Foldable electronic device comprising flexible display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10635137-B2
Application number	US-201716332781-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2017
Priority date	Sep 12, 2016
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

An electronic device according to various embodiments can provide a structure capable of imparting a physical optical effect to a camera unit of a foldable electronic device to which a flexible display is applied. An electronic device according to various embodiments may comprise: a lens unit placed in a partial area of a first side, which does not include a flexible display, through the first side and a second side; a first imaging unit which, when the first side is divided into a first area and a second area on the basis of an axis, is placed adjacent to the first area in which the lens unit is placed; and a second imaging unit which is placed in at least a partial area of the second side and is configured to be combined on the same optical axis with the lens unit when the electronic device is folded on the basis of the axis. In addition, other embodiments are possible.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A foldable electronic device that has a first side including a flexible display and a second side disposed opposite to the first side and can be at least partially folded with respect to an axis, the electronic device comprising:
a lens unit disposed in a partial region of the first side not including the flexible display through the first side and the second side;
a first imaging unit disposed adjacent to a first region in which the lens unit is disposed, when the first side is divided into the first region and a second region with respect to the axis; and
a second imaging unit disposed in at least a partial region of the second side and combined with the lens unit on the same optical axis when the electronic device is folded with respect to the axis.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the lens unit includes at least one of an electro-wetting variable-focus liquid lens, a wide-angle lens, a telephoto lens, a microlens, and a fish-eye lens.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second imaging unit includes a camera barrel with an end having an embossed protrusive structure protruding from the first side,
the lens unit includes a lens barrel having an engraved structure corresponding to the end having an embossed protrusive structure of the camera barrel and includes a ring-shaped align guide formed on the inner side of the lens barrel having an engraved structure, and
when the electronic device is folded with respect to the axis, the camera barrel of the second imaging unit and the lens barrel of the lens unit form a lock-in structure by the align guide.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a shutter disposed through the first side and the second side to be able to close the lens unit,
wherein the shutter is positioned to cover the lens unit in both of the first side and the second side when the electronic device is fully unfolded, and is positioned to open the lens unit in both of the first side and the second side when the electronic device is fully folded with respect to the axis.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , further comprising a hinge disposed in the electronic device to enable the electronic device to rotate with respect to the axis,
wherein the shutter is connected to the hinge, so the shutter opens/closes the lens unit in the first side and the second side when the electronic device is rotated.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a third imaging unit in the second region of the first side.

7. A foldable electronic device that has a first side including a flexible display and a second side disposed opposite to the first side and can be at least partially folded with respect to an axis, the electronic device comprising:
a first lens unit disposed in a partial region of the first side not including the flexible display through the first side and the second side;
a second lens unit disposed through the first side and the second side, adjacent to a first region in which the first lens unit is disposed, when the first side is divided into the first region and a second region with respect to the axis;
a first imaging unit disposed in at least a partial region of the second side and combined with the first lens unit on the same optical axis when the electronic device is folded with respect to the axis; and
a second imaging unit disposed in another region of the second side where the first imaging unit is disposed, and combined with the second lens unit on the same optical axis when the electronic device is folded with respect to the axis.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the first lens unit and the second lens unit include at least one of an electro-wetting variable-focus liquid lens, a wide-angle lens, a telephoto lens, a microlens, and a fish-eye lens.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit include a camera barrel with an end having an embossed protrusive structure protruding from the second side,
the first lens unit and the second lens unit include a lens barrel having an engraved structure corresponding to the end having an embossed protrusive structure of the camera barrel and include a ring-shaped align guide formed on the inner side of the lens barrel having an engraved structure, and
when the electronic device is folded with respect to the axis, the first imaging unit combined with the first lens unit and the second imaging unit combined with the second lens unit form a lock-in structure by the align guide.

10. The electronic device of claim 7 , further comprising shutters disposed through the first side and the second side to be able to close the first lens unit and the second lens unit,
wherein the shutters are positioned to close the first lens unit and the second lens unit in both of the first side and the second side when the electronic device is fully unfolded, and are positioned to open the first lens unit and the second lens unit in both of the first side and the second side when the electronic device is fully folded with respect to the axis.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , further comprising a hinge disposed in the electronic device to enable the electronic device to rotate with respect to the axis,
wherein the shutters are connected to the hinge, so the shutters open/close the first lens unit and the second lens unit in the first side and the second side when the electronic device is rotated.

12. A foldable electronic device that has a first side including a flexible display and a second side disposed opposite to the first side and can be at least partially folded with respect to an axis, the electronic device comprising:
a first lens unit disposed in a partial region of a first region not including the flexible display through the first side and the second side when the first side is divided into the first region and a second region with respect to the axis;
a second lens unit disposed through the first side and the second side in a partial region of the second region not including the flexible display;
a first imaging unit disposed in at least a partial region of the second side and combined with the first lens unit on the same optical axis when the electronic device is folded with respect to the axis; and
a second imaging unit disposed in another region of the second side here the first imaging unit is disposed, and combined with the second lens unit on the same optical axis when the electronic device is folded with respect to the axis.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the first lens unit and the second lens unit include at least one of a fish-eye lens being able to have an angle of view of 180° and an electro-wetting variable-focus liquid lens.

14. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the first imaging unit and the second imaging unit include a camera barrel with an end having an embossed protrusive structure protruding from the second side,
the first lens unit and the second lens unit include a lens barrel having an engraved structure corresponding to the end having an embossed protrusive structure of the camera barrel and include a ring-shaped align guide formed on the inner side of the lens barrel having an engraved structure, and
when the electronic device is folded with respect to the axis, the first imaging unit combined with the first lens unit and the second imaging unit combined with the second lens unit form a lock-in structure by the align guide.

15. The electronic device of claim 12 , further comprising shutters disposed through the first side and the second side to

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Hyunsub
• Roh Wanho
• Lim Jonghoon
• Kim Daehyun
• Seo Hoseong

Classifications

• G06F1/1607

  Arrangements to support accessories mechanically attached to the display housing (G06F1/1603, G06F1/1605 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06F1/1652 Primary

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

• G03B13/02

  Viewfinders · CPC title

• G06F1/1677

  for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment · CPC title

• G06F1/1605

  Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones · CPC title