WO2021017495A1

WO2021017495A1 - Folding device and foldable display device

Info

Publication number: WO2021017495A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/080853
Authority: WO
Inventors: 李骄阳; 高孝裕; 袁波
Original assignee: 昆山工研院新型平板显示技术中心有限公司; 昆山国显光电有限公司
Priority date: 2019-07-26
Filing date: 2020-03-24
Publication date: 2021-02-04
Also published as: CN110401748B; CN110401748A

Abstract

Provided in the present application is a folding device solving the technical problem that the service life of an existing foldable display screen body is short. The folding device provided in the embodiments of the invention comprises an elastic connecting member arranged on a non-display face of the flexible display screen body, an accommodating space and a rotating body arranged in the accommodating space are formed in the elastic connecting member, and the section, in the thickness direction of the flexible display screen body, of the rotating body is a fixed-width curve. When the flexible display screen is folded inwards, the rotating object rotates in the accommodating space, and the gap between the rotating object and the accommodating space can accommodate the bending part of the flexible display screen body; and when the flexible display screen is folded outwards, the rotating body can slowly bend the bending part of the flexible display screen body, thereby protecting the bending part of the flexible display screen body from creases caused by rapid bending. Therefore, the folding device provided in the embodiments of the invention can realize inward folding and outward folding of the flexible display screen, and the bending part of the flexible display screen is protected during inward folding and outward folding.

Description

Folding device and foldable display equipment

Technical field

This application relates to the field of display technology, in particular to a folding device and a foldable display device.

Application background

Nowadays, consumers have higher and higher visual requirements for portable electronic devices such as mobile phones. Among them, large screens and high screen ratios have become a trend and trend. However, the use of large screens limits its portability and reduces the comfort of use. Therefore, the flexible folding screen can perfectly combine visual enjoyment and portability. In addition to relying on the nature of the screen itself during the folding and flattening process of the folding screen, the hinge is the key to ensuring the folding and flattening effect of the screen. However, in the prior art, when the rotating shaft is folding or unfolding the flexible display screen, the flexible display screen is prone to bulge or depression, which reduces the service life of the flexible display screen body.

Application content

In view of this, the embodiment of the present application provides a folding device, which solves the technical problem of the low life span of the existing foldable display body.

According to an aspect of the present application, an embodiment of the present application provides a folding device for opening or folding a flexible display screen body; the folding device includes: an elastic connection provided on a non-display surface of the flexible display screen body An accommodating space is formed in the elastic connecting member; and,

At least one rotating body is arranged in the accommodating space, and the cross section of the rotating body in the thickness direction of the flexible display screen body is a fixed-width curve.

As a second aspect of the present application, an embodiment of the present application also provides a foldable display device, including: a flexible display screen body; and, provided on the non-display surface side of the flexible display screen body for supporting the The folding device of the flexible display screen body; wherein the structure of the folding device adopts the structure of the aforementioned folding device.

The folding device provided by the embodiment of the present application includes an elastic connecting piece arranged on the non-display surface of the flexible display screen body, an accommodation space and a rotating body arranged in the accommodation space are formed in the elastic connecting piece, wherein the rotating body is on the flexible display screen. The section in the thickness direction of the body is a fixed-width curve. When the folding device opens or unfolds the flexible display screen body, the rotating body rotates in the accommodating space under the action of external force. And the shape of the cross section of the rotating body in the thickness direction of the flexible display screen is a fixed-width curve. When the flexible display screen is folded inward, the rotating body rotates in the accommodating space, and the gap between the rotating body and the accommodating space can accommodate the flexibility. The bent part of the display body. When the flexible display screen is folded outward, the rotating body can slowly bend the bending part of the flexible display screen body, which protects the crease caused by the rapid bending of the flexible display screen body. Therefore, the folding device provided by the embodiment of the present application can simultaneously realize the inward folding and the outward folding of the flexible display screen, and the bending part of the flexible display screen is protected when the flexible display screen is folded inward and outward.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a folding device provided by an embodiment of the application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a folding device provided by an embodiment of the application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a fixed width curve provided by an embodiment of this application;

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the Lelo triangle structure provided by an embodiment of the application;

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a use state of a folding device provided by an embodiment of the application.

How to implement this application

As described in the background art, when the hinge in the prior art is folding or unfolding the flexible display screen, the flexible display screen is prone to bumps or depressions, thereby reducing the service life of the flexible display screen.

The applicant’s research found that the reason for this problem is that the flexible display screen cannot meet the inward and outward folding conditions at the same time. When the flexible display screen satisfies the inward folding condition, the flexible display screen is prone to bulge when it is folded outward. When the external folding condition is met, the flexible display screen is prone to wrinkles when folded inward, which affects the service life of the flexible display screen.

Based on this, the present application provides a folding device that opens or folds a flexible display screen body by using an elastic connecting piece, wherein an accommodating space is formed in the elastic connecting piece and a rotating body is arranged in the accommodating space, wherein the rotating body is in the flexible display The cross-sectional shape in the thickness direction of the screen is a fixed-width curve. When the folding device opens or unfolds the flexible display screen body, the rotating body rotates in the accommodating space under the action of external force. The trajectory of the apex of the fixed-width curve is a square. When the rotating body rotates in the accommodating space under the action of external force, when the flexible display screen is folded inward, the rotating body rotates in the accommodating space, and the rotating body and the accommodating space The space between can accommodate the bending part of the flexible display body. When the flexible display screen is folded outward, the rotating body can slowly bend the bending part of the flexible display screen body, which protects the crease caused by the rapid bending of the flexible display screen body. Therefore, the folding device provided by the embodiment of the present application can simultaneously realize the inward and outward folding of the flexible display screen, and the bending part of the flexible display screen is protected when the flexible display screen is folded inward and outward.

Specifically, the folding device provided by the present application includes: an elastic connecting piece arranged on the non-display surface of the flexible display screen body, and an accommodation space is formed in the elastic connecting piece; and, arranged in the accommodation space At least one rotating body inside, the cross-sectional shape of the rotating body in the thickness direction of the flexible display body is a fixed-width curve.

The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of this application.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a folding device provided by an embodiment of the application. As shown in Fig. 1, the folding device includes: an elastic connector 1 for being arranged on a non-display surface of a flexible display body for folding Or open the flexible display body, in which an accommodating space 11 is formed in the elastic connecting member, and at least one rotating body 12 is arranged in the accommodating space, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the rotating body 12 in the thickness direction of the flexible display body is a fixed-width curve . When the folding device opens or unfolds the flexible display screen body, the rotating body rotates in the accommodating space under the action of external force. When the flexible display screen is folded inward, the rotating body 12 rotates in the accommodating space 11, and the gap between the rotating body 12 and the accommodating space 11 can accommodate the bent part of the flexible display screen. When the flexible display screen is folded outward, the rotating body 12 can slowly bend the bending part of the flexible display screen body, which protects the creases caused by the rapid bending of the flexible display screen body. Therefore, the folding device provided by the embodiment of the present application can simultaneously realize the inward folding and the outward folding of the flexible display screen, and the bending part of the flexible display screen is protected when the flexible display screen is folded inward and outward.

Put a curve in the middle of two parallel lines, make the curve tangent to the two parallel lines, no matter how the curve moves, the curve is still in the two parallel lines, and always tangent to the two parallel lines , Then the curve is a fixed-width curve. When the shape of the cross section of the rotating body 12 in the thickness direction of the flexible display body is a fixed-width curve, no matter whether the folding device folds the flexible display screen in or out, the trajectory of the rotating body 12 is rectangular during the folding process. Therefore, when the folding device folds the flexible display screen inward, the square track of the rotating body 12 can accommodate the flexible display screen. When the folding device folds the flexible display screen outward, the rotating body 12 can support the flexible display screen.

Optionally, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the folding device further includes: a first housing 2 fixed at one end of the elastic connecting member 1 and a second housing 3 fixed at the other end of the elastic connecting member 1. The first housing 2 and the second housing 3 are used to support the flexible display body, and when an external force is applied to the first housing 2 and the second housing 3, they are fixed to the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 The elastic connecting member 1 therebetween is bent under the action of external force, and the rotating body 11 provided in the elastic connecting piece 1 rotates under the action of external force to realize the opening of the folding device or the folding of the flexible display body.

It should be understood that the number of the first housing 2, the second housing 3 and the elastic connector 1 in the folding device can be selected according to actual application scenarios. For example, when the flexible display screen only needs to be folded once, the folding device only includes A first housing 2, a second housing 3, and an elastic connecting member 1 arranged between the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 can realize the folding of the flexible display screen once. When the flexible display screen is a three-segment folding screen and needs to be bent twice at both ends, the folding device may include two first connecting pieces 2, a second connecting piece 3, and two elastic connecting pieces 1. The two connecting pieces 3 are arranged in the middle of the two first connecting pieces 2, and the two elastic connecting pieces 1 connect two sets of the first connecting piece 2 and the second connecting piece 3, so that the flexible display screen can be bent twice. Therefore, as long as the flexible display screen can be folded, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of the first housing 1, the second housing 2 and the elastic connectors in the folding device.

Optionally, the rotating sphere is a Lelo tetrahedron, and the cross section of the Lelo tetrahedron in the thickness direction of the display screen body is a Lelo triangle, as shown in FIG. 4. Lelo's triangle is the most typical fixed-width curve, and it is the figure with the smallest area that can be formed in the fixed-width curve. The width of the fixed-width in Lelo's triangle is equal to the side length of an equilateral triangle. When Lelo's triangle rotates in a square whose side length is its width, the trajectory of each corner is basically a square.

It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the present application, when the cross-sectional shape of the rotating body 12 in the thickness direction of the flexible display screen is a fixed-width curve, the specific shape of the fixed-width curve can be selected according to the actual application scenario, for example, the above-mentioned Lelo triangle. Therefore, as long as the shape of the cross section of the rotating body 12 in the light emitting direction of the flexible display screen is a fixed-width curve, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific shape of the fixed-width curve.

Optionally, the cross section of the accommodating space 11 in the thickness direction of the flexible display screen body is a square. When the shape of the cross-section of the rotating body 12 in the thickness direction of the flexible display body is a Lelo triangle, when the folding device folds the flexible display body, whether it is folded in or out, the Lelo tetrahedron is accommodating Rotating in the space 11, the trajectory of each corner of the Lelo tetrahedron is exactly a square, that is, when the Lelo tetrahedron is rotating, there is always a gap of the same size between the space and the accommodating space. When the flexible display screen is folded It can not only protect the bending part of the flexible display screen, but also make full use of space.

Optionally, the square only accommodates the next Lelo triangle. When the folding device opens or folds the flexible display body under the action of external force, there is always only one rotating body 12 in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the flexible display body. Rotate under the action of external force.

Optionally, the three vertices of the Lelo triangle are in contact with three sides of the square, and an arc segment of the Lelo triangle is in contact with the fourth side of the square. That is, the trajectory when a vertex of the Lelo triangle rotates once is the shape of the accommodating space. No matter when the folding device folds the flexible display screen inside or out, during the folding process, the rotating body is Lelo tetrahedron, so Lelo The three vertices and the three arc segments of the Luo tetrahedron are always in contact with the inner surface of the accommodating space 11, which can better accommodate or support the bending part of the flexible display body.

Optionally, when the flexible display screen is in an unfolded state, the first vertex of the Lelo triangle is located below the middle of the bent portion of the flexible display screen, and the first arc segment of the Lelo triangle corresponding to the first vertex is elastically connected Body 1 contact. When the display device is folded inward, the Lelo tetrahedron rotates and the bending area of the flexible display body shrinks. After folding, the first arc segment of the Lelo tetrahedron just fits the bending area of the flexible display body, and the first arc The segment prevents the bending area of the flexible display body from shrinking, so that it can be folded inward. When the display device is folded outwards, the Lelo tetrahedron rotates. After being folded, the first vertex of the Lelo tetrahedron fits with the bending area of the screen body, and the bending area of the supporting screen body bulges outward.

Optionally, when the flexible display screen body is in the inwardly folded state, the second vertex of the Lelo triangle is in contact with the elastic connector 1, and the second arc segment of the Lelo triangle corresponding to the second vertex is in contact with the flexible display body. Contact with the non-display surface; and/or, when the flexible display body is in the outwardly folded state, the third vertex of the Lelo triangle contacts the non-display surface of the flexible display body, and the second vertex corresponding to the second vertex in the Lelo triangle The arc segment is in contact with the elastic connecting piece 1.

Optionally, the elastic connecting member 1 is a spring, which has good elasticity and simple structure. When the folding device folds the flexible display screen outward, the spring can automatically contract. When the folding device folds the flexible display screen inward, the spring It can stretch and bend automatically.

It should be understood that the specific structure of the elastic connector 1 can be selected according to actual application scenarios, for example, the spring described above. Therefore, as long as the elastic connecting member 1 has elasticity and can automatically bend or contract, the specific structure of the elastic connecting member 1 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Another aspect of the present application provides a foldable display device, including a flexible display body and a folding device arranged on the non-display surface of the flexible display body to support the flexible display body, wherein the structure of the folding device adopts such as The structure of the aforementioned folding device. The foldable display device of the embodiment of the present application adopts a folding device that opens or folds the flexible display screen body by using an elastic connecting piece, wherein an accommodating space is formed in the elastic connecting piece and a rotating body is arranged in the accommodating space, wherein the rotating body The cross-sectional shape in the thickness direction of the flexible display screen body is a fixed-width curve. When the folding device opens or unfolds the flexible display screen body, the rotating body rotates in the accommodating space under the action of external force. The trajectory of the apex of the fixed-width curve is a square. When the rotating body rotates in the accommodating space under the action of external force, when the flexible display screen is folded inward, the rotating body rotates in the accommodating space, and the rotating body and the accommodating space The gap can accommodate the bending part of the flexible display body. When the flexible display screen is folded outward, the rotating body can slowly bend the bending part of the flexible display screen body, which protects the crease caused by the rapid bending of the flexible display screen body. Therefore, the folding device provided by the embodiment of the present application can simultaneously realize the inward folding and the outward folding of the flexible display screen, and the bending part of the flexible display screen is protected when the flexible display screen is folded inward and outward.

Claims

A folding device for folding or unfolding a flexible display screen body, wherein the folding device includes:

An elastic connecting piece arranged on the non-display surface of the flexible display screen body, wherein an accommodation space is formed in the elastic connecting piece; and,

At least one rotating body is arranged in the accommodating space, and the cross section of the rotating body in the thickness direction of the flexible display screen body is a fixed-width curve.
The folding device according to claim 1, wherein the folding device further comprises:

A first housing connected to one end of the elastic connector; and,

A second housing connected to the other end of the elastic connecting member.
The folding device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body is a Lelo tetrahedron, and a cross section of the Lelo tetrahedron in the thickness direction of the flexible display body is a Lelo triangle.
4. The folding device according to claim 3, wherein the accommodating space has a square cross-section in the thickness direction of the flexible display screen.
The folding device according to claim 4, wherein the square only accommodates the next Lelo triangle.
The folding device according to claim 4, wherein the three vertices of the Lelo triangle are in contact with three sides of the square, and an arc segment of the Lelo triangle is in contact with the fourth section of the square. Side contact.
The folding device according to claim 4, wherein when the flexible display body is in an unfolded state, the first vertex of the Lelo triangle contacts the non-display surface of the flexible display body, and the Lelo The first arc segment of the triangle corresponding to the first vertex is in contact with the elastic connector.
The folding device according to claim 7, wherein:

When the flexible display screen body is in the inwardly folded state, the second vertex of the Lelo triangle is in contact with the elastic connecting member, and the second arc segment of the Lelo triangle corresponding to the second vertex is in contact with Contacting the non-display surface of the flexible display body; and/or,

When the flexible display screen body is in the outwardly folded state, the third vertex of the Lelo triangle is in contact with the non-display surface of the flexible display body, and the second vertex of the Lelo triangle corresponds to the second vertex. Two arc segments are in contact with the elastic connecting piece.
The folding device according to claim 2, wherein the elastic connecting member is a spring.
A foldable display device, which includes:

Flexible display body; and,

A folding device arranged on the non-display surface side of the flexible display body for supporting the flexible display body;

Wherein, the structure of the folding device adopts the structure of the folding device according to any one of claims 1-9.