Support structural member and manufacturing method therefor, and electronic device

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a support structural member and a manufacturing method therefor, and an electronic device. The support structural member comprises a bending portion and support portions, wherein the support portions are arranged on two sides of the bending portion in a first direction and are connected to the bending portion, the first direction being perpendicular to the direction of length of the bending portion; when the support structural member is in an unfolded state, the bending portion and the support portions are arranged coplanarly, and when the support structural member is in a bent state, the bending portion is bent, and the support portions on the two sides of the bending portion are brought close to each other; and the bending portion and the support portions are made of different materials, the strength of the bending portion is greater than the strength of the support portions, and the density of the support portions is less than the density of the bending portion. The support structural member can take into account all the requirements for lightweighting, thinning and strength.

Description

Supporting structural components and their manufacturing methods and electronic equipment

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411597960.0, filed on November 8, 2024, entitled “Supporting Structure and Method of Manufacturing Thereof and Electronic Equipment”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to a support structure, a method for manufacturing the same, and an electronic device. Background Technology

[0004] Electronic devices with foldable screens typically have one or more layers of metal as an under-screen support structure to maintain the flatness and rigidity of the foldable screen. Current under-screen support structures are mainly made of metals: stainless steel or titanium alloys. While these metal materials have high strength, they also have high density and are heavy. To reduce the weight of the support structure, fiber composite materials or lightweight alloys can be used. Fiber composite materials, such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, and ceramic fiber, have low density and offer significant weight reduction benefits. However, due to the lower modulus (i.e., stiffness) of fiber materials combined with resin compared to metals, they cannot meet the support requirements for foldable screens. To improve the stiffness of fiber composite materials, the thickness of the support structure needs to be increased to compensate. This contradicts the current product thinning requirements. While lightweight alloys can meet the thinning requirements, existing lightweight alloys cannot meet the 200,000-cycle bending test requirement (i.e., bending 200,000 times without cracking at a bending radius of 1.2mm). Therefore, existing support structural components cannot meet the requirement of 200,000 bending tests while simultaneously reducing weight and thickness. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a support structure, a method for manufacturing the same, and an electronic device thereof, which can meet the requirements of weight reduction, thinning, and strength.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a support structure, which includes a bent portion and a support portion. The support portion is disposed on both sides of the bent portion along a first direction and is fixedly connected to the bent portion. The first direction is perpendicular to the length direction of the bent portion. In the unfolded state, the bent portion and the support portion are coplanar. In the bent state, the bent portion bends and the support portions on both sides of the bent portion move closer to each other. The bent portion and the support portion are made of different materials. The strength of the bent portion is greater than that of the support portion, and the density of the support portion is less than that of the bent portion.

[0007] The support structure provided in this application consists of a bending section and a support section, which are coplanar when the support structure is in its unfolded state. When the support structure is in a bent state, the bending section bends, causing the support sections on both sides to move closer together. The bending section and the support section are made of different materials: the bending section is made of a high-strength material, and the support section is made of a low-density material. The strength of the bending section is greater than that of the support section; for example, the yield strength of the bending section is greater than that of the support section, to ensure that the bending section has sufficiently high bending performance to meet the requirement of 200,000 bending cycles. Furthermore, the density of the support section is lower than that of the bending section, which significantly reduces the weight of the entire support structure, even though the area of ​​the support section is much larger than that of the bending section. This reasonable combination of the high-strength bending section and the low-density support section achieves weight reduction and thinning while meeting the bending test requirements.

[0008] In one alternative implementation, the bending portion and the support portion are fixedly connected through co-firing. Co-firing, or co-sintering, connects the bending portion and the support portion, achieving an integrated connection between the two. This allows for the fusion of the molecular-level structures of the two different materials, resulting in a more reliable connection strength.

[0009] In one alternative implementation, the bent portion and the supporting portion have an overlapping region along a first direction. The overlapping region contains a mixed crystalline phase, which includes crystalline phases precipitated from the bent portion and crystalline phases precipitated from the supporting portion. The presence of a mixed crystalline phase in the overlapping region of the bent portion and the supporting portion indicates that the bent portion and the supporting portion are fused together at the overlapping surface, resulting in a tight molecular structure and higher bonding strength.

[0010] In one alternative implementation, the thickness of the supporting structure is ≤0.2mm, the elastic modulus of the bending portion is ≥180GPa, the yield strength is ≥800MPa, and the density of the supporting portion is ≤3.0g / cm³. 3 .

[0011] The total thickness of the supporting structure is less than or equal to 0.2 mm, the elastic modulus of the bending section is ≥180 GPa, and the yield strength is ≥800 MPa, thus ensuring excellent bending performance and meeting the requirements of 200,000 bending cycles. Additionally, the density of the supporting section is less than or equal to 3.0 g / cm³. 3 The density is much lower than that of high-strength bending sections, which can significantly reduce the weight of the support structure. Therefore, through the above settings, the total thickness of the support structure can be controlled within 0.2mm, while still meeting the requirements for weight reduction and bending tests.

[0012] In one alternative implementation, the bending section is made of stainless steel. Stainless steel has high strength and can meet the requirement of 200,000 bending tests even with a relatively thin thickness.

[0013] In one alternative implementation, the bending section includes multiple block-shaped stainless steel plates and bridging plates. These block-shaped stainless steel plates are arranged sequentially at intervals along the length of the bending section. The bridging plates are positioned between adjacent block-shaped stainless steel plates, and the density of the bridging plates is less than or equal to 3.0 g / cm³. 3 Because stainless steel sheets have a relatively high density, combining them with lower-density bridging plates can further reduce the mass of the bending section without compromising its bending performance, thus achieving further weight reduction.

[0014] In one alternative implementation, the support is an aluminum plate, an aluminum alloy plate, or an aluminum-based composite material plate, or a plate with a density of less than or equal to 3.0 g / cm³. 3 Other metal-based composite material plates. Aluminum plates, aluminum alloy plates, or aluminum-based composite material plates, or plates with a density of ≤3.0 g / cm³. 3 Other metal-based composite material plates, etc., can provide high support strength for supporting structural components, and their density is also low, which can meet the purpose of weight reduction.

[0015] In one alternative implementation, the support includes an aluminum-based composite plate and an aluminum alloy plate. The aluminum alloy plate is disposed between the aluminum-based composite plate and the bending portion, and is connected to both the aluminum-based composite plate and the bending portion. The support, composed of the aluminum-based composite plate and the aluminum alloy plate, with the aluminum alloy plate positioned between the aluminum-based composite plate and the bending portion, serves as a connecting bridge between the two, improving the connection strength of the support structure. Furthermore, the aluminum alloy plate offers higher support strength and can withstand higher rotational torque during bending, thus maintaining the stability of the support.

[0016] In one optional implementation, the thermal conductivity of the support component is ≥120 W / m·K. Since the support component is in direct contact with the flexible screen during application, a thermal conductivity ≥120 W / m·K allows for timely heat dissipation from the flexible screen, preventing heat accumulation. A thermal conductivity ≥120 W / m·K for the support component can improve the overall heat dissipation capacity by 1-4 mA / ℃.

[0017] In one alternative implementation, the supporting structure further includes an auxiliary reinforcing plate, with the bent portion and the supporting portion respectively stacked on the auxiliary reinforcing plate. For example, the thickness of the auxiliary reinforcing plate can be 0.001-0.01 mm. The auxiliary reinforcing plate is a single structural plate, located below the bent portion and the supporting portion, to improve the strength of the supporting structure.

[0018] In one alternative implementation, the width of the overlap area between the bent portion and the support portion along the first direction is less than 300 micrometers. In another alternative implementation, the width of the overlap area can be 30-300 micrometers to prevent the overlap area from being too wide and reducing the bending performance of the bent portion.

[0019] In one alternative implementation, the connection area between the bending part and the support part is a co-sintered structure. When the support part is an aluminum-based composite material plate containing carbon-based inorganic carbide particles, SiC and FeAl3 phases may exist in the connection area, indicating that the bending part and the support part are sintered to form a eutectic connection, thereby increasing the connection strength between the support part and the bending part.

[0020] In one alternative implementation, the overlapping area between the support and the bending portion is provided with a tongue-and-groove connecting structure. By providing the tongue-and-groove connecting structure, an interlocking structure is formed between the support and the bending portion, thereby further increasing the connection strength between the support and the bending portion.

[0021] In one alternative implementation, the bending portion includes at least two, and each bending portion is provided with support portions on both sides along the first direction to meet the usage requirements of the multi-fold display screen.

[0022] Secondly, this application provides a method for manufacturing the aforementioned support structure, the method comprising:

[0023] The raw materials for the bending section and the supporting section are placed in the forming mold respectively, and pressed into shape using the isostatic pressing process to obtain the intermediate profile; the raw materials for the bending section and the supporting section are different.

[0024] The intermediate profile is heat-treated to obtain the supporting structural component.

[0025] In the manufacturing method of the support structure in this application, the isostatic pressing process can ensure the uniformity of the thickness of the support structure and the connection strength between the support part and the bending part, so that the bending part and the support part form an integral plate structure.

[0026] In one optional implementation, the heat treatment includes solution treatment and aging treatment. As an example, the solution temperature in the solution treatment is 460-480℃, and the solution time is 1-2 hours; the aging temperature in the aging treatment is 110℃-130℃, and the aging time is 6-40 hours. After isostatic pressing, a close physical contact can be achieved between the bent portion and the support portion. Following solution treatment, molecular movement occurs between the raw materials of the bent portion and the support portion at their interface, and their respective crystal phases fuse together, achieving molecular-level bonding. The aging treatment following solution treatment eliminates internal stress between the bent portion and the support portion, improving the mechanical properties of the support structure.

[0027] In one alternative implementation, the bending part is made of a block, and the supporting part is made of powder.

[0028] The raw materials for the bending section and the supporting section are placed separately into the forming mold, and pressed into shape using an isostatic pressing process to obtain an intermediate profile, including:

[0029] The block material of the bending part is placed in the middle of the forming mold, and the powder material of the supporting part is placed on both sides of the block material. After degassing and pressurizing, the intermediate profile is obtained.

[0030] The bending section is a high-strength structural component, added as a block of raw material, which ensures its high strength during isostatic pressing. The powder in the support section is placed on both sides of the block of raw material, allowing for full contact between the powder and the block of raw material during isostatic pressing, thus improving the bonding force between the two.

[0031] Thirdly, this application provides a foldable electronic device, which may include the support structure of this application.

[0032] The supporting structure of this application can be used in the screen assembly to connect with the flexible screen and provide support and fixation for the flexible screen.

[0033] In addition, the supporting structural component of this application can also be used as a door panel for a hinge assembly.

[0034] In this application, the data in the various possible implementations mentioned above, such as the thickness of the supporting structure, the elastic modulus of the bending part, the yield strength, and the density of the supporting part, should all be understood as being within the range defined in this application when measured, provided that the values ​​are within the engineering measurement error range. Attached Figure Description

[0035] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a foldable mobile phone;

[0036] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a screen assembly according to an embodiment;

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the unfolded state of a support structure according to an embodiment;

[0038] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the bent state structure of a support structure according to an embodiment;

[0039] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a support structure according to another embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a support structure according to another embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a support structure according to another embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a foldable electronic device according to another embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a support structure according to another embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the mechanism of the hinge door panel of a foldable electronic device according to an embodiment.

[0045] Reference numerals: 01-Screen assembly; 10-Flexible screen; 20-Supporting structural component; 20a-Door panel; 21-Bending part; 211-Stainless steel plate; 212-Blocking stainless steel plate; 213-Bridging plate; 22-Supporting part; 221-Aluminum-based composite material plate; 222-Aluminum alloy plate; 23-Auxiliary reinforcing plate; 02-Hinge assembly; 03-Rear cover plate. Detailed Implementation

[0046] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] To facilitate understanding, the concepts mentioned in this application will be explained in more detail below.

[0048] Stiffness: refers to the ability of a material or structure to resist elastic deformation when subjected to force.

[0049] Elastic modulus: A physical quantity that describes the stress-strain relationship of an elastic body in the elastic stage.

[0050] Yield strength: The yield limit of a metallic material when it yields, that is, the stress that resists a small amount of plastic deformation. For metallic materials that do not exhibit obvious yielding, the stress value that produces 0.2% residual deformation is defined as its yield limit, called yield strength.

[0051] Foldable electronic devices typically include a screen assembly. The screen assembly may include a flexible screen and a support structure for securing the flexible screen. During folding, the flexible screen unfolds or folds under the action of the support structure. Additionally, foldable electronic devices may also include a hinge assembly.

[0052] The foldable electronic devices provided in this application embodiment may include, but are not limited to, foldable fixed terminals or mobile terminals such as mobile phones, tablets, touch screens, wearable devices, and virtual reality devices.

[0053] For example, a foldable electronic device can be a foldable phone with an outward-folding screen, a foldable phone with an inward-folding screen, or a foldable phone with a partially inward-folding screen and a partially outward-folding screen, etc.

[0054] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a foldable mobile phone. As shown in Figure 1, the foldable mobile phone may include a screen assembly 01, a hinge assembly 02, and a back cover 03. The screen assembly 01 is mounted and fixed to the hinge assembly 02. After the back cover 03 and the screen assembly 01 are closed, they form a receiving cavity to accommodate and protect various functional components. The hinge assembly 02 may be disposed within the receiving cavity and may be connected to the bending area of ​​the back cover 03.

[0055] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a screen assembly according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the screen assembly 01 includes a flexible screen 10 and a support structure 20. The flexible screen 10 is fixedly connected to the support structure 20. During folding and unfolding, the support structure 20 supports and fixes the flexible screen 10, and folds or unfolds along with the flexible screen 10.

[0056] Example 1

[0057] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the unfolded state of a support structure according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the support structure 20 includes a bent portion 21 and a support portion 22. The bent portion 21 is located between the two support portions 22. The bent portion 21 is positioned in the foldable phone corresponding to the hinge. The bent portion 21 is a long strip-shaped plate structure, and the support portion 22 can also be a plate structure. Its specific width and length can be set according to the size of the flexible screen, and are not specifically limited here. The bent portion 21 and the support portion 22 are connected sequentially along a first direction, as shown in the x-direction in Figure 3. The first direction is perpendicular to the length direction of the bent portion 21. The length direction of the bent portion 21 is the y-direction as shown in Figure 3. The bent portion 21 and the support portion 22 are made of different materials. The strength of the bent portion 21 must be greater than the strength of the support portion 22, such as the yield strength of the bent portion 21 being greater than the yield strength of the support portion 22. Furthermore, the elastic modulus of the bending portion 21 should be higher than that of the supporting portion 22 to give the bending portion 21 relatively higher resistance to deformation. Since the supporting portion 22 often has a larger area in the supporting structure, its weight directly affects the overall mass of the supporting structure. Therefore, the density of the supporting portion 22 needs to be lower than that of the bending portion 21 to reduce the overall weight of the supporting structure.

[0058] Referring to Figure 3, in the unfolded state, the bending portion 21 and the support portion 22 are coplanar. The connection methods between the bending portion 21 and the support portion 22 include, but are not limited to, co-firing, pressing, welding, or snap-fitting. To achieve a high-strength, integrated connection between the bending portion 21 and the support portion 22, they can be fixedly connected through co-firing. In this connection method, the bending portion 21 and the support portion 22 have an overlapping area along a first direction. This overlapping area contains a mixed crystalline phase, which includes crystalline phases precipitated from the bending portion 21 and precipitated from the support portion 22, achieving a tight connection between the two at the molecular level.

[0059] Along the first direction, the width of the connection area between the bent portion 21 and the support portion 22, i.e., the width along the x-direction shown in Figure 3, can be less than 300 μm, for example, it can be 10-300 μm. A protrusion-contact joint structure can be provided between the bent portion 21 and the support portion 22 to increase the connection strength between them. For example, a protrusion (not shown in the figure) can be provided on the surface of the bent portion 21 facing the support portion 22, and correspondingly, a groove (not shown in the figure) corresponding to the protrusion can be provided on the side of the support portion 22 facing the bent portion 21 to improve the connection strength between them. It is understood that the positions of the protrusion and groove can also be interchanged, i.e., a groove can be provided on the bent portion 21 and a protrusion on the support portion 22. This application does not limit the specific positions of the protrusion and groove.

[0060] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the bent state of a support structure according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, in the bent state, the bent portion 21 is bent, and the support portions 22 are close to each other. For example, the support portions 22 on both sides of the bent portion 21 may be in a parallel state or in an edge-to-edge state. When the support structure is in the bent state, the extension direction of its bending line is the length direction of the bent portion 21.

[0061] In this embodiment, the thickness of the supporting structure is less than or equal to 0.2 mm. The thickness of the supporting structure can be 0.02-0.2 mm, 0.1-0.2 mm, or 0.1-0.15 mm. For example, the thickness of the supporting structure can be 0.02 mm, 0.05 mm, 0.08 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.15 mm, 0.20 mm, etc. At this thickness, the elastic modulus of the bending portion 21 is greater than 180 GPa, and the yield strength is greater than 800 MPa. Therefore, the bending portion 21 can be guaranteed to have sufficient structural strength to support the repeated folding and unfolding of the flexible screen and to meet the requirement of 200,000 bending tests. The density of the supporting portion 22 can be less than or equal to 3.0 g / cm³. 3 The lower density of the support portion 22 reduces the overall mass of the support structure, facilitating the thinning and weight reduction of the support structure.

[0062] In this embodiment, the elastic modulus of the bending portion 21 may be, for example, 180 GPa, 185 GPa, 190 GPa, 195 GPa, 200 GPa, 205 GPa, 210 GPa, 215 GPa, 220 GPa, or higher. The yield strength of the bending portion 21 may be, for example, 800 MPa, 820 MPa, 850 MPa, 880 MPa, 900 MPa, 920 MPa, 950 MPa, 980 MPa, 1000 MPa, or higher. In this embodiment, the density of the support portion 22 may be less than or equal to 3.0 g / cm³. 3For example, it can be less than or equal to 2.9 g / cm³. 3 For example, it can be less than or equal to 2.7 g / cm³. 3 For example, it can be less than or equal to 2.5 g / cm³. 3 .

[0063] As shown in Figure 3, in one embodiment, the bending portion 21 can be formed of a stainless steel plate 211. The stainless steel plate 211 has a high bending life at low bending radii, meeting the requirement of 200,000 bending cycles. The support portion 22 can be made of an aluminum plate, an aluminum alloy plate, or an aluminum-based composite material plate, or a plate with a density of less than or equal to 3.0 g / cm³. 3 Metal matrix composite plates are formed.

[0064] Metal matrix composites are composite materials that use metals or alloys as the matrix and high-performance reinforcing fibers, whiskers, particles, etc., as reinforcements. Metal matrix composites retain the properties of the metal itself while also possessing the comprehensive properties of composite materials. By combining different matrices and reinforcements, various high-performance composite materials can be obtained, exhibiting a variety of special properties and excellent overall performance. Metal matrix composites can be classified according to the type of matrix material, including aluminum-based composites, magnesium-based composites, zinc-based composites, copper-based composites, intermetallic compound-based composites, etc.

[0065] Since aluminum alloys and aluminum-based composite materials have low density, in order to further reduce the weight of the supporting structure, in the supporting structure of the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4 of this application, the supporting part 22 can be an aluminum-based composite material plate 221.

[0066] Aluminum-based composites refer to a class of metal-based composite materials whose matrix material is aluminum or aluminum alloys. The reinforcing agents added to aluminum-based composites are typically ceramic materials (such as SiC, Al2O3, B4C, TiB2) or fiber materials. Fiber materials can be selected from carbon fiber, glass fiber, etc. Due to the good plasticity and toughness of the aluminum alloy matrix itself, as well as its ease of machining, engineering reliability, and low cost, using aluminum-based composites to fabricate support components can reduce the processing difficulty and cost of support structures and improve their reliability.

[0067] In aluminum matrix composites, the properties and types of different reinforcements determine the category of the composite material and are crucial to achieving its final properties. Aluminum matrix composites typically require reinforcements with the following characteristics: low density, high mechanical compatibility, high chemical compatibility, high thermal stability, high elastic modulus, high compressive or tensile strength, good processability, and low cost. These requirements can be met by adding non-metallic inorganic reinforcements, such as ceramic particles, ceramic fibers, or carbon fibers.

[0068] In one embodiment of this application, the aluminum matrix in the aluminum-based composite material forming the support portion can be 6063 aluminum alloy, and SiC particles can be doped into the aluminum matrix to improve the processing performance and high strength of the support portion. The mass percentage of SiC particles in the support portion can be controlled between 10-45%, and can be adjusted according to the performance of the support portion. Adding 10-45 wt.% SiC particles can improve both the structural strength and thermal conductivity of the aluminum-based composite material. The median particle size D50 of the SiC particles can be less than or equal to 20 μm. Selecting SiC particles that meet this median particle size requirement can facilitate the formation of the reinforcing phase.

[0069] When the support part is made of aluminum-based composite material containing SiC particles and the bending part is made of stainless steel, after the two are co-fired together, the mixed crystal phase in the overlapping area of ​​the two will contain SiC phase and FeAl3 phase.

[0070] When the support structure of this application embodiment is used as a support component of a flexible screen, most of the surface of the flexible screen needs to be in contact with the support structure. Therefore, in order to dissipate the heat generated by the flexible screen in a timely manner, the thermal conductivity of the support portion can be greater than or equal to 120 W / m·K. Additionally, the thermal conductivity of the bending portion can also be 120 W / m·K to assist in heat dissipation. To achieve high thermal conductivity, a high thermal conductivity component can be added to the support portion. The high thermal conductivity component can be selected from fibers or inorganic thermally conductive particles. Fiber materials can be selected from carbon fibers, etc. Inorganic thermally conductive particles can be selected from SiC particles, etc.

[0071] In one embodiment, the method for manufacturing the support structure shown in Figure 3 may include the following steps: placing the raw materials for the bending portion and the support portion into a molding die, and pressing them together using an isostatic pressing process to obtain an intermediate profile; and heat-treating the intermediate profile to obtain the support structure. The bending portion and the support portion are formed using raw materials of different materials. The raw material for the bending portion may be a block, and the raw material for the support portion may be powder.

[0072] During isostatic pressing, the block material of the bending part can be placed in the middle of the forming mold, and the powder material of the supporting part can be placed on both sides of the block material. After degassing and pressurization, the intermediate profile is obtained.

[0073] After obtaining the intermediate profile, it can be heat-treated, such as by solution treatment and aging treatment, to achieve co-firing connection between the bent and supporting parts. The solution treatment temperature can be 460-480℃, and the solution treatment time can be 1-2 hours. The aging treatment temperature is 110℃-130℃, and the aging time is 6-40 hours.

[0074] In the manufacturing method of the support structure in this application, the isostatic pressing process can ensure the uniformity of the thickness of the support structure and the connection strength between the support part and the bending part, so that the bending part and the support part form an integral plate structure.

[0075] As an example, in one embodiment, the method for manufacturing the support structure of the structure shown in FIG3 may include the following steps:

[0076] Step S1: Prepare a stainless steel plate 211 with a regular shape. The stainless steel plate 211 can be a rectangular sheet of 301 super high flatness (SEH) stainless steel. For example, in the embodiment of this application, the width of the stainless steel plate 211 can be 30mm, the thickness can be 5mm, and the length can be 170mm.

[0077] Step S2: Place the 301SEH sheet in the center of the isostatic pressing mold, and then place the aluminum-based composite material powder on both sides of the 301SEH stainless steel sheet. The main component of the aluminum-based composite material is 6063 aluminum alloy as the base material, doped with SiC particles, wherein the median particle size D50 of the SiC particles is ≤10μm, and the weight percentage content of the doped particles is 10-20%. By adding this weight ratio of SiC particles, the strength of the aluminum-based composite material can be improved, and the thermal conductivity of the aluminum-based composite material can also be improved.

[0078] Step S3: Through degassing, isostatic pressing, and other processes, the stainless steel plate 211 and the aluminum-based composite material are pressed into a component with the structure shown in Figure 3. There is a certain bonding force between the stainless steel plate 211 and the aluminum-based composite material plate 221, and the thickness of the component obtained after isostatic pressing is uniform.

[0079] Step S4: The component obtained in step S3 is subjected to heat treatment, for example, solution treatment followed by aging treatment. Solution treatment can be performed at 460–480°C for 1–2 hours, and aging treatment can be performed at 110–130°C for 6–40 hours. After heat treatment, SiC and FeAl3 phases can be formed at the interface between the stainless steel plate 211 and the aluminum-based composite plate. This interface area is the overlapping area between the bent part and the support part, and the width of this interface area can be 10–300 μm.

[0080] Step S5: The components obtained in step S4 are subjected to extrusion, rolling, and stamping and other machining processes to form products with the required shape and structure.

[0081] The 301SEH stainless steel plate forms the bending portion 21, and the aluminum matrix composite plate 221, formed by pressing the aluminum matrix composite material, forms the supporting portion 22. The width of the connection area between the bending portion and the supporting portion can be in the range of 10-300μm.

[0082] Before isostatic pressing, to increase the connection strength between the bending and supporting parts, the stainless steel plate can be fitted with protrusions or grooves at the connection points with the supporting parts to form a convex-concave connection structure. This allows the supporting and bending parts to interlock, increasing the contact area between them. During isostatic pressing, a larger bonding surface can be formed between the supporting and bending parts. Therefore, the overall bonding force between the supporting and bending parts can be increased by increasing the mechanical clamping force. The protrusions and grooves can be regular or irregular shapes; no specific restrictions are placed here.

[0083] Example 2

[0084] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the support structure according to another embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, in this support structure, the bending portion 21 may include a block stainless steel plate 212 and a bridging plate 213. There are multiple block stainless steel plates 212, each of which is a sheet structure. The multiple block stainless steel plates 212 are arranged sequentially at intervals along the length direction of the bending portion. Along the length direction of the bending portion 21, the block stainless steel plates 212 may be located at the ends of the bending portion to protect the stability of the bending portion 21 structure during bending. Adjacent block stainless steel plates 212 are connected by the bridging plate 213. The bridging plate 213 and the support portion 22 may be an integral structure, and may be made of the same material as the support portion 22. The structure and material composition of the support portion can be referred to the description in Embodiment 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0085] Among them, the bending part 21, which is formed by combining multiple block stainless steel plates 212 and bridging plates 213, must have an overall elastic modulus greater than or equal to 180 GPa and a yield strength greater than or equal to 800 MPa.

[0086] The fabrication method of the supporting structural member of the structure shown in Figure 5 may include the following steps:

[0087] Step S1: Prepare multiple block-shaped stainless steel plates 212 with regular shapes. Each block-shaped stainless steel plate 212 is a rectangular sheet of 301SEH or 304SEH. Exemplarily, in this embodiment of the application, the width of each block-shaped stainless steel plate 212 can be 40mm, the thickness can be 10mm, and the length can be 10-40mm. The number of block-shaped stainless steel plates 212 can be, for example, 3-10. The specific number can be designed according to the size of the bending part, and is not specifically limited here.

[0088] Step S2: Place multiple block stainless steel plates 212 into the center of the isostatic pressing mold, spaced apart in a certain direction. Then, place aluminum-based composite material powder into the two sides and the gaps in the middle of the block stainless steel plates. The main component of the aluminum-based composite material is pure aluminum as the base material, doped with SiC particles, wherein the particle D50 ≤ 20 micrometers, and the weight percentage content of the dopant is 25-35%.

[0089] Step S3: Through degassing, isostatic pressing, and other processes, the block stainless steel plate 212 and the aluminum-based composite material are pressed into a component with the structure shown in Figure 5. In the formed component, there is a certain bonding force between the block stainless steel plate 212 and the aluminum-based composite material plate 221, and the thickness of the component obtained after isostatic pressing is uniform.

[0090] Step S4: Perform heat treatment on the component obtained in step S3, for example, solution treatment followed by aging treatment. The solution treatment can be performed by holding at a temperature of 460-480℃ for 1-2 hours, and the aging treatment can be performed by holding at a temperature of 110-130℃ for 6-40 hours.

[0091] Step S5: The components obtained in step S4 are subjected to extrusion, rolling, and stamping and other machining processes to form products with the required shape and structure.

[0092] Similarly, before isostatic pressing, in order to increase the connection strength between the block stainless steel plate 212 and the aluminum-based composite material plate 221, the stainless steel plate can be provided with protrusions or grooves at the connection parts with the aluminum-based composite material plate to increase the contact area between the two.

[0093] Example 3

[0094] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the support structure according to another embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, in this embodiment, the support portion 22 may include an aluminum-based composite material plate 221 and an aluminum alloy plate 222. The aluminum alloy plate is disposed between the aluminum-based composite material plate and the bent portion, and is connected to both the aluminum-based composite material plate and the bent portion. Exemplarily, the connection width between the aluminum alloy plate and the aluminum-based composite material plate can be 10-300 μm. The connection width between the aluminum alloy plate and the bent portion can also be 10-300 μm. The density of the support portion formed by the aluminum alloy plate and the aluminum-based composite material plate must be less than or equal to 3.0 g / cm³. 3 .

[0095] The structure and material composition of the bending part can be referred to the description in Example 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0096] The method for manufacturing the support structure shown in Figure 6 may include the following steps:

[0097] Step S1: Prepare a stainless steel plate 211 with a regular shape. The stainless steel plate 211 is a 301SEH rectangular sheet. For example, in the embodiment of this application, the width of the stainless steel plate 211 can be 40mm, the thickness can be 10mm, and the length can be 400mm.

[0098] Step S2: Place the 301SEH sheet in the center of the isostatic pressing mold, then place aluminum alloy powder on both sides of the 301SEH stainless steel sheet, and then place aluminum-based composite material powder on both sides of the aluminum alloy powder. The main component of the aluminum-based composite material is 6061 aluminum alloy as the base material, doped with SiC particles, where the particle D50 ≤ 18μm, and the doping weight percentage is 10–25%.

[0099] Step S3: Through degassing, isostatic pressing, and other processes, stainless steel plates, aluminum alloy powder, and aluminum-based composite materials are pressed into components with the structure shown in Figure 6. There is a certain bonding force between the formed block stainless steel plate 212 and the aluminum alloy plate 222, as well as between the aluminum alloy plate 222 and the aluminum-based composite material plate 221, and the thickness of the components obtained after isostatic pressing is uniform.

[0100] Step S4: Perform heat treatment on the component obtained in step S3, for example, solution treatment followed by aging treatment. The solution treatment can be performed by holding at a temperature of 460-480℃ for 1-2 hours, and the aging treatment can be performed by holding at a temperature of 110-130℃ for 6-40 hours.

[0101] Step S5: The components obtained in step S4 are subjected to extrusion, rolling, and stamping and other machining processes to form products with the required shape and structure.

[0102] Similarly, before isostatic pressing, to increase the connection strength between the stainless steel plate and the aluminum alloy plate, protrusions or grooves can be provided on the connection parts of the stainless steel plate to the aluminum alloy plate to increase the contact area between the two.

[0103] Example 4

[0104] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a support structure according to another embodiment of this application. Figure 7(a) is a schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of the support structure, and Figure 7(b) is a schematic diagram of the support structure in the thickness direction. As shown in Figure 7, the support structure of this embodiment differs from the support structure shown in Embodiment 1 in that an auxiliary reinforcing plate 23 is added on the basis of the support structure shown in Embodiment 1. The auxiliary reinforcing plate 23 can be disposed below the bending portion 21 and the supporting portion 22. The bending portion 21 and the supporting portion 22 are both disposed on the same surface of the auxiliary reinforcing plate 23 and can be attached to the auxiliary reinforcing plate 23. The bending portion 21 can be fixedly connected to the auxiliary reinforcing plate 23, and the supporting portion 22 can also be fixedly connected to the auxiliary reinforcing plate 23. The connection methods between the bending portion 21 and the supporting portion 22 and the auxiliary reinforcing plate 23 include, but are not limited to, pressing, snapping, or bonding. The thickness of the auxiliary reinforcing plate 23 can be small, for example, 0.001-0.01 mm. The auxiliary reinforcing plate 23 can help improve the connection stability between the bending part 21 and the support part 22 during bending or unfolding, and reduce the probability of separation between the two.

[0105] The bending portion 21 and the supporting portion 22 can adopt the structure shown in Embodiment 1, the structure shown in Embodiment 2, the structure shown in Embodiment 3, or other structures, which will not be listed here.

[0106] The method for manufacturing the support structure in the embodiment shown in Figure 7 may include the following steps:

[0107] Step S1: Prepare a stainless steel plate 211 with a regular shape. The stainless steel plate 211 is a 301SEH rectangular sheet. For example, in the embodiment of this application, the width of the stainless steel plate 211 can be 50mm, the thickness can be 15mm, and the length can be 500mm.

[0108] Step S2: Place the 301SEH sheet in the middle of the isostatic pressing mold, and then place the aluminum-based composite material powder on both sides of the 301SEH stainless steel plate. The main component of the aluminum-based composite material is pure aluminum as the base material, doped with SiC particles, wherein the particle D50≤30μm and the doping weight percentage content is 30~45%.

[0109] Step S3: Through degassing and isostatic pressing processes, the stainless steel plate and aluminum-based composite material are pressed into a component with the structure shown in Figure 3. There is a certain bonding force between the formed stainless steel plate and the aluminum-based composite material plate, and the thickness of the component obtained after isostatic pressing is uniform.

[0110] Step S4: Cover one side surface of the obtained component with a full layer of aluminum-based composite material. This part covers both the stainless steel plate and the aluminum-based composite material plate of the component obtained in step S3.

[0111] Step S5: Through degassing, isostatic pressing, and other processes, stainless steel plate 211, aluminum alloy plate 222, and aluminum-based composite material are pressed into a component with the structure shown in Figure 7. There is a certain bonding force between the stainless steel plate 211 and the aluminum alloy plate 222, and there is also a certain bonding force between the aluminum alloy plate 222 and the aluminum-based composite material plate 221. Furthermore, the thickness of the component obtained after isostatic pressing is uniform.

[0112] Step S6: Perform heat treatment on the component obtained in step S5, for example, solution treatment followed by aging treatment. The solution treatment can be performed by holding at a temperature of 460-480℃ for 1-2 hours, and the aging treatment can be performed by holding at a temperature of 110-130℃ for 6-40 hours.

[0113] Step S7: The components obtained in step S6 are subjected to extrusion, rolling, and stamping and other machining processes to form products with the required shape and structure.

[0114] Similarly, before isostatic pressing, in order to increase the connection strength between the plates, a concave-convex structure can be set at the joint between the plates to increase the connection strength between the plates.

[0115] In the above structures, the screen assembly of the refractive electronic device is a bi-fold screen, each including a bending portion and two supporting portions. In addition, the supporting structure of this application can also be used in multi-fold screen assemblies.

[0116] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a foldable electronic device according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the screen assembly in this foldable electronic device is a tri-fold screen. In the tri-fold screen, the support structure at its bottom is a tri-fold support structure. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a support structure according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, the support structure of this embodiment can be used in a tri-fold screen assembly. The support structure of this embodiment may include two bent portions 21. Each bent portion 21 has a support portion 22 on both sides along the first direction, i.e., the x-direction. The two bent portions 21 are connected by a support portion 22. The structures of the bent portions 21 and the support portions 22 can refer to the structures of the bent portions 21 in Embodiments 1 to 4. The structure of the support portion 22 will not be repeated here.

[0117] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the hinge door panel of a foldable electronic device according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, the support structure of this application can be used as the door panel 20a in the foldable electronic device. When used as the door panel 20a, the specific structure of its bending portion 21 and support portion 22 can be referred to the description in Embodiments 1 to 4 of this application, and will not be repeated here.

[0118] The supporting structure of this application exhibits bending performance equivalent to stainless steel, meeting the test requirement of 200,000 bends. Simultaneously, the supporting structure is lighter than stainless steel, significantly reducing its weight and providing technical support for the lightweighting of foldable devices. Furthermore, the supporting structure of this application embodiment also possesses excellent thermal conductivity, with a thermal conductivity greater than or equal to 120 W / mK, which can improve the overall heat dissipation capacity of the device by 1-4 mA / ℃.

[0119] The terminology used in the above embodiments is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” and “this” are intended to also include expressions such as “one or more,” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0120] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0121] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A supporting structural component, characterized in that, The support structure includes a bending portion and a supporting portion. The supporting portion is disposed on both sides of the bending portion along a first direction and is fixedly connected to the bending portion. The first direction is perpendicular to the length direction of the bending portion. In the unfolded state, the bending portion and the supporting portion are coplanar. In the bent state, the bending portion bends and the supporting portions on both sides of the bending portion move closer to each other. The bending portion and the supporting portion are made of different materials. The strength of the bending portion is greater than that of the supporting portion, and the density of the supporting portion is less than that of the bending portion.

2. The supporting structural member according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bent portion and the supporting portion are fixedly connected by co-firing.

3. The supporting structural member according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bent portion and the supporting portion have an overlapping area along the first direction, and a mixed crystalline phase exists in the overlapping area. The mixed crystalline phase includes the crystalline phase precipitated from the bent portion and the crystalline phase precipitated from the supporting portion.

4. The supporting structural member according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The thickness of the supporting structure is ≤0.2mm, the elastic modulus of the bending portion is ≥180GPa, the yield strength is ≥800MPa, and the density of the supporting portion is ≤3.0g / cm³. 3 .

5. The supporting structural member according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The bent part is made of stainless steel plate.

6. The supporting structural member according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The bending section includes multiple block-shaped stainless steel plates and bridging plates. These multiple block-shaped stainless steel plates are arranged sequentially at intervals along the length of the bending section. The bridging plates are disposed between adjacent block-shaped stainless steel plates, and the density of the bridging plates is less than or equal to 3.0 g / cm³. 3 .

7. The supporting structural member according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The support is one of an aluminum plate, an aluminum alloy plate, or an aluminum-based composite material plate.

8. The supporting structural member according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The support portion includes an aluminum-based composite material plate and an aluminum alloy plate. The aluminum alloy plate is disposed between the aluminum-based composite material plate and the bending portion, and is connected to both the aluminum-based composite material plate and the bending portion.

9. The supporting structural member according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The thermal conductivity of the support is ≥120 W / m·K.

10. The supporting structural member according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The supporting structure also includes an auxiliary reinforcing plate, and the bent portion and the supporting portion are respectively disposed on the auxiliary reinforcing plate.

11. The supporting structural member according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The width of the overlap area between the bent portion and the supporting portion along the first direction is less than 300 micrometers.

12. The supporting structural member according to claim 11, characterized in that, The width of the overlapping area is 30-300 micrometers.

13. The supporting structural member according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The overlapping area between the support portion and the bending portion is provided with a concave-convex connection structure.

14. The supporting structural member according to any one of claims 1-13, characterized in that, The bending portion includes at least two, and each bending portion is provided with the support portion on both sides along the first direction.

15. A method for manufacturing a supporting structural member as described in any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, include: The raw materials for the bending part and the supporting part are respectively placed in the forming mold, and pressed into shape using isostatic pressing process to obtain intermediate profile; The material of the bending part is different from that of the supporting part; The intermediate profile is heat-treated to obtain the supporting structural component.

16. The manufacturing method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The heat treatment includes solution treatment and aging treatment.

17. The manufacturing method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The solution treatment temperature is 460-480℃ and the solution treatment time is 1-2h; the aging treatment temperature is 110℃-130℃ and the aging time is 6-40h.

18. The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 15-17, characterized in that, The bending part is made of block material, and the support part is made of powder material; The process of placing the raw materials for the bent portion and the supporting portion into a molding die, and pressing them together using an isostatic pressing process to obtain an intermediate profile includes: The block material of the bending part is placed in the middle of the forming mold, and the powder material of the supporting part is placed on both sides of the block material. After degassing and pressurizing, the intermediate profile is obtained.

19. A foldable electronic device, characterized in that, Includes the support structure as described in any one of claims 1-14.

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