ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING FLEXIBLE DISPLAY

• US 20200137908A1
• Filed: 12/26/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: YOO, Chung-Keun, KIM, Jung-Jin, KIM, Jong-Yoon, KIM, Gi-Dae, PARK, Young-Sun, BAEK, Moo-Hyun, SIM, Hyun-Woo
• Granted Patent: US 10,856,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/06 Devices for limiting the opening movement of hinges
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 3/122 Gear hinges
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 3/18 with sliding pins or guides
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/224 Stops
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/606 for electronic devices
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2380/00 Electrical apparatus in general H01 - H05
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 29/02 Sliding-contact bearings
• 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 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• 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: G06F 1/1683 for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2266 disposed inside the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0017 with operator interface units
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0226 Hinges
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/03 Covers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1427 Housings

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device may comprise a first housing including a first surface and a second surface facing in a direction opposite the first surface, a second housing including a third surface and a fourth surface facing in a direction opposite the third surface, a hinge disposed between the first housing and the second housing configured to provide rotational motion between the first housing and the second housing, and a flexible display disposed from the first surface of the first housing across the hinge to the third surface of the second housing, at least part of the flexible display configured to form a curved surface as the hinge structure is folded, wherein the hinge may include dual-axis hinges configured to provide a first rotational axis allowing the first housing to rotate about the second housing and a second rotational axis allowing the second housing to rotate about the first housing and slides coupled with the first housing and the second housing and configured to provide sliding motion perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the first housing and the second housing.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a first housing and a second housing;

a flexible display accommodated by the first housing and the second housing;

a hinge structure connecting the first housing and the second housing, and configured to facilitate rotational motion of the first housing and the second housing toward or away from each other such that the flexible display is folded or unfolded with respect to the hinge structure;

a guide extending from the hinge structure;

a slider attached to the first housing or the second housing, and disposed to be slid along the guide away from the hinge structure such that the first housing or the second housing to which the slider is attached is moved with the slider away from the hinge structure to pull a portion of the flexible display away from the hinge structure when the flexible display is unfolded; and

an elastic element disposed in contact with the slider to provide an elastic force that causes the slider to slide along the guide away from the hinge structure.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the hinge structure comprises hinges for providing a plurality of rotational axes for the rotational motion between the first housing and the second housing,

wherein the slider configured to provide sliding motion in direction substantially perpendicular with respect to the rotational axes when the flexible display is unfolded, and

wherein the guide comprises rail brackets, connected to the hinges, configured to guide the sliding motion of the slider.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the slider includes a first slider and a second slider,

wherein the first slider is configured to provide the sliding motion in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the rotational axes, and

wherein the second slider is configured to provide the sliding motion in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the slider is disposed adjacent to a folding area of the flexible display, the slider includes a first slider coupled with the first housing and a second slider coupled with the second housing, and

wherein the first slider provides a force in a first direction to one portion of the folding area, and the second slider provides a force in a second direction opposite to the first direction to other portion of the folding area.

5. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the elastic element is provide a force in a direction substantially perpendicular of the first direction or the second direction.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the slider comprises at least one slide plate is coupled with the first housing or the second housing, and

wherein the elastic element is disposed in contact with the at least one slide plate.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic element is configured to provide the elastic force between the hinge structure and the first housing so as to provide a force on opposite sides of the flexible display along a substantially perpendicular direction to a lengthwise direction of the first housing.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic element is configured to provide the elastic force between the hinge structure and first housing so as to provide a force in a lengthwise direction of the flexible display.

9. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the flexible display includes a first area positioned on a first surface side of the first housing, a second area positioned on a third surface side of the second housing, and a folding area extending between the first area and the second area and positioned over at least part of an outer surface of the hinge structure.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein, when the first housing and the second housing are unfolded, the first slider and the second slider each slides away from the folding area of the flexible display.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the slider comprise first and second slider aligned in a lengthwise direction of the flexible display, and third and fourth sliders aligned in the lengthwise direction of the flexible display.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the first and third sliders are connected with the first housing and the second and fourth sliders are connected with the second housing, and wherein, when the first housing is folded around the second housing, the first, second, third, and fourth sliders each slides in the lengthwise direction of the flexible display toward a folding area of the flexible display.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein, when the first housing and the second housing are unfolded, the first, second, third, and fourth sliders each slides in the lengthwise direction of the flexible display away from the folding area of the flexible display.

14. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one slide stopper configured to restrict movement of the slider.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14, further comprising at least one pair of rail stoppers,

wherein each slide stopper of the at least one slide stopper is movable between a corresponding one of the at least one pair of rail stoppers.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing comprising a first housing including first and second opposed surfaces, and a second housing comprising third and fourth opposed surfaces;

a hinge structure disposed between the first housing and the second housing, and configured to provide for rotational motion between the first housing and the second housing; and

a flexible display disposed from the first surface of the first housing across the hinge structure to the third surface of the second housing,

wherein the hinge structure comprises;

a plurality of rotation shafts;

a first slide plate coupled to at least one of the first housing or the second housing, and configured to provide sliding motion in a first direction substantially perpendicular with respect to the rotation shafts;

a first rail bracket configured to guide the sliding motion of the first slide plate; and

at least one elastic element configured to provide an elastic force between the hinge structure and the housing structure,

wherein the first slide plate is disposed adjacent to a folding area of the flexible display, to provide a force in the first direction corresponding to the sliding motion to the folding area of the flexible display.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein the hinge structure further comprises:

a second slide plate coupled to at least one of the first housing or the second housing, and configured to provide sliding motion in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and

a second rail bracket configured to guide the sliding motion of the second slide plate,

wherein the second slide plate is disposed adjacent to the folding area of the flexible display, to provide a force in the second direction corresponding to the sliding motion to the folding area of the flexible display.

18. The electronic device according to claim 16, comprising a mobile phone.

19. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein the at least one elastic element comprises a spring.

20. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein the folding area of the flexible display is configured to form a curved surface as the hinge structure is folded.

21. A portable communication device comprising:

a flexible display including a first display area and a second display area;

a housing accommodating the flexible display, and including a first housing portion corresponding to the first display area and a second housing portion corresponding to the second display area;

a hinge coupled between the first housing portion and the second housing portion to facilitate folding of the flexible display with respect to the hinge such that the first display area faces a first direction and the second display area faces a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction when the flexible display is folded with respect to the hinge;

a slide member coupled with the first housing portion or the second housing portion, and disposed to slide along a guide extending from the hinge; and

an elastic member disposed in contact with the slide member to provide an elastic force that causes the slide member to slide along the guide away from the hinge such that the first housing portion or the second housing portion coupled with the slide member moves away from the hinge.

22. The portable communication device of claim 21, wherein the slide member includes a first slide member coupled with the first housing portion, and a second slide member coupled with the second housing portion, and

wherein the elastic member includes a first elastic member coupled with the first slide member and a second elastic member coupled with the second slide member.

23. The portable communication device of claim 22, wherein the first elastic member is configured to provide a first elastic force between the first housing portion and a first portion of the hinge via the first slide member, and the second elastic member is configured to provide a second elastic force between the second housing portion and a second portion of the hinge via the second slide member.

24. The portable communication device of claim 21, further comprising:

first circuitry accommodated in the first housing portion;

second circuitry accommodated in the second housing portion; and

a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) connected between the first circuitry and the second circuitry and disposed through the hinge.

25. The portable communication device of claim 21, further comprising:

a polymer layer disposed between the flexible display and the hinge.

26. The portable communication device of claim 25, wherein the polymer layer includes at least one of polyimide, polyurethane or polyethylene terephthalate.