US20190345748A1 - Support assembly - Google Patents
Support assembly Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20190345748A1 US20190345748A1 US16/319,768 US201716319768A US2019345748A1 US 20190345748 A1 US20190345748 A1 US 20190345748A1 US 201716319768 A US201716319768 A US 201716319768A US 2019345748 A1 US2019345748 A1 US 2019345748A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- center
- support assembly
- base
- positioning
- base plate
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
- G09F9/00—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements
- G09F9/30—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements
- G09F9/301—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A44—HABERDASHERY; JEWELLERY
- A44C—PERSONAL ADORNMENTS, e.g. JEWELLERY; COINS
- A44C5/00—Bracelets; Wrist-watch straps; Fastenings for bracelets or wrist-watch straps
- A44C5/0053—Flexible straps
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05D—HINGES OR SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS
- E05D3/00—Hinges with pins
- E05D3/06—Hinges with pins with two or more pins
- E05D3/18—Hinges with pins with two or more pins with sliding pins or guides
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A44—HABERDASHERY; JEWELLERY
- A44C—PERSONAL ADORNMENTS, e.g. JEWELLERY; COINS
- A44C5/00—Bracelets; Wrist-watch straps; Fastenings for bracelets or wrist-watch straps
- A44C5/0007—Bracelets specially adapted for other functions or with means for attaching other articles
- A44C5/0015—Bracelets specially adapted for other functions or with means for attaching other articles providing information, e.g. bracelets with calendars
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A44—HABERDASHERY; JEWELLERY
- A44C—PERSONAL ADORNMENTS, e.g. JEWELLERY; COINS
- A44C5/00—Bracelets; Wrist-watch straps; Fastenings for bracelets or wrist-watch straps
- A44C5/02—Link constructions
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A44—HABERDASHERY; JEWELLERY
- A44C—PERSONAL ADORNMENTS, e.g. JEWELLERY; COINS
- A44C5/00—Bracelets; Wrist-watch straps; Fastenings for bracelets or wrist-watch straps
- A44C5/02—Link constructions
- A44C5/10—Link constructions not extensible
- A44C5/107—Link constructions not extensible with links made of more than two elements including connecting elements
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05D—HINGES OR SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS
- E05D11/00—Additional features or accessories of hinges
- E05D11/06—Devices for limiting the opening movement of hinges
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05D—HINGES OR SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS
- E05D11/00—Additional features or accessories of hinges
- E05D11/08—Friction devices between relatively-movable hinge parts
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
- G06F1/163—Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
- G06F1/1633—Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626
- G06F1/1637—Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
- G06F1/1641—Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
- G06F1/1633—Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626
- G06F1/1637—Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
- G06F1/1643—Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
- G06F1/1633—Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626
- G06F1/1637—Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
- G06F1/1652—Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
- G06F1/1633—Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626
- G06F1/1675—Miscellaneous details related to the relative movement between the different enclosures or enclosure parts
- G06F1/1681—Details related solely to hinges
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
- H04M1/02—Constructional features of telephone sets
- H04M1/0202—Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets
- H04M1/0206—Portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts, e.g. hinged housings
- H04M1/0247—Portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts, e.g. hinged housings comprising more than two body parts
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
- H04M1/02—Constructional features of telephone sets
- H04M1/0202—Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets
- H04M1/026—Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
- H04M1/0266—Details of the structure or mounting of specific components for a display module assembly
- H04M1/0268—Details of the structure or mounting of specific components for a display module assembly including a flexible display panel
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/00 - G06F3/048
- G06F2203/041—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/041 - G06F3/045
- G06F2203/04102—Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
- H04M1/02—Constructional features of telephone sets
- H04M1/0202—Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets
- H04M1/0206—Portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts, e.g. hinged housings
- H04M1/0208—Portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts, e.g. hinged housings characterized by the relative motions of the body parts
- H04M1/0214—Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
- H04M1/0216—Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
Definitions
- the present disclosure relates to supporting assemblies, and more particularly to a support assembly for a flexible screen.
- the existing electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, video players and the like with display screens are straight panel due to limitations of materials of screens.
- screen technology the industry has developed flexible display screens, and it is expected to develop various types of electronic devices that can be bent or folded in the future. Due to flexible nature of the flexible display screen, a corresponding movable mechanical structure is required to support it. Obviously, a support structure of an existing hard display screen cannot meet the needs of bending or folding.
- the present disclosure provides a support assembly that can meet the needs of bending or folding.
- a support assembly includes a plurality of moving members and connecting members each connecting two adjacent moving members of the plurality of moving members. A movement of each of the plurality of moving members relative to an adjacent moving member enables the support assembly to be switched between an unfolded state and a bent state.
- the movement of each of the plurality of moving members relative to the adjacent moving member includes a rotation of each of the plurality of moving members relative to the adjacent moving member.
- a rotating center of each of the plurality of moving members rotating relative to the adjacent moving member is below the adjacent moving member.
- Each of the plurality of moving members includes a base, and, a limit groove and a through hole defined on the base.
- Each of the connecting members passes through the limit groove of one of the plurality of moving members and penetrates the through hole of the adjacent moving member.
- the limit groove of each of the plurality of moving members is in an arc shape, and a center of the limit groove is below a bottom surface of the base.
- Each of the plurality of moving members further includes a first limiting part and a second limiting part respectively locating on opposite sides of the base.
- the second limiting part of each of the plurality of moving members is movably abutting against the first limiting part of the adjacent moving member.
- a moving track of the second limiting part of each of the plurality of moving members relative to the first limiting part of the adjacent moving member is in an arc shape.
- a center of the moving track is below the adjacent moving member.
- the first limiting part and the second limiting part are respectively adjacent to opposite ends of each of the plurality of moving members.
- the first limiting part includes a first positioning surface in an arc shape.
- the second limiting part includes a second positioning surface in an arc shape. Centers of the first positioning surface and the second positioning surface are below the bottom surface of the base.
- the first positioning surface and the second positioning surface are respectively inclined toward opposite ends of the base.
- a height of a center of the first positioning surface is the same as a height of a center of the second positioning surface.
- the center of the second positioning surface coincides with the center of the limit groove along a first direction, and the first direction is from one side of the base to an opposite side of the base.
- a top surface of the base is an arc-shaped surface, and top surfaces of the bases of two adjacent moving members are staggered when the support assembly is unfolded, and the top surfaces of the bases of the two adjacent moving members are continuous with each other when the support assembly is bent.
- a center of the top surface of the base is below the center of the limit groove.
- the first limiting part further includes a first limiting surface
- the second limiting part further includes a second limiting surface
- the second limiting surface of each of the plurality of moving members is movably abutting against the first limiting surface of the adjacent moving member.
- the first limiting surface is higher than the first positioning surface and is further away from the base than the first positioning surface.
- the second limiting surface is higher than the second positioning surface and closer to the base than the second positioning surface.
- a center of the first limiting surface coincides with the center of the first positioning surface along a first direction
- a center of the second limiting surface coincides with the center of the second positioning surface along the first direction
- the first direction is from a side of the base to an opposite side of the base.
- Each of the connecting members includes a rod member and a locking member
- the rod member includes a head portion and a rod portion passing through two adjacent moving members, an end of the rod portion is locked with the locking member.
- each of the plurality of moving members defines a positioning groove for receiving the head portion, and the positioning groove surrounds the limit groove and interconnects with the limit groove.
- the base includes a first base plate and a second base plate manufactured independently of each other, the head portion of the rod member is located between the first base plate and the second base plate.
- the connecting member further includes an end portion, the end portion and the rod portion are respectively located on opposite sides of the head portion, and the end portion penetrates into the limit groove of the first base plate, the rod portion penetrates into the limit groove of the second base plate.
- the through hole of the first base plate includes two opposite planes, and the rod portion correspondingly forms two opposite planes corresponding to the two opposite planes of the through hole.
- the first base plate forms a stopper above the limit groove, each of the plurality of moving members is abutted against by the stopper of the adjacent moving member to limit a rotating angle when the support assembly is in the unfolded state. each of the plurality of moving members is separated from the stopper of the adjacent moving member when the support assembly is in the bent state.
- the positioning groove is defined on a surface of the first base plate facing the second base plate, and a receiving groove is defined on a surface of the second base plate facing the first base plate and interconnected with the positioning groove.
- the rod portion of the connecting member passes through the limit groove of each of the plurality of moving members and penetrates into the receiving groove of the adjacent moving member.
- the locking member is received in the receiving groove of the second base plate of the adjacent moving member.
- the support assembly can be switched between the unfolded state and the bent state according to need, thereby facilitating bending or folding of the flexible electronic device with the support assembly.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the flexible device of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a support assembly of the flexible device of FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view of the support assembly of FIG. 3 .
- FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a moving member of the support assembly of FIG. 4 .
- FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the moving member of FIG. 5 .
- FIG. 7 is an upper left perspective view of the moving member of FIG. 5 .
- FIG. 8 is an inverted view of the moving member of FIG. 5 .
- FIG. 9 is a plan view of the moving member of FIG. 5 .
- FIG. 10 is a front view of the moving member of FIG. 5 .
- FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the moving member of FIG. 9 taken along line I-I.
- FIG. 12 is a rear view of the moving member of FIG. 5 .
- FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the moving member of FIG. 9 taken along line II-II.
- FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the support assembly of FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of one moving member located at one end of the support assembly.
- FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a bent state of the flexible device.
- FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the flexible device of FIG. 16 .
- FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of the support assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 19 is an exploded view of the support assembly of FIG. 18 .
- FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of a first base plate of the moving member of the support assembly of FIG. 18 .
- FIG. 21 is a rear perspective view of the first base plate of FIG. 20 .
- FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of a second base plate of the moving member of the support assembly of FIG. 18 .
- FIG. 23 is a rear perspective view of the second base plate of FIG. 22 .
- FIG. 24 is a front view of the first base plate of FIG. 20 ;
- FIG. 25 is a rear view of the first base plate of FIG. 20 .
- FIG. 26 is a front view of the second base plate of FIG. 22 .
- FIG. 27 is a rear view of the second base plate of FIG. 22 .
- FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view of the support assembly of FIG. 18 .
- the flexible device includes a first housing 10 , a second housing 20 , a flexible screen 30 attached to the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 , and a support assembly 40 supporting the flexible screen 30 .
- the flexible device can be switched between an unfolded state and a folded/bent state. In the unfolded state, the flexible screen 30 is unbent and expanded, the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are arranged side by side; in the folded/bent state, the flexible screen 30 is folded or bent, and the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are stacked one by one.
- the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are substantially in flat-plate shape, and they can be made of hard materials such as metal or plastic.
- the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 may be hollow for receiving various electronic components such as a control module, a storage module, a drive module, a power module, a switch module, a speaker module, a sensor module, and the like.
- the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are separated from each other with a narrow groove 100 defined therebetween.
- One side of the first housing 10 defines a plurality of grooves 102 along a length direction thereof for fixing the support assembly 40 .
- the number of the grooves 102 is four, two of which are respectively close to opposite ends of the first housing 10 , and the other two of which are close to a middle part of the first housing 10 .
- the groove 102 is sunken from a top surface of the first housing 10 to inside of the first housing 10 , that is, the groove 102 does not cut through the first housing 10 from top surface to bottom surface.
- the groove 102 also laterally cuts through one side surface of the first housing 10 adjacent to the second housing 20 .
- the bottom surface of the groove 102 defines a circular screw hole for a screw passing through to fix the support assembly 40 to the first housing 10 .
- each groove 102 also defines an avoiding slot 104 in the first housing 10 .
- the avoiding slot 104 is sunken from the bottom surface of the first housing 10 to the inside of the first housing 10 , that is, the avoiding slot 104 does not cut through the first housing 10 from the bottom surface to the top surface.
- the avoiding slot 104 also laterally cuts through one side surface of the first housing 10 adjacent to the second housing 10 .
- the avoiding slot 104 is used for receiving certain portions of the support assembly 40 to reduce space occupied by the support assembly 40 .
- Each avoiding slot 104 is disposed with one groove 102 in pairs.
- One side of the second housing 20 close to the first housing 10 defines a plurality of grooves 202 for fixing the support assembly 40 .
- the number of the grooves 202 is also four, two of which are close to one end of the second housing 20 , and the other two of which are close to opposite end of the second housing 20 .
- a distance of one groove 202 closest to one end of the second housing 20 to the end of the second housing 20 is greater than that of one groove 102 closest to one end of the first housing 10 to the end of the first housing 10 .
- the grooves 202 of the second housing 20 and the grooves 102 of the first housing 10 are staggered with each other to fix different portions of the support assembly 40 .
- the groove 202 is sunken downward from a top surface of the second housing 20 to the inside of the second housing 20 , that is, the groove 202 does not cut through the second housing 20 from the top surface to the bottom surface.
- the groove 202 also laterally cuts through one side surface of the first housing 10 adjacent to the second housing 20 .
- the bottom surface of the groove 202 defines a circular screw hole for a screw passing through to fix the support assembly 40 to the second housing 20 .
- One side of each groove 202 also defines an avoiding slot in the second housing 20 .
- the avoiding slot is sunken upward from a bottom surface of the second housing 20 to inside of the second housing 20 , that is, the avoiding slot does not cut through the second housing 20 from the bottom surface to the top surface.
- the avoiding slot also laterally cuts through one side surface of first housing 10 adjacent to the second housing 20 .
- the avoiding slot is used for receiving certain portions of the support assembly 40 to reduce a space occupied by the support assembly 40 .
- Each avoiding slot is disposed with one groove 202 in pairs.
- the flexible screen 30 is attached to the bottom surfaces of the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 .
- the flexible screen 30 can be a flexible display screen, a flexible touch screen, a combination of the two, or other types of flexible screens.
- the flexible screen 30 includes a bonding portion 32 bonded to the first housing 10 , a bonding portion 32 bonded to the second housing 20 , and a connecting portion 34 between the two bonding portions 32 .
- the connecting portion 34 is located in the groove 100 between the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 .
- the bonding portions 32 and the connecting portion 34 lie in a plane; when the flexible device is folded or bent, the connecting portion 34 bends correspondingly, and the two bonding portion 32 face with each other, and the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are disposed opposite to each other.
- each group of support assembly 40 connects the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 along a length direction of the first housing 10 or the second housing 20 .
- Each group of the support assembly 40 includes a plurality of moving members 50 coupled in series.
- Each moving member 50 is movably coupled to the adjacent moving member 50 through a connecting member 60 , thereby movably supporting the flexible screen 30 .
- the moving member 50 includes a base 52 , a first limiting part 54 and a second limiting part 56 respectively protruding from front side and rear side of the base 52 .
- the base 52 is substantially circular sector-shaped and includes a top surface 520 , a bottom surface 521 , a left end surface 522 , a right end surface 523 , a front side surface 524 , and a rear side surface 525 .
- the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 is a rectangular plane, and the left end surface 522 and the right end surface 523 are rectangular planes perpendicular to the bottom surface 521 .
- the top surface 520 of the base 52 is a convex surface that protrudes upward in a direction away from the bottom surface 521 .
- the height of the top surface 520 gradually increases from the left end surface 522 , the right end surface 523 to a middle part, thereby the top surface being curved.
- a center O 0 of the top surface 520 is located below the bottom surface 512 of the base 52 (see FIG. 10 ).
- the front side surface 524 and the rear side surface 525 are perpendicular to the bottom surface 521 , the left end surface 522 , and the right end surface 523 at the same time.
- the area of the front side surface 524 and the rear side surface 525 is greater than that of the left end surface 522 and the right end surface 523 .
- the base 52 defines a limit groove 51 and a through hole 53 cut through the front side surface 524 and the rear side surface 525 .
- the limit groove 51 is located close to the right end surface 523 of the base 52 .
- the limit groove 51 is in an arc shape, and substantially inclined to the right and curved toward the top surface, and its center O 1 is located below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 (see FIG. 10 ).
- the limit groove 51 includes a bottom surface 510 , a top surface 512 , and two side surfaces 514 coupling the top surface 510 and the bottom surface 512 .
- the bottom surface 510 is an up-convex curved surface
- the top surface 512 is an up-concave curved surface
- the side surfaces 514 are curved surfaces concaved to the left and right respectively.
- the curvature of the bottom surface 510 is greater than that of the top surface 512
- the bottom surface 510 is paralleled to the top surface 512 .
- the curved surface of the bottom surface 510 is a part of an arc surface, and its center O 2 is located below bottom surface 521 of the base 52 .
- the curved surface of the top surface 512 is also a part of an arc surface, and its center O 3 is located below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 and coincides with the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 .
- the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 and the center O 3 of the top surface 512 are located close to the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 and coincide with the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 .
- the side surfaces 514 smoothly connect the top surface 512 and the bottom surface 510 .
- the side surfaces 514 each is also a part of an arc surface, but its center O 4 is located inside the limit groove 51 , and is higher than the bottom surface 510 , and is below the top surface 512 .
- the centers O 4 of the two side surfaces 514 are different in height, wherein, the center O 4 of the left side surface 514 is higher than the center O 4 of the right side surface 514 , causing the limit groove 51 to incline to the right.
- the center O 3 of the top surface 512 and the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 are below the centers O 4 of the side surfaces 514 .
- the base 52 further defines a positioning groove 55 on an outer circumference of the limit groove 51 .
- the positioning groove 55 is located close to the front side surface 524 and surrounds the limit groove 51 .
- the area of the positioning groove 55 is greater than the area of the limit groove 51 .
- the positioning groove 55 is also in an arc shape, and its center O 5 is below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 (see FIG. 11 ).
- the positioning groove 55 extends rearward from the front side surface 524 of the base 52 to inside of the base 52 , that is, the positioning groove 55 does not cut through the base 52 from front surface to back surface.
- the positioning groove 55 also includes a top surface 552 , a bottom surface 550 , and two side surfaces 554 .
- the top surface 552 of the positioning groove 55 is also a concave curved surface and is parallel to the top surface 512 of the limit groove 51 ;
- the bottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55 is a convex curved surface and is parallel to the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51 ;
- the side surfaces 554 of the positioning groove 55 are concave curved surfaces, and parallel to the side surfaces 514 of the limit groove 51 respectively.
- the curvature of the bottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55 is greater than that of the top surface 552 .
- the curved surface of the bottom surface 550 is a part of an arc surface, and its center O 6 is located below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 .
- the curved surface of the top surface 552 is also a part of an arc surface, and its center O 7 is located below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 , and coincides with the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 and the center O 5 of the limit groove 51 .
- the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 and the center O 7 of the top surface 552 of the positioning groove 55 are located close to the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 and coincide with the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 and the center O 3 of the top surface 512 of the limit groove 51 along a first direction.
- the first direction is from one side of the base 52 to an opposite side of the base 52 .
- the first direction is from the front side surface 524 of the base 52 to the rear side surface 525 of the base 52 or from the rear side surface 525 to the front side surface 524 .
- the first direction is a thickness direction of the base 52 , or a depth direction of the limit groove 51 or the positioning groove 55 .
- the side surfaces 554 of the positioning groove 55 smoothly couple the top surface 552 and the bottom surface 550 .
- the side surfaces 554 each is also a part of an arc surface, and its center O 8 is located inside the positioning groove 55 , and is higher than the bottom surface 550 and is below the top surface 552 .
- the centers O 8 of the two side surfaces 554 are different in height, wherein the center O 8 of the left side surface 554 is higher than the center O 8 of the right side surface 554 , thus causing the positioning groove 55 to incline to the right.
- the centers O 8 of the side surfaces 554 of the positioning groove 55 and the centers O 4 of the side surfaces 514 of the limit groove 51 coincide in the first direction.
- the first limiting part 54 and the second limiting part 56 are respectively close to opposite ends of the base 52 .
- the first limiting part 54 is located at a left end of the front side surface 524 of the base 52 , which is adjacent to the limit groove 51 and the positioning groove 55 .
- the first limiting part 54 protrudes forward from the front side surface 524 of the base 52 , and its top surface defines a groove 540 close to the front side surface 524 of the base 52 .
- the portion of the top surface of the first limiting part 54 without the groove 540 forms a first limiting piece 542 protruding upward.
- the bottom surface of the first limiting part 54 is aligned with the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 , the left end surface is aligned with the left end surface 522 of the base 52 , the right end surface is located close to the positioning groove 55 , and the rear side surface is engaged with the front side surface 524 of the base 52 .
- the height of the top surface of the first limiting part 54 is less than that of the top surface 520 of the base 52 .
- the bottom surface, the left end surface, and the right end surface of the first limiting part 54 are in plane shape, and the top surface is a convex arc surface.
- the top surface of the first limiting part 54 forms a first limiting surface 544 .
- the first limiting surface 544 is a part of an arc surface, and its center O 9 is located below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 (see FIG. 10 ), and the height of the center O 9 is consistent with the heights of the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 , the center O 5 of the positioning groove 55 , the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 , the center O 3 of the top surface 512 , the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 , the center O 7 of the top surface 552 .
- the center O 9 of the first limiting surface 544 is close to the left end surface 522 of the base 52 ; the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 , the center O 5 of the positioning groove 55 , and the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 , the center O 3 of the top surface 512 , the center O 6 of the bottom surface 552 and the center O 7 of the top surface 552 are close to the right end surface 523 of the base 52 .
- the curvature of the first limiting surface 544 is greater than that of the top surface 520 of the base 52 .
- the curvature of the first limiting surface 544 is less than that of the top surface 552 and the bottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55 , and is further less than the that of the top surface 512 and the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51 .
- An inclination direction of the first limiting surface 544 is the left, which is opposite to the inclination direction of the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 .
- the first limiting piece 542 is spaced from the front side surface 524 of the base 52 through the groove 540 .
- the groove 540 extends to inside of the first limiting part 54 from top to bottom and cuts through the left end surface and the right end surface of the first limiting part 54 along a left-right direction.
- the bottom surface of the groove 540 forms a first positioning surface 546 (see FIG. 11 ).
- the first positioning surface 546 is below the first limiting surface 544 and is closer to the base 52 than the first limiting surface 544 .
- the first positioning surface 546 is also a part of an arc surface, its center O 10 is located below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 , and the height of the center O 10 is consistent with the heights of center O 1 of the limit groove 51 , the center O 5 of the positioning groove 55 , the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 , the center O 3 of the top surface 512 , the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 and the center O 7 of the top surface 552 , and the center O 9 of the first limiting surface 544 .
- the center O 10 of the first positioning surface 546 coincides with the center O 9 of the first limiting surface 544 along the first direction.
- the heights of the center O 10 of the first positioning surface 546 and the center O 9 of the first limiting surface 544 are both greater than height of the center O 0 of top surface 520 of the base 52 .
- the center O 9 of the first limiting surface 544 and the center O 10 of the first positioning surface 546 are close to the left end surface 522 of the base 52 .
- the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 , the center O 5 of the positioning groove 55 , and the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 , the center O 3 of the top surface 512 , the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 , the center O 7 of the top surface 552 are close to the right end surface 523 of the base 52 .
- the first positioning surface 546 is parallel to the first limiting surface 544 .
- the curvature of the first positioning surface 546 is greater than the curvature of the top surface 520 of the base 52 .
- the curvature of the first positioning surface 546 is greater than the curvature of the first limiting surface 544 and the curvature of the top surface 552 of the positioning groove 55 , and is less than the curvature of the top surface 512 and the curvature of the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51 and the curvature of the bottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55 .
- the inclination direction of the first positioning surface 546 is the left, which is opposite to the inclination direction of the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 , and is the same as the inclination direction of the first limiting surface 544 .
- the through hole 53 of the base 53 also extends to the front side surface of the first limiting part 54 to form a hole that cuts through from the front to the back.
- the second limiting part 56 is located on the rear side surface 525 of base 52 .
- the second limiting part 56 protrudes rearward from the rear side surface 525 of the base 52 .
- the second limiting part 56 includes a connecting plate 560 and a protrusion 562 protruding from the connecting plate 560 .
- the bottom surface of the connecting plate 560 is aligned with the bottom surface 521 of the base 52
- the left end surface of the connecting plate 560 is close to the through hole 53
- the right end surface of the connecting plate 560 is aligned with the right end surface 523 of the base 52
- the top surface of the connecting plate 560 is aligned with the top surface 520 of the base 52 .
- the connecting plate 560 is coupled to the rear side surface 523 of the base 52 .
- the area in which the connecting plate 560 is engaged with the base 52 is greater than the area in which the first limiting part 54 is engaged with the base 52 .
- the protrusion 562 protrudes from an upper portion of the rear side surface of the connecting plate 560 .
- the top surface of the protrusion 562 is aligned with the top surface of the connecting plate 560 .
- the top surface of the protrusion 562 , the top surface of the connecting plate 560 , and the top surface 520 of the base 52 are all convex arc surfaces, and are smoothly connected. Therefore, the top surface of each moving member 52 forms a continuous arc surface.
- the left end surface of the protrusion 562 is aligned with that of the connecting plate 560
- the right end surface of the protrusion 562 is aligned with that of the connecting plate 560
- the bottom surface of the protrusion 562 is higher than that of the connecting plate 560 .
- the bottom surface of the protrusion 562 defines a groove 564 .
- the groove 564 extends to inside of the protrusion 562 from the bottom to the top.
- the groove 564 also cuts through the left end surface and the right end surface of the protrusion 562 in a left-right direction.
- the portion of the bottom surface of the protrusion 562 without the groove 564 forms a second limiting piece 565 .
- the height of the second limiting piece 565 is greater than the height of the first limiting piece 542 .
- the second limiting piece 565 is separated from the rear side surface of the connecting plate 560 through the groove 564 .
- the bottom surface of the second limiting piece 565 forms a second positioning surface 566 for abutting against the first positioning surface 546 of the rear adjacent moving member 50 .
- the second positioning surface 566 is slightly higher than the first positioning surface 546 .
- the second positioning surface 566 is a part of an arc surface, and its center O 11 is located below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 (see FIG.
- the height of the center O 11 is consistent with the heights of the center O 10 of the first positioning surface 546 , the center O 9 of the first limiting surface 544 , the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 , the center O 5 of the positioning groove 55 , and the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 , the center O 3 of the top surface 512 , the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 , the center O 7 of the top surface 552 .
- the center O 11 of the second positioning surface 566 also coincides with the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 , the center O 5 of the positioning groove 55 , the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 , the center O 3 of the top surface 512 , the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 , and the center O 7 of the top surface 552 along the first direction.
- the center O 11 of the second positioning surface 566 is close to the right end surface 523 of the base 52 ; the center O 10 of the first positioning surface 546 and the center O 9 of the first limiting surface 544 are close to the left end surface 522 of the base 52 .
- the curvature of the second positioning surface 546 is greater than the curvature of the top surface 520 of the base 52 and less than the curvature of the top surface 512 and the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51 .
- An inclination direction of the second positioning surface 546 is the right, and is the same as that of the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 , and is opposite to that of the first limiting surface 544 and the first positioning surface 546 .
- the top surface of the groove 564 of the second limiting part 56 forms a second limiting surface 568 .
- the second limiting surface 568 is higher than the second positioning surface 566 , for abutting the first positioning surface 546 of the rear adjacent moving member 50 .
- the second limiting surface 568 is closer to the base 50 than the second positioning surface 566 .
- the second limiting surface 568 of the second limiting part 56 is part of an arc surface, and its center O 12 is located below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 (see FIG.
- the height of the center O 12 is consistent with the heights of the center O 10 of the first positioning surface 546 , the center O 9 of the first limiting surface 544 , the center O 11 of the second positioning surface 566 , the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 , the center O 5 of the positioning groove 55 , the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 , the center O 3 of the top surface 512 , the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 , and the center O 7 of the top surface 552 .
- the center O 12 of the second limiting surface 568 also coincides with the center O 11 of the second positioning surface 566 , the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 , the center O 5 of the positioning groove 55 , the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 , the center O 3 of the top surface 512 , the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 , the center O 7 of the top surface 552 along the first direction.
- the center O 12 of the second limiting surface 568 , the center O 11 of the second positioning surface 566 are close to the right end surface 523 of the base 52
- the center O 10 of the first positioning surface 546 the center O 9 of the first limiting surface 544 are close to the left end surface 522 of the base 52 .
- the second limiting surface 568 is parallel to the second positioning surface 566 .
- the curvature of the second limiting surface 568 is greater than the curvature of the top surface 520 of the base 52 .
- the curvature of the second limiting surface 568 is also less than the curvature of the top surface 512 of the limit groove 51 and the top surface 552 of the positioning groove 55 , and the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51 , and the bottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55 of the second positioning surface 566 .
- An inclination direction of the second limiting surface 568 is the right, and the same as that of the second positioning surface 566 , the positioning groove 55 , and the limit groove 51 , and is opposite to that of the first limiting surface 544 and the first positioning surface 546 .
- the second positioning surface 566 and the second limiting surface 568 are both concave curved surfaces.
- the first positioning surface 546 and the first limiting surface 544 are both convex curved surfaces.
- the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 of the base 52 also cut through the second limiting part 56 .
- the height of the limit groove 51 is below the heights of the second positioning surface 566 and the second limiting surface 568 .
- the adjacent moving members 50 are coupled in series through the connecting member 60 .
- the connecting member 60 that coupling each two adjacent moving members 50 in series, includes a rod member 62 and a locking member 64 sleeved on the rod member 62 .
- the limit groove 51 and the positioning groove 55 of each moving member 50 are aligned with the through hole 53 of the rear adjacent moving member 50 , and the second limiting part 56 of each moving member 50 abuts against the first limiting part 54 of the rear adjacent moving member 50 , each first limiting part 54 of the moving member 50 abuts against the second limiting part 56 of the front adjacent moving member 50 .
- the rod member 62 passes through the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 of each moving member 50 , and extends out from the through hole 53 of the rear moving member 50 .
- the locking member 64 is locked to the portion of the rod member 62 that extending out the through hole 53 to limit the rod member 62 .
- the rod member 62 includes a head portion 620 and a rod portion 620 extending from the head portion 620 .
- the rod portion 622 is received in the limit groove 51 and the through hole 53 .
- the outer diameter of the head portion 620 is greater than the inner diameter of the through hole 53 .
- the head portion 620 is received in the positioning groove 55 of the moving member 50 and abuts against the rear side surface of the positioning groove 55 of the moving member 50 to prevent the rod member 62 from falling off.
- One end of the rod portion 620 away from the head portion 620 forms screw threads.
- the locking member 64 is a nut locked to the screw threads at the end of the rod portion 622 to prevent the rod member 62 from falling off.
- the rod portion 622 is further provided with a spring 66 .
- the spring 66 is located between the rear side surface 525 of the moving member 50 and the front side surface of the nut.
- the adjacent moving members 50 are movably coupled together in series.
- the first limiting piece 542 of the first limiting part 54 of each moving member 50 is inserted into the groove 564 of the second limiting part 56 of the front adjacent moving member 50 .
- the rear side surface of the first limiting piece 542 of the first limiting part 54 of each moving member 50 abuts against the front side surface of the second limiting piece 565 of the second limiting part 56 of the front adjacent moving member 50 , thereby limiting the two adjacent moving members 50 to prevent the two adjacent moving members 50 from being separated from each other.
- first limiting surface 544 of the first limiting part 54 of each moving member 50 abuts against the second limiting surface 568 of the second limiting part 56 of the front adjacent moving member 50 , thereby limiting a track of a relative movement of the adjacent two moving members 50 .
- the second limiting piece 565 of the second limiting part 56 of each moving member 50 is inserted into the groove 540 of the first limiting part 54 of the rear adjacent moving member 50 .
- the front side surface of the second limiting piece 565 of the second limiting part 56 of each moving member 50 abuts against the rear side surface of the first limiting piece 542 of the first limiting part 54 of the rear adjacent moving member 50 , thereby limiting the two adjacent moving members 50 to prevent the two adjacent moving members 50 from being separated from each other.
- the second limiting surface 568 of the second limiting part 56 of each moving member 50 abuts against the first limiting surface 544 of the first limiting part 54 of the rear moving member 50 , thereby limiting a track of the relative movement of the adjacent two moving members 50 .
- a relative moving track of the adjacent two moving members 50 are limited by the positioning groove 55 , the limit groove 51 , the connecting member 60 , the first limiting part 54 and the second limiting part 56 .
- the left side surface 514 and the right side surface 514 of the limit groove 51 of the moving member 50 are arc surfaces having a diameter which equals to a distance between the top surface 512 and the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51 , and as same as that of the through hole 53 .
- the left side surface 554 and the right side surface 554 of the positioning groove 55 of the moving member 50 are also arc surfaces having a diameter which equals to the distance between the top surface 552 and the bottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55 . Referring to FIG.
- the outer diameter of the rod portion 622 of the rod member 62 is slightly less than or equals to the diameter of the through hole 53
- the outer diameter of the head portion 620 is slightly less than or equals to a distance between the top surface and the bottom surface of the positioning groove 55 .
- the movement of the moving member 50 relative to the rear adjacent moving member 50 is also limited correspondingly.
- the rotating center of the moving member 50 relative to the rear adjacent moving member 50 coincides with the center O 12 of the second limiting surface 568 , the center O 11 of the second positioning surface, the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 , the center O 5 of the positioning groove 55 , the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 , the center O 3 of the top surface 512 , the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 , and the center O 7 of the top surface 552 along the first direction.
- the rotating center of each moving member 50 relative to the adjacent moving member 50 is below the bottom surface of the adjacent moving member 50 .
- the first limiting surface 544 , the second limiting surface 568 , the first positioning surface 546 , and the second positioning surface 566 of the moving member 50 cooperatively limit the moving track of the moving member 50 .
- the second limiting surface 568 of each moving member 50 abuts against the first limiting surface 544 of the rear adjacent moving member 50
- the second positioning surface 566 of each moving member 50 abuts against the first positioning surface 546 of the rear adjacent moving member 50 .
- the center O 12 of the second limiting surface 568 and the center O 11 of the second positioning surface 566 of the moving member 50 coincide with the center O 9 of the first limiting surface 544 and the center O 10 of the second limiting surface 568 of the rear adjacent moving member 50 along the first direction, and coincide with the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 , the center O 5 of the positioning groove 55 , and the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 , the center O 3 of the top surface 512 , the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 , the center O 7 of the top surface 552 of the moving member 50 along the first direction, so the first limiting surface 544 , the second limiting surface 568 , the first positioning surface 546 , the second positioning surface 566 can further allow the adjacent two moving members 50 to move along a preset track, and can prevent unnecessary rotation of the moving member 50 .
- the convex top surfaces of the two adjacent moving members 50 are staggered at an intersection of the two adjacent moving members 50 ; when the two adjacent moving members are relatively rotated (ie, the support assembly 40 is in the bent state), the top surfaces of the two adjacent moving members 50 are aligned to form a continuous convex arc surface. Thereby, it is convenient to support a curved surface.
- each moving member 50 The positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 of each moving member 50 are aligned with the through hole 53 of the adjacent moving member 50 , so that the two adjacent moving members 50 are staggered and coupled to each other.
- These moving members 50 which are staggered and coupled in series, form the groups of supporting assemblies 40 . Since the moving members 50 need to be staggered and coupled in series, if the number of moving members 50 is large, the width of the support assembly 40 in the left-right direction will be large. When the support assembly 40 is applied to a miniaturized electronic device, such as a mobile phone or a portable video player, the width of the support assembly 40 in the left-right direction occupies a large space, which is disadvantageous to miniaturization of the device.
- the support assembly 40 is divided into a plurality of groups separated from each other, such that the width of each group is controlled within a small range.
- the first group and the third group of supporting assemblies 40 couple the adjacent first housing 10 and the second housing 20 from left to right
- the second group and the fourth group of supporting assemblies 40 couple the adjacent first housing 10 and second housing 20 from right to left.
- the connection portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 located between the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 can be better supported.
- each group of support assembly 40 includes two moving members 70 which are fixed to the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 respectively.
- the two moving members 70 are respectively located on the front and rear sides of each group of support assembly 40 .
- a right side portion of a moving member 70 on a front side of the first and the third groups of supporting assemblies 40 has a same structure as a right side portion of the moving member 50 , which means that it also includes a positioning groove 75 , a limit groove 71 , a second limiting part 76 , a second limiting surface, a second positioning surface, and the like.
- a left side portion of the moving member 70 includes a bracket 72 in a L-shape whose top portion defines a screw hole 720 aligned with the screw hole of the first housing 10 .
- the bracket 72 of the moving member 70 is inserted into the groove 102 of the first housing 10 , and the screw passes through the screw hole 720 of the bracket 72 and is locked into the screw hole of the first housing 10 , thereby achieving fixation of the moving member 70 and the first housing 10 .
- a left side portion of the moving member 70 on a rear side of the first and third groups of the support assembly 40 has a same structure as a left side portion of the moving member 50 , which means that it includes a through hole, a first limiting part, a first limiting surface, a first positioning surface, etc.
- the right side portion of the moving member 70 includes a bracket 72 in a L-shape whose top portion defines a screw hole 720 aligned with the screw hole of the second housing 20 .
- the bracket 72 of the moving member 70 is inserted into the groove 202 of the second housing 20 , and the screw passes through the screw hole 720 of the bracket 72 and is locked into the screw hole of the second housing 20 , thereby achieving fixation of the moving member 70 and the second housing 20 .
- the moving member 70 of the front side of the second and fourth groups of support assembly 40 is bilaterally symmetrically disposed with the moving member 70 of the rear side of the first and third groups of supporting assemblies 40 , and the moving member 70 of the rear side of the second and fourth groups of supporting assemblies 40 are bilaterally symmetrically disposed with respect to the moving member 70 of the front side of the first and third groups of supporting assemblies 40 .
- each group of support assembly 40 movably couples the first housing 10 to the second housing 20 by the moving member 70 .
- each of the moving members 50 , 70 are used for directly or indirectly abutting against the top surface of the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 , thereby supporting the connecting portion 34 .
- the centers O 1 of the limit grooves 51 and the centers O 5 of the positioning grooves 55 of each of the moving members 50 and the moving members 70 , and the centers O 2 of the bottom surfaces 510 , the centers O 3 of the top surfaces 512 , the centers O 6 of the bottom surface 550 , the centers O 7 of the top surfaces 552 , the centers O 9 of the first limiting surfaces 544 , the centers O 12 of the second limiting surfaces 568 , the centers O 10 of the first positioning surfaces 546 , the centers O 11 of the second positioning surfaces 566 are all located inside of the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 .
- the centers O 0 of the top surfaces 520 of the base 52 of each of the moving members 50 , 70 is below the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 . Since the relative rotating centers of the moving members 50 , 70 are all located inside of the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 , when the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 rotate relatively, the length of the connecting portion 34 between the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 remains unchanged, without being compressed or stretched to avoid damage to the flexible screen 30 . Referring to FIGS. 16-17 , furthermore, in this embodiment, the bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50 , 70 are detachably abutted against the top surface of the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 .
- the moving members 50 , 70 are not directly or indirectly fixed to the connecting portion 40 of the flexible screen 30 , but are movably supported by the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 for a more flexible supporting effect.
- the connecting portion 34 When the connecting portion 34 is unfolded, the bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50 , 70 abut against the connecting portion 34 ; when the connecting portion 34 is bent or folded, the bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50 , 70 are partially abutted against the connecting portion 34 , and the other portions of the bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50 , 70 are separated with the connecting portion 34 .
- the area supported by the moving members 50 , 70 when the connecting portion 34 is bent is less than the area supported by the moving members 50 , 70 when the connecting portion 34 is unfolded.
- the moving members 50 , 70 When the support assembly 40 is unfolded, the moving members 50 , 70 are staggered one by one and arranged in a diagonal line, and the top surfaces 520 of the moving members 50 , 70 are also staggered to form a non-continuous surface; when the support assembly 40 is bent, the moving members 50 , 70 are centered to form an arc shape, the top surfaces 520 of the moving members 50 , 70 are continuous with each other to form a continuous arc surface.
- a support plate 36 is further provided between the bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50 , 70 and the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 (see FIG. 2 ).
- the support plate 36 may be made of flexible materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, or the like.
- An area of the support plate 36 is slightly greater than an area of the connecting portion 34 , and opposite sides of the support plate 36 are respectively attached to positions of the bottom surfaces of the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 close to the groove 100 .
- the bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50 , 70 of the support assembly 40 abut against a top surface of the support plate 36 , and a bottom surface of the support plate 36 is fixed to the top surface of the connecting portion 34 , whereby the support assembly 40 supports the connecting portion 34 through the supporting plate 36 , so as to avoid damage to the connecting portion 34 caused by the moving members 50 , 70 directly contacting with the connecting portion 34 .
- the support plate 36 also has different contact relationships with the support assembly 40 in different states.
- the bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50 , 70 are detachably abutted against the top surface of the support plate 36 .
- the connecting portion 34 When the connecting portion 34 is unfolded, the bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50 , 70 abut against the support plate 36 ; when the connecting portion 34 is bent, the bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50 , 70 are partially abutted against the support plate 36 , and the other portion of the bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50 , 70 is separated from the support plate 36 .
- the contact area of the support plate 36 with the moving members 50 , 70 when the connecting portion 34 is bent is less than the contact area of the supporting plate 36 with the moving members 50 , 70 when the connecting portion 34 is unfolded.
- each moving member 50 has the first limiting part 54 and the second limiting part 56 . It can be understood that in some conditions where a demand for accuracy is not high, the support assembly 40 may only include two moving members 50 , one of the two moving members 50 has the first limiting part 54 and the other of the two moving members 50 has the second limiting part 56 .
- One of the moving members 50 is fixed to the first housing 10
- the other of the two moving members 50 is fixed to the second housing 20 .
- the connection portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 can also be movably supported by the first limiting part 54 abutting against the second limiting part 56 .
- first limiting part 54 may also have only the first positioning surface 546
- second limiting part 56 may also have only the second positioning surface 566
- first limiting part 54 may not include the first limiting surface 544
- second limiting part 56 may not include the second limiting surface 568
- the moving member 50 may also not include the first limiting part 54 or the second limiting part 56 , and the relative moving track of the two adjacent moving members 50 is limited by the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 .
- the moving member 50 can also have only the limit groove 51 , which can also limit the moving track of the moving member 50 .
- the support assembly 40 a of the present embodiment functions the same as the support assembly 40 of the foregoing embodiment, which is used for movably coupling the adjacent first housing 10 and the second housing 20 , and supporting the support plate 36 or the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 .
- the related structures of the first housing 10 , the second housing 20 , the support plate 36 , and the flexible screen 30 are the same as those of the foregoing embodiment.
- the support assembly 40 a of the present embodiment is also formed by a plurality of moving members 50 a coupled in series.
- Each moving member 50 a also includes a base 52 a , a first limiting part 54 a formed on a front side of the base 52 a , and a second limiting part 56 a formed on a rear side of the base 52 a .
- the base 52 a defines a through hole 53 a and a limit groove 51 a for engaging with the connecting member 60 a so as to movably couple with the base 52 a of the adjacent moving member 50 a .
- the base 52 a of the present embodiment includes a first base plate 52 b and a second base plate 52 c coupled to the first base plate 52 b .
- the first base plate 52 b is manufactured separately from the second base plate 52 c ; the first base plate 52 b and the second base plate 52 c are fixed together by welding or the like when assembled with the connecting member 60 a.
- an outer contour of the first base plate 52 b is the same as an outer contour of the base 52 of the foregoing embodiment.
- a bottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b is in a flat rectangular shape; a left end surface 522 b and a right end surface 523 b of the first base plate 52 b are planes perpendicular to the bottom surface 521 b ; a front side surface 524 b and a rear side surface 525 b of the first base plate 52 b are also planes perpendicular to the bottom surface 521 b .
- the area of the front side surface 524 b and the rear side surface 525 b is greater than the area of the left end surface 522 b and right end surface 523 b ;
- the top surface 520 b of the first base plate 52 b is a convex surface, preferably an upper convex arc surface, and its center O 0 is located below the bottom surface 521 b .
- a left side portion of the first base plate 52 b defines a through hole 53 b
- a right side portion of the first base plate 52 b defines a limit groove 51 b .
- the through hole 53 b cuts through the first base plate 52 b from front to rear.
- An inner wall surface of the through hole 53 b includes two opposite planes, thus reducing a width of the through hole 53 b in the left-right direction, thereby saving the area occupied by the through hole 53 b .
- the limit groove 51 b also cuts through the first base plate 52 b from front to rear.
- the shape and the orientation and the angle of the extending track of the limit groove 51 b of the present embodiment are the same as that of the limit groove 51 of the foregoing embodiment.
- the extending track of the limit groove 51 b is also an arc shape whose center O 1 is located under the bottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the limit groove 51 b of the present embodiment also includes a bottom surface 510 b , a top surface 512 b , and two side surfaces 514 b coupling the top surface 512 b and the bottom surface 510 b .
- the bottom surface 510 b is an up-convex curved surface
- the top surface 512 b is an up-concave curved surface
- the side surfaces 514 b are curved surfaces concaving to the left and right, respectively.
- the curvature of the bottom surface 510 b is greater than that of the top surface 512 b
- the top surface 512 b is parallel to the bottom surface 510 b .
- the curved surface of the bottom surface 510 b is a part of an arc surface, and its center O 2 is located below the bottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the curved surface of the top surface 512 b is also a part of an arc surface, and its center O 3 is located below the bottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b , and the center O 3 coincides with the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 b and the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 b .
- the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 b , the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 b , and the center O 3 of the top surface 512 b are located close to the bottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the side surfaces 514 b are smoothly coupled the top surface 512 b and the bottom surface 510 b .
- the side surface 514 b is also a part of an arc surface, but its center O 4 is located inside the limit groove 51 b , higher than the bottom surface 510 b , and below the top surface 512 b .
- the centers O 4 of the two side surfaces 514 b are different in height, wherein the center O 4 of the left side surface 514 b is higher than the center O 4 of the right side surface 514 b , causing the limit groove 51 b to incline to the right.
- the center O 3 of the top surface 512 b , and the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 b are below the centers O 4 of the side surfaces 514 b.
- the first base plate 52 b defines a groove 540 b in its front side surface 524 b .
- the groove 540 b extends downward from the top surface 512 b to inside of the first base plate 52 b , and the groove 540 b also extends forward through the front side surface 524 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the portion of the first base plate 52 b located below the groove 540 b forms a first limiting part 54 a .
- the bottom surface of the groove 540 b (i.e., a top surface of the first limiting part 54 a ) forms the first positioning surface 546 a .
- the top portion of the through hole 53 b cuts through the first positioning surface 546 a to separate the first positioning surface 546 a into two separate sections.
- the first positioning surface 546 a is an arc surface, and its center O 10 is located below the bottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b , and the center O 10 , the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 b , the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 b and the center O 3 of the top surface 512 b are consistent in height.
- the height of the center O 10 of the first positioning surface 546 a is higher than the height of the center O 0 of the top surface 520 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the center O 10 of the first positioning surface 546 a is located close to the left end surface 522 b of the first base plate 52 b ; the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 b , the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 b , and the center O 3 of the top surface 512 b are located close to the right end surface 523 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the curvature of the first positioning surface 546 a is greater than that of the top surface 520 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- An inclination direction of the first positioning surface 546 a is the left, and is opposite to the inclination direction of the limit groove 51 b .
- a left end of the first positioning surface 546 a is aligned with a left end surface 522 b of the first base plate 52 b , and a right end of the first positioning surface 546 a terminates at an edge of the limit groove 51 b.
- the front side surface 524 b of the first base plate 52 b further includes a stopper 58 b protruding from a position close to the limit groove 51 b .
- the stopper 58 b is located above the limit groove 51 b and is located close to the top surface 520 b and the right end surface 523 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the stopper 58 b is used for limiting a moving range of the moving member 50 a .
- the moving member 50 a When the support assembly 40 a is in an unfolded state, the moving member 50 a is abutted with the stopper 58 b of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a ; when the support assembly 40 a is in a bent state, the moving member 50 a is separated from the stopper 58 b of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a.
- the rear side surface 525 b of the first base plate 52 b defines a positioning groove 55 b around the limit groove 51 b .
- the area of the positioning groove 55 b is greater than that of the limit groove 51 b .
- the positioning groove 55 b extends forward from the rear side surface 525 b of the first base plate 52 b to inside of the first base plate 52 b , that is, the positioning groove 55 b does not cut through the first base plate 52 b from rear to front.
- An extending track of the positioning groove 55 b is also in an arc shape whose center O 5 is below the bottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the positioning groove 55 b also includes a top surface 552 b , a bottom surface 550 b , and two side surfaces 554 b .
- the top surface 552 b of the positioning groove 55 b is also a concave curved surface and is parallel to the top surface 512 b of the limit groove 51 b ;
- the bottom surface 550 b of the positioning groove 55 b is a convex curved surface and is parallel to the bottom surface 510 b of the limit groove 51 b ;
- the side surfaces 554 b of the positioning groove 55 b each is a concave curved surface, and is parallel to the side surface 514 b of the limit groove 51 b .
- the curvature of the bottom surface 550 b of the positioning groove 55 b is greater than that of the top surface 552 b .
- the curved surface of the bottom surface 550 b is a part of an arc surface, and its center O 6 is located below the bottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the curved surface of the top surface 552 b is also a part of the arc surface, and its center O 7 is located below the bottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b and coincides with the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 b .
- the center O 5 of the positioning groove 55 b , the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 b , and the center O 7 of the top surface 552 b are located close to the bottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b , and coincide with the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 b and the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 b , and the center O 3 of the top surface 512 b along the first direction.
- the first direction is a direction from one side of the base 52 a to the opposite side. In the present embodiment, the first direction is a direction from the front side surface of the base 52 a to the rear side surface or a direction from the rear side surface to the front side surface.
- the first direction is a thickness direction of the base 52 a , or a depth direction of the limit groove 51 a or the positioning groove 55 b .
- the side surfaces 554 b of the positioning groove 55 b smoothly couple the top surface 552 b and the bottom surface 550 b .
- the side surface 554 b is also a part of an arc surface, but its center O 8 is located inside of the positioning groove 55 b and is higher than the bottom surface 550 b , and below the top surface 552 b .
- the centers O 8 of the side surfaces 554 b of the positioning groove 55 b coincide with the centers O 4 of the side surfaces 514 b of the limit groove 51 b along the first direction.
- the positioning groove 55 b has only one side surface 554 b , and the other side of the positioning groove 55 b cuts through the right side surface 523 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- An inclination direction of the positioning groove 55 b is the right.
- the second base plate 52 c is located on a rear side of the first base plate 52 b .
- An outer contour of the second base plate 52 c is the same as that of the first base plate 52 b and the base 52 of the foregoing embodiment.
- the second base plate 52 c defines a through hole 53 c and a limit groove 51 c cutting through the front side surface 524 c and the rear side surface 525 c .
- the through hole 53 c of the second base plate 52 c is aligned with the through hole 53 b of the first base plate 52 b
- the limit groove 51 c is aligned with the limit groove 51 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the through hole 53 c of the second base plate 52 c is circular and an area of the through hole 53 c is less than that of the through hole 53 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the shape, orientation, and size of the limit groove 51 c of the second base plate 52 c are the same as those of the limit groove 51 b of the first base plate 52 b , as described in the limit groove 51 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the extending track of the limit groove 51 c is an arc shape whose center O 13 is located below the bottom surface 521 c of the second base plate 52 c .
- the limit groove 51 c of this embodiment also includes a bottom surface 510 c , a top surface 512 c , and two side surfaces 514 c coupling the top surface 512 c and the bottom surface 510 c .
- the bottom surface 510 c is an up-convex curved surface
- the top surface 512 c is an up-concave curved surface
- the side surfaces 514 c are concave curved surfaces concaving to the left and to the right, respectively.
- the curvature of the bottom surface 510 c is greater than that of the top surface 512 c
- the top surface 512 c is parallel to the bottom surface 510 c .
- the curved surface of the bottom surface 510 c is a part of an arc surface, and its center O 14 is located below the bottom surface 521 c of the second base plate 52 c .
- the curved surface of the top surface 512 c is also a part of an arc surface, and its center O 15 is located below the bottom surface 521 c of the second base plate 52 c , and the center O 15 coincides with the center O 14 of the bottom surface 510 c and the center O 13 of the limit groove 51 c .
- the center O 13 of the limit groove 51 c , the center O 14 of the bottom surface 510 c and the center O 15 of the top surface 512 c are located close to the bottom surface 521 c of the second base plate 52 c .
- the side surfaces 514 c smoothly couples the top surface 512 c and the bottom surface 510 c .
- the side surfaces 514 c each is also a part of an arc surface, but its center O 16 is located inside of the limit groove 51 c and is higher than the bottom surface 510 c , and is below the top surface 512 c .
- the centers O 16 of the two side surfaces 514 c are different in height, wherein the center O 16 of the left side surface 514 c is higher than the center O 16 of the right side surface 514 c , causing the limit groove 51 c to incline to the right.
- the rear side surface 525 c of the second base plate 52 c includes a second limiting part 56 a protruding from a position close to the limit groove 51 c .
- the second limiting part 56 a is located close to the top surface 520 c and the right side surface 523 c of the second base plate 52 c .
- the top surface of the second limiting part 56 a is aligned with the top surface 520 c of the second base plate 52 c
- the right end surface of the second limiting part 56 a is aligned with the right end surface 523 c of the second base plate 52 c
- the left end surface of the second limiting part 56 a is located close to the left side surface 514 c of the limit groove 51 c
- the bottom surface of the second limiting part 56 a is located close to the top surface 512 c of the limit groove 51 c
- the bottom surface of the second limiting part 56 a forms a second positioning surface 566 a .
- the second positioning surface 566 a is an arc surface, and its center O 11 is located below the bottom surface 521 c of the second base plate 52 c .
- the height of the center O 11 of the second positioning surface 566 a is the same as that of the center O 13 of the limit groove 51 c , the center O 14 of the bottom surface 510 c and the center O 15 of the the top surface 512 c , and further as same as that of the center O 10 of the first positioning surface 546 a of the first base plate 52 b and the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 b and the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 b and the center O 3 of the top surface 512 b .
- the height of the center O 11 of the second positioning surface 566 a is greater than that of the center O 17 of the top surface 520 c of the second base plate 52 c .
- the center O 11 of the second positioning surface 566 a is located close to the right end surface 523 c of the second base plate 52 c .
- the center O 11 of the second positioning surface 566 a , the center O 13 of the limit groove 51 c , the center O 15 of the top surface 512 c and the center O 14 of the bottom surface 510 c coincide along the first direction, and further coincides with the center O 1 of the limit groove 51 b of the first base plate 52 b , and the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 b and the center O 3 of the the top surface 512 b along the first direction.
- the curvature of the second positioning surface 566 a is greater than that of the top surface 520 c of the second base plate 52 c .
- An inclination direction of the second positioning surface 566 a is the right, which is the same as that of the limit groove 51 c .
- the left end of the second positioning surface 566 a is adjacent to the left side surface 514 c of the limit groove 51 c , and the right end of the second positioning surface 566 a is aligned with the right end surface 523 c of the second base plate 52 c.
- the second base plate 52 c also defines a receiving groove 57 c in its front side surface 524 c .
- the receiving groove 57 c extends to inside of the second base plate 52 c from front to rear.
- a left side contour of the receiving groove 57 c is circular, and a right side contour of is the same as that of the limit groove 51 c .
- the left side of the receiving groove 57 c interconnects with the through hole 53 c , and the right side interconnects with the limit groove 51 c.
- the first base plate 52 b and the second base plate 52 c are fixed together by welding, bonding, or the like to form a complete moving member 50 a .
- the outer contours of the first base plate 52 b and the second base plate 52 c are aligned with each other; the through hole 53 b of the first base plate 52 b is aligned with and interconnected with the through hole 53 c of the second base plate 52 c to cooperatively constitute the through hole 53 a of the moving member 50 a ;
- the limit groove 51 b of the first base plate 52 b is aligned with and interconnected with the limit groove 51 c of the second base plate 52 c to form the limit groove 51 a of the moving member 50 a ;
- the positioning groove 55 b of the first base plate 52 b is interconnected with the receiving groove 57 c of the second base plate 52 c .
- the bottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b is combined with the bottom surface 521 c of the second base plate 52 c to form the bottom surface 521 a of the base 50 a .
- the top surface 520 b of the first base plate 52 b is combined with the top surface 520 c of the second base plate 53 b to form the top surface 520 a of the base 52 a .
- the left end surface 522 b of the first base plate 52 b is combined with the left end surface 522 c of the second base plate 52 c to form the left end surface 522 a of the base 52 a .
- the right end surface 523 b of the first base plate 52 b is combined with the right end surface 523 c of the second base plate 52 c to form the right end surface 523 a of the base 52 a .
- the front side surface 524 b of the first base plate 52 b forms the front side surface 524 a of the base 52 a .
- the rear side surface 525 c of the second base plate 52 c forms the rear side surface 525 a of the base 52 a.
- the adjacent moving members 50 a are coupled in series through the connecting member 60 a .
- the connecting member 60 a that is coupled in series with each two adjacent moving members 50 a includes a rod member 62 a and a locking member 64 a that is sleeved on the rod member 62 a .
- each moving member 50 a When assembled, the through hole 53 a of each moving member 50 a is aligned with the limit groove 51 a of the adjacent moving member 50 a , and the second limiting part 56 a of each moving member 50 a abuts against by the first limiting part 54 a of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a , and the first limiting part 54 a of each moving member 50 a abuts against the second limiting part 56 a of the front adjacent moving member 50 a .
- the rod member 62 a passes through the limit groove 51 a of each moving member 50 a and penetrates into the through hole 53 a of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a .
- the locking member 64 a is locked to one end of the rod member 62 a penetrating into the through hole 53 a of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a , thereby limiting the rod member 62 a .
- the rod member 62 a includes a head portion 620 a , a rod portion 622 a extending rearward from the head portion 620 a , and an end portion 624 a extending forward from the head portion 620 a .
- the rod portion 622 a is received in the limit grooves 51 b and 51 c of the first base plate 52 b of the moving member 50 a , the through hole 53 b of the first base plate 52 b and the through hole 53 c of the second base plate 52 c of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a .
- the rod portion 622 a has two planes for abutting against the two planes of the through hole 53 b , respectively.
- the head portion 620 a is received in the positioning groove 55 b of the first base plate 52 b of the moving member 50 a , and is located between the front side surface of the positioning groove 55 b of the first base plate 52 b and the front side surface 524 c of the second base plate 52 c to prevent the rod member 622 a from falling off.
- the end portion 624 a is inserted into the limit groove 51 b of the first base plate 52 b .
- the rod portion 622 a includes a screw threads formed on one end of the rod portion 622 a away from the head portion 620 a .
- the locking member 64 a is a nut that is locked to the screw threads at the end of the rod portion 622 a to prevent the rod member 62 a from falling off.
- the rod portion 622 a further includes a spring 66 a .
- the spring 66 a is located between the rear side surface 525 a of the moving member 50 a and the front side surface of the nut.
- the adjacent moving members 50 a are coupled in series through the connection of the connecting member 60 a .
- the first limiting part 54 a of each moving member 50 a abuts against the second limiting part 56 a of the adjacent moving member 50 a , wherein the first positioning surface 546 a of the first limiting part 54 a abuts against the second positioning surface 566 a of the second limiting part 56 a , thereby limiting the two adjacent moving members 50 a and further limiting the relative moving track of the two adjacent moving members 50 a.
- the rod member 62 a serves as a rotating shaft of the adjacent two moving members 50 a . Due to the shape limitation of the limit groove 51 a , the movement of the moving member 50 a relative to the rear adjacent moving member 50 a is also limited accordingly.
- a rotating center of the moving member 50 a relative to the rear adjacent moving member 50 a coincides with the centers O 1 , O 13 of the limit groove 51 a of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a , and the center O 3 of the top surface 512 b , the center O 15 of the top surface 512 c , the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 b , and the center O 14 of the bottom surface 510 c along the first direction, that is, the rotating center of each moving member 50 a relative to the adjacent moving member 50 a is below the bottom surface 521 a of the adjacent moving member 50 a .
- the first positioning surface 546 a and the second positioning surface 566 a of the moving member 50 a cooperatively limit the moving track of the moving member 50 a .
- the second positioning surface 566 a of each moving member 50 a abuts against the first positioning surface 546 a of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a .
- the second positioning surface 566 a of the moving member 50 a can further limit the relative movement of the adjacent two moving members 50 a along a preset track, and can prevent the unnecessary rotation of the moving member 50 a .
- the stopper 58 b of the front side surface 524 a of the moving member 50 a can further limit the rotation of the front adjacent moving member 50 a to prevent excessive rotation thereof.
- the convex top surface 520 a of the two adjacent moving members 50 a is staggered at the intersection between the two adjacent moving members 50 a ; when the two adjacent moving members 50 a are relatively rotated, the top surface 520 a of the two adjacent moving members 50 a gradually aligns with each other; after the two moving members 50 a are relatively rotated (ie, the support assembly 40 a is in the bent state), the top surfaces 520 a of the two adjacent moving members 50 a are aligned to form a continuous convex arc surface. Thereby, it is convenient to support the curved surface.
- the support assembly 40 a of the present embodiment can also be divided into multiple groups, and the front and rear moving members 50 a of each group of support assembly 40 a can also have a bracket fixed with the first housing 10 or the second housing 20 as in the foregoing embodiment, and the specific structure and the connection relationship of the bracket can be referred to the descriptions of the foregoing embodiment.
- each moving member 50 a is used for directly or indirectly abutting against the top surface of the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 , thereby supporting the connecting portion 34 .
- the center O 1 of the limit groove, the center O 13 of the limit groove 51 a , the center O 5 of the positioning groove 55 a , the center O 2 of the bottom surface 510 b , the center O 14 of the bottom surface 510 c , the center O 6 of the bottom surface 550 b , the center O 3 of the top surface 512 b , the center O 15 of the top surface 512 c , the center O 7 of the top surface 552 b , the center O 10 of the first positioning surface 546 a and the center O 11 of the second positioning surface 566 a of each moving member 50 a are all located inside of the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 .
- the center O 0 of the top surface 520 a of the base 52 a of each moving member 50 a is below the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 . Since the relative rotating centers of the respective moving members 50 a are all located inside the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 , when the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are relatively rotated, the length of the connecting portion 34 between the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 remains unchanged without being compressed or stretched to avoid damage to the flexible screen 30 .
- the bottom surface 521 of the moving member 50 a is detachably abut against the top surface 521 a of the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 .
- the moving member 50 a is not directly or indirectly fixed to the connecting portion 40 of the flexible screen 30 , but movably supports the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 to provide a more flexible supporting effect.
- the connecting portion 34 When the connecting portion 34 is unfolded, the bottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a abuts against the connecting portion 34 ; when the connecting portion 34 is bent, the bottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a partially contacts the connecting portion 34 , and the other portion of the bottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a is separated from the connecting portion 34 .
- the area supported by the moving member 50 a when the connecting portion 34 is bent is less than the area supported by the moving member 50 a when the connecting portion 34 is unfolded.
- the moving members 50 a When the support assembly 40 a is unfolded, the moving members 50 a are staggered one by one and arranged in a diagonal line, and the top surfaces 520 a of moving members 50 a are also staggered to present a non-continuous surface; when the support assembly 40 a is bent, the moving members 50 a are centered in an arc shape, and the top surface 520 a of the moving members 50 a are continuous with each other to form a continuous curved surface.
- a support plate 36 is further provided and located the bottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a and the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 .
- the support plate 36 can be made of flexible materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene or the like.
- the area of the support plate 36 is slightly greater than the area of the connecting portion 34 , and the opposite sides of the support plate 36 are respectively attached to the positions of the bottom surfaces of the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 close to the groove 100 .
- the bottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a of the support assembly 40 a abuts against the top surface of the support plate 36 , and the bottom surface of the support plate 36 is fixed to the top surface of the connecting portion 34 , whereby the support assembly 40 a supports the connecting portion 34 through the support plate 36 to avoid damage to the connecting portion 34 caused by the moving member 50 a directly contacting with the connecting portion 34 .
- the support plate 36 also has different contact relationships with the support assembly 40 a in different states.
- the bottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a is detachably abutting against the top surface of the support plate 36 .
- the bottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a abuts against the support plate 36 ; when the connecting portion 34 is bent, the bottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a has a portion that abuts against the support plate 36 and another portion of the moving member 50 a is separated from the support plate 36 .
- the contact area of the support plate 36 with the moving member 50 a when the connecting portion 34 is bent is less than the contact area of the support plate 36 with the moving member 50 a when the connecting portion 34 is unfolded.
- the support assembly 40 a may also include only two moving members 50 a , wherein one of the two moving members 50 a has the first limiting part 54 a and the other of the two moving members 50 a has the second limiting part 56 a .
- One of the moving members 50 a is fixed to the first housing 10
- the other of the two moving members 56 a is fixed to the second housing 20 .
- the connection portion 34 of the movable support 30 can also be movably supported.
- first limiting part 54 a may also have the first limiting surface and the first positioning surface 546 a as in the foregoing embodiment, and the second limiting part 56 a may also have the second limiting surface and the second positioning surface 566 a . That is, the first limiting part 54 a may further include the first limiting space, and the second limiting part 56 a may further include the second limiting space. It is also understood that the moving member 50 a may also not include the first limiting part 54 a and the second limiting part 56 a , and the relative moving track of the adjacent moving members 50 a can also be limited by the positioning groove 55 a and the limit groove 51 a . Moreover, the moving member 50 a may also have only the limit groove 51 a , and may also have the effect of limiting the moving track of the moving member 50 a.
- the connecting member 60 a is relatively simple to assemble by separating the first base plate 52 b and second base plate 52 c , and only the head portion 620 a needs to be located between the first base plate 52 b and the second base plate 52 c to realize the assembly of the connecting member 60 a and the moving member 50 a.
- the present disclosure can support various forms of the flexible screen 30 by coupling a plurality of relatively movable moving members 50 , 50 a , in particular, a curved shape and a support of a flat form. Therefore, the presenting support assembly 40 , 40 a can be widely applied to a foldable or bendable product of the flexible screen 30 .
- the “unfolded state” and “bent state” refer to two relative comparative state relationships in the present disclosure, and the support assembly 40 , 40 a /flexible device is not required to be fully unfolded or fully bent, as long as one state is compared to the other. If the state is further curved, it can be considered to belong to the curved state and the unfolded state, respectively.
- center of the surface means that the distance from each position of the surface to the center is the same in a plane perpendicular to the surface.
- center of the groove as used by the present disclosure means that the distance from each position of the groove to the center is the same.
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Abstract
A support assembly includes a plurality of moving members and connecting members each connecting two adjacent moving members of the plurality of moving members, a movement of each of the plurality of moving members relative to an adjacent moving member enabling the support assembly to be switched between a first state and a second state. The second state is more curved than the first state. The support assembly can be transformed into different forms according to requirements, so as to adapt to application requirements of various shapes of flexible screen.
Description
- The present application is a National Phase of International Application Number PCT/CN2017/073364, filed Feb. 13, 2017; and claims the priority of International Application No. PCT/CN2016/090477, filed Jul. 19, 2016; and International Application No. PCT/CN2016/090478, filed Jul. 19, 2016; and International Application No. PCT/CN2016/090479, filed Jul. 19, 2016.
- The present disclosure relates to supporting assemblies, and more particularly to a support assembly for a flexible screen.
- The existing electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, video players and the like with display screens are straight panel due to limitations of materials of screens. With development of screen technology, the industry has developed flexible display screens, and it is expected to develop various types of electronic devices that can be bent or folded in the future. Due to flexible nature of the flexible display screen, a corresponding movable mechanical structure is required to support it. Obviously, a support structure of an existing hard display screen cannot meet the needs of bending or folding.
- The present disclosure provides a support assembly that can meet the needs of bending or folding.
- A support assembly includes a plurality of moving members and connecting members each connecting two adjacent moving members of the plurality of moving members. A movement of each of the plurality of moving members relative to an adjacent moving member enables the support assembly to be switched between an unfolded state and a bent state.
- The movement of each of the plurality of moving members relative to the adjacent moving member includes a rotation of each of the plurality of moving members relative to the adjacent moving member. A rotating center of each of the plurality of moving members rotating relative to the adjacent moving member is below the adjacent moving member.
- Each of the plurality of moving members includes a base, and, a limit groove and a through hole defined on the base. Each of the connecting members passes through the limit groove of one of the plurality of moving members and penetrates the through hole of the adjacent moving member.
- The limit groove of each of the plurality of moving members is in an arc shape, and a center of the limit groove is below a bottom surface of the base.
- Each of the plurality of moving members further includes a first limiting part and a second limiting part respectively locating on opposite sides of the base. The second limiting part of each of the plurality of moving members is movably abutting against the first limiting part of the adjacent moving member.
- A moving track of the second limiting part of each of the plurality of moving members relative to the first limiting part of the adjacent moving member is in an arc shape. A center of the moving track is below the adjacent moving member.
- The first limiting part and the second limiting part are respectively adjacent to opposite ends of each of the plurality of moving members.
- The first limiting part includes a first positioning surface in an arc shape. The second limiting part includes a second positioning surface in an arc shape. Centers of the first positioning surface and the second positioning surface are below the bottom surface of the base.
- The first positioning surface and the second positioning surface are respectively inclined toward opposite ends of the base.
- A height of a center of the first positioning surface is the same as a height of a center of the second positioning surface.
- The center of the second positioning surface coincides with the center of the limit groove along a first direction, and the first direction is from one side of the base to an opposite side of the base.
- A top surface of the base is an arc-shaped surface, and top surfaces of the bases of two adjacent moving members are staggered when the support assembly is unfolded, and the top surfaces of the bases of the two adjacent moving members are continuous with each other when the support assembly is bent.
- A center of the top surface of the base is below the center of the limit groove.
- The first limiting part further includes a first limiting surface, the second limiting part further includes a second limiting surface, the second limiting surface of each of the plurality of moving members is movably abutting against the first limiting surface of the adjacent moving member.
- The first limiting surface is higher than the first positioning surface and is further away from the base than the first positioning surface.
- The second limiting surface is higher than the second positioning surface and closer to the base than the second positioning surface.
- A center of the first limiting surface coincides with the center of the first positioning surface along a first direction, and a center of the second limiting surface coincides with the center of the second positioning surface along the first direction, and the first direction is from a side of the base to an opposite side of the base.
- Each of the connecting members includes a rod member and a locking member, the rod member includes a head portion and a rod portion passing through two adjacent moving members, an end of the rod portion is locked with the locking member.
- The base of each of the plurality of moving members defines a positioning groove for receiving the head portion, and the positioning groove surrounds the limit groove and interconnects with the limit groove.
- The base includes a first base plate and a second base plate manufactured independently of each other, the head portion of the rod member is located between the first base plate and the second base plate.
- The connecting member further includes an end portion, the end portion and the rod portion are respectively located on opposite sides of the head portion, and the end portion penetrates into the limit groove of the first base plate, the rod portion penetrates into the limit groove of the second base plate.
- The through hole of the first base plate includes two opposite planes, and the rod portion correspondingly forms two opposite planes corresponding to the two opposite planes of the through hole.
- The first base plate forms a stopper above the limit groove, each of the plurality of moving members is abutted against by the stopper of the adjacent moving member to limit a rotating angle when the support assembly is in the unfolded state. each of the plurality of moving members is separated from the stopper of the adjacent moving member when the support assembly is in the bent state.
- The positioning groove is defined on a surface of the first base plate facing the second base plate, and a receiving groove is defined on a surface of the second base plate facing the first base plate and interconnected with the positioning groove. The rod portion of the connecting member passes through the limit groove of each of the plurality of moving members and penetrates into the receiving groove of the adjacent moving member.
- The locking member is received in the receiving groove of the second base plate of the adjacent moving member.
- By using a plurality of moving members that can be movable relatively, the support assembly can be switched between the unfolded state and the bent state according to need, thereby facilitating bending or folding of the flexible electronic device with the support assembly.
- To describe technology solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure more clearly, the following briefly introduces the accompanying drawings required for the embodiments. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description show merely some embodiments of the present disclosure, those of ordinary skill in the art may also derive other obvious variations based on these accompanying drawings without creative efforts.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. -
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the flexible device ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a support assembly of the flexible device ofFIG. 2 . -
FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view of the support assembly ofFIG. 3 . -
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a moving member of the support assembly ofFIG. 4 . -
FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the moving member ofFIG. 5 . -
FIG. 7 is an upper left perspective view of the moving member ofFIG. 5 . -
FIG. 8 is an inverted view of the moving member ofFIG. 5 . -
FIG. 9 is a plan view of the moving member ofFIG. 5 . -
FIG. 10 is a front view of the moving member ofFIG. 5 . -
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the moving member ofFIG. 9 taken along line I-I. -
FIG. 12 is a rear view of the moving member ofFIG. 5 . -
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the moving member ofFIG. 9 taken along line II-II. -
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the support assembly ofFIG. 2 . -
FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of one moving member located at one end of the support assembly. -
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a bent state of the flexible device. -
FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the flexible device ofFIG. 16 . -
FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of the support assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. -
FIG. 19 is an exploded view of the support assembly ofFIG. 18 . -
FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of a first base plate of the moving member of the support assembly ofFIG. 18 . -
FIG. 21 is a rear perspective view of the first base plate ofFIG. 20 . -
FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of a second base plate of the moving member of the support assembly ofFIG. 18 . -
FIG. 23 is a rear perspective view of the second base plate ofFIG. 22 . -
FIG. 24 is a front view of the first base plate ofFIG. 20 ; -
FIG. 25 is a rear view of the first base plate ofFIG. 20 . -
FIG. 26 is a front view of the second base plate ofFIG. 22 . -
FIG. 27 is a rear view of the second base plate ofFIG. 22 . -
FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view of the support assembly ofFIG. 18 . - The technical solutions in the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in the present disclosure.
- Referring to
FIGS. 1-2 , a flexible device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The flexible device includes afirst housing 10, asecond housing 20, aflexible screen 30 attached to thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20, and asupport assembly 40 supporting theflexible screen 30. The flexible device can be switched between an unfolded state and a folded/bent state. In the unfolded state, theflexible screen 30 is unbent and expanded, thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 are arranged side by side; in the folded/bent state, theflexible screen 30 is folded or bent, and thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 are stacked one by one. - The
first housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 are substantially in flat-plate shape, and they can be made of hard materials such as metal or plastic. Thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 may be hollow for receiving various electronic components such as a control module, a storage module, a drive module, a power module, a switch module, a speaker module, a sensor module, and the like. Thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 are separated from each other with anarrow groove 100 defined therebetween. - One side of the
first housing 10 defines a plurality ofgrooves 102 along a length direction thereof for fixing thesupport assembly 40. In this embodiment, the number of thegrooves 102 is four, two of which are respectively close to opposite ends of thefirst housing 10, and the other two of which are close to a middle part of thefirst housing 10. Thegroove 102 is sunken from a top surface of thefirst housing 10 to inside of thefirst housing 10, that is, thegroove 102 does not cut through thefirst housing 10 from top surface to bottom surface. Thegroove 102 also laterally cuts through one side surface of thefirst housing 10 adjacent to thesecond housing 20. The bottom surface of thegroove 102 defines a circular screw hole for a screw passing through to fix thesupport assembly 40 to thefirst housing 10. One side of eachgroove 102 also defines an avoiding slot 104 in thefirst housing 10. The avoiding slot 104 is sunken from the bottom surface of thefirst housing 10 to the inside of thefirst housing 10, that is, the avoiding slot 104 does not cut through thefirst housing 10 from the bottom surface to the top surface. The avoiding slot 104 also laterally cuts through one side surface of thefirst housing 10 adjacent to thesecond housing 10. The avoiding slot 104 is used for receiving certain portions of thesupport assembly 40 to reduce space occupied by thesupport assembly 40. Each avoiding slot 104 is disposed with onegroove 102 in pairs. - One side of the
second housing 20 close to thefirst housing 10 defines a plurality ofgrooves 202 for fixing thesupport assembly 40. In this embodiment, the number of thegrooves 202 is also four, two of which are close to one end of thesecond housing 20, and the other two of which are close to opposite end of thesecond housing 20. In particular, a distance of onegroove 202 closest to one end of thesecond housing 20 to the end of thesecond housing 20 is greater than that of onegroove 102 closest to one end of thefirst housing 10 to the end of thefirst housing 10. Along the length direction of thefirst housing 10 or thesecond housing 20, thegrooves 202 of thesecond housing 20 and thegrooves 102 of thefirst housing 10 are staggered with each other to fix different portions of thesupport assembly 40. Thegroove 202 is sunken downward from a top surface of thesecond housing 20 to the inside of thesecond housing 20, that is, thegroove 202 does not cut through thesecond housing 20 from the top surface to the bottom surface. Thegroove 202 also laterally cuts through one side surface of thefirst housing 10 adjacent to thesecond housing 20. The bottom surface of thegroove 202 defines a circular screw hole for a screw passing through to fix thesupport assembly 40 to thesecond housing 20. One side of eachgroove 202 also defines an avoiding slot in thesecond housing 20. The avoiding slot is sunken upward from a bottom surface of thesecond housing 20 to inside of thesecond housing 20, that is, the avoiding slot does not cut through thesecond housing 20 from the bottom surface to the top surface. The avoiding slot also laterally cuts through one side surface offirst housing 10 adjacent to thesecond housing 20. The avoiding slot is used for receiving certain portions of thesupport assembly 40 to reduce a space occupied by thesupport assembly 40. Each avoiding slot is disposed with onegroove 202 in pairs. - The
flexible screen 30 is attached to the bottom surfaces of thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20. Theflexible screen 30 can be a flexible display screen, a flexible touch screen, a combination of the two, or other types of flexible screens. Theflexible screen 30 includes abonding portion 32 bonded to thefirst housing 10, abonding portion 32 bonded to thesecond housing 20, and a connectingportion 34 between the twobonding portions 32. The connectingportion 34 is located in thegroove 100 between thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20. When the flexible device is unfolded, thebonding portions 32 and the connectingportion 34 lie in a plane; when the flexible device is folded or bent, the connectingportion 34 bends correspondingly, and the twobonding portion 32 face with each other, and thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 are disposed opposite to each other. - Referring to
FIGS. 3 and 4 , in this embodiment, there are four groups of supportingassemblies 40, and each group ofsupport assembly 40 connects thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 along a length direction of thefirst housing 10 or thesecond housing 20. Each group of thesupport assembly 40 includes a plurality of movingmembers 50 coupled in series. Each movingmember 50 is movably coupled to the adjacent movingmember 50 through a connectingmember 60, thereby movably supporting theflexible screen 30. Referring toFIGS. 5-13 , in the embodiment, the movingmember 50 includes a base 52, a first limitingpart 54 and a second limitingpart 56 respectively protruding from front side and rear side of the base 52. The base 52 is substantially circular sector-shaped and includes atop surface 520, abottom surface 521, aleft end surface 522, aright end surface 523, afront side surface 524, and arear side surface 525. Thebottom surface 521 of the base 52 is a rectangular plane, and theleft end surface 522 and theright end surface 523 are rectangular planes perpendicular to thebottom surface 521. Thetop surface 520 of the base 52 is a convex surface that protrudes upward in a direction away from thebottom surface 521. The height of thetop surface 520 gradually increases from theleft end surface 522, theright end surface 523 to a middle part, thereby the top surface being curved. A center O0 of thetop surface 520 is located below the bottom surface 512 of the base 52 (seeFIG. 10 ). Thefront side surface 524 and therear side surface 525 are perpendicular to thebottom surface 521, theleft end surface 522, and theright end surface 523 at the same time. The area of thefront side surface 524 and therear side surface 525 is greater than that of theleft end surface 522 and theright end surface 523. The base 52 defines a limit groove 51 and a throughhole 53 cut through thefront side surface 524 and therear side surface 525. The limit groove 51 is located close to theright end surface 523 of the base 52. The limit groove 51 is in an arc shape, and substantially inclined to the right and curved toward the top surface, and its center O1 is located below thebottom surface 521 of the base 52 (seeFIG. 10 ). The limit groove 51 includes a bottom surface 510, a top surface 512, and twoside surfaces 514 coupling the top surface 510 and the bottom surface 512. The bottom surface 510 is an up-convex curved surface, the top surface 512 is an up-concave curved surface, and the side surfaces 514 are curved surfaces concaved to the left and right respectively. In this embodiment, the curvature of the bottom surface 510 is greater than that of the top surface 512, and the bottom surface 510 is paralleled to the top surface 512. The curved surface of the bottom surface 510 is a part of an arc surface, and its center O2 is located belowbottom surface 521 of the base 52. The curved surface of the top surface 512 is also a part of an arc surface, and its center O3 is located below thebottom surface 521 of the base 52 and coincides with the center O2 of the bottom surface 510. In particular, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 and the center O3 of the top surface 512 are located close to thebottom surface 521 of the base 52 and coincide with the center O1 of the limit groove 51. The side surfaces 514 smoothly connect the top surface 512 and the bottom surface 510. The side surfaces 514 each is also a part of an arc surface, but its center O4 is located inside the limit groove 51, and is higher than the bottom surface 510, and is below the top surface 512. The centers O4 of the twoside surfaces 514 are different in height, wherein, the center O4 of theleft side surface 514 is higher than the center O4 of theright side surface 514, causing the limit groove 51 to incline to the right. In other words, the center O3 of the top surface 512 and the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 are below the centers O4 of the side surfaces 514. In this embodiment, the base 52 further defines a positioning groove 55 on an outer circumference of the limit groove 51. The positioning groove 55 is located close to thefront side surface 524 and surrounds the limit groove 51. The area of the positioning groove 55 is greater than the area of the limit groove 51. The positioning groove 55 is also in an arc shape, and its center O5 is below thebottom surface 521 of the base 52 (seeFIG. 11 ). The positioning groove 55 extends rearward from thefront side surface 524 of the base 52 to inside of the base 52, that is, the positioning groove 55 does not cut through the base 52 from front surface to back surface. The positioning groove 55 also includes atop surface 552, abottom surface 550, and two side surfaces 554. Thetop surface 552 of the positioning groove 55 is also a concave curved surface and is parallel to the top surface 512 of the limit groove 51; thebottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55 is a convex curved surface and is parallel to the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51; the side surfaces 554 of the positioning groove 55 are concave curved surfaces, and parallel to the side surfaces 514 of the limit groove 51 respectively. In this embodiment, the curvature of thebottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55 is greater than that of thetop surface 552. The curved surface of thebottom surface 550 is a part of an arc surface, and its center O6 is located below thebottom surface 521 of the base 52. The curved surface of thetop surface 552 is also a part of an arc surface, and its center O7 is located below thebottom surface 521 of the base 52, and coincides with the center O6 of thebottom surface 550 and the center O5 of the limit groove 51. In particular, the center O6 of thebottom surface 550 and the center O7 of thetop surface 552 of the positioning groove 55 are located close to thebottom surface 521 of the base 52 and coincide with the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 and the center O3 of the top surface 512 of the limit groove 51 along a first direction. The first direction is from one side of the base 52 to an opposite side of the base 52. In the present embodiment, the first direction is from thefront side surface 524 of the base 52 to therear side surface 525 of the base 52 or from therear side surface 525 to thefront side surface 524. In other words, the first direction is a thickness direction of the base 52, or a depth direction of the limit groove 51 or the positioning groove 55. The side surfaces 554 of the positioning groove 55 smoothly couple thetop surface 552 and thebottom surface 550. The side surfaces 554 each is also a part of an arc surface, and its center O8 is located inside the positioning groove 55, and is higher than thebottom surface 550 and is below thetop surface 552. The centers O8 of the twoside surfaces 554 are different in height, wherein the center O8 of theleft side surface 554 is higher than the center O8 of theright side surface 554, thus causing the positioning groove 55 to incline to the right. The centers O8 of the side surfaces 554 of the positioning groove 55 and the centers O4 of the side surfaces 514 of the limit groove 51 coincide in the first direction. - The first limiting
part 54 and the second limitingpart 56 are respectively close to opposite ends of the base 52. The first limitingpart 54 is located at a left end of thefront side surface 524 of the base 52, which is adjacent to the limit groove 51 and the positioning groove 55. The first limitingpart 54 protrudes forward from thefront side surface 524 of the base 52, and its top surface defines agroove 540 close to thefront side surface 524 of the base 52. The portion of the top surface of the first limitingpart 54 without thegroove 540 forms a first limiting piece 542 protruding upward. The bottom surface of the first limitingpart 54 is aligned with thebottom surface 521 of the base 52, the left end surface is aligned with theleft end surface 522 of the base 52, the right end surface is located close to the positioning groove 55, and the rear side surface is engaged with thefront side surface 524 of the base 52. The height of the top surface of the first limitingpart 54 is less than that of thetop surface 520 of the base 52. The bottom surface, the left end surface, and the right end surface of the first limitingpart 54 are in plane shape, and the top surface is a convex arc surface. The top surface of the first limitingpart 54 forms a first limitingsurface 544. The first limitingsurface 544 is a part of an arc surface, and its center O9 is located below thebottom surface 521 of the base 52 (seeFIG. 10 ), and the height of the center O9 is consistent with the heights of the center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of thebottom surface 550, the center O7 of thetop surface 552. In particular, the center O9 of the first limitingsurface 544 is close to theleft end surface 522 of the base 52; the center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, and the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of thebottom surface 552 and the center O7 of thetop surface 552 are close to theright end surface 523 of the base 52. The curvature of the first limitingsurface 544 is greater than that of thetop surface 520 of the base 52. Preferably, the curvature of the first limitingsurface 544 is less than that of thetop surface 552 and thebottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55, and is further less than the that of the top surface 512 and the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51. An inclination direction of the first limitingsurface 544 is the left, which is opposite to the inclination direction of the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51. The first limiting piece 542 is spaced from thefront side surface 524 of the base 52 through thegroove 540. Thegroove 540 extends to inside of the first limitingpart 54 from top to bottom and cuts through the left end surface and the right end surface of the first limitingpart 54 along a left-right direction. The bottom surface of thegroove 540 forms a first positioning surface 546 (seeFIG. 11 ). Thefirst positioning surface 546 is below the first limitingsurface 544 and is closer to the base 52 than the first limitingsurface 544. Thefirst positioning surface 546 is also a part of an arc surface, its center O10 is located below thebottom surface 521 of the base 52, and the height of the center O10 is consistent with the heights of center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of thebottom surface 550 and the center O7 of thetop surface 552, and the center O9 of the first limitingsurface 544. The center O10 of thefirst positioning surface 546 coincides with the center O9 of the first limitingsurface 544 along the first direction. The heights of the center O10 of thefirst positioning surface 546 and the center O9 of the first limitingsurface 544 are both greater than height of the center O0 oftop surface 520 of the base 52. In particular, the center O9 of the first limitingsurface 544 and the center O10 of thefirst positioning surface 546 are close to theleft end surface 522 of the base 52. The center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, and the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of thebottom surface 550, the center O7 of thetop surface 552 are close to theright end surface 523 of the base 52. Thefirst positioning surface 546 is parallel to the first limitingsurface 544. The curvature of thefirst positioning surface 546 is greater than the curvature of thetop surface 520 of the base 52. Preferably, the curvature of thefirst positioning surface 546 is greater than the curvature of the first limitingsurface 544 and the curvature of thetop surface 552 of the positioning groove 55, and is less than the curvature of the top surface 512 and the curvature of the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51 and the curvature of thebottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55. The inclination direction of thefirst positioning surface 546 is the left, which is opposite to the inclination direction of the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51, and is the same as the inclination direction of the first limitingsurface 544. The throughhole 53 of the base 53 also extends to the front side surface of the first limitingpart 54 to form a hole that cuts through from the front to the back. - The second limiting
part 56 is located on therear side surface 525 of base 52. The second limitingpart 56 protrudes rearward from therear side surface 525 of the base 52. The second limitingpart 56 includes a connectingplate 560 and aprotrusion 562 protruding from the connectingplate 560. The bottom surface of the connectingplate 560 is aligned with thebottom surface 521 of the base 52, the left end surface of the connectingplate 560 is close to the throughhole 53, the right end surface of the connectingplate 560 is aligned with theright end surface 523 of the base 52, and the top surface of the connectingplate 560 is aligned with thetop surface 520 of the base 52. The connectingplate 560 is coupled to therear side surface 523 of the base 52. The area in which the connectingplate 560 is engaged with the base 52 is greater than the area in which the first limitingpart 54 is engaged with the base 52. Theprotrusion 562 protrudes from an upper portion of the rear side surface of the connectingplate 560. The top surface of theprotrusion 562 is aligned with the top surface of the connectingplate 560. The top surface of theprotrusion 562, the top surface of the connectingplate 560, and thetop surface 520 of the base 52 are all convex arc surfaces, and are smoothly connected. Therefore, the top surface of each moving member 52 forms a continuous arc surface. The left end surface of theprotrusion 562 is aligned with that of the connectingplate 560, and the right end surface of theprotrusion 562 is aligned with that of the connectingplate 560, and the bottom surface of theprotrusion 562 is higher than that of the connectingplate 560. The bottom surface of theprotrusion 562 defines agroove 564. Thegroove 564 extends to inside of theprotrusion 562 from the bottom to the top. Thegroove 564 also cuts through the left end surface and the right end surface of theprotrusion 562 in a left-right direction. The portion of the bottom surface of theprotrusion 562 without thegroove 564 forms a second limitingpiece 565. The height of the second limitingpiece 565 is greater than the height of the first limiting piece 542. The second limitingpiece 565 is separated from the rear side surface of the connectingplate 560 through thegroove 564. The bottom surface of the second limitingpiece 565 forms asecond positioning surface 566 for abutting against thefirst positioning surface 546 of the rear adjacent movingmember 50. Thesecond positioning surface 566 is slightly higher than thefirst positioning surface 546. Thesecond positioning surface 566 is a part of an arc surface, and its center O11 is located below thebottom surface 521 of the base 52 (seeFIG. 12 ), and the height of the center O11 is consistent with the heights of the center O10 of thefirst positioning surface 546, the center O9 of the first limitingsurface 544, the center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, and the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of thebottom surface 550, the center O7 of thetop surface 552. Moreover, the center O11 of thesecond positioning surface 566 also coincides with the center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of thebottom surface 550, and the center O7 of thetop surface 552 along the first direction. In particular, the center O11 of thesecond positioning surface 566 is close to theright end surface 523 of the base 52; the center O10 of thefirst positioning surface 546 and the center O9 of the first limitingsurface 544 are close to theleft end surface 522 of the base 52. The curvature of thesecond positioning surface 546 is greater than the curvature of thetop surface 520 of the base 52 and less than the curvature of the top surface 512 and the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51. An inclination direction of thesecond positioning surface 546 is the right, and is the same as that of the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51, and is opposite to that of the first limitingsurface 544 and thefirst positioning surface 546. - The top surface of the
groove 564 of the second limitingpart 56 forms a second limitingsurface 568. The second limitingsurface 568 is higher than thesecond positioning surface 566, for abutting thefirst positioning surface 546 of the rear adjacent movingmember 50. The second limitingsurface 568 is closer to the base 50 than thesecond positioning surface 566. The second limitingsurface 568 of the second limitingpart 56 is part of an arc surface, and its center O12 is located below thebottom surface 521 of the base 52 (seeFIG. 13 ), and the height of the center O12 is consistent with the heights of the center O10 of thefirst positioning surface 546, the center O9 of the first limitingsurface 544, the center O11 of thesecond positioning surface 566, the center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of thebottom surface 550, and the center O7 of thetop surface 552. The center O12 of the second limitingsurface 568 also coincides with the center O11 of thesecond positioning surface 566, the center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of thebottom surface 550, the center O7 of thetop surface 552 along the first direction. In particular, the center O12 of the second limitingsurface 568, the center O11 of thesecond positioning surface 566 are close to theright end surface 523 of the base 52, the center O10 of thefirst positioning surface 546, the center O9 of the first limitingsurface 544 are close to theleft end surface 522 of the base 52. The second limitingsurface 568 is parallel to thesecond positioning surface 566. The curvature of the second limitingsurface 568 is greater than the curvature of thetop surface 520 of the base 52. Preferably, the curvature of the second limitingsurface 568 is also less than the curvature of the top surface 512 of the limit groove 51 and thetop surface 552 of the positioning groove 55, and the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51, and thebottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55 of thesecond positioning surface 566. An inclination direction of the second limitingsurface 568 is the right, and the same as that of thesecond positioning surface 566, the positioning groove 55, and the limit groove 51, and is opposite to that of the first limitingsurface 544 and thefirst positioning surface 546. Thesecond positioning surface 566 and the second limitingsurface 568 are both concave curved surfaces. Thefirst positioning surface 546 and the first limitingsurface 544 are both convex curved surfaces. The positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 of the base 52 also cut through the second limitingpart 56. The height of the limit groove 51 is below the heights of thesecond positioning surface 566 and the second limitingsurface 568. - Referring to
FIGS. 3-4 , the adjacent movingmembers 50 are coupled in series through the connectingmember 60. In this embodiment, the connectingmember 60, that coupling each two adjacent movingmembers 50 in series, includes arod member 62 and a lockingmember 64 sleeved on therod member 62. During assembly, the limit groove 51 and the positioning groove 55 of each movingmember 50 are aligned with the throughhole 53 of the rear adjacent movingmember 50, and the second limitingpart 56 of each movingmember 50 abuts against the first limitingpart 54 of the rear adjacent movingmember 50, each first limitingpart 54 of the movingmember 50 abuts against the second limitingpart 56 of the front adjacent movingmember 50. Therod member 62 passes through the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 of each movingmember 50, and extends out from the throughhole 53 of therear moving member 50. The lockingmember 64 is locked to the portion of therod member 62 that extending out the throughhole 53 to limit therod member 62. In this embodiment, therod member 62 includes ahead portion 620 and arod portion 620 extending from thehead portion 620. Therod portion 622 is received in the limit groove 51 and the throughhole 53. The outer diameter of thehead portion 620 is greater than the inner diameter of the throughhole 53. Thehead portion 620 is received in the positioning groove 55 of the movingmember 50 and abuts against the rear side surface of the positioning groove 55 of the movingmember 50 to prevent therod member 62 from falling off. One end of therod portion 620 away from thehead portion 620 forms screw threads. In this embodiment, the lockingmember 64 is a nut locked to the screw threads at the end of therod portion 622 to prevent therod member 62 from falling off. In order to adjust the rotational damping between the adjacent movingmembers 50, therod portion 622 is further provided with aspring 66. Thespring 66 is located between therear side surface 525 of the movingmember 50 and the front side surface of the nut. By adjusting the nut on the screw threads of therod member 62, a degree to which thespring 66 is compressed can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the rotational damping between the adjacent movingmembers 50. - Through the connection of the
rod members 62, the adjacent movingmembers 50 are movably coupled together in series. The first limiting piece 542 of the first limitingpart 54 of each movingmember 50 is inserted into thegroove 564 of the second limitingpart 56 of the front adjacent movingmember 50. The rear side surface of the first limiting piece 542 of the first limitingpart 54 of each movingmember 50 abuts against the front side surface of the second limitingpiece 565 of the second limitingpart 56 of the front adjacent movingmember 50, thereby limiting the two adjacent movingmembers 50 to prevent the two adjacent movingmembers 50 from being separated from each other. Moreover, the first limitingsurface 544 of the first limitingpart 54 of each movingmember 50 abuts against the second limitingsurface 568 of the second limitingpart 56 of the front adjacent movingmember 50, thereby limiting a track of a relative movement of the adjacent two movingmembers 50. The second limitingpiece 565 of the second limitingpart 56 of each movingmember 50 is inserted into thegroove 540 of the first limitingpart 54 of the rear adjacent movingmember 50. The front side surface of the second limitingpiece 565 of the second limitingpart 56 of each movingmember 50 abuts against the rear side surface of the first limiting piece 542 of the first limitingpart 54 of the rear adjacent movingmember 50, thereby limiting the two adjacent movingmembers 50 to prevent the two adjacent movingmembers 50 from being separated from each other. Moreover, the second limitingsurface 568 of the second limitingpart 56 of each movingmember 50 abuts against the first limitingsurface 544 of the first limitingpart 54 of therear moving member 50, thereby limiting a track of the relative movement of the adjacent two movingmembers 50. - In this embodiment, a relative moving track of the adjacent two moving
members 50 are limited by the positioning groove 55, the limit groove 51, the connectingmember 60, the first limitingpart 54 and the second limitingpart 56. Specifically, theleft side surface 514 and theright side surface 514 of the limit groove 51 of the movingmember 50 are arc surfaces having a diameter which equals to a distance between the top surface 512 and the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51, and as same as that of the throughhole 53. Theleft side surface 554 and theright side surface 554 of the positioning groove 55 of the movingmember 50 are also arc surfaces having a diameter which equals to the distance between thetop surface 552 and thebottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55. Referring toFIG. 14 , the outer diameter of therod portion 622 of therod member 62 is slightly less than or equals to the diameter of the throughhole 53, and the outer diameter of thehead portion 620 is slightly less than or equals to a distance between the top surface and the bottom surface of the positioning groove 55. When therod member 62 is disposed in the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 of the movingmember 50, thehead portion 620 is engaged with the positioning groove 55, therod portion 622 is disposed in the limit groove 51 and further passes through the throughhole 53 of therear moving member 50. Therod member 62 serves as a rotating shaft of the adjacent two movingmembers 50. Due to the shape limitation of the limit groove 51, the movement of the movingmember 50 relative to the rear adjacent movingmember 50 is also limited correspondingly. In particular, the rotating center of the movingmember 50 relative to the rear adjacent movingmember 50 coincides with the center O12 of the second limitingsurface 568, the center O11 of the second positioning surface, the center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of thebottom surface 550, and the center O7 of thetop surface 552 along the first direction. In other words, the rotating center of each movingmember 50 relative to the adjacent movingmember 50 is below the bottom surface of the adjacent movingmember 50. Furthermore, in order to prevent unnecessary rotation of the movingmember 50 during rotating, the first limitingsurface 544, the second limitingsurface 568, thefirst positioning surface 546, and thesecond positioning surface 566 of the movingmember 50 cooperatively limit the moving track of the movingmember 50. The second limitingsurface 568 of each movingmember 50 abuts against the first limitingsurface 544 of the rear adjacent movingmember 50, and thesecond positioning surface 566 of each movingmember 50 abuts against thefirst positioning surface 546 of the rear adjacent movingmember 50. The center O12 of the second limitingsurface 568 and the center O11 of thesecond positioning surface 566 of the movingmember 50 coincide with the center O9 of the first limitingsurface 544 and the center O10 of the second limitingsurface 568 of the rear adjacent movingmember 50 along the first direction, and coincide with the center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, and the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of thebottom surface 550, the center O7 of thetop surface 552 of the movingmember 50 along the first direction, so the first limitingsurface 544, the second limitingsurface 568, thefirst positioning surface 546, thesecond positioning surface 566 can further allow the adjacent two movingmembers 50 to move along a preset track, and can prevent unnecessary rotation of the movingmember 50. On the other hand, before the relative rotation of the two moving members 50 (ie, thesupport assembly 40 is in the unfolded state), the convex top surfaces of the two adjacent movingmembers 50 are staggered at an intersection of the two adjacent movingmembers 50; when the two adjacent moving members are relatively rotated (ie, thesupport assembly 40 is in the bent state), the top surfaces of the two adjacent movingmembers 50 are aligned to form a continuous convex arc surface. Thereby, it is convenient to support a curved surface. - The positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 of each moving
member 50 are aligned with the throughhole 53 of the adjacent movingmember 50, so that the two adjacent movingmembers 50 are staggered and coupled to each other. These movingmembers 50, which are staggered and coupled in series, form the groups of supportingassemblies 40. Since the movingmembers 50 need to be staggered and coupled in series, if the number of movingmembers 50 is large, the width of thesupport assembly 40 in the left-right direction will be large. When thesupport assembly 40 is applied to a miniaturized electronic device, such as a mobile phone or a portable video player, the width of thesupport assembly 40 in the left-right direction occupies a large space, which is disadvantageous to miniaturization of the device. Therefore, in the present embodiment, thesupport assembly 40 is divided into a plurality of groups separated from each other, such that the width of each group is controlled within a small range. In this embodiment, there are four groups of supportingassemblies 40 along a front-rear direction, wherein the movingmembers 50 of the first group and the third group ofsupport assembly 40 are described in the above embodiments, and the movingmembers 50 of the second group and the fourth group of thesupport assembly 40 are disposed bilaterally symmetrically with respect to the structure of the movingmember 50 in each of the above embodiments. In the front-rear direction, the first group and the third group of supportingassemblies 40 couple the adjacentfirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 from left to right, and the second group and the fourth group of supportingassemblies 40 couple the adjacentfirst housing 10 andsecond housing 20 from right to left. Thus, theconnection portion 34 of theflexible screen 30 located between thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 can be better supported. - Referring to
FIGS. 2 and 15 , each group ofsupport assembly 40 includes two movingmembers 70 which are fixed to thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 respectively. The two movingmembers 70 are respectively located on the front and rear sides of each group ofsupport assembly 40. A right side portion of a movingmember 70 on a front side of the first and the third groups of supportingassemblies 40 has a same structure as a right side portion of the movingmember 50, which means that it also includes a positioning groove 75, alimit groove 71, a second limiting part 76, a second limiting surface, a second positioning surface, and the like. For details, it can be referred to the descriptions of the related structure of the movingmember 50. A left side portion of the movingmember 70 includes a bracket 72 in a L-shape whose top portion defines a screw hole 720 aligned with the screw hole of thefirst housing 10. The bracket 72 of the movingmember 70 is inserted into thegroove 102 of thefirst housing 10, and the screw passes through the screw hole 720 of the bracket 72 and is locked into the screw hole of thefirst housing 10, thereby achieving fixation of the movingmember 70 and thefirst housing 10. A left side portion of the movingmember 70 on a rear side of the first and third groups of thesupport assembly 40 has a same structure as a left side portion of the movingmember 50, which means that it includes a through hole, a first limiting part, a first limiting surface, a first positioning surface, etc. The details are shown in the related structure descriptions of the movingmember 50. The right side portion of the movingmember 70 includes a bracket 72 in a L-shape whose top portion defines a screw hole 720 aligned with the screw hole of thesecond housing 20. The bracket 72 of the movingmember 70 is inserted into thegroove 202 of thesecond housing 20, and the screw passes through the screw hole 720 of the bracket 72 and is locked into the screw hole of thesecond housing 20, thereby achieving fixation of the movingmember 70 and thesecond housing 20. The movingmember 70 of the front side of the second and fourth groups ofsupport assembly 40 is bilaterally symmetrically disposed with the movingmember 70 of the rear side of the first and third groups of supportingassemblies 40, and the movingmember 70 of the rear side of the second and fourth groups of supportingassemblies 40 are bilaterally symmetrically disposed with respect to the movingmember 70 of the front side of the first and third groups of supportingassemblies 40. Thus, each group ofsupport assembly 40 movably couples thefirst housing 10 to thesecond housing 20 by the movingmember 70. - The bottom surfaces 521 of each of the moving
members portion 34 of theflexible screen 30, thereby supporting the connectingportion 34. In this embodiment, the centers O1 of the limit grooves 51 and the centers O5 of the positioning grooves 55 of each of the movingmembers 50 and the movingmembers 70, and the centers O2 of the bottom surfaces 510, the centers O3 of the top surfaces 512, the centers O6 of thebottom surface 550, the centers O7 of thetop surfaces 552, the centers O9 of the first limitingsurfaces 544, the centers O12 of the second limitingsurfaces 568, the centers O10 of the first positioning surfaces 546, the centers O11 of the second positioning surfaces 566 are all located inside of the connectingportion 34 of theflexible screen 30. The centers O0 of thetop surfaces 520 of the base 52 of each of the movingmembers portion 34 of theflexible screen 30. Since the relative rotating centers of the movingmembers portion 34 of theflexible screen 30, when thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 rotate relatively, the length of the connectingportion 34 between thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 remains unchanged, without being compressed or stretched to avoid damage to theflexible screen 30. Referring toFIGS. 16-17 , furthermore, in this embodiment, the bottom surfaces 521 of the movingmembers portion 34 of theflexible screen 30. In other words, the movingmembers portion 40 of theflexible screen 30, but are movably supported by the connectingportion 34 of theflexible screen 30 for a more flexible supporting effect. When the connectingportion 34 is unfolded, the bottom surfaces 521 of the movingmembers portion 34; when the connectingportion 34 is bent or folded, the bottom surfaces 521 of the movingmembers portion 34, and the other portions of the bottom surfaces 521 of the movingmembers portion 34. In other words, the area supported by the movingmembers portion 34 is bent is less than the area supported by the movingmembers portion 34 is unfolded. - When the
support assembly 40 is unfolded, the movingmembers top surfaces 520 of the movingmembers support assembly 40 is bent, the movingmembers top surfaces 520 of the movingmembers - In order to better support the
flexible screen 30, asupport plate 36 is further provided between thebottom surfaces 521 of the movingmembers portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 (seeFIG. 2 ). Thesupport plate 36 may be made of flexible materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, or the like. An area of thesupport plate 36 is slightly greater than an area of the connectingportion 34, and opposite sides of thesupport plate 36 are respectively attached to positions of the bottom surfaces of thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 close to thegroove 100. The bottom surfaces 521 of the movingmembers support assembly 40 abut against a top surface of thesupport plate 36, and a bottom surface of thesupport plate 36 is fixed to the top surface of the connectingportion 34, whereby thesupport assembly 40 supports the connectingportion 34 through the supportingplate 36, so as to avoid damage to the connectingportion 34 caused by the movingmembers portion 34. Thesupport plate 36 also has different contact relationships with thesupport assembly 40 in different states. The bottom surfaces 521 of the movingmembers support plate 36. When the connectingportion 34 is unfolded, the bottom surfaces 521 of the movingmembers support plate 36; when the connectingportion 34 is bent, the bottom surfaces 521 of the movingmembers support plate 36, and the other portion of the bottom surfaces 521 of the movingmembers support plate 36. In other words, the contact area of thesupport plate 36 with the movingmembers portion 34 is bent is less than the contact area of the supportingplate 36 with the movingmembers portion 34 is unfolded. - In the above embodiments, each moving
member 50 has the first limitingpart 54 and the second limitingpart 56. It can be understood that in some conditions where a demand for accuracy is not high, thesupport assembly 40 may only include two movingmembers 50, one of the two movingmembers 50 has the first limitingpart 54 and the other of the two movingmembers 50 has the second limitingpart 56. One of the movingmembers 50 is fixed to thefirst housing 10, and the other of the two movingmembers 50 is fixed to thesecond housing 20. Theconnection portion 34 of theflexible screen 30 can also be movably supported by the first limitingpart 54 abutting against the second limitingpart 56. In addition, the first limitingpart 54 may also have only thefirst positioning surface 546, and the second limitingpart 56 may also have only thesecond positioning surface 566, in other words, the first limitingpart 54 may not include the first limitingsurface 544, and the second limitingpart 56 may not include the second limitingsurface 568. It can be understood that the movingmember 50 may also not include the first limitingpart 54 or the second limitingpart 56, and the relative moving track of the two adjacent movingmembers 50 is limited by the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51. Moreover, the movingmember 50 can also have only the limit groove 51, which can also limit the moving track of the movingmember 50. - Referring to
FIGS. 18-19 , asupport assembly 40 a of another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Thesupport assembly 40 a of the present embodiment functions the same as thesupport assembly 40 of the foregoing embodiment, which is used for movably coupling the adjacentfirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20, and supporting thesupport plate 36 or the connectingportion 34 of theflexible screen 30. The related structures of thefirst housing 10, thesecond housing 20, thesupport plate 36, and theflexible screen 30 are the same as those of the foregoing embodiment. Thesupport assembly 40 a of the present embodiment is also formed by a plurality of moving members 50 a coupled in series. Each moving member 50 a also includes a base 52 a, a first limiting part 54 a formed on a front side of the base 52 a, and a second limitingpart 56 a formed on a rear side of the base 52 a. The base 52 a defines a through hole 53 a and a limit groove 51 a for engaging with the connectingmember 60 a so as to movably couple with the base 52 a of the adjacent moving member 50 a. Furthermore, the base 52 a of the present embodiment includes a first base plate 52 b and a second base plate 52 c coupled to the first base plate 52 b. The first base plate 52 b is manufactured separately from the second base plate 52 c; the first base plate 52 b and the second base plate 52 c are fixed together by welding or the like when assembled with the connectingmember 60 a. - Referring to
FIGS. 20-27 , an outer contour of the first base plate 52 b is the same as an outer contour of the base 52 of the foregoing embodiment. Abottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b is in a flat rectangular shape; a left end surface 522 b and a right end surface 523 b of the first base plate 52 b are planes perpendicular to thebottom surface 521 b; afront side surface 524 b and arear side surface 525 b of the first base plate 52 b are also planes perpendicular to thebottom surface 521 b. The area of thefront side surface 524 b and therear side surface 525 b is greater than the area of the left end surface 522 b and right end surface 523 b; the top surface 520 b of the first base plate 52 b is a convex surface, preferably an upper convex arc surface, and its center O0 is located below thebottom surface 521 b. A left side portion of the first base plate 52 b defines a throughhole 53 b, and a right side portion of the first base plate 52 b defines a limit groove 51 b. The throughhole 53 b cuts through the first base plate 52 b from front to rear. An inner wall surface of the throughhole 53 b includes two opposite planes, thus reducing a width of the throughhole 53 b in the left-right direction, thereby saving the area occupied by the throughhole 53 b. The limit groove 51 b also cuts through the first base plate 52 b from front to rear. The shape and the orientation and the angle of the extending track of the limit groove 51 b of the present embodiment are the same as that of the limit groove 51 of the foregoing embodiment. The extending track of the limit groove 51 b is also an arc shape whose center O1 is located under thebottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b. The limit groove 51 b of the present embodiment also includes a bottom surface 510 b, a top surface 512 b, and two side surfaces 514 b coupling the top surface 512 b and the bottom surface 510 b. The bottom surface 510 b is an up-convex curved surface, the top surface 512 b is an up-concave curved surface, and the side surfaces 514 b are curved surfaces concaving to the left and right, respectively. In this embodiment, the curvature of the bottom surface 510 b is greater than that of the top surface 512 b, and the top surface 512 b is parallel to the bottom surface 510 b. The curved surface of the bottom surface 510 b is a part of an arc surface, and its center O2 is located below thebottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b. The curved surface of the top surface 512 b is also a part of an arc surface, and its center O3 is located below thebottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b, and the center O3 coincides with the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 b and the center O1 of the limit groove 51 b. In particular, the center O1 of the limit groove 51 b, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 b, and the center O3 of the top surface 512 b are located close to thebottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b. The side surfaces 514 b are smoothly coupled the top surface 512 b and the bottom surface 510 b. The side surface 514 b is also a part of an arc surface, but its center O4 is located inside the limit groove 51 b, higher than the bottom surface 510 b, and below the top surface 512 b. The centers O4 of the two side surfaces 514 b are different in height, wherein the center O4 of the left side surface 514 b is higher than the center O4 of the right side surface 514 b, causing the limit groove 51 b to incline to the right. In other words, the center O3 of the top surface 512 b, and the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 b are below the centers O4 of the side surfaces 514 b. - The first base plate 52 b defines a groove 540 b in its
front side surface 524 b. The groove 540 b extends downward from the top surface 512 b to inside of the first base plate 52 b, and the groove 540 b also extends forward through thefront side surface 524 b of the first base plate 52 b. The portion of the first base plate 52 b located below the groove 540 b forms a first limiting part 54 a. The bottom surface of the groove 540 b (i.e., a top surface of the first limiting part 54 a) forms the first positioning surface 546 a. The top portion of the throughhole 53 b cuts through the first positioning surface 546 a to separate the first positioning surface 546 a into two separate sections. The first positioning surface 546 a is an arc surface, and its center O10 is located below thebottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b, and the center O10, the center O1 of the limit groove 51 b, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 b and the center O3 of the top surface 512 b are consistent in height. The height of the center O10 of the first positioning surface 546 a is higher than the height of the center O0 of the top surface 520 b of the first base plate 52 b. In particular, the center O10 of the first positioning surface 546 a is located close to the left end surface 522 b of the first base plate 52 b; the center O1 of the limit groove 51 b, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 b, and the center O3 of the top surface 512 b are located close to the right end surface 523 b of the first base plate 52 b. The curvature of the first positioning surface 546 a is greater than that of the top surface 520 b of the first base plate 52 b. An inclination direction of the first positioning surface 546 a is the left, and is opposite to the inclination direction of the limit groove 51 b. A left end of the first positioning surface 546 a is aligned with a left end surface 522 b of the first base plate 52 b, and a right end of the first positioning surface 546 a terminates at an edge of the limit groove 51 b. - The
front side surface 524 b of the first base plate 52 b further includes a stopper 58 b protruding from a position close to the limit groove 51 b. The stopper 58 b is located above the limit groove 51 b and is located close to the top surface 520 b and the right end surface 523 b of the first base plate 52 b. The stopper 58 b is used for limiting a moving range of the moving member 50 a. When thesupport assembly 40 a is in an unfolded state, the moving member 50 a is abutted with the stopper 58 b of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a; when thesupport assembly 40 a is in a bent state, the moving member 50 a is separated from the stopper 58 b of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a. - The
rear side surface 525 b of the first base plate 52 b defines a positioning groove 55 b around the limit groove 51 b. The area of the positioning groove 55 b is greater than that of the limit groove 51 b. The positioning groove 55 b extends forward from therear side surface 525 b of the first base plate 52 b to inside of the first base plate 52 b, that is, the positioning groove 55 b does not cut through the first base plate 52 b from rear to front. An extending track of the positioning groove 55 b is also in an arc shape whose center O5 is below thebottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b. The positioning groove 55 b also includes a top surface 552 b, abottom surface 550 b, and two side surfaces 554 b. The top surface 552 b of the positioning groove 55 b is also a concave curved surface and is parallel to the top surface 512 b of the limit groove 51 b; thebottom surface 550 b of the positioning groove 55 b is a convex curved surface and is parallel to the bottom surface 510 b of the limit groove 51 b; the side surfaces 554 b of the positioning groove 55 b each is a concave curved surface, and is parallel to the side surface 514 b of the limit groove 51 b. In this embodiment, the curvature of thebottom surface 550 b of the positioning groove 55 b is greater than that of the top surface 552 b. The curved surface of thebottom surface 550 b is a part of an arc surface, and its center O6 is located below thebottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b. The curved surface of the top surface 552 b is also a part of the arc surface, and its center O7 is located below thebottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b and coincides with the center O6 of thebottom surface 550 b. In particular, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55 b, the center O6 of thebottom surface 550 b, and the center O7 of the top surface 552 b are located close to thebottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b, and coincide with the center O1 of the limit groove 51 b and the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 b, and the center O3 of the top surface 512 b along the first direction. The first direction is a direction from one side of the base 52 a to the opposite side. In the present embodiment, the first direction is a direction from the front side surface of the base 52 a to the rear side surface or a direction from the rear side surface to the front side surface. In other words, the first direction is a thickness direction of the base 52 a, or a depth direction of the limit groove 51 a or the positioning groove 55 b. The side surfaces 554 b of the positioning groove 55 b smoothly couple the top surface 552 b and thebottom surface 550 b. The side surface 554 b is also a part of an arc surface, but its center O8 is located inside of the positioning groove 55 b and is higher than thebottom surface 550 b, and below the top surface 552 b. The centers O8 of the side surfaces 554 b of the positioning groove 55 b coincide with the centers O4 of the side surfaces 514 b of the limit groove 51 b along the first direction. In this embodiment, the positioning groove 55 b has only one side surface 554 b, and the other side of the positioning groove 55 b cuts through the right side surface 523 b of the first base plate 52 b. An inclination direction of the positioning groove 55 b is the right. - The second base plate 52 c is located on a rear side of the first base plate 52 b. An outer contour of the second base plate 52 c is the same as that of the first base plate 52 b and the base 52 of the foregoing embodiment. The second base plate 52 c defines a through
hole 53 c and a limit groove 51 c cutting through the front side surface 524 c and therear side surface 525 c. The throughhole 53 c of the second base plate 52 c is aligned with the throughhole 53 b of the first base plate 52 b, and the limit groove 51 c is aligned with the limit groove 51 b of the first base plate 52 b. The throughhole 53 c of the second base plate 52 c is circular and an area of the throughhole 53 c is less than that of the throughhole 53 b of the first base plate 52 b. The shape, orientation, and size of the limit groove 51 c of the second base plate 52 c are the same as those of the limit groove 51 b of the first base plate 52 b, as described in the limit groove 51 b of the first base plate 52 b. The extending track of the limit groove 51 c is an arc shape whose center O13 is located below thebottom surface 521 c of the second base plate 52 c. The limit groove 51 c of this embodiment also includes abottom surface 510 c, atop surface 512 c, and two side surfaces 514 c coupling thetop surface 512 c and thebottom surface 510 c. Thebottom surface 510 c is an up-convex curved surface, thetop surface 512 c is an up-concave curved surface, and the side surfaces 514 c are concave curved surfaces concaving to the left and to the right, respectively. In this embodiment, the curvature of thebottom surface 510 c is greater than that of thetop surface 512 c, and thetop surface 512 c is parallel to thebottom surface 510 c. The curved surface of thebottom surface 510 c is a part of an arc surface, and its center O14 is located below thebottom surface 521 c of the second base plate 52 c. The curved surface of thetop surface 512 c is also a part of an arc surface, and its center O15 is located below thebottom surface 521 c of the second base plate 52 c, and the center O15 coincides with the center O14 of thebottom surface 510 c and the center O13 of the limit groove 51 c. In particular, the center O13 of the limit groove 51 c, the center O14 of thebottom surface 510 c and the center O15 of thetop surface 512 c are located close to thebottom surface 521 c of the second base plate 52 c. The side surfaces 514 c smoothly couples thetop surface 512 c and thebottom surface 510 c. The side surfaces 514 c each is also a part of an arc surface, but its center O16 is located inside of the limit groove 51 c and is higher than thebottom surface 510 c, and is below thetop surface 512 c. The centers O16 of the two side surfaces 514 c are different in height, wherein the center O16 of the left side surface 514 c is higher than the center O16 of the right side surface 514 c, causing the limit groove 51 c to incline to the right. In other words, the center O15 of thetop surface 512 c, the center O14 of thebottom surface 510 c are below the centers O16 of the side surfaces 514 c. Therear side surface 525 c of the second base plate 52 c includes a second limitingpart 56 a protruding from a position close to the limit groove 51 c. The second limitingpart 56 a is located close to thetop surface 520 c and theright side surface 523 c of the second base plate 52 c. The top surface of the second limitingpart 56 a is aligned with thetop surface 520 c of the second base plate 52 c, the right end surface of the second limitingpart 56 a is aligned with theright end surface 523 c of the second base plate 52 c, the left end surface of the second limitingpart 56 a is located close to the left side surface 514 c of the limit groove 51 c, and the bottom surface of the second limitingpart 56 a is located close to thetop surface 512 c of the limit groove 51 c. The bottom surface of the second limitingpart 56 a forms asecond positioning surface 566 a. Thesecond positioning surface 566 a is an arc surface, and its center O11 is located below thebottom surface 521 c of the second base plate 52 c. The height of the center O11 of thesecond positioning surface 566 a is the same as that of the center O13 of the limit groove 51 c, the center O14 of thebottom surface 510 c and the center O15 of the thetop surface 512 c, and further as same as that of the center O10 of the first positioning surface 546 a of the first base plate 52 b and the center O1 of the limit groove 51 b and the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 b and the center O3 of the top surface 512 b. The height of the center O11 of thesecond positioning surface 566 a is greater than that of the center O17 of thetop surface 520 c of the second base plate 52 c. In particular, the center O11 of thesecond positioning surface 566 a is located close to theright end surface 523 c of the second base plate 52 c. The center O11 of thesecond positioning surface 566 a, the center O13 of the limit groove 51 c, the center O15 of thetop surface 512 c and the center O14 of thebottom surface 510 c coincide along the first direction, and further coincides with the center O1 of the limit groove 51 b of the first base plate 52 b, and the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 b and the center O3 of the the top surface 512 b along the first direction. The curvature of thesecond positioning surface 566 a is greater than that of thetop surface 520 c of the second base plate 52 c. An inclination direction of thesecond positioning surface 566 a is the right, which is the same as that of the limit groove 51 c. The left end of thesecond positioning surface 566 a is adjacent to the left side surface 514 c of the limit groove 51 c, and the right end of thesecond positioning surface 566 a is aligned with theright end surface 523 c of the second base plate 52 c. - The second base plate 52 c also defines a receiving
groove 57 c in its front side surface 524 c. The receivinggroove 57 c extends to inside of the second base plate 52 c from front to rear. A left side contour of the receivinggroove 57 c is circular, and a right side contour of is the same as that of the limit groove 51 c. The left side of the receivinggroove 57 c interconnects with the throughhole 53 c, and the right side interconnects with the limit groove 51 c. - The first base plate 52 b and the second base plate 52 c are fixed together by welding, bonding, or the like to form a complete moving member 50 a. The outer contours of the first base plate 52 b and the second base plate 52 c are aligned with each other; the through
hole 53 b of the first base plate 52 b is aligned with and interconnected with the throughhole 53 c of the second base plate 52 c to cooperatively constitute the through hole 53 a of the moving member 50 a; the limit groove 51 b of the first base plate 52 b is aligned with and interconnected with the limit groove 51 c of the second base plate 52 c to form the limit groove 51 a of the moving member 50 a; the positioning groove 55 b of the first base plate 52 b is interconnected with the receivinggroove 57 c of the second base plate 52 c. Thebottom surface 521 b of the first base plate 52 b is combined with thebottom surface 521 c of the second base plate 52 c to form thebottom surface 521 a of the base 50 a. The top surface 520 b of the first base plate 52 b is combined with thetop surface 520 c of thesecond base plate 53 b to form thetop surface 520 a of the base 52 a. The left end surface 522 b of the first base plate 52 b is combined with the left end surface 522 c of the second base plate 52 c to form the left end surface 522 a of the base 52 a. The right end surface 523 b of the first base plate 52 b is combined with theright end surface 523 c of the second base plate 52 c to form the right end surface 523 a of the base 52 a. Thefront side surface 524 b of the first base plate 52 b forms the front side surface 524 a of the base 52 a. Therear side surface 525 c of the second base plate 52 c forms the rear side surface 525 a of the base 52 a. - Referring to
FIGS. 19 and 28 , the adjacent moving members 50 a are coupled in series through the connectingmember 60 a. In this embodiment, the connectingmember 60 a that is coupled in series with each two adjacent moving members 50 a includes a rod member 62 a and a lockingmember 64 a that is sleeved on the rod member 62 a. When assembled, the through hole 53 a of each moving member 50 a is aligned with the limit groove 51 a of the adjacent moving member 50 a, and the second limitingpart 56 a of each moving member 50 a abuts against by the first limiting part 54 a of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a, and the first limiting part 54 a of each moving member 50 a abuts against the second limitingpart 56 a of the front adjacent moving member 50 a. The rod member 62 a passes through the limit groove 51 a of each moving member 50 a and penetrates into the through hole 53 a of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a. The lockingmember 64 a is locked to one end of the rod member 62 a penetrating into the through hole 53 a of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a, thereby limiting the rod member 62 a. In the present embodiment, the rod member 62 a includes ahead portion 620 a, a rod portion 622 a extending rearward from thehead portion 620 a, and an end portion 624 a extending forward from thehead portion 620 a. The rod portion 622 a is received in the limit grooves 51 b and 51 c of the first base plate 52 b of the moving member 50 a, the throughhole 53 b of the first base plate 52 b and the throughhole 53 c of the second base plate 52 c of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a. In particular, the rod portion 622 a has two planes for abutting against the two planes of the throughhole 53 b, respectively. Thehead portion 620 a is received in the positioning groove 55 b of the first base plate 52 b of the moving member 50 a, and is located between the front side surface of the positioning groove 55 b of the first base plate 52 b and the front side surface 524 c of the second base plate 52 c to prevent the rod member 622 a from falling off. The end portion 624 a is inserted into the limit groove 51 b of the first base plate 52 b. The rod portion 622 a includes a screw threads formed on one end of the rod portion 622 a away from thehead portion 620 a. In this embodiment, the lockingmember 64 a is a nut that is locked to the screw threads at the end of the rod portion 622 a to prevent the rod member 62 a from falling off. In order to adjust the rotational damping between the adjacent moving members 50 a, the rod portion 622 a further includes aspring 66 a. Thespring 66 a is located between the rear side surface 525 a of the moving member 50 a and the front side surface of the nut. By adjusting the nut on the screw threads of the rod member 62 a, A degree to which thespring 66 a is compressed can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the rotational damping between the adjacent moving members 50 a. In this embodiment, the lockingmember 64 a and thespring 66 a are respectively received in the receivinggroove 57 c of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a to protect the lockingmember 64 a and thespring 66 a. - The adjacent moving members 50 a are coupled in series through the connection of the connecting
member 60 a. The first limiting part 54 a of each moving member 50 a abuts against the second limitingpart 56 a of the adjacent moving member 50 a, wherein the first positioning surface 546 a of the first limiting part 54 a abuts against thesecond positioning surface 566 a of the second limitingpart 56 a, thereby limiting the two adjacent moving members 50 a and further limiting the relative moving track of the two adjacent moving members 50 a. - In the present embodiment, the rod member 62 a serves as a rotating shaft of the adjacent two moving members 50 a. Due to the shape limitation of the limit groove 51 a, the movement of the moving member 50 a relative to the rear adjacent moving member 50 a is also limited accordingly. In particular, a rotating center of the moving member 50 a relative to the rear adjacent moving member 50 a coincides with the centers O1, O13 of the limit groove 51 a of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a, and the center O3 of the top surface 512 b, the center O15 of the
top surface 512 c, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 b, and the center O14 of thebottom surface 510 c along the first direction, that is, the rotating center of each moving member 50 a relative to the adjacent moving member 50 a is below thebottom surface 521 a of the adjacent moving member 50 a. Further, in order to prevent unnecessary rotation of the moving member 50 a during rotating, the first positioning surface 546 a and thesecond positioning surface 566 a of the moving member 50 a cooperatively limit the moving track of the moving member 50 a. Thesecond positioning surface 566 a of each moving member 50 a abuts against the first positioning surface 546 a of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a. Due to the center O11 of thesecond positioning surface 566 a of the moving member 50 a coincides with the center O10 of the first positioning surface 546 a of the rear adjacent moving member 50 a along the first direction, and further coincides with the centers O1, O13 of the limit groove 51 a and the center O3 of the top surface 512 b, the center O15 of thetop surface 512 c, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 b, and the center O14 of thebottom surface 510 c of the moving member 50 a along the first direction, thereby the first positioning surface 546 a, thesecond positioning surface 566 a can further limit the relative movement of the adjacent two moving members 50 a along a preset track, and can prevent the unnecessary rotation of the moving member 50 a. Furthermore, the stopper 58 b of the front side surface 524 a of the moving member 50 a can further limit the rotation of the front adjacent moving member 50 a to prevent excessive rotation thereof. On the other hand, before the relative rotation of the two moving members 50 a (ie, thesupport assembly 40 a is in the unfolded state), the convextop surface 520 a of the two adjacent moving members 50 a is staggered at the intersection between the two adjacent moving members 50 a; when the two adjacent moving members 50 a are relatively rotated, thetop surface 520 a of the two adjacent moving members 50 a gradually aligns with each other; after the two moving members 50 a are relatively rotated (ie, thesupport assembly 40 a is in the bent state), thetop surfaces 520 a of the two adjacent moving members 50 a are aligned to form a continuous convex arc surface. Thereby, it is convenient to support the curved surface. - It can be understood that the
support assembly 40 a of the present embodiment can also be divided into multiple groups, and the front and rear moving members 50 a of each group ofsupport assembly 40 a can also have a bracket fixed with thefirst housing 10 or thesecond housing 20 as in the foregoing embodiment, and the specific structure and the connection relationship of the bracket can be referred to the descriptions of the foregoing embodiment. - The
bottom surface 521 a of each moving member 50 a is used for directly or indirectly abutting against the top surface of the connectingportion 34 of theflexible screen 30, thereby supporting the connectingportion 34. In this embodiment, the center O1 of the limit groove, the center O13 of the limit groove 51 a, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55 a, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 b, the center O14 of thebottom surface 510 c, the center O6 of thebottom surface 550 b, the center O3 of the top surface 512 b, the center O15 of thetop surface 512 c, the center O7 of the top surface 552 b, the center O10 of the first positioning surface 546 a and the center O11 of thesecond positioning surface 566 a of each moving member 50 a are all located inside of the connectingportion 34 of theflexible screen 30. The center O0 of thetop surface 520 a of the base 52 a of each moving member 50 a is below the connectingportion 34 of theflexible screen 30. Since the relative rotating centers of the respective moving members 50 a are all located inside the connectingportion 34 of theflexible screen 30, when thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 are relatively rotated, the length of the connectingportion 34 between thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 remains unchanged without being compressed or stretched to avoid damage to theflexible screen 30. Thebottom surface 521 of the moving member 50 a is detachably abut against thetop surface 521 a of the connectingportion 34 of theflexible screen 30. In other words, the moving member 50 a is not directly or indirectly fixed to the connectingportion 40 of theflexible screen 30, but movably supports the connectingportion 34 of theflexible screen 30 to provide a more flexible supporting effect. When the connectingportion 34 is unfolded, thebottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a abuts against the connectingportion 34; when the connectingportion 34 is bent, thebottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a partially contacts the connectingportion 34, and the other portion of thebottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a is separated from the connectingportion 34. In other words, the area supported by the moving member 50 a when the connectingportion 34 is bent is less than the area supported by the moving member 50 a when the connectingportion 34 is unfolded. - When the
support assembly 40 a is unfolded, the moving members 50 a are staggered one by one and arranged in a diagonal line, and thetop surfaces 520 a of moving members 50 a are also staggered to present a non-continuous surface; when thesupport assembly 40 a is bent, the moving members 50 a are centered in an arc shape, and thetop surface 520 a of the moving members 50 a are continuous with each other to form a continuous curved surface. - In order to better support the
flexible screen 30, asupport plate 36 is further provided and located thebottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a and the connectingportion 34 of theflexible screen 30. Thesupport plate 36 can be made of flexible materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene or the like. The area of thesupport plate 36 is slightly greater than the area of the connectingportion 34, and the opposite sides of thesupport plate 36 are respectively attached to the positions of the bottom surfaces of thefirst housing 10 and thesecond housing 20 close to thegroove 100. Thebottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a of thesupport assembly 40 a abuts against the top surface of thesupport plate 36, and the bottom surface of thesupport plate 36 is fixed to the top surface of the connectingportion 34, whereby thesupport assembly 40 a supports the connectingportion 34 through thesupport plate 36 to avoid damage to the connectingportion 34 caused by the moving member 50 a directly contacting with the connectingportion 34. Thesupport plate 36 also has different contact relationships with thesupport assembly 40 a in different states. Thebottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a is detachably abutting against the top surface of thesupport plate 36. When the connectingportion 34 is unfolded, thebottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a abuts against thesupport plate 36; when the connectingportion 34 is bent, thebottom surface 521 a of the moving member 50 a has a portion that abuts against thesupport plate 36 and another portion of the moving member 50 a is separated from thesupport plate 36. In other words, the contact area of thesupport plate 36 with the moving member 50 a when the connectingportion 34 is bent is less than the contact area of thesupport plate 36 with the moving member 50 a when the connectingportion 34 is unfolded. - It can be understood that in some occasions where a demand to accuracy is not high, the
support assembly 40 a may also include only two moving members 50 a, wherein one of the two moving members 50 a has the first limiting part 54 a and the other of the two moving members 50 a has the second limitingpart 56 a. One of the moving members 50 a is fixed to thefirst housing 10, and the other of the two movingmembers 56 a is fixed to thesecond housing 20. By the first limiting part 54 a abutting against the second limitingpart 56 a, theconnection portion 34 of themovable support 30 can also be movably supported. Moreover, the first limiting part 54 a may also have the first limiting surface and the first positioning surface 546 a as in the foregoing embodiment, and the second limitingpart 56 a may also have the second limiting surface and thesecond positioning surface 566 a. That is, the first limiting part 54 a may further include the first limiting space, and the second limitingpart 56 a may further include the second limiting space. It is also understood that the moving member 50 a may also not include the first limiting part 54 a and the second limitingpart 56 a, and the relative moving track of the adjacent moving members 50 a can also be limited by the positioning groove 55 a and the limit groove 51 a. Moreover, the moving member 50 a may also have only the limit groove 51 a, and may also have the effect of limiting the moving track of the moving member 50 a. - In this embodiment, the connecting
member 60 a is relatively simple to assemble by separating the first base plate 52 b and second base plate 52 c, and only thehead portion 620 a needs to be located between the first base plate 52 b and the second base plate 52 c to realize the assembly of the connectingmember 60 a and the moving member 50 a. - The present disclosure can support various forms of the
flexible screen 30 by coupling a plurality of relatively movable movingmembers 50, 50 a, in particular, a curved shape and a support of a flat form. Therefore, the presentingsupport assembly flexible screen 30. - It can be understood that the “unfolded state” and “bent state” refer to two relative comparative state relationships in the present disclosure, and the
support assembly - It is also to be understood that the “center of the surface” as used in the present disclosure means that the distance from each position of the surface to the center is the same in a plane perpendicular to the surface. Similarly, the “center of the groove” as used by the present disclosure means that the distance from each position of the groove to the center is the same.
Claims (23)
1. A support assembly, comprising: a plurality of moving members and connecting members each connecting two adjacent moving members of the plurality of moving members, a movement of each of the plurality of moving members relative to an adjacent moving member enabling the support assembly to be switched between an unfolded state and a bent state.
2. The support assembly according to claim 1 , wherein, the movement of each of the plurality of moving members relative to the adjacent moving member comprises a rotation of each of the plurality of moving members relative to the adjacent moving member, and a rotating center of each of the plurality of moving members rotating relative to the adjacent moving member is below the adjacent moving member.
3. The support assembly according to claim 1 , wherein, each of the plurality of moving members comprises a base, and, a limit groove and a through hole defined on the base, each of the connecting members passes through the limit groove of one of the plurality of moving members and penetrates the through hole of the adjacent moving member.
4. The support assembly according to claim 3 , wherein, the limit groove of each of the plurality of moving members is in an arc shape, and a center of the limit groove is below a bottom surface of the base.
5. The support assembly according to claim 4 , wherein, each of the plurality of moving members further comprises a first limiting part and a second limiting part respectively locating on opposite sides of the base, the second limiting part of each of the plurality of moving members is movably abutting against the first limiting part of the adjacent moving member.
6. The support assembly according to claim 5 , wherein, a moving track of the second limiting part of each of the plurality of moving members relative to the first limiting part of the adjacent moving member is in an arc shape, a center of the moving track is below the adjacent moving member.
7. The support assembly according to claim 5 , wherein, the first limiting part and the second limiting part are respectively adjacent to opposite ends of each of the plurality of moving members.
8. The support assembly according to claim 5 , wherein, the first limiting part comprises a first positioning surface in an arc shape, the second limiting part comprises a second positioning surface in an arc shape, centers of the first positioning surface and the second positioning surface are below the bottom surface of the base.
9. The support assembly according to claim 8 , wherein, the first positioning surface and the second positioning surface are respectively inclined toward opposite ends of the base; or, a height of a center of the first positioning surface is the same as a height of a center of the second positioning surface; or, the center of the second positioning surface coincides with the center of the limit groove along a first direction, and the first direction is from one side of the base to an opposite side of the base.
10.-11. (canceled)
12. The support assembly according to claim 4 , wherein, a top surface of the base is an arc-shaped surface, and top surfaces of the bases of two adjacent moving members are staggered when the support assembly is unfolded, and the top surfaces of the bases of the two adjacent moving members are continuous with each other when the support assembly is bent.
13. The support assembly according to claim 12 , wherein, a center of the top surface of the base is below the center of the limit groove.
14. The support assembly according to claim 8 , wherein, the first limiting part further comprises a first limiting surface, the second limiting part further comprises a second limiting surface, the second limiting surface of each of the plurality of moving members is movably abutting against the first limiting surface of the adjacent moving member.
15. The support assembly according to claim 14 , wherein, the first limiting surface is higher than the first positioning surface and is further away from the base than the first positioning surface; or, the second limiting surface is higher than the second positioning surface and closer to the base than the second positioning surface; or, a center of the first limiting surface coincides with the center of the first positioning surface along a first direction, and a center of the second limiting surface coincides with the center of the second positioning surface along the first direction, and the first direction is from a side of the base to an opposite side of the base.
16.-17. (canceled)
18. The support assembly according to claim 3 , wherein, each of the connecting members comprises a rod member and a locking member, the rod member comprises a head portion and a rod portion passing through two adjacent moving members, an end of the rod portion is locked with the locking member.
19. The support assembly according to claim 18 , wherein, the base of each of the plurality of moving members defines a positioning groove for receiving the head portion, and the positioning groove surrounds the limit groove and interconnects with the limit groove.
20. The support assembly according to claim 19 , wherein, the base comprises a first base plate and a second base plate manufactured independently of each other, the head portion of the rod member is located between the first base plate and the second base plate.
21. The support assembly according to claim 20 , wherein, the connecting member further comprises an end portion, the end portion and the rod portion are respectively located on opposite sides of the head portion, and the end portion penetrates into the limit groove of the first base plate, the rod portion penetrates into the limit groove of the second base plate; or, the through hole of the first base plate comprises two opposite planes, and the rod portion correspondingly forms two opposite planes corresponding to the two opposite planes of the through hole.
22. (canceled)
23. The support assembly according to claim 20 , wherein, the first base plate forms a stopper above the limit groove, each of the plurality of moving members is abutted against by the stopper of the adjacent moving member to limit a rotating angle when the support assembly is in the unfolded state, each of the plurality of moving members is separated from the stopper of the adjacent moving member when the support assembly is in the bent state.
24. The support assembly according to claim 20 , wherein, the positioning groove is defined on a surface of the first base plate facing the second base plate, and a receiving groove is defined on a surface of the second base plate facing the first base plate and interconnected with the positioning groove, the rod portion of the connecting member passes through the limit groove of each of the plurality of moving members and penetrates into the receiving groove of the adjacent moving member.
25. The support assembly according to claim 24 , wherein, the locking member is received in the receiving groove of the second base plate of the adjacent moving member.
Applications Claiming Priority (7)
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PCT/CN2016/090479 WO2018014196A1 (en) | 2016-07-19 | 2016-07-19 | Flexible device |
CNPCT/CN2016/090478 | 2016-07-19 | ||
CNPCT/CN2016/090479 | 2016-07-19 | ||
CNPCT/CN2016/090477 | 2016-07-19 | ||
PCT/CN2016/090478 WO2018014195A1 (en) | 2016-07-19 | 2016-07-19 | Flexible device |
PCT/CN2017/073364 WO2018014542A1 (en) | 2016-07-19 | 2017-02-13 | Support assembly |
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- 2017-01-20 KR KR1020197004726A patent/KR102134546B1/en active IP Right Grant
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