Hinge components and mobile terminals

Abstract

This invention discloses a hinge assembly and a mobile terminal. The hinge assembly includes a hinge bracket, a swing arm assembly, and two hovering assemblies. The swing arm assembly includes two movable swing arms arranged along the width direction of the hinge bracket. Each movable swing arm includes a first swing arm portion and a hinge portion. The hinge portion is connected to the end of the first swing arm portion that is away from the hinge bracket in the width direction. The two hovering assemblies are disposed in the hinge bracket and correspond to the two movable swing arms respectively. Each hovering assembly includes a hovering cam and an elastic element. The hovering cam has a first end and a second end opposite to each other. The first end has a groove with a convex surface inside. The first swing arm portion slides through the groove and abuts against the convex surface to push the hovering cam to move. The elastic element is located at the second end of the hovering cam and is connected between the hovering cam and the hinge bracket. It is used to press against the movement of the hovering cam in the length direction of the hinge bracket to stop the first swing arm portion and realize the hovering of the mobile terminal at the folding angle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication equipment, and more particularly to a hinge assembly and a mobile terminal. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, users have increasingly adopted multi-mode usage of electronic products, and multi-mode electronic products have become increasingly popular with consumers, becoming a new development trend and growth point for electronic products. The emergence and development of multi-mode products have greatly brought convenience to users, and the core technology most closely related to usage modes is hinge technology.

[0003] With the continuous development of display technology, foldable display terminals are gradually becoming a development trend for future mobile electronic products. When unfolded, foldable display terminals offer a larger display area, enhancing the viewing experience. When folded, they achieve a smaller size, making them easy for users to carry. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, one object of the present invention is to provide a hinge assembly with a simple structure that can engage a hovering cam with a first swing arm, thereby maintaining a reliable abutment relationship between the hovering cam and the first swing arm, improving the reliability of the hinge assembly, and reliably achieving hovering at the folding angle of the mobile terminal.

[0005] The present invention also proposes a mobile terminal having the above-described hinge assembly.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a hinge assembly for a foldable mobile terminal includes: a hinge bracket; a swing arm assembly, the swing arm assembly including two movable swing arms arranged along the width direction of the hinge bracket, each movable swing arm including a first swing arm portion and a hinge portion, the hinge portion being connected to one end of the first swing arm portion facing away from the hinge bracket in the width direction of the hinge bracket, and for connecting the mid-frame of the mobile terminal; and two hovering assemblies disposed in the hinge bracket and corresponding to the two movable swing arms respectively, each hovering assembly including: a hovering cam and an elastic element, the hovering cam having a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end having a groove, the groove having a convex surface, the first swing arm portion slidingly passing through the groove and abutting the convex surface to push the hovering cam to move, the elastic element being located at the second end of the hovering cam and connected between the hovering cam and the hinge bracket, and for pressing against the movement of the hovering cam in the length direction of the hinge bracket to stop the first swing arm portion to achieve hovering of the mobile terminal at a folding angle.

[0007] According to the hinge assembly of the present invention, by slidably inserting the first swing arm portion of the movable swing arm into the slot of the suspension cam, and by setting an elastic element to press against the movement of the suspension cam in the length direction of the hinge bracket to stop the first swing arm portion, the elastic element can apply force to the first swing arm portion through the suspension cam, so that the first swing arm portion is always inserted in the slot, and the inner wall of the slot can limit the first swing arm portion, reducing the risk of the first swing arm portion disengaging from the suspension cam during the rotation of the movable swing arm, so that the suspension cam and the first swing arm portion can maintain a reliable abutting relationship, improving the reliability of the hinge assembly; moreover, the pressing of the elastic element can increase the friction between the first swing arm portion and the suspension cam, so that the first swing arm portion can be positioned relative to the hinge bracket under the action of friction when it stops rotating, realizing the suspension of the folding angle of the mobile terminal, and the overall structure is relatively simple.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present invention, when the two first swing arms rotate toward each other to their maximum limit position relative to the hinge bracket, the portion of the first swing arm that passes through the slot is a folded section; when the two first swing arms rotate toward each other to their maximum limit position relative to the hinge bracket, the portion of the first swing arm that passes through the slot is an unfolded section; the portion of the first swing arm between the folded section and the unfolded section is a hovering section; and in the length direction of the hinge bracket, the hovering section protrudes toward the elastic member from the folded section and the unfolded section.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the folding segment abuts against the hovering cam on the length direction of the hinge bracket as a folding surface, and the unfolding segment abuts against the hovering cam on the length direction of the hinge bracket as an unfolding surface. The surface of the hovering segment abutting against the hovering cam on the length direction of the hinge bracket includes a straight surface and a transition surface. There are two transition surfaces, each extending smoothly from the end of the straight surface on the width direction of the hinge bracket. In the direction away from the straight surface, the distance between the transition surface and the elastic element on the length direction of the hinge bracket gradually increases. The ends of the two transition surfaces away from the straight surface are smoothly connected to the folding surface and the unfolding surface, respectively.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the width direction of the hinge bracket, the convex surface of the slot includes a stop surface and a guide slope connecting the two sides of the stop surface; the slot is a U-shaped slot with two opposing design notches, and the first swing arm portion passes through one notch of the slot into the other notch of the slot.

[0011] According to some optional embodiments of the present invention, a locking protrusion is provided at the end of the first swing arm portion away from the hinge portion, the locking protrusion being used to abut against the hovering cam in the width direction of the hinge bracket; the hinge bracket is provided with a first arc-shaped groove and a second arc-shaped groove spaced apart in the length direction, both the first arc-shaped groove and the second arc-shaped groove extending in the width direction of the hinge bracket and protruding in the direction away from the flexible screen of the mobile terminal, the opening of the first arc-shaped groove being disposed opposite to the opening of the slot, the first swing arm portion being an arc-shaped plate and slidingly passing through the arc-shaped space formed by the first arc-shaped groove and the slot; each The movable swing arm further includes a second swing arm portion, which is an arc-shaped plate and slides through the second arc-shaped groove; the hinge assembly further includes a synchronous gear set, which is disposed between the two second swing arm portions along the length of the hinge bracket, and the side of each second swing arm portion away from its corresponding second arc-shaped groove is meshed with the synchronous gear set to realize the synchronous rotation of the two movable swing arms; wherein in the same movable swing arm, the central axis of the second swing arm portion, the central axis of the first swing arm portion, and the central axis of the slot corresponding to the first swing arm portion that slides through it coincide.

[0012] In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the hinge assembly further includes a positioning structure, the positioning structure including a positioning groove and a positioning protrusion, wherein one of the hinge bracket and the hovering cam is provided with a positioning groove and the other is provided with a positioning protrusion, the positioning groove extends along the length direction of the hinge bracket, and the positioning protrusion passes through the positioning groove.

[0013] In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the positioning slot is disposed on the hinge bracket, the hinge bracket including a bracket body, a positioning connecting block, and a positioning cover plate. The bracket body has a mounting groove, the positioning connecting block is disposed in the mounting groove and spaced apart from the side wall of the bracket body in the width direction of the hinge bracket, the positioning connecting block and the bracket body together define a positioning space, and the hovering cam passes through the positioning space; the positioning cover plate is detachably connected to the positioning connecting block and protrudes from the positioning connecting block in the width direction of the hinge bracket, the bracket body, the positioning connecting block, and the positioning cover plate together define the positioning slot, the positioning slot protrudes from the positioning connecting block, and the positioning slot protrudes from the positioning connecting block. The hinge bracket is connected to the side surface of the hovering cam facing the positioning connecting block; the hinge bracket also includes a positioning protrusion and a stop protrusion. The positioning protrusion is connected to the bracket body on the side wall of the hinge bracket and extends toward the positioning cover plate in the width direction of the hinge bracket. The positioning protrusion and the bracket body together define the positioning slot. The hovering cam is connected to the positioning protrusion on both sides of the hinge bracket in the width direction. The stop protrusion is located in the positioning slot and connected to the positioning connecting block. The stop protrusion is located on the side of the positioning protrusion away from the first arc-shaped groove and is arranged opposite to the hovering cam in the length direction of the hinge bracket.

[0014] In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the positioning connecting block is provided with an assembly groove, and the positioning cover plate includes a plate body and an assembly protrusion extending from the plate body along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket. In the thickness direction of the hinge bracket, the projected area of ​​the assembly protrusion is smaller than the projected area of ​​the plate body. The plate body abuts against the side surface of the positioning connecting block away from the bottom wall of the bracket body. The assembly protrusion passes through the assembly groove, and the assembly protrusion and the assembly groove together define an adhesive injection channel in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket.

[0015] In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the positioning cover plate is provided with an assembly hole, the assembly hole extends along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket and penetrates the plate body and the assembly protrusion, the bottom wall of the assembly groove is recessed in the direction away from the positioning cover plate to form a mating hole, the hinge bracket also includes a glue-filling column, the glue-filling column is inserted into the assembly hole and the mating hole and has a glue-filling hole, the glue-filling hole extends along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket and penetrates the glue-filling column, a glue-injection channel is provided between the outer surface of the glue-filling column and the inner surface of the assembly hole, and a glue-injection channel is provided between the outer surface of the glue-filling column and the inner surface of the mating hole.

[0016] In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the glue-filling column includes a top cap, a stop protrusion, and a column body. The top cap is connected to the column body and protrudes from the column body in the circumferential direction. A pull-out notch is provided on the top cap, which penetrates the top cap along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket. The stop protrusion is connected to the side surface of the top cap facing the column body and is spaced apart from the pull-out notch. An clearance groove is provided on the plate body, and the mounting hole communicates with the clearance groove. The top cap passes through the clearance groove, and the stop protrusion abuts against the surface of the clearance groove in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket. The column body passes through the mounting hole and the mating hole. The portion of the glue-filling column that passes through the mounting hole and the mating hole is the column body. An overflow notch is provided on the column body, which penetrates the column body radially.

[0017] A mobile terminal according to a second aspect of the present invention includes: a hinge assembly according to the first aspect of the present invention; two mid-frames respectively connected to two movable swing arms in the same swing arm assembly; and a flexible screen supported on the two mid-frames and the hinge assembly.

[0018] According to the present invention, the mobile terminal has a simple overall structure through the above-mentioned hinge assembly, which enables the hovering cam to maintain a reliable contact with the first swing arm, improves the reliability of the hinge assembly, and reliably realizes the hovering of the mobile terminal at the folding angle.

[0019] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a portion of the structure of a mobile terminal according to some embodiments of the present invention, wherein the mobile terminal is in a folded state;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of a partial structure of a hinge assembly according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of a partial structure of a hinge assembly according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Sectional view along line AA;

[0025] Figure 5This is a perspective view of the mobile terminal in a folded state, according to some embodiments of the present invention, showing the assembly of the movable swing arm and the hovering cam.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of a portion of the structure of a hinge assembly according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the suspension cam, positioning cam and limiting cam assembled according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a perspective view of a movable swing arm according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a perspective view of a glue-filling column according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a perspective view of a positioning cover plate according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 11 This is a perspective view of a portion of the structure of a mobile terminal according to some embodiments of the present invention, wherein the mobile terminal is in an intermediate state;

[0032] Figure 12 This is a perspective view of the mobile terminal being assembled with the movable swing arm and the hovering cam in an intermediate state according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 13 This is a perspective view of a portion of the structure of a mobile terminal according to some embodiments of the present invention, wherein the mobile terminal is in a flattened state;

[0034] Figure 14 This is a perspective view of the mobile terminal in a flattened state, with the movable swing arm and the hovering cam assembled, according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] Figure label:

[0036] 100. Mobile terminals;

[0037] 10. Hinge assembly;

[0038] 1. Hinge bracket;

[0039] 11. Bracket body; 111. First arc-shaped groove; 112. Second arc-shaped groove; 113. Mounting groove;

[0040] 12. Positioning connecting block; 121. Assembly slot; 122. Mating hole;

[0041] 13. Positioning cover plate; 131. Plate body; 1311. Clearance groove; 132. Assembly protrusion; 133. Assembly hole;

[0042] 14. Positioning convex plate;

[0043] 15. Glue-filling column; 151. Glue-filling hole; 152. Top cap; 1521. Pull-out notch; 153. Anti-stop protrusion; 154. Column body; 1541. Glue overflow notch;

[0044] 16. Stop bump;

[0045] 2. Swing arm assembly; 21. Movable swing arm; 211. Hinge; 212. First swing arm; 2121. Folding section; 21211. Folding surface; 2122. Unfolding section; 21221. Unfolding surface; 2123. Hovering section; 21231. Flat surface; 21232. Transition surface; 213. Locking protrusion; 214. Second swing arm;

[0046] 3. Hovering assembly; 31. Hovering cam; 311. Slot; 3111. Stop surface; 3112. Guide ramp; 32. Elastic element;

[0047] 41. Positioning slot; 42. Positioning protrusion; 43. Limiting channel; 44. Limiting protrusion;

[0048] 5. Synchronous gear set;

[0049] 60. Mid-frame;

[0050] 70. Flexible screen. Detailed Implementation

[0051] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0052] Please refer to the attached diagram below. Figures 1-14 A hinge assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0053] According to a first aspect embodiment of the present invention, a hinge assembly 10 is used for a foldable mobile terminal 100, see reference to Figures 1-3The hinge assembly 10 includes a hinge bracket 1, a swing arm assembly 2, and a hovering assembly 3. The swing arm assembly 2 includes two movable swing arms 21, which are arranged along the width direction of the hinge bracket 1. Each movable swing arm 21 includes a first swing arm portion 212 and a hinge portion 211. The hinge portion 211 is connected to one end of the first swing arm portion 212 that is away from the hinge bracket 1 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1, and the hinge portion 211 is used to connect to the middle frame 60 of the mobile terminal 100.

[0054] This disclosure does not impose any particular limitation on the specific form of the mobile terminal 100; smart terminals such as foldable phones and foldable tablets are all applicable. The folding method of the mobile terminal 100 is also not particularly limited; for example, it can fold left and right along the central axis of the device's longitudinal direction, or it can support folding up and down along the central axis of the device's lateral direction. Only adaptive adjustments to the dimensions and other features of the hinge components are required. Furthermore, the force applied to the mobile terminal 100 can switch between the unfolded state, the intermediate state, and the folded state, as described above. Figure 1 When the mobile terminal 100 is in a folded state, the hinge assembly 10 is fully closed, meaning the two movable arms 21 move towards each other to their maximum limit positions; refer to Figure 13 When the mobile terminal 100 is in the unfolded state, the hinge assembly 10 is fully open, that is, the two movable arms 21 move back to back to their maximum limit positions; refer to Figure 10 The intermediate state of the mobile terminal 100 refers to the state between the unfolded state and the folded state, at which point neither of the two movable arms 21 has moved to its maximum limit position in any direction.

[0055] Reference Figure 2 Both hovering components 3 are disposed in the hinge bracket 1, and each hovering component 3 corresponds to one of the two movable swing arms 21. Each hovering component 3 includes a hovering cam 31 and an elastic element 32. The hovering cam 31 has a first end and a second end opposite to each other. The first end has a groove 311 with a convex surface inside. The first swing arm 212 slides through the groove 311 and abuts against the convex surface to push the hovering cam 31 to move. The elastic element 32 is located at the second end of the hovering cam 31 and is connected between the hovering cam 31 and the hinge bracket 1. The elastic element 32 is used to press against the movement of the hovering cam 31 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1 to stop the first swing arm 212 and achieve the hovering of the mobile terminal at the folding angle of 100. For example, the elastic element 32 can be a spring, which can be of any shape, such as a round spring or a square spring. The elastic element 32 can also be an elastic rubber component, which is not limited here, as long as the elastic element can provide restoring damping force.

[0056] By slidably inserting the first swing arm portion 212 of the movable swing arm 21 into the slot 311 of the suspension cam 31, and by setting an elastic element 32 to press against the movement of the suspension cam 31 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1 to stop the first swing arm portion 212, the elastic element 32 can apply force to the first swing arm portion 212 through the suspension cam 31, so that the first swing arm portion 212 is always inserted in the slot 311, so that the inner wall of the slot 311 can limit the first swing arm portion 212, reducing the risk of the first swing arm portion 212 disengaging from the suspension cam 31 during the rotation of the movable swing arm 21, making the relative positioning of the first swing arm portion 212 and the suspension cam 31 reliable, and making the suspension cam 31 and the first swing arm portion 212 maintain a reliable abutting relationship, thereby improving the reliability of the hinge assembly 10.

[0057] Moreover, by setting the elastic element 32 to press against the hovering cam 31 to move along the length of the hinge bracket 1 to stop the first swing arm 212, the elastic element 32 can apply force to the first swing arm 212 through the hovering cam 31, increasing the friction between the first swing arm 212 and the hovering cam 31, so that the first swing arm 212 can be positioned relative to the hinge bracket 1 under the action of friction when it stops rotating, realizing the hovering of the mobile terminal at the 100-degree folding angle. The overall structure is relatively simple.

[0058] According to the hinge assembly 10 of the present invention, by slidably inserting the first swing arm portion 212 of the movable swing arm 21 into the slot 311 of the suspension cam 31, and by providing an elastic member 32 to press against the suspension cam 31 moving in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1 to stop the first swing arm portion 212, the elastic member 32 can apply force to the first swing arm portion 212 through the suspension cam 31, so that the first swing arm portion 212 is always inserted into the slot 311, so that the inner wall of the slot 311 can mutually limit the first swing arm portion 212, reducing the movement of the first swing arm portion 212. The risk of the first swing arm 212 disengaging from the hovering cam 31 during the rotation of the swing arm 21 is eliminated, ensuring that the hovering cam 31 and the first swing arm 212 maintain a reliable contact relationship, thus improving the reliability of the hinge assembly 10. Moreover, the friction between the first swing arm 212 and the hovering cam 31 is increased under the pressure of the elastic element 32, allowing the first swing arm 212 to be positioned relative to the hinge bracket 1 under the action of friction when it stops rotating, thereby achieving the hovering of the mobile terminal 100 at the folding angle. The overall structure is relatively simple.

[0059] According to some embodiments of the present invention, with reference to Figure 5 When the two first swing arms 212 rotate toward each other to their maximum limit position relative to the hinge bracket 1, the portion of the first swing arm 212 that passes through the slot 311 is a folded section 2121, and the first swing arm 212 is in the first moving position; refer to Figure 14When the two first swing arms 212 rotate to their maximum limit position relative to the hinge bracket 1, the portion of the first swing arm 212 that passes through the slot 311 is the unfolded section 2122, and the first swing arm 212 is in the second movement position; refer to Figure 12 The portion of the first swing arm 212 between the folding section 2121 and the unfolding section 2122 is a hovering section 2123. In the length direction of the hinge bracket 1, the hovering section 2123 protrudes toward the elastic member 32 from the folding section 2121 and the unfolding section 2122.

[0060] By setting the hovering section 2123 to protrude from the folding section 2121 and the unfolding section 2122 towards the elastic member 32, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the intermediate state, refer to Figure 12 The first swing arm 212 stops the suspension cam 31 through the suspension section 2123. The suspension section 2123 can push the suspension cam 31 toward the elastic member 32, compress the elastic member 32, increase the force applied by the elastic member 32 to the suspension cam 31, increase the friction between the suspension cam 31 and the first swing arm 212, reduce the risk of the first swing arm 212 rotating relative to the hinge bracket 1, so that the mobile terminal 100 can be reliably suspended at any folding angle, and improve the reliability of the mobile terminal 100.

[0061] Since the hovering segment 2123 protrudes from the folding segment 2121 towards the elastic element 32, when the mobile terminal 100 is in a folded state, refer to Figure 5 The suspension section 2123 of the first swing arm 212 and the suspension cam 31 can abut against each other in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1, restricting the first swing arm 212 from rotating toward the second movement position, so that the first swing arm 212 is reliably positioned in the first movement position, so that the mobile terminal 100 can be reliably kept in the folded state, thereby improving the reliability of the mobile terminal 100.

[0062] Because the hovering section 2123 protrudes towards the elastic element 32 from the unfolded section 2122, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the unfolded state, refer to Figure 14 The hovering section 2123 of the first swing arm 212 and the hovering cam 31 can abut against each other in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1, restricting the first swing arm 212 from rotating toward the first movement position, so that the first swing arm 212 can be reliably positioned in the second movement position, so that the mobile terminal 100 can be reliably kept in the unfolded state, thereby improving the reliability of the mobile terminal 100.

[0063] Reference Figure 5 , Figure 8 , Figure 12 and Figure 14According to some embodiments of the present invention, the surface of the folding segment 2121 that abuts against the hovering cam 31 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1 is the folding surface 21211; the surface of the unfolding segment 2122 that abuts against the hovering cam 31 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1 is the unfolding surface 21221; the surface of the hovering segment 2123 that abuts against the hovering cam 31 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1 includes a flat surface 21231 and a transition surface 21232, wherein there are two transition surfaces 21232, and the two transition surfaces 21232 are respectively from... The flat surface 21231 extends smoothly at its end in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1. In the direction away from the flat surface 21231, the distance between the transition surface 21232 and the elastic element 32 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1 gradually increases. The ends of the two transition surfaces 21232 away from the flat surface 21231 are smoothly connected to the folding surface 21211 and the unfolding surface 21221, respectively. That is to say, both transition surfaces 21232 are inclined surfaces, so that the hovering section 2123 protrudes from the unfolding section and the folding section.

[0064] By setting a flat surface 21231 to abut against the hovering cam 31, and setting a transition surface 21232 to smoothly connect the folding surface 21211, when the first swing arm 212 rotates from the first movement position to the second movement position (i.e., when the mobile terminal 100 switches from the folded state to the unfolded state), the transition surface 21232 can act as a guide, allowing the hovering cam 31 to slide on the transition surface 21232 when it moves relative to the first swing arm 212 from the folding surface 21211 to the flat surface 21231. This allows the hovering cam 31 to be elastically responsive to the transition surface 21232. As the amount of pressure on the elastic element 32 gradually increases, the hovering cam 31 can slide on another transition surface 21232 when it moves from the flat surface 21231 toward the unfolded surface 21221 relative to the first swing arm 212. This causes the amount of pressure on the elastic element 32 by the hovering cam 31 to gradually decrease, thereby making the rotation of the first swing arm 212 relative to the hovering cam 31 smoother and more stable. This avoids the first swing arm 212 from producing obvious jerking phenomena during rotation, allowing the mobile terminal 100 to switch from the folded state to the unfolded state more smoothly.

[0065] Reference Figure 7 According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1, the convex surface of the slot 311 includes a stop surface 3111 and a guide slope 3112. There are two guide slopes 3112, which are respectively connected to the two sides of the stop surface 3111. The slot 311 is a U-shaped slot with two opposite design notches. The first swing arm portion 212 passes through one notch of the slot 311 and into the other notch of the slot 311.

[0066] During the folding process of the mobile terminal 100, taking "when the first swing arm 212 rotates from the first movement position to the second movement position (i.e., when the mobile terminal 100 switches from the folded state to the unfolded state)" as an example, the positional relationship between the first swing arm 212 and the hovering cam 31 changes from... Figure 5 Orientation Figure 14 During switching, when the hovering cam 31 moves from the folding section 2121 toward the hovering section 2123 relative to the first swing arm 212, refer to Figure 5 The hovering section 2123 can first contact the guide slope 3112. The guide slope 3112 can act as a guide, allowing the hovering section 2123 of the first swing arm 212 to slide on the guide slope 3112. This allows the pressure of the first swing arm 212 on the elastic element 32 via the hovering cam 31 to gradually increase until the stop surface 3111 abuts against the hovering section 2123. (Refer to...) Figure 12 Continuing to extend the mobile terminal 100, the hovering cam 31 can first slide on the stop surface 3111 relative to the first swing arm 212, and then when the other guide slope 3112 stops the hovering cam 31, refer to Figure 14 This allows the hovering section 2123 of the first swing arm 212 to slide on another guide slope 3112, gradually reducing the pressure exerted by the first swing arm 212 on the elastic element 32 by the hovering cam 31 until the guide slope 3112 abuts against the unfolded end 2122. This makes the rotation of the first swing arm 212 relative to the hovering cam 31 smoother and more stable, avoiding noticeable jerking during rotation, and allowing the mobile terminal 100 to switch smoothly from a folded state to an unfolded state. It is understood that the positional relationship between the first swing arm 212 and the hovering cam 31 is determined by… Figure 14 Orientation Figure 5 When switching (i.e., when the mobile terminal 100 switches from a flat state to a folded state), the principle is similar to that described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0067] Reference Figure 5 , Figure 8 , Figure 12 and Figure 14 According to some optional embodiments of the present invention, a locking protrusion 213 is provided at the end of the first swing arm portion 212 away from the hinge portion 211. The locking protrusion 213 is used to stop the suspension cam 31 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1; see reference Figure 5When the first swing arm 212 rotates to the first movement position, that is, when the mobile terminal 100 switches to the folded state, the locking protrusion 213 and the hovering cam 31 mutually stop each other to limit the first swing arm 212, preventing the first swing arm 212 from continuing to rotate and causing the first swing arm 212 to disengage from the slot 311, or even causing the flexible screen 70 of the mobile terminal 100 to be over-folded and damaged, thereby improving the reliability of the hinge assembly 10 and the reliability of the mobile terminal 100.

[0068] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 6 According to some optional embodiments of the present invention, the hinge bracket 1 is provided with a first arc-shaped groove 111, the first arc-shaped groove 111 extends in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1, and the first arc-shaped groove 111 protrudes in the direction away from the flexible screen 70 of the mobile terminal 100. The opening of the first arc-shaped groove 111 is arranged opposite to the opening of the slot 311. The first swing arm portion 212 is an arc-shaped plate, and the first swing arm portion 212 slides through the arc-shaped space formed by the first arc-shaped groove 111 and the slot 311, wherein the central axis of the first swing arm portion 212 coincides with the central axis of the corresponding slot 311 through which it slides.

[0069] When the movable swing arm 21 moves, the rotation center of the first swing arm 212 is located at the center of its arc plate. This allows the rotation center of the first swing arm 212 to be located outside the movable swing arm 21 and outside the hinge bracket 1, thus realizing a virtual arm hinge between the movable swing arm 21 and the hinge bracket 1. The first swing arm 212 rotates through the rotation center (i.e., it uses a virtual axis rotation). Compared with using a solid axis, this is more suitable for a limited movement space and also makes it easier for researchers to design the movement trajectory of the movable swing arm 21.

[0070] Furthermore, by setting the movable swing arm 21 and the hinge bracket 1 as a virtual arm hinge, the movable swing arm 21 can be made shorter in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1. This allows the space in the middle frame 60 for avoiding the movable swing arm 21 to be smaller, and the middle frame 60 can reserve a larger installation space. This facilitates the spatial arrangement of components of the mobile terminal 100 by the R&D personnel. For example, the middle frame 60 can reserve a larger battery compartment, allowing the battery pack of the mobile terminal 100 to be made larger, thereby increasing the battery capacity of the mobile terminal 100.

[0071] Meanwhile, the central axis of the first swing arm 212 is aligned with the central axis of its corresponding sliding groove 311. This allows for a longer engagement length between the groove 311 and the first swing arm 212, making the relative positioning between them more reliable. This reduces the risk of the first swing arm 212 disengaging from the hovering cam 31 during the rotation of the movable swing arm 21, ensuring reliable relative positioning between the first swing arm 212 and the hovering cam 31. This also ensures that the hovering cam 31 and the first swing arm 212 maintain a reliable contact relationship, improving the reliability of the hinge assembly 10 and making the rotation of the first swing arm 212 smoother.

[0072] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 6 According to some optional embodiments of the present invention, the hinge bracket 1 is further provided with a second arc-shaped groove 112, the second arc-shaped groove 112 being spaced apart from the first arc-shaped groove 111 in the length direction, referring to... Figure 2 Each movable swing arm 21 also includes a second swing arm portion 214, which is an arc-shaped plate and slides through the second arc-shaped groove 112. Within the same movable swing arm 21, the central axis of the second swing arm portion 214 coincides with the central axis of the first swing arm portion 212. This increases the mating surface between the movable swing arm 21 and the hinge bracket 1, reduces the amplitude of the wobbling of the movable swing arm 21 relative to the hinge bracket 1, and allows the movable swing arm 21 to rotate more smoothly relative to the hinge bracket 1.

[0073] For example, refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 6 The opening orientation of the first arc-shaped groove 111 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1 is opposite to that of the opening orientation of the second arc-shaped groove 112 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1. This allows the mutual limiting between the first swing arm 212 and the first arc-shaped groove 111, as well as the mutual limiting between the second swing arm 214 and the second arc-shaped groove 112, to cooperate with each other, so that the movable swing arm 21 is reliably positioned relative to the hinge bracket 1 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1, thereby improving the reliability of the hinge assembly 10.

[0074] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3According to some optional embodiments of the present invention, the hinge assembly 10 further includes a synchronizing gear set 5. In the length direction of the hinge bracket 1, the synchronizing gear set 5 is disposed between two second swing arm portions 214. Each second swing arm portion 214 is meshed with the synchronizing gear set 5 on the side away from its corresponding second arcuate groove 112, so as to realize the synchronous rotation of the two movable swing arms 21. In the same movable swing arm 21, the central axis of the second swing arm portion 214, the central axis of the first swing arm portion 212, and the central axis of the slot 311 that slides through the first swing arm portion 212 coincide.

[0075] Synchronous movement between the two movable arms 21 is achieved by setting a synchronous gear set 5 between the two second swing arm portions 214. The overall structure is simple and the synchronous movement is reliable. When a locking protrusion 213 is provided at the end of the first swing arm portion 212 away from the hinge portion 211, when the first swing arm portion 212 rotates to the first movement position, that is, when the mobile terminal 100 switches to the folded state, the locking protrusion 213 and the suspension cam 31 mutually abut against each other, which can limit the first swing arm portion 212, that is, limit the second swing arm portion 214, preventing the second swing arm portion 214 from continuing to rotate and causing the second swing arm portion 214 to disengage from the synchronous gear set 5. This makes the engagement between the second swing arm portion 214 and the synchronous gear set 5 reliable, improves the reliability of the hinge assembly 10, and improves the reliability of the mobile terminal 100.

[0076] For example, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The synchronizing gear set 5 is angled relative to the hinge bracket 1 in its width direction, meaning that the two second swing arm portions 214 in the same swing arm assembly 2 are spaced apart along the length direction of the hinge bracket 1. The synchronizing gear set 5 includes multiple gears, each gear being sequentially arranged in parallel and meshing, with the rotation axis of each gear perpendicular to the length direction of the hinge bracket 1. It should be understood that the angular arrangement of the synchronizing gear set 5 relative to the hinge bracket 1 in its width direction means that the line connecting the centers of two adjacent gears is angled relative to the width direction of the hinge bracket 1, i.e., adjacent gears are staggered in both the width and length directions of the hinge bracket 1.

[0077] By setting the synchronous gear set 5 at an angle to the width direction of the hinge bracket 1, that is, by setting two adjacent gears staggered in both the width and length directions of the hinge bracket 1, the space between two adjacent swing arms can be fully utilized, the size occupied by the synchronous gear set 5 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1 can be reduced, and the spatial layout of the movable swing arm 21 and the suspension component 3 can be facilitated, making the overall structure of the hinge component 10 more compact.

[0078] Reference Figures 2-4 , Figure 6 and Figure 7In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the hinge assembly 10 further includes a positioning structure, which includes a positioning groove 41 and a positioning protrusion 42. One of the hinge bracket 1 and the hovering cam 31 is provided with the positioning groove 41, and the other of the hinge bracket 1 and the hovering cam 31 is provided with the positioning protrusion 42. The positioning groove 41 extends along the length direction of the hinge bracket 1, and the positioning protrusion 42 passes through the positioning groove 41. Specifically, in some embodiments, the hinge bracket 1 is provided with the positioning groove 41, and the hovering cam 31 is provided with the positioning protrusion 42.

[0079] In other embodiments, the hinge bracket 1 is provided with a positioning protrusion 42, and the hovering cam 31 is provided with a positioning groove 41.

[0080] This allows the hovering cam 31 to be limited by the interaction between the positioning protrusion 42 and the positioning groove 41, restricting the movement of the hovering cam 31 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1 and the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1. This enables the hovering cam 31 to reliably move in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1, allowing the first swing arm 212 to reliably pass through the groove 311 of the hovering cam 31, reducing the risk of the hovering cam 31 disengaging from the first swing arm 212 and improving the reliability of the hinge assembly 10.

[0081] Reference Figures 2-4 and Figure 6 In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the positioning slot 41 is provided on the hinge bracket 1, the hinge bracket 1 including a bracket body 11, a positioning connecting block 12 and a positioning cover plate 13, as shown in the figure. Figure 2 and Figure 4 The bracket body 11 has a mounting groove 113, and the positioning connecting block 12 is disposed in the mounting groove 113. The positioning connecting block 12 is spaced apart from the side wall of the bracket body 11 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1. The positioning connecting block 12 and the bracket body 11 together define the positioning space, and the hovering cam 31 passes through the positioning space.

[0082] Reference Figure 4 The positioning cover plate 13 is detachably connected to the positioning connecting block 12. For example, the positioning cover plate 13 can be connected to the positioning connecting block 12 by snap-fit ​​connection, or the positioning cover plate 13 can be connected to the positioning connecting block 12 by fasteners. The positioning cover plate 13 protrudes from the positioning connecting block 12 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1, that is, the positioning cover plate 13 can at least cover part of the opening of the positioning space in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1. The bracket body 11, the positioning connecting block 12 and the positioning cover plate 13 together define the positioning slot 41, and the positioning protrusion 42 is connected to the side surface of the hovering cam 31 facing the positioning connecting block 12.

[0083] When the positioning connecting block 12 is placed in the mounting groove 113, the positioning connecting block 12 can be opposite to the side wall of the bracket body 11 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1, so that the positioning connecting block 12 and the side wall of the bracket body 11 cooperate with each other, and can limit the positioning protrusion 42 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1, thereby realizing the limitation of the positioning protrusion 42 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1.

[0084] When the positioning cover plate 13 is connected to the positioning connecting block 12, the portion of the positioning cover plate 13 that protrudes from the positioning connecting block 12 in the width direction can be opposite to the bottom wall of the bracket body 11 in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1, so that the positioning cover plate 13 and the bottom wall of the bracket body 11 cooperate with each other, and can limit the positioning protrusion 42 in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1, thereby limiting the positioning protrusion 42 in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1.

[0085] By setting the positioning connecting block 12 and the positioning cover plate 13 in the mounting groove 113, the positioning protrusion 42 can be limited by the side wall of the bracket body 11 in the width direction and the bottom wall of the bracket body 11 in the thickness direction. This achieves the limitation of the positioning protrusion 42 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1 and the limitation of the positioning protrusion 42 in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1. The structure is simple and the design is ingenious, resulting in fewer structural features of the bracket body 11, which is conducive to the production and processing of the bracket body 11.

[0086] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the hinge bracket 1 further includes a positioning protrusion 14, which is connected to the side wall of the bracket body 11 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1 and extends toward the positioning cover plate 13. That is, the positioning protrusion 14 and the positioning cover plate 13 are spaced apart in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1. The positioning protrusion 14 and the bracket body 11 together define a positioning groove 41. The hovering cam 31 has positioning protrusions 42 connected to both sides of the hinge bracket 1 in the width direction. In this way, the positioning cover plate 13 limits the hovering cam 31 on both sides in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1, so that the hovering cam 31 is reliably positioned relative to the bracket body 11 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1, effectively reducing the risk of the hovering cam 31 falling out of the positioning groove 41 and improving the reliability of the hinge assembly 10.

[0087] For example, refer to Figure 4The positioning protrusion 14 and the positioning cover 13 together define the limiting channel 43, which is connected to the positioning slot 41. The positioning structure also includes a limiting protrusion 44, which is connected to the side surface of the hovering cam 31 away from the bracket body 11 and passes through the limiting channel 43. In this way, the limiting channel 43 and the limiting protrusion 44 can limit the hovering cam 31 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1. The positioning slot 41 and the positioning protrusion 42 cooperate to limit the hovering cam 31. This not only increases the sliding area of ​​the hovering cam 31 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1, but also increases the limiting area of ​​the hovering cam 31 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1. This makes the hovering cam 31 more reliably positioned relative to the bracket body 11 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1 and slides more in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1. This effectively reduces the risk of the hovering cam 31 rotating or falling out of the positioning slot 41 and improves the reliability of the hinge assembly 10.

[0088] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 6 In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the hinge bracket 1 further includes a stop protrusion 16, which is disposed in the positioning slot 41 and connected to the positioning connecting block 12. The stop protrusion 16 is located on the side of the positioning slot 42 opposite to the first arc-shaped groove 11, and is disposed opposite to the hovering cam 31 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1. This allows the stop protrusion 16 to limit the hovering cam 31 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1, reducing the risk of the hovering cam 31 dislodging from the positioning slot 41 when it moves away from the first movable swing arm 212, and improving the reliability of the hinge assembly 10.

[0089] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 6 In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the positioning connecting block 12 is provided with an assembly groove 121, and the positioning cover plate 13 includes a plate body 131 and an assembly protrusion 132 extending from the plate body 131 along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1. That is, the assembly protrusion 132 is connected to the plate body 131 and extends along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1. In the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1, the projected area of ​​the assembly protrusion 132 is smaller than the projected area of ​​the plate body 131.

[0090] The plate body 131 abuts against the side surface of the positioning connecting block 12 away from the bottom wall of the bracket body 11. The mounting protrusion 132 passes through the mounting groove 121, and the mounting protrusion 132 and the mounting groove 121 together define an injection channel in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1. That is, the dimension of the mounting protrusion 132 in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1 is smaller than the dimension of the mounting groove 121 in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1. The mounting protrusion 132 and the positioning connecting block 12 are connected together by glue.

[0091] When assembling the positioning cover 13, glue can be applied to the surface of the mounting protrusion 132 facing away from the plate body 131, and / or glue can be applied to the surface of the mounting groove 121 opposite to its opening. Then, the mounting protrusion 132 is inserted into the mounting groove 121, and the plate body 131 is pressed against the positioning connecting block 12. After the glue solidifies, the assembly of the positioning cover 13 is completed. When disassembling the positioning cover 13, the solidified glue can be melted by heating the glue, and / or the solidified glue can be dissolved by dripping a dissolving liquid (e.g., alcohol) through the glue injection hole 151. After the solidified glue melts or dissolves, the positioning cover 13 can be removed from the positioning connecting block 12.

[0092] By defining an injection channel between the assembly protrusion 132 and the assembly groove 121, the assembly protrusion 132 and the positioning connecting block 12 can be connected together by glue. This allows the assembly protrusion 132 and the positioning connecting block 12 to be connected together through an injection process. This eliminates the need for mechanical connection structures on the assembly protrusion 132 and the positioning connecting block 12 (for example, the mechanical connection structure can be a snap-fit ​​structure or a fastener connection structure). It also allows the assembly protrusion 132 and the positioning connecting block 12 to be set smaller, and the overall structure of the hinge assembly 10 can be set more compactly.

[0093] In some alternative embodiments of the present invention, reference is made to Figure 4 and Figure 10 The positioning cover plate 13 has an assembly hole 133. The assembly hole 133 extends along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1 and penetrates the plate body 131 and the assembly protrusion 132. The bottom wall of the assembly groove 121 is recessed in the direction away from the positioning cover plate 13 to form a mating hole 122, that is, the mating hole 122 is connected to the assembly groove 121.

[0094] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 9 The hinge bracket 1 also includes a glue-filling post 15, which passes through the assembly hole 133 and the mating hole 122. The glue-filling post 15 has a glue-filling hole 151, which extends along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1 and penetrates the glue-filling post 15. That is, when the glue-filling post 15 is inserted into the assembly hole 133 and the mating hole 122, the glue-filling hole 151 is connected to the mating hole 122.

[0095] Reference Figure 4An injection channel is provided between the outer surface of the injection column 15 and the inner surface of the assembly hole 133, that is, the outer surface of the injection column 15 and the inner surface of the assembly hole 133 are spaced apart in the radial direction of the injection column 15. An injection channel is provided between the outer surface of the injection column 15 and the inner surface of the mating hole 122, that is, the outer surface of the injection column 15 and the inner surface of the mating hole 122 are spaced apart in the radial direction of the injection column 15.

[0096] When assembling the positioning cover plate 13, the assembly protrusion 132 can be inserted into the assembly groove 121 first, and the plate body 131 can be pressed against the positioning connecting block 12. The glue-filling column 15 is inserted into the assembly hole 133 and the mating hole 122. Then, glue is dripped through the glue-filling hole 151. After the glue flows to the assembly protrusion 132 and the assembly groove 121 to define the glue-filling channel, the glue-filling column 15 to define the glue-filling channel between the outer surface of the glue-filling column 15 and the inner surface of the assembly hole 133, and the glue-filling column 15 to define the glue-filling channel between the outer surface of the glue-filling column 15 and the inner surface of the mating hole 122, the assembly of the positioning cover plate 13 is completed after the three glue-filling channels solidify. When disassembling the positioning cover plate 13, the solidified glue can be melted by heating the glue, and / or the solidified glue can be dissolved by dripping a dissolving liquid (e.g., alcohol) through the glue-filling hole 151. After the solidified glue melts or dissolves, the positioning cover plate 13 can be removed from the positioning connecting block 12.

[0097] By setting the glue-filling hole 151 to connect the mating hole 122 and the assembly groove 121, after the positioning cover plate 13 and the glue-filling column 15 are fixed relative to the positioning connecting block 12, glue and dissolving liquid can be dripped through the glue-filling hole 151 to realize the glue-filling of multiple glue-filling channels and the dissolution of the glue in multiple glue-filling channels, which is conducive to the mechanized assembly of the positioning cover plate 13 and the glue-filling column 15.

[0098] Furthermore, by injecting glue into the glue injection channel defined between the outer surface of the glue injection column 15 and the inner surface of the mating hole 122, the glue that has solidified there can be used to achieve mutual positioning of the glue injection column 15 plate and the positioning connecting block 12 in the radial direction of the glue injection column 15, that is, to achieve mutual positioning of the glue injection column 15 and the positioning connecting block 12 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1 and mutual positioning of the glue injection column 15 and the positioning connecting block 12 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1; by injecting glue into the glue injection channel defined between the outer surface of the glue injection column 15 and the inner surface of the assembly hole 133, the glue that has solidified there can be used to achieve mutual positioning of the glue injection column 15 plate and the positioning cover plate 13 in the radial direction of the glue injection column 15, that is, to achieve mutual positioning of the glue injection column 15 and the positioning cover plate 13 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1 and mutual positioning of the glue injection column 15 and the positioning cover plate 13 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1.

[0099] In other words, the positioning cover plate 13 can be reliably positioned relative to the positioning connecting block 12 in the radial direction of the glue-filling column 15 and the glue around it, that is, reliably positioned relative to the positioning connecting block 12 in the width direction of the hinge bracket 1 and reliably positioned relative to the positioning connecting block 12 in the length direction of the hinge bracket 1. In this way, with the glue solidified in the glue-filling channel defined between the assembly protrusion 132 and the assembly groove 121, the positioning cover plate 13 and the positioning connecting block 12 are limited in the thickness direction of the hinge assembly 10, and the positioning cover plate 13 can be limited in multiple directions, so that the positioning cover plate 13 is reliably fixed relative to the positioning connecting block 12.

[0100] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 9 In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the glue-filling column 15 includes a top cap 152, a stop protrusion 153, and a column body 154. The top cap 152 is connected to the column body 154 and protrudes from the column body 154 in the circumferential direction. A pull-out notch 1521 is provided on the top cap 152. The pull-out notch 1521 penetrates the top cap 152 along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1. The stop protrusion 153 is connected to the side surface of the top cap 152 facing the column body 154, and the stop protrusion 153 is spaced apart from the pull-out notch 1521.

[0101] Reference Figure 4 The plate body 131 has an avoidance groove 1311, and the assembly hole 133 connects to the avoidance groove 1311. The top cap 152 passes through the avoidance groove 1311, and the stop protrusion 153 abuts against the surface of the avoidance groove 1311 in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1. The column body 154 passes through the assembly hole 133 and the mating hole 122. In this way, the stop protrusion 153 can abut against the avoidance groove 1311 to limit the positioning cover plate 13 in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1. At the same time, the avoidance groove 1311 hides the top cap 152 of the glue-filling column 15. After the glue-filling column 15, the positioning cover plate 13 and the positioning connecting block 12 are assembled together, the overall size of the glue-filling column 15, the positioning cover plate 13 and the positioning connecting block 12 in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket 1 is small, so that the overall structure of the hinge assembly 10 is more compact.

[0102] When installing the positioning cover plate 13, after inserting the glue-filling column 15 into the assembly hole 133 and the mating hole 122, the glue-filling column 15 is limited by the pull-out notch 1521, so that the glue-filling column 15 and the positioning cover plate 13 are reliably positioned relative to each other, and the glue-filling column 15 and the positioning connecting block 12 are reliably positioned relative to each other. This effectively ensures the uniformity of the flow cross section of multiple glue-filling channels, so that the glue can be reliably injected into multiple glue-filling channels, and ensures the connection area between the glue-filling column 15, the positioning cover plate 13 and the positioning connecting block 12, so that the glue-filling column 15, the positioning cover plate 13 and the positioning connecting block 12 are reliably connected together.

[0103] When disassembling the positioning cover plate 13, after the solidified glue has melted or dissolved, the gripping fingers of the clamps can be inserted into the pull-out notch 1521. The glue-filling column 15 can then be pulled out from the assembly hole 133 and the mating hole 122 using the clamps. After that, the positioning cover plate 13 can be removed, completing the disassembly and assembly of the positioning cover plate 13. This facilitates the clamps to hold the glue-filling column 15 through the pull-out notch 1521, making it easy to disassemble and assemble the glue-filling column 15.

[0104] It should be explained that the gripper includes an assembly block and multiple gripping fingers. The multiple gripping fingers are arranged in a circle and are movably connected to the assembly block towards the center of the arrangement. When gripping the glue-filling column 15, after the gripping fingers are inserted into the pull-out notch 1521, the multiple gripping fingers can be driven to move towards the center of their arrangement to grip the glue-filling column 15.

[0105] By setting a stop protrusion 153 and spacing it between the stop protrusion 153 and the pull-out notch 1521, the gripping fingers of the clamps can be abutted against the surface of the top cap 152 facing the mounting groove 113. The glue-filling column 15 is then pulled out from the assembly hole 133 and the mating hole 122 using the clamps. After that, the positioning cover plate 13 is removed, completing the installation and removal of the positioning cover plate 13. This facilitates the application of force to the glue-filling column 15 through the clamps, making it easier to install and remove the glue-filling column 15.

[0106] For example, the gripper can include a gripper body and a hook. The gripper body is connected to the assembly block, and the hook is connected to the end of the gripper body away from the assembly block, extending towards the center of the arrangement of multiple grippers. When disassembling the positioning cover plate 13, after the solidified glue melts or dissolves, the hook can be inserted from the pull-out notch 1521 into the space between the top cap 152 and the bottom wall of the mounting groove 113. Then, the multiple grippers are driven to move towards their center of arrangement to stop the hook on the top cap 152. Thus, a large force can be applied to the glue-filling column 15 by the grippers, and the glue-filling column 15 can be reliably pulled out from the assembly hole 133 and the mating hole 122.

[0107] Reference Figure 9 The portion of the glue-filling column 15 that passes through the assembly hole 133 and the mating hole 122 constitutes the column body 154. An overflow notch 1541 is provided on the column body 154, extending radially through it. After glue is dripped into the glue-filling hole 151, the glue can flow through the overflow notch 1541 into the assembly hole 133 and the mating hole 122. This allows the glue to flow relatively quickly into multiple glue-filling channels and reliably fill them, reducing the risk of insufficient connection between the glue-filling column 15, the positioning cover plate 13, and the positioning connecting block 12 due to glue solidification in the channels. This ensures reliable connection and fixation of the glue-filling column 15, the positioning cover plate 13, and the positioning connecting block 12, improving the reliability of the hinge assembly 10.

[0108] Reference Figure 1 According to a second aspect of the present invention, a mobile terminal 100 includes: a hinge assembly 10, two mid-frames 60 and a flexible screen 70, the two mid-frames 60 being connected to two movable swing arms 21 in the same swing arm assembly 2, and the flexible screen 70 being supported on the two mid-frames 60 and the hinge assembly 10.

[0109] According to the present invention, the mobile terminal 100 has a simple overall structure through the hinge assembly 10 described above, which enables the hovering cam 31 to maintain a reliable contact with the first swing arm 212, improves the reliability of the hinge assembly 10, and reliably realizes the hovering of the mobile terminal 100 at the folding angle.

[0110] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0111] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0112] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0113] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A hinge assembly for a foldable mobile terminal, characterized in that, include: Hinge bracket; A swing arm assembly includes two movable swing arms arranged along the width direction of the hinge bracket. Each movable swing arm includes a first swing arm portion and a hinge portion. The hinge portion is connected to one end of the first swing arm portion that is away from the hinge bracket in the width direction of the hinge bracket and is used to connect to the middle frame of the mobile terminal. as well as, Two hovering components are disposed in the hinge bracket and correspond to the two movable swing arms respectively. Each hovering component includes a hovering cam and an elastic element. The hovering cam has a first end and a second end opposite to each other. The first end has a slot with a convex surface inside the slot. The first swing arm slides through the slot and abuts against the convex surface to push the hovering cam to move. The elastic element is located at the second end of the hovering cam and is connected between the hovering cam and the hinge bracket. It is used to press against the movement of the hovering cam in the length direction of the hinge bracket to stop the first swing arm and realize the hovering of the mobile terminal at the folding angle. A positioning structure is provided, comprising a positioning slot and a positioning protrusion. One of the hinge bracket and the hovering cam has a positioning slot, and the other has a positioning protrusion. The positioning slot extends along the length of the hinge bracket, and the positioning protrusion passes through the positioning slot. The positioning slot is located on the hinge bracket, which includes a bracket body, a positioning connecting block, and a positioning cover plate. The bracket body has a mounting groove, and the positioning connecting block is located within the mounting groove and spaced apart from the side wall of the bracket body in the width direction of the hinge bracket. The positioning connecting block and the bracket body together define a positioning space, and the hovering cam passes through the positioning space. The positioning cover plate is detachably connected to the positioning connecting block and protrudes from the positioning connecting block in the width direction of the hinge bracket. The bracket body, the positioning connecting block and the positioning cover plate together define the positioning slot. The positioning slot is protrudingly connected to the side surface of the hovering cam facing the positioning connecting block.

2. The hinge assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the two first swing arms rotate toward each other to their maximum limit position relative to the hinge bracket, the portion of the first swing arm that passes through the slot is a folded section. When the two first swing arms rotate toward each other to their maximum limit position relative to the hinge bracket, the portion of the first swing arm that passes through the slot is an unfolded section. The portion of the first swing arm between the folded section and the unfolded section is a hovering section. In the length direction of the hinge bracket, the hovering section protrudes toward the elastic element from the folded section and the unfolded section.

3. The hinge assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The folding section has a folding surface where it abuts against the hovering cam along the length of the hinge bracket. The unfolding section has an unfolding surface where it abuts against the hovering cam along the length of the hinge bracket. The surface where the hovering section abuts against the hovering cam along the length of the hinge bracket includes a straight surface and a transition surface. There are two transition surfaces, each extending smoothly from the end of the straight surface along the width of the hinge bracket. In the direction away from the straight surface, the distance between the transition surface and the elastic element along the length of the hinge bracket gradually increases. The ends of the two transition surfaces away from the straight surface are smoothly connected to the folding surface and the unfolding surface, respectively.

4. The hinge assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The convex surface of the slot includes a stop surface and a guide slope connecting the two sides of the stop surface; The slot is a U-shaped slot with two opposing design notches, and the first swing arm passes through one notch of the slot into the other notch of the slot.

5. The hinge assembly according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first swing arm portion has a locking protrusion at one end away from the hinge portion, and the locking protrusion is used to stop the hovering cam in the width direction of the hinge bracket; The hinge bracket is provided with a first arc-shaped groove and a second arc-shaped groove at intervals in the length direction. Both the first arc-shaped groove and the second arc-shaped groove extend in the width direction of the hinge bracket and protrude in the direction away from the flexible screen of the mobile terminal. The opening of the first arc-shaped groove is arranged opposite to the opening of the card slot. The first swing arm is an arc-shaped plate and slides through the arc-shaped space formed by the first arc-shaped groove and the card slot. Each of the movable swing arms also includes a second swing arm portion, which is an arc-shaped plate and slides through the second arc-shaped groove; The hinge assembly further includes a synchronizing gear set. In the length direction of the hinge bracket, the synchronizing gear set is disposed between the two second swing arms. The side of each second swing arm away from its corresponding second arc-shaped groove is meshed with the synchronizing gear set to realize the synchronous rotation of the two movable swing arms. In the same movable swing arm, the central axis of the second swing arm, the central axis of the first swing arm, and the central axis of the slot that slides through the first swing arm coincide.

6. The hinge assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that, The hinge bracket further includes a positioning protrusion and a stop protrusion. The positioning protrusion is connected to the bracket body on the side wall of the hinge bracket and extends toward the positioning cover plate in the width direction of the hinge bracket. The positioning protrusion and the bracket body together define the positioning slot. The hovering cam is connected to the positioning protrusion on both sides of the hinge bracket in the width direction. The stop protrusion is disposed in the positioning slot and connected to the positioning connecting block. The stop protrusion is located on the side of the positioning protrusion away from the first arc-shaped groove and is disposed opposite to the hovering cam in the length direction of the hinge bracket.

7. The hinge assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The positioning connecting block is provided with an assembly groove. The positioning cover plate includes a plate body and an assembly protrusion extending from the plate body along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket. In the thickness direction of the hinge bracket, the projected area of ​​the assembly protrusion is smaller than the projected area of ​​the plate body. The plate body abuts against the side surface of the positioning connecting block away from the bottom wall of the bracket body. The assembly protrusion passes through the assembly groove. The assembly protrusion and the assembly groove together define an injection channel in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket.

8. The hinge assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, The positioning cover plate has an assembly hole that extends along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket and penetrates the plate body and the assembly protrusion. The bottom wall of the assembly groove is recessed in the direction away from the positioning cover plate to form a mating hole. The hinge bracket also includes a glue-filling column that passes through the assembly hole and the mating hole and has a glue-filling hole that extends along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket and penetrates the glue-filling column. A glue-injection channel is provided between the outer surface of the glue-filling column and the inner surface of the assembly hole, and a glue-injection channel is provided between the outer surface of the glue-filling column and the inner surface of the mating hole.

9. The hinge assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that, The glue-filled column includes a top cap, a stop protrusion, and a column body. The top cap is connected to the column body and protrudes from the column body in the circumferential direction. A pull-out notch is provided on the top cap. The pull-out notch penetrates the top cap along the thickness direction of the hinge bracket. The stop protrusion is connected to the side surface of the top cap facing the column body and is spaced apart from the pull-out notch. The plate body is provided with a relief groove, the assembly hole is connected to the relief groove, the top cap is inserted into the relief groove, the stop protrusion is abutted against the surface of the relief groove in the thickness direction of the hinge bracket, and the column body is inserted into the assembly hole and the mating hole. The portion of the glue-filling column that passes through the assembly hole and the mating hole is the column body. The column body has an overflow notch, which penetrates the column body radially.

10. A mobile terminal, characterized in that, include: The hinge assembly according to any one of claims 1-9; Two middle frames are respectively connected to two movable swing arms in the same swing arm assembly; The flexible screen is supported on the two mid-frames and the hinge assembly.

Images