Foldable support device and foldable flexible display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11086356-B2
Application number	US-202016871235-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2020
Priority date	Sep 19, 2018
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a foldable support device, including: a driving component and a support component connected with the driving component; and a rotating gear and a rack intermeshing with each other and connected with the driving component and the support component. The driving component and the support component are disposed on a non-display surface of a flexible display panel; and the flexible display panel is folded or unfolded with intermeshing rotating and relative moving of the rotating gear and the rack. By setting the rotating gear and the rack, when the flexible display panel is folding, the rotating gear rotates along the rack and drives the support component to move away from the driving component. Sufficient storage space is generated for the flexible display panel while folding to effectively prevent the display failure caused by folding of the flexible display panel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A foldable support device, comprising:
a driving component,
a support component connected with the driving component; and
a rotating gear and a rack, intermeshing with each other and connected with the driving component and the support component;
wherein the driving component and the support component are disposed on a non-display surface of a flexible display panel;
wherein the rotating gear and the rack intermesh with each other to rotate and have a relative movement therebetween to fold or unfold the flexible display panel;
wherein the driving component further comprises a rotating shaft, a rotating portion and a fixed portion, and the rotating portion is rotatably connected with the fixed portion through the rotating shaft;
wherein the rotating shaft comprises a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft arranged in parallel, the rotating portion comprises a first rotating portion and a second rotating portion respectively disposed at both ends of the fixed portion, the first rotating portion is rotatably connected with the fixed portion through the first rotating shaft, the second rotating portion is rotatably connected with the fixed portion through the second rotating shaft, a worm gear structure is disposed between the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft, and the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are respectively connected with the worm gear structure.

2. The foldable support device of claim 1 , wherein the rotating gear is connected with the driving component, the rack is connected with the support component, and the rotating gear rotates along the rack and moves relatively to the rack, driving the driving component connected with the rotating gear to move relatively to the support component connected with the rack.

3. The foldable support device of claim 1 , wherein the rotating gear is connected with the support component; the rack is connected with the driving component; and the rotating gear rotates along the rack and moves relatively to the rack, driving the support component connected with the rotating gear to move relatively to the driving component connected with the rack.

4. The foldable support device of claim 1 , wherein the support component comprises at least one shell structure;
the at least one shell structure is used for supporting and fixing a non-bending area of the flexible display panel.

5. The foldable support device of claim 1 , wherein the foldable support device comprises a plurality of the racks and a plurality of the rotating gears which are respectively meshed with the plurality of the racks.

6. The foldable support device of claim 1 , wherein the rotating portion has a sliding portion disposed thereon, the at least one shell structure has a sliding channel disposed thereon, and the sliding portion is disposed in the sliding channel and slides along the sliding channel.

7. The foldable support device of claim 1 , wherein a shaft locking portion is disposed on the rotating shaft.

8. The foldable support device of claim 1 , wherein the foldable support device further comprises a bending driving mechanism connected to the rotating gear, used for driving the rotating gear to rotate along the rack and move relatively to the rack.

9. The foldable support device of claim 8 , wherein the bending driving mechanism comprises a motor.

10. The foldable support device of claim 1 , wherein the fixed portion has a slide groove fixed portion disposed thereon, the slide groove fixed portion has a slide groove disposed thereon, the rotating portion has an end slide block disposed thereon, and the end slide block is disposed in the slide groove and slides along the slide groove.

11. The foldable support device of claim 10 , wherein the rotating portion has a plurality of the end slide blocks disposed thereon, the slide groove fixed portion has a plurality of the slide grooves corresponding to the plurality of the end slide blocks disposed thereon, and the plurality of the end slide blocks are respectively disposed in the plurality of the slide grooves.

12. The foldable support device of claim 10 , wherein the slide groove is a linear slide groove and an angle between a straight line direction of the slide groove and a plane where the flexible display panel located is greater than zero and less than ninety degrees.

13. A foldable support device, comprising:
a driving component,
a support component connected with the driving component; and
a rotating gear and a rack, intermeshing with each other and connected with the driving component and the support component;
wherein the driving component and the support component are disposed on a non-display surface of a flexible display panel;
wherein the rotating gear and the rack intermesh with each other to rotate and have a relative movement therebetween to fold or unfold the flexible display panel;
wherein the driving component further comprises a rotating shaft, a rotating portion and a fixed portion, and the rotating portion is rotatably connected with the fixed portion through the rotating shaft; wherein the fixed portion has a slide groove fixed portion disposed thereon, the slide groove fixed portion has a slide groove disposed thereon, the rotating portion has an end slide block disposed thereon, and the end slide block is disposed in the slide groove and slides along the slide groove.

14. The foldable support device of claim 13 , wherein the rotating portion has a plurality of the end slide blocks disposed thereon, the slide groove fixed portion has a plurality of the slide grooves corresponding to the plurality of the end slide blocks disposed thereon, and the plurality of the end slide blocks are respectively disposed in the plurality of the slide grooves.

15. The foldable support device of claim 13 , wherein the slide groove is a linear slide groove and an angle between a straight line direction of the slide groove and a plane where the flexible display panel located is greater than zero and less than ninety degrees.

16. A foldable flexible display device, comprising:
a flexible display panel for performing a display function; and
a foldable support device, comprising:
a driving component;
a support component connected with the driving component;
a rotating gear and a rack, intermeshing with each other and connected with the driving component and the support component;

wherein the driving component and the support component are disposed on a non-display surface of the flexible display panel;
wherein the rotating gear and the rack intermesh with each other to rotate and have a relative movement therebetween to fold or unfold the flexible display panel;
wherein the driving component further comprises a rotating shaft, a rotating portion and a fixed portion, and the rotating portion is rotatably connected with the fixed portion through the rotating shaft;
wherein the rotating shaft comprises a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft arranged in parallel, the rotating portion comprises a first rotating portion and a second rotating portion respectively disposed at both ends of the fixed portion, the first rotating portion is rotatably connected with the fixed portion through the first rotating shaft, the second rotating portion is rotatably connected with the fixed portion through the second rotating shaft, a worm gear structure is disposed between the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft, and the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are respectively connected with the worm gear structure.

17. The

Assignees

• Yungu Guan Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hou Hongqi
• Zhu Zhaoji
• Ding Liwei
• Liao fu
• Sun Kanglong
• Wu Yuhua

Classifications

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• G09F9/301 Primary

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

• G06F1/1652

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

• G06F1/1616 Primary

  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

• E05D3/122

  Gear hinges · CPC title