Bendable display apparatus and supporting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9874906-B1
Application number	US-201615374846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 9, 2016
Priority date	Dec 9, 2016
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

A 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 internal linking member fixed on the hinge module, an external linking member slidably disposed on the internal linking member, and an elastic member connected to the internal linking member and the external linking member. The hinge module is bendable between an unfolded position and an outwardly folded position. When the hinge module is at the unfolded position, the supporting device is a flat construction, and the elastic members are configured to block the external linking members to move away from the pivots. When the hinge module is at the outwardly folded position, the supporting device is a curved construction and the internal linking members are arranged at the inner side of the curved construction.

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 two positioning 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 and respectively fixed on the two positioning portions, each of the two buffering modules including:
an internal linking member fixed on the corresponding positioning portion;
an external linking member slidably disposed on the internal linking member; and
an elastic member connected to the internal linking member and the external linking member;

wherein in each of the two supporting devices, the hinge module is bendable between an unfolded position and an outwardly 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 outwardly folded position; when the hinge module is at the unfolded position, the supporting device is a flat construction, and the elastic members block the external linking members to move away from the pivots; when the hinge module is at the outwardly folded position, the supporting device is a curved construction and the internal linking members are arranged at the inner side of the curved construction;

a carrying plate fixed on the external linking members of the two supporting devices; and
a soft display mounted on the carrying plate;
wherein when the two supporting devices are bent from the unfolded position toward the outwardly folded position, the carrying plate is bent to move each of the external linking members toward the pivots, and each of the elastic members is compressed to generate an elastic force by the movement of the corresponding external linking member.

2. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in each of the buffering modules, the external linking member includes a track, the internal linking member includes a guiding pin inserted into the track, and the guiding pin and the track are movable with respect to each other.

3. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in each of the buffering modules, the external linking member includes a roller, the internal linking member includes a flange disposed on the roller, and the flange and the roller are movable with respect to each other.

4. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one connecting member, wherein two adjacent external linking members respectively arranged on the two supporting devices are connected by the at least one connecting member.

5. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the carrying plate includes a metal layer and a cushion layer, the metal layer is fixed on the external linking members of the two supporting devices, the soft display is mounted on the metal layer, and the cushion layer is disposed between the metal layer and the two supporting devices.

6. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the buffering modules includes a locking unit connected to the internal linking member and the external linking member, the locking unit of each of the buffering modules is driven by the adjacent pivot; when the hinge module of each of the two supporting devices is at the unfolded position, the locking unit blocks the adjacent pivot to move away from the outwardly folded position.

7. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein in each of the two supporting devices, two of the pivots respectively arranged at two ends of the row of the pivots each has a gearing portion; in each of the buffering modules, the locking unit includes a connecting shaft and a limiting member, the connecting shaft is pivotally connected to the internal linking member and is driven by the gearing portion of the adjacent pivot, two opposite ends of the limiting member are respectively connected to the connecting shaft and the external linking member.

8. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein each of the gearing portions is a helical gear, an end of the connecting shaft of each of the buffering modules engages the gearing portion of the adjacent pivot, and the limiting member of each of the buffering modules is a tension spring.

9. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in each of the two supporting devices, the two positioning portions are arranged at two opposite sides of the pivots, and two of the torsion units having the two positioning portions are respectively sleeved at two of the pivots respectively arranged at two ends of the row of the pivots.

10. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein in each of the two supporting devices, the torsion units are arranged in a plurality of rows, any two adjacent torsion units arranged in the same row are engaged with each other, and two of the torsion units having the two positioning portions are respectively arranged in two different rows.

11. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in each of the two supporting devices, the outwardly folded position is defined by outwardly bending the hinge module from the unfolded position at 180 degrees.

12. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in each of the two supporting devices, the internal linking member of each of the two buffering modules has at least one opening, and the two positioning portions of the hinge module are respectively inserted into the openings of the internal linking members of the two buffering modules.

13. The bendable display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in each of the two supporting devices, the elastic member is a torsion spring, two opposite ends of the elastic member are mounted on the internal linking member and the external linking member; when the hinge module is at the unfolded position, the elastic members are uncompressed at an initial mode to maintain the relative position between the internal linking members and the external linking members; when the hinge module is at the outwardly folded position, each of the elastic members is compressed to store the elastic force for tending to return to the initial mode.

14. 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 two positioning 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 and respectively fixed on the two positioning portions, each of the two buffering modules including:
an internal linking member fixed on the corresponding positioning portion;
an external linking member slidably disposed on the internal linking member; and
an elastic member connected to the internal linking member and the external linking member;

wherein the hinge module is bendable between an unfolded position and an outwardly 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 outwardly folded position; when the hinge module is at the unfolded position, the supporting device is a flat construction, and the elastic members block the external linking members to move away from the pivots; when the hinge module

Assignees

• First Dome Corp

Inventors

• Hsu An-Szu

Classifications

• Y10T16/5474

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G06F1/1681 Primary

  Details related solely to hinges (hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683) · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

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

• G06F1/1641

  the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components (G06F1/1647 takes precedence) · CPC title