TWI773122B - Portable electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes a first casing, a second casing, a flexible display and a protective frame. The second casing is pivotally connected to the first casing. The flexible display includes a first display area installed on the first casing, a second display area installed on the second casing, and a flexible display area located between the first display area and the second display area, and the first display area is connected to the second display area by the flexible display area. The protective frame includes a first protective member and a second protective member, wherein the first protective member surrounds the second protective member. The first protective member is installed at peripheries of the first casing and the second casing, and the second protective member is connected to the first protective member and covers an edge of the first display area, an edge of the second display area and an edge of the flexible display area, wherein a rigidity of the first protective member is greater than a rigidity of the second protective member.

Description

Portable Electronic Device

The present invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly, to a portable electronic device.

With the gradual maturity of flexible display screens (or flexible display screens), in recent years, electronic manufacturers have been actively investing in the integration and application of flexible display screens (or flexible display screens). Take the flexible display screen (or flexible display screen) integrated in portable electronic devices such as smart phones, tablet computers or notebook computers as an example, because the flexible display screen (or flexible display screen) can be bent It is folded, which is quite convenient for users to carry. In addition, after unfolding the flexible display screen (or called the flexible display screen), the user can obtain a large-sized display screen, so it has excellent operational convenience.

Generally speaking, a flexible display screen (or a flexible display screen) can be roughly divided into two display areas and a bendable display area located between the two display areas, and the two display areas are respectively fixed on the flexible display area. Two casings of a portable electronic device. During the relative pivoting process of the two casings, the two display areas move synchronously with the two casings, respectively, and the bendable display area is bent or unfolded by force. When the bendable display area is bent or unfolded by force, the edge of the bendable display area is easily exposed to the outside world, so there is a risk of being damaged by external force or foreign objects. In addition, due to assembly problems, there may be an excessive gap between the flexible display screen (or flexible display screen) and the two casings, so that foreign objects can enter the interior of the portable electronic device through the gap, and then Affect the life or performance of the portable electronic device.

The present invention provides a portable electronic device with excellent structure and operational reliability.

The present invention provides a portable electronic device including a first casing, a second casing, a flexible screen and a protective frame. The second casing is pivotally connected to the first casing. The flexible screen includes a first display area installed on the first casing, a second display area installed on the second casing, and a bendable display area located between the first display area and the second display area, and The first display area is connected to the second display area through the bendable display area. The protective frame includes a first protective member and a second protective member, wherein the first protective member surrounds the second protective member, and the first protective member is installed around the first casing and the second casing. The second guard is connected to the first guard, and the second guard at least partially covers the edge of the first display area, at least a part of the edge of the second display area, and at least a part of the edge of the bendable display area, wherein the first guard The rigidity is greater than that of the second guard.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the material of the first protective member includes plastic, and the material of the second protective member includes silicone or rubber.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first protective member includes a joint portion inserted into the second protective member, and the joint portion is distributed in the first display area and the second display area.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first guard includes two ㄈ-shaped frames arranged in mirror images, and the second guard includes a mouth-shaped frame, and the two ㄈ-shaped frames are located in the mouth-shaped frame. the periphery of the frame.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a first seam is formed between the first casing and the second casing, and a second seam is formed between the two ㄈ-shaped frames, and the second seam overlaps on the first seam.

In an embodiment of the present invention, there is a seam between the first casing and the second casing, and the first guard does not overlap the seam.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned second guard extends from the first display area into the bendable display area, and extends from the bendable display area into the second display area, wherein the second guard extends through the connection sew.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned portable electronic device further includes a hinge, wherein the first casing is connected to the second casing through the hinge, and the bendable display area overlaps the hinge.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned protective frame is a double-material injection molding structure.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned portable electronic device further includes a first bracket mounted on the first casing and a second bracket mounted on the second casing, wherein the first bracket is located on the first display The first display area is connected to the first support, and the second display area is connected to the second support.

Based on the above, in the portable electronic device of the present invention, the surrounding edges of the flexible screen are protected by the first protective member, so as to prevent the flexible screen from being damaged by external force or foreign objects. In addition, the second guard is connected to the first guard and is surrounded by the first guard. Specifically, the second guard covers the edge of the first display area, the edge of the second display area, and the edge of the bendable display area, and is suitable for elastic deformation under force. Therefore, the second guard can not only prevent foreign objects from entering the interior of the portable electronic device through the gap between the flexible screen and the casing, but also act with the flexible display area during bending or unfolding to prevent External force or foreign objects cause damage to the bendable display area, and provide tension required for bending or unfolding the bendable display area. Therefore, the portable electronic device of the present invention has excellent structural and operational reliability.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the following embodiments are given and described in detail with the accompanying drawings as follows.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a portable electronic device in a first state according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the portable electronic device of FIG. 1 . Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the portable electronic device 100 can be a tablet computer, a smart phone or a flexible display, and the flexible display is suitable for integrating in a notebook computer. In detail, the portable electronic device 100 includes a first casing 112 , a second casing 114 , a flexible screen 120 and a protective frame 130 , wherein the second casing 114 is pivotally connected to the first casing 112 and is flexible The screen 120 is mounted on the first casing 112 and the second casing 114 . With the relative pivoting of the first casing 112 and the second casing 114 , a part of the flexible screen 120 can be elastically deformed by force. In the first state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the flexible screen 120 is in the unfolded state, so the user can obtain a large-sized display screen.

The flexible screen 120 may be integrated with a touch function, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The flexible screen 120 includes a first display area 122, a second display area 124 and a bendable display area 126, wherein the first display area 122 is installed on the first casing 112, and the second display area 124 is installed on the second frame on the shell 114. On the other hand, the bendable display area 126 is located between the first display area 122 and the second display area 124 , and the first display area 122 is connected to the second display area 124 through the bendable display area 126 .

During the relative pivoting of the first casing 112 and the second casing 114 , the first display area 122 and the second display area 124 move synchronously with the first casing 112 and the second casing 114 respectively, and the first display area 122 and the second casing 114 move synchronously. The area 122 and the second display area 124 are substantially not pulled or squeezed by force, so no deformation occurs. On the other hand, with the relative pivoting of the first casing 112 and the second casing 114 , the bendable display area 126 can be pulled by force to spread out, or squeezed by force to be bent and deformed.

In this embodiment, the protective frame 130 includes a first protective member 132 and a second protective member 134, wherein the first protective member 132 and the second protective member 134 are a combination of different materials, and the rigidity of the first protective member 132 is greater than that of the second protective member 132. The rigidity of the two guards 134 . For example, the protective frame 130 can be a frame structure made by double-material injection molding technology, wherein the material of the first protective member 132 can be plastic, and the material of the second protective member 134 can be silicone or rubber. For example, in accordance with the design principles that the rigidity of the first guard 132 is greater than that of the second guard 134 and the second guard 134 is suitable for elastic deformation under force, the materials of the first guard 132 and the second guard 134 are the same. It can be adjusted according to needs, and is not limited to the materials listed above.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the first guard 132 includes two ㄈ-shaped frame bodies, which are arranged in a mirror image. For example, the two openings of the two u-shaped frames face each other, and the two u-shaped frames are respectively installed around the first casing 112 and the second casing 114 to protect the Twist the surrounding edges of the screen 120 to prevent the flexible screen 120 from being damaged by external force or foreign objects.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , a first seam 116 is formed between the first casing 112 and the second casing 114 , and a second seam 116 is formed between the two U-shaped frame bodies. Two seams 136 . That is to say, the first guard 132 does not overlap the first seam 116 , or in other words, the aforementioned two U-shaped frames do not extend into the first seam 116 . Therefore, the first guard 132 does not hinder the relative pivoting of the first casing 112 and the second casing 114 .

On the other hand, the second guard 134 can be a mouth-shaped frame and covers at least part of the edge of the first display area 122 , at least part of the edge of the second display area 124 and at least part of the edge of the bendable display area 126 . The second guard 134 is surrounded by the first guard 132 , wherein the two ㄈ-shaped frames of the first guard 132 are located on the periphery of the second guard 134 , and the two ㄈ-shaped frames of the first guard 132 All surround the three sides of the second guard 134 . In detail, the second guard 134 extends from the first display area 122 into the bendable display area 126 , and extends from the bendable display area 126 into the second display area 124 . In the bendable display area 126 , the second guard 134 extends through the first seam 116 and the second seam 136 .

FIG. 3a is a schematic partial cross-sectional view taken along the section line A-A in FIG. 2 . FIG. 3b is a schematic partial cross-sectional view along the section line B-B in FIG. 2 . Referring to FIGS. 2 , 3 a and 3 b , in this embodiment, the second guard 134 covers at least part of the edge of the first display area 122 , at least part of the edge of the second display area 124 and at least part of the bendable display area The edges of 126, namely the first display area 122, the second display area 124 and the bendable display area 126, except for the edges connected to each other, the exposed edges of the display areas are covered by the second guard 134 to prevent Foreign objects enter the interior of the portable electronic device 100 through the gap between the flexible screen 120 and the first casing 112 and the gap between the flexible screen 120 and the second casing 114 . In addition, during the process of bending or unfolding the flexible screen 120, the second guard 134 is actuated with the flexible display area 126 to prevent the flexible display area 126 from being damaged by external force or foreign objects, and provides The tension required to bend or unfold the bendable display area 126 .

Specifically, the first guard 132 includes a frame portion 132 a and a joint portion 132 b , wherein the frame portion 132 a is mounted on the periphery of the first casing 112 and the second casing 114 and surrounds the periphery of the second guard 134 . In addition, the second guard 134 is connected to the inner side of the frame portion 132 a , and the joint portion 132 b protrudes from the inner side of the frame portion 132 a to be inserted into the second guard 134 . In other words, the second guard 134 covers the joint portion 132b to improve the bonding strength and bonding area of the first guard 132 and the second guard 134 . In another embodiment, the second guard 134 and the first guard 132 can be combined with the double-material injection molding technology, that is, the second guard 134 can be covered with the joint portion 132b by the double-material injection molding technology, which can further improve the first guard The bonding strength and bonding area of the component 132 and the second protective component 134 are determined.

Referring to FIG. 1 , FIG. 3 a and FIG. 3 b , the frame portion 132 a extends along three sides of the first display area 122 and extends along three sides of the second display area 124 . The frame portion 132 a extends into the bendable display area 126 but ends before the first seam 116 . On the other hand, the joint portion 132 b extends along three sides of the first display area 122 and extends along three sides of the second display area 124 , but ends before the bendable display area 126 . That is to say, the joint portions 132 b are distributed in the first display area 122 and the second display area 124 , and do not extend into the bendable display area 126 . That is, the joint portion 132b is not inserted into the second guard 134 located in the bendable display area 126 .

In the first display area 122 and the second display area 124 , the joint portion 132 b and the second protective member 134 cover the edge of the flexible screen 120 . Specifically, the second guard 134 contacts the edge of the flexible screen 120 and covers the joint portion 132b. Since the rigidity of the joint portion 132b is greater than that of the second guard 134, the joint portion 132b can strengthen the connection between the first display area 122 and the joint portion 132b. The peripheral strength of the second display area 124 enables the second guard 134 to adhere to the edge of the flexible screen 120 reliably.

FIG. 4a is an enlarged schematic partial side view of the portable electronic device of FIG. 1 . FIG. 4b is an enlarged schematic partial side view of the portable electronic device of FIG. 4a after being converted to a second state. FIG. 4c is an enlarged schematic partial side view of the portable electronic device of FIG. 4a after being converted to a third state. Referring to FIGS. 4 a to 4 c , in this embodiment, the portable electronic device 100 further includes a hinge 140 , and the second casing 114 is pivotally connected to the first casing 112 through the hinge 140 . In the first state or the unfolded state shown in FIG. 4 a , the bendable display area 126 overlaps the hinge 140 , wherein the first display area 122 and the second display area 124 are located on both sides of the hinge 140 and do not overlap the hinge 140 .

On the other hand, the portable electronic device 100 further includes a first bracket 152 and a second bracket 154 , wherein the first bracket 152 is mounted on the first casing 112 , and the second bracket 154 is mounted on the second casing 114 . The first bracket 152 and the second bracket 154 are located outside the bendable display area 126 , wherein the first bracket 152 is located between the first display area 122 and the first casing 112 , and the second bracket 154 is located in the second display area 124 and the second casing 114 . Further, the first display area 122 overlaps the first bracket 152 and is connected to the first bracket 152 . In addition, the second display area 124 overlaps the second bracket 154 and is connected to the second bracket 154 .

Referring to FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b, the portable electronic device 100 transitions from the unfolded state to the transition state (ie, the second state), and the angle between the pivoted first casing 112 and the second casing 114 is reduced. The first seam 116 between the first casing 112 and the second casing 114 is enlarged. On the other hand, the bendable display area 126 is bent with the second guard 134 thereon. Referring to FIGS. 4b and 4c , the portable electronic device 100 transitions from the transition state to the third state (ie, the closed state), and the angle between the pivoted first casing 112 and the second casing 114 is reduced, for example. to 0 degrees, and the geometrical outline of the bendable display area 126 and the second protective member 134 thereon is similar to that of a water drop, and is located between the first casing 112 and the second casing 114 .

To sum up, in the portable electronic device of the present invention, the peripheral edges of the flexible screen are protected by the first protective member with relatively high rigidity, so as to prevent the flexible screen from being damaged by external force or foreign objects. In addition, the second guard is connected to the first guard and is surrounded by the first guard. The rigidity of the second guard is smaller than that of the first guard, and the second guard can be elastically deformed by force. In detail, the second guard covers at least part of the edge of the first display area, at least part of the edge of the second display area, and at least part of the edge of the bendable display area, so as to prevent foreign objects from passing between the flexible screen and the casing. The gap between them enters the interior of the portable electronic device. In addition, during the process of bending or unfolding the flexible screen, the second guard acts with the flexible display area to prevent damage to the flexible display area caused by external force or foreign objects, and provide the bending or unfolding The tension required to bend the display area. Therefore, the portable electronic device of the present invention has excellent structural and operational reliability.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above by the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, The protection scope of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the appended patent application.

100: Portable Electronic Devices 112: The first chassis 114: Second case 116: First Seam 120: Flexible screen 122: The first display area 124: Second display area 126: Bendable display area 130: protective frame 132: The first guard 132a: Frame part 132b: junction 134: Second guard 136: Second Seam 140: Hinge 152: The first bracket 154: Second bracket A-A, B-B: section line

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a portable electronic device in a first state according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the portable electronic device of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3a is a schematic partial cross-sectional view taken along the section line A-A in FIG. 2 . FIG. 3b is a schematic partial cross-sectional view along the section line B-B in FIG. 2 . FIG. 4a is an enlarged schematic partial side view of the portable electronic device of FIG. 1 . FIG. 4b is an enlarged schematic partial side view of the portable electronic device of FIG. 4a after being converted to a second state. FIG. 4c is an enlarged schematic partial side view of the portable electronic device of FIG. 4a after being converted to a third state.

100: Portable Electronic Devices

120: Flexible screen

122: The first display area

124: Second display area

126: Bendable display area

130: protective frame

132: The first guard

134: Second guard

136: Second Seam

A-A, B-B: section line

Claims (9)

A portable electronic device, comprising: a first casing; a second casing, pivotally connected to the first casing; a flexible screen, comprising a first display area mounted on the first casing, mounted on the first casing A second display area on the second casing and a bendable display area located between the first display area and the second display area, and the first display area is connected to the second display through the bendable display area and a protective frame, comprising a first protective member and a second protective member, wherein the first protective member surrounds the second protective member, and the first protective member is mounted on the first and second casings Around, the second guard is connected to the first guard, and the second guard covers at least part of the edge of the first display area, at least part of the edge of the second display area and at least part of the edge of the bendable display area an edge, wherein the rigidity of the first guard is greater than the rigidity of the second guard, the first guard includes a joint part inserted into the second guard, and the joint part is distributed between the first display area and the second guard display area. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the material of the first protective member comprises plastic, and the material of the second protective member comprises silicone or rubber. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first guard comprises two ㄈ-shaped frames arranged in mirror images, and the second guard comprises a mouth-shaped frame, and the two ㄈ-shaped frames The frame is located at the periphery of the mouth-shaped frame. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 3, wherein a first seam is formed between the first casing and the second casing, and a second seam is formed between the two ㄈ-shaped frames, And the second seam overlaps the first seam. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a seam is formed between the first casing and the second casing, and the first protective member does not overlap the seam. The portable electronic device of claim 5, wherein the second guard extends from the first display area into the bendable display area, and extends from the bendable display area into the second display area, wherein the second guard extends through the seam. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a hinge, wherein the first casing is connected to the second casing through the hinge, and the bendable display area overlaps the hinge. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the protective frame is a double-material injection molding structure. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a first bracket mounted on the first casing and a second bracket mounted on the second casing, wherein the first bracket is located on the first bracket between the display area and the first casing, and the second bracket is located between the second display area and the second casing, the first display area is connected to the first bracket, and the second display area is connected to the Second bracket.

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