Electronic device including drive motor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12422886-B2
Application number	US-202318467146-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2023
Priority date	Sep 16, 2022
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

An example electronic device may include a first housing, a second housing coupled to be slidable from the first housing, a flexible display supported by the first housing and the second housing and having a display area that varies based on the second housing being slid in or slid out. The electronic device may include a stopper assembly disposed in the first housing. The stopper assembly may include a stopper body elastically coupled to at least a portion of the first housing, and a pressing member coupled to the stopper body and configured to come into contact with a protrusion located in the second housing, wherein, in a slide-out state, the stopper body is at least partially disposed in a recess in the second housing by pressure from the pressing member being pressed by the protrusion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a first housing;
a second housing coupled to be slidable with respect to the first housing;
a flexible display supported by the first housing and the second housing and having a display area that varies based on a slide movement of the second housing; and
a stopper assembly disposed in the first housing,
wherein the stopper assembly comprises:
a stopper body elastically coupled to at least a portion of the first housing; and
a pressing member coupled to the stopper body and configured to come into contact with at least a portion of a protrusion located in the second housing, and

wherein, in a slide-out state, the stopper body is at least partially accommodated in a recess in the second housing by pressure from the pressing member being pressed by the protrusion.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a drive motor included in the first housing and comprising a pinion gear.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , further comprising a rack gear included in the second housing and gear-coupled with the pinion gear,
wherein the protrusion is disposed on the rack gear.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the pressing member is elastically coupled to the stopper body.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein, in a slide-in state, the stopper body retracts from the recess by a release of pressure from the pressing member being no longer pressed by the protrusion.

6. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the rack gear is disposed to be movable by a predetermined reciprocating distance in a same direction as a sliding direction of the second housing.

7. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the rack gear is disposed to be moved by the pinion gear before the second housing moves from a slide-in state or the slide-out state thereof.

8. The electronic device of one of claim 1 , further comprising a first spring for pressing the stopper body in a direction perpendicular to a sliding direction of the second housing.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , further comprising a second spring,
wherein the stopper body comprises a pressing member accommodation groove configured to accommodate at least a portion of the pressing member, and
wherein the pressing member is disposed to be pressed in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the second housing by the second spring.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the stopper body and the pressing member are disposed to be pressed in a same direction.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein a pressing force applied to the pressing member by the second spring is configured to be stronger than a pressing force applied to the stopper body by the first spring.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is disposed at a position to press the pressing member just before the second housing is switched to the slide-out state, and
wherein the recess is disposed at a position to accommodate a portion of the stopper body when the second housing is completely switched to the slide-out state.

13. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the recess extends along a side wall provided in the second housing to correspond to the stopper body, and
wherein the electronic device further comprises an inclined portion tapered between the recess and the side wall to gradually approach the rack gear.

14. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the protrusion has a tapered shape that further protrudes toward an end portion of a side surface of the rack gear.

15. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the first housing comprises a support bracket disposed in an inner space thereof and slidably coupled to the second housing, and
wherein the drive motor and the stopper assembly are disposed on the support bracket.

16. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a bendable support member connected to the second housing and disposed under the flexible display to support at least a portion of the flexible display,
wherein, in a slide-in state, at least a portion of the support member is accommodated in an inner space of the first housing together with the flexible display.

17. An electronic device comprising:
a first housing;
a second housing coupled to be slidable from the first housing and comprising a recess;
a flexible display supported by the first housing and the second housing and having a display area that varies based on the second housing being slid in or slid out;
a drive motor disposed in the first housing and including a pinion gear;
a rack gear disposed in the second housing to be gear-coupled with the pinion gear and comprising a protrusion at one end thereof; and
a stopper assembly disposed in the first housing,
wherein the stopper assembly comprises:
a first stopper facing the rack gear;
a second stopper facing away from the first stopper; and
an elastic member configured to press the first stopper and the second stopper in opposite directions between the first stopper and the second stopper, and

wherein, in a state in which an elastic force of the stopper assembly is increased by the protrusion pressing the first stopper, at least a portion of the second stopper is seated in the recess.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the rack gear is disposed to be movable by a predetermined reciprocating distance in a same direction as a sliding direction of the second housing.

19. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the rack gear is disposed to be moved by the pinion gear before the second housing moves from a slide-in state or a slide-out state thereof.

20. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the second housing is switched to a slide-in state when the stopper assembly is separated from the recess through retraction of the protrusion when the second housing is switched from a slide-out state to the slide-in state.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Junyoung
• Lee Wonho
• Lee Junyoung
• Kim Sukdong
• Seo Soohyun
• Yoon Byounguk

Classifications

• G06F1/1652

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

• F16H48/08

  comprising bevel gears · CPC title

• F16H2048/087

  characterised by the pinion gears, e.g. their type or arrangement · CPC title

• H02K7/116

  with gears · CPC title

• H02K7/06

  Means for converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion or vice versa · CPC title