Electronic equipment and folding module thereof

Abstract

The invention provides an electronic device and a folding module thereof, the electronic device comprises a flexible circuit board, a reinforcing plate and a buffer part, the reinforcing plate is fixed on the flexible circuit board, the buffer part and the reinforcing plate are of an integrated structure, the buffer part comprises a top wall and a side wall, the top wall is arranged on one side, deviating from the flexible circuit board, of the reinforcing plate, and the side wall is arranged on the side, deviating from the flexible circuit board, of the reinforcing plate. The side wall is attached to the flexible circuit board. According to the electronic equipment and the folding module thereof provided by the invention, the buffer piece is formed on the reinforcing plate through injection molding, so that circuit breakage caused by the fact that the buffer piece cannot tightly press the flexible circuit board is avoided, the redundant space of the flexible circuit board is enlarged, the bending life of the flexible circuit board is prolonged, and the folding module of the electronic equipment can be thinner and narrower.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of folding modules, and in particular to an electronic device and a folding module thereof. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, foldable phones have gradually emerged and are developing in the direction of becoming thinner and lighter. In the entire foldable phone, the through-axis flexible circuit board that connects the left and right or upper and lower functions is crucial. In the design of the through-axis flexible circuit board, in order to reduce the width of the flexible circuit board, the flexible circuit board is generally made of three layers or more (the more layers, the harder and more difficult it is to bend), and the bending part needs to be made into a layered area to ensure the feasibility of bending, and there needs to be enough redundant space (the flexible circuit board is long enough to ensure that it is not pulled when the machine is merged, and there is space to store the excess length of the flexible circuit board when it is unfolded) to ensure that the flexible circuit board will not have problems during hundreds of thousands of opening and closing processes. In the limited shaft space, giving more space to the through-axis flexible circuit board for redundancy will greatly increase the life of the flexible circuit board and improve the competitiveness of the folding machine.

[0003] Flexible circuit boards need to be positioned and assembled on the whole machine, so there must be a pressing area. There is a sudden stress change at the boundary between the layering area and the pressing area. If dynamic bending is performed directly, it is easy to cause wire breakage. Therefore, a structure needs to be designed between the layering area and the pressing area to allow a slow transition to avoid stress concentration leading to wire cracking. The existing solutions all add a separate silicone for pressing the transition. In order to prevent the separately assembled silicone from pressing on the flexible circuit board reinforcement plate, so that the silicone cannot press the flexible circuit board tightly and cause the line to break, a gap of at least 0.35mm needs to be left between the silicone and the reinforcement plate, which greatly occupies the redundant space of the through-axis flexible circuit board, resulting in the folding module not being able to be made thinner and narrower, and the bending life of the through-axis flexible circuit board cannot be made longer. Summary of the invention

[0004] On the one hand, an embodiment of the present invention provides a folding module, including a flexible circuit board, a reinforcement plate, and a buffer component, wherein the reinforcement plate is fixed on the flexible circuit board, the buffer component and the reinforcement plate are an integral structure, the buffer component includes a top wall and a side wall, the top wall is arranged on the side of the reinforcement plate away from the flexible circuit board, and the side wall is in contact with the flexible circuit board.

[0005] In addition, an embodiment of the present invention provides an electronic device, which includes the folding module described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0006] An electronic device and a folding module thereof provided by the present invention form a buffer part by injection molding on a reinforcing plate, thereby eliminating the gap left by assembly deviation, avoiding circuit breakage caused by the buffer part failing to press the flexible circuit board tightly, expanding the redundant space of the flexible circuit board, and improving the bending life of the flexible circuit board, so that the folding module of the electronic device can be made thinner and narrower. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0008] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a folding module of the present application;

[0009] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the folding module shown;

[0010] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a buffer component of the folding module shown;

[0011] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the reinforcement plate of the folding module shown;

[0012] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the injection molding method of the buffer and the reinforcing plate of the folding module shown;

[0013] Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of the injection molding method of the buffer member and the reinforcing plate of another embodiment of the folding module of the present application;

[0014] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the reinforcing plate, the buffer member and the flexible circuit board of the folding module;

[0015] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between a reinforcing plate, a buffer component and a flexible circuit board in another embodiment of the folding module of the present application;

[0016] Fig. 9 is a structural cross-sectional view of yet another embodiment of the folding module of the present application;

[0017] Fig.10 It is a partial structural cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the folding module of the present application;

[0018] Fig.11It is a partial structural cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the folding module of the present application;

[0019] Fig.12 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application in an unfolded state;

[0020] Fig.13 yes Fig.12 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the electronic device shown in a fully folded state;

[0021] Fig.14 yes Fig.12 A schematic diagram of the structure disassembly of the electronic device in the unfolded state;

[0022] Fig.15 yes Fig.12 Schematic diagram of the structural composition block diagram of the electronic device shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. It is particularly noted that the following examples are only used to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Similarly, the following examples are only partial embodiments of the present invention rather than all embodiments, and all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] The terms "first", "second", and "third" in the embodiments of the present application are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined as "first", "second", and "third" can expressly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined. In the embodiments of the present application, all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...) are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication also changes accordingly. The terms "including" and "having" in the embodiments of the present application and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally also includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally also includes other steps or components inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0025] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The appearance of the phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0026] The present application embodiment provides a folding module 10, please refer to Figure 1-3 , Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a folding module of the present application, Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the folding module shown, Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the structure of the buffer of the folding module shown. The folding module 10 in this embodiment includes a flexible circuit board 100, a reinforcement plate 200, and a buffer 300. The reinforcement plate 200 is fixed on the flexible circuit board 100. The buffer 300 and the reinforcement plate 200 are integrally formed by injection molding, and the side wall 320 of the buffer 300 is tightly fitted with the flexible circuit board 100. The buffer 300 is directly injection molded on the reinforcement plate 200, which avoids the situation where the side wall 320 of the buffer 300 is pressed against the reinforcement plate 200, so that the side wall 320 of the buffer 300 can press the flexible circuit board 100, play a role in buffering transition, and avoid the problem of line breakage caused by stress concentration. At the same time, the assembly gap between the buffer 300 and the reinforcement plate 200 does not exist, which expands the redundant space of the flexible circuit board 100.

[0027] Optionally, the folding module 10 further includes a pressing bracket 400 , and the pressing bracket 400 is used to press the buffer 300 against the flexible circuit board 100 , so that the side wall 320 and the flexible circuit board 100 can fit tightly.

[0028] Optionally, the buffer 300 further includes a top wall 310, which is located between the clamping bracket 400 and the reinforcing plate 200, and the clamping bracket 400 is pressed against the top wall 310, and the contact surface between the clamping bracket 400 and the top wall 310 is a plane. The clamping bracket 400 presses the buffer 300 against the flexible circuit board 100 through the top wall 310, and the buffer 300 and the clamping bracket 400 are in plane contact, and there is no step, so even if there is deviation during the assembly process, it will not cause interference.

[0029] Optionally, the material of the clamping bracket 400 is hard plastic, and further, the material of the clamping bracket 400 is phenolic resin, silicone resin or epoxy resin composite material. Among them, phenolic resin is commonly known as bakelite or bakelite, and its appearance is yellow-brown or black, and it is a typical representative of thermosetting plastics. Various filling materials are often used in the molding of phenolic resin. Depending on the different filling materials used, the performance of the finished product is also different. The main component of silicone resin is silicon, which is heat-resistant to 180°C and can withstand 500°C after special treatment. It has good cold resistance and its physical properties do not change with temperature. It is a thermosetting plastic with excellent chemical resistance, water resistance and weather resistance. Its heat-resistant products are materials for the production of electronic industry components. Epoxy resin composite materials have the advantages of light weight, high strength, durability and chemical resistance. They are an important structural material and functional material in high-tech fields such as chemical industry, aviation, aerospace, and military industry.

[0030] Optionally, the reinforcing plate 200 includes a reinforcing section 210 located in the middle and suction ends 220 located at both ends. Figure 4 and Figure 5 , Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The structural diagram of the reinforcement plate of the folding module shown in FIG. Figure 5 yes Figure 1 The structure diagram of the injection molding method of the buffer and reinforcing plate of the folding module shown. The reinforcing section 210 is covered by the buffer 300, and the suction end 220 is not covered by the buffer 300. The suction end 220 is used as a suction position during the assembly process. During the assembly process, the suction end 220 of the reinforcing plate 200 can be used as a suction position to be sucked by the reinforcing equipment to attach the reinforcing plate 200 to the flexible circuit board 100. Please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the injection molding method of the buffer and the reinforcement plate of another embodiment of the folding module of the present application. The buffer 300 can also completely cover the reinforcement section 210 and the suction end 220 of the reinforcement plate 200. The reinforcement equipment drives the reinforcement plate 200 by sucking the buffer 300 on the suction end 220, and adheres the reinforcement plate 200 to the flexible circuit board 100.

[0031] Optionally, the folding module 10 further includes a middle frame bracket 500 , and the flexible circuit board 100 is fixed to the middle frame bracket 500 by adhesive. The pressing bracket 400 presses the flexible circuit board 100 onto the middle frame bracket 500 through the buffer 300 .

[0032] Optionally, the flexible circuit board 100 includes a layering area 110 and a pressing area 120, see Figure 7 and Figure 8 , Figure 7 yes Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the reinforcing plate, buffer and flexible circuit board of the folding module shown in FIG. Figure 83 is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship of the reinforcing plate, the buffer and the flexible circuit board in another embodiment of the folding module of the present application. The side wall 320 of the buffer 300 is at least partially pressed against the layered area 110. Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, the buffer member 300 and the reinforcing plate 200 may all be pressed against the delamination area 110. Figure 8 In the illustrated embodiment, the reinforcing plate 200 may also be completely pressed against the pressing area 120, while the side wall 320 of the buffer 300 is partially pressed against the delamination area 110. The positions of the buffer 300 and the reinforcing plate 200 on the flexible circuit board 100 may be set by those skilled in the art according to the overall structural design requirements, and it is only necessary to ensure that the side wall 320 of the buffer 300 is at least partially pressed against the delamination area 110.

[0033] Optionally, the side wall 320 includes a first side wall 321 and a second side wall 322, the first side wall 321 is close to the delamination area 110 of the flexible circuit board 100, the second side wall 322 is closer to the pressing area 120 of the flexible circuit board 100 relative to the first side wall 321, the first side wall 321 and the second side wall 322 are closely attached to the flexible circuit board 100, and the first side wall 321 is at least partially pressed against the delamination area 110. Further, the width of the first side wall 321 can be greater than the width of the second side wall 322 to ensure that the first side wall 321 is at least partially pressed against the delamination area 110, and when the flexible circuit board 100 is dynamically bent, the first side wall 321 has a better buffering transition effect against stress, and the width of the second side wall 322 can be set to be smaller to save materials and reduce space occupation.

[0034] Optionally, the material of the buffer 300 is silica gel, which is also called silica gel. It is a highly active adsorption material and belongs to an amorphous substance. Furthermore, the material of the buffer 300 can also be natural rubber, butadiene rubber or chloroprene rubber. Among them, natural rubber is an isoprene polymer. It has excellent resilience, and its tensile strength, elongation, wear resistance, tear and compression permanent deformation properties are better than most synthetic rubbers. It is suitable for making tires, shock-absorbing parts, buffer ropes and sealing parts. Butadiene rubber is a butadiene polymer. Commonly used cis-butadiene rubber has good cold resistance, wear resistance and resilience. It is suitable for making products such as tires, sealing parts, shock-absorbing parts, tapes and hoses. Chloroprene rubber is a chloroprene polymer, which is resistant to weather and ozone aging, has self-extinguishing properties, and its oil resistance is second only to nitrile rubber. It has excellent tensile strength, elongation and resilience, and has good adhesion to metals and fabrics.

[0035] Optionally, the reinforcing plate 200 is a steel plate, an epoxy glass cloth substrate or a polyimide plate. Among them, the epoxy glass cloth substrate (FR-4 board) has good mechanical properties, dimensional stability, impact resistance, and moisture resistance. It is a type of substrate that uses epoxy resin as an adhesive and electronic-grade glass fiber cloth as a reinforcing material. Its bonding sheet and inner core thin copper clad plate are important substrates for making multi-layer printed circuit boards. Polyimide board (PI board) is a new type of high-temperature resistant thermosetting engineering plastic. It can maintain high physical and mechanical properties in a wide range of temperatures from -270 to 400°C. At the same time, it can be used for a long time in air at -240 to 260°C. It has excellent electrical insulation, wear resistance, high-temperature radiation resistance and physical and mechanical properties. There are many synthetic pathways and it can be processed and formed by various methods. Steel plate, epoxy glass cloth substrate and polyimide board all have strong rigidity, which can form a support and limit effect on the flexible circuit board 100.

[0036] Optionally, the folding module 10 further includes a fixing bracket 600, which is used to fix the pressing bracket 400 and the middle frame bracket 500, so that the pressing bracket 400 can press the buffer 300 tightly against the flexible circuit board 100. Furthermore, the fixing bracket 600 is made of metal, including metal or metal alloy materials such as aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, titanium alloy, and stainless steel.

[0037] See also Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 2 is a structural cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the folding module of the present application. Different from the above-mentioned embodiment, the buffer 300 in this embodiment further includes a bottom wall 330, and the bottom wall 330 is located between the reinforcing plate 200 and the flexible circuit board 100. Optionally, the buffer 300 can completely wrap the reinforcing plate 200 as a whole by injection molding.

[0038] Optionally, see Fig.10 , Fig.10 The buffer 300 may only include a top wall 310 and a first side wall 321 , the first side wall 321 is connected to the top wall 310 , and the first side wall 321 is at least partially pressed against the layered area 110 of the flexible circuit board 100 .

[0039] Optionally, see Fig.11 , Fig.11 The buffer 300 may only include a top wall 310, a bottom wall 330 and a first side wall 321, the first side wall 321 is connected to the top wall 310 and the bottom wall 330, and the first side wall 321 is at least partially pressed against the layered area 110 of the flexible circuit board 100.

[0040] For further information, see Figure 12 to Figure 14 , Fig.12 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an electronic device of the present application in an unfolded state, Fig.13 yes Fig.12 The overall structure diagram of the electronic device in a fully folded state is shown. Fig.14 yes Fig.12 The schematic diagram of the structure disassembly of the electronic device in the unfolded state is shown. The embodiment of the present invention also provides an electronic device, including but not limited to a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a handheld computer, a touch TV, a walkie-talkie, a netbook, a point of sales (POS) machine, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wearable device, a virtual reality device, a wireless USB flash drive, a Bluetooth speaker / earphone / glasses, a vehicle-mounted front-end, a driving recorder, a security device, and other mobile or fixed terminals with a foldable function. The electronic device in this embodiment includes the folding module 10 of the above embodiment, and also includes a support component 20 and a flexible display screen 30.

[0041] The support assembly 20 includes a first support plate 21 and a second support plate 22, which are respectively connected to opposite sides of the folding module 10, and the first support plate 21 and the second support plate 22 can rotate relative to the folding module 10 to be in the folded state ( Fig.13 medium state) and expanded state ( Fig.12 Switch between the two states.

[0042] The flexible display screen 30 is arranged across the folding module 10 and connected to the first support plate 21 and the second support plate 22 to switch between the folded state and the unfolded state along with the first support plate 21 and the second support plate 22. The flexible circuit board 100 is attached to the flexible display screen 30 and can be folded and unfolded along with the first support plate 21 and the second support plate 22.

[0043] It should be noted that Fig.13 and Fig.14 What is shown in the figure is only for illustration purposes. In this embodiment, the folding module 10 may be a partial structure as shown in the figure. For example, the fixing bracket 600 of the folding module 10 may be located on the first support plate 21 or the second support plate 22 .

[0044] See also Fig.15 , Fig.15 yes Fig.12The structure of the electronic device shown is a block diagram. The electronic device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a wearable device, etc., and the mobile phone is used as an example in the diagram of this embodiment. The structure of the electronic device may include an RF circuit 910, a memory 920, an input unit 930, a display unit 940 (i.e., the flexible display screen 400 in the above embodiment), a sensor 950, an audio circuit 960, a wifi module 970, a processor 980 (which may be the circuit board 520 in the above embodiment) and a power supply 990 (which may be the battery 510 in the above embodiment), etc. Among them, the RF circuit 910, the memory 920, the input unit 930, the display unit 940, the sensor 950, the audio circuit 960 and the wifi module 970 are respectively connected to the processor 980; the power supply 990 is used to provide power to the entire electronic device 10.

[0045] Specifically, the RF circuit 910 is used to receive and send signals; the memory 920 is used to store data instruction information; the input unit 930 is used to input information, which may specifically include a touch panel 931 and other input devices 932 such as operation buttons; the display unit 940 may include a display panel 941, etc.; the sensor 950 includes an infrared sensor, a laser sensor, etc., for detecting user approach signals, distance signals, etc.; the speaker 961 and the microphone (or microphone) 962 are connected to the processor 980 through the audio circuit 960 for receiving and sending sound signals; the wifi module 970 is used to receive and transmit wifi signals, and the processor 980 is used to process data information of the electronic device. For the specific structural features of the electronic device, please refer to the relevant description of the above embodiment, which will not be described in detail here.

[0046] The folding module in the embodiment of the present invention forms a buffer part by injecting silicone on the reinforcement plate, which avoids the situation where a separately assembled buffer structure is pressed against the reinforcement plate on the flexible circuit board, resulting in the buffer structure failing to press the flexible circuit board tightly. The gap left by the assembly deviation is eliminated, and the circuit breakage caused by the buffer structure failing to press the flexible circuit board tightly is avoided. The redundant space available for the flexible circuit board is expanded, and the bending life of the flexible circuit board is improved. The folding module of the electronic device can be made thinner and narrower, and the battery capacity can be made larger, thereby greatly improving the competitiveness of the folding machine.

[0047] The above descriptions are only some embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent device or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A folding module, characterized in that: The invention comprises a flexible circuit board, a reinforcing plate and a buffer component, wherein the reinforcing plate is fixed on the flexible circuit board, the buffer component and the reinforcing plate are an integral structure, the buffer component comprises a top wall and a side wall, the top wall is arranged on a side of the reinforcing plate away from the flexible circuit board, and the side wall is in contact with the flexible circuit board.

2. The folding module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible circuit board comprises a layering area and a pressing area, and the side wall is at least partially pressed against the layering area.

3. The folding module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The buffer component further includes a bottom wall, the bottom wall is connected to the side wall, and the bottom wall is located between the reinforcing plate and the flexible circuit board.

4. The folding module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The side wall includes a first side wall and a second side wall, the first side wall is located at one end of the top wall, the first side wall is at least partially pressed against the delamination area of ​​the flexible circuit board, and the second side wall is located at the other end of the top wall away from the first side wall.

5. The folding module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buffer member is made of silicone.

6. The folding module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The folding module further comprises a pressing bracket, which is arranged on a side of the top wall away from the reinforcing plate, and is used to press the buffer component tightly against the flexible circuit board.

7. The folding module according to claim 6, characterized in that: The contact surface between the clamping bracket and the top wall is a plane.

8. The folding module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reinforcing plate comprises a reinforcing section in the middle and suction ends at both ends, the reinforcing section is covered by the buffer, the suction ends are not covered by the buffer, and the suction ends are used as suction positions during the assembly process.

9. The folding module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The folding module also includes a middle frame bracket, and the flexible circuit board is fixed on the middle frame bracket.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that: It comprises a folding module as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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