Foldable terminal

• US 10,817,026 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2019
• Issued: 10/27/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corporation Limited
• Original Assignee: Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corporation Limited
• Inventors: Lin, Yugui, Cheng, Jiao, Yu, Weibin
• Primary Examiner(s): Thaker, Nidhi
• Application Number:
  US16/530,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20190356763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• 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 1/1618 the display being foldable up to the back of the other housing with a single degree of freedom, e.g. by 360° rotation over the axis defined by the rear edge of the base enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• 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 1/1675 Miscellaneous details related to the relative movement between the different enclosures or enclosure parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0216 Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 including a flexible display panel

Abstract

A foldable terminal is provided. The foldable terminal includes a housing including two casings and a bendable portion capable of being bent and deformed, the bendable portion being connected between the two casings; a flexible screen; and an air bag provided between the bendable portion and the flexible screen. When the foldable terminal is in an unfolded state, gas is in the air bag, and the air bag supports an inner side of the flexible screen, when the foldable terminal is in a folded state, the gas is moved out of the air bag to make the air bag shrunken.

Claims

1. A foldable terminal, comprising:

a housing comprising two casings and a bendable portion capable of being bent and deformed, the bendable portion being connected between the two casings;

a flexible screen; and

an air bag provided between the bendable portion and the flexible screen, and having a first bag wall and a second bag wall,

wherein when the foldable terminal is in an unfolded state, the first bag wall and the second bag wall are arched oppositely, gas is in the air bag, and the air bag supports an inner side of the flexible screen, when the foldable terminal is in a folded state, the gas is moved out of the air bag to make the air bag shrunken.

2. The foldable terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

another air bag corresponding to one of the two casings, the air bag being in communication with the another air bag;

when the foldable terminal is in a folded state, the gas is moved from the air bag into the another air bag, the another air bag is bulged while the air bag is shrunken; and

when the foldable terminal is in an unfolded state, the gas is moved from the another air bag into the air bag, the another air bag is shrunken while the air bag is bulged.

3. The foldable terminal according to claim 2, wherein the flexible screen comprises two fixed regions and a bendable region connected between the two fixed regions;

the two fixed regions is arranged opposite to the two casings correspondingly, the bendable region is arranged opposite to the bendable portion, and the air bag is arranged between the bendable portion and the bendable region;

when the foldable terminal is in the unfolded state, the air bag supports an inner side of the bendable region.

4. The foldable terminal according to claim 3, wherein when the gas is in the air bag, a central portion of the first bag wall protrudes towards the bendable region and is arched.

5. The foldable terminal according to claim 4, wherein the first bag wall is more adjacent to the bendable region compared with the second bag wall;

when the gas is in the air bag, a central portion of the second bag wall protrudes towards the bendable portion and is arched.

6. The foldable terminal according to claim 4, wherein the central portion of the first bag wall is fixedly connected with the bendable region.

7. The foldable terminal according to claim 2, further comprising two main bodies fixed to the two casings correspondingly, the two fixed regions being fixed to the two main bodies correspondingly, and the another air bag being provided to one of the two main bodies.

8. The foldable terminal according to claim 7, wherein the another air bag is provided in one of the two main bodies.

9. The foldable terminal according to claim 7, wherein the another air bag is provided to a side end face of one of the two main bodies.

10. The foldable terminal according to claim 9, wherein the another air bag has a long strip shape extending along the side end face of the one of the two main bodies.

11. The foldable terminal according to claim 9, wherein the side end face of the one of the two main bodies has a concave arc shape.

12. The foldable terminal according to claim 9, further comprising a resilient sheet, the another air bag being located between the resilient sheet and the side end face of the one of the two main bodies, and the resilient sheet being configured to squeeze the gas in the another air bag into the air bag.

13. The foldable terminal according to claim 12, wherein the resilient sheet has a long strip shape extending along the side end face of the one of the two main bodies.

14. The foldable terminal according to claim 13, wherein the resilient sheet has an arch cross section and two ends in a width direction fixedly connected with the one of the two main bodies;

when the foldable terminal is in the folded state, the resilient sheet protrudes towards the outside of the one of the two main bodies;

when the foldable terminal is in the unfolded state, the resilient sheet is elastically deformed towards the side end face of the one of the two main bodies and defines a recess, to squeeze the gas in the another air bag into the air bag.

15. The foldable terminal according to claim 12, wherein an outer bag wall of the another air bag is formed by the resilient sheet, and an inner bag wall of the another air bag is formed by the side end face of the one of the two main bodies.

16. The foldable terminal according to claim 2, wherein a bag wall of the another air bag has elasticity to enable the another air bag to keep shrunken when the foldable terminal is in the unfolded state, and when the gas is in the another air bag, the another air bag is elastically deformed;

when the foldable terminal is in the unfolded state, the gas is moved into the air bag under the action of an elastic force of the another air bag.

17. The foldable terminal according to claim 2, wherein the another air bag comprises two sub-air bags provided at positions corresponding to the two casings or provided at two sides of the foldable terminal.

18. The foldable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the housing is entirely made of a bendable and deformable material.

19. A foldable terminal, comprising:

a housing comprising two casings and a bendable portion, the bendable portion being capable of being bent and deformed and being connected between the two casings;

two main bodies fixed to the two casings correspondingly,

a first air bag provided between the two bodies and having a first bag wall and a second bag wall;

two second air bags provided in the two main bodies correspondingly, the first air bag being in communication with the two second air bags, and the first air bag and the two second air bags both being filled with gas;

wherein when the foldable terminal is in a folded state, the gas is moved from the first air bag into the two second air bags, the two second air bags are bulged while the first air bag is shrunken; and

when the foldable terminal is in an unfolded state, the gas is moved from the two second air bags into the first air bag, the first bag wall and the second bag wall are arched oppositely, the two second air bags are shrunken while the first air bag is bulged.

20. A foldable terminal, comprising:

a housing comprising two casings and a bendable portion, the bendable portion being capable of being bent and deformed and being connected between the two casings;

two main bodies fixed to the two casings correspondingly,

a first air bag corresponding to the bendable portion and having a first bag wall and a second bag wall;

two second air bags, provided at two side end face of one of the two main bodies correspondingly, the first air bag being in communication with the two second air bags, and the first air bag and the two second air bags both being filled with gas;

wherein when the foldable terminal is in a folded state, the gas is in the second air bag; and

when the foldable terminal is in an unfolded state, the gas is moved from the second air bag into the first air bag, the first bag wall and the second bag wall are arched oppositely, and the first air bag supports an inner side of the bendable region.