Electronic device comprising flexible display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12426178-B2
Application number	US-202318144126-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2023
Priority date	Nov 5, 2020
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device can comprise: a housing forming at least a part of the exterior of the electronic device; a rear cover forming the rear surface of the electronic device; a display module loaded on the housing, the display module comprising a bracket including a rotary driving unit and a rear surface, a slide guide arranged on the bracket so as to be movable with respect to the rotary driving unit, and a flexible display arranged to encompass a part of an upper surface of the slide guide, the rotary driving unit, and the rear surface of the bracket; and a battery arranged inside the housing and arranged between the rear cover and a region of the flexible display encompassing the rear surface of the bracket.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing defining at least a portion of an exterior of the electronic device;
a rear surface cover defining a rear surface of the electronic device;
a display module seated in the housing, the display module comprising:
a bracket comprising a rotary drive portion and a rear surface,
a slide guide disposed on the bracket to be movable with respect to the rotary drive portion,
a flexible display disposed to surround a top surface of the slide guide, the rotary drive portion, and a portion of the rear surface of the bracket,
a main gear disposed at a side of the rotary drive portion,
at least one auxiliary gear disposed at a side of the bracket,
a main gear cover covering the main gear, and
an auxiliary gear cover covering the at least one auxiliary gear; and

a battery disposed between the rear surface cover and an area of the flexible display that surrounds the rear surface of the bracket within the housing.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one electronic component of the electronic device that comprises the battery is disposed between the rear surface cover and the area of the flexible display that surrounds the rear surface of the bracket.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the bracket comprises a top surface facing a first direction and the rear surface faces a second direction opposite to the first direction, and
the flexible display surrounds the top surface of the slide guide that faces the first direction, an outer surface of the rotary drive portion, and the portion of the rear surface of the bracket that faces the second direction.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the bracket further comprises a slide portion located adjacent to the rotary drive portion.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the rotary drive portion has a cylindrical shape and the slide part has a flat plate shape, and
the cylindrical shape of the rotary drive portion has a diameter greater than a thickness of the slide portion.

6. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein a first edge of the slide portion adjacent to the rotary drive portion has a thickness greater than a thickness of another edge of the slide portion.

7. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the slide portion comprises at least one guide groove configured to guide movement of the slide guide.

8. The electronic device of claim 4 ,
wherein the main gear is configured to be coupled to the side surface of the rotary drive portion;
wherein the at least one auxiliary gear is configured to be coupled to a side surface of the slide portion;
wherein the main gear cover is configured to fix the main gear to the bracket; and
wherein the auxiliary gear cover is configured to fix the at least one auxiliary gear to the bracket.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the display module further comprises multiple bars configured to support the flexible display and to guide movement of the flexible display.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein a bump is disposed at an end of each of the multiple bars.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein teeth of the main gear and teeth of the at least one auxiliary gear are disposed to be engaged with each of the bumps.

12. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein each bump has an oval shape or capsule shape, and
areas of a respective bump adjacent to the teeth of the main gear and the teeth of the at least one auxiliary gear have a curved shape.

13. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein a protruding height of a respective bump from the end of each of the multiple bars is greater than a thickness of the main gear and a thickness of the at least one auxiliary gear.

14. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein each of the main gear cover and the auxiliary gear cover comprises at least one bent portion at an outer periphery thereof, and
the at least one bent portion has a shape bent to restrain each of the bumps.

15. An electronic device comprising:
a housing defining at least a portion of an exterior of the electronic device;
a rear surface cover defining a rear surface of the electronic device;
a display module seated in the housing, the display module comprising:
a bracket comprising a rotary drive portion and a rear surface,
a slide guide disposed on the bracket to be movable with respect to the rotary drive portion,
a flexible display disposed to surround the top surface of the slide guide, the rotary drive portion, and a portion of the rear surface of the bracket, the flexible display comprising an inner surface,
a main gear disposed at a side of the rotary drive portion,
at least one auxiliary gear disposed at a side of the bracket,
a main gear cover covering the main gear,
an auxiliary gear cover covering the at least one auxiliary gear, and

multiple bars attached to the inner surface of the flexible display to support the flexible display, the multiple bars configured to guide movement of the flexible display;

a printed circuit board disposed between the rear surface cover and an area of the flexible display that surrounds the rear surface of the bracket within the housing; and
at least one gear disposed on a side surface of the bracket, wherein teeth of the at least one gear are engaged with a bump disposed on each of the multiple bars to drive the display module.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jung Minsu
• Choi Jongchul

Classifications

• G06F1/1652 Primary

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

• G09F9/301 Primary

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

• G06F1/1628

  Enclosures for carrying portable computers with peripheral devices, e.g. cases for a laptop and a printer · CPC title

• G06F1/1624

  with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display · CPC title