Housing assembly and foldable-screen device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a housing assembly and a foldable-screen device. The housing assembly comprises a first shell, a second shell, a third shell, a first hinge, a first magnet, and a second magnet; the first shell can rotate relative to the second shell by means of the first hinge; the third shell can rotate relative to the second shell; the housing assembly has a folded state and an unfolded state, and in the folded state, the first shell, the second shell, and the third shell are sequentially stacked; the first magnet is fixed to the first hinge, and the second magnet is fixed to the third shell; in the folded state, the first magnet and the second magnet are magnetically attracted; the first shell can be opened relative to the second shell from the folded state, so that the first hinge drives the first magnet to move and changes the relative position of the first magnet and the second magnet; and when the first shell is opened relative to the second shell by a critical angle, the third shell can be opened relative to the second shell under the action of a repelling force between the first magnet and the second magnet. The present solution can simplify an unfolding operation of the foldable-screen device.

Description

Housing components and folding screen devices

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on November 22, 2023, with application number 202311574809.0 and application name “Casing assembly and folding screen device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of electronic devices, and in particular to a housing assembly and a folding screen device. Background Art

[0003] Folding screen devices that fold in two sections (or two-fold screen devices) can meet users' needs for large screens and portability to a certain extent. However, with the continuous enrichment of various applications and life scenarios, users hope that folding screen devices can have a larger display area while ensuring portability. In view of this, a three-fold screen device solution has emerged. The three-fold screen device has three layers in the folded state, and has a larger screen area when unfolded than the two-fold screen device. However, since the three-fold screen device has three sections, the unfolding operation is relatively inconvenient and the user experience is poor. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a shell assembly and a folding screen device, which can simplify the unfolding operation of the folding screen device and improve the user experience.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a housing assembly that can be used in a foldable screen device. The housing assembly includes a first housing, a second housing, a third housing, a first hinge, a first magnet, and a second magnet;

[0006] A first hinge connects the first shell and the second shell, and the first hinge is used to generate mechanical movement so that the first shell rotates relative to the second shell; the third shell is used to rotate relative to the second shell; the shell assembly has a folded state and a flattened state, and in the folded state, the first shell, the second shell and the third shell are stacked in sequence; the movable magnet is fixed to the first hinge, and the second magnet is fixed to the third shell; in the folded state, the first magnet and the second magnet are magnetically attracted to each other; the first shell is used to rotate and open relative to the second shell from the folded state, and the first hinge is used to drive the first magnet to move; when the first shell is opened at a critical angle relative to the second shell, the third shell is used to rotate and open relative to the second shell under the repulsive force of the first magnet on the second magnet.

[0007] In this solution, for the three shells in a multi-fold device, a first magnet is installed in the first hinge and a second magnet is installed in the third shell. When the first shell is unfolded relative to the second shell, the first hinge mechanically moves and drives the first magnet to change its position relative to the second magnet, generating a repulsive force between the two magnets. This repulsive force can drive the third shell to automatically unfold. Therefore, the user can hold the third shell and the first shell with both hands and pull them to the sides, flattening the device in one go. Therefore, this solution makes the unfolding operation relatively simple for the user and can improve the user experience.

[0008] In one implementation of the first aspect, the first hinge includes a drive rod, a lever, and a bracket; the drive rod has a concave surface; one end of the lever has a first convex bump, and the other end of the lever is connected to the bracket; the first magnet is fixed to the bracket; when the first shell is opened to a critical angle relative to the second shell, the concave surface contacts the first convex bump, the drive rod is used to drive the lever to move, the lever is used to drive the bracket to move, and the bracket is used to drive the first magnet to move. This solution, through the design of the first hinge structure, can achieve the purpose of driving the first magnet to move and generate a repulsive force through the mechanical movement of the first hinge.

[0009] In one implementation of the first aspect, the first hinge further includes a first mounting member, the first mounting member being fixedly connected to the second housing; the lever and the bracket being both disposed on the first mounting member; the lever being rotationally connected to the first mounting member; an end of the lever adjacent to the bracket being slidably connected to the bracket; and the bracket being slidably connected to the first mounting member; and when the first housing is opened to a critical angle relative to the second housing, the drive lever is configured to drive the lever to rotate relative to the first mounting member and to slide relative to the bracket, and the lever is configured to drive the bracket to slide relative to the first mounting member. This solution, through the design of the first mounting member and the connection between the lever and the bracket and the first mounting member, enables coordinated movement of the lever and the bracket, thereby driving the first magnet to move and generate a repulsive force.

[0010] In one implementation of the first aspect, the lever has a sliding portion at one end adjacent to the bracket, the bracket having a sliding cavity, the sliding portion being located within the cavity and in sliding contact with an inner wall of the cavity. In this solution, by designing the specific structure of the lever and bracket, the movement coordination between the lever and bracket can be achieved in a simple and reliable structure.

[0011] In an implementation of the first aspect, the first mounting member has a second convex bulge; the driving rod includes a first layer and a second layer, the first layer and the second layer have a step difference, the first layer has a cam surface, the cam surface contacts the second convex bulge, and the concave surface is the surface of the second layer; the first hinge includes a first elastic member, one end of the first elastic member is connected to the first mounting member, and the other end of the first elastic member is connected to the bracket; in the folded state, the cam surface contacts the root of one side of the second convex bulge; in the process of the first shell opening a critical angle relative to the second shell, the driving rod is used to move relative to the first mounting member, the cam surface is used to move from the root of one side of the second convex bulge to the top of the second convex bulge, and the first elastic member is used to generate compression deformation; when the critical angle is reached and the first shell continues to open relative to the second shell, the cam surface is used to move from the top of the second convex bulge to the root of the other side of the second convex bulge, the concave surface separates from the first convex bulge, and the first elastic member is used to restore the deformation and push the bracket to slide back to the initial position relative to the first mounting member.

[0012] In this solution, by designing a convex bump on the first mounting member and a cam surface on the drive rod, a simple and reliable structure is used to achieve the kinematic coordination between the drive rod and the first mounting member, thereby driving the first magnet and generating a repulsive force. Furthermore, the kinematic coordination between the drive rod and the first mounting member allows the first magnet to be reset after crossing a critical angle, enabling repeatable operation of the magnet drive mechanism.

[0013] In one implementation of the first aspect, the first hinge further includes a main shaft and a rotating arm, the first mounting member is rotationally connected to the main shaft, the rotating arm is rotationally connected to the main shaft and slidably connected to the first mounting member; the drive rod is mounted on the rotating arm; during the rotation of the first shell relative to the second shell, the first shell is used to rotate relative to the main shaft, the first mounting member and the rotating arm are both used to rotate around the main shaft, the rotating arm is also used to slide relative to the first mounting member, and drive the drive rod to move relative to the first mounting member. In this solution, by designing the main shaft and the rotating arm, as well as the connection method between the first mounting member and the main shaft, the connection method between the rotating arm and the main shaft and the first mounting member, and the connection method between the driving rod and the rotating arm, the rotating arm can perform a compound motion, so that the rotating arm can move relative to the first mounting member toward and away from the main shaft, thereby enabling the rotating arm to drive the driving rod to move relative to the first mounting member toward and away from the main shaft, thereby achieving the motion coordination between the driving rod and the first mounting member, and ultimately achieving the purpose of driving the first magnet to move.

[0014] In one implementation of the first aspect, the first hinge further includes a second elastic member, one end of which is connected to the pivot arm, and the other end of which is connected to the drive rod. In this solution, the elastic force of the second elastic member maintains contact between the cam surface of the drive rod and the convex bump on the first mounting member, thereby ensuring continuous and reliable operation of the first hinge.

[0015] In one implementation of the first aspect, the first hinge further includes a second mounting member, which is rotatably connected to the main shaft and fixedly connected to the first housing. In this solution, the design of the second mounting member and its connection to the main shaft and the first housing enable a housing assembly solution that is reliable, easy to mass-produce, and meets product design requirements.

[0016] In one implementation of the first aspect, the housing assembly further comprises a second hinge, the second hinge and the first hinge being located on opposite sides of the second housing, the second hinge being connected to both the third housing and the second housing, and the second hinge being configured to generate mechanical motion to rotate the third housing relative to the second housing. In this solution, the three housings can be sequentially connected via two hinges, and when the housing assembly is folded, the three housings can form a roughly Z-shaped structure. For devices with this Z-shaped structure, this solution can simplify the user's unfolding operation and enhance the user experience.

[0017] On the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a folding screen device, comprising a flexible screen and the shell assembly, wherein the flexible screen is fixed to the shell assembly and covers the first shell, the first hinge, the second shell, and the third shell. In this solution, when the first shell is unfolded relative to the second shell, the third shell can automatically open under the repulsive force between the magnets, or under the combined action of the repulsive force and the unfolding force of the flexible screen, so that the user can hold the third shell and the first shell with both hands respectively and pull them to both sides to flatten the device at one time. Therefore, this solution makes the user's unfolding operation relatively simple and can improve the user experience.

[0018] In one implementation of the second aspect, in the folded state, the portion of the flexible screen covering the first shell is located outside the first shell, and the portion of the flexible screen covering the third shell is located inside the third shell. In this solution, the first shell can be an outer folding shell, and the third shell can be an inner folding shell. For folding screen devices with this architecture, this solution can simplify the user's unfolding operation and enhance the user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a folding screen device in a folded state according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of the flexible screen of the folding screen device in FIG1 ;

[0021] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the folding screen device in FIG1 in an unfolded state;

[0022] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of another unfolded state of the folding screen device in FIG1 ;

[0023] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of another unfolded state of the folding screen device in FIG1 ;

[0024] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of another unfolded state of the folding screen device in FIG1 ;

[0025] FIG7 is a D-axis structural diagram of the housing assembly of the folding screen device in FIG5 ;

[0026] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the first hinge in FIG7;

[0027] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a partially enlarged structure at X in FIG8 ;

[0028] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the components shown in FIG9;

[0029] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a partial assembly structure of the mounting member, the lever, the elastic member, and the bracket in the first hinge;

[0030] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the structure shown in FIG11;

[0031] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the mounting member, the elastic member, the first magnet and the bracket in the first hinge;

[0032] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the rotating arm, the elastic member and the driving rod in the first hinge;

[0033] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of the drive rod in FIG14;

[0034] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the first hinge in FIG7;

[0035] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of a partial enlarged structure of point E in FIG16;

[0036] FIG18 is a partial enlarged structural diagram of point F in FIG17;

[0037] FIG19 is a schematic structural diagram of the structure shown in FIG18 in another state;

[0038] FIG20 is a schematic diagram of the state of the folding screen device corresponding to FIG19;

[0039] FIG21 is a schematic diagram of a partially enlarged structure of point G in FIG20;

[0040] FIG22 is a schematic structural diagram of the structure shown in FIG18 in another state;

[0041] FIG23 is a schematic diagram of the state of the folding screen device corresponding to FIG22;

[0042] FIG24 is a schematic diagram of a partially enlarged structure of point H in FIG23 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] For ease of understanding, the relevant technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application are explained and described below.

[0044] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" refers to two or more.

[0045] The terms "first", "second", etc. are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to suggest or imply relative importance or to implicitly indicate the quantity of the technical features indicated. Features qualified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.

[0046] The term "connect" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connect" can mean either a detachable or non-detachable connection, a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediary. The term "fix" should also be interpreted broadly. For example, "fix" can mean either a direct fixation or an indirect fixation through an intermediary.

[0047] The directional terms mentioned in the embodiments of this application, such as "upper," "lower," "front," "back," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," "side," "top," and "bottom," are merely references to directions in the accompanying drawings. These directional terms are intended to better and more clearly illustrate and understand the embodiments of this application, and are not intended to explicitly or implicitly indicate that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed or operate in a specific orientation, and are therefore not to be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application.

[0048] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, "and / or" is simply a description of an association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone.

[0049] An embodiment of the present application provides a folding screen device, which has a folded state and a flattened state. In the folded state, the folding screen device is completely folded and occupies a minimum space. In the flattened state, the folding screen device is fully unfolded, and all its display surfaces can face the user. The folding screen device can be folded into an n-layer structure, n≥3, and n can be an odd or even number. Any adjacent three-layer structure in the n-layer structure can approximately form an S-shape or a Z-shape. The following will be explained by taking n=3, that is, the folding screen device is a three-fold screen device as an example.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 1 , the folding screen device 1 is in a folded state. The folding screen device 1 may include a shell assembly 3 and a flexible screen 2 .

[0051] Among them, the shell assembly 3 may include a first shell 5, a first hinge 4, a second shell 6, a second hinge 8 and a third shell 7. The first shell 5, the second shell 6 and the third shell 7 are stacked in sequence. The first hinge 4 and the second hinge 8 are respectively connected to the opposite ends of the second shell 6 (for example, the upper and lower ends in Figure 1). The first shell 5 and the second shell 6 are both connected to the first hinge 4, and the first shell 5 and the second shell 6 can achieve relative rotation through the mechanical movement of the first hinge 4. The third shell 7 and the second shell 6 are both connected to the second hinge 8, and the third shell 7 and the second shell 6 can achieve relative rotation through the mechanical movement of the second hinge 8.

[0052] In this embodiment, the first housing 5, the second housing 6, and the third housing 7 can each be a single component or an assembly composed of multiple components, and the first hinge 4 and the second hinge 8 can each be an assembly composed of multiple components. This embodiment does not limit the specific structures of the above-mentioned housings and hinges.

[0053] Figure 2 illustrates the flexible screen 2 in the foldable screen device 1 shown in Figure 1 . As shown in Figure 2 , the flexible screen 2 may include a first portion 21, a second portion 22, and a third portion 23, each of which includes at least a flat area of ​​the flexible screen 2. Combining Figure 2 with Figure 1 , the first portion 21 may cover the outer side of the first housing 5, i.e., the side facing away from the second housing 6. Thus, the first portion 21 is exposed, and the user can see the image displayed by the first portion 21. The second portion 22 may cover the side of the second housing 6 facing the third housing 7, and the third portion 23 may cover the side of the third housing 7 facing the second housing 6. Therefore, the second portion 22 and the third portion 23 are hidden between the second and third housings 6, 7. The first and second housings 5, 6, and the flexible screen covering them may correspond to a two-fold, externally folding device. Therefore, the first hinge 4 may be referred to as an externally folding hinge, and the first housing 5 may be referred to as an externally folding shell. The second shell 6, the third shell 7 and the flexible screen covered thereon can correspond to an inward-folding screen device that is folded in two, so the second hinge 8 can be called an inward-folding hinge and the third shell 7 can be called an inward-folding shell.

[0054] As shown in Figure 1, the foldable screen device 1 can be folded into three layers: Layer A, Layer B, and Layer C. Layer A can include the third housing 7 and part of the flexible screen thereon, Layer B can include the second housing 6 and part of the flexible screen thereon, and Layer C can include the first housing 5 and part of the flexible screen thereon. Layers A, B, and C can be connected in sequence to form an approximate S or Z shape.

[0055] It is easy to understand that by increasing the number of hinges, housings, and flexible screen areas as shown in Figure 1, a foldable screen device with n>3 can be obtained. Here, the number of housings is n, the number of hinges is n-1, and any adjacent three-layer structure in this n-layer structure can approximately form the S-shape or Z-shape shown in Figure 1.

[0056] Figures 3 to 6 can respectively represent different unfolding states of the folding screen device 1.

[0057] As shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4, the user can flip the first housing 5 so that it opens at a predetermined angle a relative to the second housing 6. As shown in Figure 3, before reaching angle a, the third housing 7 and the second housing 6 can remain folded. As shown in Figure 4, when angle a is reached, the third housing 7 automatically opens relative to the second housing 6 to release the folded state. Angle a is referred to as the critical angle and can be designed as needed, including but not limited to a range of approximately 1° to 60°.

[0058] As shown in Figures 4 and 5 , when the third housing 7 is opened relative to the second housing 6, the user can grasp the third housing 7 and the first housing 5 with both hands and pull them to the sides, thereby flattening the foldable screen device 1. At this time, all display surfaces of the flexible screen 2 can face the user, allowing the user to experience a three-stage large-screen display.

[0059] As can be easily understood from the above, in this embodiment of the foldable screen device 1, when the first housing 5 is opened at an angle a relative to the second housing 6, the third housing 7 can automatically expand relative to the second housing 6, allowing the user to grasp the third housing 7 and the first housing 5 with both hands and pull them to the sides, thereby flattening the three sections of the foldable screen device 1 at once. This design makes the unfolding operation relatively simple for the user and can improve the user experience.

[0060] As shown in Figures 1 and 6 , the user can also flip the third shell 7 and flatten it relative to the second shell 6. At this time, the second part 22 and the third part 23 of the flexible screen 2 can face the user. During this process, the first shell 5 and the second shell 6 can continue to remain in the folded state. This design allows the first shell 5 and the second shell 6 to remain folded, thereby allowing the folding screen device 1 to occupy a smaller space and have a certain degree of portability; it also allows the two screen sections to be unfolded to provide a larger screen area. Therefore, this can take into account both portability and user needs for large-screen display.

[0061] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned product characteristics can be achieved through the structural design of the housing assembly 3. This will be described in detail below.

[0062] Figure 7 is a D-direction view of the folding screen device 1 in Figure 5 after the flexible screen 2 is removed. Figure 7 can represent a schematic top-down structure of the shell assembly 3 in a flattened state. Figure 8 can represent the decomposed structure of the first hinge 4 in the shell assembly 3 in Figure 7. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the locally enlarged structure at X in Figure 8. Figure 10 is an assembly schematic diagram of the components shown in Figure 9.

[0063] As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the first hinge 4 may include a main shaft 41, a mounting member 43 (which may be referred to as the first mounting member 43), a mounting member 42 (which may be referred to as the second mounting member 42), a rotating arm 44, a shift lever 45, a bracket 46, an elastic member 47 (which may be referred to as the second elastic member 47), a driving rod 48, an elastic member 49 (which may be referred to as the first elastic member 49), etc. The housing assembly 3 may also include a first magnet 50 and a second magnet 9. The first magnet 50 is fixed to the bracket 46, and the second magnet 9 is fixed to the third housing 7.

[0064] As shown in Figure 7, the main shaft 41 is located between the first housing 5 and the second housing 6 and serves as the skeleton structure of the first hinge 4. The main shaft 41 can be generally strip-shaped, with a plurality of movable spaces formed therein. These movable spaces are connected to the exterior of the main shaft 41 and can cooperate with other components (described below).

[0065] As shown in Figures 7 and 8 , the mounting member 42 can be fixed to the first housing 5 and rotatably connected to the main shaft 41. Thus, the first housing 5 can rotate relative to the main shaft 41.

[0066] As shown in Figure 7 , the mounting member 43 can be fixed to the second housing 6 . As shown in Figures 8-10 , the mounting member 43 can be rotatably connected to the main shaft 41 . Illustratively, the design of the first hinge 4 allows the mounting member 43 to be linked to the mounting member 42 , i.e., when the mounting member 42 rotates relative to the main shaft 41 , the mounting member 43 can also rotate relative to the main shaft 41 .

[0067] Figure 11 illustrates the partial assembly structure of the mounting member 43, bracket 46, elastic member 49, and lever 45. Figure 12 is an exploded view of the structure shown in Figure 11, with lever 45 disassembled. Figure 13 is an exploded view based on Figure 11, with lever 45 omitted and bracket 46 disassembled.

[0068] As shown in FIG12 , the mounting member 43 may have a convex bump 43a (referred to as the second convex bump 43a ). The convex bump 43a protrudes upward from the perspective of FIG12 . The highest point of the convex bump 43a may be referred to as the top, and the portion opposite the top may be referred to as the root of the convex bump 43a . The convex bump 43a is configured to engage with the drive rod 48 (described below). The mounting member 43 may also have a slot 43b accommodating the bracket 46 and the elastic member 49 and providing a space for the bracket 46 to move (described below). The mounting member 43 may also have a hole 43c configured to provide a rotational engagement with the shift lever 45 (described below).

[0069] As shown in Figures 11 and 12, a lever 45 can be mounted on a mounting member 43. The lever 45 has a rotating portion 45b on the side facing the mounting member 43. The rotating portion 45b can be, for example, a shaft, which is rotatably connected to a hole 43c in the mounting member 43. In another embodiment, the rotating portion 45b can also be a hole, and the mounting member 43 can be provided with a shaft that rotatably engages with the hole.

[0070] As shown in Figure 12, the lever 45 may further include a convex bump 45a (referred to as a first convex bump 45a) and a sliding portion 45c. The convex bump 45a and the sliding portion 45c are located on opposite sides of the rotating portion 45b. The convex bump 45a may be located on the edge of the lever 45 and may engage with the driving rod 48 (described below). The sliding portion 45c is located on the side of the lever 45 facing the mounting member 43 and is slidably connected to the bracket 46 (described below). The sliding portion 45c may be, for example, rod-shaped.

[0071] As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the bracket 46 can be installed in the slide groove 43b of the mounting member 43 and can be abutted against the right side of the slide groove 43b. The position of the bracket 46 in Figure 12 can be referred to as the initial position. The end of the bracket 46 near the lever 45 can form a slide cavity 46a. The slide cavity 46a can be a through hole or a blind hole. The slide cavity 46a can be, for example, in the shape of a runway. The sliding portion 45c of the lever 45 can extend into the slide cavity 46a and can slide in contact with the inner wall of the slide cavity 46a. When the sliding portion 45c moves, it can drive the bracket 46 to move within the slide groove 43b (described below), and the sliding portion 45c can slide relative to the inner wall of the slide cavity 46a.

[0072] As shown in Figures 12 and 13 , an elastic member 49 can be installed in the slot 43b of the mounting member 43. One end of the elastic member 49 can be connected to the side wall of the slot 43b (e.g., the left side wall of the slot 43b in Figure 10 ), and the other end can be connected to the bracket 46. The elastic member 49 can be a plurality of springs or a single spring, or a plurality of springs or a single spring, or other components capable of providing elastic force. The elastic member 49 can provide elastic restoring force for the bracket 46.

[0073] As shown in FIG7 , the first magnet 50 can be fixed on the bracket 46. Schematically, a mounting groove is provided on the bracket 46, and the opening of the mounting groove is located on the side of the bracket 46 facing the mounting member 43, and the first magnet 50 can be fixed in the mounting groove. As shown in FIG7 , when the shell assembly 3 is in a flattened state, the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 are far apart; when the shell assembly 3 is in a folded state, the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 are close to each other, and the magnetic force between the two is strong (to be explained below). Schematically, either the first magnet 50 or the second magnet 9 can be a more complex Halbach array, or a simpler magnet structure.

[0074] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the right end of the rotating arm 44 can be rotatably connected to the main shaft 41, and the left end of the rotating arm 44 can be slidably connected to the mounting member 43. As shown in Figure 14, the left end of the rotating arm 44 can define a mounting groove 44a. An elastic member 47 can be positioned within the mounting groove 44a, and a portion of the driving rod 48 can also be positioned within the mounting groove 44a. One end of the elastic member 47 can be connected to the side wall of the mounting groove 44a, and the other end can be connected to the driving rod 48. The elastic member 47 can be a spring or other component that provides an elastic force.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 15 , the driving rod 48 may include a first layer 481 and a second layer 482 . The second layer 482 may be connected to one side of the first layer 481 , and a step is formed between the second layer 482 and the first layer 481 .

[0076] As shown in Figure 15 , the second layer 482 can form a mounting groove 482a, which can be provided with a positioning post 482b. Combining Figure 15 with Figure 14 , a portion of the elastic member 47 can extend into the mounting groove 482a and pass through the positioning post 482b, thereby allowing the elastic member 47 to deform along the extension direction of the positioning post 482b. The second layer 482 can also have a concave surface 482c, which can be the outer surface of the sidewall of the mounting groove 482a and is recessed toward the interior of the second layer 482 (or, in other words, recessed toward the mounting groove 482a).

[0077] 15 , at least a portion of the edge of the first layer 481 may extend beyond the second layer 482. A cam surface 481a may be formed at the end of the first layer 481, and the concave surface 482c may be located within the area surrounded by the cam surface 481a, with a certain distance between the cam surface 481a and the concave surface 482c.

[0078] As shown in conjunction with Figure 14 , a portion of the first layer 481 and a portion of the second layer 482 of the drive rod 48 can be located within the mounting groove 44a, while the remaining portions of the first layer 481 and the remaining portions of the second layer 482 can be located outside the mounting groove 44a. The cam surface 481a of the first layer 481 can be located outside the mounting groove 44a and can contact the right base of the protrusion 43a. The second layer 482 can be substantially flush with the protrusion 45a of the deflector lever 45. The drive rod 48 can move within the mounting groove 44a, and the elastic member 47 can provide elastic restoring force for the drive rod 48.

[0079] Figure 16 shows a schematic diagram of the partial assembly structure of the first hinge 4 from a top view. Figure 17 is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of the structure at point E in Figure 16. Figure 18 is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of the structure at point F in Figure 17. As shown in Figure 18, the lever 45 mounted on the mounting member 43 can be located between the drive rod 48 and the bracket 46. The convex bulge 45a of the lever 45 and the convex bulge 43a of the mounting member 43 are both close to the drive rod 48.

[0080] In this embodiment, the main shaft 41, mounting member 42, mounting member 43, rotating arm 44, elastic member 47, drive rod 48, deflector 45, bracket 46, and elastic member 49 can form a magnet drive mechanism that can drive the first magnet 50 to move (described below). As shown in Figure 16, schematically, there can be two mounting members 42, rotating arm 44, elastic member 47, drive rod 48, deflector 45, and elastic member 49. One mounting member 42, one rotating arm 44, one elastic member 47, one drive rod 48, one deflector 45, and one elastic member 49 are located at one end of bracket 46 and, together with bracket 46, form one magnet drive mechanism. Another mounting member 42, another rotating arm 44, another elastic member 47, another drive rod 48, another deflector 45, and another elastic member 49 are located at the other end of bracket 46 and, together with bracket 46, form another magnet drive mechanism. The two magnet drive mechanisms can share the main shaft 41, mounting member 43, and bracket 46. Designing two magnetic drive mechanisms allows for synchronous movement of the opposing ends of bracket 46, resulting in smoother movement of bracket 46 and, in turn, accurate movement of first magnet 50. In other embodiments, the first mounting member can be longer, with each opposing end of the first mounting member forming a separate magnetic drive mechanism (equivalent to connecting two mounting members 42 into one). Alternatively, the structure can be adjusted to achieve a design with only one magnetic drive mechanism.

[0081] The movement process of the housing assembly 3 will be described below, wherein the movement of a magnet drive mechanism is taken as an example.

[0082] Referring to Figure 18 and Figure 7 , from the flattened position, when the first housing 5 rotates and folds relative to the second housing 6, the first housing 5 drives the mounting member 42 to rotate, which in turn drives the mounting member 43 to rotate the pivot arm 44 about the main axis 41. Because the pivot arm 44 is slidably connected to the mounting member 43, relative movement occurs between the mounting member 43 and the pivot arm 44. For example, from the perspective of Figure 18 , the mounting member 43 moves rightward relative to the pivot arm 44. As the mounting member 43 continues to move relative to the pivot arm 44, the right root, top, and left root of the convex bump 43a of the mounting member 43 sequentially contact the cam surface 481a. During this process, the drive rod 48 will move upward (when the cam surface 481a is located to the right of the top of the convex bump 43a) and downward (when the cam surface 481a is located to the left of the top of the convex bump 43a). The lever 45 and bracket 46 will move along with the mounting member 43. There is essentially no relative movement between the lever 45, bracket 46, and mounting member 43. The convex bump 45a of the lever 45 will gradually approach the cam surface 481a. When the left base of the convex bump 43a contacts the cam surface 481a and the convex bump 45a contacts the concave surface 482c, the first housing 5 can be basically completely folded with the second housing 6.

[0083] In this embodiment, from the folded state, during the process of unfolding the first housing 5 relative to the second housing 6, the lever 45 can push the bracket 46 to move relative to the mounting member 43, thereby changing the position of the first magnet 50. This will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0084] Figure 19 corresponds to the folded state of the foldable screen device 1 in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 19, in the folded state, the cam surface 481a of the drive rod 48 contacts the left root of the convex bump 43a of the mounting member 43, the concave surface 482c of the drive rod 48 contacts the convex bump 45a of the shift lever 45, and the sliding portion 45c of the shift lever 45 is located at the upper end of the sliding cavity 46a of the bracket 46. The bracket 46 can be located to the right of the slide groove 43b.

[0085] Figures 20 and 21 can illustrate the positional relationship between the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 in the folding screen device 1 in the folded state. As shown in Figure 21, the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 can both be Halbach arrays, and the opposite magnetic poles of the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 are opposite, for example, the N pole on the left side of the first magnet 50 is opposite to the S pole of the second magnet 9, and the S pole of the first magnet 50 is opposite to the N pole on the right side of the second magnet 9. The magnetic force between the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 is an overall suction force, which can overcome the unfolding force of the flexible screen 2 (the flexible screen 2 in the folded state has a tendency to unfold, and therefore will apply a force to the shell assembly 3, which can be called an unfolding force), so that the first shell 5 and the second shell 6 remain in a folded state.

[0086] As shown in Figures 1 and 19 , from the folded state, when the first housing 5 rotates and unfolds relative to the second housing 6, the first housing 5 drives the mounting member 42 to rotate, which in turn drives the pivot arm 44, the drive rod 48, the shift lever 45, and the bracket 46 to rotate relative to the main shaft 41. Because the pivot arm 44 is slidably connected to the mounting member 43, the pivot arm 44 can also move rightward relative to the mounting member 43. During this relative movement of the pivot arm 44, the cam surface 481a moves from the left base of the bump 43a to the top of the bump 43a. The drive rod 48 is squeezed by the bump 43a, compressing the elastic member 47. The concave surface 482c maintains contact with the bump 45a, allowing the drive rod 48 to hook onto the bump 45a through the concave surface 482c and drive the shift lever 45 to rotate clockwise. When the lever 45 rotates clockwise, the sliding portion 45c can slide downward relative to the sliding cavity 46a and press against the inner wall of the sliding cavity 46a, so that the lever 45 can drive the bracket 46 to slide leftward relative to the sliding groove 43b, that is, drive the bracket 46 to slide away from the main shaft 41. The first magnet 50 in the bracket 46 also slides leftward relative to the sliding groove 43b (that is, slides away from the main shaft 41), and the elastic member 49 is compressed.

[0087] Figure 22 illustrates the state of the first housing 5 at a critical angle a relative to the second housing 6, starting from the state shown in Figure 19. Figure 22 may correspond to the state of the foldable screen device 1 shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 22, the cam surface 481a can move to near the top of the convex bump 43a. Due to the upward push of the convex bump 43a on the cam surface 481a, the concave surface 482c is about to separate from the convex bump 45a. The lever 45 rotates around its rotating portion 45b through a certain angle, and the sliding portion 45c can slide to the lower end of the sliding cavity 46a. The bracket 46 can slide to the left of the slide groove 43b, and the first magnet 50 in the bracket 46 can basically reach its maximum travel.

[0088] Figures 23 and 24 illustrate the positional relationship between the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 in the foldable screen device 1 when the critical angle a is reached. As shown in Figure 24, the like poles of the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 are opposite each other, for example, the N pole on the left side of the first magnet 50 is opposite the N pole on the right side of the second magnet 9. Compared to Figure 21, the attractive force between the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 in Figure 24 is reduced and the repulsive force is increased, resulting in the attractive force between the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 being insufficient to overcome the unfolding force of the flexible screen 2. Therefore, as shown in Figure 4, the third shell 7 will open to a certain angle relative to the second shell 6. In other embodiments, the characteristics of the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 can be set. For scenarios where the unfolding force of the flexible screen 2 is relatively small, the third shell 7 can be unfolded solely by the repulsive force between the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9.

[0089] In this embodiment, by designing the specific value of the critical angle a, the third shell 3 can be popped open before the first shell 5 is flattened compared to the second shell 6, so that the user's operation time for unfolding the folding screen device 1 is shorter, which is conducive to improving the user experience.

[0090] In summary, this embodiment, by designing the above-mentioned magnet drive mechanism, can trigger the movement of the magnet drive mechanism during the unfolding process of the first shell 5, change the relative position of the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9, and then change the magnetic force between the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9; when the first shell 5 is unfolded to the critical angle a, the magnetic force between the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 is not enough to overcome the unfolding force of the flexible screen 2, so that the third shell 7 can be automatically opened relative to the second shell 6. In this way, the user can hold the third shell 7 and the first shell 5 with both hands and pull them to both sides, thereby flattening the three sections of the folding screen device 1 at one time. The solution of this embodiment makes the user's unfolding operation relatively simple and can improve the user experience.

[0091] As shown in conjunction with Figure 18 , after reaching the critical angle a, the first housing 5 can continue to expand relative to the second housing 6, allowing the top of the convex bump 43a to continue pushing the cam surface 481a upward, completely separating the concave surface 482c from the convex bump 45a and decoupling the drive rod 48 from the deflector 45. After decoupling, the elastic force of the elastic member 49 pushes the bracket 46 to slide to the right of the slide groove 43b, returning the bracket 46 to its initial position, and the first magnet 50 to a position capable of magnetically attracting the second magnet 9. The bracket 46 drives the sliding portion 45c of the deflector 45 to rotate about the rotating portion 45b. As the first housing 5 continues to rotate relative to the second housing 6, the sliding portion 45c slides to the upper end of the slide cavity 46a, and the cam surface 481a moves to the right root of the convex bump 43a.

[0092] In this embodiment, immediately after crossing the critical angle a, the bracket 46 and the first magnet 50 can be reset, allowing the magnet drive mechanism to achieve correct mechanical movement during the subsequent "transition from the folded state to the critical angle a" of opening, thereby enabling the magnet drive mechanism to operate repeatedly. Furthermore, since the third housing 7 has already been opened after crossing the critical angle a, there is no need to further weaken the attractive force between the first magnet 50 and the second magnet 9 or increase the repulsive force therebetween. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18 , the bracket 46 is reset to the right rather than continuing to move to the left. This prevents invalid movement of the bracket 46, resulting in a more streamlined magnet drive mechanism with no redundant motion.

[0093] In conjunction with the above description and with reference to Figures 1, 6, and 7, it can be understood that: since the magnetic drive mechanism is not provided on the third shell 7 and is unrelated to the third shell 7, opening the third shell 7 from the folded state does not trigger the linkage of the first shell 5. Therefore, the user can only unfold the third shell 7 while keeping the first shell 5 and the second shell folded, achieving two-fold use. The solution of this embodiment can make the folding screen device 1 occupy a smaller space and have a certain degree of portability, while allowing the two screen sections to unfold to provide a larger screen area, thus meeting the user needs of portability and large-screen display.

[0094] As described above, the magnet drive mechanism can be provided between the second shell 6 and the first shell 5 serving as the outer folding shell, and the magnet drive mechanism can connect the second shell 6 and the first shell 5 serving as the outer folding shell. It can be understood from the above description that in other embodiments, as shown in reference to Figures 1 and 7, the magnet drive mechanism can also be provided on the second shell 6 and the third shell 7 serving as the inner folding shell, and the magnet drive mechanism can connect the second shell 6 and the third shell 7. Among them, the second magnet 9 can be installed on the first shell 5, and when the third shell 7 unfolds the critical angle a, the first shell 5 will automatically open a certain angle. The design of the magnet drive mechanism in this embodiment is similar to that described above, and this embodiment can also have technical effects equivalent to those of the above embodiment, which will not be described in detail here.

[0095] According to the above, it can be understood that for a folding screen device that can be folded into more than three layers, the magnet drive mechanism, the first magnet and the second magnet can also be provided. Among them, the two outermost shells in the folding screen device can be respectively referred to as the first shell and the third shell, one of the first shell and the third shell is an outer folding shell, and the other is an inner folding shell, or the first shell and the third shell are both outer folding shells, or the first shell and the third shell are both inner folding shells; the shell located between the first shell and the third shell and adjacent to the first shell is called the second shell; the third shell and the second shell can be adjacent, or there can be at least one shell between them. The magnet drive mechanism can connect the first shell and the second shell, and the second magnet can be installed on the third shell; or the magnet drive mechanism can connect the third shell and the second shell, and the second magnet can be installed on the first shell.

[0096] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present 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 housing assembly for a folding screen device, characterized in that: comprising a first shell, a second shell, a third shell, a first hinge, a first magnet and a second magnet; A first hinge connects the first shell and the second shell, and the first hinge is used to generate a mechanism movement so that the first shell rotates relative to the second shell; the third shell is used to rotate relative to the second shell; the shell assembly has a folded state and a flattened state, and in the folded state, the first shell, the second shell and the third shell are stacked in sequence; the movable magnet is fixed to the first hinge, and the second magnet is fixed to the third shell; In the folded state, the first magnet and the second magnet are magnetically attracted to each other; The first housing is used to rotate and open relative to the second housing from the folded state, and the first hinge is used to drive the first magnet to move; When the first shell is opened at a critical angle relative to the second shell, the third shell is used to rotate and open relative to the second shell under the repulsive force of the first magnet on the second magnet.

2. The housing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first hinge comprises a driving rod, a lever and a bracket; the driving rod has a concave surface; one end of the lever has a first convex bump, and the other end of the lever is connected to the bracket; the first magnet is fixed to the bracket; When the first shell opens a critical angle relative to the second shell, the concave surface contacts the first convex surface, the driving rod is used to drive the lever to move, the lever is used to drive the bracket to move, and the bracket is used to drive the first magnet to move.

3. The housing assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first hinge further comprises a first mounting member, the first mounting member is fixedly connected to the second housing, the lever and the bracket are both arranged on the first mounting member, the lever is rotatably connected to the first mounting member, one end of the lever adjacent to the bracket is slidably connected to the bracket, and the bracket is slidably connected to the first mounting member; When the first shell opens a critical angle relative to the second shell, the driving rod is used to drive the lever to rotate relative to the first mounting member and slide relative to the bracket, and the lever is used to drive the bracket to slide relative to the first mounting member.

4. The housing assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lever has a sliding portion at one end adjacent to the bracket, the bracket is provided with a sliding cavity, the sliding portion is located in the sliding cavity and is in sliding contact with the inner wall of the sliding cavity.

5. The housing assembly according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The first mounting member has a second convex bump; the driving rod includes a first layer and a second layer, the first layer and the second layer have a step difference, the first layer has a cam surface, the cam surface contacts the second convex bump, and the concave surface is the surface of the second layer; the first hinge includes a first elastic member, one end of the first elastic member is connected to the first mounting member, and the other end of the first elastic member is connected to the bracket; In the folded state, the cam surface contacts the root of one side of the second convex bump; in the process of the first shell opening a critical angle relative to the second shell, the driving rod is used to move relative to the first mounting member, the cam surface is used to move from the root of one side of the second convex bump to the top of the second convex bump, and the first elastic member is used to generate compression deformation; When the critical angle is reached and the first shell continues to open relative to the second shell, the cam surface is used to move from the top of the second convex hump to the root of the other side of the second convex hump, the concave surface is separated from the first convex hump, and the first elastic member is used to restore the deformation and push the bracket to slide back to the initial position relative to the first mounting member.

6. The housing assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first hinge further comprises a main shaft and a rotating arm, the first mounting member is rotatably connected to the main shaft, the rotating arm is rotatably connected to the main shaft and is slidably connected to the first mounting member; the driving rod is mounted on the rotating arm; During the rotation of the first shell relative to the second shell, the first shell is used to rotate relative to the main shaft, the first mounting member and the rotating arm are both used to rotate around the main shaft, and the rotating arm is also used to slide relative to the first mounting member and drive the driving rod to move relative to the first mounting member.

7. The housing assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first hinge further includes a second elastic member, one end of the second elastic member is connected to the rotating arm, and the other end of the second elastic member is connected to the driving rod.

8. The housing assembly according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The first hinge also includes a second mounting member, which is rotatably connected to the main shaft and fixedly connected to the first shell.

9. The housing assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The shell assembly also includes a second hinge, which is located on opposite sides of the second shell with the first hinge. The second hinge is connected to both the third shell and the second shell, and the second hinge is used to generate mechanical movement so that the third shell rotates relative to the second shell.

10. A folding screen device, characterized in that: It comprises a flexible screen and a shell assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the flexible screen is fixed to the shell assembly and covers the first shell, the first hinge, the second shell and the third shell.

11. The folding screen device according to claim 10, characterized in that: In the folded state, a portion of the flexible screen covering the first shell is located on the outside of the first shell, and a portion of the flexible screen covering the third shell is located on the inside of the third shell.

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