Electronic device having flexible display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12369264-B2
Application number	US-202318171937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2023
Priority date	Sep 1, 2020
Publication date	Jul 22, 2025
Grant date	Jul 22, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device includes a flexible display slidably coupled to a housing and including a first portion exposed outside the housing and a second portion connected to the first portion and both extendable out of and retractable into the housing together with sliding of the first portion, a first roller inside the housing and rotatable about a first shaft having a radius of curvature, and a second roller which is inside the housing, rotatable about a second shaft spaced apart from the first shaft and being further from the end portion of the housing than the first shaft. Retraction of the flexible display into the housing extends the second portion of the flexible display along the first roller to have a curvature corresponding the radius of curvature of the first roller, together with the second portion of the flexible display being extended along the second roller.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing having an end portion;
a flexible display slidably coupled to the housing, the flexible display comprising:
a first portion exposed outside the housing and slidable along a sliding direction in both a direction away from and in a direction toward the end portion of the housing, and
a second portion which is connected to the first portion, the second portion being extendable out of the housing and retractable into the housing together with sliding of the first portion of the flexible display along the sliding direction;

a plurality of rollers inside the housing and along which the flexible display is movable in both extension and retraction of the flexible display respectively out of and into the housing, the plurality of rollers comprising:
a first roller inside the housing and rotatable about a first shaft adjacent to the end portion of the housing, the first roller having a first radius of curvature; and
a second roller which is inside the housing and rotatable about a second shaft spaced apart from the first shaft along the sliding direction, the second shaft being further from the end portion of the housing than the first shaft; and

a multi-link sliding member which is attached to the flexible display at the second portion and moveable together with the flexible display,
wherein the retraction of the flexible display into the housing extends the second portion of the flexible display along the first roller to have a curvature corresponding the first radius of curvature of the first roller, and extends each of a portion of the multi-link sliding member and a part of the second portion of the flexible display along the second roller and between the second roller and the first portion of the flexible display.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second roller has a second radius of curvature which is smaller than the first radius of curvature of the first roller.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a slide plate which is attached to the flexible display at the first portion and is slidably coupled to the housing; and
the retraction of the flexible display into the housing extends each of the portion of the multi-link sliding member and the part of the second portion of the flexible display along the second roller and between the second roller and the slide plate.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , further comprising:
a plurality of guide plates spaced apart from each other in a direction crossing the sliding direction, each of the plurality of guide plates extending lengthwise along the sliding direction and defining a guide groove along which the multi-link sliding member slides, and
the multi-link sliding member further comprises:
a plurality of bars parallel to the flexible display and extending in the direction crossing the sliding direction,
the plurality of bars moveable together with each other along the first roller or the second roller, together with sliding of the flexible display, and
each bar among the plurality of bars includes opposing ends along the direction crossing the sliding direction, and a protrusion at each of the opposing ends, the protrusions of the each bar being engaged with a respective guide groove of the plurality of guide plates.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , further comprising:
a guide rail which is between the plurality of guide plates and spaced apart from each of the plurality of guide plates, along the direction crossing the sliding direction, and
the each bar among the plurality of bars further includes a hook which engages with the guide rail and is slidably disposed with the guide rail.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , further comprising:
a support member which is inside the housing and faces the first portion of the flexible display with the slide plate therebetween,
wherein
the plurality of guide plates and the guide rail are fixedly coupled to the support member, and
the slide plate is movably coupled to the support member.

7. The electronic device of claim 4 , further comprising:
a tension band which extends along the sliding direction and provides a tension to the flexible display in a direction towards the end portion of the housing, the tension band coupled to the first shaft at a first end of the tension band and to the flexible display at a second end of the tension band which is opposite to the first end of the tension band;
the first shaft including opposing ends along the direction crossing the sliding direction; and
an elastic member which is coupled to both of the opposing ends of the first shaft and provides an elastic force of the first shaft according to rotation of the first shaft.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , further comprising:
a third roller which is coupled to the first shaft and is adjacent to the first roller along the first shaft,
the third roller having an outer circumferential radius smaller than an outer circumferential radius of the first roller,
the first end of the tension band being coupled to the third roller.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein
the elastic member comprises a static load spring, and
the static load spring is coupled to the first roller at a first end of the static load spring, and to a guide plate among the plurality of guide plates at a second end of the static load spring which is opposite to the first end of the static load spring.

10. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the tension band comprises polyethylene or polyurethane.

11. The electronic device of claim 8 , further comprising:
a fixing member which faces a bar among the plurality of bars of the multi-link sliding member, with the tension band therebetween,
wherein coupling of the fixing member to the bar of the multi-link sliding member couples the tension band to the multi-link sliding member.

12. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein
the first roller comprises a protrusion radially extended from an outer surface of the first roller,
the multi-link sliding member further comprises:
a plurality of bars parallel to the flexible display and extending in the direction crossing the sliding direction,
the plurality of bars moveable together with each other along the first roller or the second roller, together with sliding of the flexible display, and
a gap defined between adjacent bars among the plurality of bars of the multi-link sliding member, and

movement of the plurality of bars of the multi-link sliding member along the first roller inserts the protrusion of the first roller into the gap which is defined between the adjacent bars.

13. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein
the first roller comprises a plurality of protrusions radially extended from an outer surface of the first roller,
the multi-link sliding member further comprises:
a plurality of bars parallel to the flexible display and extending in the direction crossing the sliding direction, and
the plurality of bars moveable together with each other along the first roller or the second roller, together with sliding of the flexible display, and

movement of the plurality of bars of the multi-link sliding member along the first roller defines a plurality of recesses between adjacent bars among the plurality of bars and inserts the plurality of protrusions of the first roller respectively into the plurality of recesses.

14. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein
the first roller comprises a plurality of recesses recessed from an outer surface of the first roller,
the multi-link sliding member further

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Hyungsoo
• Kang Jaeho
• Kim Jungjin
• Lee Minsung
• Jung Iksu

Classifications

• H02J7/70

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title

• G09F9/301

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

• G06F2203/04102

  Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper · CPC title

• G06F1/1637

  Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing · CPC title

• G06F1/1652 Primary

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