Shell assembly, control method thereof and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of electronic equipment, and particularly provides a shell assembly, a control method thereof and electronic equipment. A shell assembly comprises a substrate and at least one prism unit distributed on the substrate, each prism unit comprises an electrode and a liquid packaged in a hydrophobic material, the liquid comprises a conductive salt solution, and under the action of voltage applied by the electrode, the wettability of the salt solution and the hydrophobic material is changed, so that the hydrophobic material and the electrode are separated from each other. Therefore, the refraction angle of light on the liquid level of the salt solution is changed. According to the embodiment of the invention, the prism unit based on the electrowetting effect is arranged in the shell assembly, the liquid level refraction angle of the prism unit is changed, under the condition that the shell assembly does not generate any active light, rich colors are generated by utilizing the reflection and refraction effect of light, and the appearance effect of the electronic equipment is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of electronic equipment, and in particular to a housing assembly and a control method thereof, and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] With the development of electronic devices, people are pursuing the functional experience of electronic devices while also putting forward higher requirements for the appearance of electronic devices. Take smartphones as an example. As the front of smartphones is occupied by the screen, the back cover of the phone has become the focus of different manufacturers to differentiate the appearance of the device.

[0003] In the related art, the back cover of the electronic device is generally made of glass or metal, and the back cover has a single color, resulting in a poor appearance of the device. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to improve the color effect of a shell component of an electronic device, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a shell component based on the electrowetting effect, an electronic device having the shell component, and a control method of the shell component.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a housing component based on the electrowetting effect.

[0006] It comprises a substrate, and at least one prism unit distributed and arranged on the substrate;

[0007] The prism unit includes electrodes and liquid encapsulated in a hydrophobic material, the liquid includes a conductive salt solution, and when a voltage is applied by the electrodes, the wettability of the salt solution and the hydrophobic material changes to change the refraction angle of light on the surface of the salt solution.

[0008] In some embodiments, the substrate includes a first substrate, a second substrate and a prism layer, the prism layer is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the at least one prism unit is distributed in the prism layer.

[0009] In some embodiments, there are multiple prism units, and the multiple prism units are distributed in the prism layer in a grid shape.

[0010] In some embodiments, the prism layer includes a first packaging plate and a second packaging plate, the prism unit is arranged between the first packaging plate and the second packaging plate, the hydrophobic material and the first packaging plate and the second packaging plate are enclosed to form a cavity for filling the liquid, and the electrode is arranged on the outside of the hydrophobic material.

[0011] In some embodiments, the liquid further comprises a non-conductive oily liquid, and the oily liquid is immiscible with the salt solution;

[0012] When the wettability of the salt solution and the hydrophobic material changes, the interface angle between the salt solution and the oily liquid changes to change the refraction angle of light passing through the salt solution.

[0013] In some embodiments, the density difference between the salt solution and the oily liquid is less than a preset value;

[0014] and / or,

[0015] The salt solution and the oily liquid are transparent liquids.

[0016] In some embodiments, an electrode layer is further included, wherein the electrode layer is disposed on the first substrate and / or the second substrate, and the electrode layer is electrically connected to the electrodes of the prism unit.

[0017] In a second aspect, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for controlling a housing assembly, wherein the housing assembly includes the housing assembly according to any embodiment of the first aspect, and the method includes:

[0018] In response to detecting a control instruction for the housing assembly, a control voltage is applied to the electrodes of the prism unit according to the control instruction to change the refraction angle of light on the salt solution surface of the prism unit.

[0019] In some embodiments, in response to detecting a control instruction for the housing assembly, applying a control voltage to the electrode of the prism unit according to the control instruction comprises:

[0020] When a first control instruction for turning on the color-changing switch of the housing assembly is detected, a dynamically changing control voltage is applied to the electrode of each prism unit at a preset frequency.

[0021] In some embodiments, in response to detecting a control instruction for the housing assembly, applying a control voltage to the electrode of the prism unit according to the control instruction comprises:

[0022] In the case of detecting a second control instruction in which a user selects a color of the shell component, determining a target prism voltage corresponding to the second control instruction according to a preset first correspondence relationship between the control instruction and the prism voltage;

[0023] Based on the target prism voltage, an electrode voltage of each of the prism units is controlled.

[0024] In some embodiments, in response to detecting a control instruction for the housing assembly, applying a control voltage to the electrode of the prism unit according to the control instruction comprises:

[0025] When a preset trigger event is detected, determining a target prism voltage corresponding to the preset trigger event according to a preset second correspondence relationship between the trigger event and the prism voltage;

[0026] Based on the target prism voltage, an electrode voltage of each of the prism units is controlled.

[0027] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides an electronic device, comprising

[0028] The housing assembly according to any embodiment of the first aspect;

[0029] The controller comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions are used to enable the processor to execute the method according to any embodiment of the second aspect.

[0030] The housing component of the disclosed embodiment includes a substrate and at least one prism unit distributed on the substrate, the prism unit includes an electrode and a liquid encapsulated in a hydrophobic material, the liquid includes a conductive salt solution, and under the action of a voltage applied by the electrode, the wettability of the salt solution and the hydrophobic material changes to change the refraction angle of light on the surface of the salt solution. In the disclosed embodiment, a prism unit based on the electrowetting effect is provided in the housing component, and by changing the refraction angle of the liquid surface of the prism unit, rich colors are generated by using the reflection and refraction effect of light without generating any active light by the housing component itself, thereby improving the appearance of the electronic device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a shell assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of a shell assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a shell assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of the shell assembly in some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 5It is a schematic structural diagram of a shell assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a housing assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a control method of a housing assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 8 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a housing assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0040] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a control method of a housing assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a housing assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0042] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of a control method of a housing assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0043] Fig.12 It is a structural block diagram of an electronic device according to some implementations of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The technical solution of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described implementation is a part of the implementation of the present disclosure, rather than all the implementations. Based on the implementation in the present disclosure, all other implementations obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In addition, the technical features involved in the different implementations of the present disclosure described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0045] With the development of electronic devices, people are pursuing the functional experience of electronic devices while also putting forward higher requirements for the appearance of electronic devices. Take smartphones as an example. As the front of smartphones is occupied by the screen, the back cover of the phone has become the focus of different manufacturers to differentiate the appearance of the device.

[0046] In the related art, the back cover of the electronic device is generally made of glass or metal, and the color of the back cover is mainly achieved by adding colored materials to the back cover structure. The color of the back cover is relatively single, resulting in a poor appearance of the device.

[0047] In order to enrich the color of electronic device shells, some electronic devices use electrochromic materials as the shell appearance part. Electrochromic materials can change color when powered, so as to achieve the color change of the shell appearance. However, electrochromic materials change color slowly, and there are fewer types of materials, fewer colors that can change, and the high cost of materials leads to an increase in the cost of electronic devices. Therefore, it is difficult to apply them in consumer electronic devices.

[0048] Based on this, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a shell component and a control method thereof, and an electronic device, which aim to change the reflection and refraction effects of the shell component based on the electrowetting effect. When the shell component itself does not generate any active light, the reflection and refraction effects of light are used to produce rich colors, thereby improving the appearance of the electronic device.

[0049] Electrowetting (EW) is a phenomenon that changes the contact angle between the liquid and the substrate by applying voltage to change the wettability of the liquid on the hydrophobic substrate, causing the liquid to deform and displace. At present, electrowetting technology is mainly used in the display field, such as the electronic ink screen based on electrowetting technology. Its basic principle is to use colored ink as pixel points, and change the surface tension of the ink by applying voltage to cause the ink to displace. When the ink moves to the side of the pixel, a white pixel can be displayed. When the ink moves to the pixel area, a black pixel can be displayed. In this way, the pixel point changes between colored and white to realize the display of the image.

[0050] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, one or more prism units based on the electrowetting effect can be arranged on the shell component, and the contact angle between the liquid and the hydrophobic material can be adjusted by changing the applied voltage, thereby changing the refraction angle of the liquid surface. Combined with the principles of reflection and refraction of light, the color of the shell component can be changed without actively emitting any light.

[0051] In some embodiments, the housing assembly described in the present disclosure can be applied to electronic devices as a housing structure of the electronic device. For example, in one example, the electronic device is a smartphone, and the housing assembly can be used as a back cover or front panel of the smartphone; in another example, the electronic device is a smart watch, and the housing assembly can be used as a bottom shell or frame of the smart watch.

[0052] In summary, the housing assembly of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be used as the entire or partial housing structure of any electronic device, which can be understood by those skilled in the art and will not be elaborated in the present disclosure.

[0053] In some embodiments, the housing assembly in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include a substrate and one or more prism units distributed on the substrate.

[0054] The substrate refers to the base of the housing component, which is generally a plate-like structure, and the material of the substrate may be, for example, high silicate glass, plastic, etc. The prism unit refers to a prism structure with adjustable reflection / refraction angles designed based on the electrowetting principle in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] Based on the principle of light dispersion, visible light is composed of light of multiple different wavelengths and colors. Different colors of light have different wavelengths. Therefore, when visible light passes through a prism, the refraction angles of different colors of light are different, and thus it will be dispersed into a multi-color spectrum similar to a rainbow.

[0056] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the prism unit includes an electrode and a liquid encapsulated in a hydrophobic material. The liquid contacts the hydrophobic material, but the liquid does not wet the hydrophobic material. Therefore, a certain angle is generated at the position where the liquid contacts the hydrophobic material, and the angle is the contact angle.

[0057] The function of the electrode is to apply voltage to the liquid and the hydrophobic material. Under the action of the electrode voltage, the wettability of the liquid and the hydrophobic material will increase, so that the liquid will wet the hydrophobic material. At this time, the contact angle between the liquid and the hydrophobic material gradually changes, so that the liquid surface refraction angle of the liquid changes.

[0058] According to the principle of light refraction, when liquid is used as a prism, the refraction angle of the liquid surface changes. When light enters another medium from the liquid, the refraction angle of the light will change. Therefore, the color of the light entering the human eye after dispersion will also change, thereby achieving color changes of the shell component.

[0059] From the above, it can be seen that in the embodiment of the present disclosure, a prism unit based on the electrowetting effect is provided in the shell component, and by changing the liquid surface refraction angle of the prism unit, rich colors are produced by utilizing the reflection and refraction effects of light without generating any active light by the shell component itself, thereby improving the appearance of the electronic device.

[0060] Figures 1 to 4 The housing components in some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown below. Figures 1 to 4 The structure and principle of the housing assembly according to the embodiment of the present disclosure are described.

[0061] like Figure 1 As shown, the left side is a schematic diagram of the stacked structure of the shell assembly of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the right side is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the shell assembly of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0062] exist Figure 1 In an exemplary embodiment, the substrate of the housing assembly includes a first substrate 110 , a second substrate 120 , and a prism layer 200 . The prism layer 200 is stacked between the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 .

[0063] The first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 may be, for example, a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, etc., and the present disclosure does not limit this. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, since it is necessary to apply voltage to the electrodes of the prism unit, corresponding circuit traces may also be provided on the first substrate 110 and / or the second substrate 120. For example, when the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 are glass substrates, an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) layer may be provided on the first substrate 110 and / or the second substrate 120. The ITO layer may be provided on the surface of the glass substrate by magnetron sputtering or electroplating, and the ITO layer may be used as a wire to connect the electrodes of each prism unit.

[0064] At least one prism unit is distributed on the prism layer 200. For example, in some embodiments, a plurality of prism units may be distributed in a grid pattern on the prism layer 200. In some embodiments, the structure of the prism layer 200 may be as follows: Figure 2 As shown below, combined Figure 2 Provide explanation.

[0065] exist Figure 2 In the example, the left side is a schematic diagram of the stacked structure of the prism layer 200, and the right side is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the prism layer 200. Figure 2 As shown, the prism layer includes a first packaging board 210 , a second packaging board 220 and a prism unit layer 230 .

[0066] The prism unit layer 230 is arranged between the first packaging plate 210 and the second packaging plate 220. The function of the first packaging plate 210 and the second packaging plate 220 is to form an upper and lower packaging structure for the prism unit layer 230. The first packaging plate 210 and the second packaging plate 220 can be, for example, a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, etc., and the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0067] like Figure 2 As shown, the prism unit layer 230 includes a plurality of prism units distributed in a grid shape. The prism units may be evenly arranged in a matrix on the prism unit layer 230 or may be arranged in other ways. Figure 2 This is only an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure and does not limit the present disclosure. Figure 3 The cross-sectional structure of a prism unit is shown below. Figure 3 The structure and principle of the prism unit of the example of the present disclosure are explained.

[0068] like Figure 3As shown, the upper and lower surfaces of the prism unit are the first packaging plate 210 and the second packaging plate 220, the outer layer of the side wall is the electrode 231, and the inner cavity is the hydrophobic layer 232. The electrode 231 is a substrate structure made of a conductive metal material, and the hydrophobic layer 232 is a substrate structure made of a strong hydrophobic material. In one example, the hydrophobic layer 232 can be realized by coating fluoride.

[0069] It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the hydrophobic layer 232, the first packaging plate 210 and the second packaging plate 220 enclose a cavity structure, and the shape of the cavity can be a cube, a cylinder, or any other shape suitable for implementation, and the present disclosure does not limit this. Figure 3 In the example, the cavity structure is in a cubic shape, the upper and lower surfaces of the cavity structure are formed by the first packaging plate 210 and the second packaging plate 220 , and the side surfaces are formed by the electrode 231 and the hydrophobic layer 232 .

[0070] The cavity structure is filled with liquid. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 3 As shown, the liquid filled in the cavity includes a conductive salt solution and a non-conductive oily liquid. The wettability between the salt solution and the hydrophobic layer 232 can be changed by applying a voltage to the electrode 231, and the role of the oily liquid is to fill the remaining cavity space, and the wettability between the oily liquid and the hydrophobic layer 232 is not affected by the voltage applied by the electrode 231.

[0071] As is known to all, due to the immiscibility of the oil phase and the water phase, after the cavity is filled with salt solution and oily liquid, the salt solution and the oily liquid will show obvious stratification, e.g. Figure 3 Example of the layering effect of oil on water.

[0072] In some embodiments, a salt solution and an oily liquid having the same or similar density may be preferably selected, so that during the flipping of the shell assembly, the oily liquid and the salt solution will not be affected by gravity and change.

[0073] For example, in a scenario, if the density of the oily liquid is much smaller than that of the salt solution, Figure 3 In the example scenario, a stratified phenomenon of "oil on top and water below" may occur. If the shell assembly is flipped over at this time, the oily liquid will be located in the lower layer of the salt solution. Due to the influence of gravity, the oily liquid will float back to the upper layer of the solution. During the floating process, the electrowettability of the salt solution is difficult to accurately control.

[0074] Therefore, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is preferred that the salt solution and the oily liquid have a density difference less than a preset value. Since the densities of the two are the same or close, the stratification of the two will not be affected by gravity and will not be affected by the flipping of the shell assembly.

[0075] Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented when there is a density difference between the two liquids. It is only necessary to wait for the two liquids to re-appear clearly stratified after the shell assembly is flipped. The present disclosure does not limit this.

[0076] Moreover, it is worth emphasizing that the prism unit of the embodiment of the present disclosure is completely different from the traditional electrowetting technology used in the display field.

[0077] According to the above, the basic principle of the electrowetting technology used in electronic ink screens, for example, is to control the displacement of colored ink in the pixel cavity. For example, when the ink covers the pixel area, the pixel point displays black. When the ink is controlled to move next to the pixel, the pixel point displays the white base at the bottom, so that the pixel point displays white. In other words, the electrowetting technology used in the display field is to control the displacement of liquid in the pixel cavity. A certain gap needs to be retained in the pixel cavity to allow the liquid to move.

[0078] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the entire cavity space is filled with oily liquid, that is, there is no gap in the cavity. The purpose of applying voltage through electrode 231 is not to control the displacement of the salt solution, but to change the liquid surface refraction angle of the interface between the salt solution and the oily liquid, so that it produces color changes through the principle of light dispersion. The principle of light refraction is used, which is completely different from the principle of electronic ink screen in the display field mentioned above. The traditional electrowetting technology of electronic ink screen does not directly have the technical inspiration for realizing the prism effect of the present disclosure, but is the improvement result of the inventor's creative labor. For ease of understanding, the following is a schematic diagram of the present invention. Figure 3 The working principle of the prism unit of the present disclosure is explained by way of example.

[0079] like Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the electrode 231 is not energized, the salt solution will not wet the hydrophobic layer 232, so that the interface between the salt solution and the oily liquid is as shown in FIG. Figure 3 The arc shown in FIG. 1 is a shape of a circle. At this time, the contact angles between the left and right sides of the salt solution and the hydrophobic layer 232 are θ 1 and θ 2 , the initial contact angle θ 1 and θ 2 The size of is affected by the surface tension of the two liquids. Assume that the light passes from the salt solution through the midpoint of the interface and enters the oily liquid. At this time, the angle of incidence is α 1 , the exit angle is α 2 , angle of incidence α 1 and the exit angle is α 2 The size of is affected by the refractive index of the two liquids.

[0080] In one example, as the voltage applied to the electrode 231 increases, the wettability of the salt solution and the hydrophobic layer 232 gradually increases, so that the salt solution gradually wets the hydrophobic layer 232. Under the change of the surface tension of the salt solution, the salt solution pushes the oily liquid, so that the interface shape of the two liquids changes. Figure 4 As shown in (a), as the voltage applied to the electrode 231 increases, the contact angle gradually changes from θ 1 Increase to θ 1a The relationship between the contact angle θ between the salt solution and the hydrophobic layer 232 and the voltage U applied to the electrode 231 can be expressed as:

[0081]

[0082] In formula (1), θ 0 represents the initial contact angle, θ represents the contact angle after power is applied, and ε 0 and ε r represents the relative dielectric constant of the vacuum and the dielectric constant of the dielectric layer, d H represents the thickness of the electrode layer, and U represents the voltage applied to the electrode 231.

[0083] In yet another example, as the electrode 231 continues to increase the voltage, the wettability of the salt solution with the hydrophobic layer 232 continues to increase, so that the salt solution further wets the hydrophobic layer 232, for example Figure 4 As shown in (b), as the voltage applied to the electrode 231 increases, the contact angle gradually changes from θ 1a Increase to θ 1b , and the interface also changes from the original convex shape to a concave shape.

[0084] Understandably, Figure 4 In the embodiments shown in (a) and (b), the voltage applied to the left and right sides of the electrode 231 is the same, so the wettability changes on the left and right sides remain consistent. In other embodiments, the electrode 231 can apply different voltages at different positions, so as to control the wettability of the salt solution and the hydrophobic layer 232 at different positions to be different.

[0085] For example Figure 4 As shown in (c), a high voltage can be applied to the left electrode 231 and a low voltage can be applied to the right electrode 231, so that the wettability of the salt solution on the left and right sides with the hydrophobic layer 232 is different, and the contact angle on the left side changes to θ 1c , the contact angle on the right changes to θ 2c Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that the interface between the salt solution and the oily liquid can also be controlled to present other shapes by changing the voltage applied by the electrode 231, and this will not be described in detail in the present disclosure.

[0086] The Disclosure Figure 4In the example, because the liquid surface angle of the interface changes, the liquid surface refraction angle of the light from the salt solution through the interface into the oily liquid will also change. Figure 4 Take (c) as an example, compare Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the scene shown in (c), it can be seen that as the interface changes, the refraction angle of the liquid surface of the salt solution and the oily liquid also changes.

[0087] According to the principle of light refraction, when visible light is refracted through a prism, different degrees of dispersion will occur due to the different refractive indices of light of different wavelengths. Figure 3 Changes to Figure 4 During the process of the scene shown in (c), the refraction angle of the light changes, so the color of the light entering the human eye after refraction by the prism also changes, showing different color changes. Moreover, the prism unit of the embodiment of the present disclosure does not generate any active light, but only relies on the reflection and refraction principles of light to achieve color changes.

[0088] In some embodiments, to ensure that the shell assembly can produce multiple colors, the first substrate 110, the second substrate 120, the first packaging plate 210, the second packaging plate 220 of the prism layer 200, and the salt solution and the oily liquid of the shell assembly can all be made of transparent materials.

[0089] In some embodiments, the salt solution and the oily liquid can be two liquids with similar densities but different refractive indices. For example, in one example, the refractive index of the salt solution is 1.33 and the density is 1 kg / L. Therefore, the oily liquid can be methyl silicone oil with a density of 960 g / L, which is close to the density of the salt solution, but the refractive index is 1.65.

[0090] The above only takes one prism unit as an example to illustrate the color change principle of the shell assembly. For the multiple prism units included in the prism layer, the working principle is the same. It only needs to control each prism unit to work separately to achieve the color change of the entire shell assembly. This disclosure will not go into details.

[0091] From the above, it can be seen that in the embodiment of the present disclosure, a prism unit based on the electrowetting effect is provided in the shell component, and by changing the liquid surface refraction angle of the prism unit, rich colors are produced by utilizing the reflection and refraction effects of light without generating any active light by the shell component itself, thereby improving the appearance of the electronic device.

[0092] The housing assembly of the above-mentioned embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to the housing structure of an electronic device. For example, in some embodiments, the electronic device is a smart phone, and the housing structure of the smart phone can be as follows: Figure 5 shown.

[0093] exist Figure 5 In the example, the shell structure of the smart phone includes a back plate 310 and a middle frame 320 . The shell assembly of the example disclosed in the present invention can serve as the back plate 310 , or as the middle frame 320 , or as both the back plate 310 and the middle frame 320 .

[0094] In addition, it can be understood that the housing assembly of the example of the present disclosure can be used only for a part of the back plate 310 and / or the middle frame 320 to achieve a local color change effect, or can be used for the entire area of ​​the back plate 310 and / or the middle frame 320 to achieve a color change effect in the entire area. Those skilled in the art can undoubtedly understand this, and the present disclosure will not elaborate on it.

[0095] Based on the shell assembly of the above-mentioned embodiment, the present disclosure provides a control method of the shell assembly, which can control the prism unit of the shell assembly to achieve a color changing effect of the shell assembly, which is explained below.

[0096] The control method of the housing assembly provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to the aforementioned electronic device, and the processing is performed by the processor of the electronic device. Figure 5 Taking a smartphone as an example, the processor is the processor of the smartphone. The control method of the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below using the smartphone as an example.

[0097] like Figure 6 As shown, in some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a method for controlling a housing assembly, comprising:

[0098] S610: Detect control instructions for the housing assembly.

[0099] S620: Apply a control voltage to the electrodes of the prism unit of the housing assembly according to the control instruction to change the liquid surface refraction angle of the liquid in the prism unit.

[0100] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic device may provide a control interface for the housing component. For example, in some embodiments, the electronic device is a smartphone, for example. The smartphone may output a display control interface through a display module, and the user may control the housing component through the control interface. For example, in other embodiments, the electronic device may provide virtual or physical buttons, and the user may control the housing component through the buttons. Of course, there are many other ways to control the housing component, and the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0101] When the user operates the control interface or control button for the shell component, the electronic device can detect the corresponding control instruction, and then control one or more prism units of the shell component according to the control instruction. Specifically, the electrode 231 of the prism unit can be controlled to apply voltage, thereby adjusting the liquid surface refraction angle of the prism unit, thereby realizing color change control of the shell component.

[0102] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the control of the shell assembly may include multiple methods. The following will take a smartphone as an example and combine some specific application scenarios to illustrate the control method process of the present disclosure.

[0103] In some implementations, the process of controlling the prism unit according to the control instruction includes:

[0104] When a first control instruction for turning on the color-changing switch of the housing assembly is detected, a dynamically changing control voltage is applied to the electrodes of each prism unit at a preset frequency.

[0105] In the disclosed example, the electronic device can output a display through the display module, such as Figure 7 The control interface shown may provide a color-changing switch for turning on the color-changing effect of the shell component, and the user may choose whether to turn on the color-changing switch.

[0106] In an exemplary embodiment, when the user clicks the "on" option, the electronic device can detect the user's first control instruction to turn on the color changing switch, thereby applying a dynamically changing control voltage to the electrode 231 of each prism unit at a preset frequency for one or more prism units included in the shell assembly.

[0107] It can be understood that since the electrode 231 of each prism unit continuously applies a dynamically changing voltage, combined with the above-mentioned principle, the liquid surface refraction angle of each prism unit is also constantly in a dynamically changing state, so that the color of the refracted light continues to change, and the color change effect of the shell component observed by the user is a flickering state, and the flickering frequency is related to the preset frequency.

[0108] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the value of the preset frequency can be selected according to the specific scene requirements, and the present disclosure does not limit this. The dynamically changing voltage applied by the electrodes of the prism unit can be, for example, a sinusoidal voltage, and the present disclosure also does not limit this.

[0109] It can be seen from the above that in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the user can independently choose whether to turn on the color change effect of the shell component, and when the color change switch is turned on, a flashing color change effect is presented to improve the appearance of the shell component.

[0110] like Figure 8As shown, in some embodiments, the process of controlling the prism unit according to the control instruction includes:

[0111] S810: When a second control instruction for selecting a color of a shell component by a user is detected, a target prism voltage corresponding to the second control instruction is determined according to a preset first correspondence relationship between the control instruction and the prism voltage.

[0112] S820. Control the electrode voltage of each prism unit based on the target prism voltage.

[0113] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device can output a display through a display module, such as Fig. 9 The control interface shown in the figure can provide a color card of the color change effect of the shell component, such as a circular color card or a color card option, and the user can select the color of the shell component by the circular color card or the color card option. When the user selects a color, the electronic device can detect the second control instruction of the color selected by the user.

[0114] In the example of the present disclosure, a first corresponding relationship can be established in advance between the control instruction for the user to select the color of the shell component and the prism voltage. The first corresponding relationship can be obtained by experimental means, and the present disclosure will not elaborate on this.

[0115] When the user selects a certain color, based on the second control instruction of the color selected by the user, the target prism voltage corresponding to the second control instruction can be determined from the first corresponding relationship, and the target prism voltage can be understood as the control voltage for controlling each prism unit of the housing assembly. Therefore, after determining the target prism voltage, the electrode 231 of each prism unit can be controlled according to the target prism voltage to output a corresponding voltage value, so that the housing assembly can present the color selected by the user.

[0116] It can be understood that the housing assembly of the embodiment of the present disclosure does not need to generate any active light, but realizes color change through the principle of reflection and refraction. In theory, any color display can be realized as long as the voltage is applied appropriately. Fig. 9 The example is a grayscale image, so no color is shown, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to Fig. 9 Example color range,

[0117] It can be seen from the above that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the user can independently select the color of the housing component to improve the user experience and appearance of the electronic device.

[0118] like Fig.10 As shown, in some embodiments, the process of controlling the prism unit according to the control instruction includes:

[0119] S1010. When a preset trigger event is detected, determine a target prism voltage corresponding to the preset trigger according to a second corresponding relationship between the preset trigger event and the prism voltage.

[0120] S1020 . Based on the target prism voltage, control the electrode voltage of each prism unit.

[0121] In the disclosed embodiment, a second correspondence may be established in advance between the color of the shell component and the triggering event of the electronic device. The second correspondence may be built into the electronic device or may be freely set by the user.

[0122] For example, in one example, the electronic device can output a display such as Fig.11 The control interface shown in Fig.11 In the example, the triggering events may include, for example, "WeChat notification", "SMS", "Incoming call" and other events, and the corresponding housing component color may be pre-set for each triggering event, for example, Fig.11 In the example, the shell component color corresponding to "WeChat notification" is blue, the shell component color corresponding to "text message" is yellow, and the shell component color corresponding to "incoming call" is red.

[0123] Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the triggering event is not limited to Fig.11 Examples may also be any other triggering event suitable for implementation, and the color of the housing component corresponding to the triggering event is not limited to Fig.11 Examples can be freely selected by users, and the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0124] In this example, when the electronic device detects a preset trigger event, it can determine the target color of the shell component corresponding to the preset trigger event based on a pre-established second correspondence relationship, and then based on the prism voltage corresponding to the target color, the electrode 231 of each prism unit can be controlled according to the prism voltage to output a corresponding voltage value, thereby making the shell component present a corresponding color.

[0125] For example Fig.11 In the example, when a call comes in to the electronic device, the electronic device can detect the "incoming call" trigger event, and control the electrode 231 of each prism unit of the shell component based on the prism voltage corresponding to the trigger time, so that it outputs a corresponding voltage value, thereby making the shell component appear red, and the user can know that there is an incoming call only by the color of the shell component.

[0126] From the above, it can be seen that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, different colors of the shell components can be set according to different trigger events, so that when a trigger event is detected, the shell component is automatically controlled to change color, which has the effect of information prompting and improves the user experience and appearance of the electronic device.

[0127] In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides an electronic device, including:

[0128] According to the housing assembly of any of the aforementioned embodiments, the housing assembly can be used as a housing structure of an electronic device;

[0129] The controller includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions are used to enable the processor to execute the control method of any of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0130] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic device can be any type of device suitable for implementation, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a wearable device, etc. The shell assembly can serve as the outer shell structure of the electronic device, and the controller can control the color change of the shell assembly by executing the aforementioned control method.

[0131] Fig.12 The electronic device structure in some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. Fig.12 Electronic devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are described.

[0132] Reference Fig.12 , the electronic device 1800 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 1802 , a memory 1804 , a power component 1806 , a multimedia component 1808 , an audio component 1810 , an input / output (I / O) interface 1812 , a sensor component 1816 , and a communication component 1818 .

[0133] The processing component 1802 generally controls the overall operation of the electronic device 1800, such as operations associated with display, phone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations. The processing component 1802 may include one or more processors 1820 to execute instructions. In addition, the processing component 1802 may include one or more modules to facilitate interaction between the processing component 1802 and other components. For example, the processing component 1802 may include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between the multimedia component 1808 and the processing component 1802. For another example, the processing component 1802 may read executable instructions from a memory to implement electronic device related functions.

[0134] The memory 1804 is configured to store various types of data to support operations on the electronic device 1800. Examples of such data include instructions for any application or method operating on the electronic device 1800, contact data, phone book data, messages, pictures, videos, etc. The memory 1804 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic disk or optical disk.

[0135] The power supply component 1806 provides power to the various components of the electronic device 1800. The power supply component 1806 may include a power management system, one or more power supplies, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power to the electronic device 1800.

[0136] The multimedia component 1808 includes a display screen that provides an output interface between the electronic device 1800 and the user. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 1808 includes a front camera and / or a rear camera. When the electronic device 1800 is in an operating mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode, the front camera and / or the rear camera can receive external multimedia data. Each front camera and rear camera can be a fixed optical lens system or have a focal length and optical zoom capability.

[0137] The audio component 1810 is configured to output and / or input audio signals. For example, the audio component 1810 includes a microphone (MIC), and when the electronic device 1800 is in an operation mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode, the microphone is configured to receive an external audio signal. The received audio signal can be further stored in the memory 1804 or sent via the communication component 1818. In some embodiments, the audio component 1810 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

[0138] I / O interface 1812 provides an interface between processing component 1802 and peripheral interface modules, such as keyboards, click wheels, buttons, etc. These buttons may include but are not limited to: home button, volume button, start button, and lock button.

[0139] The sensor assembly 1816 includes one or more sensors for providing various aspects of status assessment for the electronic device 1800. For example, the sensor assembly 1816 can detect the open / closed state of the electronic device 1800, the relative positioning of components, such as the display and keypad of the electronic device 1800, and the sensor assembly 1816 can also detect the position change of the electronic device 1800 or a component of the electronic device 1800, the presence or absence of user contact with the electronic device 1800, the orientation or acceleration / deceleration of the electronic device 1800, and the temperature change of the electronic device 1800. The sensor assembly 1816 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of a nearby object without any physical contact. The sensor assembly 1816 may also include an optical sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, the sensor assembly 1816 may also include an accelerometer, a gyroscope sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

[0140] The communication component 1818 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communication between the electronic device 1800 and other devices. The electronic device 1800 can access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as Wi-Fi, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G or 6G, or a combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 1818 receives a broadcast signal or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 1818 also includes a near field communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communication. For example, the NFC module can be implemented based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, infrared data association (IrDA) technology, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology and other technologies.

[0141] In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 1800 may be implemented by one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other electronic components.

[0142] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for the purpose of clear explanation, and are not intended to limit the embodiments. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the embodiments here. The obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A housing component based on the electrowetting effect, characterized in that: It comprises a substrate, and at least one prism unit distributed and arranged on the substrate; The prism unit includes electrodes and liquid encapsulated in a hydrophobic material, the liquid includes a conductive salt solution, and when a voltage is applied by the electrodes, the wettability of the salt solution and the hydrophobic material changes to change the refraction angle of light on the surface of the salt solution.

2. The housing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate comprises a first substrate, a second substrate and a prism layer, the prism layer is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the at least one prism unit is distributed in the prism layer.

3. The housing assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: There are multiple prism units, and the multiple prism units are distributed in the prism layer in a grid shape.

4. The housing assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The prism layer includes a first packaging plate and a second packaging plate, the prism unit is arranged between the first packaging plate and the second packaging plate, the hydrophobic material and the first packaging plate and the second packaging plate are enclosed to form a cavity for filling the liquid, and the electrode is arranged on the outside of the hydrophobic material.

5. The housing assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The liquid also includes a non-conductive oily liquid, and the oily liquid is incompatible with the salt solution; When the wettability of the salt solution and the hydrophobic material changes, the interface angle between the salt solution and the oily liquid changes to change the refraction angle of light passing through the salt solution.

6. The housing assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: The density difference between the salt solution and the oily liquid is less than a preset value; and / or, The salt solution and the oily liquid are transparent liquids.

7. The housing assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes an electrode layer, which is arranged on the first substrate and / or the second substrate, and the electrode layer is electrically connected to the electrodes of the prism unit.

8. A method for controlling a housing assembly, characterized in that: The housing assembly comprises the housing assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and the method comprises: In response to detecting a control instruction for the housing assembly, a control voltage is applied to the electrodes of the prism unit according to the control instruction to change the refraction angle of light on the salt solution surface of the prism unit.

9. The control method according to claim 8, characterized in that: In response to detecting a control instruction for the housing assembly, applying a control voltage to the electrode of the prism unit according to the control instruction comprises: When a first control instruction for turning on the color-changing switch of the housing assembly is detected, a dynamically changing control voltage is applied to the electrode of each prism unit at a preset frequency.

10. The control method according to claim 8, characterized in that: In response to detecting a control instruction for the housing assembly, applying a control voltage to the electrode of the prism unit according to the control instruction comprises: In the case of detecting a second control instruction in which a user selects a color of the shell component, determining a target prism voltage corresponding to the second control instruction according to a preset first correspondence relationship between the control instruction and the prism voltage; Based on the target prism voltage, an electrode voltage of each of the prism units is controlled.

11. The control method according to claim 8, characterized in that: In response to detecting a control instruction for the housing assembly, applying a control voltage to the electrode of the prism unit according to the control instruction comprises: When a preset trigger event is detected, determining a target prism voltage corresponding to the preset trigger event according to a preset second correspondence relationship between the trigger event and the prism voltage; Based on the target prism voltage, an electrode voltage of each of the prism units is controlled.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that: include The housing assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7; A controller comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions are used to enable the processor to execute the method according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

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