Folding mechanism and mobile terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12301741-B2
Application number	US-202217791351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2022
Priority date	Mar 15, 2021
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments of this application disclose a folding mechanism and a mobile terminal. The folding mechanism includes a bracket and two support assemblies, with the two support assemblies respectively located on two sides of the bracket in a width direction. The support assembly includes a first support, a second support, and a swing arm, with the second support and the swing arm located on a same side of the first support. Because the second support and the first support are slidably connected rather than pivotally connected, the second support and the first support can be considered as one telescopic rod as a whole. Therefore, the bracket, the second support, the first support, and the swing arm form an equivalent three-rod linkage mechanism. In comparison with the related art, one linkage rod is saved, shortening a tolerance chain, which helps reducing a total tolerance of the folding mechanism.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A folding mechanism, comprising a bracket and two support assemblies, wherein the two support assemblies are respectively located on two sides of the bracket in a width direction, are both connected to the bracket and are able to be opened and closed relative to each other;
the support assembly comprises a first support, a second support, and a swing arm, with the second support and the swing arm located on a same side of the first support;
the second support is pivotally connected to the bracket and is slidably connected to the first support, and the first support is able to slide in a direction approaching or leaving the bracket relative to the second support; and
one end of the swing arm is pivotally connected to the bracket, the other end of the swing arm is pivotally connected to the first support, and an axis around which the swing arm is pivotally connected to the bracket is spaced apart from an axis around which the second support is pivotally connected to the bracket; wherein:
the first support comprises a plate body and a guide limiting structure, the guide limiting structure is located on one side of the plate body and is close to the bracket, and the second support is connected to the guide limiting structure; and
the guide limiting structure comprises two ribs and a plurality of stop pieces, the two ribs are spaced in parallel, the stop pieces are connected to the two ribs respectively, and the plate body, the two ribs, and the stop pieces enclose a channel, and the second support is plate-shaped and is slidably inserted into the channel; or
the guide limiting structure comprises two ribs, the two ribs are spaced in parallel, a side wall of the rib is provided with a slide groove with the slide grooves of the two ribs opposite each other, and inner walls of the slide and the plate body enclose a guide slot, and the second support is plate-shaped and is slidably inserted into the guide slot.

2. The folding mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the support assembly comprises at least two second supports, and second supports of one support assembly are pivotally connected to the bracket around a common axis.

3. The folding mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the support assembly comprises at least two swing arms, and swing arms of one support assembly are pivotally connected to the bracket around a common axis and are pivotally connected to the first support around a common axis.

4. A mobile terminal, comprising a folding mechanism, a first housing, a second housing, and a flexible display, wherein the folding mechanism is the folding mechanism according to claim 1 , the first housing is connected to one swing arm of the folding mechanism, and the second housing is connected to the other swing arm of the folding mechanism, wherein the folding mechanism, the first housing, and the second housing are located on a same side of the flexible display, and the flexible display is connected to the first housing and the second housing.

5. The folding mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the bracket includes a plurality of sub-brackets detachably connected in a length direction of the bracket.

6. The folding mechanism according to claim 5 , wherein the plurality of sub-brackets are fixedly connected.

7. A folding mechanism, comprising a bracket and two support assemblies, wherein the two support assemblies are respectively located on two sides of the bracket in a width direction, and both connected to the bracket and are able to be opened and closed relative to each other;
the support assembly comprises a first support, a second support, and a swing arm, with the second support and the swing arm located on a same side of the first support;
the second support is pivotally connected to the bracket and is slidably connected to the first support, and the first support is able to slide in a direction approaching or leaving the bracket relative to the second support; and
one end of the swing arm is pivotally connected to the bracket, the other end of the swing arm is pivotally connected to the first support, and an axis around which the swing arm is pivotally connected to the bracket is spaced apart form an axis around which the second support is pivotally connected to the bracket;
wherein the first support comprises a plate body and two curved arms, the curved arms are located on one side of the plate body and are close to the swing arm, one end of the curved arm is connected to the plate body, an opening of the curved arm faces towards the plate body, and the two curved arms are parallel and spaced apart from each other; and
a recess is provided on a side of the swing arm close to the plate body, a bottom of the recess is a curved plane, and the curved arms are located in the recess and are able to slide along the bottom of the recess.

8. The folding mechanism according to claim 7 , wherein
a bump is provided at a middle part of the bottom of the recess, two limit baffles are provided on a surface of the bump, the two limit baffles are located on two opposite sides of the bump in a length direction of the recess, and a gap is present between the limit baffle and the bottom of the recess; and
the bump is located between the two curved arms, and the curved arms are able to be slidably inserted into the gap.

9. The folding mechanism according to claim 7 , wherein the curved arms are connected to the recess of the swing arm, with the surface of the curved arms in contact with the bottom of the recess.

10. A mobile terminal, comprising a folding mechanism, a first housing, a second housing, and a flexible display, wherein the folding mechanism is the folding mechanism according to claim 7 , the first housing is connected to one swing arm of the folding mechanism, and the second housing is connected to the other swing arm of the folding mechanism, wherein the folding mechanism, the first housing, and the second housing are located on a same side of the flexible display, and the flexible display is connected to the first housing and the second housing.

11. A folding mechanism, comprising a bracket and two support assemblies, wherein the two support assemblies are respectively located on two sides of the bracket in a width direction, are both connected to the bracket and are able to be opened and closed relative to each other;
the support assembly comprises a first support, a second support, and a swing are, with the second support and the swing arm located on a same side of the first support;
the second support is pivotally connected to the bracket and is slidably connected to the first support, and the first support is able to slide in a direction approaching or leaving the bracket relative to the second support; and
one end of the swing arm is pivotally connected to the bracket, the other end of the swing arm is pivotally connected to the first support, and an axis around which the swing arm is pivotally connected to the bracket is spaced apart from an axis around which the second support is pivotally connected to the bracket; wherein:
an accommodating slot is provided on each of two sides of the bracket in the width direction, and the accommodating slot extends in a length direction of the bracket, wherein a bottom of the accommodating slot is provided with a first curved concave region and a second curved concave region, the first curved concave region adjoining the second curved concave region in the width direction of the bracket, with the first curved concave region closer to an edge of the bracket and the second curved concave region farther away from the edge of the bracket, and a radius of the first curved concave region smaller than that of the second curved c

Assignees

• Honor Device Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Yaolei
• Sun Jian
• Gong Longlong
• Li Haifei
• Gao Mingqian
• Yan Bin
• Zhou Guotong

Classifications

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · 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

• G06F1/1616

  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

• H04M1/022 Primary

  The hinge comprising two parallel pivoting axes · CPC title