Foldable terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11199874-B2
Application number	US-202016879936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2020
Priority date	Dec 29, 2015
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a foldable terminal, including a body and a flexible screen assembly. The body includes a first structural member, a second structural member and a coupling assembly. The coupling assembly includes a fixed member and two sliding bars. The two sliding bars are rotatably coupled to two side walls of the fixed member correspondingly and coupled to the first structural member and the second structural member correspondingly. The flexible screen assembly is disposed to a first side surface of the body, and has a bending area facing the fixed member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A foldable terminal, comprising a body and a flexible screen assembly,
the body comprising a first structural member, a second structural member and a coupling assembly, an end portion of the first structural member defining a first sliding cavity and an end portion of the second structural member defining a second sliding cavity;
the coupling assembly comprising a fixed member and two sliding bars, first ends of the two sliding bars being rotatably coupled to two opposite side walls of the fixed member correspondingly, second ends of the two sliding bars being slidably coupled to the first sliding cavity and the second sliding cavity correspondingly;
the flexible screen assembly being disposed to a first side surface of the body, the flexible screen assembly comprising a bending area facing the fixed member, the first side surface of the body comprising at least side surfaces of the first structural member and the second structural member facing the flexible screen assembly;
wherein when the first structural member and the second structural member are folded toward each other, the fixed member slides toward a second side surface of the body opposite to the first side surface of the body under push of the bending area, in which the second side surface of the body comprises at least side surfaces of the first structural member and the second structural member facing away from the flexible screen assembly; when the first structural member and the second structural member are spread relative to each other, the two opposite side walls of the fixed member get close to the end portions of the first structural member and the second structural member correspondingly, so as to flatten the second side surface of the body,
wherein the first sliding cavity has a first bottom wall opposite to an opening of the first sliding cavity, the second sliding cavity has a second bottom wall opposite to an opening of the second sliding cavity, the coupling assembly also comprises two elastic members, one of the two elastic members is elastically coupled between the second end of one of the two sliding bars and the first bottom wall, and the other one of the two elastic members is elastically coupled between the second end of the other one of the two sliding bars and the second bottom wall.

2. The foldable terminal according to claim 1 , wherein when the first structural member and the second structural member are spread relative to each other, a side surface of the fixed member facing the flexible screen assembly is in contact with the bending area, so as to support the bending area.

3. The foldable terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the bending area is always close fitted with a side surface of the fixed member facing the flexible screen assembly.

4. The foldable terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic member is one of a spring and silica gel.

5. The foldable terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the two sliding bars are symmetrically disposed.

6. The foldable terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling assembly comprises two sets of sliding bars, one pair of sliding bars is configured as one set, and the first ends of the two sets of sliding bars are disposed to the fixed member at intervals along a longitudinal direction of the fixed member.

7. The foldable terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the fixed member comprises two side walls disposed opposite to each other, the side wall is provided with a groove, and the first end of the sliding bar is rotatably connected in the groove through a rotating shaft.

8. The foldable terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the fixed member comprises two side walls disposed opposite to each other, the side wall is provided with a spherical groove, and the first end of the sliding bar is a ball head and is connected in the spherical groove in a ball joint manner.

9. The foldable terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the end portion of the first structural member is provided with a first baffle plate, the end portion of the second structural member is provided with a second baffle plate, a surface of the first baffle plate facing away from the flexible screen assembly is flush with the side surface of the first structural member facing away from the flexible screen assembly, a surface of the second baffle plate facing away from the flexible screen assembly is flush with the side surface of the second structural member facing away from the flexible screen assembly, and the coupling assembly is configured to be enclosed by the first baffle plate and the second baffle plate.

10. The foldable terminal according to claim 9 , wherein a sum of lengths of the first baffle plate and the second baffle plate along a transverse direction of the fixed member is equal to a length of another side surface of the fixed member facing away from the flexible screen assembly along the transverse direction of the fixed member,
when an included angle between the first structural member and the second structural member is 180 degrees, the second side surface of the body is flush, and the fixed member is located in a sealed cavity defined by the first baffle plate, the second baffle plate and the bending area of the flexible screen assembly.

11. The foldable terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the body further comprises a board, and the board is disposed in at least one of the first structural member and the second structural member.

12. A foldable terminal, comprising:
a body comprising two structural members and a coupling assembly coupled between the two structural members, the coupling assembly comprising a fixed member and two sliding bars, first ends of the two sliding bars being rotatably coupled to two opposite side walls of the fixed member correspondingly, second ends of the two sliding bars being slidably coupled to the two structural members correspondingly; and
a flexible screen assembly disposed to a first side surface of the body, and having a bending area facing the fixed member, the first side surface of the body comprising at least side surfaces of the two structural members facing the flexible screen assembly;
wherein when the two structural members get close to each other to fold the body, the fixed member slides in a direction running away from the two structural members under push of the bending area; when the two structural members depart from each other to unfold the body, the fixed member gets close to the two structural members, so as to flatten a second side surface of the body opposite to the first side surface of the body, in which the second side surface of the body comprises at least side surfaces of the two structural members facing away from the flexible screen assembly,
wherein the fixed member comprises an upper-end surface and a lower-end surface opposite to each other, and in a direction from the upper-end surface to the lower-end surface, a length of the fixed member is equal to lengths of the two structural members,
wherein the two structural members each comprise an inner-end surface and an outer-end surface, the inner-end surfaces of the two structural members face to each other and the outer-end surfaces of the two structural members face away from each other,
the two structural members each define a sliding cavity extending in a direction from the inner-end surface to the outer-end surface, and the second end of the sliding bar is slidably connected in the sliding cavity,
wherein the inner-end surfaces of the two structural members each are provided with a baffle plate, and a surface of the baffle plate facing away from the flexible screen assembly is flush with the surface of the structural

Assignees

• Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
• Shenzhen Heytap Tech Corp Ltd

Inventors

• Lin Yugui

Classifications

• G06F1/16 Primary

  Constructional details or arrangements · 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

• H04M1/02

  Constructional features of telephone sets · CPC title

• G06F1/1681

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