Shell, electronic equipment and method for preparing shell

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a shell, electronic equipment and a method for preparing the shell. The shell comprises a first component, a second component and a connecting layer, the second component is located on the inner side of the first component, the connecting layer is connected between the first component and the second component, and the first component, the connecting layer and the second component are an integrally-formed structural component; the first component adopts a first metal material, the second component adopts a second metal material, the connecting layer comprises the first metal material and the second metal material, the hardness of the first metal material is larger than that of the second metal material, and the density of the second metal material is smaller than that of the first metal material; the thickness H1 of the connecting layer satisfies 0.1 [mu] m < = H1 < = 30 [mu] m. The shell is high in reliability and small in mass.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic equipment, and in particular to a housing, an electronic device, and a method for preparing the housing. Background Art

[0002] The main structure of the shell of current handheld mobile electronic devices (such as mobile phones, tablets, etc.) is usually made of the same metal material and is prepared through an integrated molding process. Among them, aluminum alloy has a low density (approximately 2.7g / cm 3 ), easy to machine and low in cost, and widely used as a shell material. However, due to the low hardness of aluminum alloy, the shell is easily scratched or dented during use, resulting in poor reliability of the shell. Summary of the invention

[0003] Embodiments of the present application provide a highly reliable and lightweight housing, an electronic device including the housing, and a method for preparing the housing.

[0004] In a first aspect, the implementation of the present application provides a housing. The housing can be applied to an electronic device. The housing includes a first component, a second component, and a connecting layer, wherein the second component is located on the inner side of the first component, the connecting layer is connected between the first component and the second component, and the first component, the connecting layer, and the second component are integrally formed structural parts. The first component is made of a first metal material, the second component is made of a second metal material, and the connecting layer includes a first metal material and a second metal material.

[0005] In the present application, since the first component is made of the first metal material, the second component is made of the second metal material, the connecting layer includes the first metal material and the second metal material, and the connecting layer is connected between the first component and the second component, the connecting layer can improve the interface bonding strength between the first component and the second component, so that the connection strength between the first component and the second component is high, and the overall structure of the integrated structural part formed by the first component, the connecting layer and the second component is stable and reliable. At this time, the overall structure of the shell formed by the first component, the second component and the connecting layer is stable and reliable.

[0006] In addition, since the second component is located on the inner side of the first component, the first component is mainly used to form the appearance structure of the shell, and the second component is mainly used to form the inner cavity structure of the shell, and the first metal material used in the first component is different from the second metal material used in the second component, the appearance structure and the inner cavity structure of the shell can meet product requirements and manufacturing requirements through the combination of the first metal material and the second metal material.

[0007] In some possible implementations, the hardness of the first metal material is greater than the hardness of the second metal material. In this implementation, the shell adopts a composite structure of a first component and a second component, the first component adopts a first metal material with higher hardness, the second component adopts a second metal material with lower hardness, and the material hardness of the first component is greater than the material hardness of the second component. Compared with the shell made of the same material, the shell in this implementation improves the material hardness of the first component, so that the first component has better scratch resistance, better wear resistance, and better impact resistance, thereby having higher mechanical reliability. In addition, the first component is mainly used to form the appearance structure of the shell, so the shell has higher mechanical reliability, which can not only effectively support and protect other components located in the inner cavity of the electronic device, but also make the appearance structure of the shell have a better appearance effect. And because the material hardness of the first component is higher, it is also possible to appropriately reduce the thickness of the first component while maintaining better mechanical reliability, which is conducive to reducing the thickness of the shell and realizing the miniaturization of the shell and the electronic device.

[0008] Among them, the inner cavity structure of the shell needs to undergo CNC machining and other mechanical processing steps to form specific structural features, and the amount of mechanical processing is large. Since the second component adopts a second metal material with lower hardness, it is beneficial to reduce the processing difficulty and processing time of the above-mentioned mechanical processing, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the shell and reducing the processing cost. In addition, since the material hardness of the second component is relatively low, although the second component undergoes mechanical processing over a large area, the residual stress after mechanical processing is relatively small, so the risk of deformation of the second component due to stress release is relatively small, which is beneficial for the second component to maintain a high-precision shape. The second component has a high flatness, which makes the production yield of the shell higher.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the density of the second metal material is less than the density of the first metal material.

[0010] In this implementation, the second component of the housing is made of a second metal material with a lower density, so that the mass of the second component is smaller, which is conducive to the lightweight of the housing. Therefore, the housing adopts a composite structure of the first component and the second component, the material hardness of the first component is relatively large, and the material hardness and density of the second component are relatively small, which is conducive to the housing achieving high reliability and lightweight, and also conducive to the housing obtaining excellent appearance effects, lower processing costs and higher production yield.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the thickness H1 of the connection layer satisfies: 0.1 μm≤H1≤30 μm.

[0012] In this implementation, since the first component and the second component are connected together by a connecting layer, the thickness of the connecting layer can be greater than or equal to 0.1 μm. The thicker the connecting layer is, the better the first component and the second component can be combined through the connecting layer, which is conducive to improving the bonding strength between the first component and the second component of the shell, thereby improving the overall structural stability of the shell. In addition, the thickness of the connecting layer can also be less than or equal to 30 μm, so that the shell can meet the bonding strength requirements between the first component and the second component, while having a shorter production time and lower production cost, which is conducive to large-scale production.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the elastic modulus of the first metal material is greater than the elastic modulus of the second metal material.

[0014] In this implementation, the first component of the shell is made of a first metal material with a large elastic modulus, so that the first component has a strong ability to resist elastic deformation, thereby further improving the mechanical reliability of the shell.

[0015] The yield strength of the first metal material is greater than the yield strength of the second metal material.

[0016] In this implementation, the first component of the shell is made of a first metal material with a relatively large yield strength, so that the first component has a stronger ability to resist slight plastic deformation, thereby further improving the mechanical reliability of the shell.

[0017] In some possible implementations, the thermal conductivity of the second metal material is greater than the thermal conductivity of the first metal material.

[0018] In this implementation, the second component of the shell is made of a second metal material with a large thermal conductivity coefficient, so that the second component has a high thermal conductivity property, which is beneficial to improving the heat dissipation performance of the shell.

[0019] In some possible implementations, the hardness of the first metal material is greater than or equal to 150 HV, and / or the elastic modulus of the first metal material is greater than or equal to 80 GPa, and / or the yield strength of the first metal material is greater than or equal to 200 MPa, and / or the density of the second metal material is less than or equal to 3.5 g / cm 3 , and / or, the thermal conductivity of the second metal material is greater than or equal to 50 W / m·K.

[0020] In some possible implementations, the first metal material is stainless steel or titanium alloy. In this case, the first component has a higher hardness, a higher elastic modulus and a higher yield strength.

[0021] In some possible implementations, the second metal material is an aluminum alloy, a particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material, a magnesium alloy, or a particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material. In this case, the second component has a relatively small density and a relatively high thermal conductivity. In addition, the material hardness of the second component is suitable, which can reduce the difficulty of CNC processing, and the material hardness of the present application can make the processed structural features have sufficient rigidity to ensure the reliability of the whole machine.

[0022] In some implementations of the present application, the first component of the shell is made of stainless steel or titanium alloy, and the second component is made of aluminum alloy, particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material, magnesium alloy or particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material, so that the shell has high mechanical reliability, good wear resistance, high strength and high rigidity, while having low processing difficulty and low cost, high dimensional accuracy and flatness, small mass and good thermal conductivity.

[0023] In some possible implementations, the content of the main group elements of the first metal material in the connecting layer decreases in the direction from the first component to the second component, and the content of the main group elements of the second metal material increases in the direction from the first component to the second component.

[0024] In this implementation, the first component uses a first metal material, and the content of the main group elements of the first metal material of the connecting layer changes from high to low in the direction from the first component to the second component. The second component uses a second metal material, and the content of the main group elements of the second metal material of the connecting layer changes from low to high in the direction from the first component to the second component. Therefore, the first component and the connecting layer have a good bonding effect, and the second component and the connecting layer have a good bonding effect. A higher connection strength can be obtained between the first component and the second component through the connecting layer, making the overall structure of the shell more stable and reliable.

[0025] In some possible implementations, the thickness H1 of the connection layer satisfies: 2μm≤H1≤30μm. In this case, the thickness of the connection layer is relatively large, that is, the thickness of the bonding interface between the first component and the second component is relatively large, so that the interface bonding strength between the first component and the second component is high, and the risk of interface cracking is low. Therefore, the connection strength between the first component and the second component is high, and the overall structure of the first component, the connection layer and the second component is stable and reliable. In other examples, the thickness of the connection layer may also be greater than or equal to 6μm.

[0026] In some possible implementations, a first interface is formed between the first component and the connecting layer, and a second interface is formed between the second component and the connecting layer. The first interface and the second interface are visible in the metallographic structure of the shell.

[0027] In this implementation, since the connecting layer is an interdiffusion layer formed during the sintering process, the first metal material of the first component and the second metal material of the second component are dissimilar metal materials. Therefore, the first interface between the connecting layer and the first component and the second interface between the connecting layer and the second component can be clearly observed in the metallographic structure.

[0028] In some possible implementations, in the metallographic structure of the shell, the first interface is parallel to the second interface.

[0029] In this implementation, since the connecting layer is formed by the metal interdiffusion effect during the sintering process, the multiple regions of the connecting layer arranged in the layer direction (i.e., perpendicular to the thickness direction of the connecting layer) are subjected to relatively uniform force during the sintering process. Therefore, the thickness of the multiple regions is equal or approximately equal, the overall thickness of the connecting layer is equal or approximately equal, and the first interface and the second interface can be parallel or approximately parallel to each other.

[0030] In addition, since the parts of the connecting layer are of equal thickness, the degree of diffusion between the first metal material and the second metal material in the parts of the connecting layer is equivalent, the bonding strength between the parts of the connecting layer and the first component is the same or approximately the same, and the bonding strength between the parts of the connecting layer and the second component is also the same or approximately the same, thereby effectively avoiding the shell from cracking at the place where the bonding strength between the connecting layer and the first component is weak, or at the place where the bonding strength between the connecting layer and the second component is weak, which is beneficial to improving the overall structural stability of the shell and extending the service life of the shell.

[0031] In some possible implementations, the first component, the connecting layer and the second component are formed by an insert powder metallurgy process. In the manufacturing process of the insert powder metallurgy process, an insert is first manufactured, and then the insert and the powder of the connecting insert are sintered together to finally form an integrally formed structural component. Among them, the first component is formed by an insert made of a first metal material, the second component is formed by sintering a powder of a second metal material, and the connecting layer is formed by mutual diffusion of the first metal material and the second metal material.

[0032] In this implementation, since the first component, the connection layer and the second component of the shell are integrally formed structural parts formed by the insert powder metallurgy process, based on the metal interdiffusion effect during the sintering process, an interdiffusion layer with a composition gradient can be formed between the first component formed by the insert and the second component formed by the powder, that is, a connection layer in which the first metal material and the second metal material diffuse with each other is formed. At this time, the formation of the connection layer significantly improves the interface bonding strength between the first component and the second component, so that the connection strength between the first component and the second component is high, and the overall structure of the first component, the connection layer and the second component is stable and reliable.

[0033] In some other implementations, the shell can also be formed by a dissimilar metal composite sheet through a stamping and forging process. Among them, the dissimilar metal composite sheet is formed by stacking two dissimilar metal sheets together and then forming a composite sheet into an integrated structure by rolling. Since the dissimilar metal composite sheet is a plate structure, it needs to be processed by a stamping and forging process to form a product component of the corresponding shape. In this implementation, the shell can be formed into a first component and a second component by two metals of the dissimilar metal sheet respectively. However, since the bonding interface width of the above-mentioned dissimilar metal composite structural parts is extremely narrow (a structure similar to the previous connection layer is not seen in the metallographic structure), there is a risk of interface cracking between the first component and the second component during the stamping and forging process, and the shape of the bonding interface is difficult to control, and the dimensional tolerance is large, which easily leads to poor connection strength between the first component and the second component of the shell and low processing accuracy. However, since the shape of the bonding interface is difficult to control, in order to make the metal structures on both sides of the bonding interface meet the design requirements (for example, the first component structure is complete, the second component structure is complete, the first component covers the outer surface of the second component, etc.), it is usually necessary to thicken the metal structures on both sides of the bonding interface in the actual product to reduce the occurrence of gaps and fractures that are not required by the design. This will result in a larger thickness of the first component, a larger thickness of the second component, and a larger thickness and a larger weight of the final shell.

[0034] In the implementation method in which the first component, the second component and the connecting layer are formed by the insert powder metallurgy process, the connecting layer as the bonding interface is formed during the sintering process due to the metal interdiffusion effect, and the thickness of the connecting layer is relatively large, so the connection strength of the first component, the second component and the connecting layer is high. In some possible implementation methods, the shear strength of the connecting layer at the bonding interface between the first component and the second component is greater than or equal to 100MPa, and in some implementation methods it can be as high as 300MPa, which is much higher than the interface shear strength of the shell formed by the stamping and forging process of the heterogeneous metal composite plate. In addition, during the manufacturing process, the shell can control the shape of the bonding interface between the first component and the second component by controlling the shape of the surface of the insert for contacting the powder. The shape control of the bonding interface is easy to implement, highly flexible and highly accurate, so that the first component, the second component and the connecting layer have high processing accuracy when having a high connection strength. In addition, since the shape of the bonding interface is easy to control, the actual thickness of the first component and the second component can be close to or equal to the design thickness under the condition of meeting the design requirements, so that the thickness of the shell can be reasonably controlled.

[0035] In some possible implementations, the second component is formed by sintering powder at a sintering temperature of 500° C. to 660° C., a sintering time of 2 hours to 5 hours, and a sintering pressure greater than or equal to 100 MPa.

[0036] In this implementation, during the sintering process of the second component from powder, the connecting layer is formed by the mutual diffusion of metal materials between the insert and the powder. Therefore, the connecting layer is formed under high temperature and high pressure for a long time. The connecting layer can have a large thickness to ensure a reliable connection between the first component and the second component.

[0037] In some possible implementations, the second member includes a frame portion and a plate portion, the plate portion of the second member is connected to the inner side of the frame portion of the second member, and the plate portion of the second member is provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole. The housing has a frame and a middle plate, the first member, the connecting layer and the frame portion of the second member together constitute the frame, and the plate portion of the second member constitutes the middle plate.

[0038] In this implementation, the appearance structure of the frame of the shell is formed by a first component, and the inner cavity structure of the frame and the middle plate is formed by a second component. Since the material of the first component and the material of the second component are different, the appearance structure and inner cavity structure of the frame and the middle plate of the shell can be composed of different materials. This allows the shell to meet diversified product needs through differentiated design of the first component and the second component while maintaining an overall stable and reliable structure.

[0039] In some possible implementations, the first member includes a frame portion and a plate portion, and the periphery of the plate portion of the first member is connected to one end of the frame portion of the first member. The second member includes a frame portion and a plate portion, and the plate portion of the second member is connected to the inner side of the frame portion of the second member, and the plate portion of the second member is provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole. The connecting layer includes a frame portion and a plate portion, and the frame portion of the connecting layer connects the frame portion of the first member and the frame portion of the second member, and the plate portion of the connecting layer connects the plate portion of the first member and the plate portion of the second member. At this time, the frame portion of the connecting layer can improve the connection strength between the frame portion of the first member and the frame portion of the second member, and the plate portion of the connecting layer can improve the connection strength between the plate portion of the first member and the plate portion of the second member, so that the connection strength between the first member and the second member is high, and the structural stability of the shell is high.

[0040] The shell has a frame and a back cover. The frame of the first component, the frame of the connecting layer and the frame of the second component together constitute the frame. The plate of the first component, the plate of the connecting layer and the plate of the second component together constitute the back cover.

[0041] In this implementation, the appearance structure of the frame and the back cover of the shell is formed by a first component, and the inner cavity structure of the frame and the back cover is formed by a second component. Since the material of the first component and the material of the second component are different, the appearance structure and the inner cavity structure of the frame and the back cover of the shell can be composed of different materials. This makes the shell stable and reliable in overall structure, and the differentiated design of the first component and the second component can meet the diversified needs of the product.

[0042] In some possible implementations, the first component includes a frame portion and an axis portion, the axis portion of the first component is connected to the frame portion of the first component and is enclosed with the frame portion of the first component to form a frame, and the axis portion of the first component is provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole. The second component includes a frame portion and a plate portion, the plate portion of the second component is connected to the inner side of the frame portion of the second component, and the plate portion of the second component is provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole. The connecting layer includes a frame portion and an axis portion, the frame portion of the connecting layer connects the frame portion of the first component and the frame portion of the second component, and the axis portion of the connecting layer connects the axis portion of the first component and the plate portion of the second component.

[0043] The shell has a frame, an axis region plate and a middle plate. The frame portion of the first member, the frame portion of the connecting layer and the frame portion of the second member together constitute the frame. The axis portion of the first member and the axis portion of the connecting layer together constitute the axis region plate, and the plate portion of the second member constitutes the middle plate; or, the axis portion of the first member constitutes the axis region plate, and the axis portion of the connecting layer and the plate portion of the second member together constitute the middle plate; or, the axis portion of the first member, the axis portion of the connecting layer and a part of the plate portion of the second member together constitute the axis region plate, and another part of the plate portion of the second member constitutes the middle plate.

[0044] In this implementation, the shaft area plate is the key force position of the shell, and the shaft area plate is mainly or entirely formed by the shaft portion of the first component. The structure on the outside of the frame is the appearance structure of the shell, so the appearance structure and key force position of the shell can be formed by the first component. In addition, the structure on the inside of the frame is the inner cavity structure of the shell, and the middle plate is also the inner cavity structure of the shell, so the inner cavity structure of the shell is formed by the second component. Since the material of the first component and the material of the second component are different, the appearance structure and key force position of the shell and the inner cavity structure can be composed of different materials, so that the shell can meet the diversified needs of products through the differentiated design of the first component and the second component while the overall structure is stable and reliable.

[0045] In a second aspect, an implementation method of the present application further provides an electronic device, including a screen and the aforementioned shell, wherein the screen is mounted on the shell.

[0046] In a third aspect, the implementation of the present application further provides an electronic device, including a rotating assembly and the aforementioned shell, wherein the rotating assembly connects the axis area plates of the two shells, and the two shells can be relatively unfolded or folded through the movement of the rotating assembly.

[0047] In a fourth aspect, the implementation of the present application further provides a method for preparing the aforementioned housing, comprising:

[0048] preparing an insert, wherein the insert is made of a first metal material, and at least a portion of the insert is in a frame shape;

[0049] Powder is deposited in the inner space of the insert to form a part to be sintered, and the powder is made of a second metal material;

[0050] sintering the part to be sintered to form a sintered part; and

[0051] Processing the sintered parts to form a shell;

[0052] Part of the insert is used to form a first component of the housing, another part of the insert and a part of the powder are used to jointly form a connecting layer of the housing, and another part of the powder is used to form a second component of the housing.

[0053] In the method for preparing a shell in the implementation mode of the present application, a part of the insert is used to form a first component of the shell, another part of the insert and a part of the powder are used to jointly form a connecting layer of the shell, and another part of the powder is used to form a second component of the shell. The first component, the second component and the connecting layer of the shell are integrally formed structural parts through the insert powder metallurgy process. Based on the metal interdiffusion effect during the sintering process, an interdiffusion layer with a composition gradient can be formed between the first component and the second component, that is, a connecting layer in which the first metal material and the second metal material diffuse with each other is formed. The existence of the connecting layer significantly improves the interface bonding strength between the first component and the second component, so that the connection strength between the first component and the second component is high, and the overall structure of the first component, the connecting layer and the second component is stable and reliable.

[0054] Furthermore, during the manufacturing process of the shell, the shell can control the shape of the bonding interface between the first component and the second component by controlling the shape of the surface of the insert for contacting the powder. The shape control of the bonding interface is easy to implement, highly flexible, and highly accurate, so that the first component, the second component, and the connection layer have high processing accuracy when having a high connection strength. In addition, since the shape of the bonding interface is easy to control, the actual thickness of the first component and the second component can be close to or equal to the design thickness when the design requirements are met, so that the thickness of the shell can be reasonably controlled.

[0055] In the implementation of the present application, the shell adopts a composite structure of a first component and a second component. The first component adopts a first metal material, and the second component adopts a second metal material. Through the arrangement of the first metal material and the second metal material, the shell can be light, thin, highly reliable, highly thermally conductive, and have excellent appearance and coating reliability.

[0056] In some possible implementations, during the sintering of the part to be sintered, the sintering pressure P1 satisfies: P1 ≥ 100 MPa, the sintering temperature T1 satisfies: 500° C. ≤ T1 ≤ 660° C., and the sintering time t1 satisfies: 2 h ≤ t1 ≤ 5 h.

[0057] In this implementation, by hot isostatic pressing the sintered part, the mutual diffusion degree of the first metal material and the second metal material is effectively improved, so that the transition layer thickness of the sintered part is relatively large, so the thickness of the connection layer of the shell is relatively large, and the thickness of the bonding interface between the first component and the second component is relatively large, so that the interface bonding strength between the first component and the second component is high, and the risk of interface cracking is relatively low. Therefore, the connection strength between the first component and the second component is high, and the overall structure of the first component, the connection layer and the second component is stable and reliable. In some possible implementations, the shear strength of the connection layer at the bonding interface between the first component and the second component is greater than or equal to 100MPa, and in some implementations it can be as high as 300MPa, which is much higher than the interface shear strength of the shell formed by the stamping and forging process of the heterogeneous metal composite plate.

[0058] In some possible implementations, during the sintering process of the to-be-sintered component, the first metal material and the second metal material diffuse into each other to form a transition layer, wherein the transition layer is used to form a connection layer of the shell.

[0059] In this implementation, the transition layer is formed by mutual diffusion of the first metal material and the second metal material during the sintering process. The transition layer is an interdiffusion layer with a composition gradient. The connecting layer formed by the transition layer significantly improves the interface bonding strength between the first component and the second component, so that the connection strength between the two is high, and the overall structure of the shell is stable and reliable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] In order to illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the background technology, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application or the background technology will be described below.

[0061] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An exploded schematic diagram of a partial structure of the electronic device in some embodiments;

[0063] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The cross-sectional structure diagram of the shell cut along AA is shown;

[0064] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the contents of the main group elements of the first metal material and the second metal material at different positions of the connecting layer of the shell shown;

[0065] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 Schematic diagram of metallographic structure of a part of the shell structure in some possible implementations;

[0066] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a process for preparing a shell provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figures 7 to 10 yes Figure 6 Structural schematic diagram of some steps in the method for preparing the shell in some embodiments Figures 1 to 4 ;

[0068] Fig.11 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the exploded view of the housing of the electronic device in other embodiments;

[0069] Fig.12 yes Fig.11 The cross-sectional structure diagram of the shell cut along BB is shown;

[0070] Figures 13 to 17 yes Figure 6 Schematic diagram of some steps in the method for preparing the shell in other embodiments Figures 1 to 5 ;

[0071] Fig.18 is a schematic structural diagram of another electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present application when it is in an open state;

[0072] Fig.19 yes Fig.18 A schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device shown in the closed state;

[0073] Fig. 20 yes Fig.18 A schematic diagram of the structure of one of the housings of the electronic device shown in some embodiments;

[0074] Fig.21 yes Fig. 20 The cross-sectional structure diagram of the shell cut along CC is shown;

[0075] Figure 22 to Figure 25 yes Figure 6 Structural schematic diagram of some steps in the method for preparing the shell in some other embodiments Figures 1 to 4 ;

[0076] Fig.26 yes Fig.25 The structure shown is a schematic diagram of a cross-section taken along DD;

[0077] Fig. 27 yes Figure 6 Structural schematic diagram of some steps in the method for preparing the shell in some other embodiments Figure 5 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0078] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0079] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can be a detachable connection or a non-detachable connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Among them, "fixed connection" means that the two are connected to each other and the relative position relationship after the connection remains unchanged. "Integrally formed structural part" means that in the process of forming one part of the structural part, the part is connected to the other parts of the structural part, and does not need to be connected to other parts through reprocessing (such as bonding, welding, clamping, etc.).

[0080] The directional terms mentioned in the embodiments of the present application, such as "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "inside", "outside", etc., are only referenced to the directions of the drawings. The directional terms used are for the purpose of illustrating and understanding the embodiments of the present application, rather than indicating or implying that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0081] The limitations of the relative positional relationship mentioned in the embodiments of the present application, such as parallel, vertical, etc. These limitations are all for the current state of the art, rather than being absolutely strict limitations, allowing for a small amount of deviation, approximately parallel, approximately vertical, etc. For example, A is parallel to B, which means that A and B are parallel or approximately parallel, and the angle between A and B can be between 0 and 10 degrees. For example, A is perpendicular to B, which means that A and B are perpendicular or approximately perpendicular, and the angle between A and B can be between 80 and 100 degrees.

[0082] In the embodiments of the present application, "and / or" is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the previous and subsequent associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "Multiple" means at least two. "Include", "Contain", "Have" and their variations all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0083] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of an electronic device 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 yes Figure 1The electronic device 100 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of some embodiments. The electronic device 100 may be a mobile phone, a tablet personal computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a camera, a personal computer, a notebook computer, a wearable device, etc. The following will be described by taking the electronic device 100 as a mobile phone as an example. Of course, other types of electronic devices 100 may also adopt similar structures, which will not be described in detail below.

[0084] It should be noted that Figure 1 and Figure 2 The following figures and the related drawings only schematically illustrate some components of the electronic device 100, and the actual shapes, sizes, positions and structures of these components are not subject to the present invention. Figure 1 and Figure 2 and the accompanying drawings below. Figure 2 The following related figures only schematically show the simplified structure of the housing 10. Figure 2 The related drawings below do not limit the specific structure of the housing 10 in an actual product.

[0085] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the electronic device 100 includes a shell 10 and a screen 20, and the screen 20 is installed on the shell 10. Among them, the shell 10 may have a frame 1 and a back cover 2. The frame 1 is frame-shaped, for example, the frame 1 may be a rectangular frame or a rounded rectangular frame. The periphery of the back cover 2 is connected to one end of the frame 1, and the screen 20 may be installed at the other end of the frame 1. For example, the electronic device 100 is defined with the side where the screen 20 is located as the "top" and the side where the back cover 2 is located as the "bottom", then the back cover 2 is connected to the bottom end of the frame 1, and the screen 20 is installed at the top end of the frame 1. Among them, the frame 1, the back cover 2 and the screen 20 together enclose the inner cavity of the electronic device 100, and the inner cavity of the electronic device 100 can be used to accommodate other components of the electronic device 100 (not shown in the figure).

[0086] Exemplarily, the screen 20 may be integrated with a display function and a touch sensing function. The display function of the screen 20 is used to display images, videos, etc., and the touch sensing function of the screen 20 is used to sense the user's touch action to achieve human-computer interaction. Among them, the flexible display screen may adopt a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display screen, an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode or an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display screen, a flexible light-emitting diode (FLED) display screen, a MiniLED display screen, a MicroLED display screen, a Micro-OLED display screen, a quantum dot light emitting diode (QLED) display screen, etc.

[0087] Exemplarily, other components of the electronic device 100 may include, for example, a processor, an internal memory, an external memory interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a charging management module, a power management module, a battery, an antenna, a communication module, a camera, an audio module, a speaker, a receiver, a microphone, an earphone interface, a sensor module, a button, a motor, an indicator, and a subscriber identification module (SIM) card interface. Among them, the electronic device 100 may also include more or fewer components than described above, may combine two or more components, or may have different component configurations. Various components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and / or application-specific integrated circuits.

[0088] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The cross-sectional structure diagram of the housing 10 is shown along AA.

[0089] In some embodiments, Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the frame 1 and the back cover 2 are integrally formed structural parts. In other words, the housing 10 adopts a unibody form, and the appearance of the electronic device 100 is composed of the screen 20 and the integral metal housing 10, wherein the five surfaces of the integral metal housing 10 are all appearance surfaces. In this case, the housing 10 is an integral structural part, which helps to simplify the assembly scheme of the electronic device 100 and reduce the cost of the electronic device 100.

[0090] Exemplarily, the outer surface 11 of the frame 1 facing the outside of the electronic device 100 (i.e., facing away from the inner cavity of the electronic device 100) constitutes part of the appearance of the electronic device 100, and the outer surface 21 of the back cover 2 facing the outside of the electronic device 100 constitutes another part of the appearance of the electronic device 100. Since the frame 1 and the back cover 2 are integrally formed structural parts, it is beneficial to form the same or similar appearance ID (Industrial Design) effect on the outer surface 11 of the frame 1 and the outer surface 21 of the back cover 2, thereby improving the appearance consistency of the shell 10 and the electronic device 100. For example, the electronic device 100 may further include an appearance decoration layer 3, which fixedly and continuously covers the outer surface 11 of the frame 1 and the outer surface 21 of the back cover 2. The appearance decoration layer 3 can decorate the shell 10 in terms of color, texture, texture, etc.

[0091] Exemplarily, the frame 1 may be provided with one or more matching structures, wherein the matching structure may be used to match with other components of the electronic device 100. In some examples, the matching structure may be an antenna slit 12, which divides the frame 1 into at least two sections. The antenna slit 12 may be used to match the antenna of the electronic device 100, so that the antenna can send and receive signals through the antenna slit 12. In some examples, the matching structure may also be a speaker hole 13, which may be used to match the speaker of the electronic device 100, so that the speaker can emit sound through the speaker hole 13. In some examples, the matching structure may also be a detection hole 14, which may be used to match the ambient light sensor of the electronic device 100, so that the ambient light sensor can receive ambient light outside the electronic device 100 through the detection hole 14. In some examples, the matching structure may also be a mounting groove 15, which may be used to install the screen 20. Of course, the frame 1 may also include more or fewer matching structures, which is not strictly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0092] Exemplarily, the back cover 2 may be provided with one or more matching structures, wherein the matching structure may be used to match with other components of the electronic device 100. The matching structure may be a structure such as a protrusion, a groove, or a through hole. In some examples, the matching structure may be a fastening column 22, which is used to match with other structures to achieve locking. For example, the circuit board may be locked and fixed to the back cover 2 by connecting the fastener to the fastening column 22. In some examples, the matching structure may be a protrusion 23 such as a limiting rib or a reinforcing rib, wherein the limiting rib is used to limit the relative positional relationship between other components of the electronic device 100 and the back cover 2, and the reinforcing rib is used to strengthen the structural strength of the back cover 2. In some examples, the matching structure may also be a groove 24 such as an avoidance groove or an installation groove, wherein the avoidance groove is used to avoid other components of the electronic device 100, such as components with a larger thickness in the electronic device 100, and the installation groove may be used to install other components of the electronic device 100. In some examples, the matching structure may also be a through hole 25, which may be used to install components such as a rear camera module or a fingerprint module of the electronic device 100, so that this part of the structure can interact with the outside of the electronic device 100. In some examples, the matching structure may also form a battery compartment 26 through a protrusion, or a matching structure of a protrusion and a groove, and the battery compartment 26 is used to install the battery of the electronic device 100. Of course, the back cover 2 may also include more or fewer matching structures, and the embodiments of the present application are not strictly limited to this.

[0093] Exemplarily, the housing 10 may further include an insulating member 4, which may be formed by injection molding of a plastic material. The insulating member 4 is fixed to the frame 1 and the back cover 2, and is used to cooperate with the frame 1 and the back cover 2 to form an insulating structure required by the electronic device 100. For example, a portion of the insulating member 4 may be filled in the antenna seam 12 of the frame 1. For another example, another portion of the insulating member 4 (not shown in the figure) may be embedded in the connection between the frame 1 and the back cover 2 to disconnect the electrical connection between part of the frame 1 and part of the back cover 2. The specific structure, position, quantity, etc. of the insulating member 4 are not strictly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0094] Exemplarily, the inner surface 16 of the frame 1 facing the inner cavity of the electronic device 100 and the inner surface 27 of the back cover 2 facing the inner cavity of the electronic device 100 together form the wall surface of the inner cavity of the electronic device 100. The electronic device 100 may further include a surface anti-corrosion layer 5, which may be fixed and covered on the wall surface of the inner cavity of the electronic device 100. The surface anti-corrosion layer 5 is used to improve the corrosion resistance and durability of the housing 10, so as to improve the reliability and service life of the housing 10.

[0095] Exemplarily, a local area of ​​the wall of the inner cavity of the electronic device 100 can be set as a laser engraving processing area 6. The surface energy of this area is better and can enhance the connection strength with the adhesive (such as double-sided tape, glue, etc.) to facilitate the fixation of other structural parts.

[0096] The implementation structure of the housing 10 is further described below by way of example.

[0097] In some embodiments, Figure 3 As shown, the housing 10 includes a first component 101, a second component 102 and a connecting layer 103. The second component 102 is located on the inner side of the first component 101, and the connecting layer 103 is connected between the first component 101 and the second component 102. The first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 are integrally formed structural parts. Among them, the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 form the frame 1 and the back cover 2 of the housing 10. Exemplarily, the first component 101 adopts a first metal material, and the second component 102 adopts a second metal material. The first metal material and the second metal material are different materials. The connecting layer 103 includes a first metal material and a second metal material.

[0098] In this embodiment, since the first component 101 is made of the first metal material, the second component 102 is made of the second metal material, the connecting layer 103 includes the first metal material and the second metal material, and the connecting layer 103 is connected between the first component 101 and the second component 102, the connecting layer 103 can improve the interface bonding strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102, so that the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the overall structure of the integrated structural member formed by the first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 is stable and reliable. At this time, the overall structure of the frame 1 and the back cover 2 of the shell 10 formed by the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 is stable and reliable.

[0099] In addition, since the second component 102 is located on the inner side of the first component 101, the first component 101 is mainly used to form the appearance structure of the shell 10, and the second component 102 is mainly used to form the inner cavity structure of the shell 10, and the first metal material used in the first component 101 is different from the second metal material used in the second component 102, the appearance structure and the inner cavity structure of the shell 10 can meet product requirements and manufacturing requirements through the combination of the first metal material and the second metal material.

[0100] In some embodiments, Figure 3As shown, the first member 101 includes a frame portion 101a and a plate portion 101b, and the periphery of the plate portion 101b of the first member 101 is connected to one end of the frame portion 101a of the first member 101. The plate portion 101b and the frame portion 101a of the first member 101 can be integrally formed structural parts. The second member 102 includes a frame portion 102a and a plate portion 102b, and the plate portion 102b of the second member 102 is connected to the inner side of the frame portion 102a of the second member 102. The plate portion 102b and the frame portion 102a of the second member 102 are integrally formed structural parts. The connecting layer 103 includes a frame portion 103a and a plate portion 103b. The frame portion 103a of the connecting layer 103 connects the frame portion 101a of the first component 101 and the frame portion 102a of the second component 102, and the plate portion 103b of the connecting layer 103 connects the plate portion 101b of the first component 101 and the plate portion 102b of the second component 102. The plate portion 103b and the frame portion 103a of the connecting layer 103 are an integrally formed structural member. At this time, the frame portion 103a of the connecting layer 103 can improve the connection strength between the frame portion 101a of the first component 101 and the frame portion 102a of the second component 102, and the plate portion 103b of the connecting layer 103 can improve the connection strength between the plate portion 101b of the first component 101 and the plate portion 102b of the second component 102, so that the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the structural stability of the shell 10 is high. It can be understood that in Figure 3 In FIG. 1 , the frame portion 101a and the plate portion 101b of the first member 101 and the frame portion 102a and the plate portion 102b of the second member 102 are divided by dotted lines as an example. Figure 3 The division position in is not the only position, and the frame portion 101a and the plate portion 101b of the first component 101, and the frame portion 102a and the plate portion 102b of the second component 102 may also have other division positions, which are not strictly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0101] Exemplarily, the frame portion 101a of the first member 101, the frame portion 103a of the connecting layer 103 and the frame portion 102a of the second member 102 together constitute the frame 1, and the plate portion 101b of the first member 101, the plate portion 103b of the connecting layer 103 and the plate portion 102b of the second member 102 together constitute the back cover 2. Among them, the frame portion 101a of the first member 101 can be provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole, and the frame portion 102a of the second member 102 can be provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole, so as to jointly form the matching structure of the frame 1. The plate portion 102b of the second member 102 is provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole, and the plate portion 101b of the first member 101 can be provided with at least one through hole, so as to jointly form a partial matching structure of the back cover 2. The specific structure and shape of the first member 101 and the second member 102 are not strictly limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0102] In this embodiment, the appearance structure of the frame 1 and the back cover 2 of the shell 10 is formed by the first component 101, and the inner cavity structure of the frame 1 and the back cover 2 is formed by the second component 102. Since the material of the first component 101 and the material of the second component 102 are different, the appearance structure and the inner cavity structure of the frame 1 and the back cover 2 of the shell 10 can be composed of different materials, so that the shell 10 can achieve diversified product needs through the differentiated design of the first component 101 and the second component 102 while the overall structure is stable and reliable.

[0103] The following is an example of the material differentiation design of the first component 101 and the second component 102.

[0104] In some embodiments, the hardness of the first metal material is greater than the hardness of the second metal material. Among them, hardness is a performance indicator to measure the hardness of a material, which can be understood as the ability to resist elastic deformation, plastic deformation, residual deformation, resistance and anti-destructive force. Hardness is not a simple physical concept, but the mechanical properties of the material such as elasticity, plasticity, strength and toughness. Exemplarily, the hardness of the first metal material can be greater than or equal to 150HV, for example, 180HV, 200HV, 250HV, 280HV, 300HV, 310HV, 380HV, etc. Among them, HV is the Vickers hardness unit.

[0105] In this embodiment, the housing 10 adopts a composite structure of a first component 101 and a second component 102, the first component 101 adopts a first metal material with higher hardness, the second component 102 adopts a second metal material with lower hardness, and the material hardness of the first component 101 is greater than the material hardness of the second component 102. Compared with a housing made of the same material, the housing 10 in this embodiment improves the material hardness of the first component 101, so that the first component 101 has better scratch resistance, better wear resistance, and better impact resistance, thereby having higher mechanical reliability. In addition, the first component 101 is mainly used to form the appearance structure of the housing 10, so the housing 10 has higher mechanical reliability, which can effectively support and protect other components located in the inner cavity of the electronic device 100, and can also make the appearance structure of the housing 10 have a better appearance effect. Since the material hardness of the first component 101 is higher, it is also possible to appropriately reduce the thickness of the first component 101 while maintaining better mechanical reliability, thereby helping to reduce the thickness of the housing 10 and realize the miniaturization of the housing 10 and the electronic device 100.

[0106] Among them, the inner cavity structure of the shell 10 needs to undergo CNC (Computer numerical control, numerical control machine tool) processing and other mechanical processing steps to form specific structural features, and the amount of mechanical processing is large. Since the second component 102 adopts a second metal material with lower hardness, it is beneficial to reduce the processing difficulty and processing time of the above-mentioned mechanical processing, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the shell 10 and reducing the processing cost. In addition, since the material hardness of the second component 102 is relatively low, although the second component 102 undergoes mechanical processing over a large area, the residual stress after mechanical processing is relatively small, so the risk of deformation of the second component 102 due to stress release is relatively small, which is beneficial for the second component 102 to maintain a high-precision shape, and the second component 102 has a high flatness, so that the production yield of the shell 10 is relatively high.

[0107] In some embodiments, the density of the second metal material is less than the density of the first metal material. For example, the density of the second metal material can be less than or equal to 3.5 g / cm 3 (grams per cubic centimeter), for example, 1.8 g / cm 3 , 1.9g / cm 3 , 2.0g / cm 3 , 2.69g / cm 3 , 2.70g / cm 3 , 2.73g / cm 3 , 2.8g / cm 3 wait.

[0108] In this embodiment, the second component 102 of the housing 10 is made of a second metal material with a relatively low density, so that the mass of the second component 102 is relatively small, which is conducive to the lightweight of the housing 10. Therefore, the housing 10 adopts a composite structure of the first component 101 and the second component 102, the material hardness of the first component 101 is relatively large, and the material hardness and density of the second component 102 are relatively small, which is conducive to the housing 10 achieving high reliability and lightweight, and is also conducive to the housing 10 obtaining excellent appearance effects, lower processing costs and higher production yields.

[0109] In some embodiments, the elastic modulus of the first metal material is greater than the elastic modulus of the second metal material. Exemplarily, the elastic modulus of the first metal material is greater than or equal to 80GPa, for example, 100GPa, 110GPa, 130GPa, 193GPa, 210GPa, etc. Wherein, 1GPa = 1000MPa (megapascals). Among them, the elastic modulus (Elastic Modulus) refers to the stress required for a material to produce a unit elastic deformation under the action of an external force. It is an indicator of the material's ability to resist elastic deformation. The elastic modulus can be regarded as an indicator of the ease with which a material produces elastic deformation. The larger its value, the greater the stress that causes the material to undergo a certain elastic deformation, that is, the greater the material stiffness, that is, under a certain stress, the smaller the elastic deformation.

[0110] In this embodiment, the first component 101 of the housing 10 is made of a first metal material with a large elastic modulus, so that the first component 101 has a stronger ability to resist elastic deformation, thereby further improving the mechanical reliability of the housing 10 .

[0111] In some embodiments, the yield strength of the first metal material is greater than the yield strength of the second metal material. Exemplarily, the yield strength of the first metal material is greater than or equal to 200 MPa (megapascals), such as 400 MPa, 450 MPa, 500 MPa, 600 MPa, 665 MPa, etc. Yield strength is the yield limit of a metal material when yielding occurs, that is, the stress that resists micro plastic deformation.

[0112] In this embodiment, the first component 101 of the housing 10 is made of a first metal material with a relatively large yield strength, so that the first component 101 has a relatively strong ability to resist slight plastic deformation, thereby further improving the mechanical reliability of the housing 10 .

[0113] In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the second metal material is greater than the thermal conductivity of the first metal material. Exemplarily, the thermal conductivity of the second metal material is greater than or equal to 50 W / m·K (watt / meter·degree), for example, 70 W / m·K, 80 W / m·K, 95 W / m·K, 120 W / m·K, 130 W / m·K, 150 W / m·K, 160 W / m·K, 180 W / m·K, etc.

[0114] In this embodiment, the second component 102 of the housing 10 is made of a second metal material with a relatively large thermal conductivity, so that the second component 102 has a high thermal conductivity, which is beneficial to improving the heat dissipation performance of the housing 10 .

[0115] In some embodiments, the first metal material may be stainless steel or titanium alloy. For example, SUS301 stainless steel, SUS316L stainless steel, TC4 titanium alloy, TA2 titanium alloy, etc. At this time, the first component 101 has a higher hardness, a higher elastic modulus, and a higher yield strength. Exemplarily, the second metal material may be an aluminum alloy, a particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material, a magnesium alloy, or a particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material. At this time, the second component 102 has a lower density and a higher thermal conductivity. In addition, the material hardness of the second component 102 is suitable, which can reduce the difficulty of CNC processing, and the material hardness of the present application can make the processed structural features have sufficient rigidity to ensure the reliability of the whole machine.

[0116] Among them, the particles in the particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material and the particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material can be reinforced particles such as silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, boron carbide, carbon nanotubes, graphene, chromium carbide, silicon boride, titanium boride, titanium carbide, etc. For example, the particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material can be a SiC (silicon carbide) particle reinforcement phase with a mass fraction of 20% + a 6061 aluminum alloy matrix with a mass fraction of 80%, a SiC (silicon carbide) particle reinforcement phase with a mass fraction of 17% + a 6013 aluminum alloy matrix with a mass fraction of 83%, a graphene particle reinforcement phase with a mass fraction of 25% + a 6063 aluminum alloy matrix with a mass fraction of 75%, etc. The particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material can be a SiC (silicon carbide) particle reinforcement phase with a mass fraction of 20% + an AZ91 magnesium alloy matrix with a mass fraction of 80%, a SiC (silicon carbide) particle reinforcement phase with a mass fraction of 25% + a ZK60 magnesium alloy matrix with a mass fraction of 75%, etc.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present application, the first component 101 of the shell 10 is made of stainless steel or titanium alloy, and the second component 102 is made of aluminum alloy, particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material, magnesium alloy or particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material, so that the shell 10 has high mechanical reliability, good wear resistance, high strength and high rigidity, less processing difficulty and low cost, higher dimensional accuracy and flatness, smaller mass and better thermal conductivity.

[0118] The specific implementation of the first metal material and the second metal material is described below by way of example.

[0119] In some examples, the first metal material is TC4 titanium alloy, and the second metal material is 6013 aluminum alloy. For example, the hardness of TC4 titanium alloy may be approximately in the range of 250HV to 320HV, such as 280HV, the elastic modulus may be approximately 110GPa, the yield strength may be in the range of 800MPa to 1000MPa, such as 880Mpa, and the density may be approximately 4.5g / cm 3, the thermal conductivity can be about 7.95 W / m·K. The hardness of 6013 aluminum alloy (Al-Mg-Si-Cu) can be about 65 HV to 75 HV, the elastic modulus can be about 69 GPa, the yield strength can be about 340 MPa, and the density can be about 2.7 g / cm 3 , the thermal conductivity may be about 160 W / m·K. It is understandable that the above parameters of TC4 titanium alloy and 6013 aluminum alloy may be slightly different due to factors such as specific production process, material state and test method.

[0120] In other examples, the first metal material is SUS316L stainless steel, and the second metal material is AZ31B magnesium alloy. For example, the hardness of SUS316L stainless steel may be approximately in the range of 200HV to 250HV, the elastic modulus may be approximately 193GPa, the yield strength may be approximately in the range of 200Mpa to 300Mpa, for example, 205Mpa, and the density may be approximately 8.0g / cm 3 AZ31B magnesium alloy (Mg-Al-Zn-Mn) may have a hardness of about 60 HV to 70 HV, an elastic modulus of about 45 GPa, a yield strength of about 180 MPa, and a density of about 1.78 g / cm 3 , the thermal conductivity may be about 76.9 W / m·K. It is understandable that the above parameters of SUS316L stainless steel and AZ31B magnesium alloy may be slightly different due to factors such as specific production process, material state and test method.

[0121] In other examples, the first metal material is TC4 titanium alloy, and the second metal material is silicon carbide reinforced aluminum-based composite material. The silicon carbide reinforced aluminum-based composite material may include 1% to 25% SiC and 6013 aluminum alloy, for example, 20% SiC and 80% 6013 aluminum alloy, or 17% SiC and 83% 6013 aluminum alloy. The hardness of the silicon carbide reinforced aluminum-based composite material of 17% SiC + 83% 6013 aluminum alloy may be approximately in the range of 80HV to 140HV, the elastic modulus may be approximately 95GPa, the yield strength may be approximately 500MPa, and the density may be approximately 2.78g / cm 3 , the thermal conductivity may be about 155 W / m·K. It is understandable that the above parameters of the silicon carbide reinforced aluminum matrix composite material may vary slightly due to factors such as specific production process, material state and test method.

[0122] In the above examples, the first component 101 of the shell 10 is made of TC4 titanium alloy or SUS316L stainless steel, and the second component 102 is made of 6013 aluminum alloy, AZ31B magnesium alloy or silicon carbide reinforced aluminum-based composite material, which can achieve high mechanical reliability, light weight, high thermal conductivity and excellent appearance.

[0123] In addition, in the example where the first component 101 is made of SUS316L stainless steel, the elastic modulus of SUS316L stainless steel is higher than that of TC4 stainless steel, so the first component 101 and the housing 10 have a stronger ability to resist elastic deformation and a higher mechanical reliability. In the example where the second component 102 is made of magnesium alloy, the hardness of the magnesium alloy is low, which is conducive to CNC processing, improving processing efficiency and reducing processing costs. In the example where the second component 102 is made of silicon carbide reinforced aluminum-based composite material, the elastic modulus of the silicon carbide reinforced aluminum-based composite material is high, which helps to improve the mechanical reliability of the second component 102 and the housing 10.

[0124] Please refer again Figure 3 In some embodiments, the first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 of the housing 10 can be formed by an insert powder metallurgy process. In the manufacturing process of the insert powder metallurgy process, an insert is first manufactured, and then the insert and the powder of the connecting insert are sintered together to finally form an integrally formed structural member. Exemplarily, the first component 101 is formed by an insert made of a first metal material, the second component 102 is formed by sintering a powder of a second metal material, and the connecting layer 103 is formed by mutual diffusion of the first metal material and the second metal material.

[0125] In this embodiment, since the first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 of the housing 10 are integrally formed structural parts formed by the insert powder metallurgy process, based on the metal interdiffusion effect during the sintering process, an interdiffusion layer with a composition gradient can be formed between the first component 101 formed by the insert and the second component 102 formed by the powder, that is, a connecting layer 103 in which the first metal material and the second metal material diffuse with each other is formed. At this time, the formation of the connecting layer 103 significantly improves the interface bonding strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102, so that the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the overall structure of the first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 is stable and reliable.

[0126] It is understandable that in some other embodiments, the shell 10 can also be formed by a dissimilar metal composite plate through a stamping and forging process. Among them, the dissimilar metal composite plate is formed by stacking two dissimilar metal plates together and then forming a composite plate with an integrated structure by rolling. Since the dissimilar metal composite plate is a plate structure, it needs to be processed by a stamping and forging process to form a product component of a corresponding shape. In this embodiment, the shell 10 can be formed into a first component and a second component by two metals of the dissimilar metal plate. However, since the bonding interface width of the above-mentioned dissimilar metal composite structural parts is extremely narrow (a structure similar to the aforementioned connecting layer 103 is not seen in the metallographic structure), there is a risk of interface cracking between the first component and the second component during the stamping and forging process, and the shape of the bonding interface is difficult to control, and the dimensional tolerance is large, which easily leads to poor connection strength and low processing accuracy between the first component and the second component of the shell 10. However, since the shape of the bonding interface is difficult to control, in order to make the metal structures on both sides of the bonding interface meet the design requirements (for example, the first component structure is complete, the second component structure is complete, the first component covers the outer surface of the second component, etc.), it is usually necessary to thicken the metal structures on both sides of the bonding interface in the actual product to reduce the occurrence of gaps and fractures that are not required by the design. This will result in a larger thickness of the first component, a larger thickness of the second component, and a larger thickness and a larger weight of the final shell 10.

[0127] In the embodiment where the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connection layer 103 are formed by insert powder metallurgy process, the connection layer 103 as the bonding interface is formed during the sintering process due to the metal interdiffusion effect, and the thickness of the connection layer 103 is relatively large, so the connection strength of the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connection layer 103 is high. In some possible implementations, the shear strength of the connection layer 103 at the bonding interface between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is greater than or equal to 100MPa, and in some implementations it can be as high as 300MPa, which is much higher than the interface shear strength of the housing 10 formed by the stamping and forging process of the heterogeneous metal composite plate. In addition, during the manufacturing process, the housing 10 can control the shape of the bonding interface between the first component 101 and the second component 102 by controlling the shape of the surface of the insert for contacting the powder. The shape control of the bonding interface is easy to implement, has high flexibility and high precision, so that the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connection layer 103 have high processing precision when having high bonding strength. In addition, since the shape of the bonding interface is easy to control, the actual thickness of the first component 101 and the second component 102 can be close to or equal to the designed thickness when the design requirements are met, so that the thickness of the shell 10 can be reasonably controlled.

[0128] In some embodiments, Figure 3As shown, the connection layer 103 includes a first interface 1031 and a second interface 1032, and the second interface 1032 is arranged opposite to the first interface 1031. The first interface 1031 is connected to the first component 101, and the second interface 1032 is connected to the second component 102. For the convenience of the following description, the direction from the first interface 1031 of the connection layer 103 to the second interface 1032 is defined as the thickness direction of the connection layer 103.

[0129] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The diagram shows the contents of the main group elements of the first metal material and the second metal material at different positions of the connecting layer 103 of the housing 10 .

[0130] In some embodiments, Figure 4 The diagram shows the variation trend of the content of the main group elements of the first metal material and the content of the main group elements of the second metal material at different positions of the connecting layer 103. The X-axis represents the distance from each part of the connecting layer 103 to the first interface 1031 in the thickness direction of the connecting layer 103, and the value X1 corresponds to the distance from the second interface 1032 to the first interface 1031; the Y-axis represents the content ratio of the material, and the value 1 is 100%. The first metal material and the second metal material are mostly alloy materials, and the main group element of the alloy material refers to the element with the highest content in the alloy. In alloys, some other elements are usually added to change their performance and characteristics, but the content of the main group elements is the highest and plays a dominant role in the properties of the alloy. The selection and content of the main group elements determine the chemical composition and basic properties of the alloy. For example, for stainless steel, iron is the main group element, and other added elements such as chromium and nickel play a role in improving corrosion resistance. In addition, for titanium alloys, titanium is the main group element; for aluminum alloys and particle-reinforced aluminum-based composites, aluminum is the main group element; for magnesium alloys and particle-reinforced magnesium-based composites, magnesium is the main group element.

[0131] like Figure 4 As shown, the content of the main group element of the first metal material of the connecting layer 103 decreases in the direction from the first component 101 to the second component 102, and the content of the main group element of the second metal material increases in the direction from the first component 101 to the second component 102. The direction from the first component 101 to the second component 102 is parallel to the thickness direction of the connecting layer 103.

[0132] In this embodiment, the first component 101 adopts a first metal material, and the content of the main group elements of the first metal material of the connecting layer 103 changes from high to low in the direction from the first component 101 to the second component 102. The second component 102 adopts a second metal material, and the content of the main group elements of the second metal material of the connecting layer 103 changes from low to high in the direction from the first component 101 to the second component 102. Therefore, the first component 101 and the connecting layer 103 have a good bonding effect, and the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 have a good bonding effect. A higher connection strength can be obtained between the first component 101 and the second component 102 through the connecting layer 103, so that the overall structure of the shell 10 is more stable and reliable.

[0133] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the metallographic structure of a partial structure of the housing 10 in some possible implementations.

[0134] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 As shown, the first interface 1031 and the second interface 1032 are visible in the metallographic structure of the shell 10. The metallographic structure of the shell 10 is the internal organizational structure of the shell 10 seen in a metallographic (optical) microscope. The resolution of the metallographic microscope can be in the micron level, for example, 0.1 micron to 0.5 micron. Since the connecting layer 103 is an interdiffusion layer formed during the sintering process, the first metal material of the first component 101 and the second metal material of the second component 102 are dissimilar metal materials, the first interface 1031 where the connecting layer 103 is connected to the first component 101 and the second interface 1032 where the connecting layer 103 is connected to the second component 102 can be clearly observed in the metallographic structure.

[0135] Exemplarily, the first interface 1031 and the second interface 1032 of the connection layer 103 may be relatively smooth interfaces, and slight bumps and depressions are allowed on the first interface 1031 and the second interface 1032. The overall shape of the first interface 1031 and the second interface 1032 may be designed according to the shape of the housing 10, for example, may include a curved surface. Among them, since the connection layer 103 is formed by the metal interdiffusion effect during the sintering process, the multiple regions of the connection layer 103 arranged in its layer direction (i.e., perpendicular to the thickness direction of the connection layer 103) are subjected to a relatively uniform force during the sintering process, so the thickness of the multiple regions is equal or approximately equal, the overall thickness of the connection layer 103 is equal or approximately equal, and the first interface 1031 and the second interface 1032 may be parallel or approximately parallel to each other.

[0136] like Figure 5As shown, in the metallographic structure of the housing 10, the first interface 1031 may be parallel to or approximately parallel to the second interface 1032. At this time, since the thickness of each part of the connection layer 103 is equal, the diffusion degree between the first metal material and the second metal material in each part of the connection layer 103 is equal, the bonding strength between each part of the connection layer 103 and the first component 101 is the same or approximately the same, and the bonding strength between each part of the connection layer 103 and the second component 102 is also the same or approximately the same, so that the housing 10 can be effectively prevented from cracking at a place where the bonding strength between the connection layer 103 and the first component 101 is weak, or at a place where the bonding strength between the connection layer 103 and the second component 102 is weak, which is conducive to improving the overall structural stability of the housing 10 and extending the service life of the housing 10.

[0137] In some embodiments, the thickness H1 of the connection layer 103 may satisfy: 0.1 μm (micrometer) ≤ H1 ≤ 30 μm. For example, the thickness of the connection layer 103 may be 0.8 μm, 2 μm, 3.6 μm, 5 μm, 6 μm, 8 μm, 12 μm, 15 μm, 20 μm, etc.

[0138] In this embodiment, since the first component 101 and the second component 102 are connected together through the connecting layer 103, the thickness of the connecting layer 103 can be greater than or equal to 0.1 μm. The thickness of the connecting layer 103 is relatively thick, so that the first component 101 and the second component 102 can be better combined through the connecting layer 103, which is conducive to improving the bonding strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 of the housing 10, thereby improving the overall structural stability of the housing 10. In addition, the thickness of the connecting layer 103 can also be less than or equal to 30 μm, so that the housing 10 can meet the bonding strength requirements between the first component 101 and the second component 102, while the production time is short and the production cost is low, which is conducive to large-scale production.

[0139] The thickness of the connection layer 103 can be controlled by the sintering process during the manufacturing process of the shell 10, for example, by the sintering temperature and the sintering time. When the sintering temperature is higher and the sintering time is longer, the thickness of the connection layer 103 is greater. In addition, the thickness of the connection layer 103 affects the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102. When no brittle phase is generated in the connection layer 103, the greater the thickness of the connection layer 103, the better. Of course, the thickness design of the connection layer 103 can also take into account the processing efficiency, processing cost and processing difficulty at the same time, and control the thickness of the connection layer 103 within a certain range.

[0140] In some examples, the thickness of the connection layer 103 may be in the range of 2 μm to 30 μm. In this case, the thickness of the connection layer 103 is relatively large, that is, the thickness of the bonding interface between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is relatively large, so that the interface bonding strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the risk of interface cracking is low. Therefore, the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the overall structure of the first component 101, the connection layer 103 and the second component 102 is stable and reliable. In other examples, the thickness of the connection layer 103 may also be greater than or equal to 6 μm.

[0141] In some embodiments, the second component 102 may be formed by sintering powder under a hot isostatic pressing process. For example, the second component 102 may be formed by sintering powder at a sintering temperature of 500° C. to 660° C., a sintering time of 2 hours to 5 hours, and a sintering pressure greater than or equal to 100 MPa.

[0142] In this embodiment, during the process of sintering the second component 102 from powder, the connecting layer 103 is formed by the mutual diffusion of metal materials between the insert and the powder. Therefore, the connecting layer 103 is formed under high temperature and high pressure for a relatively long time. The connecting layer 103 can have a large thickness to ensure a reliable connection between the first component 101 and the second component 102.

[0143] In the embodiment of the present application, since the thickness of the connection layer 103 will be affected when the first metal material and the second metal material are combined with different materials, when selecting the metal for combination of the first metal material and the second metal material, in addition to considering the requirements described above, the mutual diffusion coefficient between the metals can also be considered to meet the reliability and quantification requirements of the product, so that the connection layer 103 can achieve a reliable connection between the first component 101 and the second component 102. It can be understood that the combination of the first metal material and the second metal material can have other solutions in addition to the above-mentioned example solutions, and the embodiment of the present application does not strictly limit this.

[0144] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the first member 101 may include a first surface, and the first surface is not connected to the second member 102. The outer surface 11 of the frame 1 and the outer surface 21 of the back cover 2 are at least a part of the first surface. The appearance decoration layer 3 of the shell 10 is fixed to and covers the outer surface 11 of the frame 1 and the outer surface 21 of the back cover 2 to serve as the appearance layer of the shell 10 to improve the aesthetics of the shell 10. In some other embodiments, the appearance decoration layer 3 may also cover the entire area of ​​the first surface or other local areas of the first surface.

[0145] Among them, the appearance decoration layer 3 can be a film layer formed by PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) technology. PVD technology refers to the technology of using physical methods to vaporize the surface of the material source (solid or liquid) into gaseous atoms or molecules, or partially ionize into ions under vacuum conditions, and deposit a thin film with certain special functions on the surface of the substrate through a low-pressure gas (or plasma) process. Physical vapor deposition is a surface treatment technology. PVD treatment can be vacuum evaporation coating, vacuum sputtering coating or vacuum ion coating.

[0146] In this embodiment, since the first metal material used for the first component 101 is titanium alloy or stainless steel, the appearance decoration layer 3 formed on the surface of the first component 101 by PVD treatment has good adhesion to the first component 101, is not easy to fall off, has high reliability and long service life.

[0147] Exemplarily, the second member 102 may include a second surface, which is not connected to the first member 101. The inner surface 16 of the frame 1 and the inner surface 27 of the back cover 2 are at least a portion of the second surface. The surface anti-corrosion layer 5 is fixed and covers the inner surface 16 of the frame 1 and the inner surface 27 of the back cover 2, which can improve the corrosion resistance and durability of the housing 10, thereby improving the reliability and service life of the housing 10. In some other embodiments, the surface anti-corrosion layer 5 may also cover a local area of ​​the inner surface 16 of the frame 1 and the inner surface 27 of the back cover 2. In some other embodiments, the surface anti-corrosion layer 5 may also cover the entire area or other local areas of the second surface.

[0148] Among them, since the second component 102 is made of aluminum alloy, particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material, magnesium alloy or particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material, the surface anti-corrosion layer 5 can be formed by chemical passivation process to reduce costs. In some other embodiments, the surface anti-corrosion treatment can also be formed by spraying, electrophoresis, anodizing and other processes, which are not strictly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0149] Exemplarily, the second surface may be provided with a laser engraving area 6. For example, the inner surface 27 of the back cover 2 may be provided with one or more laser engraving areas 6. The surface energy of the laser engraving area 6 is better, and the connection strength with the adhesive (such as double-sided tape, glue, etc.) can be enhanced to facilitate fixing other structural parts of the electronic device 100.

[0150] The above specifically introduces the structure and components of the housing 10 in some embodiments, and the following will continue to introduce the method of preparing the housing in conjunction with the relevant drawings.

[0151] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a method for preparing a shell provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figures 7 to 10 yes Figure 6 Structural schematic diagram of some steps in the method for preparing the shell in some embodiments Figures 1 to 4 .

[0152] In some embodiments, the present application also provides a method for preparing a housing, which can be used to prepare the housing 10 described above (such as Figure 3 The method includes but is not limited to steps S110 to S140 provided below. Figures 6 to 10 , the various steps of the method for preparing the shell are introduced:

[0153] Step S110: preparing the insert 301 .

[0154] For example, Figure 7 As shown, the insert 301 may include an integrally formed first part 301a and a second part 301b, the first part 301a is frame-shaped, the second part 301b is plate-shaped, the periphery of the second part 301b is connected to one end of the first part 301a, the first part 301a and the second part 301b together form a cover structure, and together enclose an inner space 303 of the insert 301.

[0155] In some examples, the insert 301 can be obtained by stamping a metal plate. In other examples, the insert 301 can also be obtained by other processing techniques, which is not strictly limited in the present embodiment.

[0156] Step S120 : depositing the powder 302 in the inner space 303 of the insert 301 to form the sintered component 30 .

[0157] For example, Figure 8 As shown, the sintered part 30 includes powder 302 and an insert 301, and the powder 302 is deposited in the inner space 303 of the insert 301. At this time, the overall shape of the deposited powder 302 changes with the shape of the insert 301. Therefore, by processing the shape of the inner space 303 of the insert 301, the overall shape of the deposited powder 302 can be controlled, and the shape of the contact interface between the insert 301 and the powder 302 can also be controlled. Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the stacking height of the powder 302 may be flush with the end surface of the first portion 301a of the insert 301, or may be higher than the end surface of the first portion 301a of the insert 301. For example, the middle portion of the accumulated powder 302 may be higher than the end surface of the first portion 301a of the insert 301, or may be lower than the end surface of the first portion 301a of the insert 301. The embodiment of the present application does not strictly limit the stacking shape of the powder 302.

[0158] In some examples, the powder 302 can be obtained through powder making, powder blending and powder mixing processes. In other examples, the powder 302 can also be obtained through other processes, which are not strictly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0159] Exemplarily, the insert 301 may be made of a first metal material. In this case, the metal sheet used to form the insert 301 is made of the first metal material. The powder 302 is made of a second metal material. Exemplarily, the hardness of the first metal material is greater than the hardness of the second metal material, and the density of the second metal material is less than the density of the first metal material.

[0160] In some examples, the elastic modulus of the first metal material is greater than the elastic modulus of the second metal material, and / or the yield strength of the first metal material is greater than the yield strength of the second metal material, and / or, and / or the thermal conductivity of the second metal material is greater than the thermal conductivity of the first metal material.

[0161] In some examples, the hardness of the first metal material is greater than or equal to 150 HV, and / or the elastic modulus of the first metal material is greater than or equal to 80 GPa, and / or the yield strength of the first metal material is greater than or equal to 200 MPa; and / or the density of the second metal material is less than or equal to 3.5 g / cm 3 ; and / or, the thermal conductivity of the second metal material is greater than or equal to 50 W / m·K.

[0162] Exemplarily, the first metal material may be stainless steel or titanium alloy. For example, the first metal material may be TC4 titanium alloy, SUS316L stainless steel and other materials. In some examples, the thickness of the metal sheet used to form the insert 301 may be greater than or equal to 0.8 mm, for example, 1 mm, 1.2 mm, etc. Among them, the specific thickness of the metal sheet can be adjusted according to product design, materials and processing capabilities. Exemplarily, the second metal material may be an aluminum alloy, a particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material, a magnesium alloy or a particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material. For example, the second metal material may be 6013 aluminum alloy, AZ31B magnesium alloy, silicon carbide reinforced aluminum-based composite material, etc. Among them, other scheme details of the first metal material and the second metal material can refer to the relevant description in the previous text, which will not be repeated here.

[0163] Step S130 : sintering the to-be-sintered part 30 to form a sintered part 40 .

[0164] For example, Fig. 9As shown, the sintered part 40 includes a first part 401, a second part 402, and a transition layer 403 connecting the first part 401 and the second part 402. The material of the first part 401 is a first metal material, and the shape of the first part 401 corresponds to the shape of the insert 301; the material of the second part 402 is a second metal material, and the shape of the second part 402 corresponds to the stacking shape of the powder 302; the material of the transition layer 403 includes a first metal material and a second metal material, and the shape of the transition layer 403 corresponds to the shape of the contact interface between the insert 301 and the powder 302. Among them, the content of the main group element of the first metal material in the transition layer 403 gradually decreases in the direction from the first part 401 to the second part 402, and the content of the main group element of the second metal material gradually increases in the direction from the first part 401 to the second part 402. In the following text, the process of sintering the sintered part 30 can be referred to as the sintering process.

[0165] In this embodiment, the sintered part 30 is formed into an integrally formed sintered part 40 by an insert powder metallurgy process. The first part 401 of the sintered part 40 is formed by the insert 301, and the second part 402 is formed by the powder 302. The transition layer 403 is formed at the contact interface between the insert 301 and the powder 302, and is formed by the mutual diffusion of the first metal material and the second metal material during the sintering process. The transition layer 403 is an interdiffusion layer with a composition gradient, which can significantly improve the interface bonding strength between the first part 401 and the second part 402, so that the connection strength between the two is high, and the overall structure of the sintered part 40 is stable and reliable.

[0166] Among them, since the transition layer 403 is formed by the metal interdiffusion effect during the sintering process, the multiple regions of the transition layer 403 arranged in the layer direction (i.e., perpendicular to the thickness direction of the transition layer 403) are subjected to relatively uniform force during the sintering process, so the thickness of the multiple regions is equal or approximately equal, the overall thickness of the transition layer 403 is equal or approximately equal, and the two interfaces of the transition layer 403 respectively connecting the first part 401 and the second part 402 can be parallel to each other or approximately parallel to each other. Among them, the two interfaces of the transition layer 403 respectively connecting the first part 401 and the second part 402 can be relatively smooth interfaces, and slight convexity and concavity are allowed to exist on the interfaces.

[0167] Exemplarily, the thickness H1 of the transition layer 403 may satisfy: 0.1 μm (micrometer) ≤ H1 ≤ 30 μm. For example, the thickness of the transition layer 403 may be 0.8 μm, 2 μm, 3.6 μm, 5 μm, 6 μm, 8 μm, 12 μm, 15 μm, 20 μm, etc. In this embodiment, since the first part 401 and the second part 402 are connected together through the transition layer 403, the thickness of the transition layer 403 may be greater than or equal to 0.1 μm. The thickness of the transition layer 403 is relatively thick, so that the first part 401 and the second part 402 can be better combined through the transition layer 403, and the connection strength between the two is high and the connection is stable. In addition, the thickness of the transition layer 403 may also be less than or equal to 30 μm, which is conducive to shortening the production time of the sintered part 40, thereby reducing the production cost and facilitating large-scale production.

[0168] Exemplarily, in step S130, the sintered part 30 can be sintered by hot isostatic pressing (HIP). During the sintering process, the sintering pressure P1 satisfies: P1 ≥ 100 MPa, the sintering temperature T1 satisfies: 500°C (degrees Celsius) ≤ T1 ≤ 660°C, and the sintering time t1 satisfies: 2h (hours) ≤ t1 ≤ 5h. At this time, the mutual diffusion degree between the first metal material and the second metal material is deep, and the thickness of the transition layer 403 is large, for example, greater than or equal to 2 μm, so that the connection strength between the first part 401 and the second part 402 is high.

[0169] For example, in step S110, when making the insert 301, the surface roughness of the inner surface of the insert 301 facing its inner space can be increased to increase the contact area between the insert 301 and the powder 302, thereby increasing the bonding strength between the first part 401 and the second part 402 of the sintered part 40 formed after step S130, so as to improve the overall structural stability of the shell 10 formed subsequently.

[0170] The surface roughness of the surface can be increased by mechanically grinding the inner surface of the insert 301. Alternatively, a rubber-drawing structure such as a round hole or a dovetail groove can be formed by mechanical processing on the inner surface of the insert 301, or a steel sheet with a rubber-drawing structure can be welded on the inner surface of the insert 301 to form a physical riveting structure on the inner surface of the insert 301, thereby increasing the surface roughness of the inner surface of the insert 301.

[0171] Exemplarily, after step S120 and before step S130, the method may further include: performing cold isostatic pressing on the part to be sintered 30. After the part to be sintered 30 is subjected to cold isostatic pressing (CIP), the powder 302 is pre-pressed to facilitate the subsequent sintering process. The pressure during the cold isostatic pressing process may be greater than or equal to 100 MPa, for example, in the range of 100 MPa to 630 MPa, the temperature may be room temperature, and the duration may be between 1 hour and 3 hours. In some other embodiments, after the part to be sintered 30 is subjected to the cold isostatic pressing process, the part to be sintered 30 may also be vacuum degassed to release the residual gas in the part to be sintered 30, thereby facilitating the subsequent sintering process.

[0172] Exemplarily, after step S130, the method may further include a step of performing a solution aging treatment on the sintered part 40. In this embodiment, after the sintered part 40 is subjected to the solution aging treatment, the second portion 402 of the sintered part 40 can obtain a higher yield strength and / or hardness.

[0173] The solution aging treatment step includes: performing a solution treatment on the sintered part 40; cooling the sintered part 40; and performing an aging treatment on the sintered part 40. For example, the sintered part 40 may be firstly subjected to a solution treatment; then the sintered part 40 subjected to the solution treatment may be water quenched at room temperature to cool the sintered part 40; after the sintered part 40 is cooled to room temperature, it is then subjected to an aging treatment.

[0174] In some examples, the second metal material is an aluminum alloy or a particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material. In the solution aging treatment, the solution temperature T2 of the solution treatment satisfies: 500°C ≤ T2 ≤ 550°C, and the solution time t2 satisfies: 15min (minutes) ≤ t2 ≤ 60min; and / or, the aging temperature T3 of the aging treatment satisfies: 170°C ≤ T3 ≤ 200°C, and the aging time t3 satisfies: 4h ≤ t3 ≤ 24h.

[0175] In other examples, the second metal material is a magnesium alloy or a particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material. In the solution aging treatment, the solution temperature T2 of the solution treatment satisfies: 380°C ≤ T2 ≤ 420°C, and the solution time t2 satisfies: 0.5h ≤ t2 ≤ 12h; and / or, the aging temperature T3 of the aging treatment satisfies: 180°C ≤ T3 ≤ 220°C, and the aging time t3 satisfies: 1h ≤ t3 ≤ 8h.

[0176] Step S140 : processing the sintered part 40 to form the housing 10 .

[0177] For example, Fig.10As shown, in step S140, the step of processing the sintered component 40 may include: machining the sintered component 40 to form the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103. At this time, the shape and / or size of the sintered component 40 may be changed by the machining step to form the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 with the designed shape. Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, the first component 101 is formed by the first part 401, the second component 102 is formed by the second part 402, and the connecting layer 103 is formed by the transition layer 403. Specifically, the remaining part of the first part 401 after mechanical processing forms the first component 101, the remaining part of the second part 402 after mechanical processing forms the second component 102, and the remaining part of the transition layer 403 after mechanical processing forms the connecting layer 103. At this time, the material of the first component 101 is the first metal material, the material of the second component 102 is the second metal material, and the material of the connecting layer 103 includes the first metal material and the second metal material. The content of the main group element of the first metal material of the connecting layer 103 gradually decreases in the direction from the first component 101 to the second component 102, and the content of the main group element of the second metal material gradually increases in the direction from the first component 101 to the second component 102.

[0178] In some examples, the machining step may include CNC machining, mechanical polishing, and other steps. For example, CNC machining may be the main machining step, which is used to machine the basic shape and / or size, and then further finishing may be performed by mechanical polishing. In this embodiment, since the housing 10 is a one-piece sintered part 40 that is CNC machined to obtain basic structural features, there is no need to assemble multiple components (such as conventional frames and middle plates) by riveting, welding, screwing, etc. in subsequent steps, so the housing 10 has high dimensional accuracy and flatness accuracy.

[0179] The mechanical polishing may be performed by sandblasting, wire drawing, CD grain processing, and the like. The mechanical polishing process may make the surface of the housing 10 formed subsequently smoother. In the mechanical processing step, the thickness of the sintered part 40 may be reduced so that the final housing 10 has a smaller thickness. In some other examples, the mechanical processing step may not include mechanical polishing, and the embodiments of the present application do not strictly limit this.

[0180] For example, Figure 3As shown, in step S140, after the first stage of mechanical processing of the sintered part 40, nano injection molding can be performed to form a plastic part connected to the sintered part 40, and then the sintered part 40 and the plastic part are subjected to the second stage of mechanical processing. At this time, the plastic part after the second stage of mechanical processing forms the insulating part 4 of the housing 10. For example, the insulating part 4 may include a part filled in the antenna slot 12 and a part embedded in the connection between the frame 1 and the back cover 2.

[0181] For example, Figure 3 As shown, in step S140, after the sintered part 40 is machined, the step of machining the sintered part 40 may further include: performing PVD treatment on at least part of the surface of the first component 101 to form an appearance decoration layer 3. The appearance decoration layer 3 may decorate the housing 10 in terms of color, texture, texture, etc. The relevant design of the appearance decoration layer 3 may refer to the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0182] For example, Figure 3 As shown, in step S140, after the sintered part 40 is machined, the step of machining the sintered part 40 may further include: performing surface anti-corrosion treatment on at least part of the surface of the second component 102 to form a surface anti-corrosion layer 5. The surface anti-corrosion layer 5 can improve the corrosion resistance and durability of the second component 102, so as to improve the reliability and service life of the housing 10.

[0183] The surface anti-corrosion treatment may adopt a chemical passivation process to form a layer of anti-corrosion chemical film on the surface of the second component 102, that is, the surface anti-corrosion layer 5. The cost of chemical passivation is low. In some other examples, the surface anti-corrosion treatment may also adopt processes such as spraying, electrophoresis, and anodizing to form a coating or plating on the surface of the second component 102, which is used as the surface anti-corrosion layer 5.

[0184] For example, in step S140, after the sintered part 40 is machined, the step of machining the sintered part 40 may further include: laser engraving a local area of ​​the inner surface of the second component 102 to form a laser engraved area 6 (see Figure 3 The surface energy of the laser engraving treated area 6 is better, and can enhance the connection strength with the adhesive (such as double-sided tape, glue, etc.) to facilitate the fixing of other structural parts.

[0185] It is understandable that in step S140, the PVD treatment process, the surface anti-corrosion treatment process, and the laser engraving process are all optional processes and non-essential processes. In some other embodiments, the method for preparing the shell may not include one or more of these processes.

[0186] Exemplarily, in step S140, after mechanical processing of the sintered part 40, the step of processing the sintered part 40 may further include: assembling auxiliary materials. The auxiliary materials (not shown in the figure) may be foam, Mylar sheet, spring, welding parts, heat sink and other structural parts. When step S140 includes a PVD treatment process, and / or a surface anti-corrosion treatment process, and / or a laser engraving process, the auxiliary material assembly process may be performed after these processes. The auxiliary material assembly process is also an optional process and a non-essential process.

[0187] In the method for preparing a shell in the embodiment of the present application, a portion of the insert 301 is used to form the first component 101 of the shell 10, another portion of the insert 301 and a portion of the powder 302 are used to form the connecting layer 103 of the shell 10 together, and another portion of the powder 302 is used to form the second component 102 of the shell 10. The first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 of the shell 10 are structural parts formed in one piece by the insert powder metallurgy process. Based on the metal interdiffusion effect during the sintering process, an interdiffusion layer with a composition gradient can be formed between the first component 101 and the second component 102, that is, a connecting layer 103 in which the first metal material and the second metal material diffuse with each other is formed. The existence of the connecting layer 103 significantly improves the interface bonding strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102, so that the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the overall structure of the first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 is stable and reliable.

[0188] In addition, by hot isostatic pressing the sintered part 30 in step S130, the mutual diffusion degree of the first metal material and the second metal material is effectively improved, so that the thickness of the transition layer 403 of the sintered part 40 is relatively large, so the thickness of the connecting layer 103 of the shell 10 is relatively large, and the thickness of the bonding interface between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is relatively large, so that the interface bonding strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the risk of interface cracking is low, so the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the overall structure of the first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 is stable and reliable. In some possible implementations, the shear strength of the connecting layer 103 at the bonding interface between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is greater than or equal to 100 MPa, and in some implementations it can be as high as 300 MPa, which is much higher than the interface shear strength of the shell 10 formed by the stamping and forging process of the heterogeneous metal composite plate.

[0189] Furthermore, during the manufacturing process of the shell 10, the shell 10 can control the shape of the bonding interface between the first component 101 and the second component 102 by controlling the shape of the surface of the insert 301 for contacting the powder 302. The shape control of the bonding interface is easy to implement, highly flexible, and highly accurate, so that the first component 101, the second component 102, and the connecting layer 103 have high processing accuracy when having a high connection strength. In addition, since the shape of the bonding interface is easy to control, the actual thickness of the first component 101 and the second component 102 can be close to or equal to the designed thickness when the design requirements are met, so that the thickness of the shell 10 can be reasonably controlled.

[0190] In the embodiment of the present application, the shell 10 adopts a composite structure of a first component 101 and a second component 102. The first component 101 adopts a first metal material, and the second component 102 adopts a second metal material. Through the arrangement of the first metal material and the second metal material, the shell 10 can be light, thin, highly reliable, highly thermally conductive, and have excellent appearance and coating reliability.

[0191] In the embodiment of the present application, by performing solution aging treatment on the sintered part 40 after step S130, the yield strength and / or hardness of the second part 402 of the sintered part 40 can be effectively improved, so that the yield strength and / or hardness of the second component 102 of the shell 10 can be improved, and the mechanical reliability of the shell 10 is higher and the service life is longer.

[0192] Fig.11 yes Figure 1 The electronic device 100 of this embodiment may include most of the technical features of the electronic device 100 of the previous embodiment. The following mainly describes the difference between the two, and most of the same technical features of the two are not repeated.

[0193] In some embodiments, such as Fig.11 As shown, the main difference between the housing 10 of this embodiment and the housing 10 of the previous embodiment is that the housing 10 includes a frame 1, a middle plate 7 and a back cover 2. The middle plate 7 is connected to the inner side of the frame 1, and the middle plate 7 and the frame 1 are integrally formed structural parts. The back cover 2 and the frame 1 are separate structures. In this case, the back cover 2 and the middle plate 7 are also separate structures. The back cover 2 is fixedly connected to the frame 1 and / or the middle plate 7 through a post-assembly process (such as bonding, etc.). In this case, Figure 1 and Fig.11 As shown, the screen 20 , the frame 1 and the back cover 2 of the electronic device 100 together enclose an inner cavity of the electronic device 100 , and the middle plate 7 is located in the inner cavity of the electronic device 100 .

[0194] Among them, the frame 1 may be provided with one or more matching structures, and the relevant description of the matching structure can refer to the previous embodiment. The periphery of the middle plate 7 is connected to the frame 1, and the middle plate 7 may be provided with one or more matching structures, wherein the matching structure can be used to match with other components of the electronic device 100. The matching structure can be a structure such as a protrusion, a groove, a through hole, etc. In some examples, the matching structure can be a fastening column 71, and the fastening column 71 is used to cooperate with other structures to achieve locking. For example, the circuit board can be locked and fixed to the middle plate 7 by connecting the fastener to the fastening column 71. In some examples, the matching structure can be a protrusion 72 such as a limiting rib and a reinforcing rib. The limiting rib is used to limit the relative position relationship between other components of the electronic device 100 and the middle plate 7, and the reinforcing rib is used to strengthen the structural strength of the middle plate 7. In some examples, the matching structure can also be a groove 73 or a through hole 74 such as an avoidance groove and an installation groove, which is used to install or avoid other components of the electronic device 100, such as a camera module. In some examples, the matching structure can also form a battery compartment 75 through a protrusion, or a matching structure of a protrusion and a groove, and the battery compartment 75 is used to install a battery of the electronic device 100. Of course, the middle plate 7 can also include more or fewer matching structures, and the embodiment of the present application is not strictly limited to this.

[0195] The back cover 2 is a plate structure, and the matching structure of the back cover 2 is simpler than that of the back cover 2 in the previous embodiment. In some examples, the matching structure can be a through hole 28, which can be used to allow components such as a rear camera module or a fingerprint module of the electronic device 100 to interact with the outside of the electronic device 100.

[0196] Fig.12 yes Fig.11 The cross-sectional structure diagram of the housing 10 is shown along line BB.

[0197] In some embodiments, such as Fig.12 As shown, the housing 10 includes a first component 101, a second component 102 and a connecting layer 103. The second component 102 is located on the inner side of the first component 101, and the connecting layer 103 is connected between the first component 101 and the second component 102. The first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 are integrally formed structural parts. Among them, the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 form the frame 1 and the middle plate 7 of the housing 10. Exemplarily, the first component 101 adopts a first metal material, and the second component 102 adopts a second metal material. The first metal material and the second metal material are different materials. The connecting layer 103 includes a first metal material and a second metal material.

[0198] In this embodiment, since the first component 101 is made of the first metal material, the second component 102 is made of the second metal material, the connecting layer 103 includes the first metal material and the second metal material, and the connecting layer 103 is connected between the first component 101 and the second component 102, the connecting layer 103 can improve the interface bonding strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102, so that the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the overall structure of the integrated structural member formed by the first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 is stable and reliable. At this time, the overall structure of the frame 1 and the middle plate 7 of the shell 10 formed by the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 is stable and reliable.

[0199] In addition, since the second component 102 is located on the inner side of the first component 101, the first component 101 is mainly used to form the appearance structure of the shell 10, and the second component 102 is mainly used to form the inner cavity structure of the shell 10, and the first metal material used in the first component 101 is different from the second metal material used in the second component 102, the appearance structure and the inner cavity structure of the shell 10 can meet product requirements and manufacturing requirements through the combination of the first metal material and the second metal material.

[0200] Exemplarily, the second member 102 includes a frame portion 102a and a plate portion 102b. The plate portion 102b of the second member 102 is connected to the inner side of the frame portion 102a of the second member 102. The plate portion 102b of the second member 102 is provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole. The plate portion 102b and the frame portion 102a of the second member 102 are integrally formed structural members. The first member 101, the connecting layer 103 and the frame portion 102a of the second member 102 together constitute the frame 1, and the plate portion 102b of the second member 102 constitutes the middle plate 7. It can be understood that in Fig.12 In FIG. 1 , the frame portion 102a and the plate portion 102b of the second member 102 are divided by dashed lines as an example. Fig.12 The dividing position in is not the only position, and the frame portion 102a and the plate portion 102b of the second component 102 may also have other dividing positions, which is not strictly limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0201] In this embodiment, the appearance structure of the frame 1 of the shell 10 is formed by the first component 101, and the inner cavity structure of the frame 1 and the middle plate 7 is formed by the second component 102. Since the material of the first component 101 and the material of the second component 102 are different, the appearance structure and inner cavity structure of the frame 1 and the middle plate 7 of the shell 10 can be composed of different materials, so that the shell 10 can achieve diversified product needs through the differentiated design of the first component 101 and the second component 102 while the overall structure is stable and reliable.

[0202] Exemplarily, the hardness of the first metal material is greater than the hardness of the second metal material. In this embodiment, the housing 10 adopts a composite structure of a first component 101 and a second component 102, the first component 101 adopts a first metal material with higher hardness, the second component 102 adopts a second metal material with lower hardness, and the material hardness of the first component 101 is greater than the material hardness of the second component 102. Compared with a housing made of the same material, the housing 10 in this embodiment improves the material hardness of the first component 101, so that the first component 101 has better scratch resistance, better wear resistance, and better impact resistance, thereby having higher mechanical reliability. In addition, the first component 101 is mainly used to form the appearance structure of the housing 10, so the housing 10 has higher mechanical reliability, which can effectively support and protect other components located in the inner cavity of the electronic device 100, and can also make the appearance structure of the housing 10 have a better appearance effect. Since the material hardness of the first component 101 is higher, it is also possible to appropriately reduce the thickness of the first component 101 while maintaining better mechanical reliability, thereby helping to reduce the thickness of the housing 10 and realize the miniaturization of the housing 10 and the electronic device 100. In addition, since the second component 102 is made of a second metal material with a relatively low hardness, it is helpful to reduce the difficulty and time of machining the inner cavity structure of the housing 10, thereby improving the machining efficiency of the housing 10 and reducing the machining cost. In addition, since the material hardness of the second component 102 is relatively low, although the second component 102 undergoes machining over a relatively large area, the residual stress after machining is relatively small, so the risk of deformation of the second component 102 due to stress release is relatively small, which is beneficial for the second component 102 to maintain a relatively high-precision shape, and the second component 102 has a relatively high flatness, so that the manufacturing yield of the housing 10 is relatively high.

[0203] Exemplarily, the density of the second metal material is less than that of the first metal material. In this embodiment, the second component 102 of the housing 10 adopts the second metal material with a lower density, so that the mass of the second component 102 is smaller, which is conducive to the lightweight of the housing 10. Therefore, the housing 10 adopts a composite structure of the first component 101 and the second component 102, the material hardness of the first component 101 is relatively large, and the material hardness and density of the second component 102 are relatively small, which is conducive to the housing 10 to achieve high reliability and lightweight, and also conducive to the housing 10 to obtain excellent appearance effects, lower processing costs and higher production yield.

[0204] Exemplarily, the elastic modulus of the first metal material is greater than the elastic modulus of the second metal material; and / or, the yield strength of the first metal material is greater than the yield strength of the second metal material; and / or, the thermal conductivity of the second metal material is greater than the thermal conductivity of the first metal material.

[0205] Exemplarily, the first metal material may be stainless steel or titanium alloy. At this time, the first component 101 has a higher hardness, a higher elastic modulus and a higher yield strength. Exemplarily, the second metal material may be an aluminum alloy, a particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material, a magnesium alloy or a particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material. At this time, the second component 102 has a lower density and a higher thermal conductivity. In addition, the material hardness of the second component 102 is suitable, which can reduce the difficulty of CNC processing, and the material hardness of the present application can make the processed structural features have sufficient rigidity to ensure the reliability of the whole machine.

[0206] Among them, other design schemes of the first metal material and the second metal material can refer to the relevant description of the previous embodiment, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0207] In some embodiments, Fig.12 As shown, the housing 10 may further include an insulating member 4, which may be formed by injection molding of a plastic material. The insulating member 4 is fixed to the frame 1 and the middle plate 7, and is used to cooperate with the frame 1 and the middle plate 7 to form an insulating structure required by the electronic device 100. For example, a portion of the insulating member 4 may be filled in the antenna slot 12 of the frame 1. For another example, another portion of the insulating member 4 (not shown in the figure) may be embedded in the connection between the frame 1 and the middle plate 7 to disconnect the electrical connection between part of the frame 1 and part of the middle plate 7. The specific structure, position, quantity, etc. of the insulating member 4 are not strictly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0208] In some embodiments, Fig.12 As shown, the first member 101 may include a first surface, and the first surface is not connected to the second member 102. The first surface includes the outer surface 11 of the frame 1. The appearance decoration layer 3 of the shell 10 is fixed to and covers the outer surface 11 of the frame 1, so as to serve as the appearance layer of the shell 10 and improve the aesthetics of the shell 10. In some examples, the appearance decoration layer 3 of the shell 10 may also be fixed to and cover the entire area or other local areas of the first surface.

[0209] The appearance decoration layer 3 may be a film layer formed by PVD technology. In this embodiment, since the first metal material used by the first component 101 is titanium alloy or stainless steel, the appearance decoration layer 3 formed on the surface of the first component 101 by PVD treatment has good bonding with the first component 101, is not easy to fall off, has high reliability, and has a long service life.

[0210] Exemplarily, the second member 102 may include a second surface, which is not connected to the first member 101. The second surface includes the inner surface 16 of the frame 1 and the two side surfaces (76, 77) of the middle plate 7. The surface anti-corrosion layer 5 is fixed and covers the inner surface 16 of the frame 1 and the two side surfaces (76, 77) of the middle plate 7, which can improve the corrosion resistance and durability of the housing 10, thereby improving the reliability and service life of the housing 10. In some other embodiments, the surface anti-corrosion layer 5 may also cover the entire area or other local areas of the second surface.

[0211] Among them, since the second component 102 is made of aluminum alloy, particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material, magnesium alloy or particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material, the surface anti-corrosion layer 5 can be formed by chemical passivation process to reduce costs. In some other embodiments, the surface anti-corrosion treatment can also be formed by spraying, electrophoresis, anodizing and other processes.

[0212] For example, one side surface or both sides of the middle plate 7 may be provided with a laser engraving area 6. The surface of the laser engraving area 6 has better surface energy, which can enhance the connection strength with the adhesive (such as double-sided tape, glue, etc.) to facilitate fixing other structural parts of the electronic device 100.

[0213] It can be understood that other design schemes of the shell 10 of this embodiment, such as the first component 101, the second component 102, the connecting layer 103, the first metal material, the second metal material and other related design schemes, can refer to the relevant description of the previous embodiments, and will not be repeated in this embodiment.

[0214] The following will continue to introduce the implementation of the method for preparing a shell in some embodiments in conjunction with relevant drawings. Most of the steps of the method in this embodiment can refer to the relevant description of the method for preparing a shell in the previous embodiment. The following mainly describes the difference between the method of this embodiment and the method of the previous embodiment, and most of the same technical features of the two will not be repeated.

[0215] Figures 13 to 17 yes Figure 6 Schematic diagram of some steps in the method for preparing the shell in other embodiments Figures 1 to 5 .

[0216] In some embodiments, the present application also provides a method for preparing a housing, which can be used to prepare the housing 10 described above (such as Fig.11 and Fig.12 The method includes but is not limited to steps S110 to S140 provided below. Figure 6 and Figures 13 to 17 The various steps of the method for preparing the shell are introduced:

[0217] Step S110: preparing the insert 301 .

[0218] For example, Fig.13 As shown, the insert 301 can be formed into a hollow steel pipe by drawing raw materials. The cross-sectional shape of the steel pipe can be roughly rectangular or rounded rectangular. At this time, the insert 301 is frame-shaped.

[0219] Step S120 : depositing the powder 302 in the inner space 303 of the insert 301 to form the sintered component 30 .

[0220] For example, Fig.14 As shown, the sintered part 30 includes powder 302 and an insert 301, and the powder 302 is deposited in the inner space 303 of the insert 301. At this time, the overall shape of the deposited powder 302 changes with the shape of the insert 301, so by processing the shape of the inner space 303 of the insert 301, the overall shape of the deposited powder 302 can be controlled, and the shape of the contact interface between the insert 301 and the powder 302 can also be controlled.

[0221] In some examples, the powder 302 can be obtained through powder making, powder blending and powder mixing processes. In other examples, the powder 302 can also be obtained through other processes, which are not strictly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0222] For example, the insert 301 may be made of a first metal material. In this case, the raw material used to form the insert 301 is made of the first metal material. The powder 302 is made of a second metal material. For further description of the first metal material and the second metal material, please refer to the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0223] Step S130 : sintering the to-be-sintered part 30 to form a sintered part 40 .

[0224] For example, Fig.15As shown, the sintered part 40 includes a first part 401, a second part 402, and a transition layer 403 connecting the first part 401 and the second part 402. The material of the first part 401 is a first metal material, and the shape of the first part 401 corresponds to the shape of the insert 301; the material of the second part 402 is a second metal material, and the shape of the second part 402 corresponds to the stacking shape of the powder 302; the material of the transition layer 403 includes a first metal material and a second metal material, and the shape of the transition layer 403 corresponds to the shape of the contact interface between the insert 301 and the powder 302. Among them, the content of the main group element of the first metal material in the transition layer 403 gradually decreases in the direction from the first part 401 to the second part 402, and the content of the main group element of the second metal material gradually increases in the direction from the first part 401 to the second part 402. In the following text, the process of sintering the sintered part 30 can be referred to as the sintering process.

[0225] In this embodiment, the sintered part 30 is formed into an integrally formed sintered part 40 by an insert powder metallurgy process. The first part 401 of the sintered part 40 is formed by the insert 301, and the second part 402 is formed by the powder 302. The transition layer 403 is formed at the contact interface between the insert 301 and the powder 302, and is formed by the mutual diffusion of the first metal material and the second metal material during the sintering process. The transition layer 403 is an interdiffusion layer with a composition gradient, which can significantly improve the interface bonding strength between the first part 401 and the second part 402, so that the connection strength between the two is high, and the overall structure of the sintered part 40 is stable and reliable.

[0226] Among them, since the transition layer 403 is formed by the metal interdiffusion effect during the sintering process, the multiple regions of the transition layer 403 arranged in the layer direction (i.e., perpendicular to the thickness direction of the transition layer 403) are subjected to relatively uniform force during the sintering process, so the thickness of the multiple regions is equal or approximately equal, the overall thickness of the transition layer 403 is equal or approximately equal, and the two interfaces of the transition layer 403 respectively connecting the first part 401 and the second part 402 can be parallel to each other or approximately parallel to each other. Among them, the two interfaces of the transition layer 403 respectively connecting the first part 401 and the second part 402 can be relatively smooth interfaces, and slight convexity and concavity are allowed to exist on the interfaces.

[0227] Among them, other technical solutions in steps S110 to S130, such as the thickness design of the connecting layer 103, the sintering process implementation, the insert 301 structure design, the pretreatment method of the sintered part 30, the solution aging treatment method of the sintered part 40, etc., can refer to the relevant description of the previous embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0228] Step S140 : processing the sintered part 40 to form the housing 10 .

[0229] For example, Fig.16 As shown, in step S140, the step of processing the sintered part 40 may include: cutting the sintered part 40 to form a workpiece 50 to be processed. The workpiece 50 to be processed includes a portion 501 of the first part 401, a portion 502 of the second part 402, and a portion 503 of the transition layer 403. The workpiece 50 to be processed is in a plate shape as a whole. In the workpiece 50 to be processed, the portion 501 of the first part 401 is in a frame shape, the portion 501 of the first part 401 is arranged around the portion 502 of the second part 402, and the portion 503 of the transition layer 403 is connected between the portion 501 of the first part 401 and the portion 502 of the second part 402.

[0230] For example, Fig.17 As shown, in step S140, the step of processing the sintered part 40 may include: machining the workpiece 50 to form a first component 101, a second component 102 and a connecting layer 103. At this time, through the machining step, the shape and / or size of the workpiece 50 to be processed can be changed to form the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 with a designed shape. Among them, the first component 101 is formed by a part 501 of the first part 401, the second component 102 is formed by a part 502 of the second part 402, and the connecting layer 103 is formed by a part 503 of the transition layer 403. Specifically, the remaining part of the part 501 of the first part 401 after machining forms the first component 101, the remaining part of the part 502 of the second part 402 after machining forms the second component 102, and the remaining part of the part 503 of the transition layer 403 after machining forms the connecting layer 103. At this time, the material of the first component 101 is the first metal material, the material of the second component 102 is the second metal material, and the material of the connecting layer 103 includes the first metal material and the second metal material. The content of the main group element of the first metal material of the connecting layer 103 gradually decreases in the direction from the first component 101 to the second component 102, and the content of the main group element of the second metal material gradually increases in the direction from the first component 101 to the second component 102.

[0231] Among them, other technical solutions in step S140, such as mechanical processing methods, nano injection molding, PVD treatment, surface anti-corrosion treatment, laser engraving treatment, auxiliary material assembly, etc., can refer to the relevant description of the previous embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0232] In the method for preparing a shell in the embodiment of the present application, a portion of the insert 301 is used to form the first component 101 of the shell 10, another portion of the insert 301 and a portion of the powder 302 are used to form the connecting layer 103 of the shell 10 together, and another portion of the powder 302 is used to form the second component 102 of the shell 10. The first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 of the shell 10 are structural parts formed in one piece by the insert powder metallurgy process. Based on the metal interdiffusion effect during the sintering process, an interdiffusion layer with a composition gradient can be formed between the first component 101 and the second component 102, that is, a connecting layer 103 in which the first metal material and the second metal material diffuse with each other is formed. The existence of the connecting layer 103 significantly improves the interface bonding strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102, so that the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the overall structure of the first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 is stable and reliable.

[0233] In addition, by hot isostatic pressing the sintered part 30 in step S130, the mutual diffusion degree of the first metal material and the second metal material is effectively improved, so that the thickness of the transition layer 403 of the sintered part 40 is relatively large, so the thickness of the connecting layer 103 of the shell 10 is relatively large, and the thickness of the bonding interface between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is relatively large, so that the interface bonding strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the risk of interface cracking is low, so the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the overall structure of the first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 is stable and reliable. In some possible implementations, the shear strength of the connecting layer 103 at the bonding interface between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is greater than or equal to 100 MPa, and in some implementations it can be as high as 300 MPa, which is much higher than the interface shear strength of the shell 10 formed by the stamping and forging process of the heterogeneous metal composite plate.

[0234] Furthermore, during the manufacturing process of the shell 10, the shell 10 can control the shape of the bonding interface between the first component 101 and the second component 102 by controlling the shape of the surface of the insert 301 for contacting the powder 302. The shape control of the bonding interface is easy to implement, highly flexible, and highly accurate, so that the first component 101, the second component 102, and the connecting layer 103 have high processing accuracy when having a high connection strength. In addition, since the shape of the bonding interface is easy to control, the actual thickness of the first component 101 and the second component 102 can be close to or equal to the designed thickness when the design requirements are met, so that the thickness of the shell 10 can be reasonably controlled.

[0235] In the embodiment of the present application, the shell 10 adopts a composite structure of a first component 101 and a second component 102. The first component 101 adopts a first metal material, and the second component 102 adopts a second metal material. Through the arrangement of the first metal material and the second metal material, the shell 10 can be light, thin, highly reliable, highly thermally conductive, and have excellent appearance and coating reliability.

[0236] In the embodiment of the present application, by performing solution aging treatment on the sintered part 40 after step S130, the yield strength and / or hardness of the second part 402 of the sintered part 40 can be effectively improved, so that the yield strength and / or hardness of the second component 102 of the shell 10 can be improved, and the mechanical reliability of the shell 10 is higher and the service life is longer.

[0237] Fig.18 is a structural diagram of another electronic device 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application when it is in an open state. Fig.19 yes Fig.18 The schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device 100 shown is in a closed state. The electronic device 100 may be a mobile phone, a tablet personal computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a camera, a personal computer, a notebook computer, a wearable device, or other products. The following will be described using the example that the electronic device 100 is a mobile phone. Of course, other types of electronic devices 100 may also adopt a similar structure, which will not be described in detail below. The electronic device 100 of this embodiment may include most of the technical features of the electronic device 100 of the previous embodiment. The following mainly describes the difference between the two, and most of the same technical features of the two will not be described in detail.

[0238] In some embodiments, Fig.18 and Fig.19 As shown, the electronic device 100 includes a housing device 60 and a screen 20, and the screen 20 is installed in the housing device 60. Fig.18 As shown, the housing device 60 can be unfolded to an open state; Fig.19 As shown, the housing device 60 can also be folded to a closed state. The housing device 60 can also be unfolded or folded to an intermediate state, and the intermediate state can be any state between the open state and the closed state. The screen 20 moves with the housing device 60. In this embodiment, when the electronic device 100 is in the open state, the screen 20 is flattened, and the screen 20 can be displayed in full screen, so that the electronic device 100 has a larger display area to improve the user's viewing experience and operating experience. When the electronic device 100 is in the closed state, the plane size of the electronic device 100 is small, which is convenient for the user to carry and store.

[0239] Exemplarily, the housing device 60 may include two housings 10 and a rotating assembly 70. The rotating assembly 70 is connected between the two housings 10 so that the two housings 10 can be relatively unfolded or relatively folded. Wherein, through the movement of the rotating assembly 70, the two housings 10 can be relatively unfolded to an open state, or relatively folded to a closed state. Wherein, the screen 20 is fixedly connected to the two housings 10, so that the screen 20 can move with the two housings 10.

[0240] In the embodiment of the present application, the two shells 10 of the shell device 60 have some identical structural features and some different structural features. The following text mainly takes one of the shells 10 as an example to describe the main structural features that are identical to the two shells 10, and the structure of the other shell 10 will not be repeated.

[0241] Fig. 20 yes Fig.18 A schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of one of the housings 10 of the electronic device 100 in some embodiments is shown.

[0242] In some embodiments, Fig. 20 As shown, the housing 10 has a frame 1, an axis region plate 8 and a middle plate 7. The frame 1 is a frame-shaped structure with three continuous sides and one open side, and the two ends of the axis region plate 8 are respectively connected to the two ends of the frame 1, and the axis region plate 8 and the frame 1 are enclosed to form a four-sided frame-shaped structure. The middle plate 7 is located on the inner side of the frame 1 and the axis region plate 8, and connects the frame 1 and the axis region plate 8. The frame 1, the axis region plate 8 and the middle plate 7 are integrally formed structural parts.

[0243] In some embodiments, Fig.19 and Fig. 20 As shown, the rotating assembly 70 connects the shaft area plates 8 of the two housings 10, so that the two housings 10 can be relatively unfolded or folded by the movement of the rotating assembly 70. The shaft area plate 8 is a key force-bearing position of the housing 10.

[0244] Among them, the frame 1 can be provided with one or more matching structures, and the relevant description of the matching structure can refer to the above embodiments. The middle plate 7 can be provided with one or more matching structures, and the relevant description of the matching structure can refer to the above embodiments. The shaft area plate 8 can be provided with at least one matching structure, and the matching structure can be a structure such as a protrusion, a groove, a through hole, etc. The matching structure of the shaft area plate 8 can be used to connect with the rotating assembly 70 to achieve the connection between the housing 10 and the rotating assembly 70.

[0245] Fig.21 yes Fig. 20 The cross-sectional structure diagram of the housing 10 is shown along CC.

[0246] In some embodiments, Fig.21As shown, the housing 10 includes a first component 101, a second component 102 and a connecting layer 103. The second component 102 is located on the inner side of the first component 101, and the connecting layer 103 is connected between the first component 101 and the second component 102. The first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 are integrally formed structural parts. Among them, the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 form a frame 1, an axis area plate 8 and a middle plate 7. Exemplarily, the first component 101 adopts a first metal material, and the second component 102 adopts a second metal material. The first metal material and the second metal material are different materials. The connecting layer 103 includes a first metal material and a second metal material.

[0247] In this embodiment, since the first component 101 is made of the first metal material, the second component 102 is made of the second metal material, the connecting layer 103 includes the first metal material and the second metal material, and the connecting layer 103 is connected between the first component 101 and the second component 102, the connecting layer 103 can improve the interface bonding strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102, so that the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the overall structure of the integrated structural member formed by the first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 is stable and reliable. At this time, the overall structure of the frame 1, the shaft area plate 8 and the middle plate 7 of the shell 10 formed by the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 is stable and reliable.

[0248] In addition, since the second component 102 is located on the inner side of the first component 101, the first component 101 is mainly used to form the outer frame structure of the shell 10, and the second component 102 is mainly used to form the inner cavity structure of the shell 10, and the first metal material used in the first component 101 is different from the second metal material used in the second component 102, the outer frame structure and the inner cavity structure of the shell 10 can meet product requirements and manufacturing requirements through the combination of the first metal material and the second metal material.

[0249] For example, Fig.21As shown, the first member 101 includes a frame portion 101a and an axis portion 101c, and the axis portion 101c of the first member 101 is connected to the frame portion 101a of the first member 101, and is surrounded by the frame portion 101a of the first member 101 to form a frame. Among them, the axis portion 101c of the first member 101 is provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole. The second member 102 includes a frame portion 102a and a plate portion 102b, and the plate portion 102b of the second member 102 is connected to the inner side of the frame portion 102a of the second member 102. The frame portion 102a of the second member 102 and the plate portion 102b of the second member 102 are integrally formed structural parts. The plate portion 102b of the second member 102 is provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole. The connection layer 103 includes a frame portion 103a and an axis portion 103c. The frame portion 103a of the connection layer 103 connects the frame portion 101a of the first component 101 and the frame portion 102a of the second component 102. The axis portion 103c of the connection layer 103 connects the axis portion 101c of the first component 101 and the plate portion 102b of the second component 102.

[0250] The frame portion 101a of the first member 101, the frame portion 103a of the connecting layer 103 and the frame portion 102a of the second member 102 together constitute the frame 1. The shaft portion 101c of the first member 101 and the shaft portion 103c of the connecting layer 103 together constitute the shaft region plate 8, and the plate portion 102b of the second member 102 constitutes the middle plate 7; or, the shaft portion 101c of the first member 101 constitutes the shaft region plate 8, and the shaft portion 103c of the connecting layer 103 and the plate portion 102b of the second member 102 together constitute the middle plate 7; or, the shaft portion 101c of the first member 101, the shaft portion 103c of the connecting layer 103 and a part of the plate portion 102b of the second member 102 together constitute the shaft region plate 8, and another part of the plate portion 102b of the second member 102 constitutes the middle plate 7.

[0251] In this embodiment, the shaft area plate 8 is the key force position of the shell 10. The shaft area plate 8 is mainly or entirely formed by the shaft portion 101c of the first member 101. The structure on the outside of the frame 1 is the appearance structure of the shell 10. Therefore, the appearance structure and key force position of the shell 10 can be formed by the first member 101. In addition, the structure on the inside of the frame 1 is the inner cavity structure of the shell 10. The middle plate 7 is also the inner cavity structure of the shell 10. Therefore, the inner cavity structure of the shell 10 is formed by the second member 102. Since the material of the first member 101 and the material of the second member 102 are different, the appearance structure, key force position and inner cavity structure of the shell 10 can be composed of different materials, so that the shell 10 can achieve the diversified needs of products through the differentiated design of the first member 101 and the second member 102 while the overall structure is stable and reliable.

[0252] Exemplarily, the hardness of the first metal material is greater than the hardness of the second metal material. In this embodiment, the housing 10 adopts a composite structure of a first member 101 and a second member 102, the first member 101 adopts a first metal material with higher hardness, the second member 102 adopts a second metal material with lower hardness, and the material hardness of the first member 101 is greater than the material hardness of the second member 102. Compared with a housing made of the same material, the housing 10 in this embodiment improves the material hardness of the first member 101, so that the first member 101 has better scratch resistance, better wear resistance, and better impact resistance, thereby having higher mechanical reliability. In addition, the first member 101 is mainly used to form the appearance structure and key force positions of the housing 10, so the housing 10 has higher mechanical reliability, which can not only effectively support and protect other components located in the inner cavity of the electronic device 100, but also make the connection reliability of the housing device 60 of the electronic device 100 high, and also make the appearance structure of the housing 10 have a relatively excellent appearance effect. Since the material hardness of the first component 101 is relatively high, the thickness of the first component 101 can be appropriately reduced while maintaining good mechanical reliability, which is conducive to reducing the thickness of the housing 10 and realizing the miniaturization of the housing 10 and the electronic device 100. In addition, since the second component 102 adopts the second metal material with lower hardness, it is conducive to reducing the difficulty and time of machining the inner cavity structure of the housing 10, thereby improving the machining efficiency of the housing 10 and reducing the machining cost. In addition, since the material hardness of the second component 102 is relatively low, although the second component 102 undergoes a large area of ​​machining, the residual stress after machining is relatively small, so the risk of deformation of the second component 102 due to stress release is relatively small, which is conducive to the second component 102 maintaining a high-precision shape, and the second component 102 has a high flatness, so that the production yield of the housing 10 is relatively high.

[0253] Exemplarily, the density of the second metal material is less than that of the first metal material. In this embodiment, the second component 102 of the housing 10 adopts the second metal material with a lower density, so that the mass of the second component 102 is smaller, which is conducive to the lightweight of the housing 10. Therefore, the housing 10 adopts a composite structure of the first component 101 and the second component 102, the material hardness of the first component 101 is relatively large, and the material hardness and density of the second component 102 are relatively small, which is conducive to the housing 10 to achieve high reliability and lightweight, and also conducive to the housing 10 to obtain excellent appearance effects, lower processing costs and higher production yield.

[0254] Exemplarily, the elastic modulus of the first metal material is greater than the elastic modulus of the second metal material; and / or, the yield strength of the first metal material is greater than the yield strength of the second metal material; and / or, the thermal conductivity of the second metal material is greater than the thermal conductivity of the first metal material.

[0255] Exemplarily, the first metal material may be stainless steel or titanium alloy. At this time, the first component 101 has a higher hardness, a higher elastic modulus and a higher yield strength. Exemplarily, the second metal material may be an aluminum alloy, a particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material, a magnesium alloy or a particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material. At this time, the second component 102 has a lower density and a higher thermal conductivity. In addition, the material hardness of the second component 102 is suitable, which can reduce the difficulty of CNC processing, and the material hardness of the present application can make the processed structural features have sufficient rigidity to ensure the reliability of the whole machine.

[0256] Among them, other design schemes of the first metal material and the second metal material can refer to the relevant description of the previous embodiment, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0257] In some embodiments, the housing 10 may further include an insulating member (not shown in the figure), which may be formed by injection molding of a plastic material. The insulating member is fixed to the frame 1, the middle plate 7 and the shaft area plate 8, and is used to cooperate with the frame 1, the middle plate 7 and the shaft area plate 8 to form an insulating structure required by the electronic device 100. For example, a portion of the insulating member may be filled in the antenna seam of the frame 1. For another example, another portion of the insulating member may be embedded in the connection between the frame 1 and the middle plate 7 to disconnect part of the electrical connection between the frame 1 and the middle plate 7. For another example, another portion of the insulating member may be fixed to the shaft area plate 8. The embodiments of the present application do not strictly limit the specific structure, position, quantity, etc. of the insulating member.

[0258] In some embodiments, Fig.21 As shown, the first member 101 may include a first surface, which is not connected to the second member 102. The first surface includes the outer surface 11 of the frame 1. The housing 10 includes an appearance decoration layer 3, which is fixed to and covers the outer surface 11 of the frame 1 to serve as an appearance layer of the housing 10 to improve the aesthetics of the housing 10. In some examples, the appearance decoration layer 3 of the housing 10 may also be fixed to and cover the entire area or other local area of ​​the first surface.

[0259] The appearance decoration layer 3 may be a film layer formed by PVD technology. In this embodiment, since the first metal material used by the first component 101 is titanium alloy or stainless steel, the appearance decoration layer 3 formed on the surface of the first component 101 by PVD treatment has good bonding with the first component 101, is not easy to fall off, has high reliability, and has a long service life.

[0260] Exemplarily, the second member 102 may include a second surface, which is not connected to the first member 101. The second surface includes the inner surface 16 of the frame 1 and the two side surfaces (76, 77) of the middle plate 7. The surface anti-corrosion layer 5 is fixed and covers the inner surface 16 of the frame 1 and the two side surfaces (76, 77) of the middle plate 7, which can improve the corrosion resistance and durability of the housing 10, thereby improving the reliability and service life of the housing 10. In some other embodiments, the surface anti-corrosion layer 5 may also cover the entire area or other local areas of the second surface.

[0261] Among them, since the second component 102 is made of aluminum alloy, particle-reinforced aluminum-based composite material, magnesium alloy or particle-reinforced magnesium-based composite material, the surface anti-corrosion layer 5 can be formed by chemical passivation process to reduce costs. In some other embodiments, the surface anti-corrosion treatment can also be formed by spraying, electrophoresis, anodizing and other processes.

[0262] For example, a laser engraving area (not shown) may be provided on one or both sides of the middle plate 7. The surface of the laser engraving area has better surface energy and can enhance the connection strength with adhesives (such as double-sided adhesives, glue, etc.) to facilitate fixing other structural parts of the electronic device 100.

[0263] It can be understood that other design schemes of the shell 10 of this embodiment, such as the first component 101, the second component 102, the connecting layer 103 and other related design schemes, can refer to the relevant descriptions of the previous embodiments, and will not be repeated in this embodiment.

[0264] The following will continue to introduce the implementation of the method for preparing a shell in some embodiments in conjunction with relevant drawings. Most of the steps of the method in this embodiment can refer to the relevant description of the method for preparing a shell in the previous embodiment. The following mainly describes the difference between the method of this embodiment and the method of the previous embodiment, and most of the same technical features of the two will not be repeated.

[0265] Figure 22 to Figure 25 yes Figure 6 Structural schematic diagram of some steps in the method for preparing the shell in some other embodiments Figures 1 to 4 , Fig.26 yes Fig.25 The schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the structure shown is taken along DD. Fig. 27 yes Figure 6 Structural schematic diagram of some steps in the method for preparing the shell in some other embodiments Figure 5 .

[0266] In some embodiments, the present application also provides a method for preparing a housing, which can be used to prepare the housing 10 described above (such as Fig. 20 and Fig.21The method includes but is not limited to steps S110 to S140 provided below. Figure 22 to Figure 27 The various steps of the method for preparing the shell are introduced:

[0267] Step S110: preparing the insert 301 .

[0268] For example, Fig. 22 and Fig.23 As shown, the steps of preparing the insert 301 include: preparing the first sub-insert 301c and the second sub-insert 301d respectively; assembling the first sub-insert 301c and the second sub-insert 301d to form the insert 301. Wherein, the first sub-insert 301c can be a partial frame shape, including three continuous frame edges and one side is open. The second sub-insert 301d can include an axis section 301e and two frame edge sections 301f, and the two frame edge sections 301f can be respectively connected to the two ends of the axis section 301e. After the first sub-insert 301c and the second sub-insert 301d are assembled, the two frame edge sections 301f of the second sub-insert 301d are respectively connected to the two ends of the first sub-insert 301c, and the first sub-insert 301c and the second sub-insert 301d are enclosed into a frame, and the insert 301 has an inner space 303.

[0269] The first sub-insert 301c can be formed by drawing and bending processes. The second sub-insert 301d can be formed by stamping. The first sub-insert 301c and / or the second sub-insert 301d can also be formed by other methods, which are not strictly limited in the embodiments of the present application. In some examples, the second sub-insert 301d can pre-form the features of a portion of the shaft zone plate 8.

[0270] Step S120 : depositing the powder 302 in the inner space 303 of the insert 301 to form the sintered component 30 .

[0271] For example, Fig.24 As shown, the sintered part 30 includes powder 302 and an insert 301, and the powder 302 is deposited in the inner space 303 of the insert 301. At this time, the overall shape of the deposited powder 302 changes with the shape of the insert 301, so by processing the shape of the inner space 303 of the insert 301, the overall shape of the deposited powder 302 can be controlled, and the shape of the contact interface between the insert 301 and the powder 302 can also be controlled.

[0272] In some examples, the powder 302 can be obtained through powder making, powder blending and powder mixing processes. In other examples, the powder 302 can also be obtained through other processes, which are not strictly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0273] For example, the insert 301 may be made of a first metal material. In this case, the first sub-insert 301c and the second sub-insert 301d may both be made of the first metal material. The powder 302 may be made of a second metal material. For further description of the first metal material and the second metal material, please refer to the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0274] Step S130 : sintering the to-be-sintered part 30 to form a sintered part 40 .

[0275] For example, Fig.25 and Fig.26 As shown, the sintered part 40 includes a first part 401, a second part 402, and a transition layer 403 connecting the first part 401 and the second part 402. The material of the first part 401 is a first metal material, and the shape of the first part 401 corresponds to the shape of the insert 301; the material of the second part 402 is a second metal material, and the shape of the second part 402 corresponds to the stacking shape of the powder 302; the material of the transition layer 403 includes a first metal material and a second metal material, and the shape of the transition layer 403 corresponds to the shape of the contact interface between the insert 301 and the powder 302. Among them, the content of the main group element of the first metal material in the transition layer 403 gradually decreases in the direction from the first part 401 to the second part 402, and the content of the main group element of the second metal material gradually increases in the direction from the first part 401 to the second part 402. In the following text, the process of sintering the sintered part 30 can be referred to as the sintering process.

[0276] In this embodiment, the sintered part 30 is formed into an integrally formed sintered part 40 by an insert powder metallurgy process. The first part 401 of the sintered part 40 is formed by the insert 301, and the second part 402 is formed by the powder 302. The transition layer 403 is formed at the contact interface between the insert 301 and the powder 302, and is formed by the mutual diffusion of the first metal material and the second metal material during the sintering process. The transition layer 403 is an interdiffusion layer with a composition gradient, which can significantly improve the interface bonding strength between the first part 401 and the second part 402, so that the connection strength between the two is high, and the overall structure of the sintered part 40 is stable and reliable.

[0277] Among them, since the transition layer 403 is formed by the metal interdiffusion effect during the sintering process, the multiple regions of the transition layer 403 arranged in the layer direction (i.e., perpendicular to the thickness direction of the transition layer 403) are subjected to relatively uniform force during the sintering process, so the thickness of the multiple regions is equal or approximately equal, the overall thickness of the transition layer 403 is equal or approximately equal, and the two interfaces of the transition layer 403 respectively connecting the first part 401 and the second part 402 can be parallel to each other or approximately parallel to each other. Among them, the two interfaces of the transition layer 403 respectively connecting the first part 401 and the second part 402 can be relatively smooth interfaces, and slight convexity and concavity are allowed to exist on the interfaces.

[0278] Among them, other technical solutions in step S110 to step S130, such as the thickness design of the transition layer 403, the sintering process implementation, the insert 301 structure design, the pretreatment method of the sintered part 30, the solution aging treatment method of the sintered part 40, etc., can refer to the relevant description of the previous embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0279] Step S140 : processing the sintered part 40 to form the housing 10 .

[0280] For example, Fig. 27 As shown, in step S140, the step of processing the sintered part 40 may include: machining the sintered part 40 to form the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103. At this time, through the step of machining, the shape and / or size of the sintered part 40 can be changed to form the first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 with the designed shape. Among them, the first component 101 is formed by the first part 401, the second component 102 is formed by the second part 402, and the connecting layer 103 is formed by the transition layer 403. Specifically, the remaining part of the first part 401 after machining forms the first component 101, the remaining part of the second part 402 after machining forms the second component 102, and the remaining part of the transition layer 403 after machining forms the connecting layer 103. At this time, the material of the first component 101 is the first metal material, the material of the second component 102 is the second metal material, and the material of the connecting layer 103 includes the first metal material and the second metal material. The content of the main group elements of the first metal material of the connection layer 103 gradually decreases from the first component 101 to the second component 102 , and the content of the main group elements of the second metal material gradually increases from the first component 101 to the second component 102 .

[0281] Among them, other technical solutions in step S140, such as mechanical processing methods, nano injection molding, PVD treatment, surface anti-corrosion treatment, laser engraving treatment, auxiliary material assembly, etc., can refer to the relevant description of the previous embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0282] In the method for preparing a shell in the embodiment of the present application, a portion of the insert 301 is used to form the first component 101 of the shell 10, another portion of the insert 301 and a portion of the powder 302 are used to form the connecting layer 103 of the shell 10 together, and another portion of the powder 302 is used to form the second component 102 of the shell 10. The first component 101, the second component 102 and the connecting layer 103 of the shell 10 are structural parts formed in one piece by the insert powder metallurgy process. Based on the metal interdiffusion effect during the sintering process, an interdiffusion layer with a composition gradient can be formed between the first component 101 and the second component 102, that is, a connecting layer 103 in which the first metal material and the second metal material diffuse with each other is formed. The existence of the connecting layer 103 significantly improves the interface bonding strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102, so that the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the overall structure of the first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 is stable and reliable.

[0283] In addition, the material and / or shape and / or size (such as width, thickness, etc.) of the axis area plate 8 of the shell 10 can be achieved by designing the material and / or shape and / or size of the first insert 301 to match the reliability requirements of the entire electronic device 100, such as hardness and / or strength and / or rigidity requirements, so as to achieve the lightness and thinness of the foldable electronic device 100 while taking into account the reliability of the axis area structure.

[0284] In addition, by hot isostatic pressing the sintered part 30 in step S130, the mutual diffusion degree of the first metal material and the second metal material is effectively improved, so that the thickness of the transition layer 403 of the sintered part 40 is relatively large, so the thickness of the connecting layer 103 of the shell 10 is relatively large, and the thickness of the bonding interface between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is relatively large, so that the interface bonding strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the risk of interface cracking is low, so the connection strength between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is high, and the overall structure of the first component 101, the connecting layer 103 and the second component 102 is stable and reliable. In some possible implementations, the shear strength of the connecting layer 103 at the bonding interface between the first component 101 and the second component 102 is greater than or equal to 100 MPa, and in some implementations it can be as high as 300 MPa, which is much higher than the interface shear strength of the shell 10 formed by the stamping and forging process of the heterogeneous metal composite plate.

[0285] Furthermore, during the manufacturing process of the shell 10, the shell 10 can control the shape of the bonding interface between the first component 101 and the second component 102 by controlling the shape of the surface of the insert 301 for contacting the powder 302. The shape control of the bonding interface is easy to implement, highly flexible, and highly accurate, so that the first component 101, the second component 102, and the connecting layer 103 have high processing accuracy when having a high connection strength. In addition, since the shape of the bonding interface is easy to control, the actual thickness of the first component 101 and the second component 102 can be close to or equal to the designed thickness when the design requirements are met, so that the thickness of the shell 10 can be reasonably controlled.

[0286] In the embodiment of the present application, the shell 10 adopts a composite structure of a first component 101 and a second component 102. The first component 101 adopts a first metal material, and the second component 102 adopts a second metal material. Through the arrangement of the first metal material and the second metal material, the shell 10 can be light, thin, highly reliable, highly thermally conductive, and have excellent appearance and coating reliability.

[0287] In the embodiment of the present application, by performing solution aging treatment on the sintered part 40 after step S130, the yield strength and / or hardness of the second part 402 of the sintered part 40 can be effectively improved, so that the yield strength and / or hardness of the second component 102 of the shell 10 can be improved, and the mechanical reliability of the shell 10 is higher and the service life is longer.

[0288] In some embodiments, step S110 may further include: welding the electrical connection points to the inner side of the first sub-insert 301c and / or the second sub-insert 301d. The electrical connection points may also be called welding points, which can realize electrical connection between the frame 1 and other structures in subsequent steps of the method.

[0289] It is understandable that, in the above embodiments, the connection position of the first sub-insert 301c and the second sub-insert 301d may correspond to the position of the antenna seam of the housing 10. In other embodiments, the second sub-insert 301d may also include an axis portion but not two frame edge portions, and the second sub-insert 301d is located on the inner side of the two opposite frame edges of the first sub-insert 301c, and the two ends of the second sub-insert 301d are respectively connected to the two frame edges. In other embodiments, the first sub-insert 301c and the second sub-insert 301d may also have other implementation structures and assembly structures, which are not strictly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0290] In the above embodiments, the first sub-insert 301c and the second sub-insert 301d are both made of the first metal material. In some other embodiments, the first sub-insert 301c is made of the first metal material, and the second sub-insert 301d is made of the third metal material, and the hardness and / or elastic modulus and / or yield strength of the third metal material can be greater than or equal to the first metal material. In this case, the material hardness and / or material elastic modulus and / or material yield strength of a partial area of ​​the first component 101 can be greater than or equal to another partial area, and the shaft area plate 8 of the housing 10 has a higher hardness and / or material elastic modulus and / or material yield strength.

[0291] All the above drawings are illustrative diagrams of the present application. The drawings mainly illustrate the parts of the product related to the embodiments of the present application. The product may still include other parts not shown in the drawings. In addition, the actual shape, actual position, actual size and proportion, actual structure, actual quantity, etc. of the parts or structures of the product are not limited by the drawings.

[0292] The above embodiments are used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, a person skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some of the technical features may be replaced by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0293] In the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other, and any combination of features in different embodiments is also within the protection scope of the present application. That is to say, the multiple embodiments described above may also be arbitrarily combined according to actual needs.

Claims

1. A housing, characterized in that: The invention comprises a first component, a second component and a connecting layer, wherein the second component is located inside the first component, the connecting layer is connected between the first component and the second component, and the first component, the connecting layer and the second component are an integrally formed structural member; The first component is made of a first metal material, the second component is made of a second metal material, the connection layer includes the first metal material and the second metal material, the hardness of the first metal material is greater than the hardness of the second metal material, and the density of the second metal material is less than the density of the first metal material; The thickness H1 of the connection layer satisfies: 0.1 μm≤H1≤30 μm.

2. The housing according to claim 1, characterized in that The elastic modulus of the first metal material is greater than the elastic modulus of the second metal material, and / or the yield strength of the first metal material is greater than the yield strength of the second metal material.

3. The housing according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The thermal conductivity of the second metal material is greater than the thermal conductivity of the first metal material.

4. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The hardness of the first metal material is greater than or equal to 150 HV, and / or the elastic modulus of the first metal material is greater than or equal to 80 GPa, and / or the yield strength of the first metal material is greater than or equal to 200 MPa, and / or the density of the second metal material is less than or equal to 3.5 g / cm 3 , and / or, the thermal conductivity of the second metal material is greater than or equal to 50 W / m·K.

5. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The first metal material is stainless steel or titanium alloy; and / or the second metal material is aluminum alloy, particle reinforced aluminum-based composite material, magnesium alloy or particle reinforced magnesium-based composite material.

6. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The content of the main group element of the first metal material in the connection layer decreases in the direction from the first member to the second member, and the content of the main group element of the second metal material increases in the direction from the first member to the second member.

7. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The thickness H1 of the connection layer satisfies: 2 μm≤H1≤30 μm.

8. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that A first interface is formed between the first component and the connection layer, and a second interface is formed between the second component and the connection layer. The first interface and the second interface are visible in the metallographic structure of the shell.

9. The housing according to claim 8, characterized in that In the metallographic structure of the shell, the first interface is parallel to the second interface.

10. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The first component, the connecting layer and the second component are formed by insert powder metallurgy process; The first component is formed by an insert made of a first metal material, the second component is formed by sintering powder of a second metal material, and the connection layer is formed by mutual diffusion of the first metal material and the second metal material.

11. The housing according to claim 10, characterized in that The second component is formed by sintering the powder at a sintering temperature of 500° C. to 660° C., a sintering time of 2 hours to 5 hours, and a sintering pressure greater than or equal to 100 MPa.

12. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The second member comprises a frame portion and a plate portion, the plate portion of the second member is connected to the inner side of the frame portion of the second member, and the plate portion of the second member is provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole; The shell has a frame and a middle plate. The first component, the connecting layer and the frame portion of the second component together constitute the frame, and the plate portion of the second component constitutes the middle plate.

13. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The first member includes a frame portion and a plate portion, and a periphery of the plate portion of the first member is connected to one end of the frame portion of the first member; The second member comprises a frame portion and a plate portion, the plate portion of the second member is connected to the inner side of the frame portion of the second member, and the plate portion of the second member is provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole; The connecting layer includes a frame portion and a plate portion, the frame portion of the connecting layer connects the frame portion of the first component and the frame portion of the second component, and the plate portion of the connecting layer connects the plate portion of the first component and the plate portion of the second component; The shell has a frame and a back cover, the frame portion of the first component, the frame portion of the connecting layer and the frame portion of the second component together constitute the frame, and the plate portion of the first component, the plate portion of the connecting layer and the plate portion of the second component together constitute the back cover.

14. The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that The first member includes a frame portion and a shaft portion, the shaft portion of the first member is connected to the frame portion of the first member and is surrounded by the frame portion of the first member to form a frame, and the shaft portion of the first member is provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole; The second member comprises a frame portion and a plate portion, the plate portion of the second member is connected to the inner side of the frame portion of the second member, and the plate portion of the second member is provided with at least one protrusion and / or groove and / or through hole; The connecting layer includes a frame portion and an axis portion, the frame portion of the connecting layer connects the frame portion of the first member and the frame portion of the second member, and the axis portion of the connecting layer connects the axis portion of the first member and the plate portion of the second member; The shell has a frame, an axis area plate and a middle plate; The frame portion of the first member, the frame portion of the connecting layer and the frame portion of the second member together constitute the frame; The shaft portion of the first component and the shaft portion of the connecting layer together constitute the shaft area plate, and the plate portion of the second component constitutes the middle plate; or, the shaft portion of the first component constitutes the shaft area plate, and the shaft portion of the connecting layer and the plate portion of the second component together constitute the middle plate; or, the shaft portion of the first component, the shaft portion of the connecting layer and a part of the plate portion of the second component together constitute the shaft area plate, and another part of the plate portion of the second component constitutes the middle plate.

15. An electronic device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a screen and the housing according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the screen is mounted on the housing.

16. An electronic device, characterized in that: It comprises a rotating assembly and two shells as claimed in claim 14, wherein the rotating assembly connects shaft area plates of the two shells, and the two shells can be relatively unfolded or folded through the movement of the rotating assembly.

17. A method for preparing the housing according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and 12 to 14, characterized in that: include: preparing an insert, wherein the insert is made of a first metal material, and at least a portion of the insert is in a frame shape; Powder is deposited in the inner space of the insert to form a part to be sintered, wherein the powder is made of a second metal material; Sintering the part to be sintered to form a sintered part; as well as Processing the sintered part to form a shell; Part of the insert is used to form a first component of the shell, another part of the insert and a part of the powder are used to jointly form a connecting layer of the shell, and another part of the powder is used to form a second component of the shell.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that During the sintering of the to-be-sintered part, the sintering pressure P1 satisfies: P1 ≥ 100 MPa, the sintering temperature T1 satisfies: 500° C. ≤ T1 ≤ 660° C., and the sintering time t1 satisfies: 2 h ≤ t1 ≤ 5 h.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that During the sintering process of the to-be-sintered part, the first metal material and the second metal material diffuse into each other to form a transition layer; Wherein, the transition layer is used to form a connecting layer of the shell.

Images