Electronic device with flexible display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10809767-B2
Application number	US-201816170967-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2018
Priority date	Oct 25, 2018
Publication date	Oct 20, 2020
Grant date	Oct 20, 2020

Abstract

An electronic device includes: a processor; a memory; a first body portion; a second body portion coupled to the first body portion by a hinge, the second body portion including a plate; a slider having a slot therein, wherein the plate slidingly engages with the slot to facilitate the slider assuming at least first and second positions relative to the second body portion; and a flexible display attached to the first body portion and the slider, wherein the flexible display has a substantially planar configuration in the first position of the slider and a substantially folded configuration in the second position of the slider.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a processor;
a memory;
a first body portion;
a second body portion coupled to the first body portion by a hinge, the second body portion including a plate;
a slider having a slot therein, wherein the plate slidingly engages with the slot to facilitate the slider assuming at least first and second positions relative to the second body portion, wherein the slider is configured to be closer to the second body portion in the second position of the slider than in the first position of the slider; and
a flexible display attached to the first body portion and the slider, wherein the flexible display has a substantially planar configuration in the first position of the slider and a substantially folded configuration in the second position of the slider.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plate extends in a direction away from the hinge perpendicular to a rotation axis of the hinge.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible display includes an organic light-emitting diode display.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein in the substantially folded configuration the flexible display is bent approximately 180 degrees.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the slider is configured to abut the second body portion in the second position of the slider.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising an edge on the slider, the edge parallel to a rotation axis of the hinge, wherein an edge of the flexible display abuts the edge of the slider in the first and second positions of the slider.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first body portion has a first outer surface that extends along the flexible display, and a second outer surface that is parallel to the first outer surface and opposite the first body portion from the first outer surface, and wherein the hinge is offset partially beyond the second outer surface in a direction away from the first outer surface so that the second outer surface forms a recess adjacent the hinge.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the recess is configured to at least partially contain the slider in the second position of the slider.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the hinge comprises a pin that is included in the second body portion and a knuckle that is included in the first body portion.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first body portion has a frame adjacent at least a portion of an edge of the flexible display, the frame configured to protect the portion of the edge.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second body portion has a frame adjacent at least a portion of an edge of the flexible display, the frame configured to protect the portion of the edge.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the slider has a frame adjacent at least a portion of an edge of the flexible display, the frame configured to protect the portion of the edge.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second body portion is substantially aligned with the first body portion in the substantially planar configuration of the flexible display.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the second body portion is substantially parallel to the first body portion, and overlapping the first body portion in the substantially folded configuration of the flexible display.

15. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible display faces outward in the substantially folded configuration.

16. An electronic device comprising:
a processor;
a memory;
a flexible display having at least a first configuration where the flexible display is substantially planar, and a second configuration where the flexible display is non-planar; and
a hinged enclosure that supports the flexible display in the first and second configurations, the hinged enclosure including a first body portion and a second body portion that are coupled to each other by a hinge, and a slider attached to the flexible display, the slider configured to slide relative to at least the second body portion as the flexible display assumes the first or second configuration, wherein the hinge comprises a knuckle on the first body portion and a pin on the second body portion, wherein the first body portion has a first outer surface that extends along the flexible display, and a second outer surface that is parallel to the first outer surface and opposite the first body portion from the first outer surface, and wherein the knuckle is offset partially beyond the second outer surface in a direction away from the first outer surface so that the second outer surface forms a recess adjacent the knuckle.

17. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the first body portion, the second body portion, or the slider, has a frame adjacent at least a portion of an edge of the flexible display, the frame configured to protect the portion of the edge.

18. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the recess is configured to at least partially contain the slider in the second configuration of the flexible display.

19. An electronic device comprising:
a processor;
a memory;
a flexible display having at least a substantially planar configuration and a substantially folded configuration wherein the flexible display is bent approximately 180 degrees; and
a hinged enclosure that supports the flexible display in the substantially planar and substantially folded configurations, the hinged enclosure including (i) a first body portion attached to the flexible display, (ii) a second body portion coupled to the first body portion by a hinge, the second body portion including a plate, and (iii) a slider attached to the flexible display, the slider having a slot therein, wherein the plate slidingly engages with the slot to facilitate the slider assuming at least first and second positions relative to the second body portion, wherein the first body portion has a first outer surface that extends along the flexible display, and a second outer surface that is parallel to the first outer surface and opposite the first body portion from the first outer surface, and wherein the hinge is offset partially beyond the second outer surface in a direction away from the first outer surface so that the second outer surface forms a recess adjacent the hinge.

20. The electronic device of claim 19 , further comprising an actuator mounted to the first body portion, the actuator configured to bring the slider to the first position as the flexible display assumes the substantially planar configuration, and to bring the slider to the second position as the flexible display assumes the substantially folded configuration.

21. The electronic device of claim 20 , further comprising a linkage that couples the actuator to the slider.

22. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the flexible display faces outward in the substantially folded configuration.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Ou Davis
• Liao Eugene
• Yeh Han-Wen
• Chuang Max
• Liu Mike

Classifications

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• G06F1/1652 Primary

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

• H04M1/0216

  Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge · CPC title

• G06F1/1626

  with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs] · CPC title

• G09F9/301 Primary

  flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED · CPC title