Rotating shaft mechanism and terminal equipment
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380094049.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-02-16
- Filing Date
- 2023-10-07
- Publication Date
- 2025-09-19
AI Technical Summary
After the locking structure of the rotating shaft mechanism of the existing terminal equipment is unlocked, the stability of the spring-opening angle is poor, which shortens the service life of the torsion spring and affects the stability of the shell's spring-opening angle.
A rotating shaft mechanism design including a base, a swing arm assembly, an elastic member and a first cam structure is adopted. The elastic member applies elastic force to the bearing member and the gear, so that the second protrusion abuts the first side surface, reducing the elastic member. The deformation amplitude is synchronously transmitted through an even number of gears, so that the swing arm assembly rotates smoothly during the deployment process.
The service life of the elastic member is improved, the stability of the pop-up angle of the terminal equipment shell is ensured, and the dual functions of self-spring in the folded state and stability in the unfolded state are achieved.
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Figure CN120677316A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Shaft mechanism and terminal equipment
[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on February 16, 2023, with application number 202310185102.4 and application name “Hinge Mechanism and Terminal Equipment”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field
[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of terminal equipment, and in particular to a rotating shaft mechanism and a terminal equipment. Background Art
[0003] With the development of technology, the form of terminal devices has undergone tremendous changes. Terminal devices such as foldable mobile phones, foldable tablets, and foldable wearable devices have gradually become an important development direction of future smart terminal devices.
[0004] To keep the terminal device in a folded state and prevent it from opening during transportation or carrying, designers usually design a locking structure on the terminal device to keep the terminal device in the folded state. When the terminal device needs to be used, the locking structure needs to be unlocked first, and then opened for use.
[0005] To facilitate opening the terminal device after the locking mechanism is unlocked, a related art terminal device incorporates a torsion spring in the hinge mechanism. As the hinge mechanism moves toward the folded position, the torsion spring deforms to store elastic potential energy. When the locking mechanism is unlocked, the terminal device springs open to a certain angle under the action of the torsion spring. However, the torsion spring deforms significantly as the hinge mechanism moves toward the folded position, and the reaction force acting on the torsion spring varies significantly, which in turn affects the torsion spring's service life. As the terminal device is folded and opened more frequently, the torsion spring's elasticity weakens, affecting the stability of the angle at which the terminal device's housing springs open.
[0006] Summary of the Invention
[0007] Embodiments of the present application provide a hinge mechanism and a terminal device, which are used to solve the problem in the related art that the hinge mechanism has poor spring-opening angle stability after the locking structure of the terminal device is unlocked.
[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:
[0009] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a rotating shaft mechanism, including a base, a swing arm assembly, an elastic member and a first cam structure; the swing arm assembly includes a bearing member, a pair of swing arms rotatably connected to the edges of opposite sides of the base, and an even number of gears, the even number of gears being transmission-connected between the pair of swing arms so that each swing arm can rotate synchronously relative to the base between a folded position and an unfolded position, the bearing member and the gears are arranged along the axial direction of the gears, and the bearing member is fixed relative to the base along the circumference of the gears; the elastic member is used to apply an elastic force to at least one of the bearing member and the gears so that the bearing member Close to the gear; a first cam structure is arranged between the first end face of the gear and the carrier, and includes a first protrusion arranged on one of the carrier and the first end face, and a second protrusion arranged on the other of the carrier and the first end face, the first protrusion includes a first side face; when the swing arm is in the folded position, the second protrusion abuts against the first side face, and under the action of the elastic force, the second protrusion and the first side face move relative to each other or have a tendency to move relative to each other, so as to apply a force to the gear that can drive the swing arm to rotate in the direction of the unfolded position.
[0010] In the hinge mechanism of the embodiment of the present application, the elastic member applies an elastic force to at least one of the carrier and the gear, forcing the carrier and the gear closer together, thereby ensuring that the second protrusion abuts the first side surface. Thus, during the rotation of the swing arm from the folded position to the deployed position, the deformation amplitude of the elastic member is determined by the relative displacement of the first and second protrusions along the axial direction of the gear, that is, by the height of the first protrusion. Because the height of the first protrusion is smaller than the displacement of the swing arm relative to the base, the problem of a large deformation amplitude of the elastic member is avoided, and the reaction force applied to the elastic member is reduced, thereby facilitating the longevity of the elastic member and ensuring the stability of the opening angle of the terminal device housing. Furthermore, in the hinge mechanism of the embodiment of the present application, the force generated by the first cam structure when the swing arm is in the folded position can be synchronously transmitted to the pair of swing arms in the swing arm assembly via an even number of gears. This ensures that the pair of swing arms are subjected to the same opening force, which not only improves the stability of the swing arm during the opening process but also ensures that the pair of swing arms have the same opening angle.
[0011] In some embodiments, the first protrusions are multiple in number and arranged along the circumference of the gear. A first notch is formed between two adjacent first protrusions. When the swing arm is in the folded position and the unfolded position, the second protrusion extends into the same first notch. This arrangement can minimize deformation of the elastic member, thereby further improving the life of the elastic member.
[0012] In some embodiments, a first bottom surface is provided within the first notch, the first bottom surface being perpendicular to the axial direction of the gear, and when the swing arm is in the deployed position, the second protrusion abuts against the first bottom surface. This arrangement ensures the stability of the relative position of the second protrusion to the first protrusion, thereby ensuring the stability of the terminal device in the deployed state.
[0013] In some embodiments, the first protrusion includes a second side surface, which is disposed opposite the first side surface along the circumference of the gear. The second side surface is tilted at a smaller angle relative to the axial direction of the gear than the first side surface. The second side surface is connected to the first side surface of the adjacent first protrusion via the first bottom surface. This configuration can reduce wear on the first protrusion during movement, thereby extending the service life of the product.
[0014] In some embodiments, when the swing arm is in the folded position, the second protrusion is in surface contact with the first side surface, thereby reducing the probability of damage between the first protrusion and the second protrusion.
[0015] In some embodiments, when the swing arm is in the deployed position, the second protrusion is in surface contact with the first bottom surface, so as to reduce the shaking of the swing arm in the deployed position.
[0016] In some embodiments, the number of the first protrusions is multiple, and the multiple first protrusions are arranged along the circumference of the gear; when the swing arm is in the folded position, the second protrusion abuts the first side surface of one of the first protrusions; when the swing arm is in the unfolded position, the second protrusion abuts the first side surface of another first protrusion. With this arrangement, the first cam structure can enable the terminal device to have the dual functions of self-opening in the folded state and maintaining a stable unfolded state, making the layout of the cam structure more compact.
[0017] In some embodiments, the first protrusion includes a second side surface, which is disposed opposite the first side surface along the circumference of the gear. The second side surface is inclined at a greater angle relative to the axial direction of the gear than the first side surface. This arrangement reduces resistance to the second protrusion "climbing" along the second side surface, thereby enabling the swing arm to smoothly rotate from the folded position to the deployed position.
[0018] In some embodiments, along the circumference of the gear, the central angle corresponding to the distance between the first side surfaces of two adjacent first protrusions is 90 degrees. This configuration can reduce the number of second protrusions that pass over first protrusions, thereby reducing the rotational resistance of the swing arm.
[0019] In some embodiments, in the swing arm assembly, the first cam structure is respectively provided between each gear and the carrier, so that a greater torque can be generated to drive the swing arm to rotate toward the deployed position.
[0020] In some embodiments, the two outermost gears are fixedly connected to the corresponding swing arms, and the gears other than the two outermost gears are slidably connected to the base along their axial direction, and the first cam structure is disposed between the gears and the carrier. This arrangement allows the swing arms to rotate more smoothly relative to the base.
[0021] In some embodiments, in the swing arm assembly, the carrier is provided on either side of the gear, the gear has two first end faces disposed opposite each other, and a first cam structure is provided between each first end face and the carrier on the corresponding side. With this arrangement, when the swing arm is in the folded position, the first cam structures on either side of the gear can generate a greater opening force, thereby enabling the hinge mechanism to adapt to terminal devices that require a greater torque to open.
[0022] In some embodiments, the hinge mechanism further includes a second cam structure disposed between the second end face of the gear and the carrier; the second cam structure includes a third protrusion disposed on one of the carrier and the second end face, and a fourth protrusion disposed on the other of the carrier and the second end face, the third protrusion including a third side face; when the swing arm is in the deployed position, the fourth protrusion abuts against the third side face, and under the action of the elastic force of the elastic member, the fourth protrusion and the third side face have a tendency to move relative to each other, thereby applying a force to the gear that can prevent the swing arm from rotating in a direction close to the folded position. This arrangement allows the terminal device to be stably maintained in the deployed state.
[0023] In some embodiments, the third protrusion includes a fourth side surface, which is disposed opposite the third side surface along the circumference of the gear. The fourth side surface is inclined at a greater angle relative to the axial direction of the gear than the third side surface. This arrangement reduces resistance to the fourth protrusion "climbing" along the fourth side surface, thereby enabling the swing arm to smoothly rotate from the folded position to the deployed position.
[0024] In some embodiments, the third protrusions are multiple in number and arranged along the circumference of the gear. A second notch is formed between two adjacent third protrusions. A first positioning portion is provided within the second notch. When the swing arm is in the folded position, the first positioning portion positions the fourth protrusion. This arrangement can reduce shaking of the swing arm in the folded position, thereby ensuring the stability of the terminal device in the folded state.
[0025] In some embodiments, the first positioning portion includes a first positioning surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the gear, and when the swing arm is in the folded position, the fourth protrusion is in surface contact with the first positioning surface. This configuration helps reduce processing difficulty and thus reduces processing costs.
[0026] In some embodiments, in the swing arm assembly, the carriers are provided on both sides of the gear, the first end face and the second end face are oppositely disposed end faces of the gear, the first cam structure is provided between the first end face and the carrier on the corresponding side, and the second cam structure is provided between the second end face and the carrier on the corresponding side. With this arrangement, the same swing arm assembly can achieve the dual functions of self-opening the terminal device in a folded state and maintaining a stable unfolded state.
[0027] In some embodiments, there are multiple swing arm assemblies, each arranged axially along the gear. In some of the swing arm assemblies, a carrier is provided on each side of the gear, the gear has two second end faces disposed opposite each other, and a second cam structure is provided between each second end face and the carrier on the corresponding side. In another of the swing arm assemblies, a carrier is provided on each side of the gear, the gear has two first end faces disposed opposite each other, and a first cam structure is provided between each first end face and the carrier on the corresponding side. This arrangement eliminates the need to confirm the positive and negative directions of the gear during assembly, thereby facilitating gear assembly.
[0028] In some embodiments, in the swing arm assembly, a second cam structure is provided between each gear and the carrier, so that a greater deployment force can be generated to prevent the swing arm from rotating toward the folded position, thereby making the terminal device more stable in the deployed state.
[0029] In some embodiments, the two outermost gears are fixedly connected to the corresponding swing arms, and the gears other than the two outermost gears are slidably connected to the base along their axial direction, and a second cam structure is provided between the gears and the carrier. This arrangement can ensure smoother rotation of the swing arm relative to the base.
[0030] In some embodiments, the rotating shaft mechanism further includes a damping mechanism comprising a first friction member and a second friction member. The first friction member is rotatably connected to the base and is connected to the swing arm via a connecting member, allowing the first friction member and the swing arm to rotate synchronously relative to the base. The second friction member is disposed on the base and contacts the first friction member. When the swing arm rotates between the folded position and the unfolded position, the second friction member rubs against the first friction member to apply a rotational damping force to the swing arm. With this arrangement, if either the first or second friction member becomes damaged, it can be replaced separately without having to replace the entire damping mechanism.
[0031] In some embodiments, the first friction member and the second friction member are both multiple in number, and the multiple first friction members and the multiple second friction members are arranged along the axial direction of the gear. A first gap is formed between two adjacent second friction members, and each first friction member is inserted into a corresponding first gap and contacts the adjacent second friction member. This arrangement allows the magnitude of the rotational damping force to be conveniently adjusted by adjusting the friction between the first and second friction members.
[0032] In some embodiments, the first friction member includes an elastic portion, the elastic portion is provided with a flat hole, and the hole wall of the flat hole has a first plane along its circumference; the second friction member is a flat shaft provided on the base, and along the circumference of the flat shaft, the flat shaft is relatively fixed to the base, and the flat shaft has a second plane and a third plane that are set apart, and the flat shaft is passed through the flat hole; when the swing arm is in the folded position, the first plane is arranged relative to the second plane; when the swing arm is in the unfolded position, the first plane is arranged relative to the third plane. With this arrangement, the swing arm can be stably maintained in the folded position and the unfolded position, thereby ensuring the stability of the terminal device in the folded and unfolded states.
[0033] In some embodiments, when the swing arm is in the folded position, a second gap is provided between the first plane and the second plane. Thus, when the swing arm is rotated to near the folded position, no friction is generated between the first friction member and the second friction member, thereby facilitating the first cam structure to eject the housing of the terminal device.
[0034] In some embodiments, when the swing arm is in the deployed position, a third gap is defined between the first plane and the third plane. Thus, when the swing arm is rotated to near the folded position, no friction is generated between the first friction member and the second friction member, thereby facilitating the second cam structure to maintain the terminal device in the deployed state.
[0035] In some embodiments, the elastic portion is formed by the first friction member through a rolling process. This configuration not only helps to improve the assembly efficiency of the damping mechanism, but also improves the connection reliability between the elastic portion and the first friction member body.
[0036] In some embodiments, the first friction member is a sheet-like structure. There are multiple first friction members stacked together, and each first friction member is provided with a notch at the flat-position hole that breaks the hole wall of the flat-position hole. The notches of the multiple first friction members form a groove extending axially along the flat-position axis. This arrangement helps reduce the difficulty and cost of processing the flat-position hole of the elastic portion.
[0037] In some embodiments, the swing arm is rotatably connected to the base via a rotating shaft, a torsion spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft, and a first connecting arm of the torsion spring is connected to the swing arm; a stop portion is provided on the base, and when the swing arm is in the deployed position, the second connecting arm separates from the stop portion, thereby placing the torsion spring in a natural state; when the swing arm rotates between the intermediate position and the folded position, the second connecting arm of the torsion spring abuts against the stop portion, placing the torsion spring in a force storage state, thereby applying a force to the swing arm that drives the swing arm to rotate toward the deployed position; wherein the intermediate position is a position between the folded position and the deployed position along the rotation direction of the swing arm. Such a configuration can reduce the magnitude of the reaction force exerted on the torsion spring by the swing arm and the stop portion, thereby extending the service life of the torsion spring.
[0038] In some embodiments, the base is provided with an arcuate slot into which the second connecting arm extends. The arcuate slot extends along the circumference of the rotating shaft, and a wall at one end of the arcuate slot serves as the stopper. This arrangement simplifies the structure of the stopper, thereby reducing costs. It also reduces shaking during movement of the second connecting arm, thereby ensuring smoother movement of the second connecting arm.
[0039] In some embodiments, the stop portion is a stop surface provided on the base, and a movement space for the second connecting arm to swing is provided between the stop surface and the torsion spring. This arrangement can make the structure of the stop portion simpler and help reduce costs.
[0040] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, comprising a display screen, at least two shells, and the hinge mechanism described in the first aspect, wherein the shell is used to support the display screen, the hinge mechanism is located at the junction of two adjacent shells, and each swing arm of the swing arm assembly in the hinge mechanism is respectively connected to the corresponding shell.
[0041] The technical effects achieved by the terminal device are the same as those achieved by the hinge mechanism in the first aspect, and will not be described in detail here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0042] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a hinge mechanism of a terminal device (laptop computer) in the related art;
[0043] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device (mobile phone) in an unfolded state in some embodiments of the present application;
[0044] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of the terminal device in FIG2 with the display screen removed;
[0045] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of the terminal device in FIG2 in a folded state;
[0046] FIG5 is a partial enlarged view of the terminal device at position A in FIG3 ;
[0047] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of the rotating shaft mechanism in the first embodiment of the present application;
[0048] FIG7 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft mechanism at MM in FIG6;
[0049] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the swing arm of the rotating shaft mechanism in FIG7 in a folded position;
[0050] FIG9 is an exploded view of the rotating shaft mechanism in FIG6 ;
[0051] FIG10 is a view of the rotating shaft mechanism in FIG7 along the direction B;
[0052] FIG11 is a perspective view of the swing arm of the rotating shaft mechanism in the first embodiment of the present application in the folded position;
[0053] FIG12 is a partial enlarged view of the rotating shaft mechanism in FIG11;
[0054] FIG13 is a perspective view of the swing arm of the rotating shaft mechanism in the first embodiment of the present application in the expanded position;
[0055] FIG14 is a partial enlarged view of the rotating shaft mechanism at position D in FIG13;
[0056] FIG15 is a circumferential expansion diagram of the first cam structure between the four gears and the carrier of the swing arm assembly in the first embodiment of the present application when the swing arm is at different positions;
[0057] FIG16 is a circumferential expansion diagram of the first cam structure between the rightmost gear and the carrier in FIG15 when the swing arm is at different positions;
[0058] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of a first cam structure provided on a gear connected to a swing arm in the rotating shaft mechanism of the first embodiment of the present application;
[0059] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of a first cam structure provided on a carrier in the rotating shaft mechanism of the first embodiment of the present application;
[0060] FIG19 is a circumferential expansion diagram of the second cam structure between the four gears and the carrier of the swing arm assembly in the first embodiment of the present application when the swing arm is in different positions;
[0061] FIG20 is a circumferential expansion diagram of the second cam structure between the rightmost gear and the carrier in FIG19 when the swing arm is at different positions;
[0062] FIG21 is a schematic diagram of a second cam structure provided on a gear connected to a swing arm in the rotating shaft mechanism of the first embodiment of the present application;
[0063] FIG22 is a schematic diagram of a second cam structure provided on a carrier in the rotating shaft mechanism of the first embodiment of the present application;
[0064] FIG23 is a schematic diagram of another structure of the second cam structure in an embodiment of the present application;
[0065] FIG24 is a schematic diagram of the swing arm of the rotating shaft mechanism in the second embodiment of the present application in the expanded position;
[0066] FIG25 is a schematic diagram of a swing arm of a rotating shaft mechanism in a third embodiment of the present application in an expanded position;
[0067] FIG26 is a perspective view of the swing arm of the rotating shaft mechanism in the third embodiment of the present application in the folded position;
[0068] FIG27 is a partial enlarged view of the rotating shaft mechanism at position E in FIG26;
[0069] FIG28 is a perspective view of the swing arm of the rotating shaft mechanism in the third embodiment of the present application in the expanded position;
[0070] FIG29 is a partial enlarged view of the rotating shaft mechanism at position F in FIG28;
[0071] FIG30 is a circumferential expansion diagram of the first cam structure between the four gears and the carrier of the swing arm assembly in the third embodiment of the present application when the swing arm is in different positions;
[0072] FIG31 is a circumferential expansion diagram of the first cam structure between the rightmost gear and the carrier in FIG30 when the swing arm is at different positions;
[0073] FIG32 is a schematic diagram of a first cam structure provided on a carrier in a rotating shaft mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present application;
[0074] FIG33 is an exploded view of the damping mechanism of the rotating shaft mechanism shown in FIG28;
[0075] FIG34 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft mechanism shown in FIG28 at the first friction member after the connecting frame is removed;
[0076] FIG35 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft mechanism shown in FIG26 at the first friction member after the connecting frame is removed;
[0077] FIG36 is a schematic diagram of another structure of the damping mechanism in the rotating shaft mechanism in an embodiment of the present application;
[0078] FIG37 is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the first friction member and the second friction member in FIG36 during the rotation process;
[0079] FIG38 is a partial enlarged view of the connection between the first friction member and the second friction member in FIG37;
[0080] FIG39 is a schematic diagram of a third structure of the damping mechanism in the rotating shaft mechanism in an embodiment of the present application;
[0081] FIG40 is a schematic structural diagram of a rotating shaft mechanism in some embodiments of the present application;
[0082] FIG41 is a partial enlarged view of the position of the torsion spring in the rotating shaft mechanism shown in FIG40;
[0083] FIG42 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft mechanism at position HH in FIG40;
[0084] FIG43 is a state diagram of the torsion spring during the swing arm rotation process according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0085] FIG44 is a cross-sectional view of the base of the rotating shaft mechanism at a position close to the torsion spring in some embodiments of the present application;
[0086] Figure 45 is a position state diagram of the second connecting arm of the torsion spring during the rotation of the swing arm in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0087] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.
[0088] With the development of technology, the form of terminal devices has undergone tremendous changes. Terminal devices such as foldable mobile phones, foldable tablets, and foldable wearable devices have gradually become an important development direction of future smart terminal devices.
[0089] When not in use, the terminal device is folded for easy portability. To keep the terminal device folded and prevent it from opening during transportation or portability, designers typically incorporate a locking mechanism (such as a snap or magnetic element) into the terminal device to maintain the folded state. When the terminal device is needed, the locking mechanism must be unlocked and then opened for use.
[0090] To facilitate opening the terminal device after the locking mechanism is unlocked, some current terminal devices are equipped with auxiliary opening structures on the housing, such as a hand-grip groove or a hand-grip bevel. The user uses the auxiliary opening structure to open the terminal device. However, adding an auxiliary opening structure not only affects the appearance of the terminal device, but also takes up a lot of space on the housing. This is especially true for foldable mobile phones, where the housing usually does not have enough space for design, which increases the difficulty of designing the auxiliary opening structure.
[0091] In order to solve the problem that the auxiliary opening structure takes up more space on the shell, some other terminal devices currently set the auxiliary opening structure in the terminal device's hinge mechanism (also called hinge mechanism). In this way, after the locking structure of the terminal device is unlocked, the auxiliary opening structure will cause the terminal device to automatically pop open a certain angle to facilitate the user's subsequent opening operation.
[0092] As shown in Figure 1, Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a hinge mechanism of a terminal device (laptop computer) in the related art. The hinge mechanism includes a base 06, a main pin shaft 030, a pair of fixing plates P1, and a torsion spring 050. The fixing plates P1 are used to be fixedly connected to the shell of the terminal device. Each fixing plate P1 is rotatably connected to the base 06 through the main pin shaft 030, wherein the torsion spring 050 is sleeved on the main pin shaft 030, the fixed end of the torsion spring 050 is inserted into the opening of the base 06, and the force-applying end of the torsion spring 050 is respectively pressed against the fixing plate P1.
[0093] When the stator P1 rotates toward the folded position following the kingpin 030, it rotates the force-applying end of the torsion spring 050, causing it to deform. When the housing connected by the two stator P1s is closed, the torsion spring 050 reaches its maximum deformation, storing elastic potential energy. Therefore, when the locking mechanism is unlocked, the housing connected by the two stator P1s will spring open a certain angle under the action of the torsion spring 050.
[0094] This hinge mechanism in the related art relies solely on the elastic force of the torsion spring 050 to control the shell of the terminal device to pop open. However, in the process of the fixed plate P1 rotating from the unfolded position to the folded position, the force-applying end of the torsion spring 050 rotates with the fixed plate P1 until it reaches the folded position. This causes the deformation amplitude of the torsion spring 050 to be large, and the variation amplitude of the reaction force applied to the torsion spring 050 to be large, which will affect the service life of the torsion spring 050 to a certain extent. As the number of times the terminal device is folded and opened increases, the elasticity of the torsion spring 050 will weaken, resulting in a decrease in the elastic force applied to the fixed plate P1, which will reduce the shell pop-up angle of the terminal device, thereby affecting the stability of the shell pop-up angle of the terminal device.
[0095] To this end, an embodiment of the present application provides a hinge mechanism and a terminal device. By setting a cam structure in the hinge mechanism, the cam structure can provide a spring-opening force when the terminal device is in a folded state, so as to solve the problem of poor spring-opening angle stability of the hinge mechanism in related technologies after the locking structure of the terminal device is unlocked.
[0096] The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application can be a foldable terminal device such as a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, wearable device, etc. The following uses a mobile phone as an example to illustrate the specific structure of the hinge mechanism in the terminal device. The hinge mechanism of other terminal devices can be specifically configured with reference to the mobile phone embodiment, and will not be described in detail here.
[0097] As shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the terminal device (mobile phone) in some embodiments of the present application in an unfolded state, Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the terminal device in Figure 2 after the display screen 200 is removed, and Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the terminal device in Figure 2 in a folded state.
[0098] The terminal device includes a hinge mechanism 100, a display screen 200, and two shells 300. The shell 300 is used to support the display screen 200. The hinge mechanism 100 is arranged at the junction of the two shells 300 so that the two shells 300 can switch between an unfolded state (as shown in Figure 2) and a folded state (as shown in Figure 4).
[0099] Of course, the terminal device is not limited to having two shells 300 , and may also have more than two shells 300 , such as three or four, etc., depending on the actual situation. The hinge mechanism 100 is set at the junction of two adjacent shells 300 .
[0100] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the shell 300 includes a shell bottom wall 310, a shell side wall 320 arranged at the edge of the shell bottom wall 310, and a back cover 330 (also called a battery cover) buckled on the shell side wall 320. The shell bottom wall 310, the shell side wall 320 and the back cover 330 together form a setting space, which is used to set batteries, circuit boards and other components. The side of the shell bottom wall 310 away from the setting space is used to set the display screen 200.
[0101] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the display screen 200 can be set on the surface of the shell bottom wall 310 away from the setting space; in other embodiments, a first accommodating groove is opened on the surface of the shell bottom wall 310 away from the setting space, and the display screen 200 is set in the first accommodating groove opened on the shell bottom wall 310.
[0102] The display screen 200 is inherently bendable and can bend and deform under external force. As shown in Figure 3, when the two housings 300 are in the unfolded state, the display screen 200 is unfolded, and the display area of the display screen 200 is exposed to display image information to the user. The display screen 200 includes a first display area 210, a second display area 220, and a third display area 230. The first display area 210 is covered on the bottom wall 310 of one housing 300, the second display area 220 is covered on the bottom wall 310 of the other housing 300, and the third display area 230 is covered on the hinge mechanism 100.
[0103] The above-mentioned display screen 200 can be a fully flexible screen structure, for example, the first display area 210, the second display area 220 and the third display area 230 of the display screen 200 are all flexible screen structures; the display screen 200 can also have a flexible screen structure in the middle folding part and a hard screen structure on both sides, for example, the first display area 210 and the second display area 220 of the display screen 200 are hard screen structures, and the third display area 230 is a flexible screen structure.
[0104] As shown in Figure 4, when the two shells 300 are in a folded state, the two shells 300 are stacked, and the display screen 200 is folded between the two shells 300, which makes it easier to carry the terminal device. The first display area 210 and the second display area 220 of the display screen 200 are stacked. Here, "stacked" means that the first display area 210 and the second display area 220 are superimposed in the thickness direction, and the thickness directions of the first display area 210 and the second display area 220 are parallel or approximately parallel (for example, the deviation is within 10°). The stacked first display area 210 and the second display area 220 can be attached together, or there can be a gap between the first display area 210 and the second display area 220, which is not specifically limited here.
[0105] As shown in Figures 5 to 8, Figure 5 is a partial enlarged view of the terminal device at point A in Figure 3, Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of the hinge mechanism 100 in the first embodiment of the present application, Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge mechanism 100 at point MM in Figure 6, and Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the swing arm of the hinge mechanism 100 in Figure 7 in the folded position.
[0106] The rotating shaft mechanism 100 includes a base 1 , a swing arm assembly 2 , an elastic member 3 and a first cam structure 4 .
[0107] The swing arm assembly 2 includes a pair of swing arms 21 rotatably connected to the edges of opposite sides of the base 1, and an even number of gears 22. The even number of gears 22 are transmission-connected between the pair of swing arms 21 so that each swing arm 21 can rotate synchronously relative to the base 1 between a folded position (as shown in FIG8 ) and an unfolded position (as shown in FIG7 ).
[0108] When the two housings 300 are in the deployed state, the pair of swing arms 21 in the swing arm assembly 2 are both in the deployed position. When the two housings 300 are in the folded state, the two swing arms 21 are both in the folded position. When the two housings 300 are switched to the folded state, the swing arms 21 rotate relative to the base 1 toward the folded position. When the two housings 300 are switched to the deployed state, the swing arms 21 rotate relative to the base 1 toward the deployed position.
[0109] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, in the swing arm assembly 2, there are four gears 22, and the four gears 22 are rotatably connected to the base 1, and two adjacent gears 22 are engaged with each other, wherein the two outermost gears 22 are fixedly connected to the corresponding swing arms 21, so that the swing arms 21 can rotate relative to the base 1 in the folded position and the unfolded position.
[0110] By connecting the four gears 22 between a pair of swing arms 21, when one of the swing arms 21 rotates a certain angle relative to the base 1, the swing arm 21 can transmit power to the other swing arm 21 through the four gears 22, so that the other swing arm 21 also rotates the same angle relative to the base 1, thereby realizing the synchronous rotation of the pair of swing arms 21 in the swing arm assembly 2 relative to the base 1.
[0111] The number of gears 22 in the swing arm assembly 2 is not limited to four, and may also be two, six, eight, etc., depending on the actual situation. When there are two gears 22, each gear 22 is fixedly connected to a corresponding swing arm 21. The gear 22 fixedly connected to the swing arm 21 can be integral with the swing arm 21 (as shown in Figures 7 and 8), or it can be provided separately from the swing arm 21, depending on the actual situation.
[0112] The even-numbered gears 22 in the swing arm assembly 2 can all be incomplete gears 22, all be complete gears 22, or a combination of incomplete and complete gears 22, without specific limitation. For example, as shown in FIG8 , of the four gears 22, the two outermost gears 22 are incomplete gears 22, and the two middle gears 22 are complete gears 22.
[0113] The incomplete gear 22 refers to a gear 22 having teeth and tooth grooves distributed on a portion of its circumferential surface in the circumferential direction; the complete gear 22 refers to a gear 22 having teeth and tooth grooves distributed on its entire circumferential surface in the circumferential direction.
[0114] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the swing arm 21 is connected to the corresponding housing 300 via a connecting frame 400. The connecting frame 400 is fixed to the housing 300, and the swing arm 21 is slidably connected to the connecting frame 400. The sliding connection between the swing arm 21 and the connecting frame 400 is intended to ensure that the degree of freedom of the mechanism formed by the housing 300, the base 1, and the swing arm 21 is one, thereby ensuring that the two housings 300 can be smoothly unfolded and folded.
[0115] The swing arm 21 and the connecting frame 400 can be slidably connected by the following structure: In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 6 and 9, a slide groove 410 is provided on the connecting frame 400, with one end of the slide groove 410 being disposed proximate to the base 1 and the other opposite end of the slide groove 410 being disposed away from the base 1, and the swing arm 21 slidably engages with the slide groove 410. In other embodiments, a sliding shaft can also be provided on the swing arm 21, and a sliding hole is provided on the connecting frame 400, with one end of the sliding hole being disposed proximate to the base 1 and the other opposite end of the sliding hole being disposed away from the base 1, and the sliding shaft and the sliding hole slidably engage with each other.
[0116] Of course, in addition to being connected to the housing 300 through the connecting frame 400 , the swing arm 21 can also be directly slidably connected to the housing 300 , and the specific method can be determined according to actual conditions.
[0117] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 5, 6, and 9, Figure 9 is an exploded view of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in Figure 6. The base 1 includes a shaft cover 11 and a base body 12 disposed on the shaft cover 11. The base body 12 includes a first sub-base 13 and a second sub-base 14 spaced apart from each other, and a plurality of mounting shafts 15 disposed between the first sub-base 13 and the second sub-base 14. The plurality of mounting shafts 15 are arranged along the width direction Y of the base 1, and each mounting shaft 15 extends along the length direction X of the base 1. One end of the mounting shaft 15 is connected to the first sub-base 13, and the other end is connected to the second sub-base 14. The swing arm assembly 2 is disposed between the first sub-base 13 and the second sub-base 14, and the gears 22 in the swing arm assembly 2 are rotatably mounted on the corresponding mounting shafts 15 to achieve a rotatable connection between the gears 22 and the base 1.
[0118] The length direction X of the base 1 is perpendicular to the width direction Y of the base 1 and the thickness direction Z of the terminal device in the unfolded state. The axial direction X of the gear 22 in the swing arm assembly 2 is parallel to the length direction X of the base 1.
[0119] The base body 12 in the embodiment of the present application is not limited to the structure of the above-mentioned sub-base 1 + mounting shaft 15. The base body 12 can also be designed as a long strip structure, and the swing arm 21 and the gear 22 are rotatably connected to the base body 12 with a long strip structure.
[0120] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3 and 5 , two pairs of first sub-bases 13 and second sub-bases 14 are provided, respectively. The two pairs of first sub-bases 13 and second sub-bases 14 are symmetrically distributed on either side of a mid-plane of the base 1 along its length direction X. A swing arm assembly 2 is provided between each pair of first sub-bases 13 and second sub-bases 14. This design allows the swing arm assemblies 2 between the two pairs of first sub-bases 13 and second sub-bases 14 to be located on either side of the mid-plane, thereby maintaining force balance on the terminal device housing 300 along the length direction X of the base 1, thereby ensuring smoother transitions between the folded and unfolded states.
[0121] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, the shaft cover 11 has a receiving space 110, the base body 12 is arranged in the receiving space 110, and the base body 12 is fixedly connected to the shaft cover 11. For example, the base body 12 can be fixedly connected to the shaft cover 11 by fasteners such as screws.
[0122] The shaft cover 11 is an external component of the shaft mechanism 100 and is used to cover the moving parts of the shaft mechanism 100, such as the swing arm 21 and the gear 22, to prevent the movement of the moving parts in the shaft mechanism 100 from being disturbed by the outside world.
[0123] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the two shells 300 are provided with a shielding portion 340 at the connection point, and the shielding portion 340 is step-shaped. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, when the two shells 300 are in the expanded state, the shaft cover 11 is located in the second accommodating groove 350 formed by the two shielding portions 340. The shaft cover 11 is now blocked by the shielding portion 340, and the shaft cover 11 cannot be seen from the outside, thereby ensuring the appearance of the connection point of the two shells 300 of the terminal device when it is in the expanded state.
[0124] When the two shells 300 move from the unfolded state to the folded state, the two shielding parts 340 gradually open, and the shaft cover 11 gradually emerges from between the two shielding parts 340; as shown in Figure 4, when the two shells 300 are in the folded state, the shaft cover 11 is located in the gap formed by the two shielding parts 340, and covers the gap to prevent the moving parts of the hinge mechanism 100 in the gap from being seen from the outside, thereby ensuring the appearance of the connection between the two shells 300 when the terminal device is in the folded state.
[0125] The specific structure of the shaft cover 11 is not unique. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 5, the shaft cover 11 includes a shaft cover wall 111, and the shaft cover wall 111 forms an accommodating space 110. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the shaft cover wall 111 includes a shaft cover bottom wall 112 and a shaft cover side wall 113 arranged at the periphery of the shaft cover bottom wall 112. The shaft cover bottom wall 112 and the shaft cover side wall 113 form an accommodating space 110. The accommodating space 110 can be a U-shaped groove, but is not limited to this. The accommodating space 110 can also be a trapezoidal groove, a semicircular groove, an arc groove, etc.
[0126] In addition to the above structure, in other embodiments, the shaft cover wall 111 may also be designed as a flat plate structure.
[0127] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 5, the shaft cover 11 is provided with an avoidance notch 1131 at the position corresponding to the swing arm 21. For example, the shaft cover side wall 113 is provided with an avoidance notch 1131 at the position corresponding to the swing arm 21. The avoidance notch 1131 is used to avoid the swing arm 21 to avoid structural interference between the shaft cover 11 and the swing arm 21 when the shaft cover 11 is in the expanded position.
[0128] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 6 and 9, the swing arm assembly 2 further includes a bearing 23. The bearing 23 and the gear 22 are arranged along the axial direction X of the gear 22, and the bearing 23 is fixed relative to the base 1 along the circumferential direction of the gear 22. The elastic member 3 is used to apply an elastic force F to at least one of the bearing 23 and the gear 22 to bring the bearing 23 and the gear 22 closer together.
[0129] The structure of the elastic member 3 is not unique. In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 6 and 9, the elastic member 3 is a spring, the spring is in a compressed state, and is sleeved on the mounting shaft 15. One end of the spring applies an elastic force F to the gear 22 to bring the gear 22 closer to the carrier 23.
[0130] The number of springs can be one or more. As shown in FIG6 , each mounting shaft 15 is sleeved with a spring.
[0131] In addition to being a spring, in some other embodiments, the elastic member 3 may also be other elastic components such as a spring.
[0132] In addition to applying the elastic force F to the gear 22 , the elastic member 3 may also apply the elastic force F to the carrier 23 or apply the elastic force F to both the carrier 23 and the gear 22 simultaneously by changing the setting position.
[0133] As shown in FIG. 10 , which is a view of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in FIG. 7 along direction B, the first cam structure 4 is disposed between the first end surface 221 of the gear 22 and the carrier 23 .
[0134] As shown in Figures 11 to 16, Figure 11 is a three-dimensional view of the swing arm 21 of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the first embodiment of the present application in the folded position, Figure 12 is a partial enlarged view of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 at C in Figure 11, Figure 13 is a three-dimensional view of the swing arm 21 of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the first embodiment of the present application in the unfolded position, Figure 14 is a partial enlarged view of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 at D in Figure 13, Figure 15 is a circumferential expansion view of the first cam structure 4 between the four gears 22 and the carrier 23 of the swing arm assembly 2 in the first embodiment of the present application when the swing arm 21 is in different positions, and Figure 16 is a circumferential expansion view of the first cam structure 4 between the gear 22 located on the far right and the carrier 23 in Figure 15 when the swing arm 21 is in different positions.
[0135] The first cam structure 4 includes a first protrusion 41 disposed on the first end surface 221 and a second protrusion 42 disposed on the carrier 23. The first protrusion 41 includes a first side surface 411. In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 15 and 16, the first side surface 411 may be an inclined surface that is inclined relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22. In other embodiments, the first side surface 411 may also be a curved surface, such as an arc surface, a parabola, etc.
[0136] As shown in Figures 12, 15 and 16, when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the second protrusion 42 abuts against the first side surface 411. Under the action of the elastic force of the elastic member 3, the component force f1 generated by the extrusion force between the second protrusion 42 and the first side surface 411 causes the second protrusion 42 and the first side surface 411 to move relative to each other or have a tendency to move relative to each other, so as to apply a force to the gear 22 that can drive the swing arm 21 to rotate toward the unfolded position.
[0137] Among them, first, in the embodiment of the present application, the abutment between two components specifically refers to the existence of at least one of point contact, line contact, and surface contact between the two components.
[0138] Second, in the embodiment of the present application, a locking structure is provided on the housing 300 of the terminal device. The locking structure has a locked state and an unlocked state. When the locking structure is in the locked state, the positions of the two housings 300 are locked, so that the two housings 300 are in a folded state. At this time, the second protrusion 42 and the first side surface 411 are in a relatively static state. However, under the action of the component force f1 generated by the squeezing force between the second protrusion 42 and the first side surface 411, there is a tendency for relative movement between the second protrusion 42 and the first side surface 411, such as shown in (a) of FIG. 16 , the teeth The wheel 22 tends to move leftward relative to the supporting member 23; when the locking structure is in the unlocked state, as shown in (a) in Figure 16, the second protrusion 42 and the first side surface 411 move relative to each other under the action of the component force f1, causing the gear 22 to rotate leftward relative to the supporting member 23 (in Figure 16, the gear 22 rotates leftward to drive the swing arm 21 to move in the unfolding direction, and the gear 22 rotates rightward to drive the swing arm 21 to move in the folding direction), thereby causing the gear 22 to drive the swing arm 21 to rotate toward the unfolded position, thereby causing the two shells 300 of the terminal device to pop open at a certain angle.
[0139] The locking structure can be a snap-fit structure or a magnetic attraction mechanism. The snap-fit structure includes an elastic snap provided on one housing 300 and a latch hole provided on the other housing 300. When the snap-fit structure is in the locked state, the elastic snap-fit and the latch hole are detachably engaged. The elastic snap-fit can be separated from the latch hole under the action of an external force, thereby placing the snap-fit structure in the unlocked state.
[0140] The magnetic attraction mechanism includes an electromagnet disposed on one housing 300 and a magnetic attraction member disposed on the other housing 300. When the magnetic attraction mechanism is in the locked state, the electromagnet is energized to attract the magnetic attraction member. When the magnetic attraction mechanism is in the unlocked state, the electromagnet is de-energized, separating the electromagnet and the magnetic attraction member. The magnetic attraction member can be made of at least one magnetic material such as iron, cobalt, or nickel.
[0141] The hinge mechanism 100 of the embodiment of the present application is configured by setting a first cam structure 4 between the carrier 23 and the gear 22. When the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the elastic force of the elastic member 3 causes the second protrusion 42 and the first side surface 411 of the first protrusion 41 to be squeezed and move relative to each other, thereby driving the swing arm 21 to unfold through the gear 22, so as to achieve the effect of the terminal device's shell 300 self-opening after the locking structure is switched to the unlocked state.
[0142] Compared with the hinge mechanism 100 in the related art, the hinge mechanism 100 in the embodiment of the present application, since the elastic member 3 applies an elastic force F to at least one of the carrier 23 and the gear 22 to make the carrier 23 close to the gear 22, thereby ensuring that the second protrusion 42 can abut against the first side surface 411. In this way, during the rotation of the swing arm 21 from the folded position to the unfolded position, the deformation amplitude of the elastic member 3 is determined by the relative displacement of the first protrusion 41 and the second protrusion 42 along the axial direction X of the gear 22, that is, it is determined by the height of the first protrusion 41. Since the height of the first protrusion 41 is smaller than the displacement of the swing arm 21 relative to the base 1, the problem of a large deformation amplitude of the elastic member 3 can be avoided. The reaction force on the elastic member 3 can be reduced, which is beneficial to improving the service life of the elastic member 3, so that the elastic member 3 can provide a stable elastic force F to at least one of the carrier 23 and the gear 22 to ensure the stability of the opening angle of the shell 300 of the terminal device.
[0143] In addition, in the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the embodiment of the present application, the rebound force generated by the first cam structure 4 when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position (that is, the component force f1 generated by the extrusion force between the second protrusion 42 and the first side surface 411) can be synchronously transmitted to a pair of swing arms 21 in the swing arm assembly 2 through an even number of gears 22, so that the rebound force exerted on the pair of swing arms 21 is the same, which not only improves the stability of the pair of swing arms 21 during the rebound process, but also makes the rebound angles of the pair of swing arms 21 the same.
[0144] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 15 and 16 , there are multiple first protrusions 41, which are arranged along the circumference of the gear 22. A first notch 43 is formed between two adjacent first protrusions 41. When the swing arm 21 is in the folded position and the deployed position, the second protrusion 42 extends into the same first notch 43. In this way, when the swing arm 21 rotates between the folded position and the deployed position, the second protrusion 42 can avoid passing over the first protrusion 41, thereby reducing the displacement of the second protrusion 42 relative to the first protrusion 41 in the axial direction X of the gear 22, thereby reducing the deformation amplitude of the elastic member 3 and further improving the service life of the elastic member 3.
[0145] It should be understood that: in order to meet the requirement that the second protrusion 42 extends into the same first notch 43 when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position and the unfolded position, the central angle corresponding to the first notch 43 in the circumferential direction of the gear 22 must be greater than or equal to 90 degrees. This is because when the swing arm 21 is rotated from the folded position to the unfolded position, the swing arm 21 rotates 90 degrees, and the gear 22 connected to the swing arm 21 also rotates 90 degrees, that is, the gear 22 rotates a quarter of a turn. Therefore, the central angle corresponding to the first notch 43 in the circumferential direction of the gear 22 needs to be greater than or equal to 90 degrees so that the second protrusion 42 has enough space in the first notch 43.
[0146] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 16 and 17, Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the first cam structure 4 provided on the gear 22 connected to the swing arm 21 in the rotating shaft mechanism 100 of the first embodiment of the present application. The number of the first protrusions 41 is two.
[0147] Of course, the number of the first protrusions 41 is not limited to two, and may also be three, one, etc., depending on the actual situation.
[0148] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 16 and 17, a first bottom surface 431 is provided in the first notch 43. The first bottom surface 431 is perpendicular to the axial direction X of the gear 22. When the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position, the second protrusion 42 abuts against the first bottom surface 431. Compared to the first bottom surface 431 being tilted relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22, the first bottom surface 431 is perpendicular to the axial direction X of the gear 22. This prevents relative movement between the second protrusion 42 and the first bottom surface 431 under the elastic force of the elastic member 3, thereby ensuring the stability of the relative position of the second protrusion 42 and the first protrusion 41, so that the swing arm 21 is relatively stably located in the deployed position, thereby ensuring the stability of the terminal device in the deployed state.
[0149] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG16 , the first protrusion 41 includes a second side surface 412 disposed opposite the first side surface 411 along the circumference of the gear 22. The second side surface 412 has a smaller inclination angle relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22 than the first side surface 411, i.e., the second side surface 412 is steeper than the first side surface 411. The second side surface 412 is connected to the first side surface 411 of the adjacent first protrusion 41 via a first bottom surface 431. Because the inclination angle of the second side surface 412 relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22 is smaller than the inclination angle of the first side surface 411 relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22, compared to setting the inclination angle of the second side surface 412 to be the same as the first side surface 411, this increases the lateral distance between the first side surface 411 and the second side surface 412 on the same first protrusion 41, thereby reducing wear on the first protrusion 41 during the folding and unfolding of the swing arm 21, thereby extending the service life of the product.
[0150] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG16 , when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the second protrusion 42 is in surface contact with the first side surface 411. That is, the second protrusion 42 has a flat side surface, and when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the flat side surface of the second protrusion 42 is in surface contact with the first side surface 411. This design reduces the pressure generated by the interaction between the second protrusion 42 and the first side surface 411, thereby reducing the probability of damage between the first and second protrusions 41, 42.
[0151] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG16 , when the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position, the second protrusion 42 is in surface contact with the first bottom surface 431. That is, the top of the second protrusion 42 has a flat surface, and when the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position, the flat surface of the top of the second protrusion 42 is in surface contact with the first bottom surface 431. This arrangement increases the contact area between the second protrusion 42 and the first bottom surface 431, making it less likely for the second protrusion 42 to wobble along the first bottom surface 431 when the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position. This reduces the wobble of the swing arm 21 in the deployed position, thereby ensuring the stability of the terminal device in its deployed state.
[0152] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 16 and 18, Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the first cam structure 4 provided on the carrier 23 in the rotating shaft mechanism 100 of the first embodiment of the present application. There are multiple second protrusions 42, arranged circumferentially around the gear 22. A third notch 44 is formed between two adjacent second protrusions 42, into which the corresponding first protrusion 41 extends. Each second protrusion 42 extends into a corresponding first notch 43. By providing multiple second protrusions 42, when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the multiple second protrusions 42 can each press against the corresponding first protrusion 41, thereby improving the contact stress of the first cam structure 4 and preventing the first cam structure 4 from changing shape during use.
[0153] The number of the second protrusions 42 is equal to the number of the first protrusions 41 . For example, as shown in FIG. 16 , the number of the second protrusions 42 and the number of the first protrusions 41 are both two.
[0154] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG16 , a third bottom surface 441 is provided in the third notch 44. The third bottom surface 441 is perpendicular to the axial direction X of the gear 22. When the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position, the first protrusion 41 is in surface contact with the third bottom surface 441. That is, the top of the first protrusion 41 has a flat surface. When the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position, the flat surface of the top of the first protrusion 41 is in surface contact with the third bottom surface 441. This arrangement increases the contact area between the first protrusion 41 and the third bottom surface 441, making it less likely that the first protrusion 41 will wobble along the third bottom surface 441 when the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position. This reduces the wobble of the swing arm 21 in the deployed position, thereby ensuring the stability of the terminal device in the deployed state.
[0155] In the embodiment of the present application, in addition to being provided with multiple second protrusions 42 in the first cam structure 4, a single second protrusion 42 can also be provided. The positions of the first protrusion 41 and the second protrusion 42 in the first cam structure 4 can also be reversed, that is, the first protrusion 41 is provided on the carrier 23, and the second protrusion 42 is provided on the first end surface 221 of the gear 22, which can also achieve the same effect.
[0156] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 14 and 15 , in the swing arm assembly 2, a first cam structure 4 is provided between each gear 22 and the carrier 23. With this design, when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, each gear 22 is subjected to a force from the corresponding first cam structure 4, thereby generating a greater torque to drive the swing arm 21 toward the deployed position. This allows the first cam structure 4 to accommodate terminal devices that require a greater torque to open.
[0157] In the process of the swing arm 21 rotating from the unfolded position to the folded position, with the gear 22 as a reference, since the second protrusion 42 needs to "climb" along the first side surface 411 of the first protrusion 41, the swing arm 21 will move along the axial direction X with the gear 22 located on the outermost side. In order to ensure that the swing arm 21 can move smoothly along the axial direction X of the gear 22, the swing arm 21 is movably connected to the housing 300 along the axial direction X of the gear 22. For example, as shown in Figure 6, there is a movement gap between the swing arm 21 and the two side groove walls of the slide groove 410 of the connecting frame 400, so that the swing arm 21 can move along the axial direction X in the slide groove 410.
[0158] Of course, in the swing arm assembly 2, in addition to having a first cam structure 4 disposed between each gear 22 and the carrier 23, a first cam structure 4 may also be disposed between a portion of the gears 22 and the carrier 23. Specifically, in the swing arm assembly 2, the two outermost gears 22 are fixedly connected to the corresponding swing arm 21, while the gears 22 other than the two outermost gears 22 (e.g., the two middle gears 22 in FIG. 14 ) are slidably connected to the base 1 along their axial direction X and have a first cam structure 4 disposed between them and the carrier 23. With this design, during the rotation of the swing arm 21 from the deployed position to the folded position, the gears 22 connected to the swing arm 21 will not undergo axial X movement due to the force of the first cam structure 4, thereby ensuring smoother rotation of the swing arm 21 relative to the base 1.
[0159] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 14, 19 and 20, Figure 19 is a circumferential expansion diagram of the second cam structure between the four gears 22 and the carrier 23 of the swing arm assembly 2 in the first embodiment of the present application when the swing arm 21 is at different positions, and Figure 20 is a circumferential expansion diagram of the second cam structure between the gear 22 located on the far right in Figure 19 and the carrier 23 when the swing arm 21 is at different positions.
[0160] The rotating shaft mechanism 100 also includes a second cam structure 5 arranged between the second end face 222 of the gear 22 and the carrier 23; the second cam structure 5 includes a third protrusion 51 arranged on the second end face 222, and a fourth protrusion 52 arranged on the carrier 23, the third protrusion 51 includes a third side surface 511, wherein the third side surface 511 can be a bevel, which is inclined relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22; in addition to the bevel, the third side surface 511 can also be a curved surface, such as an arc surface, a parabola, etc.
[0161] When the swing arm 21 is in the expanded position, the fourth protrusion 52 abuts against the third side surface 511, and under the action of the elastic force of the elastic member 3, the component force f2 generated by the extrusion force between the fourth protrusion 52 and the third side surface 511 makes the fourth protrusion 52 and the third side surface 511 tend to move relative to each other, so as to apply a force to the gear 22 that can prevent the swing arm 21 from rotating in the direction close to the folded position. As shown in (b) in Figure 20, this force (that is, the expansion force) can make the gear 22 tend to rotate to the left (in Figure 20, the gear 22 rotates to the left, driving the swing arm 21 to move in the expansion direction, and the gear 22 rotates to the right, driving the swing arm 21 to move in the folding direction), thereby preventing the swing arm 21 from shaking in the expanded position, making the swing arm 21 stably in the expanded position, and thus enabling the terminal device to stably remain in the expanded state, so as to improve the user experience.
[0162] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 20, the third protrusion 51 includes a fourth side surface 512. Along the circumference of the gear 22, the fourth side surface 512 is arranged opposite to the third side surface 511, and the inclination angle of the fourth side surface 512 relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22 is greater than the inclination angle of the third side surface 511 relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22.
[0163] During the rotation of the swing arm 21 from the folded position to the deployed position, with the gear 22 as a reference, the fourth protrusion 52 needs to pass over the third protrusion 51 along the fourth side surface 512 and then abut against the third side surface 511 of the third protrusion 51. Because the inclination angle of the fourth side surface 512 relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22 is greater than the inclination angle of the third side surface 511 relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22, that is, the fourth side surface 512 is flatter than the third side surface 511, this reduces the difficulty of the fourth protrusion 52 passing over the third protrusion 51 and reduces the resistance of the fourth protrusion 52 when "climbing" along the fourth side surface 512, thereby enabling the swing arm 21 to smoothly rotate from the folded position to the deployed position, thereby ensuring that the terminal device can smoothly switch to the deployed state.
[0164] Of course, the setting positions of the third protrusion 51 and the fourth protrusion 52 can also be swapped with each other, that is: the third protrusion 51 is set on the carrier 23, and the fourth protrusion 52 is set on the second end face 222 of the gear 22. In this way, the effect of reducing the resistance of the fourth protrusion 52 when "climbing" along the fourth side surface 512 can also be achieved.
[0165] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 20 and 21, Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the second cam structure 5 provided on the gear 22 connected to the swing arm 21 in the hinge mechanism 100 of the first embodiment of the present application. There are multiple third protrusions 51, arranged along the circumference of the gear 22. A second notch 53 is formed between two adjacent third protrusions 51. A first positioning portion 531 is provided within the second notch 53. When the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the first positioning portion 531 positions the fourth protrusion 52. By providing the first positioning portion 531 to position the fourth protrusion 52, the fourth protrusion 52 is less likely to shake when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, thereby reducing shaking of the swing arm 21 in the folded position and ensuring the stability of the terminal device in the folded state.
[0166] The structure of the first positioning portion 531 is not unique. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG20 , the first positioning portion 531 includes a first positioning surface 5311 perpendicular to the axial direction X of the gear 22. When the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the fourth protrusion 52 is in surface contact with the first positioning surface 5311. That is, the top of the fourth protrusion 52 has a flat surface, and when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the flat surface of the top of the fourth protrusion 52 is in surface contact with the first positioning surface 5311. By configuring the first positioning portion 531 as the first positioning surface 5311 and in surface contact with the fourth protrusion 52, the positioning structure can be simplified, which helps reduce the difficulty of manufacturing and thus helps reduce manufacturing costs.
[0167] In addition to the first positioning surface 5311, the first positioning portion 531 may also be a positioning groove, a magnetic element, or the like. When the first positioning portion 531 is a positioning groove, the top of the fourth protrusion 52 is provided with a structure that cooperates with the positioning groove. When the first positioning portion 531 is a magnetic element, the top of the fourth protrusion 52 is provided with a magnetic element that can be attracted to the magnetic element. The magnetic element and the magnetic element can both be magnets.
[0168] Of course, the first positioning portion 531 may not be provided in the second notch 53, as shown in Figure 23, which is a schematic diagram of another structure of the second cam structure 5 in an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 23, the first positioning surface 5311 in Figure 20 is cancelled, and when the swing arm 21 is in the expanded position, the fourth protrusion 52 abuts against the fourth side surface 512.
[0169] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 20 and 22, Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the second cam structure 5 disposed on the carrier 23 in the rotating shaft mechanism 100 of the first embodiment of the present application. A plurality of fourth protrusions 52 are provided, arranged circumferentially around the gear 22. A fourth notch 54 is formed between two adjacent fourth protrusions 52, into which the third protrusion 51 extends. By providing a plurality of fourth protrusions 52, when the swing arm 21 is in the extended position, the plurality of fourth protrusions 52 can respectively press against the corresponding third protrusions 51, reducing contact stress and thereby effectively extending the service life of the second cam structure 5.
[0170] The number of the fourth protrusions 52 is equal to the number of the third protrusions 51. For example, as shown in FIG20 , the number of the fourth protrusions 52 and the number of the third protrusions 51 are both three. Of course, the number of the fourth protrusions 52 and the number of the third protrusions 51 is not limited to three, and may also be four, six, eight, etc., depending on the actual situation.
[0171] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG20 , a second positioning portion 541 is provided in the fourth notch 54. When the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the second positioning portion 541 positions the third protrusion 51. By providing the second positioning portion 541 to position the third protrusion 51, the third protrusion 51 is less likely to wobble when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, thereby reducing the wobble of the swing arm 21 in the folded position and further ensuring the stability of the terminal device in the folded state.
[0172] The structure of the second positioning portion 541 is not unique. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG20 , the second positioning portion 541 includes a second positioning surface 5411 perpendicular to the axial direction X of the gear 22. The third protrusion 51 is in surface contact with the second positioning surface 5411 when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position. In other words, the top of the third protrusion 51 has a flat surface, and when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the flat surface of the top of the third protrusion 51 is in surface contact with the second positioning surface 5411. By providing the second positioning portion 541 as the second positioning surface 5411 and in surface contact with the third protrusion 51, the positioning structure can be simplified, which helps reduce the difficulty of manufacturing and thus helps reduce manufacturing costs.
[0173] In addition to the second positioning surface 5411, the second positioning portion 541 may also be a positioning groove, a magnetic member, etc. When the second positioning portion 541 is a positioning groove, the top of the third protrusion 51 is provided with a structure that cooperates with the positioning groove. When the second positioning portion 541 is a magnetic member, the top of the third protrusion 51 is provided with a magnetic member that can be attracted to the magnetic member. The magnetic member and the magnetic member can both be magnets.
[0174] In the embodiment of the present application, in addition to being provided with multiple fourth protrusions 52 in the second cam structure 5 , one fourth protrusion 52 can also be provided.
[0175] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 14 and 19, in the swing arm assembly 2, a second cam structure 5 is provided between each gear 22 and the carrier 23. With this design, when the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position, each gear 22 is subjected to a force exerted by the corresponding second cam structure 5, thereby generating a greater deployment force to prevent the swing arm 21 from rotating toward the folded position, thereby making the terminal device more stable in the deployed state.
[0176] Of course, in the swing arm assembly 2, in addition to having a second cam structure 5 disposed between each gear 22 and the carrier 23, a second cam structure 5 may also be disposed between a portion of the gears 22 and the carrier 23. Specifically, in the swing arm assembly 2, the two outermost gears 22 are fixedly connected to the corresponding swing arm 21, while the gears 22 other than the two outermost gears 22 (e.g., the two middle gears 22 in FIG. 14 ) are slidably connected to the base 1 along their axial direction X and have a second cam structure 5 disposed between them and the carrier 23. With this design, during the rotation of the swing arm 21 from the folded position to the deployed position, the gears 22 connected to the swing arm 21 will not undergo axial X movement due to the force of the second cam structure 5, thereby ensuring smoother rotation of the swing arm 21 relative to the base 1.
[0177] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 10 to 14, in the swing arm assembly 2, a supporting member 23 is provided on both sides of the gear 22, the first end face 221 and the second end face 222 are two end faces of the gear 22 arranged opposite to each other, a first cam structure 4 is provided between the first end face 221 and the supporting member 23 on the corresponding side, and a second cam structure 5 is provided between the second end face 222 and the supporting member 23 on the corresponding side.
[0178] In this embodiment, the first cam structure 4 and the second cam structure 5 are distributed on both sides of the same gear 22, and the first cam structure 4 and the second cam structure 5 are arranged in the same swing arm assembly 2. In this way, the same swing arm assembly 2 can achieve the dual functions of the terminal device self-opening in the folded state and maintaining a stable unfolded state.
[0179] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 10, two swing arm assemblies 2 are provided between the first sub-base 13 and the second sub-base 14, namely the swing arm assembly 2a and the swing arm assembly 2b. The swing arm assembly 2a is arranged close to the first sub-base 13, and the swing arm assembly 2b is arranged close to the second sub-base 14.
[0180] In the swing arm assembly 2a, the upper end face of the gear 22 is the first end face 221, the lower end face of the gear 22 is the second end face 222, a first cam structure 4 is provided between the upper end face of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 located on the upper side of the gear 22, and a second cam structure 5 is provided between the lower end face of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 located on the lower side of the gear 22.
[0181] In the swing arm assembly 2b, the upper end face of the gear 22 is the second end face 222, the lower end face of the gear 22 is the first end face 221, a second cam structure 5 is provided between the upper end face of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 located on the upper side of the gear 22, and a first cam structure 4 is provided between the lower end face of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 located on the lower side of the gear 22.
[0182] As shown in Figure 10, the elastic member 3 is a spring, which is in a compressed state and is sleeved on the mounting shaft 15 between the swing arm assembly 2a and the swing arm assembly 2b. One end of the elastic member 3 abuts against the supporting member 23 located on the lower side of the gear 22 in the swing arm assembly 2a, and the other end of the elastic member 3 abuts against the supporting member 23 located on the upper side of the gear 22 in the swing arm assembly 2b.
[0183] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG10 , in the swing arm assembly 2a, the support member 23 located above the gear 22 is fixedly connected to the first sub-base 13. For example, the support member 23 located above the gear 22 can be integral with the first sub-base 13. The support member 23 located below the gear 22 is provided with a plurality of through holes 231, each of which has a mounting shaft 15 extending therethrough.
[0184] In the swing arm assembly 2b, the support member 23 located above and below the gear 22 is provided with a plurality of through-holes 231. A mounting shaft 15 is passed through each through-hole 231. The support member 23 located below the gear 22 can be integrally formed with the second friction member 62 of the damping mechanism 6. The damping mechanism 6 will be described in detail later.
[0185] As shown in Figure 24, Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of the swing arm 21 of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the second embodiment of the present application in the expanded position. The main difference between the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the second embodiment of the present application and the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the first embodiment is that the first cam structure 4 and the second cam structure 5 are arranged differently.
[0186] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 24, in the swing arm assembly 2 (such as the swing arm assembly 2 located on the upper side in the figure), a supporting member 23 is provided on both sides of the gear 22, and the gear 22 has two first end faces 221 arranged opposite to each other. A first cam structure 4 is provided between each first end face 221 and the supporting member 23 on the corresponding side, that is, the first cam structure 4 is arranged on both sides of the gear 22. In this way, when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the first cam structures 4 on both sides of the gear 22 can generate a greater pop-up force, so that the hinge mechanism 100 can adapt to terminal devices that require a larger torque to pop open.
[0187] Among them, when there are multiple swing arm assemblies 2, the first cam structure 4 can be arranged on both sides of the gear 22 in a part of the swing arm assemblies 2, or the first cam structure 4 can be arranged on both sides of the gear 22 in each swing arm assembly 2. No specific limitation is made here.
[0188] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 24, there are multiple swing arm assemblies 2, and the multiple swing arm assemblies 2 are arranged along the axial direction X of the gear 22. In a part of the swing arm assemblies 2, a support 23 is provided on both sides of the gear 22, and the gear 22 has two second end faces 222 arranged opposite to each other, and a second cam structure 5 is provided between each second end face 222 and the support 23 on the corresponding side; in another part of the swing arm assemblies 2, a support 23 is provided on both sides of the gear 22, and the gear 22 has two first end faces 221 arranged opposite to each other, and a first cam structure 4 is provided between each first end face 221 and the support 23 on the corresponding side.
[0189] In this embodiment, in the same set of swing arm assemblies 2, either the first cam structure 4 or the second cam structure 5 is arranged on both sides of the gear 22. That is, the same type of cam structure is arranged on both sides of the gear 22. This ensures that the swing arm 21 can rotate normally even when the gear 22 is installed upside down. Therefore, there is no need to confirm the forward and reverse directions of the gear 22 during assembly, thereby facilitating the assembly of the gear 22. In addition, because the second cam structure 5 is arranged on both sides of the gear 22 in a certain number of swing arm assemblies 2, when the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position, the second cam structures 5 on both sides of the gear 22 can generate a greater deployment force to prevent the terminal device from folding, thereby enabling the hinge mechanism 100 to adapt to terminal devices that require a larger torque to maintain the deployed state.
[0190] For example, as shown in Figure 24, a swing arm assembly 2a and a swing arm assembly 2b are provided between the first sub-base 13 and the second sub-base 14. In the swing arm assembly 2a, the upper end face and the lower end face of the gear 22 are both the first end face 221, and a first cam structure 4 is provided between the upper end face of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 located on the upper side of the gear 22, and between the lower end face of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 located on the lower side of the gear 22; in the swing arm assembly 2b, the upper end face and the lower end face of the gear 22 are both the second end face 222, and a second cam structure 5 is provided between the upper end face of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 located on the upper side of the gear 22, and between the lower end face of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 located on the lower side of the gear 22.
[0191] As shown in Figures 25 to 31, Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of the swing arm 21 of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the third embodiment of the present application in the expanded position, Figure 26 is a three-dimensional diagram of the swing arm 21 of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the third embodiment of the present application in the folded position, Figure 27 is a partial enlarged view of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 at E in Figure 26, Figure 28 is a three-dimensional diagram of the swing arm 21 of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the third embodiment of the present application in the expanded position, Figure 29 is a partial enlarged view of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 at F in Figure 28, Figure 30 is a circumferential expansion diagram of the first cam structure 4 between the four gears 22 and the carrier 23 of the swing arm assembly 2 in the third embodiment of the present application when the swing arm 21 is in different positions, and Figure 31 is a circumferential expansion diagram of the first cam structure 4 between the gear 22 located on the far right and the carrier 23 in Figure 30 when the swing arm 21 is in different positions.
[0192] The main difference between the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the third embodiment of the present application and the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the first embodiment is that the structure of the first cam structure 4 is different.
[0193] There are multiple first protrusions 41, and the multiple first protrusions 41 are arranged along the circumference of the gear 22. As shown in Figure 31, when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the second protrusion 42 abuts against the first side surface 411 of one first protrusion 41; when the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position, the second protrusion 42 abuts against the first side surface 411 of another first protrusion 41.
[0194] Since the second protrusion 42 abuts against the first side surfaces 411 of different first protrusions 41 when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position and the unfolded position, respectively, when the swing arm 21 is in the unfolded position and the folded position, under the action of the elastic force of the elastic member 3, the squeezing action of the second protrusion 42 and the first side surface 411 can apply an unfolding force to the swing arm 21 through the gear 22. Then, through the first cam structure 4, the terminal device can have the dual functions of self-opening in the folded state and maintaining a stable unfolded state. That is, the first cam structure 4 in this embodiment has the effects of the first cam structure 4 and the second cam structure 5, which makes the layout of the cam structure more compact, which is conducive to reducing the size of the swing arm assembly 2 while achieving the same function.
[0195] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 30 and FIG. 31 , the inclination angle of the second side surface 412 of the first protrusion 41 relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22 is greater than the inclination angle of the first side surface 411 relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22 .
[0196] During the rotation of the swing arm 21 from the folded position to the deployed position, with the gear 22 as a reference, the second protrusion 42 needs to pass over the first protrusion 41 along the second side surface 412 before abutting against the first side surface 411 of the first protrusion 41. Because the inclination angle of the second side surface 412 relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22 is greater than the inclination angle of the first side surface 411 relative to the axial direction X of the gear 22, that is, the second side surface 412 is flatter than the first side surface 411, this reduces the difficulty of the second protrusion 42 passing over the first protrusion 41 and reduces the resistance of the second protrusion 42 when "climbing" along the second side surface 412. This allows the swing arm 21 to rotate smoothly from the folded position to the deployed position, thereby ensuring that the terminal device can smoothly switch to the deployed state.
[0197] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 31 , along the circumference of the gear 22 , the central angle corresponding to the distance between the first side surfaces 411 of two adjacent first protrusions 41 is 90 degrees.
[0198] During the process of the swing arm 21 rotating from the folded position to the unfolded position, it rotates 90 degrees, and the gear 22 connected to the swing arm 21 also rotates 90 degrees, that is, a quarter of a turn. By setting the central angle corresponding to the distance between the first side surfaces 411 of two adjacent first protrusions 41 to 90 degrees, the second protrusion 42 can be moved from the first side surface 411 of one first protrusion 41 to the first side surface 411 of the adjacent first protrusion 41, thereby reducing the number of second protrusions 42 crossing over the first protrusion 41, thereby reducing the rotational resistance of the swing arm 21, and making the process of the terminal device switching to the unfolded state smoother.
[0199] Among them, the distance between the first side surfaces 411 of two adjacent first protrusions 41 specifically refers to: the distance between the same positions on the first side surfaces 411 of two adjacent first protrusions 41. For example, point O1 is located at the top of one first side surface 411, and point O2 is located at the top of the adjacent first side surface 411. Then, along the circumference of the gear 22, the distance between point O1 and point O2 is the distance between the first side surfaces 411 of the two adjacent first protrusions 41.
[0200] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 31 , the number of the first protrusions 41 is four, and the four first protrusions 41 are arranged continuously.
[0201] Here, “continuous arrangement” means that, among two adjacent first protrusions 41 , the first side surface 411 of one first protrusion 41 is connected to the second side surface 412 of the other first protrusion 41 .
[0202] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 31 and 32 , Figure 32 is a schematic diagram of the first cam structure 4 disposed on the carrier 23 in the shaft mechanism 100 of the third embodiment of the present application. There are multiple second protrusions 42 , which are arranged along the circumference of the gear 22 , and each second protrusion 42 can extend into a corresponding first notch 43 .
[0203] By setting the number of the second protrusions 42 to be multiple, when the swing arm 21 is in the folded and unfolded positions, the multiple second protrusions 42 are respectively squeezed with the corresponding first protrusions 41 to improve the contact stress between the protrusions, which is beneficial to ensure that the first cam structure 4 works normally and stably, thereby effectively extending the service life of the first cam structure 4.
[0204] The number of the second protrusions 42 is equal to the number of the first protrusions 41 . For example, as shown in FIG. 31 , the number of the second protrusions 42 and the number of the first protrusions 41 are both four.
[0205] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG31 , when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position or the unfolded position, the second protrusion 42 is in surface contact with the first side surface 411. That is, the second protrusion 42 has a flat side surface, and when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position or the unfolded position, the flat side surface of the second protrusion 42 is in surface contact with the first side surface 411. This design reduces the pressure generated by the interaction between the second protrusion 42 and the first side surface 411, thereby reducing the probability of damage between the first and second protrusions 41, 42.
[0206] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 25 to 29, there are multiple swing arm assemblies 2, and the multiple swing arm assemblies 2 are arranged along the axial direction X of the gear 22. In a part of the swing arm assemblies 2, a supporting member 23 is provided on both sides of the gear 22, and the gear 22 has a first end face 221 and a second end face 222 arranged opposite to each other. A first cam structure 4 is provided between the first end face 221 and the supporting member 23 on the corresponding side, and a second cam structure 5 is provided between the second end face 222 and the supporting member 23 on the corresponding side; in another part of the swing arm assemblies 2, a supporting member 23 is provided on both sides of the gear 22, and the gear 22 has two first end faces 221 arranged opposite to each other, and a first cam structure 4 is provided between each first end face 221 and the supporting member 23 on the corresponding side.
[0207] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 25, in a swing arm assembly 2 provided with a first cam structure 4, a first cam structure 4a is provided between a first end face 221 of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 on the corresponding side, and a first cam structure 4b is provided between the other first end face 221 of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 on the corresponding side.
[0208] It should be noted that: for the purpose of distinction, the first cam structure 4 (such as the first cam structure 4 shown in Figures 10 to 18) that satisfies the condition that "when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position and the unfolded position, the second protrusion 42 extends into the same first notch 43" is referred to as the first cam structure 4a; the first cam structure 4 (such as the first cam structure 4 shown in Figures 25 to 32) that satisfies the condition that "when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the second protrusion 42 abuts against the first side surface 411 of one first protrusion 41; when the swing arm 21 is in the unfolded position, the second protrusion 42 abuts against the first side surface 411 of another first protrusion 41" is referred to as the first cam structure 4b.
[0209] For example, as shown in Figure 25, a swing arm assembly 2a and a swing arm assembly 2b are provided between the first sub-base 13 and the second sub-base 14. In the swing arm assembly 2a, the upper end face of the gear 22 is the first end face 221, the lower end face of the gear 22 is the second end face 222, and a first cam structure 4a is provided between the upper end face of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 located on the upper side of the gear 22, and a second cam structure 5 is provided between the lower end face of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 located on the lower side of the gear 22; in the swing arm assembly 2b, the upper end face and the lower end face of the gear 22 are both the first end face 221, and a first cam structure 4b is provided between the upper end face of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 located on the upper side of the gear 22, and a first cam structure 4a is provided between the lower end face of the gear 22 and the supporting member 23 located on the lower side of the gear 22.
[0210] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 28 and 33-35, Figure 33 is an exploded view of the damping mechanism 6 of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 shown in Figure 28, Figure 34 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 shown in Figure 28 at the first friction member after the connecting frame 400 is removed, and Figure 35 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 shown in Figure 26 at the first friction member after the connecting frame 400 is removed. The rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the present embodiment further includes a damping mechanism 6, which comprises a first friction member 61 and a second friction member 62. The first friction member 61 is rotatably connected to the base 1 and is connected to the swing arm 21 via a connecting member 63, allowing the first friction member 61 and the swing arm 21 to rotate synchronously relative to the base 1. The second friction member 62 is disposed on the base 1 and contacts the first friction member 61. When the swing arm 21 rotates between the folded position and the unfolded position, the second friction member 62 rubs against the first friction member 61 to apply a rotational damping force to the swing arm 21.
[0211] By providing a damping mechanism 6, the damping mechanism 6 can provide a rotational damping force in the opposite direction of the swing arm 21's movement when the swing arm 21 rotates between the folded and deployed positions. This allows the housing 300 connected to the swing arm 21 to hover in an intermediate position between the deployed and folded positions, allowing the terminal device to be unfolded to a suitable angle for user convenience. Furthermore, the damping mechanism 6 provides the rotational damping force through the contact friction between the first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62. This simplifies the structure of the damping mechanism 6. If either the first friction member 61 or the second friction member 62 becomes damaged, it can be replaced independently without replacing the entire damping mechanism 6, thereby reducing maintenance costs.
[0212] Among them, the setting method of the first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62 is not unique. Figures 33 to 35 show a first setting embodiment of the first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62. In this embodiment, the number of the first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62 is multiple, and the multiple first friction members 61 and the multiple second friction members 62 are arranged along the axial direction X of the gear 22. A first gap 60 is formed between two adjacent second friction members 62. Each first friction member 61 is inserted into the corresponding first gap 60 and contacts the adjacent second friction member 62.
[0213] With this design, the first friction member 61 rubs against the adjacent second friction member 62, providing a rotational damping force to the swing arm 21 throughout its rotation between the folded and deployed positions. This not only allows the housing 300 connected to the swing arm 21 to hover in an intermediate position between the deployed and folded positions, but also prevents the rebound force provided by the first cam structure 4 from causing the housing 300 of the terminal device to rebound at an excessively high speed, thereby ensuring smoother movement of the housing 300 of the terminal device. Furthermore, by adjusting the number of first and second friction members 61, 62 to change the friction force generated between the friction members (e.g., increasing the number of friction members increases the generated friction force), the magnitude of the rotational damping force can be conveniently adjusted. This allows the rotational damping mechanism 6 to be adapted to terminal devices requiring different rotational damping forces, thereby improving the versatility of the damping mechanism 6.
[0214] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 28 and 33, the swing arm 21 includes two sub-swing arms 211, each rotatably connected to the base 1. The two sub-swing arms 211 are arranged spaced apart along the axial direction X of the gear 22. The two sub-swing arms 211 are connected by a connector 63 so that the two sub-swing arms 211 can rotate synchronously relative to the base 1. One sub-swing arm 211 is in transmission connection with the gear 22. A first friction member 61 is disposed between the two sub-swing arms 211 and connected to the connector 63. A second friction member 62 is disposed between the gear 22 and a stopper on the base 1.
[0215] By arranging the first friction member 61 between the two sub-swing arms 211 and the second friction member 62 between the gear 22 and the limiting portion on the base 1, the two sub-swing arms 211 can limit the first friction member 61 to prevent the first friction member 61 from moving in the axial direction X of the gear 22. The limiting portion on the gear 22 and the base 1 can limit the second friction member 62, so that a certain contact pressure can be created between the first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62 to ensure the friction force between the first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62.
[0216] The connecting member 63 can be connected between the two sub-swing arms 211 by a method such as snap connection, plug connection, hinge connection, screw connection, etc. The connecting member 63 can be rod-shaped or in other shapes, which is not specifically limited here.
[0217] For example, as shown in Figures 28, 33 and 34, the connecting member 63 is rod-shaped, and one end of the connecting member 63 is inserted into a hole on one sub-swing arm 211, and the other end of the connecting member 63 is inserted into a hole on the other sub-swing arm 211.
[0218] The first friction member 61 can be installed in the following manner: first assembly holes 611 are respectively provided at both ends of the first friction member 61, and the first assembly hole located at one end of the first friction member 61 cooperates with the connecting member 63; the first assembly hole 611 located at the other end of the first friction member 61 rotates with the installation shaft 15, so that the first friction member 61 can be rotatably connected to the base 1.
[0219] The second friction member 62 can be installed in the following manner: a plurality of third assembly holes 621 are provided on the second friction member 62 along the width direction Y of the base 1, each third assembly hole 621 is respectively matched with the corresponding mounting shaft 15, and the second friction member 62 is located between the gear 22 and the second sub-base 14, wherein the second sub-base 14 is a limiting part of the base 1.
[0220] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 28 and 33, the first friction members 61 and the second friction members 62 are both friction plates, and the portions of the first friction members 61 near the base 1 are alternately stacked with the second friction members 62. This allows for surface contact between the first friction members 61 and adjacent first friction members 61, thereby providing a greater rotational damping force.
[0221] Of course, the first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62 are not limited to being in a sheet shape. The first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62 can also be set to other shapes, such as a rod shape, etc., which can be determined according to actual conditions.
[0222] Figures 36 to 39 show a second setting embodiment of the first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62. Figure 36 is a schematic diagram of another structure of the damping mechanism 6 in the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 37 is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62 in Figure 36 during the rotation process. Figure 38 is a local enlarged view of the connection between the first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62 in Figure 37. Figure 39 is a schematic diagram of the third structure of the damping mechanism 6 in the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in the embodiment of the present application.
[0223] In this embodiment, the first friction member 61 includes an elastic portion 612, which is provided with a flattening hole 613. The wall of the flattening hole 613 has a first flat surface 6131 along its circumference. The second friction member 62 is a flattening shaft mounted on the base 1. The flattening shaft is fixed relative to the base 1 along its circumference and has a second flat surface 622 and a third flat surface 623 spaced apart from each other. The flattening shaft passes through the flattening hole 613. As shown in Figures 37 and 38, when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the first flat surface 6131 is opposite the second flat surface 622; when the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position, the first flat surface 6131 is opposite the third flat surface 623.
[0224] Among them, the relative arrangement of the first plane 6131 and the second plane 622 means that the first plane 6131 and the second plane 622 are parallel or approximately parallel (for example, the deviation is within 5 degrees); the relative arrangement of the first plane 6131 and the third plane 623 means that the first plane 6131 and the third plane 623 are parallel or approximately parallel (for example, the deviation is within 5 degrees).
[0225] Since the flattening shaft is fixed relative to the base 1 along its circumference, the flattening shaft is inserted into the flattening hole 613. As shown in Figures 37 and 38, when the swing arm 21 rotates between the folded position and the unfolded position, the first friction member 61 rotates relative to the flattening shaft. As the first plane 6131 of the flattening hole 613 moves relative to the second plane 622 on the flattening shaft, the corner portion m1 on the flattening shaft located at the edge of the second plane 622 is squeezed against the hole wall of the flattening hole 613. In this way, the flattening shaft and the hole wall of the flattening hole 613 rub against each other to provide rotational damping force to the swing arm 21.
[0226] In this embodiment, when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the first plane 6131 is disposed opposite the second plane 622, and when the swing arm 21 is in the extended position, the first plane 6131 is disposed opposite the third plane 623. This allows the second friction member 62 (flattening axis) to maintain a stable fit with the flattening hole 613 when the swing arm 21 is in the folded and extended positions. This allows the first friction member 61 to be stably maintained in both the folded and extended positions, thereby ensuring the stability of the terminal device in both the folded and extended positions. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first friction member 61 provides a rotational damping force to the swing arm 21 through friction when the first friction member 61 rotates relative to the second friction member 62. Since the second friction member 62 is a flattening axis disposed on the base 1, the elastic portion 612 of the first friction member 61 is sleeved onto the second friction member 62. This arrangement makes the first and second friction members 61, 62 more compact and occupies less space.
[0227] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 37 and 38 , when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, a second gap 64 is defined between the first plane 6131 and the second plane 622. This allows the second plane 622 to have sufficient space to avoid the corner m1 at the edge of the second plane 622 when the swing arm 21 rotates to near the folded position (e.g., within a preset angle of the folded position), thereby preventing the corner m1 from being squeezed against the wall of the flat hole 613. Consequently, when the swing arm 21 rotates to near the folded position, no friction is generated between the first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62, meaning no rotational damping force is provided to the swing arm 21. This facilitates the first cam structure 4 in opening the terminal device housing 300. This embodiment is suitable for situations where the opening force provided by the first cam structure 4 is relatively small.
[0228] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 37 and 38 , when the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position, a third gap 65 is defined between the first plane 6131 and the third plane 623. This allows the third plane 623 to have sufficient space to avoid the corner portion m1 of the second plane 622 when the swing arm 21 rotates to near the deployed position (e.g., within a preset angle of the deployed position), thereby preventing the corner portion m1 from being squeezed against the wall of the flattened hole 613. Consequently, when the swing arm 21 rotates to near the folded position, no friction is generated between the first friction member 61 and the second friction member 62, meaning no rotational damping force is provided to the swing arm 21. This facilitates the second cam structure 5 in maintaining the terminal device in the deployed state. This embodiment is suitable for situations where the deployment force provided by the second cam structure 5 is relatively small.
[0229] Among them, the preset angle can be 10 degrees, but it is not limited to this. The preset angle can also be 5 degrees, 8 degrees, etc., which can be determined according to actual conditions. When the preset angle is 10 degrees, when the opening and closing angle of the two shells 300 of the terminal device (the angle between the first display area 210 and the second display area 220 in Figure 2) is between 20° and 160°, the corner part m1 is squeezed with the hole wall of the flat hole 613, and the squeezing force between the corner part m1 and the hole wall of the flat hole 613 becomes larger and larger in the range of 20° to 90°, and becomes smaller and smaller in the range of 90° to 160°. When the opening and closing angle of the two shells 300 of the upper terminal device is 90°, the squeezing force between the corner part m1 and the hole wall of the flat hole 613 is the largest, and the rotation damping force provided is the largest.
[0230] Of course, in other embodiments, when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, the first plane 6131 aligns with the second plane 622; when the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position, the first plane 6131 aligns with the third plane 623. Thus, throughout the entire rotational range between the folded and deployed positions of the swing arm 21, the corner portion m1 compresses against the wall of the flattened hole 613, providing a rotational damping force to the swing arm 21, thereby preventing the terminal device from springing open too quickly under the action of the first cam structure 4 and from expanding too quickly under the action of the second cam structure 5. This embodiment is suitable for situations where the first cam structure 4 provides a greater opening force, while the second cam structure 5 provides a greater expansion force.
[0231] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG36 , the elastic portion 612 is formed from the first friction member 61 through a rolling process. Compared to a case where the elastic portion 612 is provided separately from the main body of the first friction member 61, the elastic portion 612 formed through the rolling process reduces the number of steps required to assemble the elastic portion 612, thereby improving the assembly efficiency of the damping mechanism 6 and enhancing the connection reliability between the elastic portion 612 and the main body of the first friction member 61.
[0232] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG39 , the first friction member 61 is a sheet-like structure. There are multiple first friction members 61 , which are stacked. Each first friction member 61 is provided with a notch 614 at the flattening hole 613 that interrupts the hole wall of the flattening hole 613 . The notches 614 of the multiple first friction members 61 form a groove 615 extending along the axial direction X of the flattening axis. Compared to the elastic portion 612 formed by a rolling process, the solution of this embodiment is equivalent to splitting the elastic portion 612 (i.e., the rolled structure) shown in FIG36 into multiple stacked sheet-like structures. In this way, the flattening holes 613 of the sheet-like elastic portion 612 can be formed by a stamping process, rather than a rolling process, thereby reducing the difficulty and cost of processing the flattening holes 613 of the elastic portion 612 .
[0233] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 36 and 39, the second friction member 62 is an integral structure with the mounting shaft 15. Of course, the second friction member 62 can also be provided separately from the mounting shaft 15, depending on the actual situation.
[0234] As for the connection relationship between the first friction member 61 and the swing arm 21, it can be specifically set with reference to the connection relationship between the first friction member 61 and the swing arm 21 in the embodiments shown in Figures 33 to 35, and will not be repeated here.
[0235] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 40 to 43, Figure 40 is a schematic structural diagram of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in some embodiments of the present application, Figure 41 is a partially enlarged view of the position of the torsion spring in the rotating shaft mechanism 100 shown in Figure 40, Figure 42 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 at position HH in Figure 40, and Figure 43 is a state diagram of the torsion spring in the embodiment of the present application during the rotation of the swing arm 21. The swing arm 21 is rotatably connected to the base 1 via the rotating shaft 24. The rotating shaft 24 is provided with a torsion spring 7, and the first connecting arm 71 of the torsion spring 7 is connected to the swing arm 21.
[0236] As shown in Figure 41, the first connecting arm 71 is inserted into the hole defined in the swing arm 21 to connect the first connecting arm 71 to the swing arm 21. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and the first connecting arm 71 may also be connected to the swing arm 21 by a snap-fit method or other means, depending on the actual situation. The rotating shaft 24 and the mounting shaft 15 of the base 1 may be integral or separate structures, which is not specifically limited here.
[0237] A stop portion 16 is provided on the base 1. As shown in Figure 43, when the swing arm 21 is in the expanded position, the second connecting arm 72 is separated from the stop portion 16, so that the torsion spring 7 is in a natural state; when the swing arm 21 rotates between the middle position and the folded position, the second connecting arm 72 of the torsion spring 7 abuts against the stop portion 16, so that the torsion spring 7 is in a force storage state, so as to apply a force to the swing arm 21 that can drive the swing arm 21 to rotate toward the expanded position; wherein, the middle position is a position between the folded position and the expanded position along the rotation direction of the swing arm 21.
[0238] By setting the torsion spring 7, when the swing arm 21 is in the folded state, the torsion spring 7 can apply a force to the swing arm 21 to drive the swing arm 21 to rotate toward the unfolded position, so as to assist the shell 300 of the terminal device to unfold. The combination of the torsion spring 7 and the first cam structure 4 can provide a greater unfolding force, so that the hinge mechanism 100 is suitable for terminal devices that require a larger unfolding force.
[0239] At the same time, when the swing arm 21 rotates between the middle position and the folded position, the torsion spring 7 abuts against the stop portion 16, that is, the torsion spring 7 abuts against the stop portion 16 in a partial interval of the entire rotation range of the swing arm 21 to the folded position. This can reduce the deformation of the torsion spring 7 when the swing arm 21 is in the folded position, thereby reducing the magnitude of the reaction force exerted on the torsion spring 7 by the swing arm 21 and the stop portion 16. In this way, the torsion spring 7 is not easily damaged due to excessive reaction force, thereby extending the service life of the torsion spring 7.
[0240] The structure of the above-mentioned stop portion 16 is not unique. In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 41, 42 and 43, the stop portion 16 is a stop surface arranged on the base 1, and a motion space 17 for the second connecting arm 72 to swing is provided between the stop surface and the torsion spring 7. During the rotation of the swing arm 21, the second connecting arm 72 can move in the motion space 17.
[0241] As shown in Figure 43, when the swing arm 21 is in the deployed position, the second connecting arm 72 is located in the movement space 17, and there is a distance between the second connecting arm 72 and the stop surface. At this time, the torsion spring 7 does not deform and is in a natural state; when the swing arm 21 rotates between the middle position and the folded position, the second connecting arm 72 abuts against the stop surface, and the torsion spring 7 deforms to be in a force storage state, so as to apply a force to the swing arm 21 that can drive the swing arm 21 to rotate to the deployed position.
[0242] By setting the stop surface on the base 1 as the stop portion 16, the structure on the base 1 can be fully utilized, making the structure of the stop portion 16 simpler, and eliminating the need to install other components on the base 1, which is beneficial to reducing costs.
[0243] Among them, the movement space 17 is the space located between the stop surface and the torsion spring 7, as shown in Figures 41 and 42, the movement space 17 can be a cavity on the base 1, the stop portion 16 is the cavity wall of the cavity, and the side of the cavity close to the torsion spring 7 has an entrance for the second connecting arm 72 to extend into.
[0244] In other embodiments, as shown in Figures 44 and 45 , Figure 44 is a cross-sectional view of the base 1 of the rotating shaft mechanism 100 in some embodiments of the present application, near the torsion spring 7, and Figure 45 is a diagram illustrating the position of the second connecting arm 72 of the torsion spring 7 during the rotation of the swing arm 21. The base 1 is provided with an arcuate groove 18 for the second connecting arm 72 to extend into. The arcuate groove 18 extends along the circumference of the gear 22, and one end of the arcuate groove 18 serves as a stopper 16.
[0245] As shown in Figure 45, when the swing arm 21 is in the expanded position, the second connecting arm 72 is located at the lower end of the arc-shaped slot 18. At this time, the torsion spring 7 does not deform and is in a natural state; when the swing arm 21 rotates between the middle position and the folded position, the second connecting arm 72 abuts against the slot arm at the upper end of the arc-shaped slot 18, and the torsion spring 7 deforms to be in a force storage state, so as to apply a force to the swing arm 21 that can drive the swing arm 21 to rotate toward the expanded position.
[0246] By providing the wall of the arcuate groove 18 on the base 1 as the stopper 16, the structure of the base 1 can be fully utilized, making the structure of the stopper 16 simpler, eliminating the need to install other components on the base 1, and thus helping to reduce costs. At the same time, the arcuate groove 18 also serves as a movement guide for the second connecting arm 72, reducing the shaking of the second connecting arm 72 during movement, thereby making the movement of the second connecting arm 72 more stable.
[0247] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG44 , the swing arm 21 includes two sub-swing arms 211 , which are arranged at intervals along the axial direction X of the gear 22 and are connected by a connector 63 so that the two sub-swing arms 211 can rotate synchronously relative to the base 1 . The two sub-swing arms 211 are respectively a first sub-swing arm 211 a and a second sub-swing arm 211 b . The first sub-swing arm 211 a is in transmission connection with the gear 22 . The torsion spring 7 is located on a side of the second sub-swing arm 211 b away from the first sub-swing arm 211 a , and the second connecting arm 72 of the torsion spring 7 is connected to the second sub-swing arm 211 b . By arranging the torsion spring 7 on a side of the second sub-swing arm 211 b away from the first sub-swing arm 211 a , the torsion spring 7 can be arranged away from the gear 22 , thereby avoiding structural interference between the torsion spring 7 and the gear 22 , the support member 23 , etc.
[0248] The connecting member 63 can be connected between the two sub-swing arms 211 by a method such as snap connection, plug connection, hinge connection, screw connection, etc. The connecting member 63 can be rod-shaped or in other shapes, which is not specifically limited here.
[0249] For example, as shown in FIG44 , the connecting member 63 is rod-shaped, and one end of the connecting member 63 is inserted into a hole on one sub-swing arm 211 , and the other end of the connecting member 63 is inserted into a hole on the other sub-swing arm 211 .
[0250] In the description of this specification, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in an appropriate manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.
[0251] The hinge mechanism 100 in the embodiment of the present application is not limited to use in terminal devices, but can also be used in products that need to be unfolded and folded in the fields of automobiles, aircraft, home appliances, and consumer electronics.
[0252] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.
Claims
1. A rotating shaft mechanism, characterized in that: include: Pedestal; A swing arm assembly, comprising a bearing, a pair of swing arms rotatably connected to opposite side edges of the base, and an even number of gears, wherein the even number of gears are transmission-connected between the pair of swing arms, so that each swing arm can synchronously rotate relative to the base between a folded position and an unfolded position, the bearing and the gears are arranged along the axial direction of the gears, and the bearing is fixed relative to the base along the circumferential direction of the gears; an elastic member, used for applying an elastic force to at least one of the bearing member and the gear, so that the bearing member and the gear are close to each other; a first cam structure, disposed between the first end surface of the gear and the carrier, and comprising a first protrusion disposed on one of the carrier and the first end surface, and a second protrusion disposed on the other of the carrier and the first end surface, wherein the first protrusion comprises a first side surface; When the swing arm is in the folded position, the second protrusion abuts against the first side surface, and under the action of the elastic force, the second protrusion and the first side surface move relative to each other or have a tendency to move relative to each other, so as to apply a force to the gear that can drive the swing arm to rotate toward the unfolded position.
2. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple first protrusions, which are arranged along the circumference of the gear. A first notch is formed between two adjacent first protrusions. When the swing arm is located in the folded position and the unfolded position, the second protrusion extends into the same first notch.
3. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: A first bottom surface is provided in the first notch, and the first bottom surface is perpendicular to the axial direction of the gear. When the swing arm is in the unfolded position, the second protrusion abuts against the first bottom surface.
4. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first protrusion includes a second side surface, and along the circumference of the gear, the second side surface is arranged opposite to the first side surface, the inclination angle of the second side surface relative to the axial direction of the gear is smaller than the inclination angle of the first side surface relative to the axial direction of the gear, and the second side surface is connected to the first side surface of the adjacent first protrusion via the first bottom surface.
5. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: When the swing arm is located in the folded position, the second protrusion is in surface contact with the first side surface; and / or when the swing arm is located in the unfolded position, the second protrusion is in surface contact with the first bottom surface.
6. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple first protrusions, and the multiple first protrusions are arranged along the circumference of the gear; when the swing arm is in the folded position, the second protrusion abuts against the first side surface of one of the first protrusions; When the swing arm is in the deployed position, the second protrusion abuts against the first side surface of another first protrusion.
7. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first protrusion includes a second side surface, and along the circumference of the gear, the second side surface is arranged opposite to the first side surface, and an inclination angle of the second side surface relative to the axial direction of the gear is greater than an inclination angle of the first side surface relative to the axial direction of the gear; And / or, along the circumference of the gear, a central angle corresponding to a distance between the first side surfaces of two adjacent first protrusions is 90 degrees.
8. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: In the swing arm assembly, the first cam structure is respectively provided between each of the gears and the carrier; or, the two gears located on the outermost sides are respectively fixedly connected to the corresponding swing arms, and the gears other than the two gears located on the outermost sides are slidingly connected to the base along their axial direction, and the first cam structure is provided between the gears and the carrier.
9. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: In the swing arm assembly, the bearing members are respectively provided on both sides of the gear, the gear has two first end faces arranged opposite to each other, and the first cam structure is respectively provided between each first end face and the bearing member on the corresponding side.
10. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Also included is a second cam structure disposed between the second end surface of the gear and the carrier; The second cam structure includes a third protrusion disposed on one of the carrier and the second end surface, and a fourth protrusion disposed on the other of the carrier and the second end surface, wherein the third protrusion includes a third side surface; When the swing arm is in the unfolded position, the fourth protrusion abuts against the third side surface, and under the action of the elastic force of the elastic member, the fourth protrusion and the third side surface have a tendency to move relative to each other, so as to apply a force to the gear that can prevent the swing arm from rotating in a direction close to the folded position.
11. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 10, characterized in that: The third protrusion includes a fourth side surface, which is disposed opposite to the third side surface along the circumference of the gear, and an inclination angle of the fourth side surface relative to the axial direction of the gear is greater than an inclination angle of the third side surface relative to the axial direction of the gear.
12. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: There are multiple third protrusions, which are arranged along the circumference of the gear. A second gap is formed between two adjacent third protrusions. A first positioning portion is provided in the second gap. When the swing arm is in the folded position, the first positioning portion positions the fourth protrusion.
13. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 12, characterized in that: The first positioning portion includes a first positioning surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the gear, and when the swing arm is located at the folded position, the fourth protrusion is in surface contact with the first positioning surface.
14. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that: In the swing arm assembly, the bearing members are respectively provided on both sides of the gear, the first end face and the second end face are respectively two end faces of the gear that are arranged opposite to each other, the first cam structure is provided between the first end face and the bearing member on the corresponding side, and the second cam structure is provided between the second end face and the bearing member on the corresponding side; Alternatively, there are multiple swing arm assemblies, and the multiple swing arm assemblies are arranged along the axial direction of the gear. In a certain number of the swing arm assemblies, the bearing members are respectively provided on both sides of the gear, the gear has two second end faces arranged opposite to each other, and the second cam structure is respectively provided between each second end face and the bearing member on the corresponding side; in another certain number of the swing arm assemblies, the bearing members are respectively provided on both sides of the gear, the gear has two first end faces arranged opposite to each other, and the first cam structure is respectively provided between each first end face and the bearing member on the corresponding side.
15. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that: In the swing arm assembly, the second cam structure is respectively provided between each of the gears and the carrier; or, the two gears located on the outermost sides are respectively fixedly connected to the corresponding swing arms, and the gears other than the two gears located on the outermost sides are slidably connected to the base along their axial direction, and the second cam structure is provided between the gears and the carrier.
16. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that: Also included is a damping mechanism, the damping mechanism comprising: A first friction member is rotatably connected to the base, and the first friction member is connected to the swing arm through a connecting member, so that the first friction member and the swing arm can rotate synchronously relative to the base; The second friction member is arranged on the base and contacts the first friction member; when the swing arm rotates between the folded position and the unfolded position, the second friction member can rub against the first friction member to apply a rotational damping force to the swing arm.
17. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 16, characterized in that: There are multiple first friction members and multiple second friction members, and the multiple first friction members and the multiple second friction members are arranged along the axial direction of the gear. A first gap is formed between two adjacent second friction members, and each first friction member is inserted into the corresponding first gap and contacts with the adjacent second friction members.
18. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 16, characterized in that: The first friction member comprises an elastic part, a flat hole is provided on the elastic part, and a hole wall of the flat hole has a first plane along its circumference; The second friction member is a flattened shaft disposed on the base. Along the circumference of the flattened shaft, the flattened shaft is relatively fixed to the base, and the flattened shaft has a second plane and a third plane that are spaced apart. The flattened shaft is inserted into the flattened hole. When the swing arm is located at the folded position, the first plane is arranged opposite to the second plane; when the swing arm is located at the unfolded position, the first plane is arranged opposite to the third plane.
19. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 18, characterized in that: When the swing arm is located at the folded position, a second gap exists between the first plane and the second plane; And / or, when the swing arm is located at the deployed position, there is a third gap between the first plane and the third plane.
20. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that: The elastic portion is formed by the first friction member through a rolling process; or, the first friction member is a sheet structure, the number of the first friction members is multiple, and the multiple first friction members are stacked, each of the first friction members is provided with a notch at the flat hole to disconnect the hole wall of the flat hole, and the notches of the multiple first friction members form a groove extending axially along the flat axis.
21. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that: The swing arm is rotatably connected to the base via a rotating shaft, a torsion spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft, and a first connecting arm of the torsion spring is connected to the swing arm; The base is provided with a stopper, and when the swing arm is located at the unfolded position, the second connecting arm of the torsion spring is separated from the stopper, so that the torsion spring is in a natural state; When the swing arm rotates between the middle position and the folded position, the second connecting arm abuts against the stop portion, so that the torsion spring is in a force storage state, so as to apply a force to the swing arm that can drive the swing arm to rotate toward the unfolded position; wherein the middle position is a position between the folded position and the unfolded position along the rotation direction of the swing arm.
22. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 21, characterized in that: The base is provided with an arc-shaped groove for the second connecting arm to extend into, the arc-shaped groove extends along the circumference of the rotating shaft, and a groove wall at one end of the arc-shaped groove is the stopper; Alternatively, the stop portion is a stop surface arranged on the base, and a movement space for the second connecting arm to swing is provided between the stop surface and the torsion spring.
23. A terminal device, characterized in that: It comprises a display screen, at least two shells, and a hinge mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the shell is used to support the display screen, the hinge mechanism is located at the junction of two adjacent shells, and each swing arm of the swing arm assembly in the hinge mechanism is respectively connected to the corresponding shell.