CN111092970A

CN111092970A - Sliding connection module, preparation method and terminal

Info

Publication number: CN111092970A
Application number: CN201811237913.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 黄志钢; 王少杰
Original assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-10-23
Filing date: 2018-10-23
Publication date: 2020-05-01

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a sliding connection module, a preparation method and a terminal. This sliding connection module includes: the sliding connection module comprises a U-shaped bending area; one end of the sliding connection module is connected with the front shell assembly, the other end of the sliding connection module is connected with the rear shell assembly, and when the rear shell assembly slides relative to the front shell assembly, the U-shaped bending area slides to drive the sliding connection module to slide. The technical scheme can be that at least two layers of FPCs are used for arranging the flat cables required by the connection of the rear shell assembly and the front shell assembly, and the FPCs can be narrowed on the premise of ensuring the functions of each layer of FPC, so that the width limit of the FPC cannot exceed the width limit of the terminal.

Description

Sliding connection module, preparation method and terminal

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the technical field of terminals, in particular to a sliding connection module, a preparation method and a terminal.

Background

The full screen is an important development trend of the current mobile phone, the full screen needs to continuously optimize the screen occupation ratio, the area of the screen occupying the front surface of the whole mobile phone is larger and larger, and the problem to be solved in the first step of the maximum screen occupation ratio is the placement of a front camera, a receiver, an acoustic sensor and an optical sensor.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a sliding connection module, a preparation method and a terminal. The technical scheme is as follows:

according to a first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a sliding connection module, including:

the sliding connection module comprises a U-shaped bending area;

one end of the sliding connection module is connected with the front shell assembly, the other end of the sliding connection module is connected with the rear shell assembly, and the rear shell assembly and the front shell assembly are driven to slide when sliding relatively.

In one embodiment, the sliding connection module comprises: the U-shaped bending area and the fixing area; the fixing region includes: when the rear shell assembly slides relative to the front shell assembly, a first area clinging to the front shell assembly and having a position which is unchanged relative to the front shell assembly and a second area clinging to the rear shell assembly and having a position which is unchanged relative to the rear shell assembly are provided; the U-shaped bending area comprises an area outside the fixed area in the sliding connection module;

a first bonding layer is arranged between every two layers of FPCs at the fixed area;

gaps are reserved among the layers of FPC at the U-shaped bending area.

In one embodiment, each layer of the FPC comprises two single-layer copper plates.

In one embodiment, a second adhesive layer is arranged between two single-layer copper plates of each layer of the FPC at the fixing area, and a gap is formed between the two single-layer copper plates of each layer of the FPC at the U-shaped bending area.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a sliding connection module, including:

bonding at least two layers of Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) together through bonding layers to form a sliding connection module;

carrying out degumming treatment on a U-shaped bending area of the sliding connection module, removing bonding layers among all layers of FPCs at the U-shaped bending area of the sliding connection module, forming a gap among all layers of FPCs at the U-shaped bending area of the sliding connection module, and forming a first bonding layer among all layers of FPCs at a fixed area of the sliding connection module;

wherein the fixing region includes: when the rear shell assembly slides relative to the front shell assembly, a first area clinging to the front shell assembly and having a position which is unchanged relative to the front shell assembly and a second area clinging to the rear shell assembly and having a position which is unchanged relative to the rear shell assembly are provided; the U-shaped bending area comprises an area outside the fixing area in the sliding connection module.

In one embodiment, the performing photoresist removing process on the U-shaped bending region of the sliding connection module includes:

and performing air gap treatment on the U-shaped bending area of the sliding connection module.

According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, which includes the above sliding connection module, a front housing assembly and a rear housing assembly;

one end of the sliding connection module is connected with the front shell assembly, the other end of the sliding connection module is connected with the rear shell assembly, and when the rear shell assembly slides relative to the front shell assembly, the U-shaped bending area slides to drive the sliding connection module to slide.

In one embodiment, the rear shell assembly is provided with a clearance through hole, and the other end of the sliding connection module passes through the clearance through hole to be connected with the rear shell assembly.

In one embodiment, the rear housing assembly includes at least one of the following components thereon:

a camera, an earpiece, at least one sensor;

when the rear shell assembly slides towards the bottom of the terminal relative to the front shell assembly, the front shell assembly shields the at least one device; the rear housing assembly exposes the at least one device when slid relative to the front housing assembly toward the top of the terminal.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can have the following beneficial effects: the sliding connection module of this embodiment can include at least two-layer FPC, so, can have at least two-layer FPC to arrange the backshell subassembly with the required winding displacement is connected to the preceding shell subassembly, can also make FPC narrow under the prerequisite of guaranteeing each layer FPC function, makes it can not exceed the width restriction that the terminal set up.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a sliding connection module according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a sliding state of a sliding connection module according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of an FPC according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of making a sliding connection module according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus applied to a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, like numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the exemplary embodiments below are not intended to represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present disclosure, as detailed in the appended claims.

At present, the slide screen structure is including connecting the FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit, Flexible Circuit board) of front and back shell, can hide preceding earphone sensing device through FPC's front and back slip to reach the purpose that promotes the screen to account for by a wide margin, the FPC who is used for the slide screen structure at present is single-deck FPC, when FPC needs to have the winding displacement of a lot of quantity, this FPC's width needs just wider, when the terminal is limited for the width space that this FPC set up, single-deck FPC's structural scheme just can't pass through.

In order to solve the above problem, the sliding connection module connecting the front housing assembly and the rear housing assembly includes at least two layers of Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC), the sliding connection module includes a U-shaped bending region, and when the rear housing assembly slides relative to the front housing assembly, the U-shaped bending region slides to drive the sliding connection module to slide. Therefore, when a plurality of flat cables are needed for communication connection between the rear shell assembly and the front shell assembly, at least two layers of FPCs can be used for arranging the flat cables, and the width of the sliding connection module is reduced, so that the width limit of the sliding connection module cannot be exceeded by the width limit of the terminal.

Here, the sliding connection module 10 includes: at least two layers of FPCs (Flexible Printed circuits), the increasing of the number of layers of the FPCs may cause friction when the FPCs are bent, so that the number of layers of the FPCs may not be too large, and preferably, the sliding connection module 10 may include two layers of FPCs 101 as shown in fig. 1.

Here, as shown in fig. 1, the sliding connection module 10 includes a U-shaped bending region, after the sliding connection module 10 is bent in a U shape, one end of the sliding connection module is connected to the front housing assembly 20, and the other end of the sliding connection module is connected to the rear housing assembly 30, when the rear housing assembly 30 slides relative to the front housing assembly 20, the position of the U-shaped bending region will also slide along with the U-shaped bending region, and the sliding of the U-shaped bending region will drive the sliding connection module 10 to bend and slide.

The sliding connection module of this embodiment may include at least two layers of FPCs, and at least two layers of FPCs may be used to arrange the flat cables required for connecting the rear housing assembly and the front housing assembly, and the FPCs may be narrowed to not exceed the width limit set by the terminal and not exceed the width limit set by the terminal on the premise of ensuring the functions of each layer of FPCs.

In one possible implementation, fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a sliding state of a sliding connection module according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in fig. 2, the sliding connection module 10 includes: a U-shaped bending area 10A and a fixing area 10B; the fixing region 10B includes: when rear shell assembly 30 slides relative to front shell assembly 20, a first region 101B which is tightly attached to front shell assembly 20 and has a constant position relative to front shell assembly 20, and a second region 102B which is tightly attached to rear shell assembly 30 and has a constant position relative to rear shell assembly 30; the U-shaped bending region 10A includes a region outside the fixing region 10B in the sliding connection module 10, and a first adhesive layer 102 is disposed between each layer of FPCs at the fixing region 10B; gaps are reserved among the FPC layers at the U-shaped bending area 10A.

Here, as shown in fig. 2, front shell assembly 20 and rear shell assembly 30 can slide back and forth in AB direction, where a in fig. 2 is a state when front shell assembly 20 and rear shell assembly 30 slide to the bottom end in a direction from a to B, and B in fig. 2 is a state when front shell assembly 20 and rear shell assembly 30 slide to the bottom end in a direction from B to a, as can be seen from a comparison between a and B, when rear shell assembly 30 slides with respect to front shell assembly 20, first region 101B, which is not fixed with respect to front shell assembly 20, and second region 102B, which is not fixed with respect to rear shell assembly 30, are fixed regions 10B, and regions other than fixed regions 10B are U-shaped bent and thus changed in position as front shell assembly 20 and rear shell assembly 30 slide, and these regions are referred to as U-shaped bent regions 10A.

Here, a first adhesive layer 102 is provided between the respective layers of FPCs at the fixing region 10B for adhering the respective layers of FPCs together; do not set up the tie coat between each layer FPC of U type bending region 10A department, be the space between each layer FPC for the U type bending region of sliding connection module only has the FPC layer, more softens, makes things convenient for bending of U type bending region 10A when sliding, and its slip life-span can reach more than 10 ten thousand times through testing.

This embodiment can be provided with first tie coat between each layer FPC of fixed area department, bonds each layer FPC, and does not set up the tie coat between each layer FPC of U type bending region department, but the space for the U type of sliding connection module is bent regional only FPC layer, and is more softened, makes things convenient for the bending of U type bending region.

In one possible embodiment, each layer of the FPC may comprise two single-layer copper plates.

Here, each FPC may include one single-layer copper plate or two single-layer copper plates, and preferably, fig. 3 is a schematic structural view of one FPC according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in fig. 3, the FPC 101 may include two single-layer copper plates 1011, each layer of copper may be provided with a flat cable, so that each layer of FPC may be provided with more flat cables, further reducing the width of each layer of FPC, and further reducing the width of the sliding connection module.

The embodiment can enable each layer of the FPC to comprise two single-layer copper plates, and further reduce the width of the FPC, so that the width limit of more terminals can be met.

In a possible embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, a second adhesive layer 1012 is disposed between two single-layer copper plates 1011 of each layer of the FPC 101 at the fixing region 10B, and is used for adhering the two single-layer copper plates, and a gap is formed between the two single-layer copper plates of each layer of the FPC at the U-shaped bending region 10A, so that the U-shaped bending region is only a single-layer copper plate, which is softer and facilitates bending of the U-shaped bending region.

The following are embodiments of the manufacturing method of the present disclosure, which may be used to manufacture the sliding connection module in the above embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for preparing a sliding connection module according to an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in fig. 4, the method for preparing a sliding connection module can be implemented by a preparation apparatus, including

steps

401 and 402.

In step 401, at least two layers of Flexible Printed Circuits (FPCs) are bonded together by an adhesive layer to form a sliding connection module.

In step 402, a photoresist removing process is performed on the U-shaped bending area of the sliding connection module, the bonding layers between the FPCs at the U-shaped bending area of the sliding connection module are removed, a gap is formed between the FPCs at the U-shaped bending area of the sliding connection module, and a first bonding layer is formed between the FPCs at the fixing area of the sliding connection module.

As shown in fig. 2, the fixing region 10B includes: when rear shell assembly 30 slides relative to front shell assembly 20, a first region 101B which is tightly attached to front shell assembly 20 and has a constant position relative to front shell assembly 20, and a second region 102B which is tightly attached to rear shell assembly 30 and has a constant position relative to rear shell assembly 30; the U-shaped bending region 10A includes a region of the sliding connection module 10 other than the fixing region 10B.

The sliding connection module manufactured by the embodiment comprises at least two layers of FPCs (flexible printed circuits), wherein enough cables can be arranged on the at least two layers of FPCs, and the FPCs can be narrowed on the premise of ensuring the functions of each layer of FPC, so that the width limit of the FPC cannot be exceeded.

In a possible embodiment, the step 402 of removing the photoresist from the U-shaped bending region of the sliding connection module in the above manufacturing method can be further implemented as the following step a 1.

In step a1, an air gap is applied to the U-shaped bent region of the sliding connection module.

Here, the air gap process is a process in which a sacrificial material is covered with a coverlay, and then the sacrificial material is removed through the coverlay to leave an air gap, and in this embodiment, the sacrificial material is a material of an adhesive layer, and the coverlay may be provided on the adhesive layer in the U-shaped bending region, and the adhesive layer in the U-shaped bending region may be removed through the coverlay to form a gap between the FPCs in the U-shaped bending region, and a first adhesive layer between the FPCs in the fixing region.

It should be noted here that when each layer of the FPC includes two single-layer copper plates, the two single-layer copper plates of each layer of the FPC at the U-shaped bending region of the sliding connection module may be subjected to a glue removal process to remove the adhesive layer between the two single-layer copper plates at the U-shaped bending region, a second adhesive layer is formed between the two single-layer copper plates of each layer of the FPC at the fixing region, and a gap is formed between the two single-layer copper plates of each layer of the FPC at the U-shaped bending region.

This embodiment can form first tie coat between each layer FPC of fixed area department, bonds each layer FPC, and does not set up the tie coat between each layer FPC of U type bending region department, but the space for the U type of sliding connection module is bent regional only FPC layer, and is more softened, makes things convenient for the bending of U type bending region.

The present disclosure also provides a terminal, fig. 5 is a schematic structural view illustrating a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in fig. 5, the terminal may include a sliding connection module 10, a front case assembly 20 and a rear case assembly 30; one end of the sliding connection module 10 is connected to the front housing assembly 20, the other end is connected to the rear housing assembly 30, and the sliding connection module 10 is driven to slide when the rear housing assembly 30 slides relative to the front housing assembly 20.

The sliding connection module of the embodiment can comprise at least two layers of FPCs (flexible printed circuits), at least two layers of FPCs can be used for arranging flat cables required by connection of the rear shell assembly and the front shell assembly, and the FPCs can be narrowed on the premise of ensuring the functions of each layer of FPC, so that the width limit of the FPC cannot exceed the width limit of the terminal.

In one possible embodiment, the front housing assembly 20 may include a display screen assembly and a first main board, and the rear housing assembly 30 may include a second main board and at least one of the following: the camera, the receiver, the sensor and other devices that need to be exposed, so that when the rear housing assembly 30 and the front housing assembly 20 slide relative to the front housing assembly to the bottom of the terminal as shown in fig. 2 from the state shown in fig. B to the state shown in fig. a, the front housing assembly 20 can shield the rear housing assembly 30, and further shield the at least one device on the rear housing assembly 30; when the rear housing assembly 30 is slid relative to the front housing assembly 20 toward the top of the terminal from the state shown in fig. a to the state shown in fig. B as shown in fig. 2, the top of the rear housing assembly 30 is exposed, and at least one device on the top is exposed. Therefore, a user can shoot by using the exposed camera and communicate by using the receiver, and the like, and meanwhile, the devices are arranged on the rear shell assembly 30, so that the devices do not need to be arranged on the front shell assembly 20, the screen occupation ratio of the display screen assembly in the front shell assembly 20 is greatly increased, and a full-screen is realized.

In a possible embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, a clearance through hole 301 is provided on the rear shell assembly 30, and the other end of the sliding connection module 10 passes through the clearance through hole 301 to connect with the rear shell assembly 30.

The sliding connection module in the embodiment comprises at least two layers of FPCs (flexible printed circuits), and at least two layers of FPCs can be used for arranging the flat cables required by connection of the rear shell assembly and the front shell assembly, so that the width of the sliding connection module is reduced, the size of the avoidance through hole is reduced, and the strength of the rear shell assembly is improved.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus applied to a terminal, which is applicable to a terminal device, according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, the apparatus 600 may be a mobile phone, a game console, a computer, a tablet device, a personal digital assistant, and the like.

Apparatus 600 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 601, a memory 602, a power component 603, a multimedia component 604, an audio component 605, an input/output (I/O) interface 606, a sensor component 607, and a communication component 608.

The processing component 601 generally controls the overall operation of the device 600, such as operations associated with display, telephone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations. The processing component 601 may include one or more processors 620 to execute instructions to perform all or a portion of the steps of the methods described above. Further, the processing component 601 may include one or more modules that facilitate interaction between the processing component 601 and other components. For example, the processing component 601 may include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between the multimedia component 604 and the processing component 601.

The memory 602 is configured to store various types of data to support operations at the apparatus 600. Examples of such data include instructions for any application or method operating on device 600, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, videos, and so forth. The memory 602 may be implemented by any type or combination of volatile or non-volatile memory devices, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic or optical disks.

The power supply component 603 provides power to the various components of the device 600. The power components 603 may include a power management system, one or more power supplies, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power for the apparatus 600.

The multimedia component 604 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the device 600 and the user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and a Touch Panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touch screen to receive an input signal from a user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touch, slide, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensor may not only sense the boundary of a touch or slide action, but also detect the duration and pressure associated with the touch or slide operation. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 604 includes a front facing camera and/or a rear facing camera. The front camera and/or the rear camera may receive external multimedia data when the device 600 is in an operating mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode. Each front camera and rear camera may be a fixed optical lens system or have a focal length and optical zoom capability.

Audio component 605 is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, audio component 605 includes a Microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when apparatus 600 is in an operational mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signals may further be stored in the memory 602 or transmitted via the communication component 608. In some embodiments, audio component 605 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

The I/O interface 606 provides an interface between the processing component 601 and peripheral interface modules, which may be keyboards, click wheels, buttons, etc. These buttons may include, but are not limited to: a home button, a volume button, a start button, and a lock button.

The sensor component 607 includes one or more sensors for providing various aspects of status assessment for the apparatus 600. For example, the sensor component 607 may detect the open/closed state of the apparatus 600, the relative positioning of components, such as a display and keypad of the apparatus 600, the sensor component 607 may also detect a change in the position of the apparatus 600 or a component of the apparatus 600, the presence or absence of user contact with the apparatus 600, orientation or acceleration/deceleration of the apparatus 600, and a change in the temperature of the apparatus 600. The sensor component 607 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of a nearby object in the absence of any physical contact. The sensor component 607 may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, the sensor component 607 may also include an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

The communication component 608 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communication between the apparatus 600 and other devices. The apparatus 600 may access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as WiFi, 2G or 3G, or a combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 608 receives a broadcast signal or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 608 further includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communications. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, infrared data association (IrDA) technology, Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 600 may be implemented by one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors or other electronic components for performing the above-described methods.

In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions, such as the memory 602 comprising instructions, executable by the processor 620 of the apparatus 600 to perform the above-described method is also provided. For example, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium may be a ROM, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like.

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure following, in general, the principles of the disclosure and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the disclosure pertains. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

It will be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements described above and shown in the drawings and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A sliding connection module, comprising:

the sliding connection module comprises a U-shaped bending area;

2. The sliding connection module of claim 1,

the sliding connection module includes: the U-shaped bending area and the fixing area; the fixing region includes: when the rear shell assembly slides relative to the front shell assembly, a first area clinging to the front shell assembly and having a position which is unchanged relative to the front shell assembly and a second area clinging to the rear shell assembly and having a position which is unchanged relative to the rear shell assembly are provided; the U-shaped bending area comprises an area outside the fixed area in the sliding connection module;

gaps are reserved among the layers of FPC at the U-shaped bending area.

3. The sliding connection module of claim 2, wherein each layer of the FPC comprises two single-layer copper plates.

4. The sliding connection module of claim 3,

and a second bonding layer is arranged between two single-layer copper plates of the FPC at each layer of the fixing area, and a gap is reserved between two single-layer copper plates of the FPC at each layer of the U-shaped bending area.

5. A method of manufacturing a sliding connection module according to any of claims 1 to 4, comprising:

6. The manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein the step of removing the photoresist from the U-shaped bending region of the sliding connection module comprises:

7. A terminal comprising the sliding connection module of any one of claims 1 to 4, a front housing assembly and a rear housing assembly;

8. The terminal of claim 7,

the rear shell assembly is provided with a position avoiding through hole, and the other end of the sliding connection module penetrates through the position avoiding through hole to be connected with the rear shell assembly.

9. A terminal as claimed in claim 7, comprising at least one of the following on the rear housing assembly:

a camera, an earpiece, at least one sensor;