Foldable Screen Rotation Shaft Mechanism for Smooth Folding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Foldable mobile terminals face issues such as screen damage and unsmooth sliding at the bending position, leading to poor user experience.

Innovation Solution

A rotation shaft mechanism for foldable screens, combined with a slide rail and booster mechanism, ensures smooth sliding and reduces screen wear by hiding the extra screen portion during folding, maintaining display quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of moving object

If a foldable screen structure is adopted to enable large screen display, then the screen display area is improved, but the screen is easily damaged at the bending position

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvescreen display areaVSAvoidscreen durability at bending position
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A rotation shaft mechanism is introduced as an intermediary component between the screen and the housing. This mechanism includes a rotation shaft that rotates within a housing, with a bearing supporting the rotation shaft. The bearing acts as a mediator to reduce friction and wear between the screen and the housing during bending, preventing direct contact and damage to the screen at the bending position.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the screen is made foldable to improve portability, then the device portability is improved, but the screen sliding is unsmooth and wrinkles occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice portabilityVSAvoidscreen sliding smoothness
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The bearing serves as an intermediary component that facilitates smooth rotation of the rotation shaft. By supporting the rotation shaft with a bearing, friction between the screen and housing is significantly reduced, enabling smooth screen sliding during folding and unfolding operations, thereby eliminating wrinkles and improving ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The rotation shaft mechanism enables dynamic folding and unfolding movements of the screen. The rotation shaft can rotate freely within the housing around a rotation axis, allowing the screen to transition smoothly between different states (folded and unfolded) without rigid constraints that would cause friction and wrinkles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If the rotation shaft mechanism is added to prevent screen damage, then the screen reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvescreen durabilityVSAvoidmechanism structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The protection mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: a rotation shaft for rotation, a bearing for supporting the rotation shaft, and a housing for containing the mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall simplicity. The rotation shaft handles rotation, the bearing handles friction reduction, and the housing provides structural containment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4068737B1Rotating shaft mechanism for folding screen, folding screen assembly and foldable mobile terminal
Publication Date: 2025.09.03 HUIZHOU TCL MOBILE COMM CO LTD
  • EP4068737B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4068737B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4068737B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The present application provides a rotation shaft mechanism for a foldable screen, a foldable screen assembly, and a foldable mobile terminal. The present application can make the foldable screen of the foldable terminal work more reliably and smoothly. It has outstanding advantages of simpler structure, easy implementation, low cost, strong reliability, long lifespan, and more application fields, and can be widely used in foldable mobile terminals.