Bendable display apparatus and supporting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9874048-B1
Application number	US-201615379607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 15, 2016
Priority date	Dec 15, 2016
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

A bendable display apparatus includes two supporting devices, a carrying plate, and a soft display mounted on the carrying plate. Each supporting device includes a hinge module and two buffering modules respectively installed on two opposite sides of the hinge module. Each buffering module includes an external linking member fixed on the hinge module, an internal linking member fixed on the carrying plate and being movable with respect to the external linking member, and a gear driven by the hinge module to move the internal linking member. Each hinge module is bendable between an unfolded position and an inwardly folded position. When the hinge module is bent from the unfolded position toward the inwardly folded position, the gear is driven by the hinge module to move the corresponding internal linking member away from the pivots.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bendable display apparatus, comprising:
two supporting devices each including:
a hinge module including:
a plurality of pivots parallel to each other and arranged in one row; and
a plurality of torsion units sleeved at the pivots, wherein at least two positioning portions are respectively arranged on two opposite portions of the torsion units, and at least two driving portions are respectively arranged on two opposite portions of the torsion units; and

two buffering modules respectively arranged at two opposite sides of the row of the pivots, respectively fixed on the at least two positioning portions, and respectively corresponding to the at least two driving portions, each of the two buffering modules including:
an external linking member fixed on the corresponding positioning portion;
an internal linking member movably disposed on the external linking member, wherein the internal linking member has at least one rack gear facing the external linking member; and
at least one gear engaged with the at least one rack gear and the corresponding positioning portion;
wherein in each of the two supporting devices, the hinge module is bendable between an unfolded position and an inwardly folded position along at least one of the pivots, and the torsion units stopping the hinge module at a desired position between the unfolded position and the inwardly folded position; when the hinge module is at the unfolded position, the supporting device is a flat construction; when the hinge module is at the inwardly folded position, the supporting device is a curved construction and the internal linking members are approximately arranged at the inner side of the curved construction;
wherein in each of the hinge modules, when the hinge module is bent from the unfolded position toward the inwardly folded position, the at least one gear is driven by the corresponding driving portion to move the at least one rack gear of the internal linking member away from the pivots;

a carrying plate fixed on the internal linking members of the two supporting devices; and
a soft display mounted on the carrying plate.

2. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in each of the buffering modules, the at least one gear is a spur gear and is pivotally connected to the corresponding positioning portion, a central axis of the gear is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the corresponding positioning portion.

3. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when each of the hinge modules is at the inwardly folded position, each of the hinge modules has a C-shaped construction, a portion of the soft display corresponding in position to the hinge modules has a C-shaped construction, and the other portions of the soft display corresponding in position to the buffering modules are parallel to each other.

4. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in each of the buffering modules, the external linking member has an opening corresponding in position to at least part of the at least one gear, and the at least one gear and the engaged driving portion are exposed from the external linking member via the opening.

5. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in each of the buffering modules, the internal linking member includes a plurality of rollers, the external linking member has at least one flange disposed on the rollers, and the rollers and the at least one flange are movable with respect to each other.

6. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in each of the buffering modules, the internal linking member includes a track, the external linking member includes a guiding pin inserted into the track, the guiding pin and the track are movable with respect to each other, wherein when the guiding pin is arranged at one of two opposite ends of the track, the corresponding hinge module is maintained at the unfolded position, and when the guiding pin is arranged at the other end of the track, the corresponding hinge module is maintained at the inwardly folded position.

7. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising two connecting members and a plurality of connecting tubes, wherein two adjacent internal linking members respectively arranged on the two supporting devices are integrally connected to one of the connecting members, ends of the connecting tubes are respectively sleeved at the pivots of one of the two supporting devices, and the other ends of the connecting tubes are respectively sleeved at the pivots of the other supporting device.

8. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least two driving portions are respectively formed on at least two of the torsion units, and each of the torsion units having the driving portion is sleeved at three of the pivots.

9. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the three pivots passing through the torsion unit having the driving portion are arranged from the outer side to the inner side of the row of the pivots, wherein the number of the pivots passing though the torsion unit having the driving portion is more than the number of the pivots passing though the torsion unit without having the driving portion.

10. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in each of the two supporting devices, the number of the at least two driving portions is four, and the four driving portions are respectively corresponding to the two buffering modules, the number of the at least one gear of each of the buffering modules is two, and the two gears of each of the buffering modules are respectively engaged to the two corresponding driving portions, wherein in each of the buffering modules the number of at least one rack gear is two, and the two rack gears are respectively engaged with the two gears.

11. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein each of the buffering modules includes a pivoting rod coupling through the corresponding positioning portion, wherein in each of the buffering modules, each of the gears is a spur gear and is pivotally connected to the corresponding positioning portion, a central axis of each of the gears is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the corresponding positioning portion.

12. A supporting device, comprising:
a hinge module including:
a plurality of pivots parallel to each other and arranged in one row; and
a plurality of torsion units sleeved at the pivots, wherein at least two positioning portions are respectively arranged on two opposite portions of the torsion units, and at least two driving portions are respectively arranged on two opposite portions of the torsion units; and

two buffering modules respectively arranged at two opposite sides of the row of the pivots, respectively fixed on the at least two positioning portions, and respectively corresponding to the at least two driving portions, each of the two buffering modules including:
an external linking member fixed on the corresponding positioning portion;
an internal linking member movably disposed on the external linking member, wherein the internal linking member has at least one rack gear facing the external linking member;
at least one gear engaged with the at least one rack gear and the corresponding portion;

wherein the hinge module is bendable between an unfolded position and an inwardly folded position along at least one of the pivots, and the torsion units stopping the hinge module at a desired position between the unfolded position and the inwardly folded position; when the hinge module is at the unfolded position, the supporting

Assignees

• First Dome Corp

Inventors

• Hsu An-Szu

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

• E05D3/06

  with two or more pins (E05D7/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E05D7/00

  Hinges or pivots of special construction (used for special suspension arrangements E05D15/00; so as to be self-closing E05F1/06, E05F1/12; with means for raising wings before being turned E05F7/02) · CPC title

• Y10T16/5474

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic