Foldable electronic device including display

Abstract

Provided is a foldable electronic device including a display, and specifically, an electronic device includes: a foldable housing including a first housing, a second housing, and a connection structure; a flexible display; a first plate including at least a portion disposed at a lower end of a first area of the display and a first periphery; a second plate including at least a portion disposed at a lower end of a second area of the display and a second periphery; and a protective layer. The first periphery and the second periphery are configured to be in contact with the display when the electronic device is in the deployed state. When the electronic device is rotated from an unfolded state to a folded state, the first periphery and the second periphery are configured to be spaced apart from the display, and the protective layer is configured to cover an area of the display exposed between the first periphery and the second periphery.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of a patent application with an application date of December 23, 2020, application number 202080089327.4, and invention name “Foldable electronic device including a display”. Technical Field

[0002] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a foldable electronic device including a display. Background Art

[0003] As digital technology increases, electronic devices are provided in various forms such as smart phones, tablet personal computers (PCs), or personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. Electronic devices are developing into portable or wearable electronic devices to enhance portability and ease of use for users.

[0004] Recently, portable electronic devices such as smart phones, tablet PCs, etc. have become lighter and thinner to be easy to carry, and are being developed in various fields for the convenience of use. Specifically, a foldable electronic device provided with a flexible display can provide a relatively large screen compared to a general bar-type electronic device, and can be reduced in size and easy to carry by being folded. Therefore, the foldable electronic device has attracted attention as an electronic device that meets the preferences of consumers.

[0005] The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with respect to the present disclosure. Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] The foldable electronic device may include a flexible display and a support plate for supporting a back surface of the flexible display.

[0008] The support plate may be attached to only some areas of the flexible display, and when the foldable electronic device is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, some areas of the support plate may be spaced apart from the flexible display so that the operating track of the flexible display is not obstructed.

[0009] Due to the above structure, when the foldable electronic device is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, a space may be formed between the flexible display and the support plate. Therefore, during the folding process of the foldable electronic device, foreign matter (e.g., dust) may flow into the space formed between the flexible display and the support plate. The foreign matter flowing into the space formed between the flexible display and the support plate may come into close contact with a specific area of ​​the flexible display, and the foreign matter adhering to the flexible display may cause defects of the flexible display.

[0010] Therefore, various embodiments of the present disclosure are used to prevent foreign matter from flowing into a space formed between a flexible display and a support plate when a foldable electronic device is folded.

[0011] Solution to the problem

[0012] According to an embodiment, an electronic device includes: a foldable housing including a first housing, a second housing and a connecting structure, wherein the connecting structure is configured to connect the first housing and the second housing so that the second housing can rotate around the first housing; a flexible display, which is arranged to span from an area of ​​the first housing to at least one area of ​​the second housing across the connecting structure and is foldable according to rotation; a first plate having at least a portion of a lower end of a first area of ​​the flexible display corresponding to the first housing and having a first periphery extending along a central axis of rotation; a second plate having at least a portion of a lower end of a second area of ​​the flexible display corresponding to the second housing The electronic device is divided into two parts, and has a second periphery extending along the central axis of rotation and adjacent to the first periphery of the first plate; and a protective layer, which is in contact with the first plate and the second plate in at least some areas and is arranged between the first plate and the second plate and the connecting structure, wherein when the electronic device is in the unfolded state, the first periphery of the first plate and the second periphery of the second plate are in contact with the flexible display, wherein when the electronic device is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the first periphery of the first plate and the second periphery of the second plate are spaced apart from the flexible display, and the protective layer is arranged to cover the area of ​​the flexible display exposed between the first periphery of the first plate and the second periphery of the second plate.

[0013] According to an embodiment, an electronic device includes: a foldable shell, including a first shell, a second shell and a connecting structure, wherein the connecting structure is constructed to connect the first shell and the second shell so that the second shell can rotate around the first shell; a flexible display, which is configured to span from an area of ​​the first shell to at least one area of ​​the second shell across the connecting structure, and is foldable according to rotation; a first plate, having at least a portion arranged below a first area of ​​the flexible display corresponding to the first shell, and having a first periphery extending along a central axis of rotation; a second plate, having at least a portion arranged below a second area of ​​the flexible display corresponding to the second shell, and having a second periphery extending along the central axis of rotation and adjacent to the first periphery of the first plate; and a protective layer, which contacts the first plate and the second plate in at least some areas, and is arranged between the first plate and the second plate and the connecting structure.

[0014] Before proceeding to the following detailed description, it may be helpful to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the terms "include" and "comprising" and their derivatives mean including but not limited to; the term "or" is inclusive, meaning and / or; the phrases "associated with" and "associated with" and their derivatives may mean including, included within, interconnected with, containing, contained within, connected to or connected with, coupled to or coupled with, communicable with, cooperating with, interleaved, juxtaposed, proximate to, bound to or bound with, having, having the property of, and the like; and the term "controller" means any device, system, or portion thereof that controls at least one operation, and such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware, or software, or some combination of at least two of hardware, firmware, or software. It should be noted that the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely.

[0015] In addition, the various functions described below can be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed by a computer-readable program code and implemented in a computer-readable medium. The terms "application" and "program" refer to one or more computer programs, software components, instruction sets, programs, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data or a part thereof that are suitable for being implemented in a suitable computer-readable program code. The phrase "computer-readable program code" includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code and executable code. The phrase "computer-readable medium" includes any type of medium that can be accessed by a computer, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD) or any other type of memory. "Non-transient" computer-readable media does not include wired, wireless, optical or other communication links that transmit transient electrical signals or other signals. Non-transient computer-readable media include media that can permanently store data and media that can store data and rewrite data later, such as rewritable optical discs or erasable memory devices.

[0016] Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many, if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior, as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 A block diagram illustrating an electronic device in a network environment according to various embodiments;

[0019] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an unfolded state of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0020] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a folded state of an electronic device according to various embodiments;

[0021] Figure 4 An exploded perspective view showing an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0022] Figure 5 is a top view showing some components of the electronic device when the electronic device is in an unfolded state according to an embodiment;

[0023] Figure 6 Shown is a view taken along line A-A' Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of an electronic device;

[0024] Figure 7 is a diagram showing a cross section of an electronic device when the electronic device is in a folded state according to an embodiment;

[0025] Figure 8 is a diagram showing a cross section of an electronic device when the electronic device is in an unfolded state according to another embodiment;

[0026] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a protective layer and a reinforcing plate of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0027] Fig. 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a protective layer and an anti-friction member of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0028] Fig. 10B is a cross-sectional view showing a protective layer and an anti-friction member of an electronic device according to another embodiment;

[0029] Fig.11 is a diagram showing a cross section of an electronic device when the electronic device is in an unfolded state according to another embodiment;

[0030] Fig.12 is a diagram showing a cross section of an electronic device when the electronic device is in a folded state according to another embodiment;

[0031] Fig.13A is a top view showing some components of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0032] Fig. 13B The electronic device is in the unfolded state when the image is taken along the line BB'. Fig.13A A cross-sectional view of an electronic device;

[0033] Fig. 13C It is shown Fig. 13B A cross-sectional view of an electronic device in a folded state;

[0034] Fig.14 is a diagram showing a protective layer of an electronic device and a foldable housing to which the protective layer is attached according to an embodiment; and

[0035] Fig.15 is a diagram illustrating cross-sections of some regions of an electronic device when the electronic device is in a folded state according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Discussed below Figures 1 to 15 The various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are illustrative only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure can be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

[0037] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100 according to various embodiments. Figure 1 , the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 may communicate with the electronic device 102 via the first network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or communicate with the electronic device 104 or the server 108 via the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 via the server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may include a processor 120, a memory 130, an input device 150, a sound output device 155, a display device 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module 190, a user identification module (SIM) 196, or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, at least one of the components (e.g., the display device 160 or the camera module 180) may be omitted from the electronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added to the electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the components may be implemented as a single integrated circuit.For example, the sensor module 176 (eg, a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or an illumination sensor) may be implemented to be embedded in the display device 160 (eg, a display).

[0038] The processor 120 may run, for example, software (e.g., program 140) to control at least one other component (e.g., hardware component or software component) of the electronic device 101 connected to the processor 120, and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or calculation, the processor 120 may load a command or data received from another component (e.g., sensor module 176 or communication module 190) into the volatile memory 132, process the command or data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store the resultant data in the non-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)) and an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that is independent of or combined with the main processor 121 in operation. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or adapted to be specifically used for a specified function. The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented separately from the main processor 121 , or as part of the main processor 121 .

[0039] When the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, the auxiliary processor 123 (rather than the main processor 121) may control at least some of the functions or states related to at least one component (e.g., the display device 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) among the components of the electronic device 101, or when the main processor 121 is in an active state (e.g., running an application), the auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of the functions or states related to at least one component (e.g., the display device 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) together with the main processor 121. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190) that is functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123.

[0040] The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176). The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., the program 140) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory 130 may include a volatile memory 132 or a nonvolatile memory 134.

[0041] The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130 , and may include, for example, an operating system (OS) 142 , middleware 144 , or applications 146 .

[0042] The input device 150 may receive commands or data from outside the electronic device 101 (e.g., a user) to be used by other components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the processor 120). The input device 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus).

[0043] The sound output device 155 can output a sound signal to the outside of the electronic device 101. The sound output device 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as playing multimedia or playing records, and the receiver can be used for incoming calls. Depending on the embodiment, the receiver can be implemented as a separate part from the speaker, or as a part of the speaker.

[0044] The display device 160 may visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., a user). The display device 160 may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector, and a control circuit for controlling a corresponding one of the display, the holographic device, and the projector. According to an embodiment, the display device 160 may include a touch circuit adapted to detect a touch or a sensor circuit (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure the strength of a force caused by a touch.

[0045] The audio module 170 may convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtain sound via the input device 150, or output sound via the sound output device 155 or an earphone of an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly connected to the electronic device 101.

[0046] The sensor module 176 may detect an operating state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state (e.g., a state of a user) outside the electronic device 101, and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illumination sensor.

[0047] The interface 177 may support one or more specific protocols to be used to connect the electronic device 101 directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

[0048] The connection end 178 may include a connector, wherein the electronic device 101 can be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102) via the connector. According to an embodiment, the connection end 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0049] The haptic module 179 may convert the electrical signal into mechanical stimulation (eg, vibration or motion) or electrical stimulation that can be recognized by the user via his sense of touch or kinesthetic sense. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulator.

[0050] The camera module 180 may capture still images or moving images. According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, an image signal processor, or a flash.

[0051] The power management module 188 may manage power supply to the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0052] The battery 189 may power at least one component of the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0053] The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102, electronic device 104, or server 108), and perform communication via the established communication channel. The communication module 190 may include one or more communication processors capable of operating independently from the processor 120 (e.g., an application processor (AP)) and supporting direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module 192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules can communicate with an external electronic device via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Direct, or Infrared Data Association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or a wide area network (WAN))). These various types of communication modules can be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or these various types of communication modules can be implemented as multiple components separated from each other (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module 192 can identify and authenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) using user information (e.g., an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)) stored in the user identification module 196.

[0054] The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to or from the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include an antenna including a radiating element formed of a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas. In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication scheme used in a communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module 190 (e.g., the wireless communication module 192). A signal or power may then be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiating element may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module 197.

[0055] At least some of the above components may be connected to each other via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, a general purpose input output (GPIO), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), or a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)) and communicatively transmit signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween.

[0056] According to an embodiment, a command or data may be sent or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 via the server 108 connected to the second network 199. Each of the electronic device 102 and the electronic device 104 may be a device of the same type as the electronic device 101, or a device of a different type from the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, all or some operations to be executed in the electronic device 101 may be executed in one or more of the external electronic device 102, the external electronic device 104, or the server 108. For example, if the electronic device 101 should automatically execute a function or service or should execute a function or service in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to execute at least part of the function or service instead of executing the function or service, or the electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to execute at least part of the function or service in addition to executing the function or service. The one or more external electronic devices that receive the request may execute the requested at least part of the function or service, or execute another function or another service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 may provide the result as at least a partial reply to the request with or without further processing the result. To this end, for example, cloud computing technology, distributed computing technology, or client-server computing technology may be used.

[0057] The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one of various types of electronic devices. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a household appliance. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device is not limited to those electronic devices described above.

[0058] It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features set forth herein to specific embodiments, but include various changes, equivalent forms or alternative forms for corresponding embodiments. For the description of the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It will be understood that the nouns in the singular form corresponding to the term may include one or more things unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of the phrases such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C" and "at least one of A, B or C" may include any one or all possible combinations of the items listed together with the corresponding one of the multiple phrases. As used herein, terms such as "1st" and "2nd" or "first" and "second" may be used to simply distinguish the corresponding component from another component, and do not limit the component in other aspects (e.g., importance or order). It will be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being “combined with another element (e.g., the second element)”, “combined to another element (e.g., the second element)”, “connected with another element (e.g., the second element)”, or “connected to another element (e.g., the second element)” when the terms “operably” or “communicatively” are used or when the terms “operably” or “communicatively” are not used, it means that the element may be directly (e.g., wired) connected to the other element, wirelessly connected to the other element, or connected to the other element via a third element.

[0059] As used herein, the term "module" may include units implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with other terms (e.g., "logic," "logic block," "portion," or "circuit"). A module may be a single integrated component adapted to perform one or more functions or a minimum unit or portion of the single integrated component. For example, according to an embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0060] The various embodiments described herein may be implemented as software (e.g., program 140) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory 138) that can be read by a machine (e.g., electronic device 101). For example, under the control of a processor, a processor (e.g., processor 120) of the machine (e.g., electronic device 101) may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium and execute the at least one instruction with or without the use of one or more other components. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction called. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code that can be run by an interpreter. A machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Among them, the term "non-transitory" only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but the term does not distinguish between data being semi-permanently stored in a storage medium and data being temporarily stored in a storage medium.

[0061] According to an embodiment, the method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be released in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be downloaded via an application store (e.g., Play Store TM ) The computer program product may be published (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) online, or the computer program product may be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). If published online, at least part of the computer program product may be temporarily generated, or at least part of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored in a machine-readable storage medium (such as a memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a forwarding server).

[0062] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., module or program) in the above-mentioned components may include a single entity or multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more components in the above-mentioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform the one or more functions of each component in the multiple components in the same or similar manner as a corresponding component in the multiple components before integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program or another component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly or in a heuristic manner, or one or more operations in the operations may be run or omitted in different orders, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0063] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an unfolded state of the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment, and Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a folded state of the electronic device 200 according to an embodiment.

[0064] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 According to the electronic device 200 of the embodiment (eg, Figure 1 The electronic device 101) may include a foldable housing 210, a hinge housing 410 for covering a foldable portion of the foldable housing 210, a flexible or foldable display 230 (hereinafter, referred to as “display” 230) disposed in a space formed by the foldable housing 210, and a protective member 240 disposed on the display 230.

[0065] In the present disclosure, the surface on which the display 230 is disposed is defined as the first surface or front surface of the electronic device 200. In addition, the surface opposite to the front surface is defined as the second surface or back surface of the electronic device 200, and the surface surrounding the space between the front surface and the back surface is defined as the third surface or side surface of the electronic device 200.

[0066] The foldable housing 210 according to the embodiment may include a first housing 211, a second housing 212 including a sensor area 250, a first rear cover 213, and a second rear cover 214. The foldable housing 210 of the electronic device 200 according to various embodiments is not limited to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The shapes and / or connections shown in the figure may be realized by combinations and / or connections of other shapes or components. For example, the first housing 211 and the first rear cover 213 may be formed integrally with each other, and the second housing 212 and the second rear cover 214 may be formed integrally with each other.

[0067] According to an embodiment (for example, Figure 2 , Figure 3 ), the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be disposed on both sides with respect to the folding axis (A axis), and may have a substantially symmetrical shape with respect to the folding axis (A axis). The angle or distance between the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be changed depending on whether the electronic device 200 is in an unfolded state (or a flat state), a folded state, or an intermediate state, and a detailed description thereof will be provided below.

[0068] The second housing 212 according to the embodiment may further include a sensor region 250 provided with various sensors, unlike the first housing 211 , and the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be formed symmetrically to each other in a region except for the above-mentioned sensor region 250 .

[0069] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG, the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 according to the embodiment may form a recess to accommodate the display 230. Due to the sensor area 250 provided on a specific area of ​​the second housing 212, the recess may have two different widths in a direction perpendicular to the folding axis (A axis).

[0070] For example, the recess may have a first width w1 between a first portion 211a of the first housing 211 parallel to the folding axis (A axis) and a first portion 212a of the second housing 212 formed on the edge of the sensor area 250. In another example, the recess may have a second width w2 formed by a second portion 211b of the first housing 211 parallel to the folding axis (A axis) and a second portion 212b of the second housing 212 that does not correspond to the sensor area 250 and is parallel to the folding axis (A axis). In this case, the second width w2 may be longer than the first width W1. In other words, the first portion 211a of the first housing 211 and the first portion 212a of the second housing 212 that are asymmetrical to each other may form the first width w1 of the recess, and the second portion 211b of the first housing 211 and the second portion 212b of the second housing 212 that are symmetrical to each other may form the second width w2 of the recess. The first portion 212a and the second portion 212b of the second housing 212 mentioned above may have different distances from the folding axis (A axis). However, the width of the recess is not limited to Figure 2 For example, the recess may include a plurality of widths according to the shape of the sensor region 250 provided in the second housing 212 or the shape of the regions of the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 having an asymmetrical shape.

[0071] According to an embodiment, at least a portion of the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be formed of a metal material or a non-metal material having a specified degree of rigidity to support the display 230 .

[0072] According to an embodiment, the sensor area 250 may be formed to have a predetermined area adjacent to one corner (eg, an upper corner) of the second housing 212. However, the arrangement, shape, and / or size of the sensor area 250 are not limited to the above. Figure 2 . For example, the sensor area 250 may be disposed on another corner (e.g., a lower corner) of the second housing 212, or on a specific area between the upper corner and the lower corner. Components embedded in the electronic device 200 to perform various functions may be exposed to the front of the electronic device 200 through the sensor area 250 or one or more openings disposed on the sensor area 250. According to an embodiment, the above-mentioned components may include various types of sensors, and the sensor may include, for example, at least one of a front camera, a receiver, or a proximity sensor, but is not limited thereto.

[0073] According to an embodiment, the first back cover 213 may be provided on one side (e.g., on the right side of the folding axis (A axis)) of the back side of the electronic device 200. For example, the first back cover 213 may have a substantially rectangular periphery, and the periphery may be surrounded by the first housing 211. Similarly, the second back cover 214 according to an embodiment may be provided on the other side (e.g., on the left side of the folding axis (A axis)) of the back side of the electronic device 200, and its periphery may be surrounded by the second housing 212.

[0074] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the first rear cover 213 and the second rear cover 214 may have a shape that is substantially symmetrical with respect to the folding axis (A axis). However, the first rear cover 213 and the second rear cover 214 may not necessarily have a symmetrical shape, and the electronic device 200 according to an embodiment may include various shapes of the first rear cover 213 and the second rear cover 214. According to another embodiment, the first rear cover 213 may be integrally formed with the first housing 211, and the second rear cover 214 may be integrally formed with the second housing 212.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the first back cover 213, the second back cover 214, the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may form a space so that various components of the electronic device 200 (e.g., a printed circuit board or a battery) are disposed in the space. According to an embodiment, at least one component may be disposed on the back of the electronic device 200, or may be visually exposed. For example, at least a portion of the sub-display 230a may be visually exposed through the first back area 213a of the first back cover 213. In another embodiment, one or more components or sensors may be visually exposed through the second back area 214a of the second back cover 214. In this case, the sensor may include, for example, a proximity sensor and / or a rear camera, but is not limited thereto.

[0076] Reference Figure 3 The hinge housing 410 may include a curved surface and may be disposed between the first housing 211 and the second housing 212, and may be configured to hide components (e.g., a hinge structure) disposed inside the electronic device 200. The hinge housing 410 according to an embodiment may be hidden by a portion of the first housing 211 and the second housing 212, or may be exposed to the outside of the electronic device 200 according to a state of the electronic device 200 (e.g., an unfolded state or a folded state).

[0077] In the examples (see, for example, Figure 2 ), when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state, the hinge housing 410 may be hidden by the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 and may not be exposed by the first housing 211 and the second housing 212.

[0078] In another example (see, for example, Figure 3 ), when the electronic device 200 is in a folded state (eg, a fully folded state), the hinge housing 410 may be exposed to the outside between the first housing 211 and the second housing 212.

[0079] In yet another example, when the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 are in an intermediate state in which the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 are folded at a certain angle, the hinge housing 410 may be partially exposed to the outside between the first housing 211 and the second housing 212. However, the area of ​​the hinge housing 410 exposed to the outside of the electronic device 200 when the electronic device 200 is in the intermediate state may be smaller than the area when the electronic device 200 is in the fully folded state.

[0080] The display 230 according to an embodiment may be provided on a space formed by the foldable housing 210. For example, the display 230 may be located on a recess formed by the foldable housing 210 to configure most of the front surface of the electronic device 200. The display 230 may refer to a display having at least some areas deformed into a flat surface or a curved surface.

[0081] The display 230 according to the embodiment may include a folding area 233, a display 230 disposed on one side (eg, Figure 2 The first area 231 is disposed on the left side of the folding area 233 shown in FIG. 1 , and the first area 231 is disposed on the other side (eg, Figure 2 The second area 232 is on the right side of the folding area 233 shown in FIG. However, Figure 2 The division of the area of ​​the display 230 shown in FIG. 2 is merely an example, and the display 230 may be divided into a plurality of areas (eg, two or four or more areas) according to the structure or function of the display 230. Figure 2), the area of ​​the display 230 may be divided by the folding area 233 or the folding axis (A-axis) extending parallel to the Y-axis, but according to another embodiment, the area of ​​the display 230 may be divided relative to another folding area (e.g., a folding area parallel to the X-axis) or another folding axis (e.g., a folding axis parallel to the X-axis).

[0082] The first region 231 and the second region 232 described above may have substantially symmetrical shapes with respect to the folding region 233. However, unlike the first region 231, the second region 232 may include a notch region cut according to the presence of the sensor region 250, but the second region 232 may have a symmetrical shape with the first region 231 in a region other than the notch region. That is, the first region 231 and the second region 232 may include portions symmetrical to each other and portions asymmetrical to each other.

[0083] The protective member 240 according to the embodiment may be attached to at least a specific area of ​​the foldable housing 210 to protect the display 230 from external impact. The protective member 240 may be formed along the periphery of the display 230, and may prevent the first area 231 and the second area 232 of the display 230 from contacting each other when the electronic device 200 is in the folded state.

[0084] According to an embodiment, the protective member 240 may include a first protective member 241 formed along the upper periphery, some areas of the left periphery, and some areas of the lower periphery of the display 230, and a second protective member 242 formed along the upper periphery, some areas of the right periphery, and some areas of the lower periphery of the display 230. According to an embodiment, the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242 may be formed substantially The present invention is a band-like structure of a shape, but is not limited thereto. In addition, although Figure 2 It is illustrated that the protection member 240 includes a first protection member 241 and a second protection member 242 , but this should not be considered limitative, and according to an embodiment, the protection member 240 may include a plurality of protection members (eg, 4 or 6 protection members).

[0085] like Figure 2 As shown in , the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242 may be disposed at positions spaced apart from each other by a specified distance. Due to the folding area 233, the total length of the display 230 when the electronic device 200 is in the folded state may be shorter than the total length of the display 230 when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state. However, the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242 may be disposed at positions spaced apart from each other by a specified distance, so that when the electronic device 200 is in the folded state, one end of the first protective member 241 and one end of the second protective member 242 facing the first protective member 241 may be prevented from overlapping each other.

[0086] The first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242 according to the embodiment may have a substantially symmetrical shape with respect to the folding area 233. However, the second protective member 242 includes an exposed area 242a to expose the sensor area 250 to the outside of the electronic device 200, and the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242 may have an asymmetrical shape due to the exposed area 242a. The above-mentioned second protective member 242 may have a symmetrical shape with the first protective member 241 in an area other than the exposed area 242a. That is, the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242 may include portions symmetrical to each other and portions asymmetrical to each other.

[0087] According to an embodiment, the first protective member 241 may be integrally formed with the first housing 211, and similarly, the second protective member 242 may be integrally formed with the second housing 212. However, the arrangement and / or connection structure of the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242 are not limited thereto, and the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242 according to an embodiment may not be connected to some areas of the first housing 211 and / or the second housing 212, and may be attached to the display 230.

[0088] According to the above configuration, the front side of the electronic device 200 may include the display 230, the protective member 240 disposed on the display 230 and formed along the periphery of the display 230, and some areas of the first housing 211 adjacent to the display 230 and some areas of the second housing 212 adjacent to the display 230. In addition, the back side of the electronic device 200 may include the first back cover 213, some areas of the first housing 211 adjacent to the first back cover 213, the second back cover 214, and some areas of the second housing 212 adjacent to the second back cover 214.

[0089] Hereinafter, operations of the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 according to the state (eg, unfolded state and folded state) of the electronic device 200 and operations of corresponding areas of the display 230 will be described.

[0090] According to the examples (see, for example, Figure 2), when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state, the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may form an angle of 180° and may be arranged to face the same direction. The surface of the first area 231 and the surface of the second area 232 of the display 230 may form an angle of 180° and may face the same direction (for example, the front direction of the electronic device). The folding area 233 may be coplanar with the first area 231 and the second area 232. For example, the first protective member 241 may be disposed on an area corresponding to the first area 231 of the display 230, and the second protective member 242 may be disposed on an area corresponding to the second area 232 of the display 230. That is, when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state, the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242 may face the same direction.

[0091] According to another embodiment (see, for example, Figure 3 ), when the electronic device 200 is in a folded state, the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be arranged to face each other. The surface of the first area 231 and the surface of the second area 232 of the display 230 may face each other when forming a small angle (e.g., an angle between 0 degrees and 10 degrees) with each other. At least a portion of the folding area 233 may form a curved surface having a predetermined curvature. The surface of the first protective member 241 disposed on the area corresponding to the first area 231 of the display 230 and the surface of the second protective member 242 disposed on the area corresponding to the second area 232 may contact each other. In an example, due to the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242, the first area 231 and the second area 232 of the display 230 may not directly contact each other. If the first area 231 and the second area 232 are in direct contact with each other, friction may be generated between the first area 231 and the second area 232 of the display 230 by an external impact (e.g., falling). The friction generated between the first area 231 and the second area 232 may damage the surface of the first area 231 and / or the second area 232. On the other hand, the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment can prevent the first area 231 and the second area 232 from contacting each other by the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242, and as a result, when the electronic device 200 is in a folded state, some areas of the display 230 can be prevented from being damaged by external impact.

[0092] According to another embodiment, when the electronic device 200 is in the intermediate state, the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be arranged at a specific angle. In the above case, the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242 may be arranged to form a specific angle. The surface of the first area 231 and the surface of the second area 232 of the display 230 may form an angle that is larger than that in the folded state and smaller than that in the unfolded state. At least a portion of the folded area 233 may form a curved surface having a predetermined curvature, and in this case, the curvature may be smaller than the curvature in the folded state.

[0093] Although the electronic device 200 is shown in the above embodiment with respect to the vertical direction (eg, Figure 3 The electronic device 200 according to another embodiment may be folded in the vertical direction relative to the horizontal direction (e.g., Figure 2 , Figure 3 A virtual folding axis extending in the x direction) is folded in the horizontal direction.

[0094] Figure 4 An exploded perspective view of an electronic device 200 according to an embodiment is shown.

[0095] Reference Figure 4 According to the electronic device 200 of the embodiment (eg, Figure 2 , Figure 3 The electronic device 200 may include a first protective member 241 (eg, Figure 2 A first protective member 241), a second protective member 242 (for example, Figure 2 The second protective member 242), the display 230 (eg, Figure 2 display 230), a first support plate 261, a second support plate 262, a protective layer 300 (eg, a "protective sheet"), a first bracket 215, a second bracket 216, a foldable housing 210 (eg, Figure 2 , Figure 3 foldable housing 210) and / or connecting structure 400. Figure 4 At least one of the components of the electronic device 200 may be connected to Figure 2 and / or Figure 3 At least one of the components of the electronic device is the same or similar, and redundant explanation will be omitted.

[0096] According to an embodiment, the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242 may be attached to at least a specific area of ​​the foldable housing 210 to protect the upper end surface of the display 230 (eg, Figure 4According to another embodiment, the first protective member 241 and the second protective member 242 may be formed integrally with the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 of the foldable housing 210, respectively. In an example, the first protective member 241 may be provided along the left periphery of the display 230 (e.g., Figure 4 -x direction), and the second protective member may be disposed along the right periphery of the display 230 (eg, Figure 4 The x direction of the ) is set.

[0097] According to an embodiment, the display 230 may include a plurality of layers. The display 230 may include, for example, a protective film layer, a polarizing layer, a thin film encapsulation layer, a pixel layer, a thin film transistor (TFT) layer, and / or a buffer layer. The display 230 may emit light from the pixel layer to transmit information to the user, and the light emitted from the pixel layer may be transmitted to the outside of the electronic device 200. The display 230 may include a folding region 233, a left side relative to the folding region 233 (e.g., Figure 4 -x direction) of the first region 231, and the folding region 233 is located on the right side (for example, Figure 4 When the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state, the first area 231, the folding area 233, and the second area 232 may be arranged to face the same direction. Conversely, when the electronic device 200 is in the folded state, at least some areas of the folding area 233 of the display 230 may be bent, and thus, the first area 231 and the second area 232 may be arranged to face each other.

[0098] According to an embodiment, the first support plate 261 and the second support plate 262 may be attached to a lower end surface (eg, Figure 4 The first support plate 261 may be attached to the first area 231 of the display 230 to support at least some area of ​​the display 230. Similarly, the second support plate 262 may be attached to the second area 232 of the display 230 to support at least a specific area of ​​the display 230.

[0099] In an example, some areas of the first support plate 261 may be attached to the first area 231 of the display 230, and other areas may not be attached to the first area 231 of the display 230. In addition, some areas of the second support plate 262 may be attached to the second area 232 of the display 230, and other areas may not be attached to the second area 232 of the display 230. With the above structure, when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state (for example, see Figure 2 ) to the folded state (see, for example, Figure 3 ), certain areas of the first support plate 261 and some areas of the second support plate 262 may be spaced apart from the display 230. Therefore, when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state (eg, see Figure 2 ) to the folded state (see, for example, Figure 3 ), some areas of the display 230 (eg, the folding area 233) may be exposed between the first support plate 261 and the second support plate 262. This will be described in detail below.

[0100] According to an embodiment, the first support plate 261 and the second support plate 262 may be formed of a material having a specified rigidity to support at least a specific area of ​​the display 230. For example, the first support plate 261 and the second support plate 262 may be formed of a metal material such as stainless steel (SUS). However, this should not be considered to be restrictive, and according to another embodiment, the first support plate 261 and the second support plate 262 may be formed of a polymer.

[0101] According to an embodiment, the protective layer 300 may be disposed between the first support plate 261, the second support plate 262 and the connection structure 400. As described above, when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, some areas of the first support plate 261 and the second support plate 262 are spaced apart from the display 230, so that a predetermined space is formed between the first support plate 261 and the second support plate 262. When the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the protective layer 300 according to the embodiment can prevent foreign matter (e.g., dust) from flowing into the predetermined space. Therefore, the protective layer 300 can prevent defects of the display 230 from being caused by foreign matter, which will be described in detail below.

[0102] According to an embodiment, the first bracket 215 and the second bracket 216 may be disposed in the foldable housing 210 to support components (e.g., electronic components) of the electronic device 200. In an example, the first bracket 215 may be disposed in the first housing 211, and the second bracket 216 may be disposed in the second housing 212. The first bracket 215 and the second bracket 216 are disposed in the first housing 211 and the second housing 212, respectively, to provide a space for accommodating electronic components (e.g., wire members, printed circuit boards) mounted on the first bracket 215 and the second bracket 216 for implementing various functions of the electronic device 200. In addition, the first bracket 215 and the second bracket 216 may support some areas of the display 230 that are not supported by the first support plate 261 and / or the second support plate 262.

[0103] According to an embodiment, the foldable housing 210 may include a first housing 211, a second housing 212, a first rear cover (eg, Figure 2 The first back cover 213), the second back cover (for example, Figure 2 The foldable housing 210 may form a side and / or back side of the electronic device 200. The foldable housing 210 may have a space formed therein so that components of the electronic device 200 (e.g., a battery 270, a printed circuit board 280) are disposed therein. In an example, the first back cover may be attached to at least a specific area of ​​the first housing 211, and the second back cover may be attached to at least a specific area of ​​the second housing 212. In another example, the first housing 211 and the first back cover may be formed integrally with each other, and the second housing 212 and the second back cover may be formed integrally with each other.

[0104] According to an embodiment, the battery 270 is a device for supplying power to at least one component of the electronic device 200, and may be disposed in a space formed inside the foldable housing 210. The battery 270 may include a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell, but is not limited thereto.

[0105] According to an embodiment, the printed circuit board 280 may be disposed in a space formed inside the foldable housing 210, and components for implementing various functions of the electronic device 200 may be mounted on the printed circuit board 280. For example, a processor (eg, Figure 1 processor 120), a communication module (e.g., Figure 1 communication module 190), memory (e.g., Figure 1 The memory 130 ) and the like may be disposed on the printed circuit board 280 .

[0106] According to an embodiment, the connection structure 400 may be provided between the first housing 211 and the second housing 212. The connection structure 400 may rotatably connect the first housing 211 and the second housing 212, and the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be rotated within a specified rotation angle range through the connection structure 400.

[0107] According to an embodiment, the connection structure 400 may be a hinge device. The hinge device may include, for example, a hinge housing 410 (eg, Figure 3 A hinge housing 410 , at least one hinge module 420 , a first hinge plate 431 and a second hinge plate 432 .

[0108] In an example, the hinge housing 410 may be fixed to at least a specific area of ​​the foldable housing 210 by a fixing member (e.g., a screw). The hinge housing 410 may be disposed between the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 to hide the hinge module 420 disposed inside the hinge housing 410 or to prevent external impact. The hinge housing 410 according to an embodiment may be hidden by a portion of the first housing 211 and the second housing 212, or may be exposed to the outside of the electronic device 200 according to the state of the electronic device 200 (e.g., the unfolded state or the folded state). In an example (e.g., see Figure 2 ), when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state, the hinge housing 410 may be hidden by the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 and may not be exposed. Figure 3 ), when the electronic device 200 is in a folded state (eg, a fully folded state), the hinge housing 410 may be exposed to the outside between the first housing 211 and the second housing 212.

[0109] In an example, at least one hinge module 420 may rotatably connect the first housing 211 and the second housing 212. The first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be rotated within a specified rotation angle range by at least one hinge module 420, and as a result, the electronic device may be rotated from a folded state to an unfolded state, or vice versa, from an unfolded state to a folded state. At least one hinge module 420 may include, for example, a first hinge module that bends and folds the display 230 along a specified rotation trajectory during the rotation process of the electronic device 200, a second hinge module for assisting the rotation movement of the first housing 211 and the second housing 212, and a third hinge module for fixing the movement of the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 within a specified rotation angle (e.g., 180°) and / or a specified rotation angle range (e.g., 30° to 60°). However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and in addition to the first hinge module, the second hinge module and the third hinge module, at least one hinge module 420 according to another embodiment may also include other hinge modules.

[0110] In an example, the first hinge plate 431 and the second hinge plate 432 may be disposed on the hinge housing 410 to face the display 230 and form one surface of the hinge device (eg, Figure 4Surface in the z direction). At least one hinge module 420 may be disposed in a space formed by the first hinge plate 431, the second hinge plate 432, and the hinge housing 410. Openings 433, 434 may be formed on at least specific areas of the first hinge plate 431 and the second hinge plate 432, and at least one hinge module 420 disposed in the space formed by the first hinge plate 431, the second hinge plate 432, and the hinge housing 410 may be electrically connected to a printed circuit board and / or a battery disposed in the foldable housing 210 through the above-mentioned openings 433, 434. In an example, an electrical connection means (e.g., a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB)) electrically connected to at least one hinge module 420 may pass through the openings 433, 434 formed on the first hinge plate 431, the second hinge plate 432, and may be electrically connected to a printed circuit board and / or a battery disposed inside the foldable housing 210.

[0111] According to another embodiment, the connection structure 400 may be an articulated structure. In an example, the articulated structure may include a plurality of joints arranged in series, and the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be rotatably connected to each other through at least one of the joints. In an example, an inclined surface may be formed on at least a specific area of ​​the plurality of joints, and the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may rotate within a specified rotation angle range, wherein the inclined surfaces of the plurality of joints are in close contact with each other. However, an embodiment in which the connection structure 400 is an articulated structure will be described in detail below.

[0112] Figure 5 is a top view showing some components of the electronic device when the electronic device 200 is in an unfolded state according to an embodiment, and Figure 6 Shown is a view taken along line A-A' Figure 5 The electronic device 200 of the present disclosure is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 200. Figure 5 It is a diagram in which some components of the electronic device 200 (eg, the display 230 , the first support plate 261 , and the second support plate 262 ) are omitted.

[0113] Reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the electronic device 200 according to an embodiment may include a display 230 (eg, Figure 4 display 230), a first support plate 261 (eg, Figure 4 The first support plate 261), the second support plate 262 (for example, Figure 4 The second support plate 262), the first housing 211 (for example, Figure 4 The first housing 211), the second housing 212 (for example, Figure 4 The second housing 212), the connection structure 400 (for example, Figure 4 connection structure 400), a protective layer (eg, Figure 4 protective layer 300). Figure 5 , Figure 6 At least one of the components of the electronic device 200 may be connected to Figure 4 At least one of the components of the electronic device is the same or similar, and redundant explanation will be omitted.

[0114] The first support plate 261 and the second support plate 262 according to the embodiment may be attached to the lower end surface (eg, Figure 6 The first support plate 261 may be attached to at least a specific area of ​​the display 230 (eg, a surface in the -z direction) to support at least a specific area of ​​the display 230. Figure 6 The second support plate 262 may be attached to other areas of the display 230 (eg, Figure 6 In an example, the first support plate 261 may include an area in the longitudinal direction (eg, Figure 5 The second support plate 262 may include a first peripheral portion 261a extending in the longitudinal direction (eg, Figure 5 When the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state (for example, see Figure 6 ), the first periphery 261a of the first support plate 261 and the second periphery 262a of the second support plate 262 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a first width (eg, Figure 6 The first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a are arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a first width g1, so that the first support plate 261 and the second support plate 262 do not hinder the operation track of the display 230 during the rotation of the electronic device 200.

[0115] According to an embodiment, the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be rotatably connected to each other through the connection structure 400. Through the above structure, the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be rotated within a specified rotation angle range according to the user's operation, and thus, the electronic device 200 may be rotated from the unfolded state (for example, see Figure 6 ) can be rotated to a folded state, or can be rotated from a folded state to an unfolded state. The first bracket 215 can be disposed inside the first housing 211, and the second bracket 216 can be disposed inside the second housing 212. In an example, the first bracket 215 and the second bracket 216 can be attached to the lower end surface of the display 230 by supporting (for example, Figure 6 The first support plate 261 and the second support plate 262 of the display 230 can indirectly support at least a specific area of ​​the display 230. In another example, the first bracket 215 and the second bracket 216 can directly support the display 230.

[0116] The connection structure 400 according to the embodiment may include a hinge housing 410 (eg, Figure 4 The hinge housing 410 of the embodiment of the present invention and the hinge module 420 (for example, Figure 4 The hinge module 420), the first hinge plate 431 (for example, Figure 4 The first hinge plate 431 and the second hinge plate 432 (for example, Figure 4 However, the configuration of the hinge device is not limited to the above embodiment, and the hinge device according to the embodiment may omit one of the above components (eg, the first hinge plate 431 and / or the second hinge plate 432).

[0117] In an example, the hinge housing 410 may be fixed between the first housing 211 and the second housing 212, and the hinge module 420 may be disposed within the hinge housing 410. The hinge housing 410 may protect the hinge module 420 disposed therein from external impact.

[0118] In an example, the hinge module 420 may rotatably connect the first housing 211 and the second housing 212. The first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be rotated within a specified rotation range by the hinge module 420, and by doing so, the electronic device 200 may be rotated from a folded state to an unfolded state, or vice versa, from an unfolded state to a folded state.

[0119] In an example, the first hinge plate 431 and the second hinge plate 432 may be located at an upper end of the hinge housing 410 (eg, Figure 6 The first hinge plate 431 may be located on the left side of the hinge housing 410 (eg, Figure 6 -x direction), and the second hinge plate 432 may be located on the right side of the hinge housing 410 (eg, Figure 6 The first hinge plate 431 and the second hinge plate 432 can rotate together along the first housing 211 and the second housing 212. In the example, when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state (for example, see Figure 6 ), the first hinge plate 431 and the second hinge plate 432 may be arranged to face the same direction. In another example, when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the first hinge plate 431 and the second hinge plate 432 may be rotated together. Therefore, the first hinge plate 431 and the second hinge plate 432 may be arranged to face each other, which will be described in detail below.

[0120] In an example, the first hinge plate 431 may be supported by a first region (eg, Figure 5 , Figure 6 A region) and / or some regions of the first support plate 261 to indirectly support some regions of the display 230 (for example, Figure 4 Similarly, the second hinge plate 432 may be supported by the second area of ​​the protective layer 300 (eg, Figure 5 , Figure 6 B area) and / or some areas of the second support plate 262 to indirectly support some areas of the display 230 (for example, with Figure 4 In another example, the first hinge plate 431 and the second hinge plate 432 may directly contact some areas of the display 230 , thereby supporting some areas of the display 230 .

[0121] According to an embodiment, the protective layer 300 may be located between the first support plate 261 and / or the second support plate 262 and the connection structure 400 disposed between the first housing 211 and the second housing 212. According to an embodiment, the first region (eg, Figure 5 , Figure 6 The A region) may be fixed between the first support plate 261 and the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215 in the first housing 211.

[0122] In an example, the first area (A area) (or "fixed area") of the protective layer 300 may be attached to a specific area of ​​the first hinge plate 431 by an adhesive member 301, and may be fixed between the first support plate 261 and the first hinge plate 431. In another example, the first area (A area) of the protective layer 300 may be attached to a specific area of ​​the first bracket 215 by an adhesive member 301, and may be fixed between the first support plate 261 and the first bracket 215. In yet another example, the first area (A area) of the protective layer 300 may be attached to a specific area of ​​the first hinge plate 431 and a specific area of ​​the first bracket 215, and may be fixed between the first support plate 261 and the first bracket 215 and the first hinge plate 431. The adhesive member 301 may be, for example, an adhesive, a tape, but is not limited thereto.

[0123] That is, the first region (A region) of the protective layer 300 in the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment may be attached and fixed to one surface of the connection structure 400 and / or one surface of the first bracket 215 in the first housing 211 .

[0124] According to an embodiment, the second region (eg, Figure 5 , Figure 6The protective layer 300 may not be fixed to the components of the electronic device 200 (e.g., the second bracket 216, the second support plate 262), and may slide freely when the electronic device 200 rotates. That is, the protective layer 300 may be located between the first support plate 261 and / or the second support plate 262 and the connecting structure 400 provided between the first housing 211 and the second housing 212, thereby preventing foreign matter from flowing between the display 230 and the first support plate 261 and / or the second support plate 262. In addition, the second region of the protective layer 300 (e.g., Figure 5 , Figure 6 The protective layer 300 (eg, the second region B) can slide freely, so that the folding operation of the display 230 caused by the rotational movement of the electronic device 200 is not hindered. The process of sliding some regions (eg, the second region B) of the protective layer 300 will be described in detail below.

[0125] As described above, since some areas of the protective layer 300 slide when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state or from the folded state to the unfolded state, the protective layer 300 according to the embodiment may be formed of a material having a specified stiffness and less friction. For example, the protective layer 300 may be formed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) having less friction and stiffness, but is not limited thereto. Foreign matter may flow into the hinge housing 410 through a gap formed between the first housing 211 and the hinge housing 410 and / or a gap formed between the second housing 212 and the hinge housing 410. Therefore, the protective layer 300 according to the embodiment may be formed to have a width greater than that of the hinge housing 410 of the connection structure 400, and foreign matter entering the hinge housing 410 may be prevented from flowing toward the display 230. In an example, the protective layer 300 may be formed to have a fourth width W4 greater than the third width W3 of the hinge housing 410, and foreign matter entering the hinge housing 410 may be prevented from flowing toward the display 230.

[0126] Figure 7 is a diagram showing a cross section of an electronic device when the electronic device 200 is in a folded state according to an embodiment. Figure 7 When the electronic device 200 is in the folded state, Figure 5 A cross-sectional view taken along line AA' of FIG. Figure 5 and / or Figure 6 electronic devices (e.g. Figure 5 , Figure 6 The electronic device 200) is in a rotation state.

[0127] Reference Figure 7 , the electronic device 200 according to an embodiment may include a display 230 (eg, Figure 6 display 230), a first support plate 261 (eg, Figure 6The first support plate 261), the second support plate 262 (for example, Figure 6 The second support plate 262), the first housing 211 (for example, Figure 6 The first housing 211), the second housing 212 (for example, Figure 6 The second housing 212), the connection structure 400 (for example, Figure 6 The connection structure 400), and the protective layer 300 (for example, Figure 6 protective layer 300). Figure 7 At least one of the components of the electronic device 200 may be connected to Figure 5 and / or Figure 6 At least one of the components of the electronic device is the same or similar, and redundant explanation will be omitted.

[0128] According to an embodiment, the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be rotatably connected to each other through a component of the connection structure 400 (eg, the hinge module 420), and when the electronic device 200 is moved from the unfolded state (eg, see Figure 6 ) to the folded state (see, for example, Figure 7 ), the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be arranged to face each other.

[0129] According to an embodiment, the display 230 may include a folding area 233 (eg, Figure 4 folding area 233), located on the left side relative to the folding area 233 (for example, Figure 7 -x direction) of the first region 231 (for example, Figure 4 ), and located on the right side relative to the folding area 233 (for example, Figure 7 +x direction) of the second region 232 (for example, Figure 4 When the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the display 230 installed in the recess formed by the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be folded, bent. In an example, when the electronic device is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the display 230 may be folded relative to the folding region 233 so that the first region 231 and the second region 232 of the display 230 face each other.

[0130] According to an embodiment, the first support plate 261 and the second support plate 262 may be located at the lower end of the display 230 (eg, Figure 7 In an example, the first support plate 261 may include a first support plate 262 disposed in a longitudinal direction (eg, Figure 5 The first periphery 261a extending in the y direction (eg, the y direction), and the second support plate 262 may include a first periphery 261a facing the first periphery 261a and extending in the longitudinal direction (eg, Figure 5In the example, some areas of the first support plate 261 may be attached to the first area 231 of the display 230, and other areas of the first support plate 261 may not be attached to the display 230. Therefore, when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state, the first periphery 261a of the first support plate 261 may contact the first area 231 of the display 230. Conversely, when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the first periphery 261a of the first support plate 261 may be separated from the first area 231 of the display 230. Similarly, some areas of the second support plate 262 may be attached to the second area 232 of the display 230, and other areas of the second support plate 262 may not be attached to the display 230. As a result, when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state, the second periphery 262a of the second support plate 262 may contact the second area 232 of the display 230. On the contrary, when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the second periphery 262a of the second support plate 262 may be separated from the second area 232 of the display 230. That is, during the rotation of the electronic device 200, the first periphery 261a of the first support plate 261 and the second periphery 262a of the second support plate 262 may repeatedly contact and separate from specific areas of the display 230 (e.g., the first area 231, the second area 232).

[0131] When the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the distance between the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a may increase. In an example, when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state, the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a first width (e.g., Figure 6 In another example, when the electronic device 200 is in the folded state, the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a may be spaced apart from each other by a second width g2 that is greater than the first width.

[0132] When the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a may be spaced apart from the display 230 so that the folding region 233 of the display 230 is exposed between the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a. In this case, a predetermined space (e.g., Figure 7 F).

[0133] Foreign matter (e.g., dust, etc.) may flow into the hinge housing 410 through the gaps (e.g., S1, S2) formed between the hinge housing 410 and the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 of the connection structure 400. If there is no protective layer 300 in the electronic device 200, the foreign matter entering the hinge housing 410 may flow into the space F formed between the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a and the folding area 233 of the display 230. In addition, during the rotation of the electronic device 200, the foreign matter flowing into the above-mentioned space F may flow between the display 230 and the first support plate 261 and the second support plate 262, thereby causing a bending defect of the display 230.

[0134] The protective layer 300 according to the embodiment can prevent foreign matter that enters the hinge housing 410 through the gaps S1, S2 between the hinge housing 410 and the first housing 211 and / or the second housing 212 from flowing into the space F formed between the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a and the folding area 233 of the display 230. According to the embodiment, the first area A (e.g., Figure 6 The first region A of the protective layer 300 may be fixed between the first support plate 261 and the first hinge plate 431 of the connection structure 400 and / or the first bracket 215 disposed in the first housing 211. In an example, the first region A of the protective layer 300 may be attached to some regions of the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215, and may be fixed between the first support plate 261 and the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215.

[0135] The second region B of the protective layer 300 (eg, Figure 6 The second region B) may not be fixed to a component of the electronic device 200 and may slide between the second support plate 262 and the second hinge plate 432 and / or the second bracket 216 of the second housing 212 when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state. Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the second area B of the protective layer 300 may be in a direction toward the hinge housing 410 (eg, Figure 7 The sliding area B-1 of the protective layer 300 formed when the second area B of the protective layer 300 slides may be set to cover the folding area 233 of the display 230 exposed between the first periphery 261a of the first support plate 261 and the second periphery 262a of the second support plate 262.

[0136] That is, the sliding area B-1 of the protective layer 300 may be provided to cover the space F formed between the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a and the folding area 233 of the display 230, and the space F may be isolated from the hinge housing 410. As a result, the protective layer 300 according to the embodiment may prevent foreign matter entering the hinge housing 410 from flowing into the space F formed between the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a and the folding area 233 of the display 230.

[0137] The other areas B-2 of the second area B of the protective layer 300 except the sliding area B-1 may be located between the second support plate 262 and the second hinge plate 432 and / or the second bracket 216, and may prevent the protective layer 300 from falling out between the second support plate 262 and the second hinge plate 432 or between the second support plate 262 and the second bracket 216.

[0138] As described above, since some areas of the protective layer 300 may slide when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state or from the folded state to the unfolded state, the protective layer 300 according to the embodiment may be formed of a material with less friction and stiffness. The protective layer 300 may be formed of, for example, PET, and may not be easily wrinkled or deformed during the rotation of the electronic device 200. However, the material of the protective layer 300 is not limited to the above embodiment, and the protective layer 300 according to another embodiment may be formed of other materials with less friction and a specified stiffness.

[0139] According to another embodiment, the protective layer may be formed of a flexible or retractable material. In an example, the protective layer may be attached to at least a specific area of ​​the first support plate 261 and / or the second support plate 262, or may be attached to at least a specific area of ​​the first hinge plate 431, the second hinge plate 432, and may be located between the first support plate 261, the second support plate 262 and the connection structure 400. When the electronic device 200 rotates from the unfolded state to the folded state or from the folded state to the unfolded state, the above-mentioned protective layer may be stretched or retracted. In an example, when the electronic device 200 rotates from the unfolded state to the folded state, the above-mentioned protective layer may be stretched. As described above, since the protective layer is stretched when the electronic device rotates from the unfolded state to the folded state, the protective layer can prevent foreign matter from flowing into the space F formed between the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a and the folding area 233 of the display 230. That is, the electronic device 200 according to another embodiment may prevent foreign matter from flowing into the space F formed between the first and second peripheries 261a and 262a and the folding region 233 of the display 230 by means of a protective layer that is stretched or contracted during the rotation of the electronic device 200 .

[0140] Figure 82 is a cross-sectional view showing a protective layer of an electronic device 200 and a board attached to the protective layer according to an embodiment. Figure 8 At least one of the components of the electronic device 200 may be connected to Figure 6 and / or Figure 7 At least one of the components of the electronic device is the same or similar, and redundant explanation will be omitted.

[0141] Reference Figure 8 , the electronic device 200 according to an embodiment may include a display 230 (eg, Figure 6 display 230), a first support plate 261 (eg, Figure 6 The first support plate 261), the second support plate 262 (for example, Figure 6 The second support plate 262), the first housing 211 (for example, Figure 6 The first housing 211), the second housing 212 (for example, Figure 6 The second housing 212), the connection structure 400 (for example, Figure 6 connection structure 400), a protective layer 300 (for example, Figure 6 That is, the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment may be a device with a protective layer 300 added thereto, and a bonding plate 500. Figure 6 and / or Figure 7 electronic devices (e.g. Figure 6 , Figure 7 electronic device 200).

[0142] According to an embodiment, the coupling plate 500 may be located between some areas (e.g., the first area A) of the protective layer 300 and the first hinge plate 431 of the connection structure 400 and / or the first bracket 215 provided in the first housing 211. In an example, the coupling plate 500 may be attached to one surface of the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215 by the first adhesive member 501. One surface (e.g., the first area A) of the coupling plate 500 facing the protective layer 300 may be provided on the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215. Figure 8 The surface in the z direction) may have a flat shape, and the protective layer 300 may be formed by the second adhesive member 301 (eg, Figure 6 The bonding member 301 of the bonding member 301 is attached to the above-mentioned one surface of the bonding plate 500. According to an embodiment, the bonding plate 500 may be formed of a material having a specified stiffness and thickness (e.g., 0.05t). For example, the bonding plate 500 may be formed of a metal material (e.g., SUS), but is not limited thereto. In addition, the first bonding member 501 and / or the second bonding member 301 may be, for example, an adhesive, a tape, but is not limited thereto.

[0143] That is, according to an embodiment, some areas (e.g., the first area A) of the protective layer 300 in the electronic device 200 can be fixed to a surface of the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215 by a coupling plate 500 attached to the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215.

[0144] When some areas (eg, first area A) of the protection layer 300 are directly attached to the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215 (eg, see Figure 6 ), the protective layer 300 may not be firmly attached to the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215. For example, components of the electronic device 200 (e.g., wires, hinge module 420, screws) may be disposed on one surface of the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215, or steps may be formed so that the above components are disposed thereon. Due to the components and steps disposed on the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215, the adhesion or bonding force between the protective layer 300 and the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215 may be reduced. On the other hand, the protective layer 300 according to the embodiment may be fixed to one surface of the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215 by a coupling plate 500 formed in a flat shape, and as a result, the protective layer 300 may be more firmly fixed to one surface of the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215. That is, according to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may have a coupling plate 500 disposed between the protective layer 300 and the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215, so that the protective layer 300 can be more firmly fixed than when the protective layer 300 is directly attached to a surface of the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215.

[0145] Fig. 9 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a protective layer 300 and a reinforcing plate 310 of an electronic device 200 according to an embodiment. Fig. 9 Shows a view taken along line A-A' Figure 5 A cross section of an electronic device 200 is shown.

[0146] Reference Fig. 9 , the electronic device 200 according to an embodiment may include a display 230 (eg, Figure 6 , Figure 8 display 230), a first support plate 261 (eg, Figure 6 , Figure 8 The first support plate 261), the second support plate 262 (for example, Figure 6 , Figure 8 The second support plate 262), the first housing 211 (for example, Figure 6 , Figure 8 The first housing 211), the second housing 212 (for example, Figure 6 , Figure 8 The second housing 212), the connection structure 400 (for example, Figure 6 , Figure 8 connection structure 400), a protective layer 300 (for example, Figure 6 , Figure 8 protective layer 300), a bonding plate 500 (eg, Figure 8 The combining plate 500 and the reinforcing plate 310 are provided.

[0147] The electronic device 200 according to the embodiment may omit one of the above components (eg, the bonding board 500). In addition, at least one of the components of the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment may be combined with Figure 6 , Figure 8 At least one of the components of the electronic device 200 is the same or similar, and redundant explanation will be omitted.

[0148] The electronic device 200 according to the embodiment may be a device in which a reinforcing plate 310 is added. Figure 6 electronic devices (e.g. Figure 6 electronic device 200) or Figure 8 electronic devices (e.g. Figure 7 , Figure 8 electronic device 200).

[0149] According to an embodiment, the first region (A region) of the protective layer 300 may be formed by the second adhesive member 301 (eg, Figure 6 The bonding member 301 or Figure 8 The second adhesive member 301 is attached to one surface (eg, Fig. 9 The protective layer 300 is attached to a surface in the z direction of the first housing 211, thereby being fixed to the coupling plate 500. According to another embodiment, the protective layer 300 may be attached to a specific area of ​​the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215 provided in the first housing 211 by the second adhesive member 301, thereby being fixed to the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215.

[0150] The second area (area B) of the protective layer 300 may not be attached to the second support plate 262 and the second hinge plate 432. With the above structure, when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state or from the folded state to the unfolded state, the second area (area B) of the protective layer 300 may slide between the second support plate 262 and the second hinge plate 432. When the second area (area B) of the protective layer 300 is sliding repeatedly, at least a specific area of ​​the second area (area B) of the protective layer 300 may be rolled up or wrinkled by the second support plate 262 and / or the second hinge plate 432. For example, the second area (area B) of the protective layer 300 may be rolled up or wrinkled due to the step structure formed by the second support plate 262 and / or the second hinge plate 432.

[0151] According to an embodiment, the reinforcing plate 310 (or "reinforcement member") may be attached to at least a specific area of ​​the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300. In an example, the reinforcing plate 310 may be attached to the lower end surface (e.g., the lower end surface) of the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 by a third adhesive member 311 (e.g., an adhesive, a tape). Fig. 9 In another example, the reinforcing plate 310 may be attached to the upper end surface of the second region (B region) of the protective layer 300 (eg, Fig. 9 surface in the z direction).

[0152] According to an embodiment, the reinforcing plate 310 may be formed of a material having a specified rigidity to reinforce the rigidity of the second region (B region) of the protective layer 300. In an example, the reinforcing plate 310 may be formed of a metal material (e.g., SUS), but is not limited thereto. The electronic device 200 according to an embodiment may prevent the second region (B region) of the protective layer 300 from being wrinkled or rolled up during the rotation of the electronic device 200 by reinforcing the rigidity of the second region (B region) of the protective layer 300 through the reinforcing plate 310.

[0153] The electronic device 200 according to another embodiment may not have the reinforcing plate 310 attached to the protective layer 300, and may be formed by folding one end (eg, Fig. 9 One end in the x direction) is used to strengthen the rigidity of the second region (region B) of the protective layer 300.

[0154] According to an embodiment, the reinforcing plate 310 may have at least one surface formed in a flat shape. In an example, the reinforcing plate 310 can reduce the assembly gap or deviation formed between the second support plate 262 and the second region (B region) of the protective layer 300 through the above structure. In another example, the reinforcing plate 310 can reduce the assembly gap or deviation formed between the second hinge plate 432 and the second region (B region) of the protective layer 300.

[0155] When the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the second area B of the protection layer 300 may be oriented toward the hinge housing 410 (eg, Fig. 9 When the second area B of the protective layer 300 slides, the sliding area (B-1 area) of the second area B of the protective layer 300 (for example, Figure 7 The sliding area B-1) may be set to cover some areas of the display 230 exposed between the first periphery 261a of the first support plate 261 and the second periphery 262a of the second support plate 262 (eg, Figure 7 When the reinforcing plate 310 is attached to all areas of the second area B of the protective layer 300, a reaction may occur due to the elastic force of the reinforcing plate 310, and as a result, the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 may not slide smoothly.

[0156] In the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment, the reinforcing plate 310 may be attached to other regions (B-2 regions) other than the sliding region B-1 in the second region B of the protective layer 300. Through the above structure, the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment can prevent the reduction of the movement of the second region (B region) of the protective layer 300 caused by the attachment of the reinforcing plate 310.

[0157] Fig. 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a protective layer 300 and an anti-friction member 600 of an electronic device 200 according to an embodiment, and Fig. 10B is a cross-sectional view showing a protective layer 300 and an anti-friction member 600 of an electronic device 200 according to another embodiment. Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B Shown is a view taken along line A-A' Figure 5 A cross section of an electronic device 200 is shown.

[0158] Reference Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B , the electronic device 200 according to an embodiment may include a display 230 (eg, Figure 6 display 230), a first support plate 261 (eg, Figure 6 The first support plate 261), the second support plate 262 (for example, Figure 6 The second support plate 262), the first housing 211 (for example, Figure 6 The first housing 211), the second housing 212 (for example, Figure 6 The second housing 212), the connection structure 400 (for example, Figure 6 connection structure 400), a protective layer 300 (for example, Figure 6 protective layer 300) and an anti-friction member 600.

[0159] The electronic device 200 according to the embodiment may be a device in which the friction-preventable member 600 is added. Figure 6 , Figure 7 electronic devices (e.g. Figure 6 , Figure 7 That is, at least one of the components of the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment may be connected to Figure 6 and / or Figure 7 At least one of the components of the electronic device is the same or similar, and redundant explanation will be omitted.

[0160] Reference Fig. 10A According to the embodiment, the anti-friction member 600 may include a first anti-friction member 610 and a second anti-friction member 620. In an example, the first anti-friction member 610 may be disposed on the lower end surface of the second support plate 262 (eg, Fig. 10A In an example, the second anti-friction member 620 may be disposed on an upper end surface of the second hinge plate 432 and / or the second bracket 216 (eg, Fig. 10A on the surface in the z direction).

[0161] As described above, the first region (region A) of the protective layer 300 may be fixed to the first support plate 261 and the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215 (eg, Figure 4 On the other hand, the second region (B region) of the protective layer 300 may not be fixed, and as a result, the second region (B region) of the protective layer 300 may slide relative to the second support plate 262 when the electronic device 200 rotates.

[0162] According to an embodiment, the first anti-friction member 610 may be located at an upper end of the protection layer 300 (eg, Fig. 10A The second anti-friction member 620 may be located at the lower end of the protective layer 300 (e.g., Fig. 10A -z direction), and when the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 slides, the friction generated between the protective layer 300 and the second hinge plate 432 and / or the second bracket 216 can be reduced.

[0163] Reference Fig. 10BIn addition to the above-mentioned first anti-friction member 610 and second anti-friction member 620, the anti-friction member 600 according to another embodiment may further include a third anti-friction member 630. According to an embodiment, the third anti-friction member 630 may be attached to at least one surface of the protective layer 300, and when the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 slides, the friction generated between the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 and another component (e.g., the second support plate 262, the second hinge plate 432 and / or the second bracket 216) may be reduced. In an example, the third anti-friction member 630 may be attached to the upper end surface of the protective layer 300 (e.g., Fig. 10B The third anti-friction member 630 may be attached to at least a specific area of ​​the surface in the Z direction of the protective layer 300, and the friction generated between the second area (area B) of the protective layer 300 and the second support plate 262 may be reduced when the electronic device 200 rotates. In another example, the third anti-friction member 630 may be attached to the lower end surface (e.g., Fig. 10B The third anti-friction member 630 is attached to at least a specific area of ​​the surface in the -z direction of the protective layer 300, and can reduce the friction generated between the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 and the second hinge plate 432 and / or the second bracket 216 when the electronic device 200 is rotated. In another example, the third anti-friction member 630 can be attached to both the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the protective layer 300, and can reduce the friction generated between the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 and the second support plate 262, the second hinge plate 432 and / or the second bracket 216.

[0164] According to the embodiment, the electronic device 200 can reduce the friction between the second area (area B) of the protective layer 300 and other components (for example, the second support plate 262, the second hinge plate 432) by using the above-mentioned first anti-friction member 610, the second anti-friction member 620 and / or the third anti-friction member 630 to make the second area (area B) of the protective layer 300 move (or slide) smoothly during the rotation of the electronic device 200.

[0165] That is, according to the embodiment, the electronic device 200 can ideally move (or slide) the second area (area B) of the protective layer 300 through the anti-friction member 600 during the rotation of the electronic device 200 without getting stuck in some areas of the second support plate 262, the second hinge plate 432 and / or the second bracket 216.

[0166] According to an embodiment, the anti-friction member 600 may be at least one of a fabric (e.g., polytetrafluoroethylene fiber), an insulating tape, and a coating film, and the anti-friction member 600 may be attached to at least one surface of the second support plate 262, the second hinge plate 432, and / or the protective layer 300 by an adhesive. According to another embodiment, the anti-friction member 600 may be a low-friction coating (e.g., a fluorine coating) formed by coating at least one surface of the second support plate 262, the second hinge plate 432, and / or the protective layer 300 with a material having a low-friction property, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the electronic device 200 according to various embodiments may not include at least one of the first anti-friction member 610, the second anti-friction member 620, and the third anti-friction member 630.

[0167] Fig.11 is a diagram showing a cross section of an electronic device 200 when the electronic device 200 is in an unfolded state according to another embodiment, and Fig.12 is a diagram showing a cross section of an electronic device 200 when the electronic device 200 is in a folded state according to another embodiment. Fig.11 and Fig.12 Shows when Figure 5 When the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state and / or folded state, Figure 5 A cross section taken along line AA'.

[0168] Reference Fig.11 and Fig.12 According to another embodiment, the electronic device 200 may include a display 230 (eg, Figure 4 display 230), a first support plate 261 (eg, Figure 4 The first support plate 261), the second support plate 262 (for example, Figure 4 The second support plate 262 of FIG. 80 ), the protective layer 800 , the first housing 211 (eg, Figure 4 The first housing 211), the second housing 212 (for example, Figure 4 second housing 212) and a connecting structure 900. Fig.11 , Fig.12 At least one of the components of the electronic device 200 may be connected to Figure 4 At least one of the components of the electronic device is the same or similar, and redundant explanation will be omitted.

[0169] According to an embodiment, the connection structure 900 may be an articulated structure including at least one joint 901, 902. The articulated structure may include a first joint 901 and a plurality of second joints 902 disposed at both ends of the first joint 901, and the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be rotatably connected through the first joint 901 and the second joint 902. In an example, the first joint 901 may be formed of a flexible material to have some areas that are bent or folded according to the operation of the user. In another example, an inclined portion 902a may be formed on both ends of each of the plurality of second joints 902, and the plurality of second joints 902 may be bent or folded when some of the inclined portions 902a of the plurality of second joints 902 contact each other according to the operation of the user.

[0170] In an example, when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state (eg, see Fig.11 ), the first joint 901 and the plurality of second joints 902 may be arranged parallel to each other. In another example, when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state (eg, see Fig.12 ), the first joint 901 may be bent into a curved shape, and when the first joint 901 is bent, the plurality of second joints 902 disposed at both ends of the first joint 901 may also be bent. When the first joint 901 and the plurality of second joints 902 are bent, the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be disposed to face each other.

[0171] According to another embodiment, the hinge structure may include a plurality of second joints 902 without the first joint 901. That is, according to another embodiment, when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the plurality of second joints 902 may be bent, and thus, the first housing 211 and the second housing 212 may be disposed to face each other.

[0172] According to an embodiment, the protective layer 800 may be located between the first support plate 261, the second support plate 262 and the connection structure 400, or between the first support plate 261, the second support plate 262 and the first housing 211, the second housing 212. In an example, the protective layer 800 may be attached to a specific area of ​​the first housing 211 and / or a specific area of ​​the second housing 212 to be located between the first support plate 261, the second support plate 262 and the first housing 211, the second housing 212. In another example, the protective layer 800 may be attached to the lower end of the display 230 (e.g., Fig.11 -z direction) of the first support plate 261 and / or the second support plate 262.

[0173] According to an embodiment, the protective layer 800 may be formed of a flexible or stretchable material. Therefore, when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state or from the folded state to the unfolded state, the protective layer 800 may be stretched or contracted. For example, when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state (e.g., see Fig.11 ) to the folded state (see, for example, Fig.12 ), the protective layer 800 may be stretched, and therefore, some areas of the protective layer 800 (e.g., Fig.12 The S region) may be deformed into a folding region 233 (eg, Figure 4 The shape of the folding area 233) is basically corresponding.

[0174] When the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the first periphery 261a (eg, Figure 7 The first periphery 261a of the second support plate 261a) and the second periphery 262a of the second support plate 262 (eg, Figure 7 The second periphery 262a of the first periphery 261a may be separated from the display 230. Therefore, a predetermined space F may be formed between the first periphery 261a and the folding region 233 of the display 230, and the second periphery 262a.

[0175] When the electronic device 200 rotates, a gap may be formed between the first joint 441 and the plurality of second joints 442 of the hinge structure, and foreign matter may flow into the electronic device 200 through the gap formed between the first joint 441 and the plurality of second joints 442. If the above-mentioned protective layer 800 does not exist in the electronic device 200, foreign matter entering the electronic device 200 may flow into the above-mentioned space F and may be located between the display 230 and the first support plate 261 and / or the second support plate 262, and thus, a bending defect of the display 230 may be caused by the foreign matter.

[0176] In an example, the protective layer 800 may be disposed between the first support plate 261 and / or the second support plate 262 and the connection structure 900 disposed between the first housing 211 and the second housing 212, thereby preventing external foreign matter from flowing into the space F formed between the first periphery 261a and the folding region 233 and the second periphery 262a of the display 230. That is, the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment can prevent defects of the display 230 (e.g., bending defects of the display 230) by the protective layer 800 described above.

[0177] In an example, when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, some areas of the protective layer 800 (eg, Fig.12The protective layer 800 may be deformed into a shape substantially corresponding to some areas (e.g., the folding area 233) of the display 230. Since some areas of the protective layer 800 are deformed during the rotation of the electronic device 200, the protective layer 800 may not hinder the folding operation of the display 230 caused when the electronic device 200 is rotated.

[0178] According to another embodiment, a protective layer (eg, Figure 6 , Figure 7 At least a specific area of ​​the protective layer 300 of the electronic device 200 may be attached to and fixed to one surface of the first housing 211. In this case, other areas of the protective layer may not be attached to any component of the electronic device 200 and may slide freely between the second support plate 262 and the second housing 212. Other areas of the protective layer may slide during the rotation of the electronic device 200, thereby not hindering the folding operation of the display 230. The process of sliding some areas of the protective layer during the rotation of the electronic device 200 is similar to Figure 6 , Figure 7 protective layer (e.g. Figure 6 , Figure 7 The process of sliding the protective layer 300) is the same or similar, and redundant explanation will be omitted.

[0179] Fig.13A is a top view showing some components of an electronic device 200 according to an embodiment, Fig. 13B is taken along line BB' when the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state Fig.13A A cross-sectional view of an electronic device, and Fig. 13C is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device in a folded state.

[0180] The present disclosure Fig.13A Some components of the electronic device 200 (eg, the display 230 , the first support plate 261 , the second support plate 262 , the protective layer 300 ) are omitted.

[0181] Reference Fig.13A , Fig. 13B , Fig. 13C , the electronic device 200 according to an embodiment may include a display 230 (eg, Figure 4 display 230), a first support plate 261 (eg, Figure 4 The first support plate 261), the second support plate 262 (for example, Figure 4 The second support plate 262), the first housing 211 (for example, Figure 4 The first housing 211), the second housing 212 (for example, Figure 4 The second housing 212), the first bracket 215 (for example, Figure 4 The first bracket 215 and the second bracket 215 (for example, Figure 4 The second bracket 216), the protective layer 300 (for example, Figure 4 A protective layer 300), a connecting structure 400 (eg, Figure 4 connecting structure 400) and supporting structure 700.

[0182] According to an embodiment, the first region (A region) of the protective layer 300 (eg, Figure 6 , Figure 7 The first region (region A) of the protective layer 300 may be fixed between the first support plate 261 and the first hinge plate 431 and / or the first bracket 215. The second region (region B) of the protective layer 300 (eg, Figure 6 , Figure 7 The second region (B region) may not be fixed and may slide relative to the second supporting plate 262 when the electronic device 200 is rotated.

[0183] When the electronic device 200 is in the unfolded state (eg, see Fig. 13B ) to the folded state (see, for example, Fig. 13C ), the first periphery 261a of the first support plate 261 and the second periphery 262a of the second support plate 262 may be spaced apart from the display 230. Therefore, some areas (e.g., the folding area 233) of the display 230 may be exposed between the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a, and the predetermined space F (e.g., Figure 7 The space F) may be formed by the first periphery 261 a and the second periphery 262 a and some areas of the display 230 .

[0184] Reference Fig. 13B and Fig. 13C When the electronic device 200 rotates from the unfolded state to the folded state, the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 slides toward the hinge housing 410, so that the sliding area (B-1 area) of the protective layer is formed (for example, Figure 7 The sliding area (B-1 area) of the protective layer 300 may be configured to cover some areas (e.g., the folding area 233) of the display 230 exposed between the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a, and may prevent external foreign matter (e.g., dust) from flowing into the space F.

[0185] When the protective layer 300 slides a specified length or more, the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 may deviate between the second support plate 262 and the second hinge plate 432. When the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 deviates from the second support plate 262 and the second hinge plate 432, the protective layer 300 may not cover some areas (e.g., the folding area 233) of the display 230 exposed between the first periphery 261a and the second periphery 262a, and may not prevent external foreign matter from flowing into the above-mentioned space F. In addition, when the protective layer 300 slides a specified length or more, the protective layer 300 may contact some components of the connection structure 400 (e.g., the hinge housing 410 or the hinge module). In this case, the protective layer 300 may be damaged by the portion protruding from the connection structure 400. Therefore, when the electronic device 200 rotates from the unfolded state to the folded state, the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment can prevent the second area B of the protective layer 300 from sliding a specified distance or more by the support structure 700. Therefore, the electronic device 200 can prevent the protective layer 300 from deviating between the second support plate 262 and the second hinge plate 432, or can prevent the protective layer 300 from being damaged by components of the connection structure 400 (e.g., hinge module) in a specific area of ​​the connection structure 400 where the support structure 700 is not provided.

[0186] According to an embodiment, the connection structure 400 may include a hinge housing 410 (eg, Figure 4 A hinge housing 410), at least one hinge module (eg, Figure 4 The hinge housing 410 includes at least one hinge module 420, a first hinge plate 431, and a second hinge plate 432. At least one hinge module may be disposed in the hinge housing 410, and the hinge module may be fixed to the hinge housing 410 by a fastening portion 411 (eg, a screw).

[0187] The support structure 700 according to the embodiment may be located in an area of ​​the inner space of the hinge housing 410 where the hinge module is not installed, thereby preventing the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 from sliding a specified distance or longer. In an example, the support structure 700 may be provided in an area (e.g., Fig.13A R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6), or may be disposed in an empty space between the hinge modules 420.

[0188] According to an embodiment, when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the support structure 700 may support at least a specific area of ​​the sliding area (B-1 area) of the protective layer 300. The support structure 700 may prevent the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 from sliding a specified distance or longer by supporting the sliding area (B-1 area) of the protective layer 300. The support structure 700 according to an embodiment may prevent the second area (B area) of the protective layer 300 from deviating between the second support plate 262 and the second hinge plate 432. In addition, the above-mentioned support structure 700 may prevent the protective layer 300 from being damaged by the components of the connecting structure 400 in some areas of the connecting structure 400 where the support structure 700 is not provided by preventing the protective layer 300 from sliding a specified distance or longer.

[0189] The support structure 700 may have at least one surface formed in a flat shape to prevent the protective layer 300 from being damaged in the process of supporting some areas (e.g., sliding area B-1) of the protective layer 300. In an example, the support structure 700 may be at least one of a protective film, a thin film metal sheet, etc., provided at the upper end of the fastening portion 411. In another example, the support structure 700 may be a support rib, wherein the support rib has an area that contacts the sliding area (B-1 area) of the protective layer 300 and is formed in a flat shape. However, the support structure 700 is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and any structure that can prevent the protective layer 300 from sliding a specified distance or longer when the electronic device 200 is rotated may be used.

[0190] Fig.14 is a diagram showing a protective layer 300 of an electronic device 200 and a foldable housing 210 to which the protective layer is attached according to an embodiment, and Fig.15 is a diagram showing a cross section of some areas of an electronic device when the electronic device 200 is in a folded state according to an embodiment. Fig.14 Some components of the electronic device 200 (eg, the display 230 , the first support plate 261 , the second support plate 262 ) are omitted.

[0191] Reference Fig.14 and Fig.15 According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 may include: a first housing 211 (eg, Figure 4 The first housing 211 and the second housing 212 (eg, Figure 4 The foldable housing 210 (eg, the second housing 212) Figure 4 A foldable housing 210), a hinged housing (eg, Figure 4 The hinge housing 410), the first bracket 215 (eg, Figure 4 The first bracket 215), the second bracket 216 (for example, Figure 4The second bracket 216 includes a first hinge plate 431 (eg, Figure 4 The first hinge plate 431 and the second hinge plate 432 (for example, Figure 4 The second hinge plate 432) of the connecting structure 400 (for example, Figure 4 connection structure 400), and a protective layer 300. Fig.14 , Fig.15 At least one of the components of the electronic device 200 may be connected to Figure 4 At least one of the components of the electronic device is the same or similar, and redundant explanation will be omitted.

[0192] According to an embodiment, the protective layer 300 may include Fig.14 y direction) from the upper end region of the protective layer 300 (for example, Fig.14 The first portion 300a protruding in the y direction, and the first portion 300a protruding in the longitudinal direction (eg, Fig.14 -y direction) from the lower end region of the protective layer 300 (for example, Fig.14 The protective layer 300 may be provided with a first portion 300a and a second portion 300b protruding from the protective layer 300 (an area in the -y direction). According to an embodiment, the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b of the protective layer 300 may be formed of the same material as other areas of the protective layer 300 (e.g., a PET material). According to another embodiment, the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b of the protective layer 300 may be formed of a material different from that of other areas of the protective layer 300. That is, the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b may be separate structures attached to the upper and lower ends of the protective layer 300, respectively. In an example, the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b may be formed of a flexible material. For example, the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b may be one of a sponge and a film, but are not limited thereto.

[0193] According to an embodiment, the protective layer 300 may be attached to a specific area of ​​the connection structure 400 (e.g., the first hinge plate 431), or may be attached to a specific area of ​​the first bracket 215 provided in the foldable housing 210. The first portion 300a of the protective layer 300 may be provided to be aligned with the upper end periphery 210a of the foldable housing 210 (e.g., Fig. 13B or Fig. 13C Similarly, the second portion 300b of the protective layer 300 may be disposed adjacent to a specific area of ​​the periphery in the y direction of the foldable housing 210 (eg, Fig. 13B or Fig. 13C In the example (see, for example, Fig.14), the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b of the protective layer 300 may be substantially perpendicular to other regions of the protective layer 300, and may be disposed adjacent to specific regions of the upper periphery 210a and the lower periphery 210b of the foldable housing 210. The first portion 300a and the second portion 300b of the protective layer 300 may be disposed adjacent to specific regions of the upper periphery 210a and the lower periphery 210b of the foldable housing 210, thereby reducing the gap between the foldable housing 210 and the protective layer 300.

[0194] According to an embodiment, the electronic device 200 can reduce the gap between the upper periphery 210a and / or the lower periphery 210b of the foldable housing 210 and the protective layer 300 through the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b of the protective layer 300, thereby preventing foreign matter (e.g., dust) that has entered the electronic device 200 from flowing into the display (e.g., Figure 4 That is, the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment can not only prevent external foreign matter from flowing to the display through the protective layer 300 during the rotation of the electronic device 200, but also prevent foreign matter entering the electronic device 200 from flowing to the display.

[0195] At least one slit may be formed on at least a specific area of ​​the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b of the protective layer 300. In an example, the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b of the protective layer 300 may be disposed to be aligned with at least a specific area (e.g., an upper end area (e.g., Fig.14 y-direction area) and / or the lower end area (e.g., Fig.14 Therefore, when the electronic device 200 is rotated from the folded state to the unfolded state or from the unfolded state to the folded state, the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b of the protective layer 300 may be wrinkled or folded.

[0196] The electronic device 200 according to the embodiment may have at least one slit formed on at least a specific area of ​​the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b, so that the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b can be wrinkled without being spaced apart from the upper end periphery 210a and / or the lower end periphery 210b of the foldable housing 210 during the rotation process (the process of rotating from the unfolded state to the folded state) of the electronic device 200. In the embodiment, the at least one slit of the first portion 300a and the second portion 300b may be formed by cutting the first portion 300a and the second portion 200b, but is not limited thereto.

[0197] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device (eg, Figure 2The electronic device 200 may include: a foldable housing (eg, Figure 4 A foldable housing 210) includes a first housing (eg, Figure 4 The first housing 211), the second housing (eg, Figure 4 A second housing 212) and a connecting structure (eg, Figure 4 connection structure 400); flexible display (eg, Figure 4 The display 230 is configured to extend from one region of the first housing across the connection structure to at least one region of the second housing and to be foldable according to rotation; a first plate (eg, Figure 4 , Figure 6 The first support plate 261 has at least a portion disposed at a lower end of a first region of the flexible display corresponding to the first housing, and has a first periphery extending along a central axis of rotation (eg, Figure 6 261a); a second plate (eg, Figure 4 , Figure 6 The second support plate 262 has at least a portion disposed at a lower end of a second region of the flexible display corresponding to the second housing, and has a second periphery (e.g., Figure 6 262a); and a protective layer (e.g., Figure 4 , Figure 6 A protective layer 300) is in contact with the first plate and the second plate in at least some areas and is arranged between the first plate and the second plate and the connecting structure, and when the electronic device is in an unfolded state, the first periphery of the first plate and the second periphery of the second plate may be in contact with the flexible display, and when the electronic device is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state, the first periphery of the first plate and the second periphery of the second plate may be spaced apart from the flexible display, and the protective layer may be arranged to cover the area of ​​the flexible display exposed between the first periphery of the first plate and the second periphery of the second plate.

[0198] According to an embodiment, the connection structure may be a hinge arrangement.

[0199] According to an embodiment, the hinge device may include: a hinge housing (eg, Figure 4 hinge housing 410); and at least one hinge module (eg, Figure 4 The hinge module 420 is located inside the hinge housing and is configured to rotatably connect the first housing and the second housing.

[0200] According to an embodiment, a region of the protective layer (e.g. Figure 6 A region) may be fixed between the first plate and the hinge device, and other regions of the protective layer (e.g., Figure 6 Area B) can be slidably moved relative to the second plate according to the rotation.

[0201] According to an embodiment, the hinge device may further include: a first hinge plate (eg, Figure 4 , Figure 6 A first hinge plate 431) is located at the lower end of the protective layer to support at least some areas of the first area of ​​the flexible display; and a second hinge plate (eg, Figure 4 , Figure 6 The second hinge plate 432 is located at the lower end of the protective layer to support at least some areas of the second area of ​​the flexible display.

[0202] According to an embodiment, one region of the protective layer may be attached to at least one region of the inner surface of the first housing or at least one region of the first plate.

[0203] According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a bonding board (eg, Figure 8 A combining plate 500), wherein the combining plate is disposed between at least one region of the protective layer and the first hinge plate and has one surface formed in a flat shape.

[0204] According to an embodiment, one region of the protection layer may be attached to at least one region of the bonding plate.

[0205] According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a reinforcing plate (eg, Fig. 9 A reinforcing plate 310), wherein the reinforcing plate is attached to at least one area of ​​the other areas of the protective layer and has rigidity.

[0206] According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a first anti-friction member (eg, Fig. 10A The first anti-friction member 610) is provided to prevent friction generated between the protective layer and the second plate.

[0207] According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a second anti-friction member (eg, Fig. 10A A second anti-friction member 620) is provided to prevent friction between the protective layer and the second hinge plate.

[0208] According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a third anti-friction member (eg, Fig. 10B A third anti-friction member 630) is provided to prevent friction between the protective layer and the second plate or the second hinge plate.

[0209] According to an embodiment, a protective layer (e.g. Fig.12The protective layer 800) may be formed of a stretchable material, and when the electronic device is rotated from an unfolded state to a folded state, the protective layer may be stretched.

[0210] According to an embodiment, a connection structure (e.g., Fig.11 , Fig.12 The connection structure 900) may be a hinge structure that rotatably connects the first shell and the second shell.

[0211] According to an embodiment, the first plate and the second plate may be formed of a material having a specified rigidity.

[0212] According to an embodiment, the hinge device may further include a support structure (eg, Fig. 13B , Fig. 13C A support structure 700 is provided to support at least one area of ​​the protective layer when the electronic device is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state.

[0213] According to an embodiment, the foldable housing may include an upper periphery (e.g., Fig.14 The upper periphery 210a) and the lower periphery (eg, Fig.14 The protective layer may extend in the longitudinal direction (eg, Fig.14 The first part 300a, the second part 300b) and may be disposed adjacent to at least one area of ​​the upper end periphery and the lower end periphery of the foldable housing.

[0214] According to an embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 4 The electronic device 200 may include: a foldable housing (eg, Figure 4 A foldable housing 210) includes a first housing (eg, Figure 4 The first housing 211), the second housing (eg, Figure 4 The second housing 212) and the connecting structure (eg, Figure 4 A connection structure 400), wherein the connection structure is configured to connect the first housing and the second housing so that the second housing can rotate around the first housing; a flexible display (eg, Figure 4 The display 230 is configured to extend from one region of the first housing across the connection structure to at least one region of the second housing and to be foldable according to the rotation; the first plate (eg, Figure 4 , Figure 6 The first support plate 261 has at least a portion disposed below the first area of ​​the flexible display corresponding to the first housing, and has a first periphery extending along the central axis of rotation (eg, Figure 6 261a); a second plate (eg, Figure 4 , Figure 6The second support plate 262 has at least a portion disposed below the second area of ​​the flexible display corresponding to the second housing, and has a second periphery (e.g., Figure 6 262a); and a protective layer (e.g., Figure 4 , Figure 6 The protective layer 300 is in contact with the first and second plates in at least some areas and is disposed between the first and second plates and the connection structure.

[0215] According to an embodiment, the protection layer may be provided to cover a region of the flexible display exposed between a first periphery of the first plate and a second periphery of the second plate when the electronic device is rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state.

[0216] According to an embodiment, a region of the protective layer (e.g. Figure 6 A region) may be fixed between the first plate and the connecting structure, and other regions of the protective layer (e.g., Figure 6 Area B) can slide on the second plate according to the rotation.

[0217] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device can prevent foreign matter (e.g., dust, etc.) from flowing between the display and the display support plate during the process of rotating from the unfolded state to the folded state or from the folded state to the unfolded state. In addition, the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can prevent defects of the display (e.g., bending defects of the display) caused by foreign matter.

[0218] In the above specific embodiments of the present disclosure, the elements included in the present disclosure are represented in singular form or plural form, depending on the specific embodiment. However, for ease of explanation, the singular form or plural form is appropriately selected according to the proposed situation, and the present disclosure is not limited to a single element or multiple elements. An element represented in plural form can be constructed in singular form, or an element represented in singular form can be constructed in plural form.

[0219] Although the present disclosure has been described with various embodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art. The present disclosure is intended to encompass such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A portable communication device (200), comprising: A housing (210) comprising a first housing portion (211) and a second housing portion (212); a flexible display (230) housed in the housing; The hinge device (400) is connected to the first housing portion (211) and the second housing portion (212), wherein the hinge device (400) comprises: A first hinge plate (431) is arranged between the first housing portion (211) and the flexible display (230); A second hinge plate (432) disposed between the second housing portion (212) and the flexible display (230); and A hinge module (420), wherein each of the first housing portion (211) and the second housing portion (212) is rotatably connected to the hinge module (420); and A protective layer (300) extends on the first hinge plate (431), the second hinge plate (432) and the hinge module (420), wherein the protective layer (300) includes a first area fixed to the first hinge plate (431) and a second area that can slide relative to the second hinge plate (432) according to the housing (210) being folded.

2. The portable communication device of claim 1, further comprising: The anti-friction member is disposed between the second hinge plate and the second region of the protection layer.

3. The portable communication device according to claim 2, wherein: The anti-friction member is attached to the second hinge plate.

4. The portable communication device according to claim 2, wherein: The anti-friction member includes at least one of a fabric, an insulating tape, or a coating film.

5. The portable communication device according to claim 2, wherein: The anti-friction member is configured to reduce friction between the second hinge plate and the second area of ​​the protection layer.

6. The portable communication device of claim 1, further comprising: The coupling plate is disposed between the first region of the protection layer and the first hinge plate, so that the first region of the protection layer is fixed to the first hinge plate via the coupling plate.

7. The portable communication device of claim 1, further comprising: The insulating tape is arranged on the upper surface of the second hinge plate.

8. The portable communication device according to claim 7, wherein: The insulating tape is composed of a material having low friction properties, so that the friction between the second hinge plate and the second area of ​​the protective layer is reduced at least partially based on the insulating tape.

9. The portable communication device of claim 7, further comprising: Another insulating tape is arranged on the upper surface of the protective layer.

10. The portable communication device of claim 7, further comprising: The third insulating tape is arranged on the lower surface of the protection layer.

11. The portable communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The protection layer is configured to be stretched when a space between the first hinge plate and the second hinge plate increases according to the housing being folded.

12. The portable communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The protection layer is configured to shrink when a space between the first hinge plate and the second hinge plate is reduced in accordance with the housing being unfolded.

13. The portable communication device according to claim 1, wherein: When the portable communication device is completely folded, the first hinge plate and the second hinge plate are arranged to face each other.

14. The portable communication device (200) of claim 1, wherein: When the portable communication device is unfolded, the first hinge plate and the second hinge plate are arranged to face the same direction.

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