CN113366818A

CN113366818A - Bending device and flexible device

Info

Publication number: CN113366818A
Application number: CN201980090120.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 欧阳烁; 陈松亚; 凡小飞; 余华灵; 刘文俊
Original assignee: Shenzhen Royole Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Royole Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-07-26
Filing date: 2019-07-26
Publication date: 2021-09-07
Also published as: WO2021016753A1

Abstract

A bending device (100) and a flexible device. The bending device comprises a first hinge unit (1), a second hinge unit (2) and a first link mechanism (6), wherein the first link mechanism is respectively hinged between the first hinge unit and the second hinge unit so as to enable the first hinge unit and the second hinge unit to rotate relatively, the first hinge unit and the second hinge unit are connected through the length change of the first link mechanism, and the first hinge unit and the second hinge unit can rotate relatively to each other and are folded. The flexible device further comprises a flexible screen (500), the flexible screen is provided with a bending part, and the bending part is opposite to the bending device. The connection mode has high motion transmission precision, simple structure and low cost.

Description

Bending device and flexible device

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to electronic devices, and particularly to a bending device and a flexible device.

Background

The flexible screen has a profound influence on the electronic terminal market due to the characteristics of low power consumption and flexibility, and the flexible screen is widely applied along with the continuous penetration of personal intelligent terminals in the future.

Since the flexible screen involves bending, the existing flat plate type supporting structure obviously cannot meet the requirement, and therefore, a bending device capable of meeting the bending requirement is needed to be provided.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a bending device and a flexible device.

In one aspect, the present application provides a bending device, including first articulated unit, second articulated unit and first link mechanism, first link mechanism articulate respectively in first articulated unit with between the second articulated unit, so that first articulated unit with second articulated unit relatively rotates.

On the other hand, this application still provides a flexible device, including flexible screen and the device of buckling, flexible screen has the kink, the kink is just right the device of buckling.

The first hinge unit and the second hinge unit of the flexible device provided by the embodiment of the application can rotate relative to each other, namely, can be folded when the two hinge units are connected through the length change of the first link mechanism, and the link mechanism is high in transmission motion precision, simple in structure and low in cost.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without inventive labor.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a bending apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application in a flattened state;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of the bending apparatus of FIG. 1 in a folded state;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the bending apparatus of FIG. 1 from another perspective;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a further perspective view of the bending apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a first linkage in the bending apparatus of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the bending apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the bending apparatus of FIG. 1 from yet another perspective;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, schematic view VIII of the bending device of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the bending apparatus of FIG. 1 further including a slider and a plunger;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary schematic view of a VIV of the bending apparatus of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the bending apparatus of FIG. 1 further including a support plate and a flexible member;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary schematic view of the XII of the bending device of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of another angular configuration of the bending apparatus of FIG. 9.

Detailed Description

The following is a preferred embodiment of the present application, and it should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present application, and these improvements and modifications are also considered as the protection scope of the present application.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a bending apparatus 100 in a flattened state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The bending device 100 can be bent, and can be applied to a flexible device needing to be bent. Optionally, the flexible device may be a flexible mobile terminal, a flexible tablet, or other terminal equipment. Further, two opposite ends of the bending apparatus 100 may be connected to the first structural member 200 and the second structural member 300. In other words, the included angle between the first structural member 200 and the second structural member 300 is changed by the bending and bending apparatus 100. Further, as shown in fig. 2, fig. 2 is a schematic view of the folding device 100 in fig. 1 in a folded state. The first and second

structural members

200 and 300 can be stacked under the bending of the bending apparatus 100, thereby facilitating the storage of the flexible apparatus.

Fig. 3 is another angle view of the bending apparatus 100 shown in fig. 1, as shown in fig. 3. The bending device 100 includes a bending member, which may include a first hinge unit 1, a second hinge unit 2, and a first link mechanism 6, where the first link mechanism 6 is respectively hinged between the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2, so as to enable the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 to rotate relatively. It can be understood that, as shown in fig. 2, when the bending apparatus 100 is in the folded state, the length of the first link mechanism 6 is the smallest, and as shown in fig. 3, when the bending apparatus 100 is in the flattened state, the length of the first link mechanism 6 is the longest, and while the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 realize the connection of the two hinge units through the length change of the first link mechanism 6, the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 can rotate relative to each other, i.e. fold, and the connection mode of the link mechanisms has high transmission motion precision, simple structure and low cost. It is understood that, as shown in fig. 3, the number of the first link mechanisms 6 is two, and the two first link mechanisms 6 are respectively arranged along the length direction of the first hinge unit 1. This device 100 of buckling is through setting up two sets of first link mechanism 6 between first articulated unit 1 and second articulated unit 2 for the transmission of first articulated unit 1 and second articulated unit 2 is more steady, further improves the reliability of device 100 of buckling.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 2, the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 are symmetrically moved in opposite directions by the transmission of the first link mechanism 6. In other words, when the second hinge unit 2 rotates toward the inner side near the first hinge unit 1, the first hinge unit 1 also rotates toward the inner side near the second hinge unit 2 by the transmission of the first link mechanism 6. In other words, the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 may be bent in a U-shape. The structure of the bending device 100 is convenient for the flexible device to be folded and stored when being applied to the flexible device. Of course, in other embodiments, the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 may be bent into an S-shape by the driving action of the first link mechanism 6. In other words, when the first hinge unit 1 is rotated toward the inner side near the second hinge unit 2, the second hinge unit 2 is rotated toward the outer side near the first hinge unit 1 by the transmission of the first link mechanism 6.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the first linkage 6 includes a first crank 61, a first link 62, a second crank 63, a second link 64; a first end of the first crank 61 is hinged to the first hinge unit 1, a first end of the first connecting rod 62 is hinged to a second end of the first crank 61, and a second end of the first connecting rod 62 is hinged to the second hinge unit 2; a first end of the second crank 63 is hinged to the second hinge unit 2, a first end of the second connecting rod 64 is hinged to a second end of the second crank 63, and a second end of the second connecting rod 64 is hinged to the first hinge unit 1. Optionally, the first link 62 and the second link 64 intersect at a hinge point, and the first link 62 and the second link 64 are hinged at the hinge point.

Specifically, the first hinge unit 1 has a first base plate 11 and two first brackets 12, the first base plate 11 is substantially elongated and extends along the first direction X, and the two first brackets 12 are disposed on an inner surface of the first base plate 11 along a direction perpendicular to the first direction X, so that the two sets of first link mechanisms 6 can be disposed along a length direction of the first hinge unit 1. The second hinge unit 2 has a second base plate 21 having a substantially elongated shape extending along the first direction X, and two second brackets 22 provided on an inner surface of the second base plate 21 along the first direction X. One end of the first link mechanism 6 is connected to the first bracket 12, and the other end of the first link mechanism 6 is connected to the second bracket 22.

Wherein, as shown in fig. 5, a set of first linkage mechanisms 6 are illustrated connected to the first support 12 and the second support 22: the first crank 61 is provided with a first through hole 611 and a second through hole which are arranged at intervals, and the first crank 61 is hinged on the first support 12 by sequentially passing through the first through hole 611 of the first crank 61 and the first support 12 through a pin; the length of first connecting rod 62 is greater than the length of first crank 61, and first connecting rod 62 has third through-hole 621, fourth through-hole 622 and the fifth through-hole 623 that set up in proper order at an interval, passes third through-hole 621 and second through-hole in proper order through the pin to articulate first connecting rod 62 on first crank 61, and pass fifth through-hole 623 and articulate on the side that second bottom plate 21 is close to first bottom plate 11 through the pin, in order to articulate first connecting rod 62 on second bottom plate 21 simultaneously. The second link 64 has a sixth through hole 641, a seventh through hole 642 and an eighth through hole 643 which are sequentially spaced apart from each other, and the second link 64 is hinged to the first link 62 by a pin which sequentially passes through the seventh through hole 642 and the fourth through hole 622, and the second link 64 is hinged to the first base plate 11 by a pin which passes through the sixth through hole 641 and is hinged to a side surface of the first base plate 11 close to the second base plate 21. The second crank 63 has the same structure as the first crank 61. The second crank 63 has ninth and tenth through

holes

631 and 643 spaced apart from each other, and is hinged to the second link 64 by a pin passing through the ninth and eighth through

holes

631 and 643 of the second crank 63 in this order, and passing through the tenth through hole of the second crank 63 and the second bracket 22 to hinge the second crank 63 to the second bracket 22.

In the first link mechanism 6 of this embodiment, the hinge points between the first crank 61, the first link 62, the second link 64, and the second crank 63 are distributed along the longitudinal direction, i.e., the thickness direction, of the bending apparatus 100, in other words, the first crank 61, the first link 62, the second link 64, and the second crank 63 are respectively located on different planes, and the planes of the first crank 61, the first link 62, the second link 64, and the second crank 63 are parallel to each other, and after complete bending, the projections of the first crank 61, the first link 62, the second link 64, and the second crank 63 on any plane parallel to the plane of the first crank 61 fall into the same straight line; also, after completely bending, the projection of the boundary line of the first and

second hinge units

1 and 2 on the plane also falls on the straight line, and therefore, the first crank 61, the first link 62, the second link 64, and the second crank 6 effectively utilize the depth space to achieve the linkage of the

hinge units

1 and 2, thereby providing a bending apparatus 100 in which the first and

second hinge units

1 and 2 can be compactly arranged.

Thus, when the second hinge unit 2 moves towards the inner surface close to the first hinge unit 1, the second hinge unit 2 drives the second crank 63 to rotate, the second crank 63 drives the second connecting rod 64 to rotate, the second connecting rod 64 drives the first connecting rod 62 to rotate, and the first connecting rod 62 drives the first crank 61 to rotate, so that the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 can rotate symmetrically in the reverse direction. In this process, since the first link 62 and the second link 64 are hinged together, and the first link 62 is hinged to the second hinge unit 2, and the second link 64 is hinged to the first hinge unit 1, in the process of bending the bending device 100 from the flat state to the folded state, the distance between the first link 62 and the second link 64 is gradually reduced, so as to change the overall length of the first link mechanism 6, and thus the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 can be close to each other, i.e., folded.

Further, as shown in fig. 3, the surfaces of the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 are both arc-shaped, and the arc radii are the same; the first and

second hinge units

1 and 2 have the same arc length. Specifically, the outer surface of the second bottom plate 21 is a convex arc surface having the same radian as the outer surface of the first bottom plate 11. The arc length of the outer surface of the first base plate 11 is the same as the arc length of the outer surface of the second base plate 21.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic view of the bending apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1. The bending device 100 in fig. 6 is in a flattened state. The angle between the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 at this time is Y. The geometric side of the first hinge unit 1 facing the second hinge unit 2 is a first geometric side; the geometric side of the second hinge unit 2 facing the first hinge unit 1 is a second geometric side; the first crank 61, the second connecting rod 64 and the second geometric side are parallel to each other; the second crank 63, the first link 62 and the first geometrical edge are parallel to each other. Wherein, the line segments JK and HI shown in fig. 6 are respectively expressed as the arc lengths of the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2, and the arc lengths of the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 are the same. The second geometric side and the first geometric side are respectively collinear with a straight line where the line segment AB is located and a straight line where the line segment FE is located. The line segment ED is a first crank 61, the line segment DA is a first connecting rod 62, the line segment BC is a second crank 63, the line segment CF is a second connecting rod 64, and the line segments DA and CF are intersected at the point G to form a hinge point where the first connecting rod 62 and the second connecting rod 64 are hinged. Wherein the line segment DA is parallel to the first geometric side of the first hinge unit 1, the line segment CF is parallel to the second geometric side of the second hinge unit 2, and the structure of the bending device 100 of the mechanism makes the second hinge unit 2 rotate around the point O to the angle Y, and then the second geometric side is coincident with the first geometric side. In other words, the first crank 61, the first link 62, the second link 64, and the second crank 63 can be folded to completely overlap, in other words, the length of the first link mechanism 6 is minimized. It is understood that the first geometric edge and the second geometric edge are not edges where the structure actually exists, but are edges of the arc itself in a geometric sense. In other words, the line segment from the two ends of the arc to the center of the arc is a geometric edge.

When the first crank 61, the first connecting rod 62, the second connecting rod 64 and the second crank 63 in the first link mechanism 6 of this structure are folded to completely overlap, the projection of the connecting point between the first crank 61 and the first connecting rod 62, the projection of the connecting point between the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod, and the projection of the connecting point between the second crank 63 and the second connecting rod on any plane parallel to the plane of the first crank 61 also fall on a straight line, and the straight line is a common straight line on which the projection of the first crank 61, the first connecting rod 62, the second connecting rod 64 and the second crank 63 on any plane parallel to the plane of the first crank 61 falls after the complete bending. Optionally, the first crank 61 and the second crank 63 are equal in length; the first link 62 is equal in length to the second link 64; the distance between the hinge point and the first end of the first link 62 is equal to the distance between the hinge point and the first end of the second link 64. Specifically, the first crank 61 has the same structure as the second crank 63, and the first link 62 has the same structure as the second link 64. So that the lengths of the connecting rods at the two sides divided by the O point are the same. I.e. the length of the first crank 61 and the first connecting rod 62 is equal to the length of the second crank 63 and the second connecting rod 64, further ensuring that the first articulation unit 1 and the second articulation unit 2 move symmetrically.

Further, referring to fig. 7, the bending apparatus 100 further includes a third hinge unit 3, and the third hinge unit 3 is hinged to the first hinge unit 1 through a second link mechanism 7. In particular, the first articulation unit 1 is located between the second articulation unit 2 and the third articulation unit 3. The structure of the third hinge unit 3 may be the same as that of the second hinge unit 2. And the position of the third hinge unit 3 on which the second link mechanism 7 is arranged is mirror-symmetrical with respect to the positions of the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 on which the first link mechanism 6 is arranged. In other words, the pitch of the two third brackets 32 on the third hinge unit 3 is the same as the pitch of the two second brackets 22 on the second hinge unit 2. The second link mechanism 7 has the same structure as the first link mechanism 6. Correspondingly, the first base plate 11 has two first brackets 12 arranged side by side, one first bracket 12 is used for being hinged with the first crank 61 of the first connecting rod 62, and the other first bracket 12 is used for being hinged with the first crank 61 of the second connecting rod mechanism 7.

In some embodiments, the bending apparatus 100 further includes a first linkage 10 connected to the first linkage 6 and the second linkage 7, wherein the first linkage 6 rotates to drive the first linkage 10 to move, and the first linkage 10 drives the second linkage 7 to rotate. Optionally, the first linkage 10 is linked and connected between a hinge point of the first linkage 6 hinged to the first hinge unit 1 and a hinge point of the second linkage 7 hinged to the first hinge unit 1, so that the relative movement of the first bending device 100 and the second bending device 100 and the relative movement of the first bending device 100 and the third bending device 100 are inversely symmetrical. Specifically, the first linkage 10 includes a first linkage gear 101 and a second linkage gear 102 which are in meshing transmission, a first rotating shaft of the first linkage gear 101 is fixed to the first link mechanism 6, and a second rotating shaft of the second linkage gear 102 is fixed to the second link mechanism 7; the first linkage 6 and the second linkage 7 are mutually driven under the meshing action of the first linkage gear 101 and the second linkage gear 102.

When the second hinge unit 2 moves towards the inner side close to the first hinge unit 1, the second hinge unit 2 drives the first link mechanism 6 to transmit, the second crank 63, the second link 64, the first link 62 and the first crank 61 of the first link mechanism 6 move towards the overlapping direction, so that the first crank 61 drives the first linkage gear 101 to rotate counterclockwise, the second linkage gear 102 is driven by the first linkage gear 101 to rotate clockwise, so that the second linkage gear 102 drives the first crank 61, the first link 62, the second link 64 and the second crank 63 of the second link mechanism 7 to move towards the overlapping direction, so that the movement of the third hinge unit 3 is symmetrical to the movement of the second hinge unit 2, and finally the folding of the folding device 100 is realized.

Further, referring to fig. 7, the bending apparatus 100 further includes a fourth hinge unit 4, a fifth hinge unit 5, a third link mechanism 8, a fourth link mechanism 9, a second link 20, and a third link 30; the fourth hinge unit 4 is hinged to the second hinge unit 2 through a third link mechanism 8, and the fifth hinge unit 5 is hinged to the third hinge unit 3 through a fourth link mechanism 9; the second linkage 20 is linked to the first linkage 6 and the third linkage 8, and the third linkage 30 is linked to the second linkage 7 and the fourth linkage 9.

Specifically, the bending apparatus 100 has five hinge units, in other words, the fourth hinge unit 4 and the fifth hinge unit 5 are respectively located at the outermost sides of the bending apparatus 100 to form both ends of the bending apparatus 100. The fourth hinge unit 4 and the fifth hinge unit 5 have substantially the same structure, and mainly differ in the connection position of the link mechanism to the hinge units. Taking the fourth hinge unit 4 as an example, the fourth hinge unit 4 has a fourth bottom plate 41, and the fourth bottom plate 41 may be integrally connected to the first structural member 200. In other words, the fourth hinge unit 4 is directly formed on the first structural member 200, so as to further ensure the connection performance between the fourth hinge unit 4 and the first structural member 200, and the third link mechanism 8 is respectively connected to the fourth bracket 42 on the fourth bottom plate 41 and the second bracket 22 on the second bottom plate 21, so as to realize the hinge connection between the fourth hinge unit 4 and the second hinge unit 2. The structure of the third link mechanism 8 is the same as that of the first link mechanism 6, and is not described in detail herein. The structure of the fourth linkage 9 is the same as that of the first linkage 6, and is not described in detail here. The second linkage member 20 and the third linkage member 30 have the same structure as the first linkage member 10, and thus, the description thereof is omitted. Of course, in other embodiments, the structures of the first hinge unit 1, the second hinge unit 2, the third hinge unit 3, the fourth hinge unit 4, and the fifth hinge unit 5 may be the same. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of hinge units in the bending device 100 may be 3, 7, 9, etc.

Optionally, the first bottom plate 11, the second bottom plate 21, the third bottom plate 31, the fourth bottom plate 41 and the fifth bottom plate 51 are all provided with a tapered protrusion 40 in a protruding manner, and the tapered protrusion 40 can further limit the bending degree of the bending device 100. In other words, when the conical protrusions 40 on two adjacent bottom plates touch each other, the bending device 100 cannot be further bent, and the bending device 100 is prevented from being broken due to excessive bending, thereby further improving the reliability of the bending device 100.

Alternatively, along the X direction, the distance between the two first brackets 12 < the distance between the two second brackets 22 < the distance between the two third brackets 32 < the distance between the two fourth brackets 42 < the distance between the two fifth brackets 52 on the first base plate 11 in the entire bending device 100. With reference to the central axis located in the middle of the first base plate 11, the positions of the brackets (the second bracket 22 and the third bracket 32) arranged on the second hinge unit 2 and the third hinge unit 3 are mirror-symmetrical, and the positions of the brackets (the fourth bracket 42 and the fifth bracket 52) arranged on the fourth hinge unit 4 and the fifth hinge unit 5 are mirror-symmetrical.

Further, referring to fig. 7 and 8, the first link mechanism 6 further includes a limiting block 50, and the limiting block 50 is used for limiting the movement of the first link 62 relative to the second link 64 to prevent the first hinge unit 1 from being folded after being relatively unfolded relative to the second hinge unit 2. Specifically, the limiting block 50 is disposed on a side surface of the first link 62 and away from the second hinge unit 2. When the bending device 100 is bent from the bending state to the flattening state, the second connecting rod 64 abuts against the limiting block 50 and cannot be bent continuously, so that the bending device 100 is in a flat state. It can be understood that the first connecting rod 62 of the second linkage 7, the third linkage 8 and the fourth linkage 9 can be provided with the limiting block 50.

In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 8, the limiting block 50 is substantially rectangular, the limiting block 50 is integrally disposed on the side of the first connecting rod 62 and protrudes relative to the first connecting rod 62, and when the second connecting rod 64 rotates to be attached to the limiting block 50, the second connecting rod 64 cannot rotate any further due to being blocked by the limiting block 50. It can be understood that the limiting block 50 limits the position of the second link 64 in a surface-to-surface contact manner, and the second link 64 can be further accurately limited to an accurate position by a large-area contact.

Further, please refer to fig. 9 and fig. 10 together, which are schematic views of a bending apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present application, including a bendable member, a slider 70, and a stopper, wherein the slider 70 slides relative to the bendable member when the bending apparatus 100 is bent, and the stopper is located between the bendable member and the slider 70. Optionally, one end of the stopper is fixedly connected to one of the bendable member and the slider 70, and the other end of the stopper is close to the other of the bendable member and the slider 70. Preferably, the other end of the push rod 80 is always kept in abutment against the arc-shaped face when the bending member is bent, when it is flattened, and during bending or flattening. It is understood that the bendable member may be a bending member, and the structure of the stopper may be the structure of the top rod 80. In this embodiment, the bending apparatus 100 may include a bending member capable of bending, a sliding block 70 and a top rod 80, the bending member has an inner surface facing away from the flexible screen, the inner surface is provided with a guiding portion 60, and the guiding portion 60 has an arc-shaped surface 601; the sliding block 70 is arranged on one side of the bending part, one end of the ejector rod 80 is fixedly arranged on the sliding block 60, the other end of the ejector rod 80 is connected to the bending part in a sliding manner, and the other end of the ejector rod 80 abuts against the arc-shaped surface of the guide part 60; in the process of bending the bending member from the flat state to the bent state, the other end of the rod 80 can slide along the arc-shaped surface 601 to drive the slider 70 to move toward the direction close to the bending member. It is understood that the structure of the bending member may include, but is not limited to, at least one combination of the first hinge unit, the second hinge unit, the third hinge unit, the fourth hinge unit or the fifth hinge unit mentioned in the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 8. In this embodiment, the structure of the bendable member specifically includes a first hinge unit 1, a second hinge unit 2, a third hinge unit 3, a fourth hinge unit 4, a fifth hinge unit 5, the first link mechanism 6, a second link mechanism 7, a third link mechanism 8, and a fourth link mechanism 9; the first link mechanisms 6 are respectively hinged between the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2; the third hinge unit 3 is hinged to the first hinge unit 1 through the second link mechanism 7; the fourth hinge unit 4 is hinged to the second hinge unit 2 through the third link mechanism 8; the fifth hinge unit 5 is hinged to the third hinge unit 3 through a fourth link mechanism 9; a guide part 60 is arranged on the inner surface of the third hinge unit 3, the slider 70 is arranged on one side of the fifth hinge unit 5, and the other end of the top rod 80 is slidably connected to the fifth hinge unit 5. Of course, in other embodiments, the bending member may also comprise only the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2, etc. Of course, in other embodiments, the other end of the stop remains proximate to the other of the bendable member and the slider 70 during bending of the bending device 100.

It should be understood that, referring to fig. 11, the bending apparatus 100 further includes a supporting plate 400, and the supporting plate 400 is fixed to the sliding block 70 and the bending member respectively by means of dispensing. Specifically, the slider 70 may be accommodated on the second structure 300, the supporting plate may be a supporting steel sheet, and the supporting plate is fixed on the first structure 200 and the second structure 300 by dispensing, wherein the supporting plate 400 is directly and fixedly connected to the slider 70 accommodated on the second structure 300. Alternatively, the portion of the supporting plate 400 aligned with the bending member may be a bendable bending section, and the bending section is fixedly connected with the bending member. In other words, when the bending piece bends, the bending piece can be driven to bend together with the bending section. Of course, in other embodiments, the portion of the supporting plate 400 aligned with the bending member may be hollowed out. Further, after the flexible screen 500 is disposed on the support plate 400, the first structural member 200, the bending member and the second structural member 300 are further combined into a whole by the structure of the flexible screen 500.

It is understood that, as shown in fig. 11, the bending apparatus 100 further includes a flexible member disposed on the support plate 400, and during the bending process, the outer side of the bending member is stretched and the inner side of the bending member is pressed. Optionally, the flexible member is a flexible screen 500, which enables display. Preferably, the flexible member has a backlight surface and a display surface which are arranged in a reverse manner, and the backlight surface is located on the bending outer side of the bending member. Optionally, the length of the side of the bending device 100 facing the flexible member is maintained within a threshold range during the bending process. Specifically, the threshold range is a length range of the back surface of the flexible member in the unfolding and bending processes. In other words, the range of lengths of the bending device 100 during bending is maintained over the range of lengths of the back side of the flexible member during deployment and bending. The bending apparatus 100 in this embodiment enables the bending apparatus 100 to form a folding terminal by further providing a flexible screen 400 capable of displaying on the support plate 400. In the process of bending the bending apparatus 100 from the flat state to the bent state, the other end of the rod 80 can slide along the arc-shaped surface 601 to drive the slider 70 to move toward the direction close to the bending member. Of course, in other embodiments, the flexible member has a backlight surface and a display surface that are opposite to each other, and the backlight surface is located inside the bend of the bending member. In other words, the display surface of the flexible member can be exposed only by flattening the bending apparatus 100, so that the flexible member can be protected.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 9 and 10, the other of the bendable member and the slider 70 includes a guide surface, and the other end of the stopper is close to the guide surface, and the other end of the stopper is maintained close to the guide surface during bending of the bending apparatus 100. It will be appreciated that the guide surface may be an arcuate surface 601. Further, the guide surface is a concave arc surface. Optionally, a guide portion 60 is disposed on an inner surface of the third hinge unit 3, the guide portion 60 has an arc-shaped surface 601, the bending apparatus 100 further includes a sliding block 70 and an ejector rod 80, the sliding block 70 is disposed on one side of the fourth hinge unit 4, one end of the ejector rod 80 is fixedly disposed on the sliding block 70, the other end of the ejector rod 80 slidably passes through the fifth hinge unit 5, and the other end of the ejector rod 80 abuts against the arc-shaped surface 601 of the third hinge unit 3; the track of the arc-shaped surface 601 corresponds to the bending track of the bending device 100, so that in the process of bending the bending device 100 from the flattening state to the bending state, the other end of the ejector rod 80 can slide along the arc-shaped surface 601, and in the sliding process of the ejector rod 80, the sliding block 70 moves towards the direction close to the third hinge unit 3; when the bending device 100 is in the flattened state, the other end of the ejector rod 80 is blocked by the arc-shaped surface 601. Specifically, the end of the tapered protrusion 40 on the third bottom plate 31 is provided with an arc-shaped groove to form the guide portion 60, the arc-shaped groove has a first groove wall and a second groove wall which are adjacent to each other, the first groove wall is formed by the end face of the end of the tapered protrusion 40, the second groove wall faces the fifth hinge unit 5 approximately, and the second groove wall is an arc-shaped surface 601. The arc surface is a concave surface. The top rod 80 is integrally connected with the slider 70, a column 801 is convexly arranged at one end of the top rod 80 far away from the slider 70, the end surface of the column 801 abuts against the first groove wall, and the outer peripheral surface of the column 801 abuts against the second groove wall, namely the arc-shaped surface 601. In other words, when the bending apparatus 100 is in the flattened state, the end surface of the column 801 is received by the first groove wall, and the outer peripheral surface of the column 801 is received by the second groove wall, so that the slider 70 is restricted from moving even when it receives a pushing force. When the bending device 100 is bent, since the curvature of the track of the arc-shaped surface 601 is the same as the curvature of the bent track, the outer circumferential surface of the column 801 can slide along the second groove wall, and the slider 70 slides towards the direction close to the third hinge unit 3, so that when the flexible screen is attached to the slider 70, the slider 70 can enable the flexible screen to contract inwards in the bending state, thereby preventing the flexible screen from being damaged due to larger stress at the part, i.e. the bent part, aligned with the bending device 100, and further improving the reliability of the bending device 100 applied to the folding device. Because the ejector rod 80 continuously abuts against the arc-shaped surface 601 (namely, the ejector rod 80 is close to the arc-shaped surface 601 and contacts with the arc-shaped surface 601), when the whole device falls or is impacted, the sliding block 70 cannot retract due to the influence of external impact, so that the flexible screen 500 is prevented from being damaged. Further, the ejector rod 80 can also keep a small distance from the arc-shaped surface 601, that is, the ejector rod 80 is close to the arc-shaped surface but spaced from the arc-shaped surface 601, and the situation that the sliding block 70 retracts due to external impact can be relieved. That is, as long as the top rod 80 is ensured to be close to the arc-shaped surface 601, the situation that the sliding block 70 retracts due to external impact can be effectively prevented or relieved.

Further, as shown in fig. 12, the bending apparatus 100 further includes an elastic member 90, the elastic member 90 is disposed between the bending member and the slider 70, and the elastic member 90 is compressed and stretched by the force of the bending member and the slider 70. It will be appreciated that the elastic member 90 is elastically connected between the fifth hinge unit 5 and the slider 70. Specifically, the elastic member is a spring, and is sleeved on the top rod 80 to further prevent the sliding block 70 from sliding due to thrust when the bending device 100 is in the flat state, so as to prevent the flexible screen attached to the sliding block 70 from being damaged. The spring is compressed between the fifth hinge unit 5 and the slider 70 to generate an elastic force that pushes the slider 70 in a direction away from the fifth hinge unit 5.

Further, referring to fig. 12 and 13, the bending apparatus 100 further includes a limiting protrusion 802, and the limiting protrusion 802 is disposed around the top rod 80 and can abut against the fifth bottom plate 51. Specifically, if the bending device 100 is in the flat state, if it receives a pulling force, the limiting protrusion 802 is limited by the abutting against the sidewall of the fifth hinge unit, and cannot move in the direction away from the fifth hinge unit 5, so as to prevent the flexible screen attached to the slider 70 from being damaged.

When the bending apparatus 100 of the embodiment of the present application is required to be bent, the fourth hinge unit 4 is moved toward the inner surface close to the first hinge unit 1. First, the second hinge unit 2 is driven by the fourth hinge unit 4 to move towards the inner surface close to the first hinge unit 1, specifically: the fourth hinge unit 4 drives the third link mechanism 8, and the second crank 63, the second link 64, the first link 62, and the first crank 61 of the third link mechanism 8 move in a direction to overlap again, thereby moving the second hinge unit 2 toward the inner surface close to the first hinge unit 1.

Then, the first hinge unit 1 is driven by the second hinge unit 2 to move towards the inner surface close to the third hinge unit 3, specifically: the first crank 61 of the third link mechanism 8 drives the third link gear to rotate counterclockwise, and the fourth link gear is driven by the third link gear to rotate clockwise, so that the third link gear drives the second crank 63, the second link 64, the first link 62 and the first crank 61 of the first link mechanism 6 to move in a direction overlapping heavily, thereby moving the first hinge unit 1 toward the inner surface close to the third hinge unit 3.

Next, the third hinge unit 3 is driven by the first hinge unit 1 to move towards the inner surface close to the first hinge unit 1, specifically: the first crank 61 of the first linkage 6 drives the first linkage gear 101 to rotate counterclockwise, so that the second linkage gear 102 drives the second crank 63, the second link 64, the first link 62 and the first crank 61 of the second linkage 7 to move in a direction overlapping each other, thereby moving the third hinge unit 3 toward the inner surface close to the first hinge unit 1.

Finally, the fourth hinge unit 4 is driven by the third hinge unit 3 to move towards the inner surface close to the third hinge unit 3, specifically: the first crank 61 in the second link mechanism 7 drives the fifth link gear to rotate counterclockwise, so that the sixth link gear drives the second crank 63, the second link 64, the first link 62 and the first crank 61 in the third link mechanism 8 to move in the direction of overlapping, thereby moving the fifth hinge unit 5 toward the inner surface close to the third hinge unit 3; thereby effecting bending of the bending apparatus 100. Of course, in other embodiments, the fifth hinge unit 5 may also be bent first.

The first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 of the bending device 100 provided by the embodiment of the present application can be connected to each other by changing the length of the first link mechanism 6, and the first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 can be rotated relative to each other, i.e., folded.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a flexible device, including flexible screen and bending device 100, the flexible screen has a bending portion, the bending portion is just right bending device 100. Specifically, portions of the flexible screen alignment slide 70 are fixedly attached to the slide 70. The length of the flexible screen in the bent state and in the flat state is kept constant by the sliding of the slider 70. When the flexible device is in the flattened state, the end surface of the column 801 is blocked by the first groove wall, and the outer circumferential surface of the column 801 is blocked by the second groove wall, so that the sliding block 70 is limited and cannot move even if being pushed. When the flexible device is bent, the track of the arc-shaped surface 601 corresponds to the bent track, so that the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 801 can slide along the second groove wall, and the slider 70 slides towards the direction close to the third hinge unit 3, so that when the flexible screen is attached to the slider 70, the slider 70 can enable the flexible screen to contract inwards in the bent state, thereby preventing the part, namely the bent part, of the flexible screen, which is aligned to the bending device 100, from being damaged due to larger stress, and further improving the reliability of the bending device 100 applied to the folding device.

The first hinge unit 1 and the second hinge unit 2 of the flexible device provided by the embodiment of the application can rotate relative to each other, namely, can be folded when the two hinge units are connected through the length change of the first link mechanism 6, and the link mechanism has the advantages of high transmission motion precision, simple structure and low cost.

It will be appreciated that the structure of the bendable member may be other existing bendable structures besides the structure of the bending element mentioned in the foregoing embodiments, for example, the bendable member may be formed of a flexible elastic sheet, or the bendable member may be similar to a hinge structure, etc.

The foregoing detailed description has provided for the embodiments of the present application, and the principles and embodiments of the present application have been presented herein for purposes of illustration and description only and to facilitate understanding of the methods and their core concepts; meanwhile, for a person skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present application, there may be variations in the specific embodiments and the application scope, and in summary, the content of the present specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

Claims

The bending device is characterized by comprising a first hinge unit, a second hinge unit and a first connecting rod mechanism, wherein the first connecting rod mechanism is hinged between the first hinge unit and the second hinge unit respectively, so that the first hinge unit and the second hinge unit rotate relatively.
The bending device according to claim 1, wherein the first hinge unit and the second hinge unit are moved in a reverse symmetry by the transmission of the first link mechanism.
The bending device according to claim 1, wherein the first linkage comprises a first crank, a first link, a second crank, a second link; the first end of the first crank is hinged to the first hinge unit, the first end of the first connecting rod is hinged to the second end of the first crank, and the second end of the first connecting rod is hinged to the second hinge unit; the first end of the second crank is hinged to the second hinge unit, the first end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the second end of the second crank, and the second end of the second side rod is hinged to the first hinge unit.
The bending device according to claim 3, wherein the first and second links intersect at a hinge point at which the first and second links are hinged.
The bending device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second hinge unit surfaces are both arcuate and have the same radius of arc.
The bending device according to claim 5, wherein the first and second hinge units have the same arc length.
The bending device according to claim 6, wherein the geometric side of the first hinge unit facing the second hinge unit is a first geometric side; the geometric side of the second hinge unit facing the first hinge unit is a second geometric side; the first crank, the second connecting rod and the second geometric side are parallel to each other; the second crank, the first connecting rod and the first geometric side are parallel to each other.
The bending device according to claim 6, wherein the first crank is of equal length to the second crank; the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are equal in length.
The bending device according to claim 8, wherein the distance between the hinge point and the first end of the first link is equal to the distance between the hinge point and the first end of the second link.
The bending device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a third hinge unit hinged to the first hinge unit by a second linkage.
The bending apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a first linkage connected to the first linkage and the second linkage, wherein the first linkage is rotated to move the first linkage, and the first linkage is rotated to rotate the second linkage.
The bending apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the linkage is linked between a hinge point at which the first linkage is hinged to the first hinge unit and a hinge point at which the second linkage is hinged to the first hinge unit, so that the relative movement of the first bending apparatus and the second bending apparatus and the relative movement of the first bending apparatus and the third bending apparatus are inversely symmetrical.
The bending device according to claim 12, wherein the first linkage member comprises a first linkage gear and a second linkage gear which are in meshing transmission, a first rotating shaft of the first linkage gear is fixed to the first link mechanism, and a second rotating shaft of the second linkage gear is fixed to the second link mechanism; the first link mechanism and the second link mechanism are in mutual transmission under the meshing action of the first linkage gear and the second linkage gear.
The bending device according to claim 3, wherein the first linkage further comprises a limiting block for limiting the movement of the first linkage relative to the second linkage to prevent the first hinge unit from being unfolded relative to the second hinge unit and then bent.
The bending device according to claim 11, further comprising a fourth hinge unit, a fifth hinge unit, a third linkage, a fourth linkage, a second linkage, and a third linkage; the fourth hinge unit is hinged to the second hinge unit through a third link mechanism, and the fifth hinge unit is hinged to the third hinge unit through a fourth link mechanism; the second linkage is linked to the second link mechanism and the third link mechanism, and the third linkage is linked to the third link mechanism and the fourth link mechanism.
The bending device according to claim 15, wherein a guide portion is provided on an inner surface of the third hinge unit, the guide portion has an arc-shaped surface, the bending device further comprises a slider and a top rod, the slider is provided on one side of the fourth hinge unit, one end of the top rod is fixedly provided on the slider, the other end of the top rod is slidably connected to the fifth hinge unit, and the other end of the top rod abuts against the arc-shaped surface of the third hinge unit; in the process that the bending device is bent from the flattening state to the bending state, the other end of the ejector rod can slide along the arc-shaped surface so as to drive the sliding block to move towards the direction close to the third hinge unit; when the bending device is in a flattening state, the other end of the ejector rod is blocked by the arc-shaped surface.
A flexible device comprising a flexible screen and a bending device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, the flexible screen having a bend portion, the bend portion facing the bending device.