Foldable mechanism of mobile terminal and mobile terminal

• US 10,310,566 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2018
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Liao, Li, Chang, Chia Huan, Zhu, Xin
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Adrian S
• Application Number:
  US16/119,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20180373297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 277 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/02 Constructional features of telephone sets

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a foldable mechanism of a mobile terminal and the mobile terminal. The foldable mechanism includes a soft support structure and a hard support structure embedded in the soft support structure. The foldable mechanism formed by the soft support structure and the hard support structure embedded in the soft support structure is used as a component for connecting a first housing and a second housing. When the mobile terminal is unfolded, the foldable mechanism formed by the soft support structure and the hard support structure is unfolded and turns into a flat structure connected to the first housing and the second housing. When the mobile terminal is folded, one side of the soft support structure away from the hard support structure shrinks inward. Therefore, the mobile terminal is prevented from having an abrupt exterior structure, and an exterior effect of the mobile terminal is improved.

Claims

1. A foldable mechanism of a mobile terminal, comprising:

a soft support structure to connect a first housing and a second housing of the mobile terminal, the soft support structure comprising a plurality of V-shaped supports arranged in a single row, open ends of adjacent V-shaped supports are connected, and an opening of each V-shaped support faces a flexible display screen of the mobile terminal; and

a hard support structure included in each V-shaped support and configured to support the flexible display screen, wherein each hard support structure blocks two ends of a V-shaped support corresponding to the hard support structure; and

further comprising a blocking layer included between bending tip portions of any two adjacent V-shaped supports;

when the foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal is bent, bending tip portions of the plurality of V-shaped supports converge, and each blocking layer is compressed into a gap between two V-shaped supports connected by the blocking layer; and

when the foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal is unfolded, the bending tip portions of the plurality of V-shaped supports move away from each other, and each blocking layer is unfolded to block the gap between the two V-shaped supports connected by the blocking layer.

2. The foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of blocking layers are a bending plate of an integrated structure, a plurality of creases are included on the bending plate, the bending tip portions of the plurality of V-shaped supports are fixedly connected to the creases on the bending plate at equal intervals, and an odd number of creases exist between adjacent V-shaped supports.

3. The foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein at least one blocking layer in a plurality of blocking layers is a bending piece, an odd number of creases exist on the bending piece, and two ends of the bending piece are respectively connected to bending tip portions of V-shaped supports on two sides of the blocking layer on a one-to-one basis.

4. The foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein one crease exists on each bending piece.

5. The foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein at least one blocking layer in the plurality of blocking layers comprises an elastic material layer included between adjacent V-shaped supports.

6. The foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal according to claim 5, wherein each elastic material layer and a V-shaped support adjacent to the elastic material layer are an integrated structure.

7. The foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein each hard support structure comprises a first support layer blocking an opening of a V-shaped support corresponding to the hard support structure, and a foldable mechanism blocking one end of the V-shaped support exists at either end of the first support layer.

8. The foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal according to claim 7, further comprising an exterior layer included on an external sidewall of the foldable mechanism.

9. The foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal according to claim 7, wherein the hard support structure further comprises a second support layer wrapping the first support layer, and strength of the second support layer is higher than strength of the first support layer.

10. A mobile terminal, comprising,

a housing;

and

a flexible display screen included in the housing, the housing comprising;

a first housing,

a second housing, and

a foldable mechanism to fold the first housing and the second housing, the foldable mechanism comprising;

a soft support structure to connect the first housing and the second housing of the mobile terminal, the soft support structure comprising a plurality of V-shaped supports arranged in a single row, open ends of adjacent V-shaped supports are connected, and an opening of each V-shaped support faces a flexible display screen of the mobile terminal; and

a hard support structure included in each V-shaped support and configured to support the flexible display screen, wherein each hard support structure blocks two ends of a V-shaped support corresponding to the hard support structure; and

further comprising a blocking layer included between bending tip portions of any two adjacent V-shaped supports;

when the foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal is bent, bending tip portions of the plurality of V-shaped supports converge, and each blocking layer is compressed into a gap between two V-shaped supports connected by the blocking layer; and

when the foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal is unfolded, the bending tip portions of the plurality of V-shaped supports move away from each other, and each blocking layer is unfolded to block the gap between the two V-shaped supports connected by the blocking layer.

11. The mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of blocking layers are a bending plate of an integrated structure, a plurality of creases are included on the bending plate, the bending tip portions of the plurality of V-shaped supports are fixedly connected to the creases on the bending plate at equal intervals, and an odd number of creases exist between adjacent V-shaped supports.

12. The mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein at least one blocking layer in a plurality of blocking layers is a bending piece, an odd number of creases exist on the bending piece, and two ends of the bending piece are respectively connected to bending tip portions of V-shaped supports on two sides of the blocking layer on a one-to-one basis.

13. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein one crease exists on each bending piece.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein at least one blocking layer in the plurality of blocking layers comprises an elastic material layer included between adjacent V-shaped supports.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 14, wherein each elastic material layer and a V-shaped support adjacent to the elastic material layer are an integrated structure.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein each hard support structure comprises a first support layer blocking an opening of a V-shaped support corresponding to the hard support structure, and a foldable mechanism blocking one end of the V-shaped support exists at either end of the first support layer.

17. The mobile terminal according to claim 16, further comprising an exterior layer included on an external sidewall of the foldable mechanism.

18. The mobile terminal according to claim 16, wherein the hard support structure further comprises a second support layer wrapping the first support layer, and strength of the second support layer is higher than strength of the first support layer.