Foldable device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9798359-B2
Application number	US-201514627694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2015
Priority date	Feb 21, 2014
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A foldable device includes first and second bodies that respectively support a first part and a second part of a flexible display device and are foldably connected to each other between a folded position and an unfolded position, and a movable support member that continuously near-supports a third part of the flexible display device between the first part and the second part when the first body and the second body change from the folded position to the unfolded position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A foldable device comprising:
a flexible display comprising a first part, a second part, and a third part between the first part and the second part;
a first body and a second body that respectively support the first part and the second part and are foldably connected to each other between a folded position and an unfolded position; and
a moveable support member configured to continuously support the third part when the first body and the second body change from the folded position to the unfolded position; and an elastic unit configured to apply a tensile force to the flexible display device at the unfolded position, wherein the elastic unit comprises:
a facing arm provided on the second body and comprising a facing portion; and an elastic arm on the first body, configured to contact the facing arm to be elastically deformed when the first body and the second body change between the folded position and the unfolded position, and comprising a first contact portion that is configured to elastically contact the facing portion at the unfolded position, wherein the first body and the second body respectively comprise a first support and a second support that respectively support the first part and the second part of the flexible display, and a first receiver and a second receiver that respectively retreat from the first support and the wherein when the first body and the second body are in the unfolded position, a central portion of the third part is supported by the movable support member, and wherein when the first body and the second body are in the folded position, the third part is bent by a side portion of the third part being supported by the first receiver and the second receiver, respectively, and the central portion of the third part is received between the first receiver and the second receiver.

2. The foldable device of claim 1 , wherein when the first body and the second body change between the unfolded position and the folded position, the movable support member is configured to move between a support position that supports the third part of the flexible display and a retreat position that retreats from the support position in order to receive a curved portion formed in the third part.

3. The foldable device of claim 2 , wherein when the movable support member is located at the retreat position, the third part is received in a receiving space defined by the first receiver, the second receiver, and the movable support member.

4. The foldable device of claim 2 , wherein:
the movable support member comprises slots that extend in a folding/unfolding direction of the first body and the second body;
a pair of guide portions that are insertable into the slots are provided on the first body and the second body to face each other; and
when the first body and the second body move between the folded position and the unfolded position, the pair of guide portions slide in the slots so that the movable support member moves between the support position and the retreat position.

5. The foldable device of claim 2 , wherein the first receiver and the second receiver are respectively provided in the first support and the second support to move between a first position that supports the third part of the flexible display and a second position that receives the curved portion.

6. The foldable device of claim 5 , wherein the first receiver and the second receiver are configured to move between the first position and the second position as the movable support member moves between the support position and the retreat position.

7. The foldable device of claim 6 , further comprising a first pivot lever and a second pivot lever having first ends that are pivotably connected to the movable support member and second ends that are connected to the first receiver and the second receiver,
wherein the first pivot lever and the second pivot lever move the first receiver and the second receiver to the first position when the movable support member moves to the support position, and allow the first receiver and the second receiver to be pushed by the flexible display to move to the second position when the movable support member moves to the retreat position.

8. The foldable device of claim 7 , further comprising stoppers that, when the first receiver and the second receiver reach the first position, support the first pivot lever and the second pivot lever so that the first receiver and the second receiver are not separated from the flexible display.

9. The foldable device of claim 1 , wherein the elastic unit is configured to apply an elastic force to the first body and the second body so that the first body and the second body unfold at the unfolded position.

10. The foldable device of claim 9 , wherein the elastic unit applies the elastic force to the first body and the second body so that the first body and the second body are maintained at the unfolded position.

11. The foldable device of claim 1 , wherein: the elastic arm further comprises a second contact portion that is inclined with respect to the first contact portion; and the second contact portion is configured to elastically contact the facing portion at a predetermined unfolding angle between the folded position and the unfolded position.

12. The foldable device of claim 11 , wherein the first contact portion and the second contact portion have planar shapes, and the facing portion has a planar shape and surface-contacts the first contact portion and the second contact portion.

13. The foldable device of claim 11 , wherein:
the elastic arm comprises a boundary portion that projects most, from the elastic arm, toward the second body; and
the first contact portion and the second contact portion have curved shapes and are distinguished from each other by the boundary portion.

14. The foldable device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first body and the second body respectively comprise a first base cover and a second base cover that define an outer appearance, and a first frame and a second frame that are respectively disposed in the first base cover and the second base cover and respectively support the first part and the second part of the flexible display-device; and the elastic arm is integrally formed with the first frame and the facing arm is integrally formed with the second frame.

15. The foldable device of claim 1 , wherein the elastic arm has a leaf spring shape and is coupled to the first body.

16. The foldable device of claim 1 , wherein the facing arm contacts the elastic arm to be elastically deformed when the first body and the second body change between the folded position and the unfolded position.

17. The foldable device of claim 16 , wherein the facing arm has a leaf spring shape and is coupled to the second body.

18. The foldable device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a magnetic member in the first body; and an attachment member in the second body,
wherein the magnetic member and the attachment member are configured to attach to each other due to a magnetic force when the first body and the second body are in the folded position.

19. The foldable device of claim 18 , wherein the magnetic member comprises a permanent magnet and a magnetic shielding member that surrounds surfaces of the permanent magnet other than a surface that faces the attachment member.

20. The foldable device of claim 1 , further comprising a cover member that covers adjacent edges of the first body and the second body.

21. The foldable device of claim

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Seo Ho-Seong
• Park Kyung-Wan
• Lee Ga-Eun
• Jung Ji-Hyun
• Cho Shi-Yun

Classifications

• G06F1/1652 Primary

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