Rotating shaft mechanism and foldable electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a rotating shaft mechanism and foldable electronic equipment, the rotating shaft mechanism comprises a main shaft, a connecting assembly and a moving assembly, and the moving assembly is movably connected between the main shaft and the connecting assembly to realize the movement of the connecting assembly relative to the main shaft. Wherein on the basis that the cover plate is fixedly locked on the second surface of the supporting beam to form the main shaft, a reinforcing part is arranged on the supporting beam and protrudes on the second surface of the supporting beam, an avoiding opening is formed in the cover plate, the reinforcing part extends into the avoiding opening, and the reinforcing part is connected with the side wall face of the avoiding opening in an attached mode. Thus, the thickness of the supporting beam is increased, the connecting area of the supporting beam and the cover plate is increased through attached connection of the reinforcing part and the side wall face of the receding opening, the connecting strength between the supporting beam and the cover plate can be enhanced, the integrity and consistency of the main shaft are improved, and therefore the structural strength and the bending strength of the main shaft are enhanced, and the service life of the main shaft is prolonged. Risks of part deformation and main shaft fracture of the rotating shaft mechanism are reduced, and reliability of the rotating shaft mechanism is improved.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The application number of the original application is 202311184469.0, the original application date is September 12, 2023, and the invention name of the original application is “Hinge mechanism and foldable electronic device”. The entire contents of the original application are incorporated into this application by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of electronic equipment, and in particular to a hinge mechanism and a foldable electronic equipment. Background Art

[0003] Folding screens have the property of being bendable, so that electronic devices equipped with folding screens, i.e. foldable electronic devices, can switch between an unfolded state and a folded state. Foldable electronic devices have a large display area and are easy to carry, and are increasingly favored by consumers.

[0004] The hinge mechanism is the core functional structure of the foldable electronic device, which is used to realize the relative rotation between the two main parts of the foldable electronic device, and realize the unfolding or folding of the foldable screen through the relative rotation between the two main parts. When the two main parts rotate to be coplanar, the foldable electronic device is in an unfolded state, at which time the foldable screen is in an unfolded state and has a larger display area; when the two main parts rotate to overlap, the foldable electronic device is in a folded state and has a smaller volume, at which time the foldable screen is in a folded state.

[0005] However, the main shaft of the existing rotating shaft mechanism has a low structural strength. When impacted, there is a high risk of component deformation and main shaft breakage, which affects the reliability of the rotating shaft mechanism. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present application provides a hinge mechanism and a foldable electronic device. The main shaft of the hinge mechanism has high structural strength, which can reduce the risk of component deformation and main shaft breakage when impacted, and improve the reliability of the hinge mechanism.

[0007] One aspect of the present application provides a hinge mechanism, which is applied to a foldable electronic device, and the hinge mechanism includes:

[0008] The main shaft includes a support beam and a plurality of cover plates, wherein the first surface of the support beam is used to support the folding screen, each cover plate is connected to the second surface of the support beam, and each cover plate is sequentially arranged along the length direction of the support beam; wherein the first surface and the second surface are two side surfaces in the thickness direction of the support beam;

[0009] The connecting components are located on both sides of the main axis in the width direction;

[0010] A motion assembly movably connected between the main shaft and the connection assembly;

[0011] Among them, the support beam has multiple reinforcement parts, which protrude from the second surface of the support beam; at least part of the cover plate is provided with an avoidance opening, the reinforcement parts extend into the avoidance opening, and the reinforcement parts are fitted and connected to the side wall surface of the avoidance opening.

[0012] The rotating shaft mechanism provided by the present application includes a main shaft, a connecting component and a moving component, and the moving component is movably connected between the main shaft and the connecting component to realize the movement of the connecting component relative to the main shaft. Among them, on the basis of locking the cover plate on the second surface of the support beam to form the main shaft, a reinforcement part is designed for the support beam so that the reinforcement part protrudes on the second surface of the support beam, and an escape opening is opened on the cover plate at a position corresponding to the reinforcement part of the support beam so that the reinforcement part extends into the escape opening, and the reinforcement part is connected to the side wall surface of the escape opening in a fitting manner. In this way, the thickness of the support beam is increased, and the connection area between the support beam and the cover plate is increased by the fitting connection between the reinforcement part and the side wall surface of the escape opening, which can enhance the connection strength between the support beam and the cover plate, improve the integrity and consistency of the main shaft, thereby enhancing the structural strength and bending strength of the main shaft, reducing the risk of deformation of the components of the rotating shaft mechanism and the risk of the main shaft breaking, and improving the reliability of the rotating shaft mechanism.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the reinforcement portion is provided on both side edges of the support beam in the width direction, and the avoidance opening is a avoidance notch opened on both side edges of the cover plate in the width direction.

[0014] By setting the reinforcement part at the edge of the support beam and correspondingly setting the avoidance opening as an avoidance notch opened at the edge of the cover plate, it is possible to avoid interference between the reinforcement part and the avoidance opening with the groove, hole and other structures on the main shaft, thereby facilitating the positioning and forming of the reinforcement part, reducing the area occupied by the complete opening opened in the middle area of ​​the cover plate, and ensuring the structural strength and reliability of the cover plate.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner, each cover plate is provided with an escape opening.

[0016] By opening avoidance openings on each cover plate and locking them to the support beam with screws, all the cover plates are fitted and connected to the reinforced part of the support beam through the avoidance openings. In this way, it can be ensured that all the cover plates are firmly connected to the support beam, so that the reliability of the main shaft is maximized.

[0017] In a possible implementation manner, the reinforcement portion is welded to the side wall of the avoidance opening.

[0018] By welding the reinforced part of the support beam to the side wall of the avoidance opening opened on the cover plate, the connection strength between the reinforced part and the side wall of the avoidance opening can be improved, ensuring a firm connection between the reinforced part and the cover plate, improving the integrity of the support beam and the cover plate, and enhancing the structural strength of the main shaft.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the first side wall of the reinforcement portion is welded to the corresponding side wall of the avoidance opening, and the second side wall of at least one end of the reinforcement portion is welded to the corresponding side wall of the avoidance opening;

[0020] The first side wall of the reinforcement part is a side wall of the reinforcement part facing the central axis of the support beam, and the second side wall of the reinforcement part is the side walls at both ends of the reinforcement part along the length direction of the support beam.

[0021] By welding the first side wall of the reinforcement part to the corresponding side wall of the avoidance opening, the basic connection between the reinforcement part and the cover plate is achieved, the connection strength requirements between the reinforcement part and the cover plate are met, and the cover plate can be accurately positioned on the support beam. On this basis, by welding the second side wall of at least one end of the reinforcement part to the corresponding side wall of the avoidance opening, the connection area between the reinforcement part and the avoidance opening is increased, the connection strength between the reinforcement part and the cover plate is improved, the overall structural strength of the main shaft can be improved, and the assembly accuracy of the cover plate and the support beam can be improved.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the reinforcement portion extends linearly along the length direction of the support beam.

[0023] By designing the reinforcement part as a straight structure, the stress concentration phenomenon of the reinforcement part is reduced, and the reliability of the reinforcement part is improved. In addition, the weld between the reinforcement part and the side wall of the avoidance opening is a straight weld, which can enhance the welding strength between the reinforcement part and the cover plate, improve the welding quality between the reinforcement part and the cover plate, and further enhance the structural strength and bending and torsion resistance of the main shaft, thereby improving the reliability of the main shaft.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the thickness between the first surface of the support beam and the top end surface of the reinforcement portion is 2.0 mm-2.5 mm; wherein the top end surface of the reinforcement portion is an end surface of the reinforcement portion away from the support beam.

[0025] By controlling the total thickness between the first surface of the support beam and the top end surface of the reinforcement part to between 2.0mm and 2.5mm, it can be ensured that the support beam has sufficient bending cross-sectional area to meet the bending strength requirements of the support beam. In risk scenarios such as collision and falling, the deformation of components installed on the main shaft can be prevented, and the risk of deformation and breakage of the main shaft can be reduced.

[0026] In a possible implementation manner, a protrusion height of the reinforcement portion in the thickness direction of the main axis is 0.5 mm-0.8 mm.

[0027] By setting the raised height of the reinforcement part itself between 0.5mm-0.8mm, the reinforcement part can have a sufficient height to ensure that there is a sufficient connection area between the reinforcement part and the cover plate, so as to ensure that the connection strength between the reinforcement part and the cover plate meets the requirements; and sufficient thickness is reserved for the main structure of the support beam, which can ensure the structural strength of the support beam itself and avoid deformation or breakage of the support beam.

[0028] In a possible embodiment, the top end surface of the reinforcement portion is located between the second surface of the support beam and the plane where the support surface of the cover plate is located; wherein the support surface of the cover plate is the surface on both sides of the cover plate in the width direction and is used to support the decorative panel.

[0029] By making the top end surface of the reinforcement part located between the second surface of the support beam and the plane where the support surface of the cover plate is located, there is a distance between the top end surface of the reinforcement part and the support surface of the cover plate, which can avoid the reinforcement part from interfering with the decorative plate supported on the support surface of the cover plate, and avoid the weld between the reinforcement part and the cover plate from extending to the surface of the cover plate, thereby preventing residue from remaining on the surface of the cover plate, and the space above the top end surface of the reinforcement part can accommodate welding slag to avoid the welding slag from affecting the installation of the decorative plate.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the cover plate is provided with an expansion slot, the expansion slot extends from a side surface of the cover plate away from the support beam toward the support beam, and the expansion slot is arranged around the outer periphery of the avoidance opening.

[0031] An expansion groove is formed on the periphery of the avoidance opening of the cover plate, which is equivalent to expanding a portion of the avoidance opening outward. The expansion groove is arranged around the periphery of the reinforcement part, exposing the gap between the reinforcement part and the side wall of the avoidance opening in the middle area, which facilitates the welding of the reinforcement part and the cover plate, and expands the space for accommodating welding slag to better prevent the welding slag from affecting the rotating shaft mechanism.

[0032] In a possible implementation manner, the bottom of the expansion slot is flush with the top end surface of the reinforcement portion, or the bottom of the expansion slot is located between the top end surface of the reinforcement portion and the support surface of the cover plate.

[0033] By ensuring that the bottom of the expansion slot is not lower than the top surface of the reinforcement portion, the expansion slot is prevented from being sunken into the top surface of the reinforcement portion, making it easier to remove welding slag remaining at the bottom of the expansion slot, thereby preventing welding slag from accumulating in the expansion slot and helping to improve the quality of the shaft mechanism.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the connection component includes:

[0035] The connecting plate is movably connected to both sides of the main shaft in the width direction.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the connection component further includes:

[0037] The adapter plate is located between the connecting plate and the main shaft and is connected to the motion component.

[0038] When the movement path (bending radius) of the bendable part of the folding screen is large, for example, when the folding screen is applied to an outward-folding electronic device, the movement path (bending radius) of the bendable part of the folding screen is larger than the movement path of the hinge mechanism. Therefore, the space occupied by the bendable part of the folding screen is large. By adding an adapter plate between the connecting plate and the main shaft, the main shaft and the adapter plate jointly support the bendable part, thereby increasing the contact area between the hinge mechanism and the bendable part. Driven by the motion component, the adapter plate can change its posture as the shape of the bendable part changes, so as to support the bendable part in accordance with the shape. In this way, the support strength of the hinge mechanism for the bendable part of the folding screen is enhanced, the force balance of the bendable part is improved, and it is ensured that the bendable part has sufficient strength and stability in any posture.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the motion component includes:

[0040] A main swing arm, one end of which is connected to the main shaft in a sliding and rotatable manner, and the other end of which is connected to the connecting plate in a sliding and rotatable manner;

[0041] A secondary swing arm, one end of the secondary swing arm is slidably and rotatably connected to the main shaft, and the other end of the secondary swing arm is slidably connected to the connecting plate.

[0042] By movably connecting the main swing arm and the auxiliary swing arm between the connecting plate and the main shaft, the main swing arm and the auxiliary swing arm work together to drive the connecting plate to move relative to the main shaft. By making both ends of the main swing arm slidably and rotatably connected to the main shaft and the connecting plate, the main swing arm has a large degree of freedom of movement and can cooperate with the adapter plate to support the bendable part of the folding screen stably. By making the auxiliary swing arm slidably and rotatably connected to the main shaft, and making the auxiliary swing arm slidably connected to the connecting plate, the auxiliary swing arm has sufficient degrees of freedom to meet the requirements of the connection plate moving relative to the main shaft.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the shaft mechanism further includes a synchronization structure, and the synchronization structure includes:

[0044] Two synchronous swing arms; the first ends of the two synchronous swing arms are respectively rotatably connected to the two sides of the width direction of the main shaft, and rotate synchronously and in opposite directions; the second ends of the two synchronous swing arms are respectively slidably connected to the connecting components on both sides of the main shaft.

[0045] By making the first ends of the two synchronous swing arms rotate synchronously and in opposite directions, the second ends of the two synchronous swing arms are driven to rotate synchronously and in opposite directions, and the second ends of the two synchronous swing arms slide along the connecting plates on both sides to guide the connecting plates on both sides, so that the connecting plates on both sides drive the first shell and the second shell to move synchronously.

[0046] In a possible implementation manner, the first ends of the two synchronous swing arms are each provided with a synchronous gear, and the two synchronous gears are meshed with each other.

[0047] By arranging synchronous gears at the first ends of the two synchronous swing arms, the two synchronous gears mesh with each other, and through the transmission effect between the two synchronous gears, the first ends of the two synchronous swing arms are synchronized and rotated in opposite directions.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the shaft mechanism further includes at least one first damping structure, and the first damping structure includes:

[0049] Two support shafts, the two support shafts are arranged at intervals along the width direction of the main shaft;

[0050] Two driving members; the two driving members are respectively sleeved on the two supporting shafts and rotate synchronously and in opposite directions;

[0051] The elastic component is sleeved on the two supporting shafts and abuts against the two driving members. The driving members rotate and squeeze the elastic component to drive the elastic component to deform.

[0052] By setting two support shafts as support bases, two driving members are respectively sleeved on the two support shafts, and the elastic component is sleeved on the two support shafts, so that the elastic component abuts against the driving member, the driving member will rotate with the movement of the rotating shaft mechanism to squeeze the elastic component, drive the elastic component to deform, and generate damping force in the area where the main shaft is located.

[0053] In a possible implementation, the shaft mechanism further includes at least one group of second damping structures, and each group of second damping structures includes:

[0054] Two damping swing arms; the first ends of the two damping swing arms are respectively rotatably connected to the main shaft, and the second ends of the two damping swing arms are respectively slidably connected to the connecting components on both sides of the main shaft;

[0055] The two damping components are respectively located at the connecting components on both sides of the main shaft and abut against the corresponding damping swing arms. The damping swing arms slide and squeeze the damping components to drive the damping components to deform.

[0056] By setting two damping swing arms, the first ends of the two damping swing arms are respectively connected to the main shaft for rotation, and the second ends of the two damping swing arms slide along the connecting components on both sides of the main shaft respectively, and damping components are respectively set corresponding to the connecting components on both sides of the main shaft. During the movement of the rotating shaft mechanism, as the damping swing arm slides along the connecting component, the damping swing arm squeezes the damping component, driving the damping component to deform, so as to generate a damping force in the area where the connecting component is located.

[0057] In a possible implementation, when the foldable electronic device is in a folded state, the folding screen is disposed outside the connecting components on both sides of the main axis.

[0058] When the hinge mechanism is in a folded state, the folding screen is arranged on the outside of the hinge mechanism, and the hinge mechanism is applied to an outward-folding electronic device.

[0059] Another aspect of the present application provides a foldable electronic device, comprising a first housing, a second housing, a folding screen, and the aforementioned hinge mechanism;

[0060] The connecting components on both sides of the rotating shaft mechanism are respectively connected to the first shell and the second shell, the folding screen is mounted on the first shell and the second shell, and the folding screen is supported by the rotating shaft mechanism.

[0061] The foldable electronic device provided by the present application includes a first shell, a second shell, a folding screen and a hinge mechanism, wherein the hinge mechanism includes a main shaft, a connecting component and a moving component, and the moving component is movably connected between the main shaft and the connecting component to realize the movement of the connecting component relative to the main shaft. Among them, on the basis of locking the cover plate on the second surface of the support beam to form the main shaft, a reinforcement part is designed for the support beam so that the reinforcement part protrudes on the second surface of the support beam, and an escape opening is opened on the cover plate at a position corresponding to the reinforcement part of the support beam so that the reinforcement part extends into the escape opening, and the reinforcement part is connected to the side wall surface of the escape opening in a fitting manner. In this way, the thickness of the support beam is increased, and the connection area between the support beam and the cover plate is increased by the fitting connection between the reinforcement part and the side wall surface of the escape opening, so that the connection strength between the support beam and the cover plate can be enhanced, and the integrity and consistency of the main shaft can be improved, thereby enhancing the structural strength and bending strength of the main shaft, reducing the risk of deformation of the components of the hinge mechanism and the risk of fracture of the main shaft, and improving the reliability of the hinge mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a foldable electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application when in an unfolded state;

[0063] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the foldable electronic device shown in FIG. 1 when the foldable electronic device is in a folded state;

[0064] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the exploded structure of a foldable electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 4 A front perspective structural diagram of the rotating shaft mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application when in an unfolded state;

[0066] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A main perspective structural diagram of the rotating shaft mechanism in a folded state;

[0067] Figure 6 for Figure 4 A rear-view stereoscopic structural diagram of the rotating shaft mechanism in the unfolded state;

[0068] Figure 7 for Figure 4Exploded structural diagram of the rotating shaft mechanism in;

[0069] Figure 8 for Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of the main shaft of the rotating shaft mechanism;

[0070] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 The decomposition structure diagram of the main axis in;

[0071] Fig.10 for Fig. 9 A partial enlarged view of the middle A;

[0072] Fig.11 for Figure 8 The cross-sectional structure diagram at AA in the middle;

[0073] Fig.12 for Fig.11 A front view of

[0074] Fig.13 for Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of the rotating shaft mechanism at B in the formal perspective;

[0075] Fig.14 for Fig.13 Sectional view at the middle BB;

[0076] Fig.15 A partial exploded structural diagram of the main swing arm and the adapter plate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] Fig.16 for Fig.13 Sectional view at CC;

[0078] Fig.17 Corresponding to when the shaft mechanism is in the folded state Fig.13 Sectional view at CC;

[0079] Fig.18 for Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of point C in the middle;

[0080] Fig.19 for Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of point D in the middle;

[0081] Fig. 20 for Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of point E in the middle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0082] The terms used in the implementation section of this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0083] The embodiment of the present application provides a foldable electronic device, which includes but is not limited to foldable electronic products such as mobile phones, tablet personal computers, laptop computers, notebook computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal computers, multimedia players, e-book readers, vehicle-mounted devices or wearable devices. Among them, wearable devices include but are not limited to smart bracelets, smart watches, smart head-mounted displays, smart glasses, etc.

[0084] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a foldable electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application when in an unfolded state; Figure 2 for Figure 1 The structure diagram of the foldable electronic device shown is in a folded state. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment takes the foldable electronic device 1 as a foldable mobile phone as an example for description.

[0085] For the foldable electronic device 1, in different usage scenarios, the foldable electronic device 1 may have different usage states. Figure 1 The foldable electronic device 1 is shown in an unfolded state, and the unfolding angle α of the foldable electronic device 1 is, for example, 180°. At this time, the foldable electronic device 1 can realize a large-screen display; Figure 2 The foldable electronic device 1 is shown in a folded state. At this time, the foldable electronic device 1 is small in size and easy to carry.

[0086] It should be noted that the angles described in this embodiment are allowed to have a slight deviation. Figure 1 The unfolding angle α of the foldable electronic device 1 shown is 180°, which means that the unfolding angle α can be 180°, or about 180°, such as 170°, 175°, 185° or 190°, etc. The angles exemplified below can be understood in the same way.

[0087] in addition, Figure 1 and Figure 2 The foldable electronic device 1 shown in the figure is an electronic device that can be folded once. The electronic device includes two parts that can rotate relative to each other. When the two parts rotate to be coplanar, the foldable electronic device 1 is in an unfolded state (such as Figure 1 When the two parts are rotated to overlap each other, the foldable electronic device 1 is in a folded state (as shown in FIG. Figure 2In other embodiments, the foldable electronic device 1 may also be an electronic device that can be folded multiple times (more than twice). In this case, the foldable electronic device 1 may include multiple parts that are sequentially connected and rotated, and two adjacent parts may be relatively far apart to be unfolded to an unfolded state, and two adjacent parts may be relatively close to be folded to a folded state.

[0088] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of a foldable electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, the foldable electronic device 1 includes a housing assembly 10 and a folding screen 20, the folding screen 20 is supported and connected to one side surface of the housing assembly 10, and the side surface of the folding screen 20 facing away from the housing assembly 10 is its display surface (not shown in the figure), and the display surface is used to display information and provide an interactive interface for the user. In this embodiment, the display surface of the folding screen 20 is defined as its front side, and the other side surface of the folding screen 20 opposite to the front side is defined as its back side, that is, the front side of the folding screen 20 is exposed outside the housing assembly 10, and the back side of the folding screen 20 faces the housing assembly 10 and is connected to the housing assembly 10. Accordingly, the side surface of the housing assembly 10 facing the folding screen 20 is defined as the front side of the housing assembly 10, and the side surface of the housing assembly 10 facing away from the folding screen 20 is defined as the back side of the housing assembly 10.

[0089] In this embodiment, the folding screen 20 can be but is not limited to an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display screen, an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode or an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display screen, a mini organic light-emitting diode (miniorganic light-emitting diode) display screen, a micro organic light-emitting diode (micro organic light-emitting diode) display screen, a micro organic light-emitting diode (micro organic light-emitting diode) display screen, or a quantum dot light emitting diode (quantum dot light emitting diodes, QLED) display screen, etc.

[0090] The folding screen 20 may include a first non-bending portion 21, a second non-bending portion 22 and a bendable portion 23, wherein the bendable portion 23 is located between the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22. During use of the foldable electronic device 1, the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22 always maintain a planar state, while the bendable portion 23 may be bent to change the angle between the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22, so that the folding screen 20 is folded or unfolded with the movement of the housing assembly 10, so as to realize the switching of the foldable electronic device 1 between the folded state and the unfolded state.

[0091] Exemplarily, in the folding screen 20, at least the bendable portion 23 is made of a flexible material so that the bendable portion 23 is bendable. The first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22 can be made of a flexible material, or a rigid material, or partially made of a rigid material and partially made of a flexible material, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0092] Driven by the housing assembly 10, the folding screen 20 can switch between the unfolded state and the folded state. Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, when the folding screen 20 is in the unfolded state, the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22 are in a relatively far unfolded state, the bendable portion 23 is in a flattened state without bending, and the first non-bending portion 21, the second non-bending portion 22 and the bendable portion 23 are in the same direction and in a coplanar state. At this time, the angle between the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22 is 180°, and the folding screen 20 can achieve a large-screen display, which can provide users with richer information and bring users a better user experience.

[0093] Combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, when the folding screen 20 is in the folded state, the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22 are relatively stacked, and the bendable portion 23 is in a bent state, and the bending angle of the bendable portion 23 is, for example, 180°. At this time, the foldable electronic device 1 is small in size and easy to carry and store.

[0094] It should be noted that the foldable electronic device 1 shown in the figure is an external folding electronic device. When in the folded state, the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22 of the folding screen 20 are opposite to each other, the housing assembly 10 is located between the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22, and the folding screen 20 is surrounded outside the housing assembly 10 and is visible to the user. When the external folding electronic device is in the folded state, the folding screen 20 is exposed to the outside, and the folding screen 20 can be used to realize the display function. Therefore, there is no need to add an additional display screen on the back of the housing in order to realize the display function of the foldable electronic device 1 in the folded state.

[0095] In other examples, the foldable electronic device 1 may also be an inward-folding electronic device. When in the folded state, the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22 of the folding screen 20 are relatively fitted, the bendable portion 23 can be bent, and the housing assembly 10 is protected outside the folding screen 20 to prevent the folding screen 20 from being scratched by hard objects. If the inward-folding electronic device needs to realize the display function in the folded state, a display screen can be added on the back of the housing, and the foldable electronic device 1 relies on the display screen to realize the display function in the folded state.

[0096] In addition, in some embodiments, the foldable electronic device 1, especially the inward-folding electronic device, can be suspended at a certain angle between the unfolded state and the folded state. For example, the hovering angle of the foldable electronic device 1 can be 120°, 130°, 140° or 150°, etc. Among them, the housing assembly 10 can be suspended in a semi-expanded state between the folded state and the unfolded state by relying on the damping force provided by the housing assembly 10, and the folding screen 20 stays in the semi-expanded state with the housing assembly 10. At this time, the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 is also in a bent state, and the bending degree of the bendable portion 23 is less than the bending degree when it is in the folded state, and the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22 of the folding screen 20 are relatively inclined, and the angle between the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22 is, for example, 120°, 130°, 140° or 150°, etc.

[0097] The housing assembly 10 is used to support and fix the folding screen 20, and drive the folding screen 20 to switch between the folded state and the unfolded state. Figure 3 As shown, the housing assembly 10 includes a first housing 10a, a second housing 10b and a pivot mechanism 10c. The pivot mechanism 10c is connected between the first housing 10a and the second housing 10b. The first housing 10a and the second housing 10b are rotatably connected via the pivot mechanism 10c, thereby realizing relative rotation between the first housing 10a and the second housing 10b.

[0098] Among them, the first shell 10a supports and fixes the first non-bending portion 21 of the folding screen 20, and the second shell 10b supports and fixes the second non-bending portion 22 of the folding screen 20. In other words, the first non-bending portion 21 of the folding screen 20 is fixedly connected to the first shell 10a, and the second non-bending portion 22 of the folding screen 20 is fixedly connected to the second shell 10b, and the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 is arranged corresponding to the rotating shaft mechanism 10c. When the rotating shaft mechanism 10c drives the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b to rotate relative to each other, the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22 of the folding screen 20 change their orientations accordingly, and the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 bends or flattens as the orientations of the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22 change.

[0099] The hinge mechanism 10c drives the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b to rotate relative to each other, so that the foldable electronic device 1 switches between the folded state and the unfolded state. The first shell 10a and the second shell 10b can rotate in a direction away from each other until they are coplanar. At this time, the shell assembly 10 is in the unfolded state, and the foldable screen 20 is in the unfolded state as the shell assembly 10 is unfolded. Figure 1 As shown; the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b can also be rotated in a direction close to each other until the two are relatively stacked. At this time, the shell assembly 10 is in a folded state, and the folding screen 20 is in a folded state as the shell assembly 10 is folded, as shown Figure 2 shown.

[0100] Exemplarily, the first housing 10a may have a support surface facing the first non-bending portion 21 of the folding screen 20, and the first non-bending portion 21 of the folding screen 20 is attached to the support surface of the first housing 10a, for example, the first non-bending portion 21 of the folding screen 20 is bonded to the support surface of the first housing 10a. Similarly, the second housing 10b may have a support surface facing the second non-bending portion 22 of the folding screen 20, and the second non-bending portion 22 of the folding screen 20 is attached to the support surface of the second housing 10b, for example, the second non-bending portion 22 of the folding screen 20 is bonded to the support surface of the second housing 10b.

[0101] In addition, both the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b may have a storage space, and some functional devices (not shown in the figure) of the foldable electronic device 1 may be installed in the storage space, for example, circuit boards, batteries, camera modules, microphones, speakers and other devices may be installed in the storage space. Exemplarily, circuit boards may be provided in both the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b, and the electrical connection between the devices in the two shells is realized through the circuit boards in the two shells; the battery for powering the device may be provided only in the first shell 10a or the second shell 10b, or the battery may be provided in both the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b; as for other devices such as camera modules, microphones, speakers, etc., they may be centrally provided in the first shell 10a or the second shell 10b, or some devices may be provided in the first shell 10a and some devices may be provided in the second shell 10b.

[0102] The first shell 10a and the second shell 10b may both include a middle frame (not shown in the figure) and a back cover (not shown in the figure). The middle frame is connected between the folding screen 20 and the back cover. The side surface of the middle frame facing the folding screen 20 forms the above-mentioned support surface. The folding screen 20 can be mounted on the side surface of the middle frame. The back cover is connected to the side of the middle frame away from the folding screen 20. The middle frame and the back cover together enclose a storage space for installing devices.

[0103] The hinge mechanism 10c generally includes a main shaft and connecting components movably connected to both sides of the main shaft, and the connecting components on both sides are respectively connected to the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b. The connecting components on both sides move synchronously relative to the main shaft to drive the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b to move relative to each other, so as to realize the switching of the foldable electronic device 1 between the unfolded state and the folded state.

[0104] As the foldable electronic device 1 becomes thinner and lighter, the space occupied by the hinge mechanism 10c is getting smaller and smaller, and the thickness of the main shaft of the hinge mechanism 10c is also limited, and the structural strength of the main shaft is relatively weak. The main shaft is usually composed of a support beam and a cover plate, and the cover plate and the middle beam are enclosed together to form a cavity to provide installation space and movement space for components such as moving components, synchronization structures, and damping structures.

[0105] In the related art, the cover plate is fixed to the middle beam by screws, and there is inevitably an installation gap between the two. Since the overall thickness of the main shaft is small and the structural strength is low, when it is impacted, for example, in drop tests, collision tests, etc., it is easy to cause the parts of the shaft mechanism 10c to deform, and the risk of the main shaft breaking is high, affecting the reliability of the shaft mechanism.

[0106] In view of this, the embodiment of the present application improves the rotating shaft mechanism 10c. On the basis of locking the cover plate on the second surface of the support beam to form the main shaft, a reinforcement portion is designed for the support beam so that the reinforcement portion protrudes on the second surface of the support beam, and a clearance opening is opened on the cover plate at a position corresponding to the reinforcement portion of the support beam so that the reinforcement portion extends into the clearance opening, and the reinforcement portion is connected to the side wall surface of the clearance opening in a fitting manner. In this way, the thickness of the support beam is increased, and the connection area between the support beam and the cover plate is increased by the fitting connection between the reinforcement portion and the side wall surface of the clearance opening, which can enhance the connection strength between the support beam and the cover plate, improve the integrity and consistency of the main shaft, thereby enhancing the structural strength and bending strength of the main shaft, reducing the risk of deformation of the components of the rotating shaft mechanism and the risk of the main shaft breaking, and improving the reliability of the rotating shaft mechanism.

[0107] The following is a detailed description of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c of the embodiment of the present application.

[0108] Figure 4 A front perspective structural diagram of the rotating shaft mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application when in an unfolded state; Figure 5 for Figure 4 A main perspective structural diagram of the rotating shaft mechanism in a folded state; Figure 6 for Figure 4 A rear view stereoscopic structural diagram of the rotating shaft mechanism in the unfolded state.

[0109] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the rotating shaft mechanism 10c includes a main shaft 100 and a connecting assembly 200. The main shaft 100 is the main supporting structure of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c. The connecting assembly 200 is movably connected to both sides of the main shaft 100. The connecting assemblies 200 on both sides of the main shaft 100 are respectively connected to the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b. The main shaft 100 can be extended along the side edges of the opposite sides of the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b. The main shaft 100 is equivalent to the rotation axis of the shell assembly 10. The first shell 10a and the second shell 10b rotate around the length direction of the main shaft 100. The connecting assemblies 200 on both sides of the main shaft 100 move synchronously relative to the main shaft 100 to drive the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b to move synchronously relative to each other, so as to realize the switching of the shell assembly 10 between the unfolded state and the folded state.

[0110] The rotating shaft mechanism 10c also includes some components connected between the main shaft 100 and the connecting assembly 200, such as the moving assembly 300, the synchronous structure 400, the damping module 500 and other components mentioned later, which can be movably connected between the main shaft 100 and the connecting assembly 200. Among them, the moving assembly 300 is used to realize the rotation and translation of the connecting assembly 200 relative to the main shaft 100, so that the rotating shaft mechanism 10c drives the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b to move relative to each other, and realizes the switching of the shell assembly 10 between the unfolded state and the folded state; the synchronous structure 400 is used to make the connecting assembly 200 on both sides of the main shaft 100 move synchronously relative to the main shaft 100, so that the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b rotate and translate synchronously, ensuring the stability and reliability of the movement of the shell assembly 10; the damping module 500 is used to provide damping force, ensuring the stability of the shell assembly 10 in the unfolded state, folded state and state conversion process, and improving the operating feel of the foldable device.

[0111] Among them, refer to Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the connecting components 200 on both sides of the main shaft 100 are unfolded on both sides of the main shaft 100, and the connecting components 200 on both sides of the main shaft 100 are coplanar with the main shaft 100. At this time, the rotating shaft mechanism 10c is in the unfolded state, and the foldable electronic device 1 is also in the unfolded state. Figure 5 As shown, the figure shows the state where the connecting components 200 on both sides of the main shaft 100 are close to each other and folded on one side of the main shaft 100 (in the thickness direction), and the connecting components 200 on both sides of the main shaft 100 are almost perpendicular to the main shaft 100 and are arranged opposite to each other. At this time, the hinge mechanism 10c is in a folded state, and the foldable electronic device 1 is also in a folded state.

[0112] For ease of description, in this embodiment, the side surface of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c used to support the folding screen 20 is defined as its front surface, and the side surface of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c facing away from the folding screen 20 is defined as its back surface. Among them, the front surface of the main shaft 100 and the front surface of the connecting component 200 are the side surfaces of the two supporting the folding screen 20, and the back surface of the main shaft 100 and the back surface of the connecting component 200 are the side surfaces of the two facing away from the folding screen 20.

[0113] When the hinge mechanism 10c is applied to an outward-folding electronic device, when the hinge mechanism 10c is in the folded state, the folding screen 20 is wrapped around the outside of the hinge mechanism 10c. In other words, when the hinge mechanism 10c is in the folded state, the folding screen 20 is connected to the opposite side surfaces of the two connecting components 200, the opposite side surfaces of the two connecting components 200 are the front sides of the connecting components 200, and the opposite side surfaces of the two connecting components 200 are the front sides of the connecting components 200.

[0114] Combination Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, in order to facilitate the connection between the hinge mechanism 10c and the folding screen 20, structural components (such as grooves, screws, etc.) on the main shaft 100 and the connecting component 200 for accommodating and fixing components such as the motion component 300, the synchronization structure 400 and the damping module 500 can be set on the back side of the hinge mechanism 10c, and components such as the motion component 300, the synchronization structure 400 and the damping module 500 can be exposed on the back side of the hinge mechanism 10c. On the one hand, when the outward-folding electronic device is in a folded state, the backs of the connecting components 200 on both sides of the main shaft 100 are close to and opposite to each other. By installing components such as the motion component 300, the synchronization structure 400 and the damping module 500 on the side where the back of the hinge mechanism 10c is located, the assembly and cooperation between these components is facilitated; on the other hand, the integrity of the front of the hinge mechanism 10c can be maintained to a large extent, so that the front of the main shaft 100 and the front of the connecting component 200 can maintain a larger surface area and higher flatness, which helps to increase the connection area between the folding screen 20 and the main shaft 100 and the connecting component 200, enhance the connection strength between the folding screen 20 and the hinge mechanism 10c, and improve the stability and reliability of the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20.

[0115] When the hinge mechanism 10c is applied to an inward folding electronic device, when the hinge mechanism 10c is in the folded state, the hinge mechanism 10c is arranged around the outer side of the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20. In other words, when the hinge mechanism 10c is in the folded state, the folding screen 20 is connected to the side surfaces of the two connecting components 200 facing each other, the side surfaces of the two connecting components 200 facing each other are the front surfaces of the connecting components 200, and the side surfaces of the two connecting components 200 facing each other are the back surfaces of the connecting components 200.

[0116] In order to make the assembly and coordination of the moving component 300, the synchronous structure 400, the damping module 500 and other components more reasonable and accurate, taking the case where the hinge mechanism 10c is in the folded state as an example, these components are usually arranged on the opposite side of the connecting component 200. For an inward-folding electronic device, these components are arranged on the side of the hinge mechanism 10c facing the folding screen 20. In other words, these components can be exposed on the front of the hinge mechanism 10c, and structural components such as grooves or screws for accommodating and fixing these components can be arranged on the front of the main shaft 100 and the connecting component 200.

[0117] The following description is made by taking the application of the hinge mechanism 10c to an outward-folding electronic device as an example, in which the opposite surfaces of the connecting components 200 on both sides of the main axis 100 in the folded state are the front surfaces of the connecting components 200.

[0118] Figure 7 for Figure 4 The exploded structure diagram of the shaft mechanism in . Figure 7 As shown, the connecting assembly 200 arranged on both sides of the main shaft 100 includes a connecting plate 210, and the connecting plate 210 is located on both sides of the width direction of the main shaft 100. The connecting plates 210 on both sides of the main shaft 100 are respectively connected to the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b. For example, the connecting plate 210 and the first shell 10a (the second shell 10b) are planarly fitted, and the connecting plate 210 and the first shell 10a (the second shell 10b) are locked together by screws, or the connecting plate 210 and the first shell 10a (the second shell 10b) are welded or bonded.

[0119] The connecting plate 210 is movably connected to the main shaft 100 by means of the aforementioned moving assembly 300, the synchronous structure 400, the damping module 500 and other components, so that the two connecting plates 210 can rotate and translate relative to the middle main shaft 100, and the two connecting plates 210 drive the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b to move relative to each other, so as to realize the switching of the shell assembly 10 between the unfolded state and the folded state. In addition, the connecting plates 210 on both sides of the main shaft 100 can be ensured to move synchronously, and damping force can be provided for the connecting plates 210, so as to ensure the synchronous movement of the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b, and provide the damping force required for the shell assembly 10 to maintain stability and reliability in the unfolded state, the folded state and the state conversion process.

[0120] For an outward-folding electronic device, since the folding screen 20 is wrapped outside the hinge mechanism 10c when in the folded state, the movement path (bending radius) of the folding screen 20 is greater than the movement path (bending radius) of the hinge mechanism 10c when switching from the unfolded state to the folded state. In order to meet the bending requirements of the folding screen 20 of the outward-folding electronic device, the proportion of the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 of the outward-folding electronic device is usually larger than that of the folding screen 20 of the inward-folding electronic device, or in other words, the width of the bendable portion 23 is larger in the width direction of the hinge mechanism 10c.

[0121] In this regard, continue to refer to Figure 7 In order to support the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 stably, in this embodiment, the connection assembly 200 disposed on both sides of the main shaft 100 may further include an adapter plate 220. The adapter plates 220 on both sides of the main shaft 100 are respectively located between the connection plate 210 and the main shaft 100 on the corresponding side, and the adapter plate 220 is movably connected between the main shaft 100 and the connection plate 210. When the rotating shaft mechanism 10c supports the folding screen 20, the main shaft 100 and the adapter plate 220 may correspond to the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20. In other words, the main shaft 100 and the adapter plate 220 jointly support the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20; the connection plates 210 located outside the adapter plates 220 on both sides may correspond to the first non-bending portion 21 (the area close to the bendable portion 23) and the second non-bending portion 22 (the area close to the bendable portion 23). In other words, the connection plates 210 on both sides support the first non-bending portion 21 and the second non-bending portion 22 respectively.

[0122] The adapter plate 220 can be positioned by means of a motion assembly 300 movably connected between the main shaft 100 and the connecting plate 210. During the rotation of the shaft mechanism 10c, the motion assembly 300 drives the adapter plate 220 to rotate and translate relative to the main shaft 100. In addition, the motion trajectory of the adapter plate 220 is not limited by the connecting plate 210. The adapter plate 220 can change its posture as the shape of the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 changes, so that the orientation of the adapter plate 220 always matches the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20. Regardless of the bending posture of the bendable portion 23 (for example, in the flattened state, folded state, or in the process of switching between the two states), the adapter plate 220 can contact the corresponding area of ​​the bendable portion 23 and support the corresponding area of ​​the bendable portion 23 stably.

[0123] By adding an adapter plate 220 between the main shaft 100 and the connecting plate 210, the space occupied by the entire shaft mechanism 10c is increased. The main shaft 100 and the adapter plate 220 jointly support the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20, increasing the contact area between the shaft mechanism 10c and the bendable portion 23. In addition, the adapter plate 220 can change its posture as the shape of the bendable portion 23 changes, ensuring that the bendable portion 23 can be supported by the adapter plate 220 in any posture, which is equivalent to the adapter plate 220 being able to support the bendable portion 23 in a shape-dependent manner. In this way, the support strength of the shaft mechanism 10c for the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 is enhanced, the force balance of the bendable portion 23 is improved, and it is ensured that the bendable portion 23 has sufficient strength and stability in any posture, which helps to improve the reliability of the bendable portion 23.

[0124] As for the connection between the hinge mechanism 10c and the folding screen 20, in actual applications, the main axis 100 of the hinge mechanism 10c usually corresponds to the central part of the bendable part 23 of the folding screen 20. When the bendable part 23 is in different postures, the position and shape of the central part of the bendable part 23 relative to the main axis 100 hardly change, so the central part of the bendable part 23 can be bonded to the main axis 100. The connecting plates 210 located on both sides of the main axis 100 and at the outermost side of the hinge mechanism 10c correspond to the first non-bending part 21 and the second non-bending part 22 of the folding screen 20, so the part of the folding screen 20 corresponding to the connecting plates 210 can also be bonded to the connecting plates 210. As for the adapter plate 220 located between the main shaft 100 and the connecting plate 210, since the adapter plate 220 corresponds to the part of the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 that needs to be deformed, the adapter plate 220 and the folding screen 20 may not be connected. The adapter plate 220 only contacts the folding screen 20 to support the bendable portion 23 and will not restrict the bending of the bendable portion 23.

[0125] Of course, for an outward-folding electronic device with a smaller volume and a smaller width of the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 (in the width direction of the hinge mechanism 10c), or in other words, the movement path (bending radius) of the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 of the outward-folding electronic device is shorter, the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 can also be supported by the main shaft 100 alone, and no additional adapter plates 220 are provided on both sides of the main shaft 100; for an outward-folding electronic device with a larger volume and a larger width of the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 (in the width direction of the hinge mechanism 10c), or in other words, the movement path (bending radius) of the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 of the outward-folding electronic device is longer, adapter plates 220 need to be provided on both sides of the main shaft 100, and there is no restriction on the number of adapter plates 220, and one or more adapter plates 220 can be provided according to actual needs.

[0126] The main shaft 100 of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c will be described in detail below.

[0127] Figure 8 for Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of the main shaft of the rotating shaft mechanism; Fig. 9 for Figure 8 The decomposition structure diagram of the main axis in; Fig.10 for Fig. 9 A partial enlarged view of the middle A; Fig.11 for Figure 8 The cross-sectional structure diagram at AA in the middle; Fig.12 for Fig.11 Front view of .

[0128] Combination Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, in order to facilitate the installation of the aforementioned motion assembly 300, synchronization structure 400, damping module 500 and other components on the main shaft 100, in this embodiment, the main shaft 100 can be composed of a support beam 100a and a cover plate 100b. The support beam 100a is the main support structure of the main shaft 100, and the support beam 100a can extend to both ends of the main shaft 100 along the length direction of the main shaft 100. In other words, the support beam 100a provides the required length of the main shaft 100. The number of cover plates 100b can be multiple, and each cover plate 100b is sequentially arranged along the length direction of the support beam 100a. The cover plate 100b is connected to a side surface of the support beam 100a in the thickness direction. The support beam 100a and the cover plate 100b together form a groove, a hole and other structures, which serve as the installation basis for the motion assembly 300, the synchronization structure 400 and the damping module 500 and other components, so as to accommodate and position these components.

[0129] Since the thickness of the main shaft 100 is very small, and many components such as the motion component 300, the synchronous structure 400 and the damping module 500 need to be installed on the main shaft 100, the main shaft 100 needs to be processed with structures such as grooves and holes for accommodating and positioning these components, and the grooves and holes need to pass through the middle area of ​​the thickness direction of the main shaft 100. By setting the cover plate 100b and the support beam 100a to form the main shaft 100 together, a part of the grooves and holes can be processed on the cover plate 100b and the support beam 100a respectively. After the cover plate 100b and the support beam 100a are assembled, they are enclosed together to form a complete groove, hole and other structures. In this way, it is convenient to process the grooves and holes and other structures, and it is also convenient to assemble the motion component 300, the synchronous structure 400 and the damping module 500 and other components on the main shaft 100.

[0130] When installing the moving assembly 300, the synchronous structure 400, the damping module 500 and other components on the main shaft 100, these components can be pre-positioned on the support beam 100a, and after the cover plate 100b is buckled on the support beam 100a and the cover plate 100b is accurately positioned, the cover plate 100b is fixedly connected to the support beam 100a, so as to position these components and guide the movement of these components through the grooves, holes and other structures formed by the cover plate 100b and the support beam 100a. Exemplarily, the cover plate 100b and the support beam 100a can be connected by screws, and after the cover plate 100b is positioned on the support beam 100a, the screws are tightened to securely lock the cover plate 100b on the support beam 100a, so as to ensure the stability and reliability of the components installed on the main shaft 100.

[0131] For ease of explanation, this embodiment defines the two side surfaces of the support beam 100a in the thickness direction as the first surface and the second surface, respectively. The first surface of the support beam 100a is its front side. The bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 can be supported on the first surface of the support beam 100a, and the cover plate 100b can be connected to the second surface of the support beam 100a to avoid affecting the flatness of the front side of the support beam 100a, ensuring that the front side of the support beam 100a supports the folding screen 20 stably. In addition, the moving component 300, the synchronization structure 400, the damping module 500 and other components jointly positioned by the cover plate 100b and the support beam 100a are close to the back side of the main shaft 100, which is beneficial to the installation and movement of these components.

[0132] As for the position of each cover plate 100b in the length direction of the support beam 100a, this embodiment does not make any specific limitation. Among the cover plates 100b, some cover plates 100b can be set in the area where the motion component 300 needs to be set on the support beam 100a, and these cover plates 100b can be surrounded together with the support beam 100a to form a groove for accommodating the motion component 300, and these grooves can guide the movement of the motion component 300; some cover plates 100b can be set corresponding to components such as the synchronization structure 400 and the damping module 500, and these cover plates 100b can be surrounded together with the support beam 100a to form holes for supporting and positioning these components, and the space between adjacent cover plates 100b can be used to limit these components.

[0133] Among them, end covers 110 can be provided at both ends of the support beam 100a in the length direction. The end covers 110 can be used to limit the folding screen 20 to ensure the position accuracy of the assembly of the folding screen 20 and the hinge mechanism 10c. Similarly, the end covers 110 can also limit the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b to ensure the assembly accuracy of the shell assembly 10.

[0134] In addition, when the length of the support beam 100a is long, the support beam 100a can be divided into two or more sections along its length direction, and then the sections of the support beam 100a are connected in sequence to assemble a complete support beam 100a. For example, Fig. 9 As shown in the figure, the support beam 100a can be divided into three sections: an upper beam 101, a middle beam 102 and a lower beam 103. The upper beam 101, the middle beam 102 and the lower beam 103 are connected in sequence (for example, welded) to form a complete support beam 100a. The ends of the upper beam 101 and the lower beam 103 that are away from each other are provided with end covers 110.

[0135] For example, the support beam 100a can be made of plastic or metal, as long as it meets the structural strength requirements of the main shaft 100. When the hinge mechanism 10c is applied to an inward-folding electronic device, the support beam 100a may be exposed to the outside in the folded state. In this case, the support beam 100a can be made of metal material to improve the appearance of the foldable electronic device 1.

[0136] The cover plate 100b can be made of metal material. Thus, when the support beam 100a is made of metal, the cover plate 100b and the support beam 100a can be made of the same metal material to improve the consistency of the main shaft 100 and enhance the structural strength and reliability of the main shaft 100. Of course, the cover plate 100b can also be made of plastic to reduce the overall weight of the main shaft 100, which is beneficial to the lightweight design of the foldable electronic device 1 and also helps to save the manufacturing cost of the foldable electronic device 1.

[0137] Reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 As shown, on the basis of the end cover 110 and the support beam 100a being locked together by screws, in this embodiment, the support beam 100a also has a plurality of reinforcing parts 120, which are all located in the area corresponding to the cover plate 100b, and the reinforcing parts 120 protrude on the second surface of the support beam 100a, that is, the reinforcing parts 120 protrude on the side surface of the support beam 100a facing the cover plate 100b. A avoidance opening 130 is provided at the position corresponding to the reinforcing part 120 on the cover plate 100b, and the reinforcing part 120 extends into the avoidance opening 130, and the reinforcing part 120 is attached to and connected with the side wall surface of the avoidance opening 130.

[0138] In this configuration, by adding a reinforcing portion 120 to the support beam 100a, the reinforcing portion 120 protrudes on the second surface of the support beam 100a, thereby increasing the local thickness of the support beam 100a, improving the structural strength of the support beam 100a itself, and thus enhancing the overall structural strength of the spindle 100. Exemplarily, the reinforcing portion 120 can be integrally formed on the second surface of the support beam 100a.

[0139] By opening an escape opening 130 in an area corresponding to the reinforcement portion 120 on the cover plate 100b, the reinforcement portion 120 extends into the escape opening 130 and is fitted and connected to the side wall of the escape opening 130, thereby increasing the contact area between the support beam 100a and the cover plate 100b. In addition, compared with the method of locking the support beam 100a and the cover plate 100b with screws (there is still a gap between the two and the two are in a separated state), the reinforcement portion 120 and the side wall of the escape opening 130 are connected by surface fitting, and there is no gap between the reinforcement portion 120 and the side wall of the escape opening 130, so the connection strength is higher and the connection is more secure.

[0140] Therefore, on the basis of the locking connection between the support beam 100a and the cover plate 100b, the reinforcement portion 120 of the support beam 100a is connected with the side wall of the avoidance opening 130 of the cover plate 100b by fitting, thereby improving the structural strength of the support beam 100a itself, enhancing the connection strength between the support beam 100a and the cover plate 100b, and improving the integrity and consistency of the main shaft 100. Thus, the overall structural strength and bending strength of the main shaft 100 are enhanced, and the risk of deformation of the components of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c (such as the grooves, holes or moving components 300, synchronous structure 400, damping module 500 and other components of the main shaft 100 itself) can be reduced, and the risk of fracture of the main shaft 100 can also be reduced, thereby improving the reliability of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c.

[0141] As for the connection method of the reinforcing part 120 of the support beam 100a and the side wall of the avoidance opening 130 of the cover plate 100b, as an embodiment, the side wall of the reinforcing part 120 and the side wall of the avoidance opening 130 can be welded and connected, so that the connection strength of the side wall of the reinforcing part 120 and the side wall of the avoidance opening 130 can be improved, the reinforcing part 120 and the cover plate 100b are ensured to be firmly connected, the integrity of the support beam 100a and the cover plate 100b is improved, and the structural strength of the main shaft 100 is enhanced. In risk scenarios such as falling and collision, the support beam 100a can be prevented from separating from the cover plate 100b, and the components such as the moving assembly 300, the synchronous structure 400 and the damping module 500 installed on the main shaft 100 can be prevented from being deformed, thereby reducing the risk of deformation or breakage of the main shaft 100.

[0142] Exemplarily, the reinforcement part 120 and the cover plate 100b can be welded by laser welding. The laser welding process uses a high-energy laser beam as a heat source. The laser beam is easy to focus and can achieve precise positioning. It can weld small and closely spaced components. Therefore, it is easy to weld the reinforcement part 120 on the support beam 100a and the avoidance opening 130 on the cover plate 100b. In addition, laser welding can reduce the heat to the minimum required amount, the metallographic change range of the heat-affected zone is small, and the deformation caused by heat conduction is also minimal, which helps to maintain the shape stability of the main shaft 100. In addition, laser welding can weld a wide range of materials, and can weld two metals with different physical properties (such as different resistances), and can also achieve the joining of heterogeneous materials such as metal and plastic.

[0143] As another embodiment, on the basis of ensuring the structural strength and reliability of the main shaft 100, the side wall of the reinforcing part 120 on the support beam 100a and the side wall of the avoidance opening 130 on the cover plate 100b can also be connected by bonding, that is, the side wall of the reinforcing part 120 and the side wall of the avoidance opening 130 can be connected together by an adhesive. Exemplarily, the side wall of the reinforcing part 120 and the side wall of the avoidance opening 130 can be bonded together by a thermosetting adhesive, which is liquid at room temperature. When connecting the reinforcing part 120 and the side wall of the avoidance opening 130, the liquid thermosetting adhesive is heated to solidify. The cured thermosetting adhesive has high hardness and good heat resistance, which can ensure that the reinforcing part 120 and the cover plate 100b are firmly connected, and ensure the stability and reliability of the main shaft 100 after the connection and assembly.

[0144] Continue to refer to Fig.10 or Fig.11 , for the main axis 100 used in the foldable electronic device 1, the width of the main axis 100 is usually very small, in other words, the main axis 100 is very narrow. In this regard, the reinforcing portion 120 can be set at the edge of the width direction of the support beam 100a, that is, the reinforcing portion 120 extends from the edge of the support beam 100a and protrudes on the second surface of the support beam 100a; correspondingly, the avoidance opening 130 on the cover plate 100b can be located at the edge of the width direction of the cover plate 100b, in other words, the avoidance opening 130 can be an avoidance gap opened at the edge of the cover plate 100b.

[0145] With such arrangement, for the support beam 100a, by arranging the reinforcing portion 120 at the edge of the support beam 100a, it is possible to avoid interference of the reinforcing portion 120 with structures such as grooves and holes opened on the support beam 100a, and the position of the reinforcing portion 120 on the support beam 100a is easy to design, especially for the reinforcing portion 120 integrally formed on the support beam 100a, which facilitates the processing and forming of the reinforcing portion 120. For example, the design difficulty and manufacturing cost of the mold (used to form the support beam 100a) can be reduced.

[0146] For the cover plate 100b, by designing the avoidance opening 130 as an avoidance gap formed on the edge of the cover plate 100b, the avoidance gap can avoid the connecting opening opened on the cover plate 100b (connected with the aforementioned groove and used to pass through components such as the moving component 300 or the damping module 500), and can reduce the area occupied by the complete opening opened in the middle area of ​​the cover plate 100b (in the width direction), thereby ensuring the structural strength and reliability of the cover plate 100b, so as to prevent the cover plate 100b from being deformed or broken in risk scenarios such as falling or collision.

[0147] Among them, both side edges of the support beam 100a in the width direction can be provided with reinforcement parts 120, and correspondingly, both side edges of the cover plate 100b in the width direction can be provided with avoidance openings 130, and the reinforcement parts 120 on both side edges of the support beam 100a are respectively connected to the side walls of the avoidance openings 130 on both side edges of the cover plate 100b. In this way, both sides of the support beam 100a and both sides of the cover plate 100b are fitted and connected, ensuring that the support beam 100a and the cover plate 100b are connected smoothly, and both sides of the width direction of the main shaft 100 have a large connection force, avoiding the problem of excessive gap on one side of the main shaft 100 or even warping, ensuring the overall structural strength of the main shaft 100, and improving the stability and reliability of the main shaft 100.

[0148] It should be noted that in order to realize the movement of the aforementioned moving assembly 300, damping module 500 and other components relative to the main shaft 100, when the cover plate 100b and the support beam 100a form a groove structure, a notch is usually formed at the edge of the cover plate 100b at the corresponding position of each groove structure, and the notch makes the groove structure connected to the side of the cover plate 100b, so as to provide installation and movement space for the moving assembly 300, damping module 500 and other components. In this regard, the avoidance opening 130 set at the edge of the cover plate 100b should avoid the position where these groove structures are located.

[0149] For the multiple cover plates 100b connected to the support beam 100a, the avoidance opening 130 may be provided only on some of the cover plates 100b, or in other words, each reinforcement part 120 provided on the support beam 100a corresponds to only some of the cover plates 100b, and these cover plates 100b are connected to the reinforcement part 120 of the support beam 100a through the avoidance opening 130, and other cover plates 100b may be screwed to the support beam 100a only. For example, the avoidance opening 130 may be provided on the cover plates 100b with a larger length and fewer groove structures, while the avoidance opening 130 may not be provided on the cover plates 100b with a shorter length or densely arranged groove structures.

[0150] It is also possible to set the avoidance openings 130 on all the cover plates 100b, or in other words, each reinforcement part 120 set on the support beam 100a corresponds to each cover plate 100b, and on the basis of the cover plate 100b being screwed to the support beam 100a, all the cover plates 100b are connected to the reinforcement part 120 of the support beam 100a through the avoidance openings 130, so that it can be ensured that all the cover plates 100b are firmly connected to the support beam 100a, so that the reliability of the main shaft 100 is maximized. Exemplarily, for a cover plate 100b with a longer length and fewer slot structures, the number of avoidance openings 130 opened on the cover plate 100b can be more, and the opening area of ​​the avoidance openings 130 can be larger; for a cover plate 100b with a shorter length or densely arranged slot structures, the number of avoidance openings 130 opened on the cover plate 100b can be less, and the opening area of ​​the avoidance openings 130 can be smaller.

[0151] As for the specific connection parts of the reinforcement part 120 of the support beam 100a and the avoidance opening 130 of the cover plate 100b, for the convenience of description, in this embodiment, the side wall of the reinforcement part 120 facing the central axis of the support beam 100a is defined as the first side wall 121 of the reinforcement part 120, the first side wall 121 is usually the long side of the reinforcement part 120, and the side walls of the reinforcement part 120 at both ends along the length direction of the support beam 100a are the second side walls 122 of the reinforcement part 120, and the second side wall 122 is usually the wide side of the reinforcement part 120. Specifically, taking the welding of the side wall of the reinforcement part 120 and the avoidance opening 130 as an example, the first side wall 121 of the reinforcement part 120 is welded to the corresponding side wall of the avoidance opening 130 (the bottom side wall of the avoidance opening 130), and the second side wall 122 at at least one end of the reinforcement part 120 is welded to the corresponding side wall of the avoidance opening 130 (the left side wall / right side wall of the avoidance opening 130).

[0152] Typically, the area of ​​the first side wall 121 of the reinforcement part 120 extending along the length direction of the support beam 100a is relatively large. By welding the first side wall 121 of the reinforcement part 120 to the bottom side wall of the avoidance opening 130, the basic connection between the reinforcement part 120 and the cover plate 100b can be achieved, thereby meeting the connection strength requirements between the reinforcement part 120 and the cover plate 100b. In addition, by connecting the reinforcement part 120 and the cover plate 100b on both sides of the width direction of the support beam 100a, the cover plate 100b can be accurately positioned on the support beam 100a, thereby ensuring the assembly accuracy of the cover plate 100b and the support beam 100a.

[0153] On the basis of welding the first side wall 121 of the reinforcing part 120 to the bottom side wall of the avoidance opening 130, by welding the second side wall 122 of at least one end of the reinforcing part 120 to the corresponding side wall of the avoidance opening 130, the connection area between the reinforcing part 120 and the avoidance opening 130 is increased, the connection strength between the reinforcing part 120 and the cover plate 100b is improved, and the overall structural strength of the main shaft 100 can be improved. In addition, the second side wall 122 of the reinforcing part 120 is connected with the corresponding side wall of the avoidance opening 130, and the cover plate 100b is positioned in the length direction of the support beam 100a, which can improve the positioning accuracy of the cover plate 100b and the assembly accuracy of the cover plate 100b and the support beam 100a.

[0154] Exemplarily, when the side walls (left side wall and right side wall) on both sides of the avoidance opening 130 are in contact with the second side walls 122 on both ends of the reinforcing portion 120, or in other words, the opening width of the avoidance opening 130 matches the extension length of the reinforcing portion 120 (in the length direction of the support beam 100a), the second side walls 122 on both ends of the reinforcing portion 120 are respectively welded to the left side wall and the right side wall of the avoidance opening 130. When only one of the side walls on both sides of the avoidance opening 130 is in contact with the second side wall 122 at one end of the reinforcing portion 120, or in other words, the opening width of the avoidance opening 130 is greater than the extension length of the reinforcing portion 120, for example, when the avoidance opening 130 is connected to the notch of the edge of the aforementioned cover plate 100b (communicated with the groove structure), the second side wall 122 at one end of the reinforcing portion 120 may be welded to the corresponding side wall (for example, the left side wall or the right side wall) of the avoidance opening 130.

[0155] In addition, combined Fig.10 and Fig.11 As shown, in this embodiment, the reinforcement part 120 protruding from the support beam 100a can extend straight along the length direction of the support beam 100a. In other words, the reinforcement part 120 is a straight structure. In this way, on the one hand, the reinforcement part 120 itself does not have stress concentration parts such as corners or bends. For the spindle 100 that is subjected to more bending moments and torques, the straight reinforcement part 120 has high reliability and can enhance the bending and torsion resistance of the spindle 100; on the other hand, the weld between the reinforcement part 120 and the side wall of the avoidance opening 130 is a straight weld, which can enhance the welding strength between the reinforcement part 120 and the cover plate 100b, improve the welding quality between the reinforcement part 120 and the cover plate 100b, and further enhance the structural strength and bending and torsion resistance of the spindle 100, and improve the reliability of the spindle 100.

[0156] Reference Fig.12As shown, in order to ensure that the support beam 100a has sufficient bending strength, in this embodiment, the thickness between the first surface of the support beam 100a and the top end surface of the reinforcing portion 120 (the end surface of the reinforcing portion 120 away from the support beam 100a), that is, the maximum thickness D of the support beam 100a including the reinforcing portion 120 can be 2.0mm-2.5mm. In this way, it can be ensured that the support beam 100a has a sufficient bending cross-sectional area to meet the bending strength requirements of the support beam 100a, and in risk scenarios such as collision and falling, the movement component 300, the synchronous structure 400 and the damping module 500 installed on the main shaft 100 are prevented from being deformed, and the risk of deformation and fracture of the main shaft 100 is also reduced.

[0157] Exemplarily, the thickness D between the first surface of the support beam 100a and the top end surface of the reinforcement portion 120 may be 2.05 mm, 2.10 mm, 2.15 mm, 2.20 mm, 2.25 mm, 2.30 mm, 2.35 mm, 2.40 mm, 2.45 mm, etc.

[0158] Among them, the protrusion height d of the reinforcement part 120 itself (in the thickness direction of the main shaft 100) can be 0.5mm-0.8mm. In this way, the reinforcement part 120 can have a sufficient height to ensure that there is a sufficient connection area between the reinforcement part 120 and the cover plate 100b to ensure that the connection strength between the reinforcement part 120 and the cover plate 100b meets the requirements; and sufficient thickness can be reserved between the first surface and the second surface of the support beam. In other words, it can be ensured that the main structure of the support beam has a sufficient thickness to ensure the structural strength of the support beam 100a itself and avoid deformation or breakage of the support beam 100a, thereby ensuring the overall stability and reliability of the main shaft 100.

[0159] Exemplarily, the protrusion height d of the reinforcement portion 120 itself can be 0.52mm, 0.54mm, 0.56mm, 0.58mm, 0.60mm, 0.62mm, 0.64mm, 0.66mm, 0.68mm, 0.70mm, 0.72mm, 0.74mm, 0.76mm, 0.78mm, etc.

[0160] In practical applications, both sides of the surface of the cover plate 100b in the width direction are usually used to support the decorative plate, which covers the main shaft 100 and is located between the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b, and is used to shield the rotating shaft mechanism 10c and provide a space for the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b to move relative to the main shaft 100. For ease of description, in this embodiment, both sides of the surface of the cover plate 100b, which are used to make the decorative plate, are defined as the support surface of the cover plate 100b.

[0161] Reference Fig.11 or Fig.12 As shown, the support surface of the cover plate 100b is located at the two side areas in the width direction of the cover plate 100b, and the avoidance openings 130 opened at the two sides in the width direction of the cover plate 100b are usually located in the area where the support surface of the cover plate 100b is located. Correspondingly, the reinforcement part 120 of the support beam 100a is also located in the area where the support surface of the cover plate 100b is located. In order to prevent the reinforcement part 120 from interfering with the decorative board supported on the cover plate 100b, the top end surface of the reinforcement part 120 should not exceed the plane where the support surface of the cover plate 100b is located. In other words, the top end surface of the reinforcement part 120 can be flush with the support surface of the cover plate 100b, or the top end surface of the reinforcement part 120 can be located between the second surface of the support beam 100a and the plane where the support surface of the cover plate 100b is located.

[0162] In this embodiment, the top surface of the reinforcing part 120 can be located between the second surface of the support beam 100a and the plane where the support surface of the cover plate 100b is located, or in other words, there is a gap between the top surface of the reinforcing part 120 and the support surface of the cover plate 100b. In this way, on the one hand, a certain space is reserved between the top surface of the reinforcing part 120 and the support surface of the cover plate 100b, which can prevent the reinforcing part 120 from interfering with the decorative plate supported on the support surface of the cover plate 100b; on the other hand, when the reinforcing part 120 is welded to the cover plate 100b, welding slag will inevitably remain at the welding part between the reinforcing part 120 and the cover plate 100b. By reserving a certain space on the top surface of the reinforcing part 120, it is possible to prevent the weld from extending to the surface of the cover plate 100b, and prevent the surface of the cover plate 100b from remaining residues, and the space can accommodate welding slag, so as to prevent the welding slag from affecting the installation of the decorative plate, thereby ensuring the quality of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c.

[0163] In addition, the cover plate 100b is also formed with an expansion slot 140 on the periphery of the avoidance opening 130. The expansion slot 140 extends from the side surface of the cover plate 100b away from the support beam 100a to the support beam 100a, and the notch of the expansion slot 140 can be located on the support surface of the cover plate 100b. The expansion slot 140 is at least arranged corresponding to the bottom side wall of the avoidance opening 130, and the expansion slot 140 can also be arranged corresponding to the left side wall and the right side wall of the avoidance opening 130. The expansion slot 140 is equivalent to expanding a part of the avoidance opening 130. The expansion slot 140 is arranged around the periphery of the reinforcement part 120, and the gap between the reinforcement part 120 and the side wall of the avoidance opening 130 is exposed in the middle area of ​​the expanded space, which is convenient for welding the reinforcement part 120 and the cover plate 100b, and the space for accommodating welding slag is expanded to better prevent the welding slag from affecting the rotating shaft mechanism 10c.

[0164] The bottom of the expansion slot 140 may not be lower than the top surface of the reinforcement part 120. In other words, the bottom of the expansion slot 140 may be located between the top surface of the reinforcement part 120 and the support surface of the cover plate 100b, or the bottom of the expansion slot 140 may be flush with the top surface of the reinforcement part 120. In this way, the depth of the expansion slot 140 is less than the height between the top surface of the reinforcement part 120 and the support surface of the cover plate 100b, which prevents the expansion slot 140 from being sunken in the top surface of the reinforcement part 120, facilitates the removal of welding slag remaining at the bottom of the expansion slot 140, prevents welding slag from accumulating in the expansion slot 140, and helps improve the quality of the shaft mechanism 10c.

[0165] The following describes the components such as the motion assembly 300 , the synchronization structure 400 , and the damping module 500 connected between the main shaft 100 and the connection assembly 200 .

[0166] Fig.13 for Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of the rotating shaft mechanism at B in the formal perspective; Fig.14 for Fig.13 Sectional view at the middle BB; Fig.15 A partial exploded structural diagram of the main swing arm and the adapter plate provided in an embodiment of the present application; Fig.16 for Fig.13 Sectional view at CC; Fig.17 Corresponding to when the shaft mechanism is in the folded state Fig.13 Cross-sectional view at CC.

[0167] Reference Fig.13 As shown, the motion component 300 connected between the main shaft 100 and the connecting component 200 includes a main swing arm 310. The main swing arm 310 serves as the main transmission component between the main shaft 100 and the connecting component 200. Through the transmission action of the main swing arm 310, the connecting component 200 can be rotated and translated (moved away from or approached) relative to the main shaft 100 to realize the switching of the shell component 10 between the unfolded state and the folded state.

[0168] Taking the foldable electronic device as an example, when the foldable electronic device 1 is transformed from the unfolded state to the folded state, the main swing arm 310 drives the connecting plate 210 to rotate relative to the main axis 100 toward the side away from the folding screen 20, and the connecting plates 210 on both sides of the main axis 100 approach each other to be arranged opposite to each other. At the same time, the main swing arm 310 drives the connecting plate 210 to move toward the direction close to the main axis 100, reducing the gap between the connecting plate 210 and the main axis 100, so as to provide sufficient deformation space for the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 to transform from the flattened state to the bent state; in the foldable During the process of converting the electronic device 1 from a folded state to an unfolded state, the main swing arm 310 drives the connecting plate 210 to rotate relative to the main axis 100 toward the side where the folding screen 20 is located, and the connecting plates 210 on both sides of the main axis 100 move away from each other to be arranged in the same plane. At the same time, the main swing arm 310 drives the connecting plate 210 to move away from the main axis 100, thereby increasing the gap between the connecting plate 210 and the main axis 100, so as to provide the expansion space required for the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 to change from a folded state to a flattened state, thereby ensuring that the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 can be smoothly flattened.

[0169] In addition, the adapter plate 220 located on both sides of the main shaft 100 can also be connected to the main swing arm 310, and the main swing arm 310 is used to fix the adapter plate 220 and drive the adapter plate 220 to move, so as to meet the requirement of changing the posture of the adapter plate 220 as the shape of the bendable part 23 of the folding screen 20 changes, so that the adapter plate 220 can stably support the bendable part 23 of the folding screen 20 in any posture.

[0170] Reference Fig.14 As shown, in this embodiment, one end of the main swing arm 310 close to the main shaft 100 can be connected to the main shaft 100 by sliding and rotation, and one end of the main swing arm 310 close to the connecting plate 210 can also be connected to the connecting plate 210 by sliding and rotation. In other words, the two ends of the main swing arm 310 can rotate around the main shaft 100 and the connecting plate 210 respectively, so that the connecting plate 210 can rotate relative to the main shaft 100; and the two ends of the main swing arm 310 can slide relative to the main shaft 100 and the connecting plate 210 respectively, so that the connecting plate 210 can move away from or close to the main shaft 100, change the size of the gap between the connecting plate 210 and the main shaft 100, and provide the deformation space required for the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 to switch between the flattened state and the bent state.

[0171] In addition, in the case where the adapter plate 220 is fixed by the main swing arm 310, by making the two ends of the main swing arm 310 slidingly and rotatably connected to the main shaft 100 and the connecting plate 210 respectively, the main swing arm 310 has a large degree of freedom of movement, and the posture of the main swing arm 310 is not limited by the rotation angle of the connecting plate 210. The main swing arm 310 can cooperate with the posture of the adapter plate 220 to maintain the adapter plate 220 in a posture that can stably support the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20.

[0172] As an embodiment, the main swing arm 310 may include a first arc-shaped sliding portion 311 and a second arc-shaped sliding portion 312. The first arc-shaped sliding portion 311 is provided corresponding to the main shaft 100, and the second arc-shaped sliding portion 312 is provided corresponding to the connecting plate 210. Accordingly, the main shaft 100 may be provided with a first arc-shaped groove 150, and the connecting plate 210 may be provided with a second arc-shaped groove 211. The first arc-shaped sliding portion 311 of the main swing arm 310 extends into the first arc-shaped groove 150 on the main shaft 100, and the first arc-shaped sliding portion 311 slides along the first arc-shaped groove 150. The second arc-shaped sliding portion 312 of the main swing arm 310 extends into the second arc-shaped groove 211 on the connecting plate 210, and the second arc-shaped sliding portion 312 slides along the second arc-shaped groove 211, so that the connecting plate 210 can rotate around the main shaft 100, and at the same time, the connecting plate 210 can move in a direction away from the main shaft 100 or in a direction close to the main shaft 100.

[0173] As for the connection between the main swing arm 310 and the adapter plate 220, refer to Fig.15 As shown, in some embodiments, a positioning column 313 may extend from one side surface of the main swing arm 310 facing the adapter plate 220, and a positioning hole 221 may be provided on the adapter plate 220, and the positioning column 313 extends into the positioning hole 221 to achieve the positioning of the main swing arm 310 and the adapter plate 220. Exemplarily, the outer wall surface of the positioning column 313 and the inner wall surface of the positioning hole 221 may be welded or bonded to fix the main swing arm 310 and the adapter plate 220. Among them, the number and shape of the positioning column 313 (positioning hole 221) can be set according to the shape and volume of the main swing arm 310, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0174] Continue to refer to Fig.13The motion assembly 300 connected between the main shaft 100 and the connecting plate 210 also includes an auxiliary swing arm 320, which cooperates with the main swing arm 310 to realize the transmission effect between the main shaft 100 and the connecting plate 210, so as to enhance the connection strength between the connecting plate 210 and the main shaft 100 and improve the stability of the connecting plate 210 relative to the movement of the main shaft 100. As a transmission member between the connecting plate 210 and the main shaft 100, similar to the main swing arm 310, the auxiliary swing arm 320 can drive the connecting plate 210 to rotate relative to the main shaft 100, and the auxiliary swing arm 320 can realize the connecting plate 210 away from or close to the main shaft 100 to change the gap between the connecting plate 210 and the main shaft 100, which will not be described in detail here.

[0175] Reference Fig.16 and Fig.17 As shown, in this embodiment, the end of the auxiliary swing arm 320 facing the main shaft 100 can be connected to the main shaft 100 in a sliding and rotational manner, and the end of the auxiliary swing arm 320 facing the connecting plate 210 can be connected to the connecting plate 210 in a sliding manner, so that the auxiliary swing arm 320 has sufficient degrees of freedom between the connecting plate 210 and the main shaft 100, which can meet the requirements of the connecting plate 210 rotating and translating relative to the main shaft 100. In addition, there can be no connection between the auxiliary swing arm 320 and the adapter plate 220, which will not limit the movement of the adapter plate 220 and can also ensure the flexibility of the movement of the auxiliary swing arm 320.

[0176] As an implementation mode, the main shaft 100 may be provided with a third arc groove 160, the connecting plate 210 may be provided with a first slide groove 212, and the auxiliary swing arm 320 may include a third arc sliding portion 321 and a first slide plate portion 322. The third arc sliding portion 321 of the auxiliary swing arm 320 is arranged corresponding to the main shaft 100 and extends into the third arc groove 160. During the sliding process of the third arc sliding portion 321 in the third arc groove 160, the connecting plate 210 may rotate around the main shaft 100; the first slide plate portion 322 of the auxiliary swing arm 320 is arranged corresponding to the connecting plate 210 and extends into the first slide groove 212. The first slide plate portion 322 slides along the first slide groove 212 to achieve the translation of the connecting plate 210 away from or close to the main shaft 100.

[0177] Reference Fig.16 As shown, when the rotating shaft mechanism 10c is in the unfolded state, the third arc-shaped sliding portion 321 of the auxiliary swing arm 320 extends into the third arc-shaped groove 160 of the main shaft 100 to the maximum extent, and the first slide plate portion 322 of the auxiliary swing arm 320 extends into the first slide groove 212 on the connecting plate 210 to the minimum extent, and the connecting plates 210 on both sides of the main shaft 100 are in a state of being away from each other, so as to provide a sufficient distance between the connecting plates 210 on both sides, so that the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20 is maintained in a flat state. Fig.17As shown, when the hinge mechanism 10c is in a folded state, the third arc-shaped sliding portion 321 of the auxiliary swing arm 320 extends the least into the third arc-shaped groove 160 of the main shaft 100, and the first slide plate portion 322 of the auxiliary swing arm 320 extends the most into the first slide groove 212 on the connecting plate 210, and the connecting plates 210 on both sides of the main shaft 100 are in a state of being close to each other, so as to provide a bending space for the bendable portion 23 of the folding screen 20, so that the bendable portion 23 maintains a bent state.

[0178] On the basis that the auxiliary swing arm 320 can cooperate with the main swing arm 310 to jointly realize the rotation and translation of the connecting plate 210 relative to the main shaft 100, in other embodiments, one end of the auxiliary swing arm 320 can be rotatably connected to the main shaft 100, and the other end of the auxiliary swing arm 320 can be slidably connected to the connecting plate 210, or one end of the auxiliary swing arm 320 can be slidably connected to the main shaft 100, and the other end of the auxiliary swing arm 320 can be rotatably connected to the connecting plate 210, or one end of the auxiliary swing arm 320 can be slidably and rotatably connected to the main shaft 100, and the other end of the auxiliary swing arm 320 can be rotatably connected to the connecting plate 210, or, similar to the main swing arm 310, one end of the auxiliary swing arm 320 can be slidably and rotatably connected to the main shaft 100, and the other end of the auxiliary swing arm 320 can be slidably and rotatably connected to the connecting plate 210, and the present embodiment does not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0179] Fig.18 for Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of the C in the middle. Fig.18 As shown in the figure, a synchronization structure 400 is shown which is connected between the main shaft 100 and the connecting plates 210 on both sides. The synchronization structure 400 is used to make the connecting plates 210 on both sides move synchronously relative to the main shaft 100, so that the connecting plates 210 on both sides drive the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b to move synchronously, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the movement of the shell assembly 10, thereby ensuring that the foldable electronic device 1 switches smoothly and accurately between the unfolded state and the folded state.

[0180] Among them, the synchronization structure 400 may include two synchronization swing arms 410, the first ends of the two synchronization swing arms 410 are both rotatably connected to the main shaft 100, and the first ends of the two synchronization swing arms 410 are respectively located on both sides of the width direction of the main shaft 100. For example, the first ends of the two synchronization swing arms 410 can be arranged side by side along the width direction of the main shaft 100; the second ends of the two synchronization swing arms 410 respectively extend to the connecting plates 210 on both sides of the main shaft 100, and the connecting plates 210 can be provided with second sliding grooves 213, for example, the second sliding grooves 213 on the connecting plates 210 on both sides of the main shaft 100 are relatively arranged, and the second ends of the two synchronization swing arms 410 slide along the corresponding second sliding grooves 213 respectively.

[0181] During the conversion of the hinge mechanism 10c between the unfolded state and the folded state, the first ends of the two synchronous swing arms 410 rotate synchronously and in opposite directions, so that the second ends of the two synchronous swing arms 410 rotate synchronously and in opposite directions, and the second ends of the two synchronous swing arms 410 slide along the second slide grooves 213 on the connecting plates 210 on both sides to guide the connecting plates 210 on both sides, thereby enabling the connecting plates 210 on both sides to drive the first shell 10a and the second shell 10b to move synchronously.

[0182] Reference Fig.18 As shown, as an embodiment, the synchronization structure 400 can be a gear transmission structure, and the first ends of the two synchronization swing arms 410 can be provided with synchronization gears 411. The synchronization gears 411 of the two synchronization swing arms 410 are installed on the main shaft 100 through a rotating shaft (the rotating shaft can be inserted into the corresponding mounting hole 180 on the main shaft 100), and the two synchronization gears 411 are meshed with each other. The two synchronization gears 411 are of the same size, and the two synchronization gears 411 have the same number of teeth and equal tooth spacing. The two synchronization gears 411 transmit power to each other, so that the two synchronization gears 411 rotate synchronously and in the opposite direction, driving the second end of the synchronization swing arm 410 to rotate synchronously and in the opposite direction.

[0183] Of course, in addition to gear transmission, the synchronization structure 400 can also adopt other transmission methods, for example, a synchronization transmission member is set between the first ends of the two synchronization swing arms 410, and the first ends of the two synchronization swing arms 410 are synchronously and reversely rotated through the transmission action of the synchronization transmission member. Exemplarily, a guide column can be set on the synchronization transmission member, and the first end of the synchronization swing arm 410 can be a cylindrical (columnar) structure with a spiral hole (spiral groove). The guide column slides along the spiral hole (spiral groove), driving the first ends of the two synchronization swing arms 410 to rotate synchronously and reversely.

[0184] Fig.19 for Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of point D in the middle; Fig. 20 for Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of point E in the middle. Fig.19 and Fig. 20 As shown, in this embodiment, the damping module 500 provided in the hinge mechanism 10c includes a first damping structure 510 and a second damping structure 520. The first damping structure 510 is mainly used to generate a damping force in the area where the main axis 100 is located, and the second damping structure 520 is mainly used to generate a damping force in the area where the connecting plate 210 is located. The first damping structure 510 and the second damping structure 520 cooperate with each other to provide a suitable damping force for the hinge mechanism 10c, ensuring that the hinge mechanism 10c has sufficient damping force, ensuring that the folding screen 20 can be quickly and smoothly flattened, improving the user's operating feel, and ensuring the use effect of the foldable electronic device 1.

[0185] Under the coupling effect of the first damping structure 510 and the second damping structure 520, the first damping structure 510 can make up for the insufficient damping force of the second damping structure 520 due to yielding during long-term use, and can provide sufficient damping force to ensure that the hinge mechanism 10c is smoothly flattened without the intervention of external force, thereby ensuring the unfolding effect of the foldable electronic device 1 and improving the user experience. At the same time, the damping force of the second damping structure 520 can also balance the damping force of the first damping structure 510, avoiding the main shaft 100 from being pulled and affecting the flatness of the folding screen 20 in the unfolded state, preventing the hinge mechanism 10c from being over-expanded, ensuring the flatness of the folding screen 20 in the unfolded state, and improving the stability of the housing assembly 10 in the unfolded state.

[0186] This embodiment does not limit the number of first damping structures 510 and the positions of the first damping structures 510, and the number of second damping structures 520 and the positions of the second damping structures 520 provided on the rotating shaft mechanism 10c. The design can be based on the volume of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c and the required damping force. It is best if the damping forces provided by the first damping structures 510 and the second damping structures 520 can balance the overall force of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c.

[0187] Taking the example of two groups of first damping structures 510 and one group of second damping structures 520 provided on the rotating shaft mechanism 10c, the two groups of first damping structures 510 can be provided close to the two ends of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c respectively, and the second damping structure 520 can be located between the two groups of first damping structures 510, for example, the second damping structure 520 is located in the middle area of ​​the rotating shaft mechanism 10c, so that the overall force of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c is more balanced. It should be noted that the second damping structure 520 is mainly provided for the connecting plate 210, and therefore, the connecting plates 210 on both sides of the main shaft 100 should be provided with the second damping structure 520, and a group of second damping structures 520 here includes the second damping structures 520 respectively provided for the connecting plates 210 on both sides, and a group of second damping structures 520 includes two second damping structures 520.

[0188] Reference Fig.19 As shown, the first damping structure 510 may include two support shafts 511, two driving members 512 and an elastic component 513. The axial direction of the support shaft 511 may be arranged along the length direction of the main shaft 100, and the two support shafts 511 may be arranged at intervals along the width direction of the main shaft 100. For example, the two support shafts 511 may be arranged side by side along the width direction of the main shaft 100, and the support shafts 511 are inserted into the corresponding mounting holes 180 on the main shaft 100; the two driving members 512 are respectively sleeved on the two support shafts 511, and the two driving members 512 can rotate synchronously and in opposite directions around the corresponding support shafts 511; the elastic component 513 is sleeved on the two support shafts 511, and the elastic component 513 abuts against the two driving members 512.

[0189] As the pivot mechanism 10c moves, or in other words, as the pivot mechanism 10c switches between the unfolded state and the folded state, the two driving members 512 rotate synchronously and in opposite directions around the corresponding support shafts 511, and the two driving members 512 squeeze the elastic component 513 during the rotation, changing the compression amount of the elastic component 513 so that the elastic component 513 generates a changing damping force.

[0190] Reference Fig.19 As shown, the driving member 512 may include a rotating sleeve 5121 and a rotating plate 5122. The rotating sleeve 5121 is connected to one end of the rotating plate 5122. The rotating sleeve 5121 may be integrally formed at the end of the rotating plate 5122, for example. The rotating sleeve 5121 is sleeved on the corresponding support shaft 511. The rotating plate 5122 may extend to the connecting plate 210 on the corresponding side and be slidably connected to the connecting plate 210. For example, a third sliding groove 214 may be provided on the connecting plate 210. During the process of the connecting plate 210 rotating and translating relative to the main shaft 100, the rotating plate 5122 slides along the third sliding groove 214 to drive the rotating sleeve 5121 to rotate around the supporting shaft 511.

[0191] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the sliding connection between the driving member 512 and the connecting plate 210 is taken as an example, and the connecting plate 210 moves relative to the main shaft 100, driving the driving member 512 to move, so that the rotating sleeve 5121 of the driving member 512 rotates around the supporting shaft 511. In other examples, the rotating sleeve 5121 may be sleeved only on the supporting shaft 511, and the rotating sleeve 5121 may cooperate with other structures on the main shaft 100 to realize the rotation of the rotating sleeve 5121. In other words, the driving member 512 may also include only the rotating sleeve 5121, but not the rotating plate 5122 that is slidably connected to the connecting plate 210; for example, the rotating sleeve 5121 may be connected to the synchronous structure 400, or the rotating sleeve 5121 may be integrally formed on the synchronous structure 400, and the rotating sleeve 5121 may be driven to rotate synchronously during the rotation of the synchronous structure 400.

[0192] Continue to refer to Fig.19 The elastic component 513 includes a limiting sleeve 5131 and two elastic members 5132. The two elastic members 5132 are respectively sleeved on the two supporting shafts 511. The elastic members 5132 are, for example, springs. The limiting sleeve 5131 is also sleeved on the two supporting shafts 511. The two supporting shafts 511 can pass through the limiting sleeve 5131 at the same time, and the limiting sleeve 5131 is connected to one end of the elastic member 5132 facing the rotating sleeve 5121. During the rotation of the rotating sleeve 5121, it abuts against different parts of the limiting sleeve 5131, driving the limiting sleeve 5131 to move along the supporting shaft 511. The limiting sleeve 5131 squeezes the elastic member 5132, changes the compression amount of the elastic member 5132, and the elastic member 5132 generates elastic deformation to provide damping force.

[0193] The elastic component 513 shown in the figure includes two limit sleeves 5131, and the two limit sleeves 5131 are respectively connected to the two ends of the elastic member 5132. Correspondingly, the driving member 512 may include two rotating sleeves 5121, and the two rotating sleeves 5121 are respectively located at the two ends of the elastic component 513, and the two rotating sleeves 5121 are respectively abutted against the corresponding limit sleeves 5131, and the rotating sleeves 5121 on both sides synchronously push against the corresponding limit sleeves 5131, and at the same time squeeze the two ends of the elastic member 5132 to change the compression amount of the elastic member 5132. At this time, the maximum compression amount of the elastic member 5132 is relatively large, and the damping force provided by the elastic member 5132 is relatively large. Among them, the driving member 512 can be provided with a connecting plate 5123, and the two rotating sleeves 5121 are both connected to the connecting plate 5123. For example, the two rotating sleeves 5121 are integrally formed at the two ends of the connecting plate 5123 to achieve the synchronous rotation of the two rotating sleeves 5121.

[0194] In other examples, the elastic component 513 may also include only one limiting sleeve 5131, and correspondingly, the driving member 512 may include only one rotating sleeve 5121, the limiting sleeve 5131 is connected to one end of the elastic member 5132 facing the rotating sleeve 5121, and the other end of the elastic member 5132 may be fixed on the main shaft 100, and the rotating sleeve 5121 of the driving member 512 pushes against the limiting sleeve 5131, squeezing one end of the elastic member 5132 to change the compression amount of the elastic member 5132. At this time, the maximum compression amount of the elastic member 5132 is relatively small, and the damping force provided by the elastic member 5132 is relatively small.

[0195] As for driving the limiting sleeve 5131 to move along the supporting shaft 511 by rotating the rotating sleeve 5121 of the driving member 512, refer to Fig.19 As shown, in some embodiments, the end of the rotating sleeve 5121 facing the limiting sleeve 5131 may have a convex portion 51211, and the end of the limiting sleeve 5131 facing the rotating sleeve 5121 may have a concave portion 51311, the convex portion 51211 and the concave portion 51311 cooperate with each other, and the width of the concave portion 51311 may be slightly larger than the width of the convex portion 51211. During the rotation of the rotating sleeve 5121, the convex portion 51211 moves accordingly and abuts against different parts of the limiting sleeve 5131, and the convex portion 51211 moves along the end surface of the limiting sleeve 5131 and slides into the concave portion 513117 or slides out of the concave portion 51311, thereby pushing the limiting sleeve 5131 to move, squeezing the elastic member 5132 to change its compression amount, so that the elastic member 5132 provides a variable damping force.

[0196] Of course, a recess 51311 may be provided at one end of the rotating sleeve 5121 facing the limiting sleeve 5131, and a convex portion 51211 may be provided at one end of the limiting sleeve 5131 facing the rotating sleeve 5121. During the rotation of the rotating sleeve 5121, the recess 51311 moves to correspond to the convex portion 51211 of the limiting sleeve 5131 and extends into the convex portion 51211. Alternatively, the recess 51311 moves to correspond to other parts of the limiting sleeve 5131 to push the limiting sleeve 5131 to move. The limiting sleeve 5131 squeezes the elastic member 5132 to change its compression amount, which will not be repeated.

[0197] Taking the example of the convex part 51211 being provided on the rotating sleeve 5121 of the driving member 512 and the concave part 51311 being provided on the limiting sleeve 5131 of the elastic component 513, when the rotating shaft mechanism 10c is in the folded state, the convex part 51211 of the rotating sleeve 5121 can abut against other areas other than the concave part 51311 on the limiting sleeve 5131, the compression amount of the elastic part 5132 is the largest, and the damping force of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c is large. As the rotating shaft mechanism 10c gradually switches to the unfolded state, the convex part 51211 on the rotating sleeve 5121 gradually moves into the concave part 51311 of the limiting sleeve 5131, the compression amount of the elastic part 5132 gradually decreases, and the damping force is released, which helps the rotating shaft mechanism 10c to unfold quickly. When the rotating shaft mechanism 10c is unfolded to the flattened state, the bottom end of the rotating sleeve 5121 that has not yet completely abutted against the recessed portion 51311 of the limiting sleeve 5131 still has space for releasing the damping force, and the rotating shaft mechanism 10c has a tendency to continue to unfold.

[0198] Reference Fig. 20 As shown, the second damping structure 520 includes a damping swing arm 521 and a damping assembly 522. The damping swing arm 521 is connected between the main shaft 100 and the connecting plate 210. Usually, one end of the damping swing arm 521 facing the main shaft 100 is rotatably connected to the main shaft 100, and one end of the damping swing arm 521 facing the connecting plate 210 slides along the connecting plate 210. The damping assembly 522 is located in the area where the connecting plate 210 is located, and the damping assembly 522 abuts against the damping swing arm 521. As the damping swing arm 521 slides along the connecting plate 210, the damping swing arm 521 squeezes the damping assembly 522, so that the damping assembly 522 generates a damping force in the area where the connecting plate 210 is located, providing another part of the damping force required by the rotating shaft mechanism 10c.

[0199] It can be understood that, for a group of second damping structures 520, a group of second damping structures 520 includes two second damping structures 520, the first ends of the damping swing arms 521 of the two second damping structures 520 are both rotatably connected to the main shaft 100, the second ends of the damping swing arms 521 of the two second damping structures 520 slide along the connecting plates 210 on both sides of the main shaft 100 respectively, the damping components 522 of the two second damping structures 520 are respectively located on the connecting plates 210 on both sides of the main shaft 100, and the two damping components 522 are respectively abutted against the damping swing arms 521 on the corresponding sides. During the movement of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c, the damping swing arms 521 on both sides of the main shaft 100 rotate synchronously and in opposite directions, driving the damping components 522 on both sides of the main shaft 100 to deform synchronously, so as to provide the same damping force on both sides of the main shaft 100 and ensure the force balance of the rotating shaft mechanism 10c.

[0200] As for the connection between the damping swing arm 521 and the main shaft 100 and the connecting plate 210, for example, a fourth arc groove 170 may be provided on the main shaft 100 (see Figure 8 As shown), the connecting plate 210 may further be provided with a fourth sliding groove 215, and the damping swing arm 521 may include a fourth arc-shaped sliding portion 5211 (see Figure 7 The fourth arc-shaped sliding portion 5211 and the second slide plate portion 5212 may be an integrally formed structure. The fourth arc-shaped sliding portion 5211 of the damping swing arm 521 extends into the fourth arc-shaped groove 170 of the main shaft 100 and slides along the fourth arc-shaped groove 170 to enable the damping swing arm 521 to rotate around the main shaft 100. The second slide plate portion 5212 of the damping swing arm 521 is located in the fourth slide groove 215 on the connecting plate 210, and the second slide plate portion 5212 slides along the fourth slide groove 215.

[0201] The damping assembly 522 located in the area where the connecting plate 210 is located can abut against the second slide portion 5212 of the damping swing arm 521. As the connecting plate 210 rotates relative to the main shaft 100, the second slide portion 5212 of the damping swing arm 521 slides along the fourth slide groove 215 of the connecting plate 210, and the damping swing arm 521 squeezes the damping assembly 522 and can change the compression amount of the damping assembly 522. The damping assembly 522 produces elastic deformation to provide damping force for the rotating shaft.

[0202] Continue to refer to Fig. 20As an implementation mode, a mounting groove 52121 may be provided on the second slide plate portion 5212 of the damping swing arm 521, and an avoidance opening (not shown in the figure) may be provided on the end of the second slide plate portion 5212 facing the main shaft 100, and the damping component 522 is clamped in the mounting groove 52121, and the side of the damping component 522 facing away from the main shaft 100 is abutted against the inner side wall of the mounting groove 52121, and the side of the damping component 522 facing the main shaft 100 can pass through the avoidance opening of the damping swing arm 521 and abut against the side wall of the main shaft 100. As the connecting plate 210 moves relative to the main shaft 100, the damping swing arm 521 rotates around the main shaft 100, and the damping component 522 is pressed against one end of the main shaft 100 and slides along the side wall of the main shaft 100. The side wall of the main shaft 100 squeezes the damping component 522, causing the damping component 522 to produce elastic deformation in the width direction of the main shaft 100 to change the damping force provided by the damping component 522.

[0203] The damping assembly 522 may include a bracket assembly 5221 and an elastic member 5222. The bracket assembly 5221 is disposed close to the spindle 100. One end of the bracket assembly 5221 facing the spindle 100 passes through the avoidance opening of the damping swing arm 521 and abuts against the side wall of the spindle 100. The elastic member 5222 may extend along the width direction of the spindle 100. One end of the elastic member 5222 abuts against the bracket assembly 5221, and the other end of the elastic member 5222 abuts against the inner side wall of the mounting groove 52121 away from the spindle 100. As the damping swing arm 521 rotates around the spindle 100, the bracket assembly 5221 slides along the side wall of the spindle 100, and the two ends of the elastic member 5222 are squeezed by the bracket assembly 5221 and the inner side wall of the mounting groove 52121, so that the elastic member 5222 is elastically deformed.

[0204] Exemplarily, depending on the damping force required by the rotating shaft mechanism 10c, the damping assembly 522 may include only one elastic member 5222, or the damping assembly 522 may include more than two elastic members 5222, and each elastic member 5222 is, for example, spaced apart along the width direction of the connecting plate 210.

[0205] The bracket assembly 5221 may include a bracket body 52211 and a roller 52212. The bracket body 52211 is provided with a fixed shaft on the side facing the main shaft 100. The fixed shaft, for example, extends along the length direction of the main shaft 100. The roller 52212 is sleeved on the fixed shaft. The roller 52212 can rotate around the fixed shaft, and the outer wall surface of the roller 52212 abuts against the side wall of the main shaft 100. The elastic member 5222 can be abutted between the bracket body 52211 and the inner side wall of the side of the mounting groove 52121 away from the main shaft 100. In this way, when the bracket assembly 5221 slides along the side wall of the main shaft 100, the roller 52212 can roll on the side wall of the main shaft 100, which can reduce the friction between the bracket assembly 5221 and the main shaft 100, so that the connection plate 210 moves more smoothly.

[0206] In other embodiments, the damping assembly 522 may also be installed on the connecting plate 210, and the position of the damping assembly 522 relative to the connecting plate 210 remains fixed. For example, the damping assembly 522 may be installed on one side of the second slide plate portion 5212 of the damping swing arm 521, and the damping assembly 522 abuts against the side wall of the corresponding side of the second slide plate portion 5212. Alternatively, the damping assembly 522 may be installed on both sides of the second slide plate portion 5212 of the damping swing arm 521, and the damping assemblies 522 on both sides abut against the side walls of the second slide plate portion 5212. As the second slide plate portion 5212 of the damping swing arm 521 slides along the fourth slide groove 215 of the connecting plate 210, different parts of the second slide plate portion 5212 squeeze the damping assembly 522, and the compression amount of the damping assembly 522 may be changed, so that the damping assembly 522 generates elastic deformation along the length direction of the connecting plate 210.

[0207] Among them, the first arc groove 150 on the aforementioned main shaft 100 for accommodating the main swing arm 310, the third arc groove 160 for accommodating the auxiliary swing arm 320, the fourth arc groove 170 for accommodating the damping swing arm 521 of the second damping structure 520, and the mounting hole 180 on the main shaft 100 for installing the rotating shaft of the synchronous swing arm 410, and the mounting hole 180 on the main shaft 100 for installing the support shaft 511 of the first damping structure 510 can all be surrounded by the cover plate 100b and the support beam 100a.

[0208] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0209] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the description and claims of the embodiments of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

Claims

1. A hinge mechanism, applied to a foldable electronic device, characterized in that: The rotating shaft mechanism comprises: A main shaft, comprising a support beam and at least one cover plate, wherein the cover plate is connected to one side surface of the support beam in a thickness direction; Connecting components, located on both sides of the main axis in the width direction; A motion component, movably connected between the main shaft and the connecting component; Wherein, the support beam has a plurality of reinforcing parts, and the reinforcing parts protrude from a side surface of the support beam facing the cover plate; at least one of the cover plates is provided with an escape opening, the reinforcing parts extend into the escape opening, and the reinforcing parts are connected to the side walls of the escape opening.

2. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reinforcing portion is arranged on both side edges of the support beam in the width direction, and the avoidance opening is a avoidance notch opened on both side edges of the cover plate in the width direction.

3. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple cover plates, and each of the cover plates is arranged in sequence along the length direction of the support beam; wherein, at least some of the cover plates are provided with the avoidance opening.

4. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: Each of the cover plates is provided with the avoidance opening.

5. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The cover plate is located on a side surface of the support beam facing away from the folding screen.

6. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The reinforcement portion is welded to the side wall of the escape opening.

7. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first side wall of the reinforcement part is welded to the corresponding side wall of the avoidance opening, and the second side wall of at least one end of the reinforcement part is welded to the corresponding side wall of the avoidance opening; The first side wall of the reinforcing portion is a side wall of the reinforcing portion facing the central axis of the support beam, and the second side wall of the reinforcing portion is side walls at both ends of the reinforcing portion along the length direction of the support beam.

8. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The reinforcement portion extends linearly along the length direction of the support beam.

9. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The thickness between the side surface of the support beam facing away from the cover plate and the top end surface of the reinforcement portion is 2.0 mm-2.5 mm; wherein the top end surface of the reinforcement portion is the end surface of the reinforcement portion facing away from the support beam.

10. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 9, characterized in that: The protrusion height of the reinforcement portion in the thickness direction of the main shaft is 0.5mm-0.8mm.

11. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The top end surface of the reinforcement portion is located between the plane where the surface of the support beam on one side facing the cover plate is located and the plane where the support surface of the cover plate is located; wherein the support surface of the cover plate is the surface on both sides of the cover plate in the width direction and is used to support the decorative panel.

12. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 11, characterized in that: The cover plate is provided with an expansion slot, and the expansion slot is arranged around the outer periphery of the avoidance opening.

13. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 12, characterized in that: The bottom of the expansion slot is flush with the top end surface of the reinforcement portion, or the bottom of the expansion slot is located between the top end surface of the reinforcement portion and the supporting surface of the cover plate.

14. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The connection component comprises: A connecting plate is movably connected to both sides of the main shaft in the width direction.

15. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 14, characterized in that: The connection component also includes: An adapter plate is located between the connecting plate and the main shaft and is connected to the motion component.

16. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 14, characterized in that: The motion components include: A main swing arm, one end of which is slidably and rotatably connected to the main shaft, and the other end of which is slidably and rotatably connected to the connecting plate; A secondary swing arm, one end of the secondary swing arm is slidably and rotatably connected to the main shaft, and the other end of the secondary swing arm is slidably connected to the connecting plate.

17. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Also included is a synchronization structure, the synchronization structure comprising: Two synchronous swing arms; the first ends of the two synchronous swing arms are respectively rotatably connected to the two sides of the width direction of the main shaft, and rotate synchronously and in opposite directions; the second ends of the two synchronous swing arms are respectively slidably connected to the connecting components on both sides of the main shaft.

18. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 17, characterized in that: The first ends of the two synchronous swing arms are each provided with a synchronous gear, and the two synchronous gears are meshed with each other.

19. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Also included is at least one first damping structure, wherein the first damping structure comprises: Two support shafts, the two support shafts are arranged at intervals along the width direction of the main shaft; Two driving members; the two driving members are respectively sleeved on the two supporting shafts and rotate synchronously and in opposite directions; The elastic component is sleeved on the two supporting shafts and abuts against the two driving members. The driving members rotate and squeeze the elastic component to drive the elastic component to deform.

20. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Also included is at least one group of second damping structures, each group of the second damping structures comprising: Two damping swing arms; the first ends of the two damping swing arms are respectively rotatably connected to the main shaft, and the second ends of the two damping swing arms are respectively slidably connected to the connecting components on both sides of the main shaft; Two damping components are respectively located on the connecting components on both sides of the main shaft and abut against the corresponding damping swing arms. The damping swing arms slide and squeeze the damping components to drive the damping components to deform.

21. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: When the foldable electronic device is in a folded state, the folding screen is arranged outside the connecting components on both sides of the main axis.

22. A foldable electronic device, characterized in that: It comprises a first shell, a second shell, a folding screen and a hinge mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 21; The connecting components on both sides of the hinge mechanism are respectively connected to the first shell and the second shell, the folding screen is mounted on the first shell and the second shell, and the folding screen is supported by the hinge mechanism.

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