CN113242342B

CN113242342B - Locking mechanism and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN113242342B
Application number: CN202110672216.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周友文; 杨景发
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-17
Filing date: 2021-06-17
Publication date: 2023-07-18
Anticipated expiration: 2041-06-17
Also published as: CN113242342A

Abstract

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

Description

Locking mechanism and electronic equipment

Technical Field

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

Background

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

Disclosure of Invention

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

An electronic device, comprising:

a housing assembly including a first housing and a second housing slidably disposed within the first housing;

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

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

A locking mechanism, comprising:

a first bracket and a second bracket;

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

The movable assembly is connected between the first bracket and the second bracket;

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

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

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings that are required in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described below, it being obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and that other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

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

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an electronic device according to an embodiment, wherein the second housing is in a second position;

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

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

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

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

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

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

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a locking mechanism of an electronic device according to yet another embodiment;

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

Reference numerals:

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

14. Second housing 20, flexible display 20a, fixing portion

20b, free portion 30, guide 40, and driving mechanism

41. Motor 43, screw 45, nut

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

511. Body 513, baffle 52, second bracket

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

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

531. Stop rib 54, movable assembly 541, and actuator

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

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

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

568. Eighth arm 57, linkage

Detailed Description

In order to facilitate an understanding of the present application, a more complete description of the present application will now be provided with reference to the relevant figures. Preferred embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings. This application may, however, be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.

As used herein, "electronic device" refers to a device capable of receiving and/or transmitting communication signals that includes, but is not limited to, a device connected via any one or several of the following connections:

(1) Via a wireline connection, such as via a public-switched telephone network (Public Switched Telephone Networks, PSTN), a digital subscriber line (Digital Subscriber Line, DSL), a digital cable, a direct cable connection;

(2) Via a wireless interface, such as a cellular network, a wireless local area network (Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN), a digital television network such as a DVB-H network, a satellite network, an AM-FM broadcast transmitter.

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

(1) Satellite phones or cellular phones;

(2) A personal communications system (Personal Communications System, PCS) terminal that may combine a cellular radiotelephone with data processing, facsimile and data communications capabilities;

(3) A radiotelephone, pager, internet/intranet access, web browser, notepad, calendar, personal digital assistant (Personal Digital Assistant, PDA) equipped with a global positioning system (Global Positioning System, GPS) receiver;

(4) Conventional laptop and/or palmtop receivers;

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

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 3, an electronic device 100 of the present embodiment includes a case assembly 10, a flexible display 20, and a guide 30. The housing assembly 10 is hollow, and the flexible display 20, the guide 30, etc. may be disposed on the housing assembly 10. The electronic device 100 may further include a circuit board (not shown) and a battery (not shown), both of which may be disposed on the housing assembly 10. The circuit board may integrate the processor, power management module, memory unit, baseband chip, etc. of the electronic device 100. The flexible display 20 is communicatively coupled to a circuit board, and the battery is capable of powering the flexible display 20 and the electronic components on the circuit board. Of course, the electronic device 100 may further include a camera module (not shown), where the camera module is communicatively connected to the circuit board, and the battery can supply power to the camera module. It is understood that the electronic device 100 according to the embodiment of the present application includes, but is not limited to, a terminal device such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, or other portable electronic devices 100. In the embodiment of the present application, a mobile phone will be described as an example.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, in an embodiment of the present application, the housing assembly 10 includes a first housing 12 and a second housing 14, the second housing 14 and the first housing 12 being capable of relative movement. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the second housing 14 and the first housing 12 are slidably connected. In other words, the second housing 14 is capable of sliding relative to the first housing 12. For example, one of the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 may be provided with a slide rail along which the other can slide to cause movement of the end of the second housing 14 remote from the first housing 12 toward or away from each other with the end of the first housing 12 remote from the second housing 14.

Further, the second housing 14 is capable of sliding to a first position and a second position relative to the first housing 12. Referring to fig. 1, when the second housing 14 is in the first position, the electronic device 100 may obtain a relatively large display area, so as to enhance the use experience of the electronic device 100; referring to fig. 2, the electronic device 100 has a relatively small external dimension when the second housing 14 is in the second position, and is convenient to carry. It is to be understood that in the embodiments that follow this application, the first position, the second position, and the like refer to the relative positions of the second housing 14 and the first housing 12. For simplicity, the similar expressions "the second housing 14 is in the first position" or "in the first position" refer to the second housing 14 being in the first position relative to the first housing 12, and the similar expressions "the second housing 14 is in the second position" or "in the second position" refer to the second housing 14 being in the second position relative to the first housing 12.

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

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

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

It will be appreciated that in the embodiments of the present application, the positions of the two objects are relatively fixed, that is, the two objects cannot generate relative motion under normal conditions, and the two objects with relatively fixed positions may be directly connected physically, or may be indirectly connected through an intermediate structure. For example, the fixing portion 20a and the first housing 12 are fixed relatively, and the fixing portion 20a and the first housing 12 may be in direct contact with each other, for example, by using a threaded fastener or a clamping method, or the fixing portion 20a may be indirectly fixed to the first housing 12 by using an adhesive layer, an intermediate connection plate, or the like, for example, for the fixing portion 20a and the first housing 12.

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

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

With continued reference to fig. 3, in the present embodiment, the guide 30 is disposed at an end of the second housing 14 away from the first housing 12, and the guide 30 can guide the flexible display 20 to deform and expand in the second housing 14 during the process of switching the second housing 14 from the second position to the first position relative to the first housing 12. The guide 30 may limit the bending radius of the flexible display 20 to a suitable range to avoid damage to the flexible display 20 caused by too small a bending radius. Of course, the guide 30 may also avoid the excessive thickness of the electronic device 100 caused by the excessive bending radius of the flexible display 20.

In some embodiments, the guide 30 may be a rotating shaft structure with protruding teeth, and the flexible display 20 is coupled to the guide 30 by engagement or the like. When the second housing 14 slides relative to the first housing 12, the guide 30 moves the portion of the flexible display 20 engaged with the guide 30 and expands or retracts the housing assembly 10.

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

In other embodiments, the guide 30 may also be fixed to the second housing 14, the guide 30 having a smooth surface. The guide 30 is slidably contacted with the flexible display 20 through a smooth surface thereof during the process of expanding the flexible display 20 to the second housing 14. In other words, in such an embodiment, the guide 30 may be integrally formed with the second housing 14 or welded, and the guide 30 may be considered as a portion of the second housing 14, with the free portion 20b of the flexible display 20 bypassing an end of the second housing 14 remote from the first housing 12 and extending into the housing assembly 10.

During the switching of the second housing 14 from the first position to the second position, the flexible display 20 may be retracted by the guide 30, i.e. the portion of the flexible display 20 deployed in the second housing 14 is retracted within the housing assembly 10. Referring to fig. 3, the electronic device 100 may include a driving mechanism 40, where the driving mechanism 40 may be disposed in the housing assembly 10, and the driving mechanism 40 may be coupled with the first housing 12 or the second housing 14 to drive the second housing 14 to move relative to the first housing 12, so as to drive the flexible display 20 to extend or retract. In some embodiments, the drive mechanism 40 employs a threaded drive mechanism, i.e., the drive mechanism 40 may include a motor 41 communicatively coupled to a circuit board, a screw 43 coupled to an output of the motor 41, and a nut 45 threaded to the screw 43. The motor 41 may be coupled to the first housing 12 and the nut 45 may be coupled to the second housing 14 to drive the second housing 14 relative to the first housing via the drive mechanism 40. In other embodiments, the drive mechanism 40 may also employ a gear drive mechanism, such as a rack and pinion drive, to effect movement of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing. It will be appreciated that the drive mechanism 40 may be omitted and the user may directly manually or the like move the second housing 14 and the first housing 12 relative to one another.

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

It can be appreciated that a plurality of intermediate positions may be further disposed between the first position and the second position, so as to position the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12 at the plurality of intermediate positions, and enable the flexible display 20 to have different display areas at different intermediate positions, thereby expanding the usage scenario of the electronic device 100. A plurality of intermediate positions may likewise be achieved using locking mechanism 50.

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

The movable assembly 54 is connected between the first bracket 51 and the second bracket 52 and is used for switching between a contracted state and a released state. In an embodiment, the movable component 54 includes an actuating member 541 and a limiting block 543 capable of being driven by the actuating member 541 to move telescopically. Illustratively, the actuating member 541 is an electromagnet, and when the electromagnet is energized, the electromagnet attracts the limiting block 543, and the limiting block 543 is in a contracted state; when the electromagnet is powered off, the limiting block 543 can reset through a spring, a spring sheet and other structures and is in a release state. In other embodiments, the actuating member 541 may be replaced by a piezoelectric ceramic member, a magnetostrictive member, or the like, which may also effect switching of the stopper 543 between the contracted state and the released state.

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

At least two positioning structures 53a may be disposed on the connecting member 53, and the positioning structures 53a may be, but are not limited to, through holes, blind holes, grooves, or the like. The limiting block 543 of the movable assembly 54 in the released state can be engaged with the positioning structure 53a, so that the positions of the first bracket 51 and the second bracket 52 are relatively fixed, and further the positions of the second housing 14 and the first housing 12 are relatively fixed. In other words, during the sliding process of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12, at least one of the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 is linked with the movable assembly 54 to drive the movable assembly 54 to move and be engaged with the positioning structure 53a, so that the positions of the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 are relatively fixed. After the position of the second housing 14 is relatively fixed to the position of the first housing 12, the electronic device can play an effective role in locking when being impacted, such as accidentally dropped, by the cooperation of the connecting piece 53 and the movable component 54, so that the impact force is absorbed by the first housing 12 and the second housing 14 together, the second housing 14 is prevented from easily moving to the second position due to the impact force, and other moving parts are prevented from generating large relative movements to protect the moving parts, thereby improving the impact resistance of the electronic device.

With continued reference to fig. 6, one end of the connection member 53 for connection with the second bracket 52 may be provided with a connection groove 53b, and the connection groove 53b may include a first groove 53b1 and a second groove 53b2 communicating with each other. In the sliding direction of the first housing 12 relative to the second housing 14, the width of the first groove 53b1 is larger than the width of the second groove 53b2, and the second groove 53b2 extends to the edge of the connection piece 53. The second bracket 52 is provided with a connection block 521, the connection block 521 can be regarded as a part of the second bracket 52, the shape of the connection block 521 is matched with the shape of the connection groove 53b, and the connection block 521 is embedded in the connection groove 53 b. The structure can promote the connection reliability of the connecting piece 53 and the second bracket 52, and in the process of pushing and pulling the second bracket 52 by the connecting piece 53, the acting force of the connecting piece 53 to the second bracket 52 can be shared by utilizing the cooperation of the connecting block 521 and the connecting groove 53b, so that the reliability of the connecting structure of the connecting piece 53 and the second bracket 52 is ensured, and the loosening of the connecting structure is prevented to reduce the reliability of the operation of the locking mechanism 50.

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

Locking mechanism 50 may include a link 55, a first arm 561, a second arm 562, a third arm 563, and a fourth arm 564, where first arm 561, second arm 562, third arm 563, fourth arm 564, and link 55 are disposed on the same side of link 53, link 55 is disposed between first bracket 51 and second bracket 52, and movable assembly 54 is disposed on link 55. The first support arm 561 and the third support arm 563 are parallel and are arranged at the same side of the connecting rod 55 at intervals, one end of the first support arm 561 and one end of the third support arm 563 are rotatably connected to the first bracket 51, and the other end of the first support arm 561 and the other end of the third support arm 563 are rotatably connected to the connecting rod 55. The second support arm 562 and the fourth support arm 564 are parallel and are arranged at the opposite side of the connecting rod 55 at intervals, one end of the second support arm 562 and one end of the fourth support arm 564 are rotatably connected to the second bracket 52, and the other end of the second support arm 562 and the other end of the fourth support arm 564 are rotatably connected to the connecting rod 55. In the process of moving the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12, the second bracket 52 drives the first arm 561, the second arm 562, the third arm 563, and the fourth arm 564 to swing, and drives the connecting rod 55 and the movable assembly 54 in the contracted state to move relative to the connecting piece 53, and the swinging directions of the first arm 561 and the third arm 563 relative to the connecting rod 55 are consistent, and the swinging directions of the second arm 562 and the fourth arm 564 relative to the connecting rod 55 are consistent. In the process of moving relative to the connecting piece 53, the length direction of the connecting rod 55 can be kept parallel to the length directions of the first bracket 51 and the second bracket 52, so that the movement track of the limiting block 543 is simplified, and the positioning structure 53a is conveniently arranged.

The arrangement of the connecting rod 55 can realize the synchronous movement of the first arm 561, the second arm 562, the third arm 563 and the fourth arm 564, that is, the swinging of the first arm 561, the second arm 562, the third arm 563 and the fourth arm 564 can be regarded as no time difference in the sliding process of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12. This arrangement also makes use of the parallelogram mechanism characteristics to promote stability of movement of the first arm 561, the second arm 562, the third arm 563, the fourth arm 564, the first bracket 51, and the second bracket 52, and to prevent deflection of the second bracket 52 during movement relative to the first bracket 51.

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

Of course, it is understood that one of first arm 561 and third arm 563 may be default, as may one of second arm 562 and fourth arm 564. For example, the movement of the link 55, the stopper 543, and the actuating member 541 relative to the link 53 can be achieved by the first arm 561, the second arm 562 of the locking mechanism 50, so that the third arm 563 and the fourth arm 564 can be default.

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

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

The linkage 57 may be configured to achieve synchronous movement of the fifth arm 565, the sixth arm 566, the seventh arm 567, and the eighth arm 568, i.e., the swinging movement of the fifth arm 565, the sixth arm 566, the seventh arm 567, and the eighth arm 568 during the sliding movement of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12 may be regarded as having no time difference. This arrangement also makes use of the parallelogram mechanism characteristics to promote stability of movement of the fifth arm 565, sixth arm 566, seventh arm 567, eighth arm 568, first bracket 51, and second bracket 52, and to prevent deflection of the second bracket 52 during movement relative to the first bracket 51.

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

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

With continued reference to fig. 10, the first bracket 51 may be provided with a limiting groove 51a, where the connecting piece 53 is disposed through the limiting groove 51a, and the limiting groove 51a may at least guide and limit the movement of the connecting piece 53 in the thickness direction of the electronic device 100, so as to prevent the connecting piece 53 from deflecting during the movement. Of course, the limiting groove 51a may also be used to guide and limit the connecting member 53 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the second housing 14 relative to the first housing 12, so as to further improve the movement stability of the connecting member 53.

In some embodiments, the first bracket 51 includes a body 511 and a baffle 513, where the baffle 513 is detachably connected to the body 511 and encloses the body 511 to form a limiting slot 51a. For example, the baffle 513 may be detachably connected to the body 511 by a threaded fastener, or may be detachably connected to the body 511 by a clamping connection or the like. This configuration facilitates assembly, disassembly, and maintenance of locking mechanism 50. Body 511 is coupled to first housing 12 and first arm 561, third arm 563, fifth arm 565, and seventh arm 567 are rotatably coupled to body 511.

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

The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined, and all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are not described for brevity of description, however, as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features, they should be considered as the scope of the description.

The above examples only represent a few embodiments of the present application, which are described in more detail and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. It should be noted that it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements could be made without departing from the spirit of the present application, which would be within the scope of the present application. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present application is to be determined by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

The locking mechanism comprises a connecting piece, a movable assembly, a first bracket, a second bracket and a connecting rod arranged between the first bracket and the second bracket, wherein the connecting piece is provided with at least two positioning structures; the first support is connected with the first shell, the second support is connected with the second shell, the connecting piece is connected with the second support so that the positions of the connecting piece and the second shell are relatively fixed, the movable assembly comprises an actuating piece and a limiting block, the actuating piece is arranged on the connecting rod and used for driving the limiting block to move in an extending mode so as to realize switching of the movable assembly between a contracted state and a released state, and when the movable assembly is in the released state, the limiting block is clamped with the positioning structure so that the positions of the first shell and the second shell are relatively fixed;

the second shell can slide to a first position and a second position relative to the first shell, and in the sliding process, the second bracket moves relative to the first bracket and drives the connecting rod to move relative to the connecting piece; when the limiting block is at the first position, the limiting block is used for being clamped with one of the positioning structures; and when the limiting block is at the second position, the limiting block is used for being clamped with the other positioning structure.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a length direction of the first bracket and a length direction of the second bracket are perpendicular to a sliding direction of the second housing relative to the first housing.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the flexible display screen includes a fixed portion and a free portion disposed opposite each other, the fixed portion being connected to the first housing; in a first position, the free portion is received within the housing assembly; in the second position, at least part of the free portion is unfolded from the second housing.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein one end of the connecting piece for connecting with the second bracket is provided with a connecting groove, the second bracket is provided with a connecting block, and the connecting block is embedded in the connecting groove.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the connection slot comprises a first slot and a second slot in communication, the first slot having a width greater than a width of the second slot, and the second slot extending to an edge of the connection member.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a first support arm and a second support arm, one end of the first support arm and one end of the second support arm are respectively rotatably connected to the connecting rod, the other end of the first support arm is rotatably connected to the first bracket, and the other end of the second support arm is rotatably connected to the second bracket; and in the process that the second shell slides relative to the first shell, the second support drives the first support arm and the second support arm to swing and drives the connecting rod to move relative to the connecting piece.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a third support arm and a fourth support arm, the third support arm is parallel to the first support arm and is arranged on the same side of the connecting rod at intervals, the fourth support arm is parallel to the second support arm and is arranged on the opposite side of the connecting rod at intervals, one end of the third support arm and one end of the fourth support arm are respectively connected with the connecting rod in a rotating way, the other end of the third support arm is connected with the first bracket in a rotating way, and the other end of the fourth support arm is connected with the second bracket in a rotating way; the connecting rod is parallel to the first bracket and the second bracket in the process of sliding the second housing relative to the first housing.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the included angle between the first arm and the second arm and the included angle between the third arm and the fourth arm are obtuse when the stopper is engaged with the positioning structure closest to the first housing.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first bracket is provided with a limit slot, and the connecting piece is arranged in the limit slot in a penetrating manner; the connecting piece is provided with a limiting rib, and the limiting rib is used for propping against the groove wall of the limiting groove so as to limit the moving range of the connecting piece in the first bracket.

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

11. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a fifth arm, a sixth arm, a seventh arm, an eighth arm, and a linkage, the linkage and the link being disposed on opposite sides of the connector, respectively; the fifth support arm and the seventh support arm are arranged on the same side of the linkage piece in parallel at intervals, one end of the fifth support arm and one end of the seventh support arm are rotatably connected to the first bracket, and the other end of the fifth support arm and the other end of the seventh support arm are rotatably connected to the linkage piece; the sixth support arm and the eighth support arm are arranged on the opposite side of the linkage piece in parallel at intervals, one end of the sixth support arm and one end of the eighth support arm are rotatably connected to the second support, and the other end of the sixth support arm and the other end of the eighth support arm are rotatably connected to the linkage piece; in the sliding process of the second shell relative to the first shell, the second support drives the fifth support arm, the sixth support arm, the seventh support arm and the eighth support arm to swing, and drives the linkage piece to move relative to the connecting piece, the linkage piece is parallel to the first support and the second support, and the swinging direction of the first support arm relative to the first support is opposite to the swinging direction of the fifth support arm relative to the first support.

12. A locking mechanism, comprising:

the device comprises a first bracket, a second bracket and a connecting rod arranged between the first bracket and the second bracket;

The movable assembly comprises an actuating piece and a limiting block which are arranged on the connecting rod;

the second bracket can be driven to move to a first position and a second position relative to the first bracket, the second bracket drives the connecting rod to move relative to the connecting piece in the process of moving the second bracket relative to the first bracket, and the limiting block is used for being clamped with one of the positioning structures when the second bracket moves to the first position relative to the first bracket; when the movable assembly is in the release state, the limiting block is clamped with the positioning structure, so that the positions of the first bracket and the second bracket are relatively fixed.

13. The locking mechanism of claim 12, wherein a connecting groove is formed in one end of the connecting piece connected with the second bracket, the second bracket is provided with a connecting block, and the connecting block is embedded in the connecting groove.

14. The locking mechanism of claim 12, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a link, a first arm, a second arm, a third arm, and a fourth arm, the movable assembly being disposed on the link; the first support arm and the third support arm are arranged on the same side of the connecting rod in parallel at intervals, one end of the first support arm and one end of the third support arm are rotatably connected to the first bracket, and the other end of the first support arm and the other end of the third support arm are rotatably connected to the connecting rod; the second support arm and the fourth support arm are arranged on the opposite side of the connecting rod in parallel at intervals, one end of the second support arm and one end of the fourth support arm are rotatably connected to the second support, and the other end of the second support arm and the other end of the fourth support arm are rotatably connected to the connecting rod; in the process that the first bracket moves relative to the second bracket, the second bracket drives the first support arm, the second support arm, the third support arm and the fourth support arm to swing and drives the connecting rod and the movable assembly in a contracted state to move relative to the connecting piece.

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