Electronic device including slidable body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10944853-B2
Application number	US-202016807487-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2020
Priority date	May 9, 2019
Publication date	Mar 9, 2021
Grant date	Mar 9, 2021

Abstract

According to certain embodiments, an electronic device may include a housing, a slidable body; a driver including: a drive motor, a rotatable drive shaft for the drive motor, and a nut frame including a latch projection, protruding in a direction of the slidable body, and a slide hinge disposed on the slidable body and coupled to the driver, wherein the slide hinge includes: a slide plate coupled to the slidable body, and a locker including a latch groove, into which the latch protrusion is inserted, wherein, when the latch projection is inserted into the latch groove, the slidable body is moved by the driver, and wherein the slide plate defines an escape area configured to receive at least a portion of the nut frame and/or the latch protrusion, when an external impact causes the latch protrusion to separate from the latch groove.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing;
a slidable body coupled in the housing;
a driver disposed in the housing and configured to drive movement of the slidable body, the driver including:
a drive motor;
a rotatable drive shaft disposed through the drive motor; and
a nut frame including a latch projection disposed to reciprocate in a longitudinal direction of the rotatable drive shaft according to rotation of the rotatable drive shaft, and protruding in a direction of the slidable body; and

a slide hinge disposed on the slidable body and coupled to the driver, the slide hinge including:
a slide plate coupled to the slidable body; and
a locker including a latch groove disposed on a same plane as that defined by a surface of the slide plate in the slidable body, and into which the latch projection is inserted,

wherein, when the latch projection is inserted into the latch groove, the slidable body is moved by the driver, and
wherein the slide plate defines an escape area configured to receive at least a portion of the nut frame and/or the latch projection, when an external impact causes the latch projection to separate from the latch groove.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the latch projection includes at least a partially tapered first inclined portion configured to induce separation from the latch groove.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the latch projection includes a second inclined portion that is at least partially tapered to guide coupling of the latch projection and the separated latch groove, the latch projection oriented in a direction opposite to an orientation of the first inclined portion.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the locker includes an inclined surface, the inclined surface oriented as to face the second inclined portion when the locker and the latch projection are in a separated state.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , further including a motor housing supporting the drive motor disposed within the housing, the drive motor configured to rotatably receive the rotatable drive shaft in the motor housing.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the nut frame is fastened by a fastener penetrated through the rotatable drive shaft.

7. The electronic device of claim 2 , further comprising a guide shaft penetrating the nut frame at one side of the rotatable drive shaft.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises:
a front cover disposed at substantially a front surface of the housing;
a rear cover facing a direction opposite to that of the front cover, and forming a portion of a rear surface of the housing; and
a side member enclosing a space defined between the front cover and the rear cover and forming at least partially a side surface of the housing,
wherein the slidable body is slidably disposed through at least a portion of the side member.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the slidable body forms a first rear surface of the housing, such that the first rear surface is substantially a same size as that of the front surface together with the rear cover, when the slidable body is stowed in the housing.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the slidable body forms a second rear surface of the housing, the second rear surface substantially larger than the first rear surface together with the rear cover, when the slidable body is extended from the housing.

11. The electronic device of claim 8 , further comprising a display, disposed in an internal space defined within the housing, the display visible from an exterior of the device through at least a portion of the front cover.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one sensor module; and
at least one processor configured to:
detect droppage of the electronic device using the at least one sensor module, and
control the drive motor according to the detection result.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein controlling the drive motor further includes actuating the drive motor when the droppage of the electronic device is detected.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the drive motor is actuated by the processor to stow the slidable body in the housing when the droppage is detected while the slidable body is extended from the housing.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein a movable distance S 1 of the slidable body from a time of detecting the droppage to a time immediately before collision resulting from the droppage is calculated using Equation 3:

S
⁢

⁢
1

=

v
⁢

2
⁢
h

g

[

Equation
⁢

⁢
3

]

where S 1 is the movable distance, v is a rotational speed of the drive motor, h is a drop height of the electronic device, and g is acceleration of gravity.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein an escape depth d of the escape area is determined based on the movable distance S 1 of the slidable body.

17. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the at least one sensor module comprises an acceleration sensor.

18. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing including a first cover, a second cover facing a direction opposite to that of the first cover, and a side member enclosing a space defined between the first cover and the second cover, the side member including a support member extended to the space;
a slidable body coupled to the housing and extendable from an interior of the housing to a exterior of the electronic device;
a drive motor disposed in the support member;
a rotatable drive shaft disposed through the drive motor;
a nut frame including a latch protrusion disposed to reciprocate along a longitudinal axis of the rotatable drive shaft according to a rotation of the rotatable drive shaft and protruded in a direction of the slidable body;
a slide plate fixed to the slidable body; and
a locker comprising a latch groove disposed on a same plane as that defined by a surface of the slide plate in the slidable body and into which the latch protrusion is inserted,
wherein, when the latch protrusion is inserted into the latch groove, the slidable body is moved by actuation of the drive motor, and
wherein the slide plate defines an escape area configured to receive at least a portion of the nut frame and/or the latch protrusion, when an external impact causes the latch protrusion to separate from the latch groove.

19. The electronic device of

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Younghoon
• Kim Woonbae
• Lee Chulhwan
• Hwang Sungkyu
• Kim Cheolsoo
• Jin Minwook
• Lee Howon
• Bae Chulho
• Lee Junghoon

Classifications

• H04M1/185

  Improving the shock resistance of the housing, e.g. by increasing the rigidity · CPC title

• G06F1/1624 Primary

  with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display · CPC title

• G06F1/1656

  Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories (mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203) · CPC title

• G06F1/1628

  Enclosures for carrying portable computers with peripheral devices, e.g. cases for a laptop and a printer · CPC title

• H04M1/0235 Primary

  Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts · CPC title