Folding hinge and flexible screen folding mechanism

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of hinges, and discloses a folding hinge and a flexible screen folding mechanism, the folding hinge comprises a mounting plate, the mounting plate is provided with a connecting part, the two sides of the connecting part are hinged with rotating parts, and the rotating parts on the two sides are synchronously turned inwards to be folded or synchronously turned outwards to be flattened; the rotating part is hinged to a limiting part, the limiting part is hinged to a sliding part, and the sliding part slides in a sliding groove of the mounting plate; the limiting part is further hinged to the extending part, and the hinge point of the limiting part and the extending part and the hinge point of the limiting part and the sliding part are located on the same axis. According to the scheme, the overturning and folding angle of the extending part limited by the limiting part is larger than the overturning and folding angle of the sliding part, that is, the sliding part can rotate by a small angle to realize that the extending part rotates by a large angle, and due to the fact that the rotating angle of the sliding part is small, the thickness of the sliding groove corresponding to the rotating part can be reduced, and the overall thickness of the folding hinge is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of hinges, in particular to a folding hinge and a flexible screen folding mechanism. Background Art

[0002] With the improvement of the flexible folding or bending performance of OLED display screens, portable display devices using OLED display screens have developed rapidly. As a type of such folding display devices, folding screen mobile phones, also known as flexible screen mobile phones, have a structure in which an OLED display screen is fixed in a bending structure. When the user does not need to view the flexible display screen, the user can use the bending structure to bend the OLED display device into a non-uniform thickness form. The folding hinge is an important structure for realizing the folding function of the folding screen. How to make the folded flexible screen thinner by improving the folding hinge structure is one of the key directions for the future development of flexible folding screens.

[0003] Chinese Patent CN202210481425.3 discloses an inner folding hinge for a flexible screen. By arranging a fixing plate on the back of a support plate, and rotatably matching the first end of the support plate with the first end of the fixing plate, a rotating arm is clamped between the fixing plate and the support plate, and the rotating arm is slidably matched with the fixing plate in the radial direction of the fixing plate; at the same time, a first bracket and a second bracket are sequentially arranged along the axial direction in the intermediate body, the second end of the support plate is rotatably matched with the first bracket, and the second end of the rotating arm is rotatably matched with the second bracket. The support plate is parallel to its support surface and the fixing plate in the hinge unfolded state, and the rotating arm is received in the fixing plate, which can reduce the space occupied by the first rotating body and the second rotating body; and the two support plates can make more space to accommodate the bent part of the flexible screen in the hinge folding state. The above inner folding hinge has a simple and compact structure, is conducive to manufacturing and assembly, and has a low production cost. The thickness of the folding hinge of this solution needs to be improved.

[0004] The utility model overcomes the defects of the prior art and provides a folding hinge and a flexible screen folding mechanism, which can further reduce the thickness of the folding hinge. Summary of the Utility Model

[0005] The main purpose of the utility model is to provide a folding hinge, including a mounting plate, the mounting plate is provided with a connecting part, both sides of the connecting part are hinged with rotating parts, and the two rotating parts are synchronously turned inwards for folding or synchronously turned outwards for flattening;

[0006] The rotating part is hinged with a limiting part, the limiting part is hinged with a sliding part, and the sliding part slides in a sliding groove of the mounting plate;

[0007] The limiting part is also hinged with an extending part, and the hinge point of the limiting part and the extending part is located on the same axis as the hinge point of the limiting part and the sliding part;

[0008] The rotating part turns inward and folds, driving the limiting part and the extending part to rotate around the hinge point. At this time, the angle between the extending part and the mounting plate is the first angle, and the angle between the rotating part and the mounting plate is the second angle. The limiting part restricts the first angle from being greater than the second angle.

[0009] Optionally, the sliding part is provided with an arc-shaped sliding surface and a first hinge shaft. The first hinge shaft is hinged to the second hinge shaft of the extending part, and the second hinge shaft of the extending part is hinged to the third hinge shaft of the limiting part. The first hinge shaft, the second hinge shaft, and the third hinge shaft are coaxially connected in series;

[0010] The chute is fixedly connected to the mounting plate. The chute matches the arc-shaped sliding surface. Raised portions are provided on both sides of the chute to form a first guiding groove for restricting the sliding direction of the sliding part.

[0011] Optionally, the limiting part is provided with a third hinge shaft, a fourth hinge shaft, a first limiting surface, and a second limiting surface. The fourth hinge shaft is hinged to the fifth hinge shaft of the rotating part;

[0012] The first limiting surface is used to abut against the extending part, and the second limiting surface is used to abut against the arc-shaped sliding surface. The second limiting surface is an arc surface.

[0013] Optionally, when the rotating part folds, the second limiting surface abuts against the arc-shaped sliding surface, and the second limiting surface restricts the first angle from being greater than the second angle; when the rotating part is flattened, the first limiting surface abuts against the extending part.

[0014] Optionally, a first connecting plate is provided on the back surface of the rotating part. A raised portion extends from the front surface of the first connecting plate to wrap the edge of the rotating part to form a second guiding groove. When the rotating part rotates, it moves along the direction of the second guiding groove; a notch is provided below the raised portion of the first connecting plate to accommodate the fifth hinge shaft of the rotating part; the back surface of the first connecting plate is a plane. When the rotating part is flattened, the back surface of the first connecting plate and the back surface of the mounting plate are in the same plane.

[0015] Optionally, a second hinge shaft and a sixth hinge shaft are respectively provided at both ends of the extending part. The first connecting plate is located on the back surface of the extending part, and a seventh hinge shaft is provided on the raised portion of the first connecting plate. The sixth hinge shaft is coaxially hinged to the seventh hinge shaft.

[0016] Optionally, a second connecting plate is fixedly connected to the front surface of the extending part. A cover plate is provided on the front surface of the connecting part, and a cover plate is provided on the front surface of the chute. When the rotating part is flattened, the second connecting plate and the cover plate are in the same plane.

[0017] Optionally, the rotating part is provided with coaxial and opposite eighth hinge shafts, the eighth hinge shafts are hinged to the connecting part, the connecting part is provided with a spring, the spring is located between the relatively arranged eighth hinge shafts, and a cam structure is arranged between the spring and the eighth hinge shafts. The rotation of the rotating part drives the cam structure to compress the spring.

[0018] Optionally, the connecting part is provided with a synchronous gear, the synchronous gear is located between the rotating parts on both sides of the connecting part, and teeth are arranged on the outer side of the eighth hinge shaft and meshed with the synchronous gear.

[0019] The present invention further provides a flexible screen folding mechanism, which includes the above folding hinge and also includes a bottom shell. The bottom shell is connected to the extension part through a first connecting plate, and the bottom shell follows the rotating part to flip and fold or flatten.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The folding hinge provided by the present invention realizes flipping and folding or flattening through the rotating part. The rotating part drives the sliding part, the limiting part, and the extension part to rotate synchronously. Among them, the limiting part limits the flipping and folding angle of the extension part to be greater than that of the sliding part, that is, the sliding part can drive the extension part to rotate a large angle by rotating a small angle. Since the rotation angle of the sliding part is small, the thickness of the corresponding chute of the rotating part can be made thin, thereby reducing the overall thickness of the folding hinge. Description of the Drawings

[0022] One or more embodiments are exemplarily illustrated by corresponding drawings. These exemplary illustrations do not limit the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are represented as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the drawings in the drawings do not constitute a proportional limitation.

[0023] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of an embodiment of the folding hinge of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 Schematic cross-sectional view of the flattened folding hinge embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 Schematic cross-sectional view of the folded folding hinge embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 Explosion diagram of the folding hinge embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 Combined schematic diagram of the rotating part, extension part, sliding part and limiting part of the folding hinge embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6Explosion schematic diagram of the extension part, limiting part, sliding part and sliding groove of the folding hinge embodiment of the present utility model;

[0029] Figure 7 Combined folding schematic diagram of the rotating part, sliding part, extension part and sliding groove of the folding hinge embodiment of the present utility model;

[0030] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the flexible screen folding mechanism embodiment of the present utility model;

[0031] Figure 9 Cross-sectional view of the flexible screen folding mechanism embodiment of the present utility model.

[0032] Reference numerals:

[0033] 10 - Folding hinge; 100 - Mounting plate; 110 - Connecting part; 111 - Spring; 112 - Cam structure; 113 - Synchronous gear; 120 - Rotating part; 121 - Fifth hinge shaft; 122 - Eighth hinge shaft; 123 - Teeth; 130 - Limiting part; 131 - Third hinge shaft; 132 - Fourth hinge shaft; 133 - First limiting surface; 134 - Second limiting surface; 140 - Sliding part; 141 - Arc-shaped sliding surface; 142 - First hinge shaft; 150 - Sliding groove; 151 - First guiding groove; 160 - Extension part; 161 - Second hinge shaft; 162 - Sixth hinge shaft; 170 - First connecting plate; 171 - Second guiding groove; 172 - Seventh hinge shaft; 180 - Second connecting plate; 190 - Cover plate; 20 - Bottom shell. Detailed implementation manners

[0034] For the convenience of understanding the present utility model, the present utility model will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that when an element is expressed as "fixed to" another element, it can be directly on the other element, or there can be one or more intermediate elements therebetween. When an element is expressed as "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or there can be one or more intermediate elements therebetween. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right", "inside", "outside" and similar expressions used in this specification are only for the purpose of illustration. In the description of the present utility model, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, unless otherwise stated, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features; the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more. The term "comprising" and any deformation thereof mean non-exclusive inclusion, and there may be or add one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, units, components and / or their combinations.

[0035] In addition, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "joined" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or the internal communication of two components. All technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field to which the present utility model belongs. The terms used in the specification of the present utility model are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not applicable to limiting the present utility model. The term "and / or" used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0036] In addition, the technical features involved in different embodiments of the present utility model described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0037] As Figures 1-7 shown, it is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a folding hinge provided by the present utility model.

[0038] Please refer to Figures 1-7 , this embodiment of the folding hinge is mainly used for the flexible screen of electronic products, and includes a mounting plate 100. The mounting plate 100 is provided with a connecting portion 110. Both sides of the connecting portion 110 are hinged with a rotating portion 120, and the two rotating portions 120 are synchronously flipped inward for folding or synchronously flipped outward for flattening.

[0039] The rotating portion 120 is hinged with a limiting portion 130, the limiting portion 130 is hinged with a sliding portion 140, and the sliding portion 140 slides in a sliding groove 150 of the mounting plate 100. The limiting portion 130 is also hinged with an extension portion 160. The hinge point of the limiting portion 130 and the extension portion 160 and the hinge point of the limiting portion 130 and the sliding portion 140 are located on the same axis. When the rotating portion 120 is flipped inward for folding, it drives the limiting portion 130 and the extension portion 160 to rotate around the hinge point. At this time, the included angle between the extension portion 160 and the mounting plate 100 is the first included angle, and the included angle between the rotating portion 120 and the mounting plate 100 is the second included angle. The limiting portion 130 limits the first included angle to be greater than the second included angle.

[0040] The sliding portion 140 slides in the sliding groove 150. The arc width of the sliding groove 150 in contact with the sliding portion 140 limits the rotation range of the sliding portion 140. If the sliding portion 140 needs to rotate at a large angle, the sliding groove 150 needs to increase the depth to widen the contact arc surface with the sliding portion 140 to prevent the sliding portion 140 from slipping out of the sliding groove during rotation, which will increase the thickness of the hinge.

[0041] The limiting part 130 is equivalent to a joint arm installed between the sliding part 140 and the extending part 160. Based on the flipping angle of the sliding part 140, the limiting part 130 acts as a joint arm to increase the flipping angle of the extending part 160. The sliding part 140 can achieve a large rotation angle of the extending part 160 by rotating a small angle. Since the sliding part 140 does not need to rotate a large angle, the depth of the corresponding sliding groove 150 can be reduced, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the thickness of the hinge.

[0042] In one embodiment, the sliding part 140 is provided with an arc-shaped sliding surface 141 and a first hinge shaft 142. The first hinge shaft 142 is hinged to the second hinge shaft 161 of the extending part 160, and the second hinge shaft 161 of the extending part 160 is hinged to the third hinge shaft 131 of the limiting part 130. The first hinge shaft 142, the second hinge shaft 161, and the third hinge shaft 131 are coaxially connected in series. The sliding groove 150 is fixedly connected to the mounting plate 100. The sliding groove 150 matches the arc-shaped sliding surface 141. Protrusions are provided on both sides of the sliding groove 150 to form a first guiding groove 151 for restricting the sliding direction of the sliding part 140.

[0043] When the sliding part 140 rotates following the rotating part 120, it slides in the sliding groove 150. The sliding part 140 and the sliding groove 150 play a role in limiting and guiding, and the sliding part 140 plays a role in connecting the limiting part 130 and the extending part 160.

[0044] In one embodiment, the limiting part 130 is provided with a third hinge shaft 131, a fourth hinge shaft 132, a first limiting surface 133, and a second limiting surface 134. The fourth hinge shaft 132 is hinged to the fifth hinge shaft 121 of the rotating part 120, and the fourth hinge shaft 132 and the fifth hinge shaft 121 are coaxially hinged.

[0045] The first limiting surface 133 is used to abut against the extending part 160, and the second limiting surface 134 is used to abut against the arc-shaped sliding surface 141. Moreover, the second limiting surface 134 is an arc surface, and the shape of the arc surface matches the outer surface shape of the arc-shaped sliding surface 141. The limiting part 130 connects the rotating part 130 and the sliding part 140 and is used to expand the rotation angle of the extending part 160.

[0046] Specifically, when the rotating part 120 is folded, the second limiting surface 134 rotates with the limiting part 130 to the final folded position. At this time, the second limiting surface 134 abuts against the outside of the arc-shaped sliding surface 141, making the extending part 160 and the sliding part 140 form a certain included angle. The second limiting surface 134 restricts the first included angle to be greater than the second included angle. When the rotating part 120 is flattened, the first limiting surface 133 rotates with the limiting part 130 to be completely flattened. At this time, the first limiting surface 133 abuts against the extending part 160 and stops rotating.

[0047] In one embodiment, a first connecting plate 170 is provided on the back surface of the rotating part 120. A protrusion extends from the front surface of the first connecting plate 170 to wrap the edge of the rotating part 120, forming a second guiding groove 171. When the rotating part 120 rotates, it moves along the direction of the second guiding groove 171. A notch is provided below the protrusion of the first connecting plate 170 to accommodate the fifth hinge shaft 121 of the rotating part 120. The back surface of the first connecting plate 170 is a flat surface. When the rotating part 120 is fully flattened, the back surface of the first connecting plate 170 and the back surface of the mounting plate 100 are in the same plane. The first connecting plate 170 is used to connect the bottom case 20.

[0048] Further, a second hinge shaft 161 and a sixth hinge shaft 162 are respectively provided at both ends of the extension part 160. The first connecting plate 170 is located on the back surface of the extension part 160. A seventh hinge shaft 172 is provided on the protrusion of the first connecting plate 170. The sixth hinge shaft 162 and the seventh hinge shaft 172 are coaxially hinged.

[0049] In one embodiment, a second connecting plate 180 is fixedly connected to the front surface of the extension part 160. A cover plate 190 is provided on the front surface of the connecting part 110, and a cover plate 190 is provided on the front surface of the sliding groove 150. When the rotating part 120 is fully flattened, the second connecting plate 180 and the cover plate 190 are in the same plane.

[0050] In one embodiment, the rotating part 120 is provided with coaxial and opposite eighth hinge shafts 122. The eighth hinge shafts 122 are hinged to the connecting part 110. A spring 111 is provided in the connecting part 110. The spring 111 is located between the relatively arranged eighth hinge shafts 122. A cam structure 112 is provided between the spring 111 and the eighth hinge shafts 122. When the rotating part 120 rotates, it drives the cam structure 112 to compress the spring 111. Specifically, the cam structure 112 connected to the spring 111 is fixed and does not rotate. When the rotating part 120 rotates, it drives the eighth hinge shafts 122 to rotate, and then drives the cam structure 112 connected to the eighth hinge shafts 122 to rotate. When the protrusions of the cam structure 112 of the eighth hinge shafts 122 are opposite to the protrusions of the cam structure 112 of the spring 111, the spring 111 is compressed, and the spring 111 stores elastic potential energy, and the elastic potential energy is released when the folding hinge is fully flattened or fully folded.

[0051] In one embodiment, the connecting part 110 is provided with a synchronous gear 113. The synchronous gear 113 is located between the rotating parts 120 on both sides of the connecting part 110. Tooth teeth 123 are provided on the outside of the eighth hinge shafts 122 and are meshed with the synchronous gear 113. The synchronous rotation of the rotating parts 120 on both sides of the connecting part 110 inwards or outwards is realized through the synchronous gear 113.

[0052] The front surface in the above embodiments refers to the side where the folding hinge folds inwards, and the back surface is opposite to the front surface.

[0053] As Figures 8-9As shown, the present utility model also provides an embodiment of a flexible screen folding mechanism.

[0054] Please refer to Figures 8-9 , this embodiment of the flexible screen folding mechanism includes the above-mentioned folding hinge 10, and further includes a bottom case 20. The bottom case 20 is connected to the extension part 160 through a first connecting plate 170, and the bottom case 20 follows the rotation part 120 to flip and fold or flatten. The bottom case 20 is used to install other electronic components or structural parts. The number of folding hinges 10 can be multiple. In this embodiment, the number of folding hinges 10 is three, which are arranged coaxially in sequence. Among them, compared with the folding hinges on both sides, the connecting part 110 of the folding hinge in the middle lacks a spring 111, a cam structure 112, and a synchronous gear 113.

[0055] The flexible screen folding mechanism of this embodiment can be used in folding electronic devices, such as products like mobile phones and tablet computers.

[0056] In summary, in the embodiment of the folding hinge provided by the present utility model, flipping and folding or flattening is achieved through the rotation part. The rotation part drives the sliding part, the limiting part, and the extension part to rotate synchronously. Among them, the limiting part restricts the flipping and folding angle of the extension part to be greater than that of the sliding part, that is, the sliding part can achieve a large rotation angle of the extension part by rotating a small angle. Since the rotation angle of the sliding part is small, the thickness of the corresponding chute of the rotation part can be made thin, thereby reducing the overall thickness of the folding hinge.

[0057] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present utility model, rather than to limit them; under the idea of the present utility model, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, and the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations in different aspects of the present utility model as described above. For the sake of brevity, they are not provided in detail; although the present utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A folding hinge, characterized in that, It includes a mounting plate, the mounting plate is provided with a connecting portion, both sides of the connecting portion are hinged with rotating portions, and the two rotating portions are synchronously turned inwards for folding or synchronously turned outwards for flattening; The rotating portion is hinged with a limiting portion, the limiting portion is hinged with a sliding portion, and the sliding portion slides in a chute of the mounting plate; The limiting portion is also hinged with an extension portion, and the hinge point of the limiting portion and the extension portion and the hinge point of the limiting portion and the sliding portion are located on the same axis; When the rotating portion is turned inwards for folding, it drives the limiting portion and the extension portion to rotate around the hinge point. At this time, the included angle between the extension portion and the mounting plate is the first included angle, and the included angle between the rotating portion and the mounting plate is the second included angle. The limiting portion restricts the first included angle to be greater than the second included angle.

2. The folding hinge according to claim 1, wherein, The sliding portion is provided with an arc-shaped sliding surface and a first hinge shaft. The first hinge shaft is hinged with a second hinge shaft of the extension portion. The second hinge shaft of the extension portion is hinged with a third hinge shaft of the limiting portion. The first hinge shaft, the second hinge shaft, and the third hinge shaft are coaxially connected in series; The chute is fixedly connected to the mounting plate. The chute matches the arc-shaped sliding surface. Both sides of the chute are provided with protrusions to form a first guiding groove for restricting the sliding direction of the sliding portion.

3. The folding hinge according to claim 2, wherein, The limiting portion is provided with a third hinge shaft, a fourth hinge shaft, a first limiting surface, and a second limiting surface. The fourth hinge shaft is hinged with a fifth hinge shaft of the rotating portion; The first limiting surface is used to abut against the extension portion, and the second limiting surface is used to abut against the arc-shaped sliding surface. The second limiting surface is an arc surface.

4. The folding hinge according to claim 3, characterized in that When the rotating portion is folded, the second limiting surface abuts against the arc-shaped sliding surface, and the second limiting surface restricts the first included angle to be greater than the second included angle; when the rotating portion is flattened, the first limiting surface abuts against the extension portion.

5. The folding hinge according to claim 3, wherein, The back surface of the rotating portion is provided with a first connecting plate. A protrusion extends from the front surface of the first connecting plate to wrap the edge of the rotating portion to form a second guiding groove. When the rotating portion rotates, it moves along the direction of the second guiding groove; a notch is provided below the protrusion of the first connecting plate to accommodate the fifth hinge shaft of the rotating portion; the back surface of the first connecting plate is a plane. When the rotating portion is flattened, the back surface of the first connecting plate and the back surface of the mounting plate are in the same plane.

6. The folding hinge according to claim 5, characterized in that, Both ends of the extension portion are respectively provided with a second hinge shaft and a sixth hinge shaft. The first connecting plate is located on the back surface of the extension portion. A seventh hinge shaft is provided on the protrusion of the first connecting plate. The sixth hinge shaft is coaxially hinged with the seventh hinge shaft.

7. The folding hinge according to claim 6, wherein A second connecting plate is fixedly connected to the front surface of the extension portion. A cover plate is provided on the front surface of the connecting portion. A cover plate is provided on the front surface of the chute. When the rotating portion is flattened, the second connecting plate and the cover plate are in the same plane.

8. The folding hinge according to claim 1, wherein The rotating portion is provided with coaxial and opposite eighth hinge shafts. The eighth hinge shafts are hinged with the connecting portion. The connecting portion is provided with a spring. The spring is located between the relatively arranged eighth hinge shafts. A cam structure is provided between the spring and the eighth hinge shafts. When the rotating portion rotates, it drives the cam structure to compress the spring.

9. The folding hinge according to claim 8, wherein, The connecting portion is provided with a synchronous gear, the synchronous gear is located between the rotating portions on both sides of the connecting portion, and teeth are provided on the outer side of the eighth hinge shaft and meshed with the synchronous gear.

10. A flexible screen folding mechanism, characterized in that, It includes the folding hinge according to any one of claims 1-9, and further includes a bottom case, the bottom case is connected to the extension portion through a first connecting plate, and the bottom case is flipped and folded or flattened following the rotation of the rotating portion.

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