CN117703916A - Torsion module, rotating shaft assembly, hinge and foldable equipment - Google Patents

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a torsion module, a spindle assembly, a hinge, and a foldable device. The torsion module is used for the pivot subassembly of the hinge of collapsible equipment, wherein, the torsion module is including being used for fixing to the center fixed block of center of collapsible equipment, with the synchronous swing arm subassembly of the first portion of center fixed block slidable connection relatively, and with synchronous swing arm subassembly cooperation effect's force feedback mechanism, synchronous swing arm subassembly is configured to follow the rotary motion of center fixed block is movable and makes the feedback force of force feedback mechanism change in the removal process.

Torsion module, rotating shaft assembly, hinge and foldable equipment

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of foldable devices, and in particular, to a torsion module, a spindle assembly, a hinge, and a foldable device.

Background

This section is intended to provide background information related to understanding the various techniques described herein. As implied by the headings in this section, this is a discussion of the related art that should not be implied in any way. Accordingly, it should be understood that any statement in this section should be read from this perspective and not as an admission of prior art.

Along with the continuous development of display technology, a folding display terminal gradually becomes a development trend of future mobile electronic products. Under the unfolding state, the folding display terminal can obtain a larger display area, and the film watching effect is improved. The folding display terminal can obtain smaller volume under the folding state, and is convenient for users to carry. The thinner the folding terminal is, the thinner the hinge thickness direction is required, and in order to give sufficient space for components, the more the battery capacity is improved, the narrower the hinge width direction is required.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided:

a torsion module for a spindle assembly of a hinge of a collapsible device, wherein the torsion module comprises a center frame fixed block for fixing to a center frame of the collapsible device, a synchronization swing arm assembly slidably connected relative to a first portion of the center frame fixed block, and a force feedback mechanism cooperating with the synchronization swing arm assembly, the synchronization swing arm assembly being configured to be movable with a rotational movement of the center frame fixed block and to vary a feedback force of the force feedback mechanism during movement.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the synchronous swing arm assembly comprises a first synchronous swing arm and a second synchronous swing arm, the torsion module further comprises a first cam block, a cam fixing block with a fixed position and a second cam block, a first side of the first cam block is in cam fit with a first side of the first synchronous swing arm, a second side of the first synchronous swing arm is in cam fit with a first side of the cam fixing block, a first side of the second synchronous swing arm is in cam fit with a first side of the second cam block, and a second side of the second cam block is in butt joint with the force feedback mechanism.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first portion of the middle frame fixing block is configured with a moving space, and the synchronous swing arm assembly is configured to move within the moving space along with the rotational movement of the middle frame fixing block.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the force feedback mechanism comprises a square spring and a round spring in parallel, the round spring being arranged between two of the square springs.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the torsion module further includes a cam shaft, the cam shaft is sequentially connected in series with the first cam block, the first synchronization swing arm, the cam fixing block, the second synchronization swing arm, the second cam block and the force feedback mechanism, and a cam shaft head of the cam shaft is abutted to a second side of the first cam block.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the torsion module further comprises a movable baffle and a movable clamp spring, a first side of the baffle is abutted to the force feedback mechanism, a second side of the baffle is abutted to the first side of the clamp spring, and a camshaft tail of the camshaft is abutted to the second side of the clamp spring.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the flattened or folded position of the spindle assembly, the first cam block and the cam fixing block are each non-convexly engaged with the first synchronization swing arm, and the second synchronization swing arm is non-convexly engaged with the second cam block.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in a transition position between the flattened position and the folded position, the first cam block, the cam fixing block, and the first synchronization swing arm are each capable of being convexly engaged, and the second synchronization swing arm and the second cam block are each capable of being convexly engaged.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the torsion module further includes a synchronizing gear disposed between the cam fixing block and the second cam block, and the synchronizing gear is engaged with a gear portion of the second synchronizing swing arm.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a hinge for a foldable device, wherein the hinge comprises any one of the torsion modules described above.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotating shaft assembly further includes a track module including a rotating swing arm and a bottom cover, a first end of the rotating swing arm is rotatably connected with the second portion of the middle frame fixing block, the bottom cover is formed with a rotating space, a second end of the rotating swing arm is connected in the rotating space, and a second end of the rotating swing arm can rotate in the rotating space.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a hinge for a foldable device is provided, wherein the hinge comprises any one of the spindle assemblies described above.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the hinge further includes a hinge cover to which the rotation shaft assembly is mounted.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the hinge further includes a moving door plate connected to the middle frame fixing block, the synchronous swing arm assembly is configured with a cylindrical surface, the moving door plate is configured with a track curved surface, and the cylindrical surface is always in contact with the track curved surface and moves relatively during the unfolding or folding process of the hinge.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the moving door panel is configured with a limit post, the first portion of the middle frame fixing block is configured with a limit notch, and in the case that the hinge is flattened, the limit notch abuts against the limit post and prevents further unfolding movement of the moving door panel.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the synchronous swing arm assembly is configured with a door panel support that supports the moving door panel in the case that the hinge is flattened.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the hinge further comprises a main bracket, the main bracket is connected with the rotating shaft assembly, the hinge cover covers the main bracket, the number of the moving door plates is two, the moving door plates are symmetrically arranged on two sides of the main bracket, the number of the rotating shaft assemblies is at least two, and the rotating shaft assemblies are aligned in the longitudinal direction of the main bracket.

According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a foldable device is provided, wherein the foldable device comprises any one of the hinges described above.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the foldable device further includes the middle frame fixed to the middle frame fixing block and a flexible display screen fixed to the middle frame.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of the middle frames is two, and the two middle frames are fixed at two sides of the hinge.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the side walls of the two middle frames abut each other with the foldable apparatus flattened out, and further movement of the foldable apparatus in the unfolding direction is restricted.

Drawings

The above and other features of the present disclosure will become apparent with reference to the drawings, in which,

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of a hinge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of a spindle assembly in a flattened state, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of a spindle assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic view of a spindle assembly in a folded state, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 illustrates a schematic structural view of a second synchronization swing arm according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic view of a hinge in a flattened state from the front, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic structural view of a back side of a hinge cover in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic structural view of a front face of a hinge cover in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic structural view of a motion door panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic diagram of a kinematic door plate limit design according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a hinge in a folded state based on a second synchronization swing arm in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a hinge sectioned based on a second synchronous swing arm in an intermediate state in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a kinematic door plate stop design cut based on a second synchronous swing arm according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 14 shows a schematic view of a mid-frame stop design of a collapsible device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

It is to be readily understood that, in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art may devise various arrangements and implementations that may be interchanged without departing from the true spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the following detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the presently disclosed technology and are not to be considered as an all-or-as-limited or restrictive of the presently disclosed technology.

Terms of orientation such as up, down, left, right, front, rear, front, back, top, bottom, etc. mentioned or possible to be mentioned in the present specification are defined with respect to the configurations shown in the drawings, which are relative concepts, and thus may be changed according to different positions and different use states thereof. These and other directional terms should not be construed as limiting terms. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," and the like are used for descriptive and distinguishing purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance of the corresponding components.

Referring to fig. 1-5, there is shown an exploded schematic view of a hinge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively; a structural schematic of a spindle assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a flattened state; an exploded view of a spindle assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; a structural schematic diagram of a rotating shaft assembly in a folded state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and a structural schematic diagram of a second synchronization swing arm according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The torsion module 1 is used for a rotating shaft assembly 100 of a hinge 1000 of a foldable device, wherein the torsion module 1 comprises a middle frame fixing block 11 for fixing to a middle frame of the foldable device, a synchronous swing arm assembly 12 connected with a first part 111 of the middle frame fixing block 11 in a relatively sliding manner, and a force feedback mechanism 13 cooperating with the synchronous swing arm assembly 12 (including direct or indirect cooperation), wherein the synchronous swing arm assembly 12 is configured to be movable along with the rotation movement of the middle frame fixing block 11 and change the feedback force of the force feedback mechanism 13 during the movement.

It should be understood that the specific form of the foldable device is not particularly limited in this disclosure, and intelligent terminals such as a folding mobile phone, a folding tablet and the like may be applied. The folding manner of the foldable device is not particularly limited, and for example, the foldable device may be folded left and right along a central axis in a longitudinal direction of the device, or may be supported to be folded up and down along a central axis in a transverse direction of the device, and only the features such as the sizes of the parts of the rotating shaft assembly and the like need to be adaptively adjusted. Similarly, the middle frame described herein refers to a middle frame of a foldable device, such as a foldable smartphone. However, although not specifically illustrated herein, the center of other terminal devices, such as a foldable tablet or other foldable laptop, may also be suitable. The technical scheme particularly limits that the synchronous swing arm assembly can move along with the rotation movement of the middle frame fixed block (for example, move along the longitudinal direction or the length direction of the hinge), and the feedback force of the force feedback mechanism is changed in the moving process. That is, by a user performing a folding or unfolding movement of the middle frame of the foldable device, the middle frame fixed block can be triggered to correspondingly perform a rotational movement, so that the synchronization swing arm assembly rotates with the middle frame fixed block and can relatively slide relative to the middle frame fixed block, at the same time, the synchronization swing arm assembly (including a part of the synchronization swing arm assembly) also performs a moving movement and thereby triggers the force feedback mechanism to generate different feedback forces, so that different handfeel can be provided in an unfolded, folded or intermediate state, in particular, a hovering effect can be supported and the user can change the state of the hinge from the hovering position without an excessive force. Therefore, the technical scheme triggers different force feedback by matching the mode of moving the synchronous swing arm assembly with the force feedback mechanism, can utilize the movement of the synchronous swing arm assembly generated in the opening and closing process of the hinge to participate in or contribute to the change of the force feedback, reduces the burden of the force feedback mechanism, and can be made smaller by the force feedback mechanism, but the effect of the force feedback can be maintained, and contributes to the lightening and thinning of the hinge and the improvement of the cost performance. This solution offers the possibility of a design that combines thickness and width, while guaranteeing the strength of the hinge, to meet the design requirements of the consumer electronic device for a thin, narrow and strong hinge.

In a specific embodiment, the swing arm assembly 12 includes a first swing arm 121 and a second swing arm 122, the torsion module 1 further includes a first cam block 14, a fixed cam fixing block 15 and a second cam block 16, the first side 141 of the first cam block 14 is in cam engagement with the first side 1211 of the first swing arm 121, the second side 1212 of the first swing arm 121 is in cam engagement with the first side 151 of the cam fixing block 15, the first side 1221 of the second swing arm 122 is in cam engagement with the first side 161 of the second cam block 16, and the second side 162 of the second cam block 16 is abutted against the force feedback mechanism 13.

The first synchronization arm is illustratively responsible for the movable function of the synchronization arm assembly, while the second synchronization arm may be made to move, but only to rotate, or vice versa. The present example also provides a specific implementation of the movement and the cooperation with the force feedback mechanism, wherein the cam fixing block is arranged to be fixed in position, and it should be understood that the cam fixing block is fixed in position in the hinge and does not change in position along with the opening and closing movement of the hinge, so that the movement and interaction condition of each part in the opening and closing process can be judged on the basis of the cam fixing block. Taking the perspective of fig. 2 as an example, when the hinge performs a folding motion, the middle frame fixing block performs a rotating motion, driving the first and second synchronization swing arms to perform a rotating motion, and simultaneously the two synchronization swing arms relatively slide with respect to the middle frame fixing block, because the cam fixing block is fixed in position, the cam of the first synchronization swing arm moves leftwards due to interaction with the cam of the cam fixing block, and because of interaction between the cam of the other side of the first synchronization swing arm and the cam of the first cam block, the first cam block also moves leftwards, and as will be explained further below, the leftwards movement eventually develops to compress the right end portion of the force feedback mechanism, so as to realize adjustment of the force feedback magnitude. On the other hand, the cam fixing block is fixed in position and does not have cam matching with the second synchronous swing arm, so that the second synchronous swing arm only rotates, and on the basis, the second synchronous swing arm and the second cam block have cam matching, so that the rotation of the second synchronous swing arm is converted into rightward movement of the second cam block through the cam matching, the left end of the force feedback mechanism is correspondingly compressed, and the force feedback size is adjusted. This embodiment specifically illustrates how the movement of the synchronous swing arm assembly can be used to achieve cooperation with the force feedback mechanism and thus adjustment of the feel, and enables the technical effects already mentioned above to be achieved.

To support movement of the synchronization swing arm assembly, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first portion 111 of the center frame fixing block 11 is configured with a movement space 1112 (see fig. 3), and the synchronization swing arm assembly 12 (the first synchronization swing arm 121 in this case) is configured to move within the movement space 1112 along with the rotational movement of the center frame fixing block 11. It is thereby possible that the first portion of the intermediate frame fixing block is provided with opposing grooves, while the first and second synchronization swing arms are correspondingly configured with wings, for example plate-shaped wings, which are adapted to the shape of the grooves, by means of which the wings are inserted into the grooves to respectively support the sliding movement of the two synchronization swing arms relative to the intermediate frame fixing block. At the same time, the distance between the opposing grooves of the first swing arm, or the distance between the groove walls, is configured to be greater than the length of the main body portion of the first swing arm, so that a movement space of sufficient size is configured to support the left-right movement of the first swing arm (from the perspective of fig. 2); in contrast, the corresponding receiving area of the first portion of the intermediate frame fixing block for the second synchronization swing arm may be configured to be slightly smaller to balance the size of the entire component.

As can also be seen from fig. 2, the second side 152 of the cam securing block 15 engages the second side 1222 of the second synchronization swing arm 122. Thus, in combination with the above explanation of the functional relationship of these components, it can be understood that during the rotation of the second synchronous swing arm, due to the fitting design, friction can occur with the cam fixing block, thereby contributing to the feedback force to a certain extent, and the effect of relieving the load of the force feedback mechanism can be achieved, but the effect of force feedback can be maintained, contributing to the light weight and thin hinge and improving the cost performance. The specific friction force can be set according to actual demands, and parameters such as the compression degree, the material (the friction coefficient is determined), the attaching area and the like of the friction force and the material can be flexibly and flexibly adjusted.

For the specific embodiment of the force feedback mechanism, the force feedback mechanism 13 includes a square spring 131 and a round spring 132 connected in parallel, and the round spring 132 is disposed between the two square springs 131. It should be understood that square springs and round springs refer to square springs and round springs, respectively. The characteristics of square spring include: the shock absorption and vibration isolation effects are good; the square spring has unique shape and can provide different elastic deformation effects compared with the round spring; the wire diameter is relatively larger, and the bearing capacity is stronger. The characteristics of the round spring include: has good toughness, is particularly used in a part of severe environment, the method has good adaptability to high temperature, severe media and the like; usually circular in cross section, relatively small in wire diameter and simple in manufacturing and processing process. In this example, the two outside square springs are larger in structure, the main contribution feedback force, the round springs are smaller in structure, the feedback force is provided as an aid, and meanwhile, the occupied space can be reduced due to the smaller size, so that the space occupied balance of the whole part is realized. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the size, shape, type, material, stiffness coefficient, manner of connection (series, parallel, series-parallel), placement location, number, etc. of the springs can be adjusted as desired.

As already mentioned slightly above, movement of the first cam block to the left (from the perspective of fig. 2) can cause compression of the right end of the force feedback mechanism by some means. A possible embodiment is given here, namely, the torsion module 1 further includes a cam shaft 17, the cam shaft 17 is serially connected in sequence to the first cam block 14, the first synchronization swing arm 121, the cam fixing block 15, the second synchronization swing arm 122, the second cam block 16 and the force feedback mechanism 13, and a cam shaft head 171 of the cam shaft 17 abuts (including directly or indirectly abuts) against the second side 142 of the first cam block 14. In addition, the torsion module 1 further includes a movable baffle 18 and a movable clamp spring 19, wherein a first side 181 of the baffle 18 abuts against the force feedback mechanism 13, a second side 182 of the baffle 18 abuts against a first side 191 of the clamp spring 19, and a camshaft tail 172 of the camshaft 17 abuts against a second side 192 of the clamp spring 19.

It follows that by the camshaft head abutting against the second side (left side in fig. 2) of the first cam block, a leftward movement of the first cam block can be converted into a leftward movement of the camshaft, together with a leftward movement of the camshaft tail. Because the camshaft afterbody butt in jump ring, jump ring butt in the baffle, the baffle butt in force feedback mechanism again, consequently the left motion of camshaft afterbody can convert into the left motion of jump ring and baffle in proper order to thereby make force feedback mechanism's right-hand member compressed. And in combination with the design that the left end of the force feedback mechanism is compressed through the movement of the second synchronous swing arm, both ends of the force feedback mechanism are compressed, and the displacement generated by the moving part is absorbed by the force feedback mechanism, so that the technical effects mentioned above are further realized. Therefore, in the embodiment, the 3 groups of cams are matched with the friction surface, wherein the cam groups formed by the first synchronous swing arms and the first cam blocks are moving parts, expected force feedback and hand feeling can be achieved, particularly, larger feedback force (peak hand feeling) in the later period of the unfolding process and the later period of the combining process can be achieved, meanwhile, the cam groups are 3 groups of cams and the force feedback mechanism are distributed, so that the cams and the force feedback mechanism can be made smaller, the requirement of an ultrathin hinge is met, the number of parts and the cost can be controlled, the assembling steps of the parts are reduced, and the peak hand feeling can still be achieved.

The series connection can be achieved, for example, by making openings in the respective parts of the components concerned through which openings the camshaft passes, in which case the force feedback mechanism is a spring stack, which space can be used for the series connection, since the springs of the spring stack are usually empty in the middle. In addition, in order to cooperate with the force feedback mechanism (such as a spring set) and the cam shaft, the baffle may be configured with an opening for the cam shaft to be connected in series, and a supporting surface for supporting one end of the force feedback mechanism is reserved, and a cylinder extending toward the force feedback mechanism may be further configured in the middle of the baffle, and the cylinder may extend into an intermediate space formed by the round spring of the force feedback mechanism, so as to provide a certain position fixing and movement guiding effect for the round spring, so that a shape or a position change of the round spring in the compression or extension process can be limited by the cylinder in the opening and closing process, and a higher reduction degree can be provided. In the aspect of the square spring, the technical effect is achieved by the cam shaft. The cover is also designed to provide a certain protection for the spring stack, which of course is not dimensioned to influence the arrangement and operation of the spring stack and requires a certain space with the second cam block in order to leave room for movement of the second cam block. In the aspect of jump ring design, corresponding holes can be formed in two ends of the jump ring for matching with the cam shaft so as to enable the cam shaft to pass through. In addition, as can be seen from the above explanation of the technical scheme of the present disclosure, in the opening and closing process, the leftward movement of the tail portion of the cam shaft is converted into the leftward movement of the clamp spring, so the clamp spring is a movable member. However, for the fixation of the hinge, in this example, the cam fixing block is fixed to the hinge cover by the screw fastener 25 such as a bolt or a screw, the bottom cover to be explained later is fixed to the hinge cover by the bolt alone or together with the main bracket, and the snap spring and the main bracket are fixed to the hinge cover by the bolt, so that the fixation of the parts inside the hinge is completed, and therefore, in order to support the movement of the snap spring, the passing space 193 of the snap spring for the bolt is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the screw of the bolt used, so that the left and right movement of the snap spring during the opening and closing process is supported while the fixation between the main bracket and the hinge cover is realized.

In an alternative embodiment, the second side 152 of the cam fixed block 15 is configured with a first stop and the second side 1222 of the second synchronization swing arm 122 is configured with a second stop, the first and second stops being capable of abutting each other and limiting further rotation of the spindle assembly 100 during rotation of the spindle assembly 100. Thus, the present example provides a hard stop embodiment that forms an end position stop for the spindle assembly. The two limiting portions may be exemplarily configured as circular arc bodies extending on the second side with an arc length that defines the rotatable range of the spindle assembly and the stop is achieved by abutment between the limiting portion ends.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the flattened or folded position of the spindle assembly 100, the first cam block 14 and the cam securing block 15 are each non-convexly engaged with the first synchronization swing arm 121 and the second synchronization swing arm 122 is non-convexly engaged with the second cam block 16 in the mutually engaged manner of the cam designs described above. In the transition position between the flattened position and the folded position, the first cam block 14 and the cam fixing block 15 are both capable of being engaged with the first synchronization swing arm 121, and the second synchronization swing arm 122 is capable of being engaged with the second cam block 16.

Here, the flattened position refers to a position when the hinge assembly is fully opened (see fig. 2), and the folded position refers to a position when the hinge assembly is fully closed (see fig. 4), and a transition position therebetween may be referred to as an intermediate position. The cam engagement condition defining the extreme position (flattened, folded position) of the spindle assembly is a non-male engagement, i.e. may be a male-female engagement or a male-female engagement, of course, where the male-female engagement does not require the top of one cam to extend completely into the recess of the other cam. There is a male-female fit at the transition location. That is, from one limit position, the non-convex-matching is changed into the convex-matching during the opening and closing process, the feedback force is gradually increased to prompt the user that the opening and closing state of the electronic equipment is about to change, thereby realizing the compression effect on the spring set and providing corresponding force feedback and handfeel. It should be appreciated that the setting of the magnitude of the feedback force and the feel, and the point in time at which such feedback force changes or the correspondence with the current position of the spindle assembly, may be adjusted by the design of the cam shape, such as the height and length of the cam lobe, the slope of the cam hypotenuse, etc. In this case, in the unfolded state, the oblique sides of the cams are abutted against each other, so that when the rotating shaft assembly is to be closed from the unfolded state to the folded state, the feedback force is increased, and therefore the required force is also increased, which is equivalent to providing a hovering effect. The cam-male engagement in the intermediate position will also provide a similar hover effect and the above-mentioned homeotropic effect before or upon shifting to the folded position and vice versa. In the opening and closing process, the process of climbing, paralleling and descending and the hand feeling are vividly presented.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the torsion module 1 further includes a synchronizing gear 20, the synchronizing gear 20 is disposed between the cam fixing block 15 and the second cam block 16, and the synchronizing gear 20 is engaged with the gear portion 1223 of the second synchronizing swing arm 122. The design of synchronous gear and with gear portion meshing for a plurality of second synchronous swing arms can synchronous motion, for example under the pivot subassembly has two sets of synchronous swing arm assemblies along longitudinal direction both sides, even if the synchronous swing arm assembly of user only operation one side still can realize the synchronous rotation of both sides, is applicable to the folding electronic equipment of common now better. In this design, it is known that two synchronizing gears can be provided which mesh with each other and with a second synchronizing swing arm on one side, respectively, in order to achieve a synchronous transmission of the opening and closing movement.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, it relates to a hinge assembly 100 for a foldable device, wherein the hinge assembly 100 comprises any one of the torsion modules 1 described above. With respect to the specific embodiments of the spindle assembly and the various technical effects that can be achieved, reference is made to the above explanation of the torsion module.

It should be noted that, referring to fig. 2 to fig. 4, the rotating shaft assembly 100 further includes a track module 2, the track module 2 includes a rotating swing arm 21 and a bottom cover 22, a first end 211 of the rotating swing arm 21 is rotatably connected with the second portion 112 of the middle frame fixing block 11, the bottom cover 22 is formed with a rotating space 221, a second end 212 of the rotating swing arm 21 is connected in the rotating space 221, and the second end 212 of the rotating swing arm 21 can rotate in the rotating space 221. Through the rotatable design of being connected of rotation swing arm and center fixed block, realized center fixed block respectively with synchronous swing arm subassembly and rotation swing arm's linkage effect. That is, when the middle frame fixing block rotates and performs sliding motion relative to the synchronous swing arm assembly, there is relative rotation motion between the middle frame fixing block and the rotating swing arm, therefore, the whole rotating shaft assembly can be regarded as a multi-link mechanism (multi-link sliding block mechanism) with a sliding block, the possibility is provided that the relative sliding amplitude between the middle frame fixing block and the synchronous swing arm assembly can be indirectly defined through the rotating range of the rotating swing arm in the rotating space of the bottom cover, the defining mode is relatively convenient and high in cost performance, the definition of the rotating angle of the rotating shaft assembly can be completed through the design of the rotating swing arm and the bottom cover under the condition that the structure or the position relation of the middle frame fixing block and the synchronous swing arm assembly is not changed, and the stability of core components such as the middle frame fixing block, the synchronous swing arm assembly and the like is ensured. Specifically, in order to facilitate the rotation, the second end of the rotation swing arm is configured with an arc portion, and the rotation space of the bottom cover is correspondingly configured or configured with an arc-shaped receiving portion, and the size of the arc circumference of both of them may be determined according to the angular range of rotation to be required.

To support the rotation of the rotary swing arm relative to the center fixed block, the first end of the rotary swing arm is illustratively configured with an aperture, and the second portion of the center fixed block is configured with a receiving portion for receiving the first end and holes in corresponding communication with the first end aperture, whereby the holes are traversed by the track pin 23 to support such relative rotational movement. In addition, as already mentioned slightly above, the bottom cover is provided with openings for the passage of bolts, for example for connecting the bottom cover with the hinge cover or for fixing the bottom cover with the main support at the hinge cover, depending on the position of the spindle assembly in the hinge. The shape of the bottom cover can also be adaptively modified or adjusted according to different positional relationships or connection modes.

Referring to fig. 6, a schematic structural view of a hinge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown from the front in a flattened state.

The present disclosure also relates to a hinge 1000 for a foldable device, wherein the hinge 1000 comprises any of the above-described spindle assemblies 100, and thus may have various embodiments and technical effects of the spindle assemblies.

Specifically, the hinge 1000 further includes a hinge cover 10003 (see fig. 7 and 8 for schematic structural views of a back or outer side of a hinge cover according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and a front or inner side of a hinge cover according to an embodiment of the present disclosure), and the rotation shaft assembly 100 is mounted to the hinge cover 10003. In the case of an electronic device assembled, the hinge cover is an appearance protector visible to a user. Thus, the outside of the hinge cover may be configured rectangular with a rounded shape to provide a reduced aesthetic. The inside of the hinge cover is adapted according to the actual need, for example, as already mentioned above, the hinge cover is designed with several bolt holes in order to achieve the fixation of the bottom cover, cam fixing blocks, main brackets, etc. Since the hinge cover is not an important point of the present disclosure, it will not be described in detail herein.

Referring to fig. 9 to 10, there are respectively shown structural schematic views of a moving door panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and a schematic diagram of a kinematic door plate limit design according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, with reference to fig. 11 and 12, respectively, showing a side cross-sectional view of a hinge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure sectioned based on a second synchronous swing arm in a folded state; and a side cross-sectional view of a hinge cut in an intermediate state based on a second synchronous swing arm according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The hinge 1000 further includes a moving door plate 10002, the moving door plate 10002 is connected to the middle frame fixing block 11, the synchronous swing arm assembly 12 (here, the second synchronous swing arm) is configured with a cylindrical surface 1224 (as shown in fig. 5), the moving door plate 10002 is configured with a track curved surface 100021, and the cylindrical surface 1224 is always in contact with the track curved surface 100021 and moves relatively during the unfolding or folding process of the hinge 1000.

The moving door leaf can be connected, for example, in a rotationally fixed manner to the middle frame attachment piece, for which purpose the moving door leaf is likewise formed with a cylindrical fitting 100023 (fig. 9) which is provided with a hole and is connected to the middle frame attachment piece by way of a door leaf pin 24. In a similar manner, the second portion of the center fixed block is rotatably connected to both the swing arm and the moving door panel via the track pin. The present solution defines that the trajectory curved surface of the moving door panel is always in contact with the cylindrical surface of the second synchronization swing arm and is capable of relative movement during opening and closing of the hinge, whereby, during opening and closing, with specific reference to fig. 11 and 12, the moving door panel is in relative movement with respect to the second synchronization swing arm according to a mating structure defined by the trajectory curved surface and the cylindrical surface, wherein, in the folded position, the cylindrical surface is in contact with the inner end of the trajectory curved surface, whereas, in the unfolded position, the cylindrical surface is in contact with the outer end of the trajectory curved surface. The movement of the middle frame fixed block and the second synchronous swing arm is determined, so that the movement track and the position of the moving door plate are set in the mode. That is, by the cylindrical feature on the second synchronous swing arm, the cylindrical feature is matched with the track feature of the moving door plate, and in the hinge movement process, the cylindrical feature and the track feature rotate according to the radian of the track, so that when the hinge is in the unfolding position, the moving door plate is flattened along with the hinge, and finally the display screen can be flattened. Of course, the shape, size, curvature of the curved surface of the track, and other features of the cylindrical surface can be modified according to practical application and environment. In addition, the cylindrical surface and the trajectory curved surface may be provided in an arc shape having different curvatures.

Referring to fig. 13, a cross-sectional view of a kinematic door plate stop design cut based on a second synchronous swing arm according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In order to prevent the motion door plate from reversely tilting and propping up the screen, a flattening stop position of the motion door plate is added on the design. Specifically, the moving door panel 10002 is configured with a limit post 100022, the first portion 111 of the middle frame fixing block 11 is configured with a limit notch 1111, and in the case that the hinge 1000 is flattened, the limit notch 1111 abuts against the limit post 100022 and prevents the moving door panel 10002 from further unfolding. It will be appreciated that in the folded state/position the limit posts and limit recesses are in a certain gap from each other, however during flattening the gap gradually narrows until there is no gap, i.e. in the unfolded position the limit posts abut the limit recesses preventing further unfolding movement of the moving door panel, thereby enabling the moving door panel to remain in the unfolded position in a flattened position for the purpose of preventing the moving door panel from tilting back against the screen, being a flattened stop for the moving door panel. It should also be appreciated that the number of limit posts and limit notches may be designed in multiple numbers, such as the example of fig. 9, where the sports door panel is designed with 6 limit posts, and thus the number of limit notches is correspondingly 6. In addition, the curved track surface and the limiting post can be formed as a single piece or can be supported by the external features of the same component, as can also be seen with reference to fig. 9, in order to fully utilize the design space of the moving door panel. It can be seen that, when the sports door panel is flattened, the first and second synchronous swing arms are flattened along with the middle frame fixing block, and the middle frame fixing block constrains the two synchronous swing arms through sliding connection, so that the flattening angle can be controlled to be 180 ° ± 1 ° to play a role in protecting the screen (wherein the middle frame fixing block is fixed on the middle frame, the middle frame stop position can be matched with the surface, and the middle frame stop position is stopped on the middle frame fixing block, which is further explained below in combination with the middle frame stop position illustration of fig. 14).

Additionally or additionally, the synchronizing swing arm assembly 12 is configured with a door panel support that supports the moving door panel 10002 with the hinge 1000 flattened. Here, each of the first and second swing arms may be configured with respective first and second door panel supporting parts 1213 and 1225, respectively, so as to provide a supporting force for the moving door panel, and to be able to better withstand the weight of the moving door panel and the display screen thereon, and the user's pressing operation of the display screen, etc. In addition, in the motion process from the flattening position to the folding position, the transmission of the driving force of each synchronous swing arm to the motion door plate is realized through each door plate supporting part, and the gesture control effect on the motion door plate is realized by combining the cooperation of the cylindrical surface and the track curved surface which have been explained above.

As already mentioned above, the hinge 1000 further includes a main bracket 10001, the main bracket 10001 is connected to the rotation shaft assembly 100, the hinge cover 10003 covers the main bracket 10001, the number of the moving door panels 10002 is two, the moving door panels are symmetrically disposed at both sides of the main bracket 10001, the number of the rotation shaft assemblies 100 is at least two, and the rotating shaft assemblies 100 are aligned in the longitudinal direction of the main bracket 10001.

Particularly when the hinge assembly is provided in plurality, the main support serves to connect the hinge assembly and fix the hinge assembly to the hinge cover. The directions of the plurality of spindle assemblies may also be different, for example, as can be seen from fig. 1, the track modules of the spindle assemblies at the two ends are external (for example, considering the reason of anti-falling capability, etc.), while the track module is located at one side of the middle spindle assembly and the torsion module is located at one side, so that the torsion module (for example, the snap spring) of the spindle assembly at one end faces the track module (for example, the bottom cover) of the middle spindle assembly, while the snap springs of the spindle assembly at the other end and the middle spindle assembly are opposite to each other. Thus, as already described above, it is to be understood that modifications can be made to the design of the main support, bottom cover, etc., depending on the relative position and orientation of the spindle assembly, in order to achieve an adaptable connection. In addition, the main support may be configured with a recess 100011 and the sports door panel configured with a corresponding protrusion 100024. In the flattened position, the protrusion can engage into the recess, and in the folded position, the protrusion can be separated from the recess, so that the entire hinge structure can be made more compact, stable and with better movement stability. Of course, other numbers of spindle assemblies may be possible, such as two, four, etc., depending on the hinge or length of the electronic device in the longitudinal direction to be used.

The present disclosure also relates to a foldable device, wherein the foldable device comprises any of the hinges 1000 described above, and thus encompasses various embodiments derived from such hinges and various technical effects that can be achieved. As described above, the foldable device may be an intelligent terminal such as a foldable mobile phone or a foldable tablet computer, and the folding manner is not limited, for example, left and right folding along the central axis of the longitudinal direction of the device, up and down folding along the central axis of the transverse direction of the device, and the like, and after appreciating the technical spirit of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art can adaptively modify the number, shape, layout position, and other features of the hinge parts as required, so as to meet the actual requirements.

In some embodiments, the foldable device further comprises the middle frame fixed to the middle frame fixing block 11 and a flexible display screen fixed to the middle frame. It should be understood that the user can operate the display screen or the middle frame to realize the opening and closing movement of the electronic device, and the movement of the middle frame drives the middle frame fixing block to perform corresponding opening and closing movement, so as to realize various technical effects and technical effects according to the principle explained above. As can be seen in connection with fig. 11, according to the hinge implemented in the present disclosure, in the folded state, the middle portion of the display screen is restrained by the moving door panel to form a drop-shaped shape, or the inner contour formed by the moving door panel, the synchronizing swing arm assembly, the cam fixing block, the first and second cam blocks forms a drop-shaped shape, which can be implemented by controlling the planar structure and posture of the door panel surface of the moving door panel in the folded state, and the arc-shaped characteristics of the outer surfaces (the surfaces facing away from the outer side of the hinge cover) of the above-mentioned parts. According to the scheme, the problem of insufficient flattening force of the ultrathin hinge is solved by utilizing the mode of synchronous cam displacement, under the condition of using 3 rotating shaft assemblies, the number of parts is reduced under the condition of matching the 9 groups of cams of the hinge, the number of the parts of the whole hinge is controlled to be about 70 to 90, the cost is greatly reduced, meanwhile, the space is saved, the utilization rate of the space is improved, the number of the parts is reduced, the volume of the whole hinge is reduced, the weight is reduced (for example, the hinge is finally 15 to 16 g), the weight is reduced, and the expected technical effect is maintained. Thus, as can also be seen in connection with fig. 11, when the electronic device is closed, the middle frame fixing block is moved, and at the same time, the moving door panel may be opened by a certain angle under the influence of the screen tension, and the size of the angle depends on the shape of the screen water drops; during the unfolding process of the electronic equipment, the moving door plate can be extruded by the second synchronous swing arm (for example, through the cylindrical surface or the door plate supporting part of the second synchronous swing arm) so as to be unfolded to a surface parallel to the middle frame, thereby supporting the screen and avoiding possible collision caused by falling.

Referring to fig. 14, a schematic diagram of a mid-frame stop design of a collapsible device is shown, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In other embodiments, the number of the middle frames is two, and the two middle frames are fixed at two sides of the hinge 1000, so as to be suitable for the middle frame layout of the electronic device which is commonly used currently. In addition to this, it can be seen that, with the foldable device flattened, the side walls of the two intermediate frames abut each other and limit further movement of the foldable device in the direction of deployment. This design scheme can be understood as the design of the flat position of ending of center, through the lateral wall butt each other of these two center under the flattening state, also can play the motion of restriction pivot subassembly further along the expansion direction, has avoided spare parts such as motion door plant, rotation swing arm to probably because excessively expand and cause the risk of damage to the display screen. The design mode also better utilizes the characteristic that the side wall of the middle frame has linear characteristics.

It should be understood that all of the above preferred embodiments are exemplary and not limiting, and that various modifications or variations to the specific embodiments described above, which would be within the spirit of the present disclosure, would be within the legal scope of the present disclosure by those skilled in the art.