CN113242342A

CN113242342A - Locking mechanism and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN113242342A
Application number: CN202110672216.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周友文; 杨景发
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-17
Filing date: 2021-06-17
Publication date: 2021-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 2041-06-17
Also published as: CN113242342B

Abstract

The application relates to a locking mechanism and electronic equipment, and the electronic equipment comprises a shell assembly, a flexible display screen and a locking mechanism. The shell assembly comprises a first shell and a second shell which is slidably arranged on the first shell. The flexible display screen is arranged on the shell assembly, and at least part of the flexible display screen enters and exits the shell assembly in the process that the second shell slides relative to the first shell. The locking mechanism comprises a connecting piece and a movable assembly, the connecting piece and the second shell are relatively fixed in position, and the connecting piece is provided with at least two positioning structures. In the process that the second shell slides relative to the first shell, at least one of the first shell and the second shell is linked with the movable assembly to drive the movable assembly to move and be clamped on the positioning structure, so that the positions of the first shell and the second shell are relatively fixed. The above electronic device has good impact resistance.

Description

Locking mechanism and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of terminals, in particular to a locking mechanism and electronic equipment.

Background

The flexible screen has the characteristic of a flexible display, which makes it possible to provide an electronic apparatus equipped with a flexible screen that is stretchable. When the flexible screen of the electronic equipment is in a folded state, the electronic equipment has a relatively small overall dimension; when the flexible screen is in the unfolded state, the electronic device has a relatively large display area. Due to the relative movement of at least part of the flexible screen with respect to the housing of the electronic device, the electronic device is susceptible to damage of moving parts when subjected to an impact, such as an accidental drop.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a locking mechanism and electronic equipment to promote electronic equipment's shock resistance.

An electronic device, comprising:

the shell assembly comprises a first shell and a second shell which is slidably arranged on the first shell;

the flexible display screen is arranged on the shell assembly, and at least part of the flexible display screen enters and exits the shell assembly in the process that the second shell slides relative to the first shell; and

the locking mechanism comprises a connecting piece and a movable assembly, the connecting piece and the second shell are relatively fixed in position, and the connecting piece is provided with at least two positioning structures; in the process that the second shell slides relative to the first shell, at least one of the first shell and the second shell is linked with the movable assembly to drive the movable assembly to move and be clamped on the positioning structure, so that the positions of the first shell and the second shell are relatively fixed.

A locking mechanism, comprising:

a first bracket and a second bracket;

the connecting piece is connected to the second bracket and is provided with at least two positioning structures; and

a movable assembly connected between the first bracket and the second bracket;

the second support can be driven to move relative to the first support, and the movable assembly is driven to move relative to the connecting piece to be clamped on the positioning structure, so that the positions of the first support and the second support are relatively fixed.

Above locking mechanism and electronic equipment, locking mechanism's connecting piece and the relative fixed in position of second casing, and the connecting piece is equipped with two at least location structure. In the process that the second shell slides relative to the first shell, at least one of the first shell and the second shell is linked with the movable assembly to drive the movable assembly to move and be clamped on the positioning structure, so that the positions of the first shell and the second shell are relatively fixed. After the positions of the first shell and the second shell are relatively fixed, after the electronic device is impacted, such as accidentally dropped, the matching of the connecting piece and the movable assembly can play an effective locking role, so that the impact force is jointly absorbed by the first shell and the second shell, and other moving parts are prevented from generating large relative movement to protect the moving parts, thereby improving the impact resistance of the electronic device.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an electronic device according to an embodiment, wherein the second housing is in a first position;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an electronic device of an embodiment with a second housing in a second position;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the electronic device shown in FIG. 1 with a portion of the structure removed;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the electronic device shown in FIG. 2 with a portion of the structure removed;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a locking mechanism of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the locking mechanism of the electronic device of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a locking mechanism of an electronic device according to another embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a locking mechanism of an electronic device according to yet another embodiment;

fig. 9 is a schematic view of a lock mechanism of an electronic apparatus according to still another embodiment;

fig. 10 is a schematic view of another perspective of the locking mechanism of the electronic device shown in fig. 5.

Reference numerals:

100. electronic device 10, case assembly 12, first housing

14. Second casing 20, flexible display screen 20a, fixed part

20b, free part 30, guide 40, drive mechanism

41. Motor 43, screw 45, nut

50. Locking mechanism 51, first bracket 51a and limit groove

511. Body 513, baffle 52 and second support

521. Connecting block 53, connecting piece 53a, location structure

53b, connecting groove 53b1, first groove 53b2, second groove

531. Limiting rib 54, movable component 541 and actuating piece

543. Stopper 55, connecting rod 561, first support arm

562. Second support arm 563, third support arm 564, fourth support arm

565. Fifth arm 566, sixth arm 567, seventh arm

568. Eighth support arm 57, linkage

Detailed Description

To facilitate an understanding of the present application, the present application will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the present application are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. This application may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.

As used herein, "electronic device" means a device capable of receiving and/or transmitting communication signals including, but not limited to, a device connected via any one or more of the following connections:

(1) via wireline connections, such as via Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Digital cable, direct cable connections;

(2) via a Wireless interface means such as a cellular Network, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a digital television Network such as a DVB-H Network, a satellite Network, an AM-FM broadcast transmitter.

Electronic devices arranged to communicate over a wireless interface may be referred to as "mobile terminals". Examples of mobile terminals include, but are not limited to, the following electronic devices:

(1) satellite or cellular telephones;

(2) personal Communications Systems (PCS) terminals that may combine cellular radiotelephones with data processing, facsimile, and data Communications capabilities;

(3) radiotelephones, pagers, internet/intranet access, Web browsers, notebooks, calendars, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers;

(4) conventional laptop and/or palmtop receivers;

(5) conventional laptop and/or palmtop radiotelephone transceivers, and the like.

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 3, an electronic device 100 of the present embodiment includes a case assembly 10, a flexible display 20 and a guide 30. The case assembly 10 has a hollow structure, and the flexible display 20, the guide 30, and the like may be provided in the case assembly 10. The electronic device 100 may further include a circuit board (not shown) and a battery (not shown), and both the circuit board and the battery may be disposed on the housing assembly 10. The circuit board may integrate a processor, a power management module, a memory unit, a baseband chip, and the like of the electronic device 100. The flexible display screen 20 is in communication with the circuit board, and the battery can supply power to the flexible display screen 20 and the electronic components on the circuit board. Of course, the electronic device 100 may further include a camera module (not shown) communicatively connected to the circuit board, and the battery can supply power to the camera module. It is understood that the electronic device 100 of the embodiment of the present application includes, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, and other terminal devices or other portable electronic devices 100. In the embodiments of the present application, a mobile phone is taken as an example for description.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, in the present embodiment, the shell assembly 10 includes a first shell 12 and a second shell 14, and the second shell 14 and the first shell 12 are capable of relative movement. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the second housing 14 and the first housing 12 are slidably connected. In other words, the second housing 14 is slidable relative to the first housing 12. For example, one of the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 may be provided with a slide rail, and the other may slide along the slide rail, so that the end of the second housing 14 far from the first housing 12 and the end of the first housing 12 far from the second housing 14 move toward or away from each other.

Further, the second housing 14 is slidable relative to the first housing 12 to a first position and a second position. With reference to fig. 1, when the second housing 14 is in the first position, the electronic device 100 can obtain a relatively large display area, so as to enhance the use experience of the electronic device 100; referring to fig. 2, when the second housing 14 is in the second position, the electronic device 100 has a relatively small external size and is convenient to carry. It is understood that in the embodiments hereinafter described in the present application, the first position, the second position and the like refer to the relative positions of the second housing 14 and the first housing 12. For simplicity, similar expressions that refer to the second housing 14 being in a first position relative to the first housing 12, and that refer to the second housing 14 being in a second position relative to the first housing 12, and that refer to the second housing 14 being in a first position relative to the first housing 12.

In the present embodiment, with the first position as a reference, the positions of the end of the second casing 14 away from the first casing 12 and the end of the first casing 12 away from the second casing 14 can be determined more clearly. Taking fig. 3 as an example, when the second casing 14 is at the first position, the leftmost side of the electronic device 100 in the width direction is the end of the second casing 14 away from the first casing 12, and the rightmost side of the electronic device 100 in the width direction is the end of the first casing 12 away from the second casing 14.

In the present embodiment, when the second housing 14 is in the first position, the overall width of the electronic device 100 is greater than the width in the second position, so that the width dimension of the exposed flexible display 20 is variable. In other words, the electronic apparatus 100 may vary in size in the width direction. In such an embodiment, an interface of the electronic device 100, such as a data line jack or a charging line jack or a headphone jack, may be provided at the end in the width direction. In other embodiments, when the second housing 14 is in the first position, the overall length of the electronic device 100 is greater than the length in the second position, so that the length dimension of the exposed flexible display 20 is variable. In other words, the electronic apparatus 100 may vary in size in the longitudinal direction. In such an embodiment, an interface of the electronic device 100, such as a data line jack or a charging line jack or a headphone jack, may be provided at an end of the length direction.

Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2 again, the flexible display 20 may include a fixed portion 20a and a free portion 20b, which are oppositely disposed, and the fixed portion 20a is disposed on the first housing 12 and is fixed relative to the position of the first housing 12. In the second position, flexible display 20 bypasses guide 30 and free portion 20b of flexible display 20 is received within housing assembly 10 such that a portion of flexible display 20 is hidden from housing assembly 10 and a portion of flexible display 20 hidden from housing assembly 10 may not be used for display. In other words, movement of the first housing 12 relative to the second housing 14 may cause at least a portion of the free portion 20b to deploy from the second housing 14, or cause the free portion 20b deployed from the second housing 14 to retract into the housing assembly 10.

It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the two objects are fixed relative to each other, that is, the two objects cannot move relative to each other under normal conditions, and the two objects fixed relative to each other may be directly connected physically or indirectly connected through an intermediate structure. Taking the fixing portion 20a and the first housing 12 as an example, the position of the fixing portion 20a and the first housing 12 are relatively fixed, the fixing portion 20a may directly contact with the first housing 12, for example, the fixing portion 20a and the first housing 12 are directly fixed by using a threaded fastener or a clamping manner, or the fixing portion 20a and the first housing 12 may be indirectly fixed by using an adhesive layer, an intermediate connecting plate, or other structures.

It is understood that the fixed portion 20a and the free portion 20b can be distinguished in the following manner, referring to fig. 2, when the second housing 14 is located at the second position relative to the first housing 12, the portion of the flexible display 20 exposed outside the housing assembly 10 is the fixed portion 20a of the flexible display 20, and the portion of the flexible display 20 accommodated in the housing assembly 10 is the free portion 20 b. In some embodiments, when the second housing 14 is located at the second position, the fixing portion 20a exposed outside the housing assembly 10 is substantially rectangular, and the size thereof may be 5-6 inches, that is, the size of the display screen of a general smart phone, so that the electronic device 100 is convenient to carry and use.

The second housing 14 may further include a rear cover (not shown) that covers the free portion 20b of the flexible display 20 when in the second position. The rear cover may have a light-transmitting area, and the portion of the flexible display screen 20 accommodated in the housing assembly 10 in the second position may also be used for displaying, so that a user can view information displayed by the flexible display screen 20 from the light-transmitting area, and further expand a use scene of the electronic device 100. For example, in this embodiment, the electronic device 100 can implement functions such as self-shooting, video call, etc. by using the rear camera module 40 without providing a front camera. The light-transmitting area can be formed by transparent glass or an opening of the rear cover. After the second housing 14 is slid to a first position relative to the first housing 12, at least a portion of the flexible display screen 20 housed in the housing assembly 10 is exposed. The exposed flexible display screen 20 can be used for displaying, so that the electronic device 100 has a relatively large display area to enhance the use experience of the user.

With reference to fig. 3, in the present embodiment, the guiding element 30 is disposed at an end of the second casing 14 away from the first casing 12, and the guiding element 30 can guide the flexible display 20 to deform and unfold on the second casing 14 during the process of switching the second casing 14 from the second position to the first position relative to the first casing 12. The guide 30 may limit the bending radius of the flexible display 20 within a suitable range to avoid damage to the flexible display 20 due to an excessively small bending radius. Of course, the guide 30 can also avoid the thickness of the electronic device 100 from being too large due to too large bending radius of the flexible display 20.

In some embodiments, the guide 30 may be a shaft structure with convex teeth, and the flexible display 20 is coupled with the guide 30 by engaging or the like. When the second housing 14 slides relative to the first housing 12, the portion of the flexible display screen 20 engaged with the guide member 30 is moved by the guide member 30 and is deployed or retracted into the case assembly 10.

In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the guide 30 is a circular shaft without teeth. During the process of switching the second housing 14 from the second position to the first position, the portion of the flexible display screen 20 attached to the guide 30 is spread by the guide 30, so that more of the flexible display screen 20 is exposed outside the shell assembly 10 and is in a flat state. In this embodiment, the guide 30 may be rotatably disposed on the second housing 14, and during the gradual unfolding of the flexible display screen 20, the guide 30 may rotate along with the movement of the flexible display screen 20, so as to reduce the resistance of the flexible display screen 20 during the unfolding process and reduce the wear of the contact portion of the guide 30 and the flexible display screen 20.

In other embodiments, the guide 30 may also be fixed to the second housing 14, with the guide 30 having a smooth surface. The guide 30 is in slidable contact with the flexible display 20 through its smooth surface during the process of unfolding the flexible display 20 into the second housing 14. In other words, in this embodiment, the guide member 30 may be integrally formed with the second housing 14 or welded, the guide member 30 may be regarded as a part of the second housing 14, and the free portion 20b of the flexible display screen 20 bypasses an end of the second housing 14 far from the first housing 12 and protrudes into the case assembly 10.

During the process of switching the second housing 14 from the first position to the second position, the flexible display 20 can be retracted by the guide 30, i.e. the portion of the flexible display 20 that is deployed in the second housing 14 is retracted into the case assembly 10. Referring to fig. 3, the electronic device 100 may include a driving mechanism 40, the driving mechanism 40 may be disposed in the housing assembly 10, and the driving mechanism 40 may be coupled to the first housing 12 or the second housing 14 to drive the second housing 14 to move relative to the first housing 12, so as to drive the flexible display 20 to extend or retract. In some embodiments, the driving mechanism 40 employs a screw transmission mechanism, i.e., the driving mechanism 40 may include a motor 41 connected to the circuit board in communication, a screw 43 linked to an output end of the motor 41, and a nut 45 screw-driven with the screw 43. The motor 41 may be coupled to the first housing 12 and the nut 45 may be coupled to the second housing 14 to facilitate movement of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing via the drive mechanism 40. In other embodiments, the driving mechanism 40 may also be a gear transmission mechanism, for example, a rack gear is driven by a gear to move, so that the second housing 14 can move relative to the first housing. It will be appreciated that the drive mechanism 40 may be omitted and the user may directly, manually or the like, move the second housing 14 and the first housing 12 relative to one another.

It is understood that, in the present embodiment, the first position and the second position can be regarded as two extreme positions of the movement of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12. In the first position, the display area of the flexible display 20 reaches a maximum, and under normal conditions, the second housing 14 can no longer move relatively far away from the first housing 12. In the second position, the display area of the flexible display 20 is minimized, and the second housing 14 can no longer move closer to the first housing 12 under normal conditions. The first and second positions may be achieved by providing a locking mechanism 50.

It is understood that a plurality of intermediate positions may be further disposed between the first position and the second position to achieve the positioning of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12 at the plurality of intermediate positions, and to enable the flexible display 20 to have different display areas at different intermediate positions, thereby expanding the use scene of the electronic device 100. A plurality of intermediate positions may also be achieved using the locking mechanism 50.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, the locking mechanism 50 includes a first bracket 51, a second bracket 52, a link 53, and a movable assembly 54. The first bracket 51 and the second bracket 52 are substantially rod-shaped, and the longitudinal direction of the first bracket 51 and the longitudinal direction of the second bracket 52 may be perpendicular to the sliding direction of the second housing 14 with respect to the first housing. The first bracket 51 is connected to the first casing 12, the second bracket 52 is connected to the second casing 14, the connecting member 53 is connected to the second bracket 52 and fixed relative to the second casing 14, and the connecting member 53 is connected to the output end of the driving mechanism 40. For example, in embodiments where the drive mechanism 40 employs a threaded drive mechanism, the connector 53 is coupled to the nut 45. The driving mechanism 40 can drive the second bracket 52 to move along the length direction of the screw 43 through the nut 45, thereby driving the second housing 14 to move relative to the first housing 12.

The movable member 54 is connected between the first bracket 51 and the second bracket 52, and is used to switch between a contracted state and a released state. In an embodiment, the movable assembly 54 includes an actuating member 541 and a limiting block 543 driven by the actuating member 541 to move telescopically. Illustratively, the actuating member 541 is an electromagnet, the electromagnet attracts the limit block 543 when powered on, and the limit block 543 is in a retracted state; when the electromagnet is powered off, the limiting block 543 can reset through the spring, the elastic sheet and the like, and is in a releasing state. In other embodiments, the actuating member 541 can be replaced by a piezoelectric ceramic member, a magnetostrictive member, etc., and such embodiments can also switch the position-limiting block 543 between the retracted state and the released state.

When the movable element 54 is in the retracted state, the driving mechanism 40 can drive the second bracket 52 to move relative to the first bracket 51, thereby realizing the movement of the movable element 54 relative to the connecting element 53. The movable element 54 in the contracted state can avoid contacting the connecting element 53, thereby preventing interference with the movement of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12 and increasing the sliding resistance of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12. When the second housing 14 moves to a predetermined position relative to the first housing 12, such as the first position, the second position, or another predetermined position between the first position and the second position, the limiting block 543 of the movable assembly 54 may be released, so that the movable assembly 54 is in a released state.

At least two positioning structures 53a may be disposed on the connecting member 53, and the positioning structures 53a may be, but are not limited to, through holes, blind holes, or grooves. The stop 543 of the movable assembly 54 in the released state can be engaged with the positioning structure 53a, so that the positions of the first bracket 51 and the second bracket 52 are relatively fixed, and further the position of the second housing 14 and the position of the first housing 12 are relatively fixed. In other words, in the process that the second housing 14 slides relative to the first housing 12, at least one of the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 is linked with the movable element 54 to drive the movable element 54 to move and be engaged with the positioning structure 53a, so that the positions of the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 are relatively fixed. After the position of the second housing 14 is fixed relative to the position of the first housing 12, and the electronic device is impacted, for example, accidentally dropped, the engagement between the connecting member 53 and the movable assembly 54 can effectively lock, so that the impact force is absorbed by the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 together, the second housing 14 is prevented from moving to the second position easily due to the impact force, and other moving components are prevented from moving relatively greatly to protect the moving components, thereby improving the impact resistance of the electronic device.

With continued reference to fig. 6, the end of the link member 53 for connection with the second bracket 52 may be provided with a connection groove 53b, and the connection groove 53b may include a first groove 53b1 and a second groove 53b2 that communicate with each other. In the sliding direction of the first housing 12 relative to the second housing 14, the width of the first groove 53b1 is larger than the width of the second groove 53b2, and the second groove 53b2 extends to the edge of the connecting member 53. The second frame 52 is provided with a connection block 521, the connection block 521 can be regarded as a part of the second frame 52, the shape of the connection block 521 matches with the shape of the connection slot 53b, and the connection block 521 is embedded in the connection slot 53 b. The structure can improve the connection reliability of the connecting piece 53 and the second bracket 52, and in the process of pushing and pulling the second bracket 52 by the connecting piece 53, the acting force of the connecting piece 53 on the second bracket 52 can be shared by the matching of the connecting block 521 and the connecting groove 53b, so that the reliability of the connection structure of the connecting piece 53 and the second bracket 52 is ensured, and the locking mechanism 50 is prevented from being reduced due to the loosening of the connection structure.

It can be understood that the arrangement of the first bracket 51 and the second bracket 52 also facilitates the assembly and modular design of the entire locking mechanism 50, so that the locking mechanism 50 can be assembled as a separate component to be assembled with the first housing 12 and the second housing 14, thereby improving the assembly efficiency of the electronic device 100 and improving the versatility of the locking mechanism 50. Of course, the first bracket 51 and the second bracket 52 are not necessary, the connecting member 53 may be directly connected to the second housing 14, and the movable member 54 may be connected to the first housing 12 and the second housing 14.

The locking mechanism 50 may include a link 55, a first arm 561, a second arm 562, a third arm 563, and a fourth arm 564, wherein the first arm 561, the second arm 562, the third arm 563, the fourth arm 564, and the link 55 are disposed on the same side of the connecting member 53, the link 55 is disposed between the first bracket 51 and the second bracket 52, and the movable member 54 is disposed on the link 55. The first support arm 561 and the third support arm 563 are disposed in parallel and at an interval on the same side of the connecting rod 55, one end of the first support arm 561 and one end of the third support arm 563 are rotatably connected to the first bracket 51, and the other end of the first support arm 561 and the other end of the third support arm 563 are rotatably connected to the connecting rod 55. Second arm 562 and fourth arm 564 are disposed in parallel and spaced apart from each other on the opposite side of link 55, one end of second arm 562 and one end of fourth arm 564 are rotatably connected to second frame 52, and the other end of second arm 562 and the other end of fourth arm 564 are rotatably connected to link 55. During the process of moving the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12, the second frame 52 drives the first arm 561, the second arm 562, the third arm 563 and the fourth arm 564 to swing, and drives the link 55 and the movable assembly 54 in the retracted state to move relative to the connecting member 53, and the swing directions of the first arm 561, the third arm 563 relative to the link 55 are the same, and the swing directions of the second arm 562 and the fourth arm 564 relative to the link 55 are the same. In the process of moving relative to the connecting member 53, the length direction of the connecting rod 55 can be kept parallel to the length directions of the first bracket 51 and the second bracket 52, so as to simplify the movement track of the limiting block 543, and facilitate the arrangement of the positioning structure 53 a.

The link 55 is arranged to achieve synchronous movement of the first arm 561, the second arm 562, the third arm 563 and the fourth arm 564, i.e. during sliding of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12, the first arm 561, the second arm 562, the third arm 563 and the fourth arm 564 may be regarded as having no time difference. This arrangement also makes use of the characteristics of the parallelogram mechanism to improve the stability of the movement of the first arm 561, the second arm 562, the third arm 563, the fourth arm 564, the first frame 51, and the second frame 52, and to prevent the second frame 52 from being deflected during the movement relative to the first frame 51.

Referring to fig. 5, when the second housing 14 slides to the first housing 12 to the first position, the stop 543 of the movable assembly 54 may be engaged with the positioning structure 53a closest to the first housing 12 (or the first bracket 51). At this time, an included angle between the first arm 561 and the second arm 562 may be an obtuse angle, and an included angle between the third arm 563 and the fourth arm 564 may also be an obtuse angle, so as to prevent the first arm 561 and the second arm 562 from being self-locked, and prevent the third arm 563 and the fourth arm 564 from being self-locked, so as to improve the smoothness of the movement. Referring to fig. 7, when the second housing 14 is in the second position, the stop 543 of the movable assembly 54 is engaged with the positioning structure 53a closest to the second housing 14 (or the second bracket 52), the first arm 561 and the second arm 562 can be overlapped in parallel on two opposite sides of the link 55, and the third arm 563 and the fourth arm 564 can also be overlapped in parallel on two opposite sides of the link 55, so that the entire locking mechanism 50 is compact. Referring to fig. 8 and 9, when the second housing slides to an intermediate position between the first position and the second position relative to the first housing, the stop blocks 543 of the movable assembly 54 can be engaged with the other positioning structures 53a on the connecting member 53, so as to fix the positions of the second housing 14 and the first housing 12 relatively.

Of course, it is understood that one of first arm 561 and third arm 563 may be absent and one of second arm 562 and fourth arm 564 may be absent. For example, the first arm 561 and the second arm 562 of the locking mechanism 50 can be used to move the connecting rod 55, the stopper 543 and the actuating member 541 relative to the connecting member 53, so that the third arm 563 and the fourth arm 564 can be omitted.

With continued reference to fig. 9, the locking mechanism 50 may further include a fifth arm 565, a sixth arm 566, a seventh arm 567, an eighth arm 568 and a linkage 57, wherein the fifth arm 565, the sixth arm 566, the seventh arm 567, the eighth arm 568 and the linkage 57 are disposed on the same side of the connecting member 53, and the fifth arm 565 and the first arm 561 are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the connecting member 53. In other words, in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the second casing 14 relative to the first casing 12, the first arm 561 to the fourth arm 564 are located on one side of the link 53, and the fifth arm 565 to the eighth arm 568 are located on the opposite side of the link 53. The linkage 57 is similar to the link 55 in shape, the fifth arm 565 and the seventh arm 567 are parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other on the same side of the linkage 57, one end of the fifth arm 565 and one end of the seventh arm 567 are rotatably connected to the first bracket 51, and the other end of the fifth arm 565 and the other end of the seventh arm 567 are rotatably connected to the linkage 57. The sixth arm 566 and the eighth arm 568 are disposed in parallel and spaced apart from each other on the opposite side of the link 57, one end of the sixth arm 566 and one end of the eighth arm 568 are rotatably connected to the second bracket 52, and the other end of the sixth arm 566 and the other end of the eighth arm 568 are rotatably connected to the link 57.

During the process of moving the first frame 51 relative to the second frame 52, the second frame 52 drives the fifth arm 565, the sixth arm 566, the seventh arm 567 and the eighth arm 568 to swing, and drives the link 57 to move relative to the connecting member 53, the link 57 is parallel to the first frame 51 and the second frame 52, and the swinging direction of the first arm 561 relative to the first frame 51 is opposite to the swinging direction of the fifth arm 565 relative to the first frame 51. For example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 9, when the second frame 52 is relatively far away from the first frame 51, the first arm 561 swings clockwise relative to the first frame 51, and the fifth arm 565 swings counterclockwise relative to the first frame 51; when the second frame 52 is relatively close to the first frame 51, the first arm 561 swings counterclockwise relative to the first frame 51, and the fifth arm 565 swings clockwise relative to the first frame 51.

The linkage 57 is arranged to achieve synchronous movement of the fifth arm 565, the sixth arm 566, the seventh arm 567 and the eighth arm 568, i.e. during sliding of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12, the fifth arm 565, the sixth arm 566, the seventh arm 567 and the eighth arm 568 swing without time difference. This arrangement also makes use of the parallelogram mechanism characteristics to improve the stability of the movement of the fifth arm 565, sixth arm 566, seventh arm 567, eighth arm 568, first support 51 and second support 52 and to prevent the second support 52 from deflecting during movement relative to the first support 51.

When the second housing 14 slides to the first housing 12 to the first position, the limit block 543 of the movable assembly 54 is engaged with the positioning structure 53a closest to the first housing 12 (or the first bracket 51), at this time, an included angle between the fifth arm 565 and the sixth arm 566 may be an obtuse angle, and an included angle between the seventh arm 567 and the eighth arm 568 may also be an obtuse angle, so as to prevent the fifth arm 565 and the sixth arm 566 from being self-locked, and prevent the seventh arm 567 and the eighth arm 568 from being self-locked, so as to improve the smoothness of the movement. When the second housing 14 is in the second position, the limit blocks 543 of the movable assembly 54 are engaged with the positioning structures 53a closest to the second housing 14 (or the second bracket 52), the fifth arm 565 and the sixth arm 566 may be overlapped in parallel on two opposite sides of the linking member 57, and the seventh arm 567 and the eighth arm 568 may be overlapped in parallel on two opposite sides of the linking member 57, so that the structure of the locking mechanism 50 is compact.

Of course, it is understood that one of the fifth arm 565 and the seventh arm 567 may be absent and one of the sixth arm 566 and the eighth arm 568 may be absent. For example, the movement of the linkage 57 may be accomplished by the fifth arm 565 and the sixth arm 566 of the locking mechanism 50, and thus the seventh arm 567 and the eighth arm 568 may be absent.

With reference to fig. 10, the first bracket 51 may have a limiting groove 51a, the connecting element 53 is disposed in the limiting groove 51a, and the limiting groove 51a may guide and limit the movement of the connecting element 53 at least in the thickness direction of the electronic device 100, so as to prevent the connecting element 53 from deviating during the movement. Of course, the limiting groove 51a can also be used for guiding and limiting the connecting element 53 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12, so as to further improve the motion smoothness of the connecting element 53.

In some embodiments, the first bracket 51 includes a body 511 and a baffle 513, and the baffle 513 is detachably connected to the body 511 and encloses with the body 511 to form a limiting groove 51 a. For example, the blocking plate 513 may be detachably connected to the body 511 by a threaded fastener, or may be detachably connected to the body 511 by a snap-fit connection, or the like. This arrangement facilitates assembly, disassembly, and maintenance of the locking mechanism 50. The body 511 is connected to the first housing 12, and the first arm 561, the third arm 563, the fifth arm 565, and the seventh arm 567 are rotatably connected to the body 511.

Referring to fig. 10, in some embodiments, the connecting member 53 may further be provided with a limiting rib 531, and the limiting rib 531 may be regarded as a part of the connecting member 53. At the side of the connecting member 53 where the limiting rib 531 is provided, the portion of the connecting member 53 other than the limiting rib 531 may form a flat surface from which the limiting rib 531 protrudes. The limiting rib 531 may be configured to abut against a groove wall of the limiting groove 51a to limit a moving range of the connecting member 53 in the first bracket 51. For example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 10, the stopper rib 531 is provided at an end of the connecting member 53 remote from the second bracket 52. When the second housing 14 moves to the first position relative to the first housing 12, the limiting rib 531 abuts against the first bracket 51 at the limiting groove 51a, so as to limit the moving range of the connecting member 53 and also limit the moving range of the second housing 14.

The technical features of the embodiments described above may be arbitrarily combined, and for the sake of brevity, all possible combinations of the technical features in the embodiments described above are not described, but should be considered as being within the scope of the present specification as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express several embodiments of the present application, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but not construed as limiting the claims. It should be noted that, for a person skilled in the art, several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, which falls within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the movable assembly is configured to switch between a retracted state and a released state, and during a process of sliding the second housing relative to the first housing, the shell assembly drives the movable assembly in the retracted state to move relative to the connecting member, and the movable assembly in the released state is configured to engage with the positioning structure.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the flexible display screen comprises a fixed portion and a free portion disposed opposite to each other, the fixed portion being connected to the first housing; the second shell can slide to a first position and a second position relative to the first shell; when the movable assembly is at the first position, the free part is accommodated in the shell assembly, and the movable assembly is clamped with one of the positioning structures; when the movable component is in the second position, at least part of the free part is unfolded from the second shell, and the movable component is clamped with the other positioning structure.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the movable assembly comprises an actuating member and a stopper, the actuating member is used for driving the stopper to move telescopically so as to switch the movable assembly between the retracted state and the released state, and the stopper is used for being engaged with the positioning structure.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a first bracket and a second bracket, and a connecting rod disposed between the first bracket and the second bracket, the first bracket is connected to the first housing, the second bracket is connected to the second housing, the connecting member is connected to the second bracket, and the actuating member and the stopper are disposed on the connecting rod; in the process that the second shell slides relative to the first shell, the second support moves relative to the first support and drives the connecting rod to move relative to the connecting piece.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a first arm and a second arm, one end of the first arm and one end of the second arm are respectively rotatably connected to the connecting rod, the other end of the first arm is rotatably connected to the first bracket, and the other end of the second arm is rotatably connected to the second bracket; in the process that the second shell slides relative to the first shell, the second support drives the first support arm and the second support arm to swing and drives the connecting rod to move relative to the connecting piece.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a third arm and a fourth arm, the third arm is parallel to the first arm and is spaced apart from the first arm on the same side of the connecting rod, the fourth arm is parallel to the second arm and is spaced apart from the second arm on the opposite side of the connecting rod, one end of the third arm and one end of the fourth arm are respectively rotatably connected to the connecting rod, the other end of the third arm is rotatably connected to the first bracket, and the other end of the fourth arm is rotatably connected to the second bracket; the connecting rod is parallel to the first bracket and the second bracket in the process of sliding the second housing relative to the first housing.

8. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the first bracket has a limiting groove, and the connecting member is inserted into the limiting groove; the connecting piece is provided with a limiting rib, and the limiting rib is used for abutting against the groove wall of the limiting groove so as to limit the moving range of the connecting piece on the first support.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the first bracket comprises a body and a baffle, the baffle is detachably connected to the body and encloses with the body to form the limiting groove, and the body is connected to the first housing.

10. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a fifth arm, a sixth arm, a seventh arm, an eighth arm, and a linkage member, and the linkage member and the connecting rod are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the connecting member; the fifth support arm and the seventh support arm are arranged in parallel and at intervals on the same side of the linkage piece, one end of the fifth support arm and one end of the seventh support arm are rotatably connected to the first support, and the other end of the fifth support arm and the other end of the seventh support arm are rotatably connected to the linkage piece; the sixth support arm and the eighth support arm are arranged on the other opposite side of the linkage part in parallel at intervals, one end of the sixth support arm and one end of the eighth support arm are rotatably connected to the second support frame, and the other end of the sixth support arm and the other end of the eighth support arm are rotatably connected to the linkage part; in the process that the second shell slides relative to the first shell, the second support drives the fifth support arm, the sixth support arm, the seventh support arm and the eighth support arm to swing and drives the linkage piece to move relative to the connecting piece, the linkage piece is parallel to the first support and the second support, and the swinging direction of the first support arm relative to the first support is opposite to the swinging direction of the fifth support arm relative to the first support.

11. The electronic device according to any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the connecting member is provided with a connecting groove including a first groove and a second groove communicating with each other, a width of the first groove is larger than a width of the second groove in a sliding direction of the first housing with respect to the second housing, and the second groove extends to an edge of the connecting member; the second support is provided with a connecting block, the shape of the connecting block is matched with that of the connecting groove, and the connecting block is embedded in the connecting groove.

12. A locking mechanism, comprising:

a first bracket and a second bracket;

a movable assembly connected between the first bracket and the second bracket;

13. The locking mechanism of claim 12, wherein the movable assembly includes an actuating member and a stop block, the actuating member being configured to actuate the stop block in a telescoping movement to switch the movable assembly between the retracted state and the released state; in the process that the second support moves relative to the first support, the second support drives the movable assembly in the contraction state to move relative to the connecting piece, and the movable assembly in the release state is used for being clamped with the positioning structure.

14. The latch mechanism of claim 13, wherein the latch mechanism includes a link, a first arm, a second arm, a third arm, and a fourth arm, the movable member being disposed on the link; the first support arm and the third support arm are arranged in parallel at intervals on the same side of the connecting rod, one end of the first support arm and one end of the third support arm are rotatably connected to the first support, and the other end of the first support arm and the other end of the third support arm are rotatably connected to the connecting rod; the second support arm and the fourth support arm are arranged on the other opposite side of the connecting rod in parallel at intervals, one end of the second support arm and one end of the fourth support arm are rotatably connected to the second support, and the other end of the second support arm and the other end of the fourth support arm are rotatably connected to the connecting rod; in the process that the first support moves relative to the second support, the second support drives the first support arm, the second support arm, the third support arm and the fourth support arm to swing, and drives the connecting rod and the movable assembly in the contraction state to move relative to the connecting piece.

15. The latch mechanism of claim 14, wherein the latch mechanism includes a fifth arm, a sixth arm, a seventh arm, an eighth arm, and a linkage, the linkage and the linkage being disposed on opposite sides of the connecting member; the fifth support arm and the seventh support arm are arranged in parallel and at intervals on the same side of the linkage piece, one end of the fifth support arm and one end of the seventh support arm are rotatably connected to the first support, and the other end of the fifth support arm and the other end of the seventh support arm are rotatably connected to the linkage piece; the sixth support arm and the eighth support arm are arranged on the other opposite side of the linkage part in parallel at intervals, one end of the sixth support arm and one end of the eighth support arm are rotatably connected to the second support frame, and the other end of the sixth support arm and the other end of the eighth support arm are rotatably connected to the linkage part; in the process that the second support moves relative to the first support, the second support drives the fifth support arm, the sixth support arm, the seventh support arm and the eighth support arm to swing and drives the linkage piece to move relative to the connecting piece, the linkage piece is parallel to the first support and the second support, and the swinging direction of the first support arm relative to the first support is opposite to the swinging direction of the fifth support arm relative to the first support.