CN114401328A

CN114401328A - Inner folding flexible screen supporting device and foldable electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN114401328A
Application number: CN202210068032.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 许少鹏; 刘泰洋
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2022-01-20
Filing date: 2022-01-20
Publication date: 2022-04-26

Abstract

The application provides an inner folding flexible screen supporting device and a foldable electronic device, wherein the inner folding flexible screen supporting device comprises a first shell, a second shell and a folding mechanism, the folding mechanism comprises a screen supporting component and a follow-up supporting component, a first side part of the screen supporting component is connected to the first shell in a sliding mode, and a second side part of the screen supporting component is connected to the second shell in a sliding mode; the follow-up support assembly comprises a first support plate and a second support plate, the first support plate is connected to the first side part and extends towards the second side part, and the second support plate is connected to the second side part and extends towards the first side part; the screen supporting assembly is in a bent state when the first shell and the second shell are folded relatively, and is in a flattened state when the first shell and the second shell are flattened relatively. The application provides a screen supporting component can be complete cover the bending section of flexible screen to support the screen supporting component through the follow-up supporting component, can provide effective and firm comprehensive support for the flexible screen.

Description

Inner folding flexible screen supporting device and foldable electronic equipment

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of electronic equipment, in particular to an inner folding flexible screen supporting device and foldable electronic equipment.

Background

Flexible screens have been developed in recent years as an important application technology of Organic Light-Emitting diodes (OLEDs). Compared with the traditional screen, the flexible screen has remarkable advantages, such as lighter and thinner volume and lower power consumption, and due to the characteristics of flexibility, flexibility and the like, the application scenes of the flexible screen are more and more extensive.

The related art provides some folding mobile terminals based on flexible screens, which mainly include two schemes of folding the screen inwards and folding the screen outwards. The inward folding has the advantage that the shell can effectively protect the screen and reduce the influence of external impact, abrasion and the like. The outward folding has the advantages that the bending R angle of the flexible screen is not required to be too small, the screen is not required to be unfolded when the half screen is used, the screen is exposed, and the flexible wear-resistant material is immature at present, so that the scratch resistance of the screen is weak, and scratches or bruises are easily generated. The inward-folding flexible screen mainly comprises a U-shaped scheme and a water drop-shaped scheme, however, the flexible screen is not completely supported at the bending sections of the U-shaped scheme and the water drop-shaped scheme, and the reliability of the flexible screen is reduced. When the mobile terminal falls or the bending section is collided, the unprotected part of the bending section is easily damaged to generate bad phenomena such as screen lines, black clusters and the like.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present application is to provide an inner folding flexible screen supporting device and a foldable electronic device, so as to solve the above problems. The present application achieves the above object by the following technical solutions.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an inner folding flexible screen supporting device, which includes a first casing, a second casing, and a folding mechanism, where the folding mechanism includes a screen supporting component and a follow-up supporting component, the screen supporting component includes a first side portion and a second side portion, the first side portion is slidably connected to the first casing, and the second side portion is slidably connected to the second casing; the follow-up support component comprises a first support plate and a second support plate, wherein the first support plate is connected to the first side part and extends towards the second side part; the second support plate is connected to the second side part and extends towards the first side part; the first shell and the second shell can be folded or unfolded relatively, the screen supporting assembly is in a bent state when the first shell and the second shell are folded relatively, and is in an unfolded state when the first shell and the second shell are unfolded relatively.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a foldable electronic device, including a flexible screen and an inner folding flexible screen supporting device, where the inner folding flexible screen supporting device includes a first housing, a second housing, and a folding mechanism; the folding mechanism comprises a screen supporting component and a follow-up supporting component, wherein the screen supporting component comprises a first side part and a second side part which are opposite, the first side part is slidably connected with the first shell, and the second side part is slidably connected with the second shell; the follow-up support component comprises a first support plate and a second support plate, wherein the first support plate is connected to the first side part and extends towards the second side part; the second support plate is connected to the second side part and extends towards the first side part; the flexible screen comprises a first fixing section, a second fixing section and a bending section connected between the first fixing section and the second fixing section, the first fixing section is connected to the first shell, the second fixing section is connected to the second shell, and the bending section is connected to the screen supporting assembly; the first shell and the second shell can be folded or unfolded relatively, the screen supporting component drives the bending section to be in a bending state when the first shell and the second shell are folded relatively, and the screen supporting component is in an unfolding state when the first shell and the second shell are unfolded relatively.

The embodiment of the application provides an interior folding flexible screen strutting arrangement and collapsible electronic equipment, through the screen supporting component of sliding connection between first casing and second casing, the bending section of flexible screen that covers that can be complete to support the screen supporting component through first backup pad and second backup pad, can improve the horizontal support rigidity and the roughness of screen supporting component, thereby provide effective and firm comprehensive support for the flexible screen.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the application, and that for a person skilled in the art, other drawings can be derived from them without inventive effort.

Fig. 1 is a partial side view of a flexible screen of a U-fold solution provided by the related art.

Fig. 2 is a partial side view of a flexible screen in a drop-in version provided by the related art.

Fig. 3 is a partial side view of a foldable electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application in a flattened state.

Fig. 4 is a partial side view of the embodiment of fig. 3 with the flexible screen in a flexed position.

Fig. 5 is a partial side view of the foldable electronic device in the folded state in the embodiment shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a partial side view of the foldable electronic device in the embodiment of fig. 3 in a relatively folded state.

Fig. 7 is a partial schematic view of the embodiment of fig. 3 with the flexible screen and folding mechanism in a folded position.

Figure 8 is a partial side view of the flexible screen and folding mechanism of the embodiment of figure 3 in a flexed position.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view of the support sheet in the embodiment of fig. 3.

Fig. 10 is a partial side view of the support sheet and the connecting rod in a bent state in the embodiment of fig. 3.

Fig. 11 is a schematic structural view of the connecting rod in the embodiment shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a support sheet in a foldable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 13 is a schematic structural view of the connecting rod in the embodiment of fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a partial side view of the foldable electronic device in the folded state in the embodiment shown in fig. 3.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar function throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are illustrative and are only for the purpose of explaining the present application and are not to be construed as limiting the present application.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the flexible screen 100 mainly includes a U-shape (see fig. 1) and a water drop-shape (see fig. 2). The bend R angle of the U-shaped solution can be made smaller, with the disadvantage of deeper fold after unfolding. The rotating shaft of the water drop type scheme is more complex in design, the motion trail requirement is more precise, and the crease is relatively shallow. However, in any form, if the local stress of the screen is too large during the bending process, the screen is prone to be damaged and delaminated, and therefore, the screen track design in the bending area is one of the important technologies for folding the screen.

In the related art, the flexible screen 100 is not completely supported at the bending section, and is generally supported only by the flat plate at a local position of the bending section. The supporting mode reduces the reliability of the flexible screen 100, and when the flexible screen 100 falls or is collided, the area which is not protected by the bending section is easily damaged to generate the bad phenomena of screen lines, black lumps and the like.

In view of the above, after a great deal of research, the inventor proposes an inner folding flexible screen supporting device and a foldable electronic device, which can be completely laid on a bending section of a flexible screen by a screen supporting component slidably connected between a first casing and a second casing, and can improve horizontal supporting rigidity and flatness of the screen supporting component by supporting the screen supporting component by a first supporting plate and a second supporting plate, thereby providing effective and stable overall support for the flexible screen.

In order to make the technical solutions better understood by those skilled in the art, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It is to be understood that the embodiments described are only a few embodiments of the present application and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

In order to better understand the inner folding flexible screen supporting device and the foldable electronic device provided in the embodiments of the present application, the foldable electronic device provided in the embodiments of the present application will be described below, and the foldable electronic device includes the inner folding flexible screen supporting device. The foldable electronic device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, an electronic book, and the like.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4 together, an embodiment of the present application provides a foldable electronic device 300, including a flexible screen 100 and an inner folding flexible screen supporting device 200, where the flexible screen 100 is covered on the inner folding flexible screen supporting device 200, the inner folding flexible screen supporting device 200 can drive the flexible screen 100 to fold or unfold relatively, when the flexible screen 100 is folded relatively, the flexible screen 100 is located in the inner folding flexible screen supporting device 200, and the inner folding flexible screen supporting device 200 is used to provide protection for the flexible screen 100.

The inner folding flexible screen support device 200 comprises a first shell 210, a second shell 220 and a folding mechanism 230; the folding mechanism 230 includes a screen support assembly 240 and a follower support assembly 250, the screen support assembly 240 includes opposing first and

second sides

261, 262, the first side 261 being slidably coupled to the first housing 210 and the second side 262 being slidably coupled to the second housing 220; the follower support assembly 250 includes a first support plate 251 and a second support plate 252, the first support plate 251 being connected to the first side portion 261 and extending toward the second side portion 262; the second support plate 252 is connected to the second side portion 262 and extends toward the first side portion 261.

The flexible screen 100 includes a first fixing segment 110, a second fixing segment 120, and a bending segment 130 connected between the first fixing segment 110 and the second fixing segment 120, wherein the first fixing segment 110 is connected to the first casing 210, the second fixing segment 120 is connected to the second casing 220, and the bending segment 130 is connected to the screen supporting assembly 240.

The first housing 210 and the second housing 220 can be folded or unfolded relatively, the first fixing section 110 and the second fixing section 120 are opposite when the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are folded relatively, the screen supporting assembly 240 drives the bending section 130 to be in a bending state when the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are folded relatively (see fig. 6 in detail), and the screen supporting assembly 240 drives the bending section 130 to be in a flattening state when the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are unfolded relatively.

The foldable electronic device 300 provided by the embodiment of the application can be completely laid on the bending section 130 of the flexible screen 100 through the screen support component 240 slidably connected between the first casing 210 and the second casing 220, and the screen support component 240 is supported through the first support plate 251 and the second support plate 252, so that the horizontal support rigidity and the flatness of the screen support component 240 can be improved, and effective and stable overall support is provided for the flexible screen 100.

In this embodiment, the flexible screen 100 is used as a display module of the foldable electronic device 300. The flexible screen 100 may include a screen protective layer, a screen functional layer, a screen buffer layer, and a screen support layer, which are sequentially stacked.

The screen protection layer is made of a flexible material having a certain hardness, such as ultra-thin glass, transparent PET (polyethylene terephthalate), or transparent PI (polyimide), and is used to protect the surface of the flexible screen 100 from being scratched or damaged. The screen functional layer encapsulates the circuit and the luminescent material and is a core lamination of the screen display. The screen buffer layer is made of a low-modulus soft material with a certain thickness, and can absorb the surface unevenness of the first shell 210 and the second shell 220 to a certain degree, so that the impact resistance of the flexible screen 100 is improved. The screen support layer is used as a support structure between the screen buffer layer and the screen support assembly 240, and is made of different materials in different areas of the flexible screen 100, and has different structures and functions.

The bending section 130 may include two inner bending sections 131, two straight sections 132, and two outer bending sections 133, one sides of the two inner bending sections 131 are connected to each other, and the other sides are connected to the straight sections 132; the side of the straight section 132 away from the inner bent section 131 is connected to the outer bent section 133; one side of one of the outwardly bent segments 133 away from the straight segment 132 is connected to the first fixing segment 110, and the outwardly bent end 133 is partially located on the first casing 210 and is not directly connected to the first casing 210, and partially located on the screen supporting assembly 240; the other outward bent section 133 is connected to the second fixing section 120 at a side away from the straight section 132, and the outward bent section 133 is partially located on the second casing 220 and is not directly connected to the second casing 220, and partially located on the screen support assembly 240. When the first fixing segment 110 and the second fixing segment 120 are folded relatively, the two inner bent segments 131 are relatively symmetrical, the two straight segments 132 are symmetrical, and the two outer bent segments 133 are symmetrical.

In the first fixing section 110 and the second fixing section 120, the purpose of the screen supporting layer is to be flat and reliable, and the screen supporting layer can be made of a material with a certain thickness, such as a complete steel sheet, a carbon fiber sheet or a hard plastic. The two outward bending sections 133 are the specific structure of the water drop type bending form, the flexible screen 100 is unfolded in an outward bending manner, and the stress between the film layers is opposite to the inward bending manner, so that in the two outward bending sections 133, the screen supporting layer needs to be made of a material with lower rigidity, so that the screen supporting layer in the area has a lower bending modulus. The straight section 132 is a transition region between the outer bending section 133 and the inner bending section 131, and if the outer bending section 133 is directly connected with the inner bending section 131, the problem of sudden change of tensile stress and compressive stress can occur between the film layers of the flexible screen 100, and the layering phenomenon can easily occur, so the water drop type bending form needs the straight section 132 for buffering and transition. The inwardly bent section 131 is a necessary structure for both U-shaped and drop-shaped bending solutions, and the inwardly bent section 131 of the drop-shaped bending solution has a larger radius and generally has a shallower crease and better flatness after being unfolded, compared to the U-shaped bending solution.

The flexible screen 100 is a flexible structure with a small thickness, and the bending of the flexible screen 100 needs to be supported by the first housing 210, the second housing 220 and the screen support assembly 240. The first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are connected by a screen support assembly 240, and the first housing 210, the second housing 220 and the screen support assembly 240 are used for laying the flexible screen 100. The screen supporting component 240 can be driven by the first shell 210 and the second shell 220 to change between a bending state and a flattening state, and has a smoother motion track, and the bending section 130 deforms synchronously along with the screen supporting component 240, so that switching between the bending state and the flattening state is realized.

When the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are folded relatively (see fig. 6 for details), the first fixing section 110 and the second fixing section 120 can be attached to each other or in micro-clearance fit, the cross sections of the screen supporting component 240 and the bending section 130 are U-shaped or water drop-shaped, and the bending R-angle of the U-shape can be made smaller, which has the disadvantages that the fold is deeper after being unfolded, and the fold is relatively shallow. The embodiment of the present application is described by taking the screen supporting member 240 and the bending section 130 as an example in which the cross-section is in the form of a water drop when the first casing 210 and the second casing 220 are folded relatively. The bending section 130 has an optimal water droplet shape when the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are folded with respect to each other, and the bending stress applied to the bending section 130 is minimized.

The first housing 210 and the second housing 220 can also be used to house other functional modules of the foldable electronic device 300, such as a camera module, a fingerprint recognition module, an iris recognition module, a data connection module, a receiver module, a speaker module, and so on.

Still referring to fig. 3 and 4, the first casing 210 and the second casing 220 are both substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing structures, and the rotation axis of the first casing 210 and the second casing 220 when the first casing 210 and the second casing 220 are folded relatively may be consistent with the length direction of the first casing 210 and the second casing 220. One side of the first shell 210 is provided with a first avoiding space 211, one side of the second shell 220 is provided with a second avoiding space 221, the first avoiding space 211 is communicated with the second avoiding space 221, and the screen support assembly 240 is covered on the first avoiding space 211 and the second avoiding space 221.

The first and

second side portions

261 and 262 of the screen support assembly 240 may be located at both widthwise sides of the screen support assembly 240. The first support plate 251 is accommodated in the first avoiding space 211, and the second support plate 252 is accommodated in the second avoiding space 221. The first and

second support plates

251 and 252 may each have a rectangular plate-shaped structure, the lengths of the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 may be substantially equal to the length of the screen support assembly 240, and the widths of the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 may be equal to or slightly less than one-half of the width of the screen support assembly 240. The length direction of the screen supporting assembly 240 is consistent with the length directions of the first casing 210 and the second casing 220, and the width direction is consistent with the width directions of the first casing 210 and the second casing 220.

When the first and

second housings

210 and 220 are relatively flat, the screen support assembly 240 may be parallel to the first and second

fixed segments

110 and 120 of the flexible screen 100, and the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 are parallel to the screen support assembly 240, such that the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 are integrally attached to the screen support assembly 240. The end of the first support plate 251 away from the first side portion 261 may be flush with the side wall of the first housing 210 or slightly protrude out of the first housing 210, and the end of the second support plate 252 away from the second side portion 262 may be flush with the side wall of the second housing 220 or slightly protrude out of the second housing 220. The gap between the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 is as small as possible to increase the widths of the first and

second support plates

251 and 252, thereby increasing the contact areas of the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 and the screen support assembly 240 to ensure that the screen support assembly 240 is sufficiently supported.

The first support plate 251 is coupled at one side to the first side portion 261 of the screen support assembly 240 and is not directly coupled at the other side to the screen support assembly 240. The second support plate 252 has one side connected to the second side 262 of the screen support assembly 240 and the other side not directly connected to the screen support assembly 240. When the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are folded relatively (see fig. 6 for details), the first supporting plate 251 and the second supporting plate 252 are opposite, the side of the first supporting plate 251 away from the first side portion 261 is separated from the screen supporting assembly 240, and the side of the second supporting plate 252 away from the second side portion 262 is separated from the screen supporting assembly 240, so as to avoid interference with the bending of the screen supporting assembly 240. When the first and

second housings

210 and 220 are folded relatively, the interval between the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 is gradually increased from the outer bent section 133 toward the inner bent section 131.

The inner folding flexible screen supporting device 200 may further include an intermediate bracket 260, one side of the intermediate bracket 260 is disposed in the first avoiding space 211, the other side is disposed in the second avoiding space 221, and the intermediate bracket 260 may be connected to the first casing 210 and the second casing 220 through a connecting rod structure to connect the first casing 210 and the second casing 220, and under the connecting action of the intermediate bracket 260 and the connecting rod structure, the first casing 210 and the second casing 220 may be folded or unfolded relatively.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 7, in some embodiments, the screen supporting assembly 240 may include n supporting pieces 241 and a connecting bar 242, where n ≧ 7. The n support pieces 241 are sequentially arranged between the first casing 210 and the second casing 220 and are all connected to the bending section 130, at least one connecting rod 242 is arranged between any two adjacent support pieces 241, and the support pieces 241 are slidably connected with the connecting rod 242. When the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are relatively flat, the supporting sheet 241 abuts against the connecting bar 242, so that the screen supporting assembly 240 is in a relatively stable flat state, thereby providing a stable support for the flexible screen 100.

The number of the support sheets 241 is greater than or equal to 7, which can comprehensively cover each bending area of the bending section 130, and the screen support assembly 240 has a smoother motion track in the bending process, thereby ensuring effective protection of the flexible screen 100 in the whole bending process, and simultaneously not adding additional extrusion or pulling to the flexible screen 100. Illustratively, n may be equal to 7, 8, 9, or 10, and may be specifically determined according to the sizes of the flexible screen 100 and the supporting sheet 241, and is not specifically limited herein.

In this embodiment, the support piece 241 has a length substantially equal to the lengths of the first and

second housings

210 and 220. The length of the connection bar 242 may be less than or equal to the length of the support piece 241. As an example, the length of the connecting rod 242 is much shorter than the length of the supporting sheet 241, for example, the length of the connecting rod 242 is 1/10-1/6 of the length of the supporting sheet 241. Two connecting rods 242 are disposed between any two adjacent supporting pieces 241, and the two connecting rods 242 are respectively located at two ends of the supporting pieces 241 in the length direction. In this way, a stable connection between two adjacent support pieces 241 can be achieved, and the total volume of the connection rod 242 can be reduced, thereby reducing the weight of the screen support assembly 240.

In other embodiments, the screen supporting assembly 240 may also be a crawler-type structure, and the crawler-type structure may also be bent under the driving of the first shell 210 and the second shell 220, so as to drive the bending section 130 to bend.

Referring to fig. 3 and 8, in some embodiments, the two inward bending sections 131, the two straight sections 132, and the two outward bending sections 133 are connected to at least one supporting plate 241, and the connection position of the two inward bending sections 131 is connected to at least one supporting plate 241. Thereby, the inwardly bent section 131, the straight section 132, the outwardly bent section 133 and the connection of the two inwardly bent sections 131 can be protected throughout the bending of the flexible screen 100.

The supporting sheet 241 located at the connection position of the two inward bending sections 131 may be disposed in the middle of the bending section 130, and the other supporting sheets 241 located at the two sides of the supporting sheet 241 are symmetrically arranged. In order to distinguish the support sheets 241 of the respective regions, in the following embodiments, the support sheet 241 disposed at the connection position of the two inward-bent segments 131 is referred to as a first support sheet 2411, the support sheet 241 disposed at the two inward-bent segments 131 is referred to as a second support sheet 2412, the support sheet 241 disposed at the two straight segments 132 is referred to as a third support sheet 2413, and the support sheet 241 disposed at the two outward-bent segments 133 is referred to as a fourth support sheet 2414. The fourth supporting sheet 2414 adjacent to the first casing 210 is slidably connected to the first casing 210, and the fourth supporting sheet 2414 adjacent to the second casing 220 is slidably connected to the second casing 220.

As an example, the number of the first support pieces 2411 is one, the number of the second support pieces 2412 is two, the number of the third support pieces 2413 is two, and the number of the fourth support pieces 2414 is two, where the number n of the support pieces 241 is 7. The two second support pieces 2412 are symmetrical with respect to the first support piece 2411, the two third support pieces 2413 are symmetrical with respect to the first support piece 2411, and the two fourth support pieces 2414 are symmetrical with respect to the first support piece 2411.

As another example, the number of the first support pieces 2411 is one, the number of the second support pieces 2412 is four, the number of the third support pieces 2413 is two, and the number of the fourth support pieces 2414 is two, where the number n of the support pieces 241 is 9.

In some embodiments, the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 are connected to the support plate 241 at the straight section 132 to prevent the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 from interfering with the bending of the screen support assembly 240, and the connection positions of the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 to the support plate 241 are approximately in the middle area of the first and

second support plates

251 and 252, which may improve the connection stability of the first and

second support plates

251 and 252. The first support plate 251 and the second support plate 252 are connected to the support plate 241 located at the straight section 132, which may mean that the first support plate 251 and the second support plate 252 are connected to only the support plate 241 located at the straight section 132.

In this embodiment, the first support plate 251 is connected to a third support piece 2413 located in the first avoiding space 211, and the second support plate 252 is connected to a third support piece 2413 located in the second avoiding space 221.

In other embodiments, the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 are connected to the support plates 241 at the straight sections 132 and the outwardly bent sections 133 to increase the connection area of the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 to the screen support assembly 240 while preventing the first and

second support plates

251 and 252 from interfering with the bending of the screen support assembly 240.

In this embodiment, the first support plate 251 is connected to the third support piece 2413 and the fourth support piece 2414 located in the first avoidance space 211, and the second support plate 252 is connected to the third support piece 2413 and the fourth support piece 2414 located in the second avoidance space 221.

Still referring to fig. 3 and 8, in some embodiments, each supporting plate 241 abuts at least the first supporting plate 251 or the second supporting plate 252 when the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are relatively flat. Thus, each support sheet 241 can be supported when being unfolded, and the horizontal support rigidity and the flatness of the screen support assembly 240 are improved.

In this embodiment, when the screen supporting assembly 240 is in the flat state, the supporting piece 241 located in the first avoiding space 211 abuts against the first supporting plate 251, the supporting piece 241 located in the second avoiding space 221 abuts against the second supporting plate 252, and the supporting piece 241 (for example, the first supporting piece 2411) located in the middle abuts against the first supporting plate 251 and the second supporting plate 252 at the same time.

Referring to fig. 8 and 9, in some embodiments, the support plate 241 includes a support plane 2415, the support plane 2415 is provided with a flexible screen connection area 2416, and the bending section 130 may be connected to the flexible screen connection area 2416 by bonding or the like. When the screen supporting assembly 240 is in a flat state, each supporting plane 2415 is located on the same plane, so that the bending section 130 can be flattened into a plane, and the supporting plane 2415 supports the bending section 130, so that the contact area between the supporting sheet 241 and the bending section 130 can be increased.

When the screen supporting assembly 240 is not in the flat state, that is, the screen supporting assembly 240 is in the whole bending process of switching from the flat state to the bending state, the supporting plane 2415 is always tangent to the bending section 130, so that the effective protection of the whole bending process on the flexible screen 100 is ensured, and no additional extrusion or pulling is added to the flexible screen 100. The supporting plane 2415 is tangent to the bending section 130, which means that the supporting plane 2415 is tangent to the bending section 130 connected to the flexible screen connection area 2416. Further, the supporting plane 2415 is always tangent to the bending section 130, which means that the supporting plane 2415 is always tangent to the curvature of the bending section 130 in the optimal water drop shape. The optimal water droplet shape is a bending shape when the screen functional layer is subjected to the minimum bending stress.

In this embodiment, two adjacent support planes 2415 are in a micro-clearance fit. For example, the gap between two adjacent supporting planes 2415 is less than 1mm to ensure that the flexible screen 100 can be sufficiently supported. The supporting plane 2415 may be rectangular, the length of the supporting plane 2415 of each supporting piece 241 is equal, and the width of the supporting plane 2415 of each supporting piece 241 may be equal or different, and may be specifically determined according to the widths of the inward bent segment 131, the straight segment 132 and the outward bent segment 133.

As an example, the number of the first support sheets 2411 is one, the number of the second support sheets 2412 is two, the number of the third support sheets 2413 is two, and the number of the fourth support sheets 2414 is two. The sum of the widths of the support planes 2415 of the first support sheet 2411 and the two second support sheets 2412 is substantially equal to the sum of the widths of the two inwardly bent segments 131, the width of the support plane 2415 of the third support sheet 2413 is substantially equal to the width of the straight segment 132, and the width of the support plane 2415 of the fourth support sheet 2414 is substantially equal to the width of the outwardly bent segment 133.

In some implementations, the support plane 2415 may also be provided with non-connection areas 2417 on both sides of the flexible screen connection area 2416, the bent section 130 is connected only to the flexible screen connection area 2416, and the bent section 130 and the non-connection areas 2417 are not connected. Of course, not all the support planes 2415 of the support plates 241 are provided with the non-connection areas 2417, and a part of the support plates 241 may be provided with only the flexible screen connection areas 2416, i.e., the whole support plane 2415 of the part of the support plates 241 is connected with the flexible screen 100.

For example, the support planes 2415 of the first support sheet 2411, the second support sheet 2412, and the fourth support sheet 2414 are provided with a flexible screen connection area 2416 and a non-connection area 2417. Because the flat and straight section 132 does not need to be bent, only the flexible screen connection area 2416 may be disposed on the support plane 2415 of the third support sheet 2413, and the width of the flexible screen connection area 2416 is equal to the width of the flat and straight section 132, that is, the entire support plane 2415 of the third support sheet 2413 may be used to support the flat and straight section 132, so that the third support sheet 2413 may effectively support the flat and straight section 132, thereby ensuring that the bent section 130 forms a water-drop structure when bent, and improving the flatness of the flexible screen 100 when in a flat state.

Referring to fig. 9 and 10, in some implementations, when the screen supporting assembly 240 is in the non-stretched state, the angle between the normal lines of the two adjacent supporting planes 2415 is θ, the arc length of the flexible screen 100 at the two adjacent non-connecting areas 2417 is l, and the bending radius of the flexible screen 100 at the two adjacent non-connecting areas 2417 is R.

For example, the normal angle between the supporting planes 2415 of the adjacent first supporting sheet 2411 and second supporting sheet 2412 is θ, the arc length of the portion of the flexible screen 100 corresponding to the adjacent non-connecting area 2417 on the first supporting sheet 2411 and second supporting sheet 2412 is l, and the bending radius of the portion corresponding to the adjacent non-connecting area 2417 on the first supporting sheet 2411 and second supporting sheet 2412 is R, where θ is R/l.

Therefore, the screen support assembly 240 can eliminate the pulling and pressing action on the flexible screen 100 during the bending process as much as possible, so that the stress on the screen stack of the inward bending section 131 is the lowest. In addition, as shown by θ ═ R/l, the width of the non-connection region 2417 on the support plane 2415 of the support plate 241 located in the inflected section 131 and the inflected section 133 is related to the bending radius R of the inflected section 133 and the inflected section 131, and the specific size of the non-connection region 2417 can be obtained by simulation and experiment, and is not particularly limited herein.

Still referring to fig. 9, in some embodiments, the supporting sheet 241 has an isosceles trapezoid cross section. The support sheet 241 further includes a first position-limiting surface 2418 and a second position-limiting surface 2419, the first position-limiting surface 2418 and the second position-limiting surface 2419 are respectively connected to two opposite sides of the support plane 2415, and the included angles between the first position-limiting surface 2418 and the support plane 2415 and the second position-limiting surface 2419 are equal and are acute angles. When the screen supporting assembly 240 is in the flat state, the connecting rod 242 abuts between the first position-limiting surface 2418 and the second position-limiting surface 2419.

Referring to fig. 9 and 11, in order to fit the supporting plate 241, the cross section of the connecting rod 242 is also isosceles trapezoid. The connecting rod 242 may include an upper surface 2421, a first side surface 2422 and a second side surface 2423, the upper surface 2421 is located on one side of the connecting rod 242 facing the supporting plane 2415, the first side surface 2422 and the second side surface 2423 are respectively connected to two opposite sides of the upper surface 2421, and the first side surface 2422 and the second side surface 2423 are at the same included angle with the upper surface 2421 and are both obtuse angles. An included angle between the first side surface 2422 and the upper surface 2421 is complementary to an included angle between the first limiting surface 2418 and the supporting plane 2415. Therefore, when the screen support assembly 240 is in a flat state, the first side surface 2422 can be attached to the adjacent second limiting surface 2419, and the second side surface 2423 can be attached to the adjacent first limiting surface 2418, so that the support rigidity of the screen support assembly 240 in the flat state is improved through surface-to-surface contact.

In some embodiments, the support plate 241 is provided with a first sliding portion 2431, the connecting rod 242 is provided with a second sliding portion 2432, and the first sliding portion 2431 and the second sliding portion 2432 are slidably matched; the first sliding portion 2431 and the second sliding portion 2432 are both arc-shaped structures, and the circle centers of the first sliding portion 2431 and the second sliding portion 2432 are located on the side of the screen supporting assembly 240 departing from the follow-up supporting assembly 250. The first sliding portion 2431 and the second sliding portion 2432 serve to connect the support piece 241 and the connection rod 242 and also serve as a guide, and the movement of the support piece 241 can be constrained in the bending process of the screen support assembly 240 through the arc-shaped structural design of the first sliding portion 2431 and the second sliding portion 2432 to form a smooth movement track, so that the best protection is provided for the flexible screen 100 and no additional extrusion stress is generated.

Further, the centers of the first sliding portion 2431 and the second sliding portion 2432 may be located on the neutral layer of the screen functional layer of the flexible screen 100 to ensure that the screen functional layer is stressed the least during the bending process. The neutral layer of the screen functional layer refers to a region with zero stress in the screen functional layer, and the neutral layer is usually located in a middle layer region of the screen functional layer. The compressive and tensile stresses of the neutral layer cancel each other out so that the stress of the neutral layer is zero.

In this embodiment, except for the two support pieces 241 located at the outermost sides, the first limiting surface 2418 and the second limiting surface 2419 of the remaining support pieces 241 are respectively provided with at least one first sliding portion 2431, which is specifically determined according to the number of the connecting rods 242 between the two adjacent support pieces 241. The first side surface 2422 and the second side surface 2423 of the connecting rod 242 are each provided with at least one second sliding portion 2432 to respectively cooperate with the second sliding portions 2432 of the two adjacent support pieces 241.

The first sliding portion 2431 and the second sliding portion 2432 are both circular arc-shaped structures. One of the first sliding portion 2431 and the second sliding portion 2432 is a sliding groove, and the other is a sliding rod, the sliding rod is substantially in an arc-shaped plate-shaped structure, the radian of the sliding groove is consistent with that of the sliding rod, and the sliding rod is slidably inserted into the sliding groove. As an example, the first sliding portion 2431 is a sliding groove, the second sliding portion 2432 is a sliding rod, that is, the supporting piece 241 is provided with a sliding groove, and the connecting rod 242 is provided with a sliding rod. The supporting piece 241 is generally larger than the connecting rod 242 in volume, and can provide sufficient space for the sliding groove without damaging the structural strength of the connecting rod 242 itself. Referring to fig. 12 and 13, as another example, the first sliding portion 2431 may be a sliding bar, and correspondingly, the second sliding portion 2432 is a sliding groove.

Referring to fig. 3 and 14, in some embodiments, the first housing 210 has a first guiding portion 212, the first side portion 261 has a second guiding portion 2611, that is, a second guiding portion 2611 is disposed adjacent to the supporting plate 241 of the first housing 210, for example, a second guiding portion 2611 is disposed adjacent to the first limiting surface 2418 of the fourth supporting plate 2414 of the first housing 210; the first guide portion 212 and the second guide portion 2611 are both arc-shaped structures, and the circle centers of the first guide portion 212 and the second guide portion 2611 are located at the side of the screen supporting assembly 240, which faces away from the follow-up supporting assembly 250. The first guide portion 212 and the second guide portion 2611 play a role in connecting the first casing 210 and the support plate 241, and also play a role in guiding, and through the arc-shaped structural design of the first guide portion 212 and the second guide portion 2611, the movement of the support plate 241 adjacent to the first casing 210 can be constrained during the bending process of the screen support assembly 240, so that the support plate 241 can form a smooth movement track, thereby providing the best protection for the flexible screen 100 and not generating additional compressive stress.

Further, the centers of the first guide 212 and the second guide 2611 may be located on the neutral layer of the screen functional layer of the flexible screen 100 to ensure that the screen functional layer is minimally stressed during bending.

In this embodiment, the first guide portion 212 and the second guide portion 2611 are both arc-shaped structures. One of the first guide portion 212 and the second guide portion 2611 is a guide groove, and the other is a guide rod, the guide rod is substantially in an arc-shaped plate-shaped structure, the arcs of the guide groove and the guide rod are consistent, and the guide rod is slidably inserted into the guide groove.

As an example, the first guide portion 212 is a guide groove, and correspondingly, the second guide portion 2611 is a guide bar. The first housing 210 is generally larger than the support piece 241, and can provide sufficient space for the guide groove without damaging the structural strength of the first housing 210 itself. As another example, the first guide portion 212 is a guide bar, and correspondingly, the second guide portion 2611 is a guide groove.

Further, the second housing 220 is provided with a third guide portion, the second side portion 262 is provided with a fourth guide portion, the third guide portion is in sliding fit with the fourth guide portion, the third guide portion and the fourth guide portion are both arc-shaped structures, and the circle centers of the third guide portion and the fourth guide portion are located on one side of the screen supporting assembly 240 departing from the follow-up supporting assembly 250. The third guide portion and the fourth guide portion play a role in connecting the second housing 220 and the support sheet 241 adjacent to the second housing 220, and also play a role in guiding, and through the arc-shaped structural design of the third guide portion and the fourth guide portion, the movement of the support sheet 241 adjacent to the second housing 210 can be constrained in the bending process of the screen support assembly 240, so that the support sheet 241 can form a smooth movement track, thereby providing the best protection for the flexible screen 100 and not generating additional extrusion stress.

The third guide portion and the first guide portion 212 may be symmetrical to each other, the fourth guide portion and the second guide portion 2611 may be symmetrical to each other, and the first guide portion 212 and the second guide portion 2611 may be referred to for the structure of the third guide portion and the fourth guide portion, which is not described herein again.

The following describes the process of unfolding and folding the foldable electronic device 300 and the internally-folded flexible screen supporting device 200 provided in the embodiments of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Referring to fig. 3, when the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are in the flat state, an included angle between the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 is equal to 180 °, and the flexible screen 100 is in the flat state. The first and

second support plates

251 and 252 are in a parallel state with the flexible screen 100 to provide support for the screen support assembly 240. The support planes 2415 (see fig. 9 in detail) of each support piece 241 are coplanar to provide effective and robust overall support for the bend segments 130 of the flexible screen 100.

Referring to fig. 5, in the process of bending the first casing 210 and the second casing 220, an included angle between the first casing 210 and the second casing 220 is α, and the flexible screen 100 is in a bent state at a certain angle. The included angle between the first supporting plate 251 and the first housing 210 is β, the included angle between the second supporting plate 252 and the second housing 220 is β, and the included angle γ of the bending section 130 is α +2 β.

Referring to fig. 5, fig. 6 and fig. 8, when the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are folded relatively, the included angle α between the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 is equal to 0, and the included angle γ of the bending section 130 is equal to 2 β. The first supporting plate 251 and the second supporting plate 252 still provide support for the supporting piece 241 located at the straight section 132, and the supporting plane 2415 of the supporting piece 241 located at the outward bending section 133 and the inward bending section 131 forms a certain included angle with the bending section 130 through the set radian of the first sliding portion 2431 and the second sliding portion 2432, so that the supporting plane 2415 of the supporting piece 241 located at the outward bending section 133 and the inward bending section 131 still can provide optimal support for the flexible screen 100. Further, during the bending process of the first and

second cases

210 and 220, the support planes 2415 of the support plates 241 located at the outward bending section 133 and the inward bending section 131 are tangent to the bending track of the bending section 130, so as to provide the flexible screen 100 with the best protection and generate no additional compressive stress.

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 scope of the present application. 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 interior folding flexible screen strutting arrangement which characterized in that includes:

a first housing and a second housing; and

a folding mechanism comprising a screen support assembly and a follower support assembly, the screen support assembly comprising opposing first and second sides, the first side slidably connected to the first housing and the second side slidably connected to the second housing; the follow-up support assembly comprises a first support plate and a second support plate, wherein the first support plate is connected to the first side part and extends towards the second side part; the second support plate is connected to the second side portion and extends toward the first side portion;

the first shell and the second shell can be folded or unfolded relatively, the screen support assembly is in a bent state when the first shell and the second shell are folded relatively, and is in an unfolded state when the first shell and the second shell are unfolded relatively.

2. The in-folded flexible screen support device of claim 1, wherein the screen support assembly comprises a connecting bar and n support sheets, wherein n is greater than or equal to 7; the n support sheets are sequentially arranged between the first shell and the second shell, at least one connecting rod is arranged between any two adjacent support sheets, and the support sheets are connected with the connecting rods in a sliding mode; when the screen supporting component is in a flattening state, the supporting sheet is abutted to the connecting rod.

3. The in-folded flexible screen support device of claim 2, wherein each support sheet abuts at least one of the first support sheet and the second support sheet when the screen support assembly is in a flattened state.

4. The inner folding flexible screen support device of claim 2, wherein the support sheet is provided with a first sliding portion, the connecting bar is provided with a second sliding portion, and the first sliding portion and the second sliding portion are in sliding fit; the first sliding part and the second sliding part are both arc-shaped structures, and the circle centers of the first sliding part and the second sliding part are located on one side, away from the follow-up supporting component, of the screen supporting component.

5. The inner folding flexible screen support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first housing is provided with a first guide portion, the first side portion is provided with a second guide portion, the first guide portion and the second guide portion are in sliding fit, the first guide portion and the second guide portion are both arc-shaped structures, and the circle center of the first guide portion and the circle center of the second guide portion are located on one side of the screen support assembly, which is far away from the follow-up support assembly.

6. The in-folded flexible screen support device of claim 5, wherein one of the first and second guide portions is a guide slot and the other is a guide rod slidably inserted into the guide slot.

7. A foldable electronic device comprises a flexible screen and an inner folding flexible screen supporting device, wherein the inner folding flexible screen supporting device comprises a first shell, a second shell and a folding mechanism;

the folding mechanism comprises a screen support assembly and a follower support assembly, the screen support assembly comprises a first side portion and a second side portion which are opposite, the first side portion is slidably connected with the first shell, and the second side portion is slidably connected with the second shell; the follow-up support assembly comprises a first support plate and a second support plate, wherein the first support plate is connected to the first side part and extends towards the second side part; the second support plate is connected to the second side portion and extends toward the first side portion;

the flexible screen comprises a first fixing section, a second fixing section and a bending section connected between the first fixing section and the second fixing section, the first fixing section is connected to the first shell, the second fixing section is connected to the second shell, and the bending section is connected to the screen supporting assembly;

the first shell and the second shell can be folded or unfolded relatively, the screen supporting component drives the bending section to be in a bending state when the first shell and the second shell are folded relatively, and the first shell and the second shell are unfolded relatively and are in an unfolding state.

8. The foldable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the screen support assembly comprises a connecting bar and n support sheets, wherein n ≧ 7; the n support sheets are sequentially arranged between the first shell and the second shell and are connected to the bending section, at least one connecting rod is arranged between any two adjacent support sheets, and the support sheets are connected with the connecting rods in a sliding mode; when the screen supporting component is in a flattening state, the supporting sheet is abutted to the connecting rod.

9. The foldable electronic device of claim 8, wherein the bending section comprises two inward bending sections, two straight sections and two outward bending sections, one side of each of the two inward bending sections being connected to each other and the other side being connected to one of the straight sections; one side of the straight section, which is far away from the inward bending section, is connected with the outward bending section; one side, far away from the straight section, of one of the outward bending sections is connected to the first fixing section, and one side, far away from the straight section, of the other outward bending section is connected to the second fixing section; the two inflected sections, the two straight sections and the two outer inflected sections are all connected with at least one supporting sheet, and the joint of the two inflected sections is connected with at least one supporting sheet.

10. The foldable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the first and second support plates are connected to the support sheet at the flat section.

11. The foldable electronic device of claim 8, wherein the support sheet comprises a support plane provided with a flexible screen connection region, the bent section being connected to the flexible screen connection region; when the screen supporting component is in a flattening state, each supporting plane is positioned on the same plane; when the screen supporting component is not in a flattening state, the supporting plane is tangent to the bending section.

12. The foldable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the support plane is provided with non-attachment areas on both sides of the flexible screen attachment area; the normal included angle of two adjacent support planes is theta, the arc length of the flexible screen at two adjacent non-connection area parts is l, the bending radius of the flexible screen at two adjacent non-connection area parts is R, and theta is R/l.