compared with the horizontally foldable electronic device 10, the vertically foldable electronic device 10 has a lower requirement for thickness, and it is sufficient that the electronic device 10 has a suitable thickness in the unfolded state. Therefore, the thickness of the first shell 210 and the second shell 220 can be relatively large, and the thickness of the hinge mechanism 230 can also be relatively large. Among them, the thickness of the main shaft 231 of the hinge mechanism 230 can be relatively large. Exemplarily, the main shaft 231 can be designed as a hollow structure similar to an inverted bowl.

[0121] Similar to the horizontally foldable electronic device 10, in the vertically foldable electronic device 10, the flexible circuit board 300 is repeatedly in contact and friction with the two ends of the shaft cover 2311 for a long time, which easily causes the surface layer of the flexible circuit board 300 at the contact point a (contacting the two ends of the shaft cover 2311) to be worn, exposing the metal wires in the flexible circuit board 300. In turn, the flexible circuit board 300 is short-circuited with the metal shaft cover 2311 at this position and is burned out.

[0122] Fig.11 This is a partial structural diagram of the third electronic device in an unfolded state. Fig.12 for Fig.11 A partial structural diagram of an electronic device in a folded state. Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, the figure shows the local structure of the electronic device 10 at the location of the hinge mechanism 230, and the electronic device 10 schematically shown in the figure is an outward folding electronic device.

[0123] Reference Fig.11 or Fig.12 As shown, when the electronic device 10 is an outward folding electronic device, the main shaft 231 of the hinge mechanism 230 may include a substrate 2313, and the substrate 2313 is located on the side of the hinge mechanism 230 facing the folding screen 100a. For example, the main shaft 231 can rely on the substrate 2313 to support the bendable portion of the folding screen 100a. Fig.11 As shown, the main shaft 231 may also include a cover plate 2314, which may be located on the side of the main shaft 231 away from the folding screen 100a, and the cover plate 2314 may serve as an appearance component of the hinge mechanism 230. When the electronic device 10 is in the unfolded state, the cover plate 2314 is exposed to the outside and constitutes a part of the appearance surface of the electronic device 10. The connecting plate assembly 232 of the hinge mechanism 230 may be connected to the main shaft 231 in the thickness direction ( Figure 4 For example, the connecting plate assembly 232 is connected between the base plate 2313 and the cover plate 2314.

[0124] In this regard, the substrate 2313 of the main shaft 231 can be made of metal, or in other words, the substrate 2313 is a metal part. This ensures that the substrate 2313 has sufficient structural strength, ensures that the substrate 2313 stably supports the bendable part of the folding screen 100a, and meets the stability and reliability requirements of the electronic device 10. The cover plate 2314 of the main shaft 231 can also be made of metal, or in other words, the cover plate 2314 is a metal part, so that the cover plate 2314 maintains the same texture and color as the shell assembly 200, and ensures that the cover plate 2314 has sufficient structural strength.

[0125] Continue to refer to Fig.11 or Fig.12For an outward-folding electronic device, when the electronic device 10 is in a folded state, the bendable portion of the folding screen 100a is disposed outside the hinge mechanism 230, and the bending radius of the bendable portion of the folding screen 100a is larger. Therefore, the width of the bendable portion ( Figure 4 The dimension in the X direction shown in FIG. 2 is also larger. Accordingly, the width of the rotating shaft mechanism 230 supporting the bendable portion ( Figure 4 The dimension in the X direction shown in FIG2 is usually larger, and the deformation space required by the hinge mechanism 230 in its width direction is usually larger to meet the bending requirements of the bendable portion and ensure that the hinge mechanism 230 stably supports the bendable portion.

[0126] In this regard, in the external folding electronic device, the connecting plate assembly 232 of the hinge mechanism 230 may include an inner connecting plate 2322 and an outer connecting plate 2323, and the inner connecting plate 2322 and the outer connecting plate 2323 are sequentially connected to the side of the main shaft 231. In other words, the inner connecting plate 2322 is located between the main shaft 231 and the outer connecting plate 2323. The inner connecting plate 2322 and the outer connecting plate 2323 can both move relative to the main shaft 231, and the outer connecting plate 2323 can move relative to the inner connecting plate 2322 to achieve the switching of the hinge mechanism 230 between the unfolded state and the folded state. Among them, the hinge mechanism 230 can be connected to the first shell 210 and the second shell 220 respectively through the outer connecting plates 2323 on both sides. For example, the first shell 210 and the second shell 220 are respectively mechanically connected to the outer connecting plates 2323 on the corresponding sides through screws, rivets and other locking members, so as to drive the first shell 210 and the second shell 220 to move relative to each other through the outer connecting plates 2323 on both sides.

[0127] By setting the inner connecting plate 2322 and the outer connecting plate 2323 to jointly support the bendable part of the folding screen 100a, on the one hand, the inner connecting plate 2322 and the outer connecting plate 2323 occupy a larger plane space, which can increase the size of the hinge mechanism 230 in its width direction, and the connecting plate assembly 232 can support the bendable part stably, ensure the flatness of the bendable part in the flattened state, and enable the bendable part to smoothly transition to the bent state. On the other hand, during the switching of the hinge mechanism 230 between the unfolded state and the folded state, the inner connecting plate 2322 and the outer connecting plate 2323 sequentially and continuously change their postures, making the posture of the connecting plate assembly 232 more flexible and meeting the requirements of a large bending radius of the bendable part. Especially in the folded state, the bendable part can be supported stably, improving the smoothness of the bendable part in the bent state.

[0128] For an outward-folding electronic device, the hinge mechanism 230 may further include a decorative plate 233, which is also movably connected to both sides of the main shaft 231 in the width direction. In addition, the decorative plate 233 may be connected to the side of the main shaft 231 that is away from the folding screen 100a. For example, the decorative plate 233 is connected to both sides of the cover plate 2314. The decorative plate 233 may be movably connected only to the main shaft 231. For example, the decorative plate 233 is connected to the cover plate 2314 through a hinge or a hinge to avoid obstructing the movement of the housing assembly 200 driven by the hinge mechanism 230. The decorative plate 233 mainly serves to cover the internal structure of the hinge mechanism 230 and to block the gap between the main shaft 231 and the housing assembly 200, so as to enhance the appearance of the electronic device 10.

[0129] For example, to improve the structural strength of the rotating shaft mechanism 230 and ensure the reliability of the movement of the rotating shaft mechanism 230, the inner connecting plate 2322 and the outer connecting plate 2323 can both be made of metal. In other words, the inner connecting plate 2322 and the outer connecting plate 2323 are both metal plates. Similarly, the decorative plate 233 can also be made of metal. In other words, the decorative plate 233 is a metal plate.

[0130] Combination Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, when the flexible circuit board 300 is used in an external folding electronic device, the flexible circuit board 300 can be arranged between the substrate 2313 and the cover plate 2314, and the flexible circuit board 300 is usually fixedly connected to the substrate 2313. Exemplarily, the flexible circuit board 300 is clamped between the substrate 2313 and the cover plate 2314, and the portion of the flexible circuit board 300 passing through the main shaft 231 can also be fixed by bonding or magnetic adsorption.

[0131] Since the flexible circuit board 300 is fixed on the main shaft 231, the portion of the flexible circuit board 300 between the base and the cover plate 2314 does not deform during the switching of the electronic device 10 between the unfolded state and the folded state, mainly because the flexible circuit board 300 repeatedly contacts and separates from the connecting plate assembly 232. Since the portions of the flexible circuit board 300 located on both sides of the main shaft 231 will bend and unfold continuously when the flexible circuit board 300 is deformed, it is usually the case that the flexible circuit board 300 repeatedly contacts and separates from the inner connecting plate 2322. In addition, the portion of the flexible circuit board 300 between the inner connecting plate 2322 and the outer connecting plate 2323 will also bend and unfold continuously. Since this portion of the flexible circuit board 300 will bend toward the decorative plate 233, the flexible circuit board 300 may also repeatedly contact and separate from the decorative plate 233.

[0132] For ease of description, in this embodiment, the end of the inner connecting plate 2322 close to the main shaft 231 is defined as the first end of the inner connecting plate 2322, and the end of the inner connecting plate away from the main shaft 231 is defined as the second end of the inner connecting plate 2322. Similarly, the end of the decorative plate 233 close to the main shaft 231 is defined as the first end of the decorative plate 233, and the end of the decorative plate 233 away from the main shaft 231 is defined as the second end of the decorative plate 233. Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, during the switching process between the unfolded state and the folded state, the portion of the inner connecting plate 2322 that repeatedly contacts and separates from the flexible circuit board 300 is usually far away from the first end of the inner connecting plate 2322 and close to the second end of the inner connecting plate 2322. The portion of the decorative plate 233 that repeatedly contacts and separates from the flexible circuit board 300 is usually close to the first end of the decorative plate 233 and far away from the second end of the decorative plate 233.

[0133] Similar to the inner folding electronic device, the outer folding electronic device is prone to wear of the surface of the flexible circuit board 300 at the contact point a (contacting the inner connecting plate 2322 and the decorative plate 233) during the long-term repeated contact and friction between the flexible circuit board 300 and the inner connecting plate 2322 and the decorative plate 233, exposing the metal wire inside the flexible circuit board 300. When the inner connecting plate 2322 and the decorative plate 233 are metal plates, the flexible circuit board 300 will be short-circuited with the inner connecting plate 2322 and the decorative plate 233 at the contact point a and burn out.

[0134] In order to prevent the flexible circuit board 300 from being worn, some solutions in the related art are to attach Mylar film to the part of the surface of the flexible circuit board 300 that contacts the structural parts to improve the wear resistance of the flexible circuit board 300 in this part. However, this solution will make the flexible circuit board 300 partially thicker, resulting in a decrease in the bending performance of the flexible circuit board 300 and a decrease in the reliability of the flexible circuit board 300. In addition, the mechanical properties such as the tensile modulus of the attached Mylar film are quite different from those of the flexible circuit board 300 with metal wires arranged thereon. The deformation does not match when bending, which will cause the bending life of the flexible circuit board 300 to decrease. Especially with the trend of foldable electronic devices 10 becoming thinner and lighter, the bending space and bending angle of the flexible circuit board 300 in the positive electrode are very small, and the way of thickening the flexible circuit board 300 can no longer meet the bending life requirements.

[0135] Some other solutions are to attach Mylar film to the surface of the structural part in contact with the flexible circuit board 300 to achieve lubrication, wear protection and insulation, thereby protecting the flexible circuit board 300. However, this solution has many limitations. For example, attaching Mylar film on a curved surface is prone to problems such as Mylar film falling off and warping. The Mylar film cannot play an effective protective role, and the problem of the flexible circuit board 300 being worn and short-circuited still exists. In addition, taking the inward folding electronic device as an example, the edge of the shaft cover 2311 is the appearance surface (the user contact position), and the Mylar film cannot be attached to this part, resulting in limited protection of the Mylar film. In addition, there is usually a fitting tolerance when the Mylar film is actually attached, and the transition surface of the shaft cover 2311 cannot be effectively protected, and the problem of the flexible circuit board 300 being worn and short-circuited still exists.

[0136] In view of this, the present embodiment improves the hinge mechanism 230 of the electronic device 10 by providing a support member in at least one of the main shaft 231 and the connecting plate assembly 232, and the support member is used to support the corresponding part of the flexible circuit board 300. In other words, when the electronic device 10 switches between the unfolded state and the folded state, the flexible circuit board 300 will repeatedly contact and separate from the support member, and the support member has a contact portion that contacts the flexible circuit board 300, and the flexible circuit board 300 will be deformed at the contact portion. By providing the support member to include a supporting body and a protective portion, the supporting body is the main supporting structure of the supporting member, the protective portion is provided on the side surface of the supporting body facing the flexible circuit board 300, the protective portion at least covers the contact portion of the supporting member, and the side surface of the protective portion facing the flexible circuit board 300 is an insulating wear-resistant surface. In this way, the flexible circuit board 300 contacts the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective portion, and the friction coefficient of the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective portion is small, which can prevent the surface of the flexible circuit board 300 from being worn. Furthermore, the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protection portion has a good insulating effect, which can prevent the flexible circuit board 300 from short-circuiting, improve the reliability of the flexible circuit board 300, and extend the service life of the electronic device 10.

[0137] The following is a detailed description of the hinge mechanism 230 of the electronic device 10 provided in this embodiment.

[0138] Fig.13 A partial structural diagram of an electronic device in an unfolded state provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.14 for Fig.13 A partial structural diagram of an electronic device in a folded state.

[0139] Reference Fig.13 and Fig.14 As shown in FIG. 1 , the local structure of the electronic device 10 in the embodiment of the present invention is shown at the location of the hinge mechanism 230. Fig.13As shown, the figure shows the hinge mechanism 230 of the electronic device 10 when it is in the unfolded state; Fig.14 As shown, the figure shows the hinge mechanism 230 when the electronic device 10 is in a folded state.

[0140] In this embodiment, the hinge mechanism 230 includes a support member 234. In other words, the support member 234 is provided in the hinge mechanism 230. The support member 234 is used to support the corresponding part of the flexible circuit board 300, or in other words, the part of the flexible circuit board 300 corresponding to the support member 234 can be supported on the support member 234. When the electronic device 10 switches between the unfolded state and the folded state, the flexible circuit board 300 moves and deforms accordingly, and a local area of ​​the flexible circuit board 300 repeatedly contacts the support member 234, or in other words, the flexible circuit board 300 repeatedly switches between the state of contacting the support member 234 and leaving the support member 234.

[0141] For the sake of convenience, the present embodiment defines the contact portion b of the support member 234, which is the portion where the support member 234 repeatedly contacts the flexible circuit board 300. During the long-term use of the electronic device 10, the flexible circuit board 300 repeatedly contacts and rubs against the contact portion b of the support member 234. When the flexible circuit board 300 contacts the contact portion b of the support member 234, the contact portion b of the support member 234 exerts pressure on the flexible circuit board 300, and the flexible circuit board 300 usually deforms. In other words, the contact portion b of the support member 234 can be used to receive the deformed portion of the flexible circuit board 300.

[0142] As for the contact state between other parts of the support member 234 and the flexible circuit board 300, the contact state between other parts of the support member 234 and the flexible circuit board 300 may be different depending on the type of the electronic device 10 (whether the electronic device 10 is an inward folding electronic device or an outward folding electronic device) and the location of the support member 234 (whether the support member 234 is located on the main shaft 231 or the connecting plate assembly 232). For example, when the electronic device 10 is an inward folding electronic device and the support member 234 is the shaft cover 2311 of the main shaft 231, other parts of the support member 234 may always be in contact with the flexible circuit board 300. When the electronic device 10 is an outward folding electronic device and the support member 234 is the inner connecting plate 2322 of the connecting plate assembly 232, other parts of the support member 234 may not always be in contact with the flexible circuit board 300. When the electronic device 10 is an outward folding electronic device and the support member 234 is the substrate 2313 of the main shaft 231, other parts of the support member 234 may always be in contact with the flexible circuit board 300.

[0143] Since the flexible circuit board 300 repeatedly contacts and rubs against the contact portion b of the support member 234, the flexible circuit board 300 will also be deformed at the contact portion b of the support member 234. In order to prevent the flexible circuit board 300 from being worn by the contact portion b of the support member 234 and to avoid short circuit between the flexible circuit board 300 and the support member 234, refer to Fig.13 or Fig.14 As shown, in this embodiment, the support member 234 may include a support body 2341 and a protection portion 2342, the protection portion 2342 is connected to a surface of the support body 2341 facing the flexible circuit board 300, and the protection portion 2342 at least covers the contact portion b of the support member 234. The surface of the protection portion 2342 facing the flexible circuit board 300 is an insulating wear-resistant surface.

[0144] In the support member 234, the support body 2341 can be a metal member to ensure the overall structural strength of the support member 234, and then ensure the structural strength and movement stability of the rotating shaft mechanism 230, and ensure the reliability and service life of the electronic device 10. By setting a protective part 2342 on the side surface of the support body 2341 facing the flexible circuit board 300, and making the protective part 2342 at least cover the contact part b of the support member 234, the side surface of the protective part 2342 facing the flexible circuit board 300 is set as an insulating wear-resistant surface, and the flexible circuit board 300 contacts the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective part 2342. Exemplarily, the protective part 2342 can be connected to the support body 2341 by welding, bonding, etc., or the protective part 2342 can be locked to the support body 2341 by fasteners such as screws and rivets.

[0145] In this configuration, the flexible circuit board 300 is in contact only with the protection part 2342, and the flexible circuit board 300 is in contact only with the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protection part 2342. On the one hand, the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protection part 2342 has a small friction coefficient and good wear resistance, which can prevent the surface of the flexible circuit board 300 from being worn. During the long-term use of the electronic device 10, the integrity of the flexible circuit board 300 can be protected, the reliability of the flexible circuit board 300 can be improved, and the service life of the flexible circuit board 300 can be extended. In turn, the reliability of the electronic device 10 is improved and the service life of the electronic device 10 is extended.

[0146] On the other hand, the insulating wear-resistant surface of the protective part 2342 has a good insulating effect and good insulating performance, and can realize the insulating contact between the support member 234 and the flexible circuit board 300. During the long-term use of the electronic device 10, even if the surface layer of the flexible circuit board 300 is worn and the wires inside the flexible circuit board 300 are exposed, the short circuit between the flexible circuit board 300 and the protective part 2342 can be avoided, and the short circuit of the flexible circuit board 300 can be avoided. In this way, the risk of the flexible circuit board 300 burning out can be reduced, the reliability of the flexible circuit board 300 can be improved, and the service life of the flexible circuit board 300 can be extended. In addition, the reliability of the electronic device 10 is improved and the service life of the electronic device 10 is extended.

[0147] Reference Fig.13 or Fig.14 As shown, when the flexible circuit board 300 is applied in an inward folding electronic device, the support member 234 in the rotating shaft mechanism 230 can be the shaft cover 2311 of the main shaft 231. In other words, the shaft cover 2311 can include a support body 2341 and a protective part 2342. The support body 2341 is the main support structure of the shaft cover 2311, and the protective part 2342 is arranged on the side surface of the support body 2341 facing the flexible circuit board 300. As mentioned above, the parts of the shaft cover 2311 that repeatedly contact with the flexible circuit board 300 are the two end parts of the shaft cover 2311 in the width direction. In other words, the contact part b of the support member 234 is the two end parts of the support member 234 in the width direction. At this time, the protective part 2342 can at least cover the two end parts of the support member 234 in the width direction.

[0148] By using the support member 234 as the shaft cover 2311, the flexible circuit board 300 can be prevented from being worn during repeated contact and friction with the contact portion b of the shaft cover 2311, thereby preventing the flexible circuit board 300 from being short-circuited with the shaft cover 2311. This can improve the reliability of the flexible circuit board 300 and extend the service life of the flexible circuit board 300, which will not be described in detail here.

[0149] When the support member 234 serves as the shaft cover 2311 of the main shaft 231, the support body 2341 can be located on the side of the support member 234 close to the housing assembly 200 (the back cover 202), and the protective portion 2342 is connected to the side of the support body 2341 facing the folding screen 100a. Exemplarily, for example, the support body 2341 can be a thin plate-like structure, and there can be a gap between the protective portion 2342 and the support body 2341. In this way, the weight of the shaft cover 2311 is relatively small, which can reduce the weight of the shaft structure, help reduce the overall weight of the electronic device 10, and achieve the thinness of the electronic device 10.

[0150] When the electronic device 10 is in a folded state, the side surface of the support body 2341 away from the protective part 2342 is exposed to the outside, and the side surface of the support body 2341 constitutes a part of the appearance surface of the electronic device 10. Therefore, the support body 2341 is usually a metal part to meet the structural strength and reliability requirements of the main shaft 231, and to make the support body 2341 and the first shell 210 and the second shell 220 maintain the same appearance texture. At this time, it is usually necessary to perform surface treatment on the side surface of the support body 2341 to meet the appearance requirements of the electronic device 10. Since the support body 2341 is a part of the shaft cover 2311, the size of the support body 2341 is usually small. When the support body 2341 is surface treated, the entire outer surface of the support body 2341 can be surface treated. Exemplarily, the surface-treated support body 2341 has a smooth surface, high refinement, and the surface color can be consistent with the first shell 210 and the second shell 220.

[0151] When the flexible circuit board 300 is applied to an external folding electronic device, the support member 234 in the hinge mechanism 230 may include a first support member, and the first support member may be located in the connecting plate assembly 232. As mentioned above, the connecting plate assembly 232 repeatedly contacts the flexible circuit board 300 with the inner connecting plate 2322, that is, the first support member may be the inner connecting plate 2322, and the inner connecting plate 2322 may include a supporting body 2341 and a protective portion 2342. Taking the position on the inner connecting plate 2322 that repeatedly contacts the flexible circuit board 300 as an example, the contact position b of the inner connecting plate 2322 is the position on the inner connecting plate 2322 that is far away from the first end and close to the second end. In other words, the contact position b of the first support member is the position on the first support member that is far away from the first end and close to the second end, and the protective portion 2342 at least covers the contact position b of the first support member.

[0152] By using the first support member as the inner connecting plate 2322, the flexible circuit board 300 can be prevented from being worn during repeated contact and friction with the contact portion b of the inner connecting plate 2322, thereby preventing the flexible circuit board 300 from being short-circuited with the inner connecting plate 2322. The reliability of the flexible circuit board 300 can be improved, and the service life of the flexible circuit board 300 can be extended, which will not be described in detail here.

[0153] Furthermore, the support member 234 in the rotating shaft mechanism 230 may also include a second support member, and the second support member may be the aforementioned decorative plate 233. That is, the decorative plate 233 may also include a support body 2341 and a protective portion 2342. Taking the portion of the decorative plate 233 that repeatedly contacts the flexible circuit board 300 close to its first end and away from its second end as an example, the contact portion b of the decorative plate 233 is a portion of the decorative plate 233 close to its first end and away from its second end. In other words, the contact portion b of the second support member is a portion of the second support member close to its first end and away from its second end, and the protective portion 2342 at least covers the contact portion b of the second support member.

[0154] By using the second support member as the decorative plate 233, the flexible circuit board 300 can be prevented from being worn during repeated contact and friction with the contact portion b of the decorative plate 233, thereby preventing the flexible circuit board 300 from being short-circuited with the decorative plate 233. The reliability of the flexible circuit board 300 can be improved, and the service life of the flexible circuit board 300 can be extended, which will not be described in detail here.

[0155] When designing the support member 234, the protective part 2342 can be made to cover the side surface of the support body 2341 facing the flexible circuit board 300 as a whole. In other words, the protective part 2342 can be designed according to the shape and size of the side surface of the support body 2341, and the protective part 2342 completely covers the side surface of the support body 2341. In this way, the coverage area of ​​the protective part 2342 is large, and the installation tolerance of the protective part 2342 mounted on the surface of the support body 2341 has little effect on the position accuracy of the protective part 2342. It can ensure that the protective part 2342 can effectively cover the contact part b of the support member 234, ensure that the flexible circuit board 300 is in contact with the protective part 2342, and ensure that the protective part 2342 can play an effective role. In addition, the contact area between the protective part 2342 and the supporting body 2341 is large, especially when the protective part 2342 is connected by welding or bonding, which can increase the connection area between the protective part 2342 and the supporting body 2341, enhance the connection strength between the protective part 2342 and the supporting body 2341, and improve the integrity and reliability of the support member 234.

[0156] It should be noted that the protective part 2342 mentioned here completely covers the side surface of the support body 2341 facing the flexible circuit board 300, which does not mean that the two side edges of the protective part 2342 in the width direction must exceed the two side edges of the support body 2341 in the width direction, or that the two side edges of the protective part 2342 in the width direction must be flush with the two side edges of the support body 2341 in the width direction. It means that the protective part 2342 generally covers the side surface of the support body 2341, and the two side edges of the protective part 2342 in the width direction can have a small gap with the two side edges of the support body 2341 in the width direction. As long as the protective part 2342 can completely cover the contact part b of the support member 234, it can ensure that the flexible circuit board 300 contacts the protective part 2342 without contacting the support body 2341.

[0157] Furthermore, when designing the dimensional relationship between the guard portion 2342 and the support body 2341, on the basis of ensuring that the flexible circuit board 300 does not contact the support body 2341, it should also be ensured that the flexible circuit board 300 should have a smooth transition when contacting the contact portion b of the support member 234. In other words, when the flexible circuit board 300 contacts the guard portion 2342, the flexible circuit board 300 should have a smooth transition at its contact portion a (contacting the contact portion b of the guard portion 2342), and should not have excessive bending (dead bending). In this way, the flexible circuit board 300 can be prevented from being excessively squeezed by the rotating shaft mechanism 230, and the flexible circuit board 300 can be prevented from being cracked or broken, so as to ensure the reliability and service life of the flexible circuit board 300.

[0158] Especially when the flexible circuit board 300 is used in an inward folding electronic device, the flexible circuit board 300 contacts the two ends of the shaft cover 2311 in the width direction, and the flexible circuit board 300 is prone to excessive bending. At this time, the support member 234 is used as the shaft cover 2311, and the size relationship between the protective part 2342 and the support body 2341 should be reasonably designed. When the flexible circuit board 300 contacts the contact part b at the two ends of the shaft cover 2311 in the width direction, the phenomenon of excessive bending of the flexible circuit board 300 is avoided, and the flexible circuit board 300 is ensured to have a smooth transition at this part.

[0159] It should be noted that the connecting plate assembly 232 (such as the inner connecting plate 2322 and the outer connecting plate 2323) and the decorative plate 233 in the rotating shaft mechanism 230 are usually thinner, and the inner connecting plate 2322, the outer connecting plate 2323 and the decorative plate 233 have better flatness than the main shaft 231. Therefore, when the flexible circuit board 300 is used in an external folding electronic device, a Mylar film can also be attached to the surface of the inner connecting plate 2322 on one side facing the flexible circuit board 300, and the Mylar film at least covers the contact part b of the inner connecting plate 2322, so as to prevent the flexible circuit board 300 from being worn by the inner connecting plate 2322 and avoid the flexible circuit board 300 and the inner connecting plate 2322 from being short-circuited. Similarly, a Mylar film may be attached to the surface of the decorative plate 233 facing the flexible circuit board 300, and the Mylar film may at least cover the contact portion b of the decorative plate 233, so as to prevent the flexible circuit board 300 from being worn by the decorative plate 233 and to avoid a short circuit between the flexible circuit board 300 and the decorative plate 233.

[0160] The following uses the flexible circuit board 300 applied to an inward-folding electronic device as an example to describe the structure of the supporting member 234 in detail.

[0161] As an embodiment, the protection part 2342 may be made of metal material as the main structure. In this case, the protection part 2342 may include a metal substrate and an insulating lubricating coating, and the insulating lubricating coating may at least cover the surface of the metal substrate facing the flexible circuit board 300. The flexible circuit board 300 contacts the insulating lubricating coating on the surface of the protection part 2342.

[0162] By setting a metal matrix as the main structure of the protection part 2342, the metal matrix has a high structural strength. On the basis of ensuring that the protection part 2342 meets the structural strength requirements, it is helpful to reduce the thickness of the protection part 2342. In addition, the overall thickness of the support member 234 can be reduced, which helps to reduce the overall thickness of the hinge mechanism 230 and realize the thinness of the electronic device 10.

[0163] By providing an insulating lubricating coating on the surface of the side of the metal substrate facing the flexible circuit board 300, an insulating wear-resistant surface is formed on the surface of the side of the protective portion 2342 facing the flexible circuit board 300. The insulating lubricating coating has a small friction coefficient and good lubrication and wear resistance, which can prevent the surface of the flexible circuit board 300 from being worn and protect the integrity of the flexible circuit board 300. In addition, the insulating lubricating coating has good insulation performance and can achieve insulated contact between the flexible circuit board 300 and the protective portion 2342. During the long-term use of the flexible circuit board 300, the short circuit between the flexible circuit board 300 and the protective portion 2342 can be avoided, the short circuit of the flexible circuit board 300 can be avoided, and the risk of the flexible circuit board 300 burning out can be reduced. Furthermore, the reliability of the flexible circuit board 300 can be improved and the service life of the flexible circuit board 300 can be extended.

[0164] It is understandable that when the main structure of the protective part 2342 is a metal material, by separately setting the protective part 2342, it is possible to avoid the protective part 2342 affecting the appearance quality of the support body 2341. In particular, when the support member 234 is used as the appearance member of the electronic device 10, the support body 2341 can be surface treated so that the texture and color of the outer surface of the support body 2341 meet the requirements of the whole machine. And an insulating lubricating coating is sprayed on the metal substrate separately to form the protective part 2342. Since the protective part 2342 is a separate component, the protective part 2342 can be processed and manufactured separately. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the spraying of the insulating lubricating coating to affect the appearance quality of the support body 2341, avoid the appearance of color cast, spots and other problems on the surface of the support body 2341, and prevent the appearance of the whole machine from being affected.

[0165] In some examples, the insulating lubricating coating may be applied only to the surface of the metal substrate facing the flexible circuit board 300. In this case, the surface of the protective portion 2342 facing the support body 2341 is the surface of the metal substrate, and when the support body 2341 is a metal part, it is convenient to connect the protective portion 2342 to the support body 2341. For example, the protective portion 2342 and the support body 2341 may be welded or bonded, or the protective portion 2342 may be locked to the support body 2341 by fasteners such as screws and rivets.

[0166] In other examples, both sides of the metal substrate may be covered with an insulating lubricating coating. That is, the insulating lubricating coating covers the entire outer surface of the metal substrate. In this way, it is convenient to spray the insulating lubricating coating on the outer surface of the metal substrate. In addition, when the metal substrate is a symmetrical structure, since both sides of the metal substrate are covered with the insulating lubricating coating, there is no need to position the metal substrate, which can improve the installation efficiency and installation accuracy of the protective portion 2342.

[0167] Reference Fig.13 As shown in the figure, taking the horizontally folded electronic device 10 as an example, the thickness of the shaft cover 2311 of the electronic device 10 is usually small. At this time, with the support member 234 as the shaft cover 2311, when the protective part 2342 adopts a metal matrix as the main structure, the thickness of the smallest part of the metal matrix should satisfy the thickness △H1 greater than or equal to 0.2mm to meet the requirements of metal die-casting. If the thickness △H1 of the smallest part of the metal matrix is ​​less than 0.2mm, the thickness of the smallest part of the metal matrix is ​​too small and does not meet the requirements of metal die-casting, and the metal matrix may not be formed. Moreover, even if the metal matrix can be formed, the thickness of its smallest part is too small and may not meet the reliability requirements.

[0168] Illustratively, the thickness ΔH1 of the minimum thickness portion of the metal substrate may be 0.22 mm, 0.24 mm, 0.26 mm, 0.28 mm, 0.30 mm, 0.32 mm, 0.34 mm, 0.36 mm, 0.38 mm, etc.

[0169] The insulating lubricating coating sprayed on the surface of the metal substrate can be a polymer coating such as a polyimide coating, a polytetrafluoroethylene coating, a polyphenylene sulfide coating, a polyetheretherketone coating, etc. These polymer coatings have low friction damping, are easy to plastically deform, are compatible with the surface of the metal substrate, can increase the contact area with the metal substrate, and relieve stress concentration. In addition, these polymer coatings have good anti-corrosion performance and shock absorption function, and can avoid the occurrence of corrosive wear and impact wear. In addition, these polymer coatings have good thermal stability, chemical stability, dimensional stability and other properties, good stability, and high reliability.

[0170] As for the manufacturing process of the protection part 2342, after providing a metal substrate, an insulating lubricating coating is sprayed on the surface of the metal substrate. After that, the metal substrate sprayed with the insulating lubricating coating is preheated, for example, the metal substrate is placed in a tunnel furnace and baked at a relatively low temperature (for example, in the range of 50°C-70°C) for a short time (for example, within 4min-8min). Then, the metal substrate is hung in an oven and baked at a relatively high temperature (for example, 200°C-300°C) for a relatively long time (for example, 50min-80min) to completely solidify the insulating lubricating coating and form the protection part 2342.

[0171] When only one side of the metal substrate is covered with the insulating lubricating coating, the side of the metal substrate that does not need to be sprayed with the insulating lubricating coating needs to be covered before spraying the insulating lubricating coating. After the insulating lubricating coating on the surface of the metal substrate is completely cured, the covering of the metal substrate is removed.

[0172] As another embodiment, the protection part 2342 can use a plastic material as the main structure. In this case, the protection part 2342 can include a plastic matrix, which can be made by an injection molding process. The plastic matrix can be bonded to the support body 2341, or the plastic matrix can be locked to the support body 2341 by fasteners such as screws and rivets.

[0173] By setting a plastic matrix as the main structure of the protection part 2342, the surface of the injection-molded plastic matrix is ​​smooth, with a small friction coefficient and good wear resistance. In addition, the plastic matrix can be insulated, and there is no need to spray or other surface treatment on the plastic matrix, which can save the production cost of the protection part 2342. In addition, compared with the metal matrix, the weight of the plastic matrix is ​​smaller, which can reduce the weight of the support member 234. In addition, the weight of the rotating shaft mechanism 230 is reduced, which plays a role in reducing the weight of the electronic device 10.

[0174] In some examples, the protection part 2342 may only include a plastic substrate, the outer surface of the plastic substrate is smooth and insulated as a whole, and the entire outer surface of the plastic substrate is equivalent to an insulating wear-resistant surface. In this case, the flexible circuit board 300 directly contacts the surface of the plastic substrate. In this way, the production cost of the protection part 2342 can be saved.

[0175] In other examples, the surface of the plastic substrate may be covered with an insulating lubricating coating, and the protective portion 2342 is composed of a plastic substrate and an insulating lubricating coating. The insulating lubricating coating may only cover the surface of the plastic substrate facing the flexible circuit board 300, or the insulating lubricating coating may cover the entire outer surface of the plastic substrate, and the insulating lubricating coating may form an insulating wear-resistant surface, which will not be described in detail here. In this way, the friction coefficient of the protective portion 2342 may be further reduced, the lubrication and wear resistance of the protective portion 2342 may be enhanced, and the protective portion 2342 may be prevented from wearing the flexible circuit board 300.

[0176] Reference Fig.13 As shown, when the protective part 2342 adopts a plastic matrix as the main structure, the minimum thickness of the plastic matrix should satisfy the thickness △H1 greater than or equal to 0.3mm to meet the injection molding requirements of the plastic matrix. If the thickness △H1 of the minimum thickness of the plastic matrix is ​​less than 0.3mm, the thickness of the minimum thickness of the plastic matrix is ​​too small and does not meet the injection molding requirements, and the plastic matrix may not be formed. Moreover, even if the plastic matrix can be molded, the thickness of the minimum thickness is too small and may not meet the reliability requirements.

[0177] Exemplarily, the thickness △H1 of the smallest thickness portion of the plastic substrate may be greater than or equal to 0.4 mm, and △H1 may be less than or equal to 0.5 mm. In order to make the plastic substrate meet the injection molding requirements, the plastic substrate can be injection molded to ensure that the plastic substrate has a good yield. In addition, the thickness of the plastic substrate is prevented from being too large, and the thickness of the hinge mechanism 230 is prevented from being too large, so as to meet the thickness requirements of the entire electronic device 10. For example, the thickness △H1 of the smallest thickness portion of the plastic substrate may be 0.42 mm, 0.44 mm, 0.46 mm, 0.48 mm, etc.

[0178] Similar to the protective part 2342 using a metal matrix as the main structure, when the surface of the plastic matrix is ​​covered with an insulating lubricating coating, the insulating lubricating coating sprayed on the surface of the plastic matrix can be a polymer coating such as a polyimide coating, a polytetrafluoroethylene coating, a polyphenylene sulfide coating, a polyetheretherketone coating, etc. These polymer coatings have low friction damping, are easy to plastically deform, have a large contact area with the plastic matrix, and can alleviate stress concentration. In addition, these polymer coatings have good anti-corrosion properties, thermal stability, chemical stability, dimensional stability and other properties, good stability, and high reliability. I will not go into details here.

[0179] Continue to refer to Fig.13 As shown, when the flexible circuit board 300 is used in an inward folding electronic device, specifically taking the horizontally folding electronic device 10 as an example, in order to ensure that the flexible circuit board 300 has sufficient space for movement and to prevent the flexible circuit board 300 from being stuck on both sides of the width direction of the main shaft 231, when the electronic device 10 is in the unfolded state, there should be a sufficient distance between the two ends of the shaft cover 2311 in the width direction and the connecting plate assembly 232. At this time, the support member 234 serves as the shaft cover 2311, and the edge of the protective portion 2342 (located at the edge of the supporting body 2341) and the connecting plate assembly 232 should have a sufficient distance. In other words, there should be a sufficient distance between the contact portion b of the support member 234 and the connecting plate assembly 232, so that the flexible circuit board 300 can move and deform smoothly with the movement of the rotating shaft mechanism 230, and avoid the flexible circuit board 300 from being stuck and worn or broken.

[0180] For ease of explanation, for the horizontally folded electronic device 10, the present embodiment defines the distance between the edge of the protection portion 2342 (the contact portion b of the support member 234) and the connecting plate assembly 232 as a preset distance △H2. To meet the activity requirements of the flexible circuit board 300, at the edge of the protection portion 2342, the gap between the flexible circuit board 300 and the connecting plate assembly 232 should be greater than or equal to 0.3 mm to prevent the flexible circuit board 300 from being stuck and worn or broken. Accordingly, the difference between the preset distance △H2 and the thickness of the flexible circuit board 300 should be greater than or equal to 0.3 mm.

[0181] Taking the thickness of the flexible circuit board 300 as 0.2 mm as an example, the preset spacing △H2 may be greater than or equal to 0.5 mm. Exemplarily, the preset spacing △H2 may be greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 1.0 mm. For example, the preset spacing △H2 is 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, etc.

[0182] Fig.15 for Fig.13 The enlarged structure diagram of the part at A in the middle. Fig.15As shown, when the flexible circuit board 300 is used in an inward-folding electronic device, the support member 234 serves as the shaft cover 2311 of the main shaft 231, and the orthographic projection of the protective portion 2342 on the support body 2341 can be located within the coverage area of ​​the support body 2341. Taking the protective portion 2342 covering the surface of the support body 2341 facing the flexible circuit board 300 as an example, the width L1 of the support body 2341 should be greater than or equal to the width L2 of the protective portion 2342. In addition, in the width direction of the support member 234, the protective portion 2342 should not extend out of the support body 2341.

[0183] With such a configuration, the protection part 2342 is prevented from extending beyond the support body 2341 in the width direction of the shaft cover 2311. During the movement of the electronic device 10, the protection part 2342 can be prevented from interfering with the housing assembly 200, thereby ensuring smooth movement of the electronic device 10. Furthermore, when the electronic device 10 is in a folded state, only the support body 2341 made of metal is exposed in the shaft cover 2311, thereby preventing the protection part 2342 from being exposed outside the support body 2341, so as to prevent the protection part 2342 from affecting the appearance of the shaft cover 2311.

[0184] The width L2 of the protection part 2342 may be equal to the width L1 of the support body 2341. In this case, the two side edges of the protection part 2342 in the width direction are flush with the two side edges of the support body 2341 in the width direction. Alternatively, the width L2 of the protection part 2342 may be smaller than the width L1 of the support body 2341. In this case, the two side edges of the support body 2341 in the width direction extend beyond the two side edges of the protection part 2342 in the width direction.

[0185] When the width L2 of the protection portion 2342 is less than the width L1 of the support body 2341, the spacing △L between the edge of the protection portion 2342 and the corresponding edge of the support body 2341 should be less than or equal to the limit bending radius R of the flexible circuit board 300. Among them, △L=(L1-L2) / 2, that is, (L1-L2) / 2≤R. In this way, when the flexible circuit board 300 is bent to the limit, the flexible circuit board 300 will not contact the support body 2341. Then, when the flexible circuit board 300 is bent normally, it can be ensured that the flexible circuit board 300 will not contact the support body 2341, so as to avoid the flexible circuit board 300 being worn by the support body 2341 and the short circuit between the flexible circuit board 300 and the support body 2341, so as to ensure the reliability and service life of the flexible circuit board 300.

[0186] Taking the limit bending radius R of the flexible circuit board 300 as 0.5 mm as an example, the distance △L between the edge of the protection part 2342 and the corresponding edge of the support body 2341 should be less than or equal to 0.5 mm. Taking the limit bending radius of the flexible circuit board 300 as 0.6 mm as an example, the distance △L between the edge of the protection part 2342 and the corresponding edge of the support body 2341 should be less than or equal to 0.6 mm. This embodiment does not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0187] Fig.16 A partial structural diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application when in an unfolded state. Fig.17 for Fig.16 A partial structural diagram of an electronic device in a folded state.

[0188] Reference Fig.16 and Fig.17 As shown in the figure, taking the vertically folded electronic device 10 as an example, the thickness of the main shaft 231 of the hinge mechanism 230 can be relatively large, and the thickness of the shaft cover 2311 can also be relatively large. At this time, with the support member 234 as the shaft cover 2311, the overall thickness of the support member 234 can be relatively large. Therefore, the thickness of the protective part 2342 can be reasonably designed, whether the protective part 2342 uses a metal matrix as the main structure, or the protective part 2342 uses a plastic matrix as the main structure, the protective part 2342 can meet the molding requirements. In addition, the thickness of the protective part 2342 can meet the reliability requirements.

[0189] Among them, refer to Fig.16 As shown, similar to the aforementioned horizontally folding electronic device 10, in the vertically folding electronic device 10, when the protective portion 2342 adopts a metal substrate as the main structure, the minimum thickness of the metal substrate should satisfy the thickness △H3 greater than or equal to 0.2mm to meet the requirements of metal die-casting. When the protective portion 2342 adopts a plastic substrate as the main structure, the minimum thickness of the plastic substrate should satisfy the thickness △H3 greater than or equal to 0.3mm to meet the injection molding requirements of the plastic substrate. No further details are given here.

[0190] Furthermore, when the electronic device 10 is in the unfolded state, there should be a sufficient distance between the two ends of the shaft cover 2311 in the width direction and the connecting plate assembly 232. In other words, there should be a sufficient distance between the contact portion b of the support member 234 and the connecting plate assembly 232, so that the flexible circuit board 300 can move and deform smoothly with the movement of the rotating shaft mechanism 230, and avoid the flexible circuit board 300 from being stuck, worn or broken.

[0191] Reference Fig.16As shown, for the convenience of explanation, for the vertically folded electronic device 10, the present embodiment defines the distance between the edge of the protective portion 2342 (the contact portion b of the support member 234) and the connecting plate assembly 232 as a preset distance △H4. Similar to the aforementioned horizontally folded electronic device 10, the difference between the preset distance △H4 and the thickness of the flexible circuit board 300 may be greater than or equal to 0.3 mm, for example, the preset distance △H4 may be greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 1.0 mm, which will not be described in detail here.

[0192] Reference Fig.17 As shown, similar to the aforementioned horizontally foldable electronic device 10, in the vertically foldable electronic device 10, the width L3 of the support body 2341 should be greater than or equal to the width L4 of the protective portion 2342. Moreover, in the width direction of the support member 234, the protective portion 2342 should not extend beyond the support body 2341. When the width L4 of the protective portion 2342 is less than the width L3 of the support body 2341, the spacing △L between the edge of the protective portion 2342 and the corresponding edge of the support body 2341 should be less than or equal to the limit bending radius R of the flexible circuit board 300. In other words, (L3-L4) / 2≤R is not repeated here.

[0193] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0194] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the description and claims of the embodiments of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

Claims

1. A rotating shaft mechanism, characterized in that: include: Spindle; A connecting plate assembly, movably connected to both sides of the main shaft in the width direction; The main shaft includes a support member, which is a shaft cover of the main shaft and includes a support body and a protective part. The protective part covers a surface of the support body on one side facing the flexible circuit board, and the surface of the protective part on the side facing the flexible circuit board is an insulating wear-resistant surface. The protective part has a contact portion, which is the two ends of the support member in the width direction, and the contact portion is used to receive the deformation portion of the flexible circuit board.

2. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protection part comprises a metal substrate and an insulating lubricating coating, wherein the insulating lubricating coating at least covers a surface of one side of the metal substrate facing the flexible circuit board.

3. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The insulating lubricating coating covers the outer surface of the metal substrate.

4. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The insulating lubricating coating includes one of a polyimide coating, a polytetrafluoroethylene coating, a polyphenylene sulfide coating, and a polyetheretherketone coating.

5. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The thickness of the smallest part of the metal substrate is greater than or equal to 0.2 mm.

6. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protection part comprises a plastic matrix.

7. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The thickness of the smallest part of the plastic matrix is ​​greater than or equal to 0.3 mm.

8. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The protection part further comprises an insulating lubricating coating, and the insulating lubricating coating at least covers a surface of one side of the plastic substrate facing the flexible circuit board.

9. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The insulating lubricating coating covers the outer surface of the plastic substrate.

10. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The insulating lubricating coating includes one of a polyimide coating, a polytetrafluoroethylene coating, a polyphenylene sulfide coating, and a polyetheretherketone coating.

11. An electronic device, characterized in that: It comprises a first shell, a second shell, a folding screen and the hinge mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first shell and the second shell are respectively connected to two sides of the hinge mechanism; The folding screen comprises a first non-bending portion, a bendable portion and a second non-bending portion which are arranged in sequence, the first non-bending portion and the second non-bending portion are respectively attached to the first shell and the second shell, and the bendable portion is supported by the rotating shaft mechanism; When the electronic device is in a folded state, the first shell and the second shell are relatively stacked, and the folding screen is located between the first shell and the second shell; The support member is a shaft cover of the main shaft, and the contact parts are two ends of the support member in the width direction.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The orthographic projection of the protection part on the supporting body is located within the coverage area of ​​the supporting body; Furthermore, a distance between an edge of the protection portion and a corresponding edge of the support body is less than or equal to a limit bending radius of the flexible circuit board.

13. The electronic device according to claim 11, characterized in that: When the electronic device is in an unfolded state, the distance between the contact portion of the support member and the connecting plate assembly is a preset distance, and the difference between the preset distance and the thickness of the flexible circuit board is greater than or equal to 0.3 mm.

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