Coupling member, housing assembly and electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10274996-B2
Application number	US-201815869295-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2018
Priority date	Jan 26, 2017
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A coupling member configured to couple a first housing to a second housing is provided. The coupling member includes a first connection part, a second connection part and a linkage part. The first connection part is coupled to the first housing. The second connection part is coupled to the second housing. The linkage part includes a first hinge element, a second hinge element and a hinge shaft. The first hinge element is configured to be coupled to the first connection part, the at least one second hinge element configured to be coupled to the second connection part. The first connection part and the second connection part are close to each other by rotation of at least one of the at least one first hinge element and the at least one second hinge element around the hinge shaft. A housing assembly and an electronic device are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A coupling member, configured to couple a first housing to a second housing, the coupling member comprising:
a first connection part configured to be coupled to the first housing, the first connection part comprising two first sliding plates and a number of first auxiliary sliding plates located between the two first sliding plates;
a second connection part configured to be coupled to the second housing, the second connection part comprising two second sliding plates and a number of second auxiliary sliding plates located between the two second sliding plates; and
a linkage part, the linkage part comprising:
at least one first hinge element configured to be coupled to the first connection part;
at least one second hinge element configured to be coupled to the second connection part; and
a hinge shaft pivotally coupling the at least one first hinge element and the at least one second hinge element; wherein the first connection part and the second connection part are either close to or far away from each other by rotation of at least one of the at least one first hinge element and the at least one second hinge element around the hinge shaft.

2. The coupling member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one first hinge element comprises an interior side and an exterior side, the interior side is rotatably coupled to the hinge shaft, the exterior side is hinged with the first connection part.

3. The coupling member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one second hinge element comprises another interior side and another exterior side, the another interior side is rotatably coupled to the hinge shaft, the another exterior side is hinged with the second connection part.

4. The coupling member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one first hinge element comprises a plurality of first hinge elements, the at least one second hinge element comprises a plurality of second hinge elements, the plurality of first hinge elements and the second plurality of first hinge elements are alternatively arranged along the hinge shaft.

5. The coupling member as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the linkage part comprising:
a third hinge element; and
an auxiliary hinge shaft parallel to the hinge shaft; the third hinge element being hinged with the first hinge element by the auxiliary hinge shaft, the first connection part being coupled to the at least one first hinge element by the third hinge element.

6. The coupling member as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the third hinge element comprises an extending portion, and an extending direction of the extending portion is parallel to the auxiliary hinge shaft.

7. The coupling member as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the linkage part comprising:
a fourth hinge element; and
another auxiliary hinge shaft parallel to the hinge shaft; the fourth hinge element being hinged with the second hinge element by the another auxiliary hinge shaft, the second connection part being coupled to the at least one second hinge element by the fourth hinge element.

8. The coupling member as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the fourth hinge element comprises another extending portion, and the extending direction of the another extending portion is parallel to the another auxiliary hinge shaft.

9. The coupling member as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coupling member further comprises a damping mechanism disposed between the at least one first hinge element and the at least one second hinge element, the damping mechanism is configured for providing a damping force to the at least one first hinge element and the at least one second hinge element during rotating the at least one first hinge element with respect to the at least one second hinge element.

10. The coupling member as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the damping mechanism comprises at least one damping member, each of the at least one damping member comprises:
a first damping ring sleeved on the hinge shaft and coupled to the at least one first hinge element; and
a second damping ring in contact with the first damping ring, sleeved on the hinge shaft and coupled to the at least one second hinge element.

11. The coupling member as claimed in claim 10 , wherein each of the at least one damping member comprises:
a first elastic ring sleeved on the hinge shaft and located between the first damping ring and the at least one first hinge element; and
a second elastic ring sleeved on the hinge shaft and located between the second damping ring and the at least one second hinge element.

12. A housing assembly, comprising:
a first housing;
a second housing; and
a coupling member, comprising:
a first connection part being coupled to the first housing, the first connection part comprising two first sliding plates and a number of first auxiliary sliding plates located between the two first sliding plates;
a second connection part being coupled to the second housing, the second connection part comprising two second sliding plates and a number of second auxiliary sliding plates located between the two second sliding plates; and
a linkage part, the linkage part comprising:
at least one first hinge element configured to be coupled to the first connection part;
at least one second hinge element configured to be coupled to the second connection part; and
a hinge shaft pivotally coupling the at least one first hinge element and the at least one second hinge element;

wherein the first housing is rotatable with respect to the second housing by rotation of at least one of the at least one first hinge element and the at least one second hinge element around the hinge shaft.

13. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the housing assembly further comprises a connecting member, the connecting member is coupled between the first housing and the second housing, and faces the coupling member, the coupling member is configured to support the connecting member.

14. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the first connection part is slidably coupled the first housing, the second connection part is slidably coupled the second housing, a sliding direction of the first connection part with respect to the first housing is perpendicular to the hinge shaft, a sliding direction of the second connection part with respect to the second housing is perpendicular to the hinge shaft.

15. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the housing assembly further comprises a positioning member, the positioning member comprises a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the first end is fixed to the connecting member, the second end is coupled to the hinge shaft, the positioning member is configured to prevent a movement of the coupling member along a direction perpendicular to the hinge shaft with respect to the connecting member.

16. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the first housing defines an accommodating cavity for receiving the first connection part.

17. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the second housing defines another accommodating cavity for receiving the second connection part.

18. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the first housing further comprises a first locating element for locating a location of the first connection part along the sliding direction, the second housing further comprises a second locating element for locating a location of the second connection part along the sliding direction.

19. The housing assembly as claimed in

Assignees

• Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd

Inventors

• Lin Yugui

Classifications

• E05D11/0054

  Covers, e.g. for protection · CPC title

• G06F1/1616

  with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position · CPC title

• G06F1/1641

  the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components (G06F1/1647 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

  the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable · CPC title

• E05Y2900/606

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic