Rotating shaft mechanism and electronic device

Abstract

A rotating shaft mechanism and an electronic device. The rotating shaft mechanism (1) comprises a main shaft (10) and rotating assemblies arranged on two sides of the main shaft (10). A rotating assembly comprises: a mounting part (31), a rotating part (32) and a damping part (33). The rotating part (32) is slidably connected to the mounting part (31), and is rotatably connected to the main shaft (10). The damping part (33) comprises a support (331), at least two connecting rods (332) and an elastic structure (333); the support (331) is affixed to the mounting part (31), and an end of the support (331) distant from the main shaft (10) is provided with a first sliding groove (3311) along the direction of the main shaft (10); the at least two connecting rods (332) are distributed on two sides of the center of the first sliding groove (3311), a first end of each connecting rod (332) being rotatably connected to the rotating part (32), and a second end being slidably connected to the support (331) by means of the first sliding groove (3311); the elastic structure (333) is connected between the second end of the connecting rod (332) and the mounting part (31). The effective connection length of the rotating shaft mechanism (1) in a flattened state is the sum of the connection length of the rotating part and the mounting part (31) plus the connection length of the connecting rod and the mounting part (31); thus the width requirements of the rotating part (32) are reduced, facilitating miniaturization and light and thin design of the electronic device.

Description

Rotating shaft mechanism and electronic equipment

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on November 14, 2023, with application number 202311519038.5 and application name "A rotating shaft mechanism and electronic device", all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic equipment, and in particular to a rotating shaft mechanism and electronic equipment. Background Art

[0004] With the gradual maturity of flexible display technology, the display mode of electronic devices has undergone tremendous changes. Foldable flexible display mobile phones, foldable flexible display tablets, and wearable electronic devices with foldable flexible displays are an important evolutionary direction of future smart electronic devices.

[0005] The hinge mechanism is a key component in achieving the folding function of foldable electronic devices. It can flatten or bend the flexible display of the electronic device during the process of unfolding or closing the electronic device, and prevent the flexible display from being pulled or squeezed during the process. However, the hinge mechanisms currently used in electronic devices often need to be designed to be relatively wide to ensure an effective overlap length between the rotating part and the mounting part when the electronic device is flattened. This takes up space for other components in the hinge mechanism and makes it difficult to meet the design requirements of miniaturization and lightweight electronic devices.

[0006] In summary, how to reduce the width of the rotating part in the hinge mechanism is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in the field of foldable electronic devices.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present application provides a hinge mechanism and an electronic device, which are used to reduce the width of a rotating portion in the hinge mechanism.

[0009] In the first aspect, the present application provides a rotating shaft mechanism, comprising a main shaft and two groups of rotating components arranged on both sides of the main shaft, wherein any group of rotating components comprises: a mounting part, a rotating part and a damping part; the rotating part is slidingly connected to the mounting part and is rotationally connected to the main shaft; the damping part comprises a bracket, at least two connecting rods and an elastic structure, the bracket is fixed to the mounting part, and an end of the bracket away from the main shaft is provided with a first sliding groove along the direction of the main shaft, at least two connecting rods are distributed on both sides of the center of the first sliding groove, the first end of any connecting rod is rotationally connected to the rotating part, and the second end of any connecting rod is slidingly connected to the bracket through the first sliding groove; the elastic structure is connected between the second end of the connecting rod and the mounting part.

[0010] Through the above scheme, during the process of expanding or closing the hinge mechanism, the rotating part will rotate relative to the main shaft, driving the mounting part to slide in the direction away from or close to the main shaft, and then driving the bracket fixedly connected to the mounting part to move in the direction away from or close to the main shaft. The sliding of the bracket will cause the second end of the connecting rod slidably connected to the bracket to slide in the first sliding groove of the bracket. Since the elastic structure is connected between the second end of the connecting rod and the mounting part, the sliding of the second end of the connecting rod will cause the deformation of the elastic structure to change, and then the damping force provided to the connecting rod by the elastic structure will also change. In this way, during the rotation process of expanding or closing the electronic device, a damping force adapted to different states of the electronic device can be provided, so that the electronic device can hover in any state.

[0011] In addition, in the above-mentioned hinge mechanism, by arranging a connecting rod rotatably connected to the rotating part in a direction away from the main axis, the effective overlap length of the hinge mechanism in the flattened state becomes the sum of the overlap length between the rotating part and the mounting part and the overlap length between the connecting rod and the mounting part, while the overlap length of the existing hinge mechanism is only the overlap length between the rotating part and the mounting part. It can be seen that the effective overlap length of the hinge mechanism in the flattened state is longer than that of the existing hinge mechanism, thereby reducing the hinge mechanism's requirement for the width of the rotating part. The smaller the width of the rotating part, the larger the stacking space left for other devices in the hinge mechanism, which is more conducive to the miniaturization and lightweight design of electronic equipment.

[0012] In one possible design, one end of the elastic structure contacts the second ends of at least two connecting rods, and the other end of the elastic structure is connected to the mounting portion. For example, the other end of the elastic structure is fixed to the mounting portion, or the other end of the elastic structure contacts the mounting portion but is not fixed (e.g., abuts). In this way, when the second ends of the at least two connecting rods slide, the elastic structure in contact with the second ends also moves, thereby generating a change in the damping force.

[0013] In one possible design, the elastic structure includes a slider and an elastic member. The slider is positioned between the first slide slot and the main shaft, is slidably connected to the bracket, and contacts the second ends of at least two connecting rods. One end of the elastic member is fixedly connected to the slider, and the other end of the elastic member is fixedly connected to the mounting portion. Thus, when the second ends of the at least two connecting rods slide, the slider in contact with the second ends can be pushed to slide toward or away from the main shaft, thereby varying the deformation of the elastic member fixedly connected to the slider, thereby generating different damping forces under different conditions.

[0014] In one example of the above design, the slider has a first guide rail, the bracket has a second slide groove, and the first guide rail is embedded in the second slide groove. In this way, the slider can slide relative to the bracket by sliding the first guide rail in the second slide groove.

[0015] In one example of the above design, there are many ways to fix the elastic member to the slider, such as:

[0016] Method 1: A support column is provided on the inner wall of the slider opposite the first slide groove, and the elastic member is wound around the support column. In this way, the support column supports the elastic member, which can stabilize the elastic member in a fixed position, avoid unstable changes in deformation caused by the elastic member being suspended in the air, and improve the stability of the damping force;

[0017] Method 2: A groove is provided on the inner wall of the slider opposite to the first chute, and one end of the elastic member is embedded in the groove. In this way, the elastic member is clamped by the groove, which can also achieve a fixed connection between the elastic member and the slider, and the implementation method is simpler.

[0018] In one example of the above design, a beveled cam is provided on the outer wall of the slider opposite the first slot. The beveled cam corresponds to one of the at least two connecting rods. As the hinge mechanism rotates from the flattened state to the closed state, the connecting rod corresponding to the beveled cam passes over the beveled cam. As the connecting rod passes over the beveled cam, it pushes the slider toward or away from the main shaft, thereby varying the deformation of the elastic member to provide different damping forces to the electronic device.

[0019] In a further possible example, there may be at least two beveled cams, with the at least two beveled cams positioned on either side of the slider in the direction of the main axis, corresponding one-to-one with the at least two connecting rods. Thus, during rotation from the flattened state to the closed state, the at least two connecting rods first pass from the outside of the at least two beveled cams to the apex of the at least two beveled cams, pushing the slider toward the main axis. This increases the compression of the elastic member and the damping force provided by the elastic member, thereby creating a sense of resistance when the user initially closes the electronic device. Subsequently, the at least two connecting rods pass from the apex of the at least two beveled cams to the inside of the at least two beveled cams. The slider automatically slides away from the main axis under the elastic force of the elastic member, reducing the compression of the elastic member and the damping force provided by the elastic member. This creates a sense of ease after the electronic device has been closed for a period of time. Thus, by positioning the beveled cams on either side of the main axis, the user can experience a feeling of difficulty followed by ease when pushing the electronic device, thereby enhancing the user experience.

[0020] In one example of the above design, the elastic member deforms perpendicularly to the main axis. This allows the elastic force generated by the elastic member to be perpendicular to the sliding direction of the connecting rod. This elastic force can directly act on the connecting rod, effectively hindering the rotation of the rotating part and generating an effective damping force on the electronic device.

[0021] In one possible design, a mating member is provided at the second end of each connecting rod, which engages with the first sliding groove. The mating member can be, for example, a wheel-shaped structure, such as a roller or a cam. This slidable connection between the second end of the connecting rod and the bracket is achieved through the mating member. This not only reduces friction between the bracket and the connecting rod, improving sliding smoothness, but also prevents wear caused by direct contact between the second end of the connecting rod and the bracket, thereby increasing the service life of the connecting rod.

[0022] In one example of the above design, a washer is further provided at the second end of each connecting rod, and the washer cooperates with the matching piece to limit the matching piece. In this way, the washer can be used to prevent the matching piece from loosening during rolling and maintain rolling stability.

[0023] In one possible design, the first end of any connecting rod is pin-connected to the rotating portion. Thus, the first end of the connecting rod can be rotatably connected to the mounting portion via the pin connection. The pin connection has a simple structure and is relatively low in cost, which helps reduce the complexity and cost of the rotating shaft mechanism.

[0024] In one possible design, the mounting portion is provided with a second guide rail, the rotating portion is provided with a third slide groove, and the second guide rail is embedded in the third slide groove. In this way, the rotating portion and the mounting portion can be rotatably connected by the cooperation of the second guide rail and the third slide groove.

[0025] In one possible design, the hinge mechanism further includes a synchronization component connected between the two sets of rotating components to drive the two sets of rotating components to rotate synchronously. In this way, the two side housings connected to the rotating components can be driven to rotate synchronously, thereby achieving synchronous rotation of the electronic device.

[0026] In one possible design, any set of rotating assemblies includes N subassemblies arranged along the main axis, and each subassembly includes a mounting portion, a rotating portion, and a damping portion; where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. In this way, by using multiple subassemblies to achieve a rotational connection between the two housings of the electronic device, the stability of the two housings' rotation relative to the main axis can be effectively improved.

[0027] In a second aspect, the present application provides an electronic device, comprising a first shell, a second shell, a flexible display, and a hinge mechanism as in the above-mentioned first aspect or any one of the designs of the above-mentioned first aspect, wherein: the first shell and the second shell are arranged on opposite sides of the hinge mechanism, the first shell is fixedly connected to the mounting portion in one group of rotating components, and the second shell is fixedly connected to the mounting portion in another group of rotating components; the flexible display continuously covers the first shell, the second shell and the hinge mechanism, and the flexible display is fixedly connected to the first shell and the second shell.

[0028] The technical effects that can be achieved in the second aspect can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] FIG1 exemplarily shows the appearance of an outward-folding electronic device provided by the present application;

[0030] FIG2a exemplarily shows a partial exploded view of an outward-folding electronic device provided by the present application in a closed state;

[0031] FIG2 b exemplarily shows a partial exploded view of an inwardly folding electronic device provided by the present application in a closed state;

[0032] FIG2c exemplarily shows a partial exploded view of an outward-folding electronic device provided by the present application in a flattened state;

[0033] FIG3 exemplarily shows a planar structural diagram of a rotating shaft mechanism provided by the present application;

[0034] FIG4 exemplarily shows a three-dimensional exploded view of a rotating shaft mechanism provided by the present application;

[0035] FIG5 exemplarily shows a planar structural diagram of a partial structure of a rotating shaft mechanism provided by the present application;

[0036] FIG6 a exemplarily shows a structural diagram of a mounting portion provided by the present application;

[0037] FIG6 b exemplarily shows a structural diagram of a rotating part provided by the present application;

[0038] FIG6c exemplarily shows a diagram of a matching structure of a mounting portion and a rotating portion provided by the present application;

[0039] FIG7 a exemplarily shows a three-dimensional structural diagram of a portion of a rotating shaft mechanism provided by the present application in a flattened state;

[0040] FIG7 b exemplarily shows a three-dimensional structural diagram of a portion of a rotating shaft mechanism provided by the present application in an intermediate state;

[0041] FIG7c exemplarily shows a three-dimensional structural diagram of a partial structure of a rotating shaft mechanism provided by the present application in a closed state;

[0042] FIG8a exemplarily shows a partial assembly diagram of a single-axis chain-type left-right mutual pulling structure provided by the present application;

[0043] FIG8b exemplarily shows a partial exploded assembly diagram of a uniaxial chain-type left-right mutually pulling structure provided by the present application;

[0044] FIG8c exemplarily shows a global assembly diagram of a uniaxial chain-type left-right mutually pulling structure provided by the present application;

[0045] FIG9 a exemplarily shows an assembly structure diagram of a rotating part and a main shaft provided by the present application;

[0046] FIG9 b exemplarily shows an exploded view of an assembly structure of a rotating part and a main shaft provided by the present application;

[0047] FIG10 exemplarily shows a structural diagram of a subassembly provided by the present application;

[0048] FIG11 exemplarily shows an exploded view of a subassembly provided by the present application;

[0049] FIG12 exemplarily shows a structural diagram of a bracket provided in the present application;

[0050] FIG13a exemplarily shows an assembly structure diagram of a bracket and a mounting plate provided by the present application;

[0051] FIG13b exemplarily shows an exploded view of one side of an assembly structure of a bracket and a mounting plate provided by the present application;

[0052] FIG13c exemplarily shows an exploded view of another side of an assembly structure of a bracket and a mounting plate provided by the present application;

[0053] FIG14 exemplarily shows a possible structural diagram of a connecting rod provided by the present application;

[0054] FIG15 exemplarily shows an assembly structure diagram of a first end of a connecting rod and a rotating portion provided by the present application;

[0055] FIG16 exemplarily shows an assembly structure diagram of the second end of a connecting rod and a bracket provided by the present application;

[0056] FIG17a exemplarily shows a cross-sectional structural diagram of a bracket and a mounting portion provided by the present application;

[0057] FIG17b exemplarily shows a cross-sectional structural diagram of a bracket, a mounting portion, a connecting rod and a roller provided by the present application;

[0058] FIG18 exemplarily shows a structural diagram of a slider provided by the present application;

[0059] FIG19 exemplarily shows a cross-sectional view of an assembly structure of a slider and a bracket provided by the present application;

[0060] FIG20 exemplarily shows a motion state diagram of a damping portion during a process of rotating from a flat state to a closed state provided by the present application;

[0061] FIG. 21 exemplarily shows a comparison of the effective overlap lengths of the rotating shaft mechanism in the present application and the existing rotating shaft mechanism in a flattened state.

[0062] Reference numerals: 1-rotating shaft mechanism; 1a-bearing surface of rotating shaft mechanism; 10-main shaft; 10a-main outer shaft; 10a1-base; 10a2-first wing; 10a3-second wing; 10b-main inner shaft; 10b1-first fixing member; 10b2-second fixing member; 2-first housing; 2a-bearing surface of first housing; 20-first rotating assembly; 20a-first subassembly; 20b-second subassembly; 21-mounting portion of first subassembly; 22-rotating portion of first subassembly; 3-second housing; 3a-bearing surface of second housing; 30-second rotating assembly; 30a-third subassembly; 30b-fourth subassembly; 31-mounting portion; 311-second guide rail; 312-hinge; 313 - screw; 314a - first set of positioning holes; 314b - second set of positioning holes; 315 - second support column; 32 - rotating portion of the second subassembly; 321 - third slide slot; 323 - raised portion; 325 - second pin hole; 3251 - second pin hole one; 3252 - second pin hole two; 33 - damping portion; 331 - bracket; 3311 - first slide slot; 3312a - first set of positioning columns; 3312b - second set of positioning columns; 3313 - second slide slot; 332 - connecting rod structure; 3321 - first connecting rod; 3322 - second connecting rod; 3323 - first pin hole; 3323a - first pin hole one; 3323b - second pin hole two; 3324 - mounting hole; 3324a - first mounting hole; 3324b - second mounting hole; 333-elastic structure; 3331-slider; 33311-first guide rail; 33312-bevel cam; 33312a-first bevel cam; 33312b-second bevel cam; 33313-first support column; 3332-elastic member; 334-matching member; 3341-first matching member; 3342-second matching member; 335-pin; 3351-first pin; 3352-second pin; 3362-gasket; 4-flexible display; 40-synchronization assembly; 40a-first sub-synchronization assembly; 40b-second sub-synchronization assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the example embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be understood as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The same reference numerals in the figures represent the same or similar structures, and thus their repeated description will be omitted. The words expressing position and direction described in the embodiments of the present application are all explained with reference to the accompanying drawings as examples, but changes can be made as needed, and the changes made are all included in the scope of protection of this application. The drawings of the embodiments of the present application are only used to illustrate the relative position relationship and do not represent the true proportion.

[0064] It should be noted that the following description sets forth specific details to facilitate understanding of the present application. However, the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in a variety of other ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations without violating the connotations of the embodiments of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0065] In one possible implementation, the hinge mechanism provided by the present application can be integrated into an electronic device, which may be, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet computer (portable Android device, PAD), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer or other device with a foldable function, which may be an electronic device with an inward folding form or an electronic device with an outward folding form. For example, please refer to FIG1 , which shows the appearance of an electronic device with an outward folding form provided by the present application. The figure takes an outward folding mobile phone as an example. FIG1 (A) shows the appearance of a two-folded mobile phone, and FIG1 (B) shows the appearance of a three-folded mobile phone. Compared with electronic devices with an inward folding form, electronic devices with an outward folding form have more advantages in low cost, low thickness and low weight, and are expected to become a mainstream research direction in the field of electronic devices in the future.

[0066] Taking an electronic device in an outward-folding configuration as an example, please refer to Figure 2a, which shows a partial exploded view of an electronic device provided in this application in a closed state. The electronic device may include a hinge mechanism 1, a flexible display 4, and two housings. For ease of description, these two housings are designated as the first housing 2 and the second housing 3, respectively. In some scenarios, the housing is also referred to as the middle frame, and therefore may also be designated as the first middle frame 2 and the second middle frame 3. The following description will focus on the housing. As shown in Figure 2a, the first and second housings 2 and 3 are located on either side of the hinge mechanism 1 and are rotatable about the hinge mechanism 1. The flexible display 4 wraps around the outside of the hinge mechanism 1, the first and second housings 2 and 3, forming the outward-folding display of the electronic device. It is understood that when the electronic device is in an inward-folding configuration, the flexible display 4 can wrap around the inside of the hinge mechanism 1, the first and second housings 2 and 3, forming the inward-folding display of the electronic device, as shown in Figure 2b. To facilitate illustration of the specific structure of the hinge mechanism 1, the following description will use the outward-folding electronic device as an example. However, it should be understood that the related design is also applicable to inward-folding electronic devices, and this application will not repeat this description.

[0067] Furthermore, taking an electronic device in an outward folding form as an example, please refer to FIG2c, which shows a partial exploded view of an electronic device provided by the present application in a flattened state. As shown in FIG2c, the hinge mechanism 1 has a support surface 1a arranged toward the flexible display screen 4, the first shell 2 has a support surface 2a arranged toward the flexible display screen 4, and the second shell 3 has a support surface 3a arranged toward the flexible display screen 4. The flexible display screen 4 can continuously cover the support surface 1a of the hinge mechanism 1, the support surface 2a of the first shell 2, and the support surface 3a of the second shell 3, and can be fixedly connected to the support surface 2a of the first shell 2 and the support surface 3a of the second shell 3, such as by adhesive connection. As a key functional component in a foldable electronic device, the hinge mechanism 1 can be arranged corresponding to the bendable portion of the flexible display screen 4, such as usually being arranged in the central area of ​​the flexible display screen 4.

[0068] Please refer to Figures 2a and 2c together. When the electronic device is in the flattened state shown in Figure 2c, the support surface 1a of the hinge mechanism 1, the support surface 2a of the first shell 2, and the support surface 3a of the second shell 3 can be connected to form a flat support surface. The flexible display 4 appears as a flat display. The hinge mechanism 1, the first shell 2, and the second shell 3 provide flat support for the flexible display 4. When the electronic device switches from the flattened state shown in Figure 2c to the closed state shown in Figure 2a, the first shell 2 and the second shell 3 rotate relative to each other about the hinge mechanism 1. Since the flexible display 4 is fixedly connected to the support surface 2a of the first shell 2 and the support surface 3a of the second shell 3, the flexible display 4 can bend with the relative rotation of the first shell 2 and the second shell 3 until the first shell 2 and the third shell 3 are closed together. The hinge mechanism 1 generates a damping force to maintain the electronic device in the bent and closed states. On the contrary, when the electronic device switches from the closed state shown in Figure 2a to the flattened state shown in Figure 2c, the first shell 2 and the second shell 3 rotate away from each other around the hinge mechanism 1, and the flexible display screen 4 can be flattened as the first shell 2 and the second shell 3 rotate away from each other, and the hinge mechanism 1 generates a damping force for maintaining the electronic device in the flattened state.

[0069] Further, please refer to Figure 3, which shows a planar structural diagram of a rotating shaft mechanism 1 provided by the present application. The rotating shaft mechanism 1 may include a main shaft 10 and two sets of rotating components arranged on both sides of the main shaft 10, namely a first rotating component 20 and a second rotating component 30. Among them, the main shaft 10 extends along the axial direction of the rotating shaft mechanism 1. The axial direction of the rotating shaft mechanism 1 can be understood as the extension direction of the axis around which the first shell 2 and the second shell 3 rotate around the rotating shaft mechanism 1. Any rotating component may include one or more sub-components. When multiple sub-components are included, the multiple sub-components may be arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the rotating shaft mechanism 1. For example, taking any rotating assembly including two subassemblies as an example, referring to FIG3 , the first rotating assembly 20 may include a first subassembly 20a and a second subassembly 20b, and the second rotating assembly 30 may include a third subassembly 30a and a fourth subassembly 30b. The first subassembly 20a and the second subassembly 20b are arranged at intervals on one side (the upper side in the figure) of the main shaft 10, and the third subassembly 30a and the fourth subassembly 30b are arranged at intervals corresponding to the first subassembly 20a and the second subassembly 20b on the other side (the lower side in the figure) of the main shaft 10. It should be understood that FIG3 is based on the example that the first rotating assembly 20 and the second rotating assembly 30 include the same number of subassemblies and these subassemblies are arranged relative to each other. However, in an actual rotating shaft mechanism 1, the first rotating assembly 20 and the second rotating assembly 30 may also include different numbers of subassemblies, or the subassemblies of the first rotating assembly 20 and the subassemblies of the second rotating assembly 30 may also be staggered, etc., and this application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0070] To further illustrate the overall structure of the rotating shaft mechanism 1, please refer to FIG4, which shows a three-dimensional exploded view of the rotating shaft mechanism 1 provided by the present application. In conjunction with FIG3 and FIG4, the main shaft 10 may include a main outer shaft 10a and a main inner shaft 10b. The main outer shaft 10a includes a base 10a1, a first wing 10a2, and a second wing 10a3. The main inner shaft 10b includes at least one fixing member (e.g., a first fixing member 10b1 and a second fixing member 10b2). The number of the at least one fixing member is configured based on the number of subassemblies included in the first rotating assembly 20 and the second rotating assembly 30, and can be configured to be the maximum number between the number of subassemblies included in the first rotating assembly 20 and the number of subassemblies included in the second rotating assembly 30. For example, when the first rotating assembly 20 and the second rotating assembly 30 each include two subassemblies as shown in Figure 3, the main inner shaft 10b includes a first fixing member 10b1 and a second fixing member 10b2, the first fixing member 10b1 is distributed at the axial position where the first subassembly 20a and the third subassembly 30a are located, and the second fixing member 10b2 is distributed at the axial position where the second subassembly 20b and the fourth subassembly 30b are located. During assembly, the first fixing member 10b1 is first rotatably connected to the first subassembly 20a and the third subassembly 30a at the middle position A1 between the first subassembly 20a and the third subassembly 30a (see the description in Figures 9a and 9b below), and then installed at the left side of the base 10a1 as shown in the figure. The second fixing member 10b2 is first rotatably connected to the second subassembly 20b and the fourth subassembly 30b at the middle position A2 between the second subassembly 20b and the fourth subassembly 30b, and then installed at the right side of the base 10a1 as shown in the figure. Thereafter, the first side wing 10a2 and the second side wing 10a3 are buckled onto the outer sides of the first fixing member 10b1 and the second fixing member 10b2. The first fixing member 10b1, the second fixing member 10b2 and the subassembly portion rotatably connected thereto are buckled inside the main outer shaft 10a. Since the physical area of ​​the first side wing 10a2 and the second side wing 10a3 is relatively small, there is still a large space for movement after the two are buckled together. Therefore, the first subassembly 20a and the third subassembly 30a can rotate around the first fixing member 10b1 in the space to realize the rotational connection between the first subassembly 20a and the third subassembly 30a and the main shaft 10, and the second subassembly 20b and the fourth subassembly 30b can rotate around the second fixing member 10b2 in the space to realize the rotational connection between the second subassembly 20b and the fourth subassembly 30b and the main shaft 10.

[0071] Furthermore, in conjunction with Figures 3, 4, 2a, and 2c, the first rotating assembly 20 and the second rotating assembly 30 can also be used to connect the first shell 2 and the second shell 3, respectively. For example, the first rotating assembly 20 is connected to the first shell 2, and the second rotating assembly 30 is connected to the second shell 3. In this case, at least a portion of the first subassembly 20a and at least a portion of the second subassembly 20b can be fixedly connected to the first shell 2, and at least a portion of the third subassembly 30a and at least a portion of the fourth subassembly 30b can be fixedly connected to the second shell 3. In this way, when the first subassembly 20a and the second subassembly 20b rotate around the main shaft 10, they can drive the connected first shell 2 to rotate synchronously to achieve rotation of the first shell 2 relative to the main shaft 10. When the third subassembly 30a and the fourth subassembly 30b rotate around the main shaft 10, they can drive the connected second shell 3 to rotate synchronously to achieve rotation of the second shell 3 relative to the main shaft 10.

[0072] 3 and 4 , the rotating shaft mechanism 1 may further include a synchronization assembly 40, which is connected between the first rotating assembly 20 and the second rotating assembly 30 to achieve synchronized rotation of the first rotating assembly 20 and the second rotating assembly 30. The synchronization assembly 40 may include at least one sub-synchronization assembly. For example, when the first rotating assembly 20 and the second rotating assembly 30 each include two sub-assemblies as shown in FIG3 , the synchronization assembly 40 may include a first sub-synchronization assembly 40a and a second sub-synchronization assembly 40b. The first sub-synchronization assembly 40a is connected between the first sub-assembly 20a and the third sub-assembly 30a to achieve synchronized rotation of the first sub-assembly 20a and the third sub-assembly 30a. The second sub-synchronization assembly 40b is connected between the second sub-assembly 20b and the fourth sub-assembly 30b to achieve synchronized rotation of the second sub-assembly 20b and the fourth sub-assembly 30b. It can be understood that any sub-synchronization component can be any component that can realize the synchronization function, for example, it can include two gears that mesh with each other, and the two sub-components that need to be synchronized each contact one of the gears, so as to realize the synchronous rotation of the two sub-components in relative directions or in opposite directions through the relative meshing transmission or opposite meshing transmission of the two gears, thereby driving the first shell 2 and the second shell 3 connected to it to rotate relative or oppositely, thereby realizing the folding or flattening of the flexible display screen 4.

[0073] It should be noted that Figures 3 and 4 illustrate an example in which multiple subassemblies each use a single spindle 10 as a bearing member. This design can improve the integration of the rotating shaft mechanism 1. However, in other solutions, a spindle can be provided for each subassembly, so that each subassembly uses the corresponding spindle as a bearing member. Alternatively, one spindle can be provided for multiple subassemblies, and one spindle can be provided for each other subassembly, and so on. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0074] Further, please refer to Figure 5, which shows a schematic plan view of a portion of the hinge mechanism 1 shown in Figure 3. The hinge mechanism 1 includes the first subassembly 20a, the third subassembly 30a, and the main shaft 10 portion located between the first and third subassemblies 20a and 30a. The structures of the first and third subassemblies 20a and 30a are similar. For example, the third subassembly 30a comprises a mounting portion 31, a rotating portion 32, and a damping portion 33. The mounting portion 31 can be understood as a component used to mount the housing and can be fixedly connected to the first housing 2 (or second housing 3) shown in Figures 2a to 2c. The rotating portion 32 can be understood as a component used to achieve rotation and can be slidably connected (also referred to as a transmission connection) to the mounting portion 31 and rotatably connected to the main shaft 10. Thus, when the electronic device is unfolded or closed, the mounting portion 31 can rotate synchronously with the first housing 2 (or second housing 3), thereby driving the rotating portion 32 to rotate about the main shaft 10. Simultaneously, the mounting portion 31 slides relative to the rotating portion 32, thereby achieving constant length management of the flexible display. In addition, the damping portion 33 can be understood as a component for providing a damping force, and the damping force acts on the rotating portion 32 to achieve the hovering of the electronic device at any opening and closing angle.

[0075] The following describes in detail each component involved in FIG5 to provide an exemplary specific implementation solution.

[0076] 1. Installation

[0077] Optionally, the mounting portion 31 serves as a supporting member for the housing and is typically a plate-like structure. In some scenarios, it is also referred to as a mounting plate, housing support plate, or housing fixing plate. The mounting portion 31 should be long enough in the direction of the spindle 10 to cover the spindle 10 area as much as possible. It should also be wide in a direction perpendicular to the spindle 10 to provide a larger supporting surface for the housing and improve the stability of the supporting housing.

[0078] Optionally, the mounting portion 31 is slidably connected to the rotating portion 32, which can be understood as the mounting portion 31 being able to slide relative to the rotating portion 32 along a set sliding direction, and the sliding direction is not parallel to the direction of the main shaft 10, or in other words, there is an angle with the direction of the main shaft 10. For example, taking the sliding direction being perpendicular to the direction of the main shaft 10 as an example, please refer to Figures 6a to 6c, Figure 6a shows a structural diagram of a mounting portion 31 provided by the present application, and Figure 6b shows a structural diagram of a rotating portion 32 that cooperates with the mounting portion 31, wherein (A) in Figure 6b and (B) in Figure 6b respectively show two opposite side structures of the rotating portion 32, and Figure 6c shows an assembly structure diagram after the mounting portion 31 and the rotating portion 32 cooperate, which can be considered as the structure obtained by attaching the side surface of the rotating portion 32 shown in (A) in Figure 6b to the surface of the mounting portion 31 shown in Figure 6a. 5 and 6a to 6c , in this example, the mounting portion 31 may be provided with a second guide rail 311 perpendicular to the main shaft 10, and the rotating portion 32 may be provided with a third guide groove 321, with the second guide rail 311 being embedded in the third guide groove 321. Thus, when the rotating portion 32 rotates about the main shaft 10, it drives the mounting portion 31, into which it is embedded, to rotate synchronously, causing the second guide rail 311 on the mounting portion 31 to slide along the third guide groove 321 on the rotating portion 32 toward or away from the main shaft 10, thereby achieving relative sliding between the mounting portion 31 and the rotating portion 32.

[0079] It should be understood that Figures 6a to 6c illustrate only one possible sliding connection between the mounting portion 31 and the rotating portion 32. In an actual hinge mechanism 1, the mounting portion 31 and the rotating portion 32 may also be slidably connected using other methods. For example, in another example, a slide groove may be provided on the mounting portion 31, and a guide rail may be provided on the rotating portion 32. By embedding the guide rail of the rotating portion 32 in the slide groove of the mounting portion 31, relative sliding between the mounting portion 31 and the rotating portion 32 is achieved. This application does not impose any specific limitations on this.

[0080] Furthermore, optionally, the mounting portion 31 slides relative to the rotating portion 32, causing the length of the rotating portion 32 overlapping the mounting portion 31 (referred to as the overlapping length) to change. For example, referring to Figures 7a, 7b, and 7c, Figure 7a shows a three-dimensional structural diagram of the structure shown in Figure 5 in a flattened state, Figure 7b shows a three-dimensional structural diagram of the structure shown in Figure 5 in an intermediate state (i.e., a state between the closed state and the flattened state), and Figure 7c shows a three-dimensional structural diagram of the structure shown in Figure 5 in a closed state. In Figure 7c, the mounting portion 31 that obscures the internal structure is hidden. Please refer to Figures 7a to 7c: As the rotating portion 32 rotates from the flattened state to the closed state, the second guide rail 311 on the mounting portion 31 slides along the third guide groove 321 on the rotating portion 32 toward the main shaft 10, thereby driving the mounting portion 31 toward the main shaft 10. This movement increases the overlapping area between the rotating portion 32 and the mounting portion 31, and increases the overlap length (L) of the rotating portion 32 on the mounting portion 31. Therefore, in the flattened state shown in Figure 7a, the overlapping area between the rotating portion 32 and the mounting portion 31 is minimal, and the overlap length L is minimal. As the electronic device rotates to the intermediate state, the overlapping area between the rotating portion 32 and the mounting portion 31 gradually increases, and the overlap length L gradually increases. Until the electronic device rotates to the closed state shown in Figure 7c, the rotating portion 32 is entirely overlapped on the mounting portion 31, and the overlap length L reaches its maximum, which can specifically be the width of the rotating portion 32.

[0081] In one example, in order to achieve constant length management of the flexible display screen during the bending process, the mounting portion 31 in the third subassembly 30a can also be connected to the rotating portion 22 in the first subassembly 20a through a variable length structure, and the variable length structure can be, for example, a hinge, an elastic member or a retractable connecting rod. Among them, the rotating shaft mechanism in which the variable length structure is a hinge is usually also called a single-axis chain left-right mutual pulling structure. For example, please refer to Figures 8a, 8b and 8c. Figure 8a shows an assembly diagram of a partial structure of a single-axis chain left-right mutual pulling structure, which includes the mounting portion 31 and the rotating portion 32 in the third subassembly 30a, the rotating portion 22 in the first subassembly 20a, and a hinge 312 for connecting the mounting portion 31 and the rotating portion 22 in the first subassembly 20a. Figure 8b shows a partial exploded view of the partial structure, which separates the rotating portion 32 in the assembly structure alone. Figure 8c shows a global exploded view of the partial structure, which separates each component in the assembly structure. 8a to 8c , in this example, the second guide rail 311 is fixed to the mounting portion 31 by a screw 313, and one end of the second guide rail 311, located near the spindle 10 (in conjunction with FIG. 5 , the spindle 10 is located between the rotating portion 22 of the first subassembly 20a and the rotating portion 32 of the third subassembly 30a), is connected to the rotating portion 22 by a hinge 312. Thus, since the two ends of the hinge 312 are respectively connected to the second guide rail 311 and the rotating portion 22 of the first subassembly 20a, and the second guide rail 311 is fixed to the mounting portion 31, the two ends of the hinge 312 are respectively connected to the mounting portion 31 and the rotating portion 22 of the first subassembly 20a. In this way, as the mounting portion 31 rotates with the rotating portion 32 of the third subassembly 30a, the hinge 312 can maintain the sum of the rotation amounts of the mounting portion 31 and the rotating portion 22 of the first subassembly 20a constant, thereby achieving constant length management of the flexible display during the bending process.

[0082] 2. Rotating part

[0083] In the present application, the rotating portion 32 is used to achieve rotation of the mounting portion 31 relative to the main shaft 10. The rotating portion 32 can generally be configured as a plate-like structure, which is stacked above the mounting portion 31 and has a width smaller than the width of the mounting portion 31 and a length that can be the same as or smaller than the length of the mounting portion 31.

[0084] Optionally, the rotating portion 32 is rotatably connected to the main shaft 10, which can be understood as the rotating portion 32 being rotatably connected to the first fixing member 10b1 of the main inner shaft 10b shown in Figure 4. For example, refer to Figures 9a and 9b. Figure 9a shows an assembly diagram of the rotating portion 32 and the first fixing member 10b1 provided by this application, while Figure 9b shows a perspective exploded view of the assembly structure. Combined with Figure 9a and Figure 9b, in this example, at least one buckle body is provided on the rotating part 32 (three buckle bodies B1, B2 and B3 are shown as examples), and at least one buckle body is distributed along the axial direction of the rotating shaft mechanism 1. When assembling the rotating part 32 and the first fixing member 10b1, at least one buckle body of the rotating part 32 is buckled at different positions of the first fixing member 10b1 respectively, such as the buckle body B1 is buckled at position C1 of the first fixing member 10b1, the buckle body B2 is buckled at position C2 of the first fixing member 10b1, and the buckle body B3 is buckled at position C3 of the first fixing member 10b1. In this way, by buckling at multiple positions, the rotating part 32 can rotate stably around the first fixing member 10b1.

[0085] It should be understood that Figures 9a and 9b illustrate only one possible rotational connection between the rotating portion 32 and the first fixing member 10b1. In an actual hinge mechanism 1, the rotating portion 32 and the first fixing member 10b1 may also be rotationally connected using other methods. For example, in another example, a retaining groove may be provided on the first fixing member 10b1, and a protrusion may be provided on the rotating portion 32. By inserting the protrusion of the rotating portion 32 into the retaining groove of the first fixing member 10b1, the rotating portion 32 can rotate relative to the first fixing member 10b1. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0086] 3. Damping part

[0087] Please refer to Figures 10 and 11. Figure 10 shows a three-dimensional structural diagram of part of the structure in Figure 5. This three-dimensional structural diagram hides the mounting portion 21 in the first subassembly 20a and the mounting portion 31 in the third subassembly 30a. Figure 11 shows an exploded view of the structure shown in Figure 10. Combined with Figures 10 and 11, taking the damping portion 33 in the third subassembly 30a as an example, the damping portion 33 includes a bracket 331, an elastic structure 333 and a connecting rod structure 332. Among them, the bracket 331 is fixed to the mounting portion 31 (not shown in Figures 10 and 11, please refer to Figures 13a to 13c below for details), and the end of the bracket 331 away from the main shaft 10 is provided with a first sliding groove 3311 along the direction of the main shaft 10. The connecting rod structure 332 may include one or more connecting rods. For example, in order to improve the stability of the support, it may include at least two connecting rods (the first connecting rod 3321 and the second connecting rod 3322 are shown as examples), and the at least two connecting rods are distributed on both sides of the center of the first slide groove 3311. The first end of any connecting rod (such as the first end a1 of the first connecting rod 3321 or the first end a2 of the second connecting rod 3322) is rotatably connected to the rotating part 32, and the second end of any connecting rod (such as the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 or the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322) is slidably connected to the bracket 331 through the first slide groove 3311. The elastic structure 333 is connected between the second ends of at least two connecting rods and the mounting part 31 (not shown in Figures 10 and 11, for details, please refer to the combined description of Figures 18, 6a and 10 below).

[0088] 10 and 11 , the following first provides a detailed description of the structure and connection relationship of each component in the damping portion 33. For ease of illustration, the following example uses a connecting rod structure 332 comprising at least two connecting rods. The same applies to solutions comprising only one connecting rod, and this application will not reiterate each of these details.

[0089] First, please refer to Figure 12, which shows a possible structural diagram of the bracket 331. In combination with Figures 10 and 12, in this example, the bracket 331 can be an inverted concave bracket, and the first slide groove 3311 is opened on the side of the inverted concave bracket 331 away from the main shaft 10, and the sliding direction is parallel to the direction of the main shaft 10. In this way, since the first ends of at least two connecting rods are arranged on the rotating part 32 close to the main shaft 10, and the second ends are arranged in the first slide groove 3311 away from the main shaft 10, the at least two connecting rods are located between the rotating part 32 and the first slide groove 3311, which can serve as support members of the shell, extending the overlap length of the shell and the mounting part in any state (see Figure 21 for details).

[0090] Further, for example, referring to Figures 13a, 13b, and 13c, Figure 13a illustrates an assembly structure diagram of the bracket 331 and the mounting portion 31, Figure 13b illustrates an exploded view of one side of the assembly structure, and Figure 13c illustrates an exploded view of the other side of the assembly structure. In conjunction with Figures 13a to 13c, in this example, the bracket 331 may be provided with one or more groups of positioning posts, such as a first group of positioning posts 3312a and a second group of positioning posts 3312b, and the mounting portion 31 may be provided with one or more groups of positioning holes corresponding to the one or more groups of positioning posts, such as a first group of positioning holes 314a and a second group of positioning holes 314b. The first group of positioning posts 3312a is installed in the first group of positioning holes 314a, and the second group of positioning posts 3312b is installed in the second group of positioning holes 314b. The bracket 331 is fixed to the mounting portion 31 by fixing the bracket 331 on both sides. Optionally, each set of locating posts may include one or more locating posts, which may be cylindrical, waist-shaped, or any other type of locating post. For example, Figure 13b illustrates a set of locating posts comprising one cylindrical and one waist-shaped post. This design simplifies the machining process by making the waist-shaped posts easier to machine than cylindrical ones. Furthermore, by providing two sets of locating posts on either side of the bracket, the bracket can be stably secured to the mounting portion through a two-end fixing method.

[0091] Furthermore, illustratively, in conjunction with Figures 10 and 12 , the bracket 331 may further be provided with a second slide groove 3313, which is used to cooperate with the elastic structure 333 and serve as a sliding bearing surface for the elastic structure 333. The second slide groove 3313 can be considered to be a groove provided inside the bracket 331. For example, an inverted concave groove is provided inside the inverted concave bracket shown in Figure 12 , which divides the bracket 331 into a raised portion and a recessed portion. The side of the raised portion away from the main shaft 10 is used to provide the first slide groove 3311, and the other two sides of the raised portion are used to provide positioning posts 3312a and 3312b, while the recessed portion serves as the second slide groove 3313.

[0092] It can be understood that the above content only introduces the structure of the bracket 331 using the inverted concave bracket as an example. In the actual rotating shaft mechanism, the bracket 331 can also be other types of brackets, such as polygonal brackets, circular brackets, semicircular brackets, elliptical brackets, Y-shaped brackets, H-shaped brackets, special-shaped brackets or brackets of any other shape. This application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0093] Furthermore, please refer to Figure 14, which shows a possible structural diagram of a connecting rod. As shown in Figure 14, the connecting rod can be a rod-shaped structure with two ends, the first end of the connecting rod is end a in the figure, and the second end of the connecting rod is end b in the figure. The damping portion 33 can include one or more connecting rods, and the one or more connecting rods are distributed on both sides of the center of the first slide 3311. For example, Figure 10 includes two connecting rods, namely a first connecting rod 3321 and a second connecting rod 3322. Therefore, a connecting rod can be distributed on each side of the center of the first slide 3311, for example, the first connecting rod 3321 is distributed on the left side in the figure, and the second connecting rod 3322 is distributed on the right side in the figure, and the first connecting rod 3321 and the second connecting rod 3322 are symmetrical with respect to the center of the first slide 3311. It can be understood that when the damping part 33 includes three or more connecting rods, the number of connecting rods distributed on both sides of the center of the first slide groove 3311 can be the same or different. For example, taking four connecting rods as an example, two connecting rods can be evenly distributed on both sides of the center of the first slide groove 3311, or three connecting rods can be distributed on one side and one connecting rod can be distributed on the other side, etc., without specific limitation.

[0094] Furthermore, the first end a of the connecting rod can be rotatably connected to the rotating portion 32. For example, see Figure 15, which shows an assembly diagram of the first end of the connecting rod and the rotating portion. In conjunction with Figures 11, 14, and 15, the damping portion 33 can also include a pin 335. The first end a of the connecting rod is positioned below the rotating portion 32 and is provided with a first pin hole 3323. The rotating portion 32 is provided with a second pin hole 325. The pin 335 first passes through the second pin hole 325 in the rotating portion 32 and then through the first pin hole 3323 in the connecting rod, thereby rotatably connecting the rotating portion 32 to the connecting rod. For example, taking the first connecting rod 3321 and the second connecting rod 3322 as an example, the damping part 33 may also include a first pin 3351 and a second pin 3352. The rotating part 32 is provided with a second pin shaft hole 3251 and a second pin shaft hole 3252 at both ends in the direction of the main shaft 10. The first end a1 of the first connecting rod 3321 is provided with a first pin shaft hole 3323a. The first end a1 of the first connecting rod 3321 is placed below the rotating part 32. The first pin 3351 first passes through the second pin shaft hole 3251 on the rotating part 32 and then passes through the first pin shaft hole 3323a on the first connecting rod 3321, thereby realizing the rotational connection between the first end a1 of the first connecting rod 3321 and one end of the rotating part 32 in the direction of the main shaft 10 (the left end in the figure). Similarly, the first end a2 of the second connecting rod 3322 is provided with a first pin shaft hole 2 3323b, and the first end a2 of the second connecting rod 3322 is placed below the rotating part 32. The second pin 3352 first passes through the second pin shaft hole 2 3252 on the rotating part 32 and then passes through the first pin shaft hole 2 3323b of the second connecting rod 3322, thereby realizing the rotational connection between the first end a2 of the second connecting rod 3322 and the other end of the rotating part 32 in the direction of the main shaft 10 (the right end in the figure).

[0095] Furthermore, the second end b of the connecting rod can be slidably connected to the bracket 331. For example, refer to Figure 16, which shows the assembly structure of the second end of the connecting rod and the bracket. In conjunction with Figures 11, 14, and 16, the damping portion 33 can also include at least two mating members 334, one corresponding to at least two connecting rods. The second end b of each connecting rod can be provided with a mounting hole 3324. This mounting hole 3324 engages with the corresponding mating member 334 within the first slide groove 3311 to achieve a slidable connection between the second end b of the connecting rod and the bracket 331. The mating member 334 can be, for example, a wheel-like structure, such as a roller or cam. The mounting hole 3324 can be wide on one side and narrow on the other. The mating member 334 can also be wide on one side and narrow on the other. After the narrow end of the mating member 334 is installed into the mounting hole 3324 from the wide end of the mounting hole 3324, it passes through the first slide groove 3311, thereby being retained within the first slide groove 3311. For example, taking the first connecting rod 3321 and the second connecting rod 3322 as an example, the damping portion 33 may include a first mating piece 3341 and a second mating piece 3342. The first mating piece 3341 corresponds to the first connecting rod 3321, and the second mating piece 3342 corresponds to the second connecting rod 3322. The second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 is provided with a first mounting hole 3324a. After mating with the first mating piece 3341, the first mounting hole 3324a is assembled to the left side of the first sliding groove 3311 as shown in the figure, so that the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 can slide within the first sliding groove 3311 under the drive of the first mating piece 3341. Similarly, the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 is provided with a second mounting hole 3324b. After the second mounting hole 3324b cooperates with the second mating piece 3342, it is assembled to the right side of the first slide groove 3311 in the figure, so that the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 can slide in the first slide groove 3311 driven by the second mating piece 3342.

[0096] Further, optionally, referring to Figures 17a and 17b, Figure 17a shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled structure of the mounting portion 31 and the bracket 331, and Figure 17b shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled structure of the mounting portion 31, the bracket 331, the second connecting rod 3322, and the second mating member 3342. These two cross-sectional views can be considered to be obtained by cutting the assembled structure along a plane perpendicular to the main axis 10. In conjunction with Figures 17a and 17b, in this example, after the mounting portion 31 and the bracket 331 are assembled, a gap exists between them in a direction perpendicular to the mounting portion 31. The height of this gap is shown as h, and the width is shown as d. This width d is greater than the width r of the first slot 3311. Any mating member (the second mating member 3342 is shown as an example) has one wide end and one narrow end. The wide end is embedded in this gap, and the narrow end passes through the first slot 3311 and is rotatably connected to the second end of the corresponding connecting rod (the second connecting rod 3322 is shown as an example). In this way, the second mating piece 3342 can be limited in the gap between the bracket 331 and the mounting portion 31. When the second end of the second connecting rod 3322 slides in the first sliding groove 3311, it is actually the second mating piece 3342 that slides in the gap. This can avoid the second end of the second connecting rod 3322 from directly contacting the first sliding groove 3311. On the one hand, it can reduce the friction between the bracket 331 and the second connecting rod 3322 and improve the smoothness of sliding. On the other hand, it can also avoid the second end of the second connecting rod 3322 from being worn, thereby increasing the service life of the second connecting rod 3322.

[0097] Further, optionally, referring to FIG. 17b , to ensure the secure installation of the mating member, the damping portion 33 may further include at least two washers (3362) corresponding one-to-one with at least two mating members (the second mating member 3342 is shown as an example), with each washers engaging the corresponding mating member and being disposed within the corresponding mounting hole. For example, as shown in FIG. 17b , the washers 3362 are stacked above the mounting hole of the second connecting rod 3322 to vertically limit the second mating member 3342 positioned below the mounting hole, thereby preventing the second mating member 3342 from loosening during rolling and maintaining rolling stability.

[0098] It can be understood that the above Figures 15 and 16 only introduce the rotational connection method between the first end of the connecting rod and the rotating part by taking the pin connection as an example. In an actual rotating shaft mechanism, the first end of the connecting rod can also be rotationally connected to the rotating part through any rotational connection method. For example, a rotating shaft can be provided on the rotating part, and the first end of the connecting rod can be rotationally connected to the rotating part by fastening the first end of the connecting rod to the rotating shaft. Alternatively, the first end of the connecting rod can be provided as a rotating pair, and the rotational connection between the first end of the connecting rod and the rotating part can be achieved by grooving the rotating part and wrapping the rotating pair, and so on. Furthermore, Figures 17a and 17b above only illustrate the sliding connection between the second end of the connecting rod and the bracket using a roller connection as an example. In an actual rotating shaft mechanism, the second end of the connecting rod can also be slidably connected to the bracket using any sliding connection method. For example, the second end of the connecting rod can be configured as a slider, which is embedded in a first sliding groove to achieve a sliding connection with the bracket. Alternatively, a sliding groove along the main axis direction can be provided at the second end of the connecting rod, and a protrusion can be provided on the bracket, which is embedded in the sliding groove to achieve a sliding connection between the second end of the connecting rod and the bracket, etc. There are many other possible implementation methods, which will not be listed one by one in this application.

[0099] The above content introduces the specific structure of the bracket and the connecting rod. The following will introduce the implementation principle and specific structure of the elastic structure.

[0100] In the present application, the elastic structure 333 is used to generate an elastic force, which is provided to the electronic device as a damping force during the rotation of the electronic device. Optionally, the elastic force of the elastic structure 333 can always exist when the electronic device is in a flattened state, a closed state, or any intermediate state between the flattened state and the closed state. In other words, no matter where the second end of the connecting rod slides to in the first slide groove 3311, the elastic structure 333 can have a deformation amount, and the deformation amount can be, for example, the deformation amount in a compressed state. In this way, no matter which state the electronic device is in, the elastic structure 333 can provide the electronic device with a damping force to suspend it in that state.

[0101] Optionally, in the foregoing, the elastic structure 333 is connected between the second end of the connecting rod and the mounting portion 31, which can be understood as follows: one end of the elastic structure 333 contacts the second end of the connecting rod, and the other end is connected to the mounting portion 31. For example, in conjunction with Figures 10 and 11, in one example, the elastic structure 333 may include a slider 3331 and an elastic member 3332, wherein the slider 3331 is placed between the first slide groove 3311 of the bracket 331 and the main shaft 10, is slidably connected to the bracket 331, and contacts the second ends of at least two connecting rods, and one end of the elastic member 3332 is fixedly connected to the slider 3331, and the other end is connected to the mounting portion 31, for example, fixedly connected to or abutting the mounting portion 31. In this way, when the second ends of at least two connecting rods slide along the first sliding groove 3311, the slider 3331 in contact with the second ends of at least two connecting rods will slide on the bracket 331 accordingly. The sliding can cause the deformation of the elastic member 3332 to change, thereby causing the damping force provided to the connecting rod by the elastic member 3332 to change, thereby providing a damping force that can adapt to different states of the electronic device during the rotation process of the electronic device when it is unfolded or closed.

[0102] Furthermore, optionally, referring to Figures 10 and 11 , the deformation direction of the elastic member 3332 can be perpendicular to the main shaft 10. In this way, the elastic force generated by the elastic member 3332 is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the connecting rod. This elastic force can directly act on the connecting rod, effectively hindering the rotation of the rotating portion 32 and generating an effective damping force on the electronic device. It will be understood that this is only one possible implementation. In an actual hinge mechanism, as long as the deformation direction of the elastic member 3332 forms an angle with the main shaft 10, it can generate a component on the connecting rod and hinder the rotation of the rotating portion 32.

[0103] Further, optionally, please refer to FIG18 , which illustrates a possible structural diagram of the slider 3331. In conjunction with FIG18 and FIG12 , the slider 3331 may be provided with a first guide rail 33311, and the bracket 331 may be provided with a second slide groove 3313. The first guide rail 33311 is embedded in the second slide groove 3313, thereby enabling the slider 3331 to be slidably connected to the bracket 331. The first guide rail 33311 being embedded in the second slide groove 3313 can be understood as the slider 3331 shown in FIG18 being reversely buckled onto the bracket 331 shown in FIG12 , such that the first guide rail 33311 and the second slide groove 3313 are in contact with each other. For example, please refer to Figure 19, which shows a cross-sectional view of an assembly structure of the slider 3331 and the bracket 331. The figure can be regarded as being obtained by cutting along a surface perpendicular to the mounting portion 31 through the straight line H shown in Figure 17b. As can be seen from Figure 19, the three side surfaces of the slider 3331, namely the left side in the figure, the upper side in the figure and the right side in the figure, are blocked by the bracket 331. Therefore, the slider 3331 is limited between the first slide groove 3311 and the main shaft 10, so that the slider 3331 can slide along a direction perpendicular to the main shaft 10 toward the main shaft 10 or away from the main shaft 10.

[0104] Further, optionally, in combination with Figures 18 and 12, when the bracket 331 is set as an inverted concave bracket, an inverted concave second slide groove 3313 can be opened inside the inverted concave bracket, and the slider 3331 is also set as an inverted concave slider, and the size of the inverted concave slider is smaller than the size of the inverted concave second slide groove 3313. In this way, by placing the inverted concave slider directly on the second slide groove 3313, the inverted concave slider can be completely surrounded by the inverted concave bracket, thereby limiting the sliding direction of the slider 3331.

[0105] Furthermore, optionally, referring to Figures 18, 6a, and 10, a first support column 33313 may be provided on the inner wall surface of the slider 3331 opposite the first slot 3311, and a second support column 315 may be provided on the inner wall surface of the mounting portion 31 opposite the first slot 3311. An elastic member 3332 is wound around the first support column 33313 and the second support column 315, with one end fixed to the inner wall surface of the slider 3331 opposite the first slot 3311 and the other end fixed to the inner wall surface of the mounting portion 31 opposite the first slot 3311, thereby connecting the elastic member 3332 to the slider 3331 and the mounting portion 31. The elastic member 3332 may be any deformable component, such as a spring, rubber, sponge, latex, or the like. Supporting the elastic member with the support column stabilizes the elastic member in a fixed position, preventing unstable deformation caused by the elastic member being suspended in mid-air, and thereby improving the stability of the damping force.

[0106] It is understood that the elastic member 3332 and the slider 3331 can also be connected in other ways. For example, in another example, the inner wall surface of the slider 3331 opposite the first slide groove 3311 can be provided with a groove, and one end of the elastic member 3332 is embedded in the groove, so that the end of the elastic member 3332 is restrained on the slider 3331. Furthermore, the elastic member 3332 and the mounting portion 31 can also be connected in other ways. For example, in another example, the other end of the elastic member 3332 can directly abut the inner wall surface of the mounting portion 31 opposite the first slide groove 3311 to be restrained on the mounting portion 31. Or, in another example, the inner wall surface of the mounting portion 31 opposite the first slide groove 3311 can be provided with a groove, and the other end of the elastic member 3332 is embedded in the groove, so that the other end of the elastic member 3332 is restrained on the mounting portion 31. It is understood that there are many possible implementation methods, which are not listed here one by one.

[0107] Furthermore, optionally, referring to Figures 18 and 11 , the outer wall surface of the slider 3331 opposite the first slot 3311 may be provided with a beveled cam 33312. The number of beveled cams 33312 may be one or more, and may optionally be provided in accordance with the number of connecting rods. For example, if the connecting rod structure 332 includes at least two connecting rods, the beveled cams 33312 may include at least two, with the at least two beveled cams corresponding one-to-one to the at least two connecting rods. During the rotation of the hinge mechanism 1 from the flattened state to the closed state, any connecting rod may pass over the corresponding beveled cam. For example, using the first connecting rod 3321 and the second connecting rod 3322 as an example, the slider 3331 may be provided with a first beveled cam 33312a and a second beveled cam 33312b. The first beveled cam 33312a is provided relative to the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321, and the second beveled cam 33312b is provided relative to the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322. When the electronic device rotates from the flattened state to the closed state, the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 slide toward the center of the first sliding groove 3311, the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 passes over the first inclined cam 33312a, and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 passes over the second inclined cam 33312b, pushing the slider 3331 to slide toward or away from the main shaft 10, so that the deformation amount of the elastic member 3332 changes, so as to provide different damping forces to the electronic device.

[0108] Furthermore, optionally, at least two inclined cams may be provided on both sides of the slider 3331 in the direction of the main shaft 10, so that the user can have a feeling of first hard and then easy when pushing the electronic device. For example, please refer to Figure 20, which shows the motion state diagram of the damping part during the process of rotating from the flat state to the closed state. Among them, Figure 20 (A) shows the shape of the damping part in the flat state, Figure 20 (B) shows the shape of the damping part when it has just passed half of the inclined cam, Figure 20 (C) shows the shape of the damping part when it has passed the entire inclined cam, and Figure 20 (D) shows the shape of the damping part in the closed state. First, please refer to (A) in Figure 20. In the flattened state, the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 are located at the two end points of the first sliding groove 3311. The distance between the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 is the farthest. The outer side of the first inclined cam 33312a on the slider 3331 contacts the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321, and the outer side of the second inclined cam 33312b contacts the second end b1 of the second connecting rod 3322. The elastic member 3332 is in a compressed state, and the elastic member 3332 generates a first damping force. Secondly, please refer to (B) in Figure 20. During the rotation from the flattened state to the closed state, the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 slide relative to each other in the first sliding groove 3311. The second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 passes over the apex of the first inclined cam 33312a from the outside of the first inclined cam 33312a, and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 passes over the apex of the second inclined cam 33312b from the outside of the second inclined cam 33312b, pushing the slider 3331 toward the direction close to the main shaft 10. As the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 slides from the outside of the first bevel cam 33312a to the top of the first bevel cam 33312a and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 slides from the outside of the second bevel cam 33312b to the top of the second bevel cam 33312b, the compression amount of the elastic member 3332 gradually increases, and the damping force provided by the elastic member 3332 to the first connecting rod 3321 and the second connecting rod 3322 gradually increases, so that the user has a feeling of push resistance when just starting to close the electronic device.Then, referring to (C) in FIG. 20 , the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 continue to slide relative to each other in the first sliding groove 3311. The second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 passes from the apex of the first inclined cam 33312a to the inner side of the first inclined cam 33312a, and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 passes from the apex of the second inclined cam 33312b to the inner side of the second inclined cam 33312b. The slider 3331 automatically slides in the direction away from the main shaft 10 under the elastic force of the elastic member 3332, so that the slider 3331 is always aligned with the first connecting rod 332. 1 contacts the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322. In the process that the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 moves from the apex of the first inclined-surface cam 33312a to the inner side of the first inclined-surface cam 33312a and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 moves from the apex of the second inclined-surface cam 33312b to the inner side of the second inclined-surface cam 33312b, the compression amount of the elastic member 3332 gradually decreases, and the damping force provided by the elastic member 3332 to the first connecting rod 3321 and the second connecting rod 3322 gradually decreases, so that the user feels that the electronic device becomes easier to push after closing it for a period of time. Finally, please refer to (D) in Figure 20. The second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 continue to slide relative to each other in the first sliding groove 3311. Since the portion of the slider 3331 between the first inclined cam 33312a and the second inclined cam 33312b remains in a plane, and the plane is perpendicular to the elastic member 3332, when the second end b1 of the first connecting rod 3321 and the second end b2 of the second connecting rod 3322 slide on the plane, the position of the slider 3331 basically does not change, the compression amount of the elastic member 3332 remains unchanged, and the elastic member 3332 generates a second damping force, which is basically the same as the first damping force.

[0109] It is understandable that, with the aforementioned structure of the slider 3331, the elastic force generated by the elastic member 3332 changes only when the second end of the connecting rod passes over the area corresponding to the bevel cam, while remaining essentially the same in other areas. However, this is merely one optional embodiment. In another optional embodiment, the structure of the slider 3331 can be designed so that the elastic force generated by the elastic member 3332 remains constant throughout the entire area. For example, the outer wall surface of the slider 3331 relative to the first slot 3311 can be designed to be a plane parallel to the first slot 3311. In this way, during the sliding process of the second end of the connecting rod, the slider 3331 can remain in one position, the deformation of the elastic member 3332 remains unchanged, and the damping force provided by the elastic member 3332 remains unchanged throughout the entire rotation process of the electronic device. Alternatively, in another optional embodiment, the structure of the slider 3331 can be designed so that the elastic force generated by the elastic member 3332 varies throughout the entire area. For example, the entire outer wall surface of the slider 3331 relative to the first slide groove 3311 can be designed to be a curved surface or an uneven plane. In this way, during the sliding process of the second end of the connecting rod, the slider 3331 can always be in different positions, the deformation of the elastic member 3332 is constantly changing, and the damping force provided by the elastic member 3332 during the entire rotation process of the electronic device is different. Alternatively, in other optional embodiments, the structure of the slider 3331 can be designed so that the elastic force generated by the elastic member 3332 varies in one or more areas but does not vary in other partial areas, and so on. There are many possible implementation methods, and this application will not list them one by one.

[0110] In addition, due to friction, the sliding of slider 3331 on bracket 331 may also generate a damping force. This damping force is related to the weight of slider 3331 and the coefficient of friction between slider 3331 and bracket 331. Therefore, the damping force provided by elastic structure 333 to the connecting rod can be considered as the combination of the elastic force of elastic member 3332 and the friction force caused by the sliding of slider 3331. Given a constant elastic force of elastic member 3332, the heavier the slider 3331 and the greater the coefficient of friction between slider 3331 and bracket 331, the greater the damping force. The lighter the slider 3331 and the smaller the coefficient of friction between slider 3331 and bracket 331, the smaller the damping force. In some scenarios, the friction between slider 3331 and bracket 331 is relatively small compared to the elastic force of elastic member 3332 and can be ignored. Therefore, the damping force provided by elastic structure 333 can be considered to be the elastic force of elastic member 3332.

[0111] The foregoing details how the damping portion 33 provides a damping force. In the present application, the damping portion 33 also increases the effective overlap length of the rotating shaft mechanism. For example, considering that the flattened state has the smallest overlap length, the following uses the effective overlap length in the flattened state as an example to describe the difference in effective overlap length between the rotating shaft mechanism in the present application and that in the prior art.

[0112] Please refer to Figure 21, which shows a comparison of the effective overlap lengths of these two rotating shaft mechanisms in the flattened state. As shown in Figure 21, the existing rotating shaft mechanism does not have a damping portion 33, so the effective overlap length of the existing rotating shaft mechanism in the flattened state is the overlap amount of the rotating portion 32 on the mounting portion 31, which is shown as A1 in the figure. In contrast, the rotating shaft mechanism of the present application is provided with a damping portion 33, which is located in the direction of the rotating portion 32 away from the main shaft 10, and the connecting rod in the damping portion 33 serves as a connecting structure between the other components of the damping portion 33 and the rotating portion 32, and has an overlap length A2 with the mounting portion 31. Therefore, the effective overlap length of the rotating shaft mechanism of the present application in the flattened state is the sum of the overlap length A1 between the rotating portion 32 and the mounting portion 31 and the overlap length A2 between the connecting rod and the mounting portion 31. For example, the sum of A1 and A2 can be about 3 times that of A1, which greatly increases the effective overlap length of the hinge mechanism in the flattened state. Therefore, based on the same overlap requirement, the width of the rotating part in the hinge mechanism of the present application can be smaller than that of the rotating part in the existing hinge mechanism, thereby making the stacking space reserved for other devices in the hinge mechanism of the present application larger, which helps to achieve the miniaturization and lightweight design of electronic equipment.

[0113] The above are only specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A rotating shaft mechanism, characterized in that: include: A main shaft, and two groups of rotating components arranged on both sides of the main shaft; wherein any group of rotating components includes: Mounting part, rotating part and damping part; The rotating part is slidably connected to the mounting part and is rotatably connected to the main shaft; The damping part includes a bracket, at least two connecting rods and an elastic structure. The bracket is fixed to the mounting part. An end of the bracket away from the main axis is provided with a first sliding groove along the direction of the main axis. The at least two connecting rods are distributed on both sides of the center of the first sliding groove. The first end of any connecting rod is rotatably connected to the rotating part, and the second end of any connecting rod is slidably connected to the bracket through the first sliding groove; the elastic structure is connected between the second end of the connecting rod and the mounting part.

2. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the elastic structure contacts the second ends of the at least two connecting rods, and the other end of the elastic structure is connected to the mounting portion.

3. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The elastic structure includes a slider and an elastic member. The slider is placed between the first slide groove and the main shaft, is slidably connected to the bracket, and contacts the second ends of the at least two connecting rods. One end of the elastic member is fixedly connected to the slider, and the other end of the elastic member is fixedly connected to the mounting portion.

4. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The slide block is provided with a first guide rail, the bracket is provided with a second slide groove, and the first guide rail is embedded in the second slide groove.

5. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: A support column is provided on the inner wall surface of the sliding block opposite to the first sliding groove, and the elastic member is rolled on the support column.

6. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: An inclined cam is provided on the outer wall surface of the sliding block opposite to the first sliding groove, and the inclined cam corresponds to one of the at least two connecting rods. During the process of the rotating shaft mechanism rotating from the flattened state to the closed state, the connecting rod corresponding to the inclined cam passes over the inclined cam.

7. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that: The deformation direction of the elastic member is perpendicular to the main axis.

8. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: A matching piece is provided at the second end of any of the connecting rods, and the matching piece matches with the first sliding groove.

9. The rotating shaft mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: A gasket is also provided at the second end of any of the connecting rods, and the gasket cooperates with the matching piece to limit the matching piece.

10. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The first end of any one of the connecting rods is pin-connected to the rotating part.

11. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The mounting portion is provided with a second guide rail, the rotating portion is provided with a third slide groove, and the second guide rail is embedded in the third slide groove.

12. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The rotating shaft mechanism also includes a synchronization component, which is connected between the two groups of rotating components and is used to drive the two groups of rotating components to rotate synchronously.

13. The rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: Any group of the rotating components includes N subcomponents, and the N subcomponents are arranged along the direction of the main axis. Any subcomponent includes the mounting part, the rotating part and the damping part; wherein N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

14. An electronic device, characterized in that: The device comprises a first housing, a second housing, a flexible display screen, and a hinge mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: The first shell and the second shell are disposed on opposite sides of the rotating shaft mechanism, the first shell is fixedly connected to a mounting portion in one group of the rotating components, and the second shell is fixedly connected to a mounting portion in another group of the rotating components; The flexible display screen continuously covers the first shell, the second shell and the hinge mechanism, and the flexible display screen is fixedly connected to the first shell and the second shell.

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