Foldable Phone Hinge Mechanism Without Springs for Thin Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing folding mechanisms for foldable mobile phones occupy significant space in the thickness direction due to the need for a spring, which limits the device's compactness when folded.
Innovation Solution
A folding mechanism that utilizes swing arms and a support body with grooves, eliminating the need for a spring by using rotating bodies to provide force for unfolding and folding, thereby reducing the thickness occupation and enhancing support for the flexible display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a spring is used to compress and drive the lifting door plate to descend, then the folding mechanism can avoid rounded corners during folding, but the folding mechanism occupies large space in the thickness direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the spring component from the folding mechanism. Instead of using a spring to provide the driving force for the lifting door plate, the invention uses a rotating arm that directly drives the lifting door plate through rotational motion, thereby eliminating the space occupied by the compressed spring in the thickness direction while maintaining the function of avoiding rounded corners during folding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional spring-driven mechanism by using a rotating arm that moves in the opposite direction (upward rotation) to drive the lifting door plate. This inversion allows the mechanism to achieve the same protective function (avoiding rounded corners) without requiring the space-consuming compressed spring structure.
2Force
If the spring is compressed to maximum compression amount, then the lifting door plate can be driven effectively, but a specific space needs to be occupied which increases the overall thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the spring component entirely from the system. The rotating arm provides the necessary driving force through its rotational motion and mechanical connection to the lifting door plate, eliminating the need for spring compression space while maintaining effective force transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a linear compression mechanism (spring) to a rotational mechanism (rotating arm). By changing the dimension of motion from linear compression to rotational movement, the system achieves the same driving function without occupying space in the thickness direction, effectively moving the mechanism to a different dimensional plane.
Data Source
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AI summary
This application provides a folding mechanism and a terminal device, and relates to the field of terminal technologies. The folding mechanism includes a base, a support body, a first swing arm, and a second swing arm. The support body is connected to the base, the support body may move toward or away from the base, and the support body is provided with a first groove and a second groove that are corresponding to each other in position. The first swing arm includes a first rotating portion and a first rotating body fastened to the first rotating portion. A part of the first rotating body extends into the first groove, and the first rotating body is configured to provide a force for the support body in a rotation process, so that the support body moves toward or away from the base. The second swing arm includes a second rotating portion and a second rotating portion fastened to the second rotating portion. A part of the second rotating portion extends into the second groove, and the second rotating portion is configured to provide a force for the support body in a rotation process, so that the support body moves toward or away from the base. In this application, space occupied by a folding mechanism in a thickness direction of a foldable mobile phone can be reduced.