Hinge mechanism by gear set with slider for foldable display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10890949-B2
Application number	US-201816159154-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2018
Priority date	Oct 12, 2018
Publication date	Jan 12, 2021
Grant date	Jan 12, 2021

Abstract

In a general aspect, a foldable display device may include processor, a memory, a first housing having a first end portion and a second end portion, a first length extending between the first end portion and the second end portion of the first housing, a second housing having a first end portion and a second end portion, a second length extending between the first end portion and the second end portion of the second housing, the second length being different than the first length, a flexible display disposed on the first housing and the second housing, and a hinge assembly disposed between the first housing and the second housing to rotate the first housing and the second toward each other. The hinge assembly may include a slider and plurality of gears. The slider and the plurality of gears operate to transfer a rotational movement into a translational movement of at least one of the first housing or the second housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A foldable electronic device, comprising:
a processor;
a memory;
a first housing having a first end portion and a second end portion, a first length extending between the first end portion and the second end portion of the first housing;
a second housing having a first end portion and a second end portion, a second length extending between the first end portion and the second end portion of the second housing, the second length being different than the first length;
a flexible display disposed on the first housing and the second housing; and
a hinge assembly coupled to the first housing and the second housing for relative rotation of the first housing and the second housing, the hinge assembly including a slider and a set of gears disposed within the slider, wherein the first end portion of the first housing is distal to the hinge assembly and the second end portion of the first housing is proximate to the hinge assembly, wherein the first end portion of the second housing is proximate to the hinge assembly and the second end portion of the second housing is proximate to the hinge assembly, and wherein the slider is configured to:
upon the relative rotation occurring in a first direction, move translationally with respect to the second housing and cause the first housing to translationally move in a first linear direction away from the second housing and to cause a distance between the second end portion of the first housing and the first end portion of the second housing to increase, and
upon the relative rotation occurring in a second direction, move translationally with respect to the second housing and cause the first housing to translationally move in a second linear direction toward the second housing and to cause the distance to decrease, the second linear direction being opposite to the first linear direction.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first length is longer than the second length.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the hinge assembly is configured to rotate the second housing towards the first housing.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first housing has a first thickness and the second housing has a second thickness, the first thickness of the first housing being larger than the second thickness of the second housing.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first end portion of the first housing has a first thickness and the second end portion of the first housing has a second thickness, the second thickness being different than the first thickness.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the second housing has a third thickness,
wherein a combined thickness of the second thickness of the first housing and the third thickness of the second housing has a same thickness as the first thickness of the first housing.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the hinge assembly further comprises a gear rack, the gear rack including a plurality of teeth to cooperatively engage with at least one of the set of gears.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the gear rack is coupled to a surface of the first housing.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a free-stop hinge in a gear housing, the free-stop hinge being connected to a portion of the set of gears.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a flexible display, wherein the flexible display is coupled to the first housing and the second housing.

11. A foldable display device, comprising:
a processor;
a memory;
a first housing having a first end portion and a second end portion;
a second housing having a first end portion and a second end portion;
a flexible display disposed on the first housing and the second housing; and
a hinge assembly coupled to the first housing and the second housing, wherein the first end portion of the first housing is distal to the hinge assembly and the second end portion of the first housing is proximate to the hinge assembly, wherein the first end portion of the second housing is proximate to the hinge assembly and the second end portion of the second housing is proximate to the hinge assembly, the hinge assembly including a slider, a first set of gears and a second set of gears, the first set of gears being disposed in the slider and one of the second set of gears being disposed in the second housing such that when the second housing rotates with respect to the hinge assembly, the slider moves translationally in a linear direction with respect to the second set of gears between a first position and a second position and causes the first housing to move translationally in the linear direction, wherein:
in the first position of the slider, the second end portion of the first housing and the first end portion of the second housing are separated by a first distance, and
in the second position of the slider, the second end portion of the first housing and the first end portion of the second housing are separated by a second distance, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

12. The foldable display device of claim 11 , wherein the first position corresponds to the display device being in a folded position.

13. The foldable display device of claim 11 , wherein the second position corresponds to the display device being in an unfolded position.

14. The foldable display device of claim 11 , wherein, in the first position, the second end portion of the first housing and the first end portion of the second housing are facing each other.

15. The foldable display device of claim 11 , wherein, in the second position, the second end portion of the first housing and the first end portion of the second housing are facing away from each other.

16. The foldable display device of claim 11 , wherein the slider further includes an extension member, the extension member being configured to extend into an opening in the first cover housing and move within the opening based on a rotational movement of the third cover housing.

17. The foldable display device of claim 16 , wherein the extension member includes at least one projection member to cooperatively engage with at least one groove formed on the first cover housing.

18. The foldable display device of claim 16 , wherein the slider includes a first side portion and a second side portion, the extension member extending in an orthogonal direction with respect to one of the first side portion or the second side portion.

19. The foldable display device of claim 16 , further comprising a gear housing, the gear housing being disposed on a first side portion or a second side portion of the slider.

20. The foldable display device of claim 16 , wherein one of the second set of gears is disposed in the gear housing.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Ou Davis
• Liu Mike

Classifications

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• G09F9/301

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

• H04M1/0237

  Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom · CPC title

• H04M1/0216

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

• G06F1/1681 Primary

  Details related solely to hinges (hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683) · CPC title