CN112855741A

CN112855741A - Folding mechanism and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN112855741A
Application number: CN202011636808.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 黄志军; 任旭锋
Original assignee: Vivo Mobile Communication Co Ltd
Current assignee: Vivo Mobile Communication Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-12-31
Filing date: 2020-12-31
Publication date: 2021-05-28
Anticipated expiration: 2040-12-31
Also published as: CN112855741B

Abstract

The application discloses folding mechanism, first support mechanism includes first support piece and second support piece, second support mechanism includes third support piece and fourth support piece, first support piece and third support piece are located the first side of base, second support piece and fourth support piece are located the second side of base, first support piece uses the first axis to rotate as the center of rotation, second support piece uses the second axis to rotate as the center of rotation, third support piece uses the third axis to rotate as the center of rotation, fourth support piece uses the fourth axis to rotate as the center of rotation, third support piece and fourth support piece rotate to mutual coplaner position along with first support piece and second support piece respectively, third support piece is rotatable around the third axis for first support piece, fourth support piece is rotatable around the fourth axis for second support piece. The scheme can solve the problem that the service life of the flexible screen of the folding electronic equipment is short. The application discloses an electronic device.

Description

Folding mechanism and electronic equipment

Technical Field

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

Background

With the development of technology, the development of electronic devices is faster and faster, and meanwhile, the requirements of users on the electronic devices are higher and higher. At present, flexible screens are also widely applied to electronic devices, so as to form foldable electronic devices.

Folding electronic devices often have folding problems during folding. In particular, it is common that when the foldable electronic device is folded inwards, the bending radius of the hinge is small, which easily causes the flexible screen to be excessively pressed to cause a crease or damage. Therefore, the current folding electronic device has the problem that the flexible screen is easily damaged in the folding process, and finally the service life of the flexible screen is short.

Disclosure of Invention

The application discloses folding mechanism and electronic equipment can solve the shorter problem of life of foldable electronic equipment's flexible screen.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present application is implemented as follows:

in a first aspect, the present application discloses a folding mechanism comprising a base, a first support mechanism and a second support mechanism, wherein:

the first support mechanism comprises a first support and a second support;

the second support mechanism comprises a third support and a fourth support;

the first support and the third support are located on a first side of the base, the second support and the fourth support are located on a second side of the base, and the first side is opposite to the second side;

the first supporting piece is in rotating fit with the base part by taking a first axis as a rotating center, and the second supporting piece is in rotating fit with the base part by taking a second axis as a rotating center;

the third support piece and the first support piece are in rotating fit by taking a third axis as a rotating center, the fourth support piece and the second support piece are in rotating fit by taking a fourth axis as a rotating center, the third axis is positioned on one side of the first axis far away from the base, and the fourth axis is positioned on one side of the second axis far away from the base;

the folding mechanism has a folded state and an unfolded state,

in the unfolded state, the third support piece and the fourth support piece rotate to the positions coplanar with each other along with the first support piece and the second support piece respectively, and the third support piece and the fourth support piece form a first screen supporting surface;

in the folded state, the first support is superposed with the second support, the third support is rotatable about the third axis relative to the first support, and the fourth support is rotatable about the fourth axis relative to the second support.

In a second aspect, the present application discloses an electronic device, which includes the folding mechanism described above.

The technical scheme adopted by the application can achieve the following beneficial effects:

the folding mechanism that this application embodiment discloses has fold condition and expansion state, under folding mechanism expansion state, third support piece and fourth support piece rotate to mutual coplane position along with first support piece and second support piece respectively, and third support piece and fourth support piece can form first screen holding surface, and first screen holding surface can provide auxiliary stay for electronic equipment's flexible screen, and first screen holding surface and flexible screen contact laminating to avoid flexible screen to collapse to within the folding mechanism.

When the folding mechanism is in a folded state, the first supporting mechanism can rotate relative to the base, the first supporting piece can rotate around a first axis relative to the base, the second supporting piece can rotate around a second axis relative to the base, the first supporting piece can be overlapped with the second supporting piece, meanwhile, the third supporting piece can rotate around a third axis relative to the first supporting piece, and the fourth supporting piece can rotate around a fourth axis relative to the second supporting piece, so that the second supporting mechanism and the base can form a larger accommodating space, the flexible screen can form a deformation part in the rotating and overlapping process along with the first supporting piece and the second supporting piece, the deformation part can be better accommodated in the accommodating space, the damage of the flexible screen due to overlapping extrusion is avoided, and the service life of the flexible screen of the electronic equipment is prolonged.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a part of a folding mechanism disclosed in an embodiment of the present application in an unfolded state;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a folding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a folded state;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the explosive structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial schematic structural view of a folded structure disclosed in an embodiment of the present application in an unfolded state;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a third support member disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged schematic view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a base disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial schematic view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a partial structure of a base and a first support mechanism as disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a partial schematic structural view of the mounting engagement of the base and the first support mechanism disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a partial schematic structural view of the base, the first support mechanism and the second support mechanism mounted in cooperation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of a damping mechanism disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the damping mechanism engaged with the first support and the third support;

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view of a folding mechanism disclosed in an embodiment of the present application in an unfolded state;

FIG. 15 is a partial cross-sectional view of an electronic device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application at an extended angle;

fig. 16 is a partial sectional view of a part of the structure of the electronic apparatus disclosed in the embodiment of the present application in a folded state.

Description of reference numerals:

100-base part, 110-first rotating shaft, 120-second rotating shaft, 130-first deflector rod, 140-second deflector rod, 150-bottom shell, 160-end cover and 170-rotation limiting part;

200-a first supporting mechanism, 210-a first supporting piece, 211-a first supporting strip plate, 211 a-a first meshing tooth, 211 b-a first connecting hole, 211 c-a first avoiding hole, 211 d-a first matching recess, 211 e-a third connecting hole, 220-a second supporting piece, 221-a second supporting strip plate, 221 a-a second meshing tooth, 221 b-a second connecting hole, 221 c-a second avoiding hole, 221 d-a second matching recess, 221 e-a fourth connecting hole, and 230-a limiting recess;

300-a second supporting mechanism, 310-a third supporting member, 311-a third rotating shaft, 312-a first matching protrusion, 313-a first matching space, 314-a first matching hole, 320-a fourth supporting member, 321-a fourth rotating shaft, 322-a second matching protrusion, 323-a second matching space, 324-a second matching hole, 330-a supporting seat, 331-a first groove, 340-a guiding space, 350-a limiting seat and 351-a third avoiding hole;

400-a first housing;

500-a second housing;

600-a first cover plate;

700-a second cover plate;

800-damping mechanism, 810-ejector rod, 811-limit protrusion, 820-elastic part, 830-gland, 831-second groove and 840-screw;

900-flexible screen;

a-a first distance, b-a second distance;

a-a first axis, B-a second axis, C-a third axis, D-a fourth axis.

Detailed Description

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

The terms first, second and the like in the description and in the claims of the present application are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the data so used is interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the application are capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein. The objects distinguished by "first", "second", and the like are usually a class, and the number of the objects is not limited, and for example, the first object may be one or a plurality of objects. In addition, "and/or" in the specification and claims means at least one of connected objects, a character "/" generally means that a preceding and succeeding related objects are in an "or" relationship.

The technical solutions disclosed in the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings through specific embodiments and application scenarios thereof.

Referring to fig. 1 to 16, an embodiment of the present application discloses a folding mechanism, and the folding mechanism is applied to an electronic device. The disclosed folding mechanism includes a base 100, a first support mechanism 200, and a second support mechanism 300.

The base 100 is a base member of the folding mechanism, and the base 100 can provide a mounting base for at least the first support mechanism 200.

The first supporting mechanism 200 and the second supporting mechanism 300 are both supporting functional components of the folding mechanism, and the first supporting mechanism 200 includes a first supporting member 210 and a second supporting member 220. The second support mechanism 300 includes a third support 310 and a fourth support 320.

Specifically, the first support 210 and the third support 310 are located on a first side of the base 100, and the second support 220 and the fourth support 320 are located on a second side of the base 100, wherein the first side is opposite to the second side.

The first supporting member 210 can be rotatably engaged with the base 100 by using a first axis a as a rotation center, the second supporting member 220 can be rotatably engaged with the base 100 by using a second axis B as a rotation center, the first supporting member 210 is located at a first side, the second supporting member 220 is located at a second side, and the first axis a and the second axis B can be arranged in parallel. The first and

second supports

210 and 220 are movably disposed at the first and second sides of the base 100, respectively. Of course, this arrangement is able to prevent the first supporting member 210 and the second supporting member 220 from affecting each other during the installation process, and the assembly is convenient. When the rotation directions of the first support member 210 and the second support member 220 are opposite, the folding mechanism may assume a folded state or an unfolded state.

The third support 310 is rotatably engaged with the first support 210 about the third axis C, so that the third support 310 can rotate around the third axis C relative to the first support 210. The fourth supporter 320 is rotatably engaged with the second supporter 220 about the fourth axis D, so that the fourth supporter 320 can rotate about the fourth axis D with respect to the second supporter 220.

The third axis C is located on a side of the first axis a away from the base 100, optionally, the third axis C and the first axis a are parallel to each other. The fourth axis D is located on a side of the second axis B away from the base 100, and optionally, the second axis B and the fourth axis D are parallel to each other.

During the rotation of the first support 210, the third axis C may rotate around the first axis a, so that the third support 310 rotates around the first axis a while rotating around the third axis C. Likewise, during the rotation of the second supporter 220, the fourth axis D may rotate about the second axis B, so that the fourth supporter 320 rotates about the second axis B while rotating about the fourth axis D.

The folding mechanism disclosed by the embodiment of the application has a folding state and an unfolding state, the folding mechanism disclosed by the embodiment of the application can be applied to electronic equipment, and when the folding mechanism is in the folding state, the electronic equipment is in the folding state; when the folding mechanism is in the unfolded state, the electronic device is in the unfolded state.

The electronic device may include a flexible screen 900, the flexible screen 900 has a flexible deformation characteristic, and a folding mechanism may provide an installation basis for the flexible screen 900, specifically, the flexible screen 900 may be disposed on the folding mechanism, and the flexible screen 900 may be folded as the folding mechanism is folded, or may be unfolded as the folding mechanism is unfolded. When a user uses the electronic device, the folding mechanism can be in an unfolded state, the user can use the function of the electronic device by touching the flexible screen 900, and the area of the flexible screen 900 can be enlarged due to the unfolding of the folding mechanism, so that the experience effect of the user in using the electronic device is improved; when the user stops using the electronic device, the folding mechanism may be in a folded state, so that the external shape of the electronic device becomes smaller due to the overlapping of the folding mechanism, and the flexible screen 900 is also in a folded state, so that the electronic device is conveniently carried and stored.

In addition, during the folding process of the folding mechanism, the rotation direction of the first support 210 is opposite to the rotation direction of the second support 220, so that the rotation direction of the third support 310 is opposite to the rotation direction of the fourth support 320.

When the folding mechanism is in the unfolded state, the third supporting member 310 and the fourth supporting member 320 rotate to the coplanar positions with the first supporting member 210 and the second supporting member 220, and the third supporting member 310 and the fourth supporting member 320 can form a first screen supporting surface, the first screen supporting surface can provide auxiliary support for the flexible screen 900 of the electronic device, and the first screen supporting surface and the flexible screen 900 can be attached in a contact manner, so that the flexible screen 900 is prevented from collapsing into the folding mechanism.

When the folding mechanism is in the folded state, the first support mechanism 200 may rotate relative to the base 100, specifically, the first support 210 may rotate about the first axis a relative to the base 100, the second support 220 may rotate about the second axis B relative to the base 100, the first support 210 overlaps with the second support 220, and at the same time, the third support 310 may rotate about the third axis C relative to the first support 210, and the fourth support 320 may rotate about the fourth axis D relative to the second support 220, so that the third support 310, the fourth support 320, and the base 100 may form a larger accommodation space. The flexible screen 900 rotates the in-process of superpose along with first support piece 210 and second support piece 220, and flexible screen 900 also can be superposed, and the department of bending of flexible screen 900 can form the deformation portion, and the deformation portion can hold in accommodation space betterly, and then avoids flexible screen 900 to appear damaging because of the superpose extrusion, and then improves the life of the flexible screen 900 of electronic equipment.

In the embodiment of the present application, in order to achieve the folding action of the folding mechanism more quickly, the first supporting member 210 and the second supporting member 220 may be rotated synchronously by a belt transmission mechanism, a chain transmission mechanism, or the like. In an alternative manner, the first supporting member 210 may be provided with a first engaging tooth 211a, the second supporting member 220 may be provided with a second engaging tooth 221a, and the first engaging tooth 211a may be engaged with the second engaging tooth 221a, so that while the first supporting member 210 rotates around the first axis a, the second supporting member 220 may be driven to rotate around the second axis B through the engagement between the first engaging tooth 211a and the second engaging tooth 221a, and further the first supporting member 210 and the second supporting member 220 may rotate synchronously, so as to improve the cooperativity of the movement of the folding portion of the folding mechanism, and finally achieve a better folding effect of the electronic device.

In addition, the synchronous rotation of the first supporting member 210 and the second supporting member 220 is realized through meshing fit, so that the precision is high, and the structure of the matching mode is simple, thereby being beneficial to reducing the manufacturing cost of the folding mechanism.

In a further embodiment, the first support 210 may include a first support strip 211 located on a first side of the base 100, and the first support strip 211 may be rotatably engaged with the base 100 about a first axis a as a rotation center. The second supporting member 220 may include a second supporting strip 221 located at the second side of the base 100, and the second supporting strip 221 may be rotatably engaged with the base 100 by using the second axis B as a rotation center. The first and second support strip-shaped

panels

211 and 221 have a plate-shaped structure, so that they have a small profile and a light weight, and thus the folding mechanism can drive the first and second support strip-shaped

panels

211 and 221 to rotate relative to the base 100 with less effort during the stacking or unfolding process. Wherein, the user can manually accomplish folding mechanism's superpose or expand, and comparatively laborsaving, perhaps, folding mechanism is provided with actuating mechanism, and actuating mechanism can realize the rotation of first supporting mechanism 200 for motor drive mechanism, electromagnetic drive mechanism and atmospheric pressure actuating mechanism etc. under the prerequisite that does not influence folding mechanism's superpose speed or expansion speed, actuating mechanism can select the less drive fitting of power to reduction in production cost and reduction occupation space.

In the case where the first support 210 includes the first support strip plate 211 and the second support 220 includes the second support strip plate 221, the first engagement tooth 211a may be provided at an end of the first support strip plate 211 and the second engagement tooth 221a may be provided at an end of the second support strip plate 221, so that the first support strip plate 211 and the second support strip plate 221 are rotated together by engagement of the first engagement tooth 211a and the second engagement tooth 221 a.

In a specific manufacturing process, the first support strip-shaped plate 211 and the second support strip-shaped plate 221 are machined and formed by a numerical control linear cutting machine, and the first meshing teeth 211a and the second meshing teeth 221a do not need to be machined by a hobbing machine, so that the machining process of the first support strip-shaped plate 211 and the second support strip-shaped plate 221 is further simplified, and the production cost of the first support strip-shaped plate 211 and the second support strip-shaped plate 221 is further reduced.

In another embodiment, the number of the first supporting strip-shaped plates 211 may be two, and the two first supporting strip-shaped plates 211 may be respectively located at two ends of the base 100. Accordingly, there may be two second support strips 221, and the two second support strips 221 may be respectively located at two ends of the base 100. This structure can avoid providing the first support strip-shaped plate 211 and the second support strip-shaped plate 221 only at one end of the base 100. Both ends of the base 100 are movably provided with the first support mechanism 200, thereby improving the stability of the folding or unfolding of the folding mechanism. Meanwhile, the above structure enables the first supporting mechanism 200 to drive the driving force of the rotation of the flexible screen 900 to be more balanced, wherein the two first supporting strip-shaped plates 211 and the two second supporting strip-shaped plates 221 are engaged in a one-to-one correspondence manner, so that the two first supporting strip-shaped plates 211 and the two second supporting strip-shaped plates 221 can rotate synchronously, and the folding or unfolding synchronism of the folding mechanism can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the first end of the third support 310 is far from the third axis C, the first end of the fourth support 320 is far from the fourth axis D, the second end of the third support 310 is close to the third axis C, and the second end of the fourth support 320 is close to the fourth axis D. When the folding mechanism is in the folded state, the rotation of the third support member 310 and the fourth support member 320 enables an opening of the accommodating space to be formed between the second end of the third support member 310 and the second end of the fourth support member 320, the opening enables the deformation portion of the flexible screen 900 to enter the accommodating space, and therefore the deformation portion can be conveniently stored in the larger accommodating space under the folded state of the folding mechanism, and the deformation portion cannot be excessively squeezed.

Optionally, in the folded state, a distance between the first end of the third support 310 and the first end of the fourth support 320 is a first distance a, a distance between the second end of the third support 310 and the second end of the fourth support 320 is a second distance b, and the first distance a is greater than the second distance b. This kind of structure can make third support piece 310 and fourth support piece 320 can form the similar triangular accommodation space of spatial structure, because the stability of triangular structure is higher to avoid receiving the extrusion under fold condition and appearing that accommodation space diminishes and lead to flexible screen 900 to receive the extrusion and damage, and then make this kind of structure can improve accommodation space's stability.

In the embodiment of the present application, the base 100 may realize the rotation of the first support 210 or the second support 220 around the first axis a or the second axis B with respect to the base 100 by a rail structure, a bearing, or the like. In an alternative manner, the base 100 may be provided with a first connection hole 211B along the first axis a and a second connection hole 221B along the second axis B, the first support 210 may be provided with the first rotating shaft 110, the second support 220 may be provided with the second rotating shaft 120, the first support 210 is in shaft-hole fit with the first rotating shaft 110 through the first connection hole 211B and is in rotating fit with the base 100, and the second support 220 is in shaft-hole fit with the second rotating shaft 120 through the second connection hole 221B and is in rotating fit with the base 100.

Alternatively, the base 100 may be provided with a first rotating shaft 110 extending along the first axis a and a second rotating shaft 120 extending along the second axis B, the first supporting member 210 is provided with a first connecting hole 211B, the second supporting member 220 is provided with a second connecting hole 221B, the first supporting member 210 is in shaft hole fit with the first rotating shaft 110 through the first connecting hole 211B and is in rotating fit with the base 100, and the second supporting member 220 is in shaft hole fit with the second rotating shaft 120 through the second connecting hole 221B and is in rotating fit with the base 100.

The above-mentioned structure of shaft hole fitting is simple, and can realize the rotation of the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220 relative to the base 100, and in addition, the structure can save space in the space of the shaft hole fitting axis, thereby being beneficial to realizing the miniaturization of the folding mechanism. After the folding mechanism is disposed on the electronic device, the base 100 is easily exposed to the outer surface of the electronic device as an appearance structural member of the electronic device, and in order to avoid the base 100 being perforated to affect the aesthetic property of the folding mechanism, it is preferable to dispose the first rotating shaft 110 and the second rotating shaft 120 on the base 100, and dispose the first connecting hole 211b and the second connecting hole 221b on the first supporting member 210 and the second supporting member 220, respectively, so as to improve the aesthetic property of the folding mechanism.

In the embodiment of the present application, the third supporting member 310 may be provided with a third rotating shaft 311 extending along the third axis C, the fourth supporting member 320 may be provided with a fourth rotating shaft 321 extending along the fourth axis D, and accordingly, the first supporting member 210 may be provided with a third connecting hole 211e, and the second supporting member 220 may be provided with a fourth connecting hole 221 e. Alternatively, the first supporting member 210 may be provided with a third rotating shaft 311 extending along the third axis C, the second supporting member 220 may be provided with a fourth rotating shaft 321 extending along the fourth axis D, and accordingly, the third supporting member 310 may be provided with a third connecting hole 211e, and the fourth supporting member 320 may be provided with a fourth connecting hole 221 e.

In addition, the present application is not limited to specific arrangement positions of the third rotating shaft 311, the fourth rotating shaft 321, the third connecting hole 211e and the fourth connecting hole 221 e.

The third supporting piece 310 can be matched with the shaft hole of the third rotating shaft 311 through the third connecting hole 211e and is in running fit with the first supporting piece 210, the fourth supporting piece 320 is matched with the shaft hole of the fourth rotating shaft 321 through the fourth connecting hole 221e and is in running fit with the second supporting piece 220, and the simple shaft hole matching structure not only realizes the running installation of the third supporting piece 310 and the fourth supporting piece 320, but also can enable the processing technology of the component to be simpler, so that the processing cost of the folding mechanism is reduced.

To achieve that the third support 310 and the fourth support 320 rotate while the first support 210 and the second support 220 rotate to overlap. In an alternative manner, the third and

fourth supporters

310 and 320 may each be provided with an electromagnetic coil, and in particular, the electromagnetic coil may be provided at a position opposite to the third and

fourth supporters

310 and 320. When the folding mechanism is in a folded state, firstly, the third supporting member 310 rotates around the first axis a along with the first supporting member 210, the fourth supporting member 320 rotates around the second axis B along with the second supporting member 220, the third supporting member 310 and the fourth supporting member 320 rotate to be opposite to each other, the electromagnetic coil generates magnetic force in an energized state, and the magnetic force with the same polarity repels each other, so that the third supporting member 310 can rotate around the third axis C, and the fourth supporting member 320 can rotate around the fourth axis D, so that the third supporting member 310 and the fourth supporting member 320 form a stable accommodating space, and further, the deformation portion of the flexible screen 900 can be accommodated in the accommodating space without being squeezed. This kind of structure can realize better under the folded state, and first distance a is greater than second distance b.

In another alternative, the base 100 may be provided with a first lever 130 in a direction parallel to the first axis a, the first lever 130 is located between the first rotating shaft 110 and the third rotating shaft 311, the base 100 may be provided with a second lever 140 in a direction parallel to the second axis B, the second lever 140 is located between the second rotating shaft 120 and the fourth rotating shaft 321, the third support 310 is provided with a first matching hole 314, the fourth support 320 is provided with a second matching hole 324, and the first lever 130 and the first matching hole 314 are rotatably and slidably matched.

During the rotation of the first support 210 about the first axis a, since the first lever 130 is fixed to the base 100, the first engaging hole 314 rotates about the first lever 130 and is also in sliding engagement with the first lever 130, so as to realize the rotation of the third support 310 about the third axis C. With the structure, on the premise that the third supporting member 310 rotates around the third axis C, the third supporting member 310 can be matched with the base 100, so that the assembly stability of the third supporting member 310 can be improved, and meanwhile, the third supporting member 310 can be restrained from rotating around the third axis C better, so that the rotation of the third supporting member 310 is more accurate.

Similarly, the second driving lever 140 is rotatably and slidably engaged with the second engaging hole 324, and during the rotation of the second supporting member 220 around the second axis B, since the second driving lever 140 is fixed to the base 100, the second engaging hole 324 is also slidably engaged with the second driving lever 140 while rotating around the second driving lever 140, so as to rotate the fourth supporting member 320 around the fourth axis D. With the structure, on the premise that the fourth supporting piece 320 rotates around the fourth axis D, the fourth supporting piece 320 can be matched with the base 100, so that the assembly stability of the fourth supporting piece 320 can be improved, and meanwhile, the fourth supporting piece 320 can be restrained from rotating around the fourth axis D better, so that the fourth supporting piece 320 can rotate more accurately.

In an alternative scheme, the first engaging hole 314 may be disposed adjacent to the second end of the third supporting member 310, and the second engaging hole 324 may be disposed adjacent to the second end of the fourth supporting member 320, so that both ends of the third supporting member 310 and the fourth supporting member 320 can be better restrained, thereby improving the assembling performance, and simultaneously, the rotation of the third supporting member 310 around the third axis C and the rotation of the fourth supporting member 320 around the fourth axis D are not affected.

According to the structure, the third supporting piece 310 and the fourth supporting piece 320 rotate around the third axis C and the fourth axis D respectively through the simple movable connecting structure, the first distance a can be better larger than the second distance b, devices with driving functions are additionally added to the folding mechanism for driving the third supporting piece 310 and the fourth supporting piece 320, and the production and manufacturing costs are further reduced.

In this embodiment, the first support strip-shaped plate 211 may have a first avoiding hole 211c, the second support strip-shaped plate 221 may have a second avoiding hole 221c, the first driving lever 130 may pass through the first avoiding hole 211c to be matched with the first matching hole 314, the second driving lever 140 may pass through the second avoiding hole 221c to be matched with the second matching hole 324, and the first avoiding hole 211c and the second avoiding hole 221c are disposed to be capable of avoiding, so that the third support 310 and the fourth support 320 can be more easily matched with the base 100.

In a further technical scheme, the first avoiding hole 211c and the second avoiding hole 221c may be circular arc holes, and the circle center of the circular arc hole is located on the first axis a or the second axis B, so that the first driving lever 130 or the second driving lever 140 is in guiding fit with the circular arc hole through an arc line, and the rotation accuracy of the first supporting member 210 around the first axis a and the rotation accuracy of the second supporting member 220 around the second axis B are improved.

In addition, the structure reasonably utilizes the opening to reduce the thickness of the stacked parts, thereby being beneficial to reducing the external dimension of the folding mechanism along the directions of the first axis A and the second axis B and further being beneficial to reducing the external dimension of the electronic equipment.

In the embodiment of the present application, the first and second matching holes 314 and 324 may be bar-shaped holes, and during the rotation of the third and

fourth supports

310 and 320, the first and

second levers

130 and 140 may be rotatably matched with the bar-shaped holes, and the first and

second levers

130 and 140 may be slidably matched with the bar-shaped holes along a direction perpendicular to the openings of the bar-shaped holes, so that the third support 310 may rotate around the third axis C, and the fourth support 320 may rotate around the fourth axis D. In addition, the processing technology of the strip-shaped holes is simple, and the assembly is convenient.

In the embodiment of the present application, the base 100 may have various structures, and the base 100 may include a bottom case 150 and two end covers 160, specifically, bottom ends of the two end covers 160 may be respectively fixed to two ends of the bottom case 150, an inner side wall of the end cover 160 may be fixed with a first rotating shaft 110, a second rotating shaft 120, a first driving lever 130, and a second driving lever 140, and the first rotating shaft 110, the second rotating shaft 120, the first driving lever 130, and the second driving lever 140 may be fixedly disposed on the end covers 160 through bonding, welding, and threaded connection, and the like. The first supporting mechanism 200 and the second supporting mechanism 300 are disposed between the two end caps 160, so that the end caps 160 can protect partial areas of the first supporting mechanism 200 and the second supporting mechanism 300, and of course, the appearance of the electronic device can be ensured.

In a further technical solution, the first supporting member 210 may include two first supporting strip-shaped plates 211, the two first supporting strip-shaped plates 211 may be respectively matched with the two end caps 160 through the first connecting hole 211b and the first rotating shaft 110 shaft hole, and similarly, the second supporting member 220 may include two second supporting strip-shaped plates 221, the two second supporting strip-shaped plates 221 may be respectively matched with the two end caps 160 through the second connecting hole 221b and the second rotating shaft 120 shaft hole, so that the two end caps 160 can both provide an installation basis for the first supporting mechanism 200, and the folding mechanism realizes the rotating fit between the two end caps 160 and the first supporting mechanism 200 through the matching of the two end caps 160 and the first supporting mechanism 200.

In the embodiment of the present application, the base 100 may further include a rotation-restricting part 170, the rotation-restricting part 170 may be fixed at the top end of the end cover 160, and then, the first support strip-shaped plate 211 may be provided with a first fitting recess 211d and, correspondingly, the second support strip-shaped plate 221 may be provided with a second fitting recess 221 d.

In the folded state, the first engaging recess 211d is engaged with one side of the rotation limiting portion 170 in the folding and rotating direction of the first supporting member 210 in a limiting manner, so that the first supporting strip-shaped plate 211 rotates to the overlapping position of the first supporting member 210 through the first engaging recess 211d and the rotation limiting portion 170 in a limiting manner, the second engaging recess 221d is engaged with the other side of the rotation limiting portion 170 in the folding and rotating direction of the second supporting member 220 in a limiting manner, so that the second supporting strip-shaped plate 221 rotates to the overlapping position of the second supporting member 220 through the second engaging recess 221d and the rotation limiting portion 170 in a limiting manner, the rotating amplitude of the first supporting member 210 and the second supporting member 220 is further controlled, and mutual extrusion caused by excessive rotation of the first supporting member 210 and the second supporting member 220 is avoided.

In an alternative manner, the base 100 may be a split structure, and in particular, the two end caps 160 are detachably disposed at two ends of the bottom case 150, so that the accommodating space can be opened, and further, maintenance personnel can conveniently maintain other components of the electronic device in the accommodating space.

In another alternative, the base 100 may be an integrated structure, and specifically, the base 100 may be an integrated injection molding structure, so that the first rotating shaft 110 and the second rotating shaft 120, which are disposed on the two end caps 160, have a higher coaxiality, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the folding process of the folding mechanism, and in addition, the structural consistency of mass production of the base 100 is ensured more easily by injection molding, and the production efficiency can also be improved.

In the embodiment of the present application, the third supporting member 310 and the fourth supporting member 320 are both flat plate-shaped structural members. Alternatively, the third supporting member 310 may be disposed between the two first supporting strip-shaped plates 211, and the fourth supporting member 320 may be disposed between the two second supporting strip-shaped plates 221, when the folding mechanism is in the unfolded state, the third supporting member 310 and the fourth supporting member 320 form a first screen supporting surface, so that the area of the first screen supporting surface built by the two flat plate-shaped structural members may be increased, and thus the flexible screen 900 may be better supported; when the folding mechanism is in a folded state, the stability of the accommodating space formed by the flat plate-shaped structural member serving as the supporting wall is higher, so that the area with more deformation parts is less prone to being excessively extruded.

In this embodiment, the third support 310 may be provided with at least two first fitting protrusions 312, wherein a first fitting space 313 may be formed between two adjacent first fitting protrusions 312, similarly, the fourth support 320 may be provided with at least two second fitting protrusions 322, a second fitting space 323 may be formed between two adjacent second fitting protrusions 322, when the folding mechanism is in the unfolded state, the third support 310 and the fourth support 320 are coplanar, the first fitting protrusions 312 are located in the second fitting space 323, and the second fitting protrusions 322 are located in the first fitting space 313, so that a gap between the third support 310 and the fourth support 320 is small, the flexible screen 900 may be flatly laid on the first screen supporting surface, thereby improving a user experience effect of using the electronic device, and when the folding mechanism is in the folded state, the first fitting space 313 and the second fitting space 323 may prevent the third support 310 and the fourth support 320 from being exposed to other components Interference occurs.

In the embodiment of the present application, the damping mechanism 800 may be installed between the first supporting member 210 and the third supporting member 310 and between the second supporting member 220 and the fourth supporting member 320, and the damping mechanism 800 may be elastically stopped between the first supporting member 210 and the third supporting member 310 or between the second supporting member 220 and the fourth supporting member 320, so that the folding mechanism may have a damping effect when folded, and thus, the current state of the flexible screen 900 is prevented from being changed due to an incorrect operation while a user uses the electronic device. Meanwhile, the damping mechanism 800 can realize hovering of the folding mechanism during unfolding or folding, so that the folding mechanism has more unfolding angles to adapt to more use environments.

The damping mechanism 800 can be elastically stopped between the first supporting member 210 and the third supporting member 310 or between the second supporting member 220 and the fourth supporting member 320 by using a cylinder damping mechanism, a motor damping mechanism, and the like, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific type of the damping mechanism 800, for example, the damping mechanism 800 may be only a spring and can also exert a damping effect.

In an alternative scheme, the damping mechanism 800 may include a top bar 810 and an elastic member 820, wherein the top bar 810 may be movably disposed on the third support 310 or the fourth support 320, the elastic member 820 may be disposed between the top bar 810 and the third support 310 or the fourth support 320, and the elastic member 820 may drive the top bar 810 to be in pressing contact with the first support 210 or the second support 220. Specifically, the elastic member 820 generates a driving force through deformation to drive the push rod 810 to press and contact the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220, and during the process of pressing and contacting the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220, the damping mechanism 800 generates a frictional resistance opposite to the rotation direction through pressing and contacting the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220, so as to achieve the damping effect of the damping mechanism 800, and further indirectly stop the rotation of the third supporting member 310 or the fourth supporting member 320. The elastic part 820 drives the ejector rod 810, and the ejector rod 810 applies damping force, so that the problem that the abrasion of components is serious due to excessive damping friction is avoided under the condition of ensuring damping.

In a further technical solution, the damping mechanism 800 may further include a pressing cover 830, the third support 310 or the fourth support 320 may be provided with a supporting seat 330, specifically, the pressing cover 830 may be fixed on the supporting seat 330, the pressing cover 830 and the supporting seat 330 may form a guiding space 340, wherein the first end of the push rod 810 may be in sliding fit with the guiding space 340, so that the push rod 810 reciprocates in the guiding space 340 along the guiding direction of the guiding space 340, thereby improving the moving stability of the push rod 810, and simultaneously being beneficial to alleviating lateral bending deformation of the damping mechanism 800.

The second end of the top bar 810 can be in pressing contact with the first support member 210 or the second support member 220, wherein the second end of the top bar 810 can be provided with a limiting protrusion 811, the elastic member 820 is elastically positioned between the first port of the guide space 340 and the limiting protrusion 811, and the first port faces the limiting protrusion 811.

The material of the limiting protrusion 811 may be rubber, plastic, etc., and when the limiting protrusion 811 elastically abuts against the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220, the limiting protrusion 811 deforms to abut against the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220, and the contact area between the limiting protrusion 811 and the surface of the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220 is increased, so that the friction resistance in the opposite rotation direction of the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220 is increased, and meanwhile, the limiting protrusion 811 is not likely to cause the deformation of the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220.

In a further technical solution, the elastic member 820 may be sleeved on the top bar 810, and due to the sliding fit between the top bar 810 and the guide space 340, the elastic member 820 drives the limiting protrusion 811 to prevent from abutting against the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220 along the guide direction of the guide space 340, so as to prevent the driving force generated by the deformation of the elastic member 820 from being dispersed, and further the driving force of the elastic member 820 is consistent with the moving direction of the limiting protrusion 811, and the driving force is more concentrated, thereby achieving better pressing contact of the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220 by the damping mechanism 800.

In the embodiment of the present application, the supporting seat 330 and the third supporting member 310 or the fourth supporting member 320 may be connected by bonding, welding, or threaded connection, and in an optional manner, the supporting seat 330 and the third supporting member 310 or the fourth supporting member 320 may be an integrated structure, and since the integrated structure is relatively simple to produce and manufacture, the third supporting member 310 or the fourth supporting member 320 may be produced in a large scale, and the production cost is relatively low, which is also beneficial to simplifying the assembly operation of the folding mechanism.

In an alternative scheme, the first port may be a flaring structure, for example, the first port may be provided with a chamfer or a fillet, or the first port may be provided with a taper hole, so that the assembly of the push rod 810 and the guide space 340 is convenient.

In this embodiment of the application, the supporting seat 330 may have a first attaching surface, the gland 830 may have a second attaching surface, specifically, the first recess 331 may be formed in the first attaching surface, the second recess 831 may be formed in the second attaching surface, the first attaching surface and the second attaching surface may be attached to each other, so that the supporting seat 330 and the gland 830 are not easily dislocated due to the large attaching area, and the stability is good, the guiding space 340 may be formed by the first recess 331 and the second recess 831, because the first attaching surface and the second attaching surface are attached to each other in a stable manner, and the structural stability of the guiding space 340 is improved.

In addition, the first binding face and the second binding face can be fixedly connected with the supporting seat 830 through bonding, welding and other modes, in an optional mode, the supporting seat 330 is provided with a plurality of threaded holes, the gland 830 is fixedly connected with the supporting seat 330 through a plurality of screws 840 and threaded hole thread matching, and therefore maintenance personnel can replace the ejector rod 810 and the elastic piece 820 through detaching the screws 840 when the ejector rod 810 and the elastic piece 820 are damaged, and the maintenance process is convenient.

In this application embodiment, folding mechanism can also include spacing seat 350, spacing seat 350 can have seted up the third hole 351 of dodging, specifically, the second end of ejector pin 810 can pass third hole 351 of dodging and with first support piece 210 or second support piece 220 elastic contact, thereby make spacing seat 350 avoid taking place to interfere with spacing arch 811 through setting up the third hole 351 of dodging, and folding mechanism need not reserve extra space and set up spacing seat 350, and then be favorable to folding mechanism's miniaturization, spacing arch 811 can with spacing cooperation of spacing seat 350, thereby it leads to its deformation to restrict spacing arch 811 to excessively extrude first support piece 210 or second support piece 220 by the drive power drive.

In a further technical scheme, the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220 can be provided with a limiting recess 230, when the damping mechanism 800 works, the second end of the ejector pin 810 is in pressing contact with the limiting recess 230, so that the limiting contact between the limiting protrusion 811 and the limiting recess 230 forms a frictional resistance opposite to the rotating direction of the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220, the contact area between the limiting protrusion 811 and the limiting recess 230 is further increased, and further the rotating resistance of the first supporting member 210 or the second supporting member 220 is increased, thereby realizing a better damping effect.

Optionally, the second end of ejector pin 810 is spherical end, and spacing sunken 230 is spherical sunken, and spherical end and spherical sunken not only can form frictional resistance, also is providing the rotation direction cooperation, and when electronic equipment confirmed need realize fold condition, the spherical can go out frictional resistance dispersion to make first support piece 210 or second support piece 220 conveniently rotate.

As described above, each of the first and second support strip-shaped

plates

211 and 221 may be two, the third support 310 is disposed between the two first support strip-shaped plates 211, and the fourth support 320 is disposed between the two second support strip-shaped plates 221. In a feasible scheme, damping mechanisms 800 are respectively arranged between two ends of the third support member 310 and opposite positions of the corresponding first support strip-shaped plates 211 and between two ends of the fourth support member 320 and opposite positions of the corresponding second support strip-shaped plates 221, so that at least four damping mechanisms 800 are in damping contact with the two first support strip-shaped plates 211 and the two second support strip-shaped plates 221 respectively, the damping effect of the damping mechanisms 800 on the folding mechanism is improved, and meanwhile, the balance of the damping of the folding mechanism can be improved.

Based on the folding mechanism disclosed by the embodiment of the application, the application also discloses an electronic device, and the disclosed electronic device comprises the folding mechanism.

Specifically, the electronic device may include a first housing 400, a second housing 500, a first cover 600, and a second cover 700. The first housing 400 can provide protection for the first support member 210, and form a first cavity with the first support member 210, and other devices of the electronic device can be disposed in the first cavity, wherein the first housing 400 can be fixed at the bottom end of the first support member 210, and the first cover 600 can be fixed at the top end of the first support member 210, and when the folding mechanism is in the unfolded state, the first cover 600 is coplanar with the second support mechanism 300, so that the first cover 600 can provide support for the flexible screen 900.

In addition, the first housing 400 and the first cover plate 600 may be fixedly disposed at the top end and the bottom end of the first supporting member 210 by bonding, welding, connecting with a screw connector, and fastening.

The second housing 500 can provide protection for the second supporting member 220, and form a second cavity with the second supporting member 220, and other devices of the electronic device can also be disposed in the second cavity, wherein the second housing 500 is fixed at the bottom end of the second supporting member 220, the second cover 700 is fixed at the top end of the second supporting member 220, and when the folding mechanism is in the unfolded state, the second cover 700 is coplanar with the second supporting mechanism 300, so that the second cover 700 can provide support for the flexible screen 900.

In summary, in the unfolded state of the electronic device, the first cover plate 600, the second cover plate 700 and the second supporting mechanism 300 may form a screen supporting surface, and the screen supporting surface includes a first screen supporting surface, so that the flexible screen 900 may be smoothly laid on the screen supporting surface, and the supporting effect is further improved.

In addition, the second housing 500 and the second cover plate 700 can be respectively fixed at the top end and the bottom end of the second supporting member 220 by bonding, welding, connecting with a threaded connector, and clamping with a buckle. In the embodiment of the present application, the first supporting member 210 and the second supporting member 220 may both protrude from the screen supporting surface, and the first supporting member 210, the second supporting member 220 and the screen supporting surface may form a screen positioning space, so that the flexible screen 900 is more stably installed.

Specifically, when the folding mechanism is in the unfolded state, the first cover 600, the second cover 700 and the second support 300 may form a screen support surface, the flexible screen 900 is completely supported on the screen support surface, and the first support 210 and the second support 220 both protrude from the screen support surface, so that the flexible screen 900 is in limit fit with the first support 210 and the second support 220 on the first axis a, and the flexible screen 900 is prevented from being misaligned in the assembling process.

The electronic device disclosed in the embodiment of the present application may be a mobile phone, a computer, an electronic book reader, a game machine, a wearable device, or the like, and certainly, the electronic device may also be other types of devices.

In the embodiments of the present application, the difference between the embodiments is described in detail, and different optimization features between the embodiments can be combined to form a better embodiment as long as the differences are not contradictory, and further description is omitted here in view of brevity of the text.

The above description is only an example of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A folding mechanism comprising a base, a first support mechanism and a second support mechanism, wherein:

the first support mechanism comprises a first support and a second support;

the second support mechanism comprises a third support and a fourth support;

the folding mechanism has a folded state and an unfolded state,

2. The folding mechanism of claim 1 wherein said first support member is provided with a first engagement tooth and said second support member is provided with a second engagement tooth, said first and second engagement teeth being intermeshed.

3. The folding mechanism of claim 2 wherein said first support member includes a first support strip on a first side of said base, said first support strip rotationally engaged with said base about said first axis, said second support member includes a second support strip on a second side of said base, said second support strip rotationally engaged with said base about said second axis, said first engagement tooth disposed on an end of said first support strip and said second engagement tooth disposed on an end of said second support strip.

4. The folding mechanism of claim 3 wherein said first brace bar plate is two, said two first brace bar plates being located at each end of said base; the second supports the bar shaped plate to be two, two the second supports the bar shaped plate and is located respectively the both ends of basal portion, wherein:

the two first supporting strip-shaped plates are correspondingly meshed with the two second supporting strip-shaped plates one to one.

5. The folding mechanism of claim 1 wherein a first end of said third support is distal from said third axis, a first end of said fourth support is distal from said fourth axis, a second end of said third support is proximate to said third axis, and a second end of said fourth support is proximate to said fourth axis, wherein:

in the folded state, a distance between a first end of the third support member and a first end of the fourth support member is a first distance, a distance between a second end of the third support member and a second end of the fourth support member is a second distance, and the first distance is greater than the second distance.

6. A folding mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that said base is provided with a first rotation shaft extending along said first axis and a second rotation shaft extending along said second axis;

the first support piece is provided with a first connecting hole, and the second support piece is provided with a second connecting hole;

the first support is matched with the first rotating shaft hole through the first connecting hole and is in rotating fit with the base;

the second supporting piece is matched with the second rotating shaft hole through the second connecting hole and is in running fit with the base.

7. The folding mechanism of claim 6, wherein the third supporting member is provided with a third rotating shaft extending along the third axis, the fourth supporting member is provided with a fourth rotating shaft extending along the fourth axis, the first supporting member is provided with a third connecting hole, the second supporting member is provided with a fourth connecting hole, the third supporting member is matched with the third rotating shaft through the third connecting hole, and the fourth supporting member is matched with the fourth rotating shaft through the fourth connecting hole.

8. The folding mechanism of claim 7 wherein said base has a first lever disposed parallel to said first axis, said first lever being disposed between said first and third shafts, said base having a second lever disposed parallel to said second axis, said second lever being disposed between said second and fourth shafts, said third support having a first mating hole, said fourth support having a second mating hole, said first lever being in rotational and sliding engagement with said first mating hole, said second lever being in rotational and sliding engagement with said second mating hole.

9. The folding mechanism of claim 6, wherein the first support member defines a first avoiding hole, the second support member defines a second avoiding hole, the first driving lever passes through the first avoiding hole to engage with the first engaging hole, and the second driving lever passes through the second avoiding hole to engage with the second engaging hole.

10. The folding mechanism of claim 9, wherein the first and second avoiding holes are both circular arc holes, and a center of the circular arc hole is located on the first axis or the second axis.

11. The folding mechanism of claim 8 wherein said first and second holes are both strip holes, said first or second rod being rotatably engaged with said strip holes, and said first or second rod being slidably engaged with said strip holes along the direction of extension of said strip holes.

12. The folding mechanism of claim 6, wherein said base includes a bottom housing and two end caps, bottom ends of said two end caps are respectively fixed to two ends of said bottom housing, and inner sidewalls of said end caps are fixed with said first rotating shaft, said second rotating shaft, said first driving lever and said second driving lever.

13. The folding mechanism of claim 12, wherein said first supporting member comprises two said first supporting strip-shaped plates, said two said first supporting strip-shaped plates are respectively matched with said two end caps by said first connecting holes and said first shaft hole, said second supporting strip-shaped plate comprises two said second supporting strip-shaped plates, said two said second supporting strip-shaped plates are respectively matched with said two end caps by said second connecting holes and said second shaft hole.

14. The folding mechanism of claim 13 wherein said base further comprises a rotation limiting portion, said rotation limiting portion being secured to a top end of said end cap, said first support strip plate being provided with a first mating recess, said second support strip plate being provided with a second mating recess;

under fold condition, first cooperation sunken with one side of rotating spacing portion is in the folding rotation direction spacing cooperation of first support piece, the second cooperation sunken with the opposite side of rotating spacing portion is in the folding rotation direction spacing cooperation of second support piece.

15. The folding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the third support member is provided with at least two first engaging protrusions, a first engaging space is formed between two adjacent first engaging protrusions, the fourth support member is provided with at least two second engaging protrusions, a second engaging space is formed between two adjacent second engaging protrusions, and in the unfolded state, the first engaging protrusions are located in the second engaging spaces, and the second engaging protrusions are located in the first engaging spaces.

16. An electronic device, characterized in that it comprises a folding mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the electronic device comprises a first housing, a second housing, a first cover, and a second cover, wherein:

the first shell is fixed at the bottom end of the first supporting piece, the first cover plate is fixed at the top end of the first supporting piece,

the second shell is fixed at the bottom end of the second supporting piece, the second cover plate is fixed at the top end of the second supporting piece,

in the unfolded state, the first cover plate, the second cover plate and the second support mechanism form a screen support surface, and the screen support surface comprises the first screen support surface.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the first support and the second support are each protruding from the screen supporting surface, and the first support, the second support and the screen supporting surface form a screen positioning space.