U.S. patent application number 16/319771 was filed with the patent office on 2021-02-04 for flexible device.
This patent application is currently assigned to SHENZHEN ROYOLE TECHNOLOGIES CO. LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is SHENZHEN ROYOLE TECHNOLOGIES CO. LTD.. Invention is credited to Le LIAO.
Application Number | 20210034108 16/319771 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005193445 |
Filed Date | 2021-02-04 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20210034108 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LIAO; Le |
February 4, 2021 |
FLEXIBLE DEVICE
Abstract
A flexible device comprises a flexible screen and a supporting
assembly for supporting the flexible screen. The supporting
assembly comprises a plurality of moving members and connecting
members each for movably connecting two adjacent moving members of
the plurality of moving members. The adjacent moving members moving
relatively to support the flexible screen in an unfolded state or a
bent state. The flexible device can be transformed into different
forms according to requirements, so as to adapt to application
requirements of various shapes of flexible screen.
Inventors: |
LIAO; Le; (Shenzhen,
Guangdong, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SHENZHEN ROYOLE TECHNOLOGIES CO. LTD. |
Shenzhen ,Guangdong |
|
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
SHENZHEN ROYOLE TECHNOLOGIES CO.
LTD.
Shenzhen ,Guangdong
CN
|
Family ID: |
1000005193445 |
Appl. No.: |
16/319771 |
Filed: |
February 13, 2017 |
PCT Filed: |
February 13, 2017 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2017/073362 |
371 Date: |
April 5, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 1/1652 20130101;
G06F 1/1681 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 1/16 20060101
G06F001/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 19, 2016 |
CN |
PCT/CN2016/090477 |
Jul 19, 2016 |
CN |
PCT/CN2016/090478 |
Jul 19, 2016 |
CN |
PCT/CN2016/090479 |
Claims
1. A flexible device, comprising: a flexible screen and a
supporting assembly for supporting the flexible screen, the
supporting assembly comprising a plurality of moving members and
connecting members each connecting two adjacent moving members of
the plurality of moving members, adjacent moving members of the
plurality of moving members moving relatively to support the
flexible screen in an unfolded state or a bent state.
2. The flexible device according to claim 1, wherein, each of the
plurality of moving members rotates relative to an adjacent moving
member around a rotating center, and the rotating center of each of
the plurality of moving members rotating relative to the adjacent
moving member is in the flexible screen.
3. The flexible device according to claim 1, wherein, each of the
plurality of moving members comprises a base, and a limit groove
and a through hole defined on the base, each of the connecting
members passes through the limit groove of each of the plurality of
moving members and penetrates the through hole of the adjacent
moving member.
4. The flexible device according to claim 3, wherein, the limit
groove of each of the plurality of moving members is in an arc
shape, and a center of the limit groove is in the flexible
screen.
5. The flexible device according to claim 4, wherein, each of the
plurality of moving members further comprises a first limiting part
and a second limiting part respectively located on opposite sides
of the base, the second limiting part of the each of the plurality
of moving members movably abuts against the first limiting part of
the adjacent moving member.
6. The flexible device according to claim 5, wherein, a moving
track of the second limiting part of each of the plurality of
moving members relative to the first limiting part of the adjacent
moving member is in an arc shape, and a center of the moving track
is in the flexible screen.
7. The flexible device according to claim 5, wherein, the first
limiting part comprises a first positioning surface in an arc
shape, the second limiting part comprises a second positioning
surface in an arc shape, centers of the first positioning surface
and the second positioning surface are in the flexible screen.
8. The flexible device according to claim 7, wherein, the first
positioning surface and the second positioning surface are
respectively inclined toward opposite ends of the base.
9. The flexible device according to claim 7, wherein, a height of a
center of the first positioning surface is the same as a height of
a center of the second positioning surface.
10. The flexible device according to claim 7, wherein, the center
of the second positioning surface coincides with the center of the
limit groove along a first direction, and the first direction is
from one side of the base to an opposite side of the base.
11. The flexible device according to claims 3, wherein, a bottom
surface of the base movably supports the flexible screen.
12. The flexible device according to claim 11, wherein, an area of
the bottom surface of the base supporting the flexible screen when
the flexible device is in the unfolded state is greater than an
area of the bottom surface of the base supporting the flexible
screen when the flexible device is in the bent state.
13. The flexible device according to claims 3, wherein, a top
surface of the base is curved surface, when the flexible device is
in the unfolded state, the top surfaces of the bases of the
adjacent moving members are staggered; when the flexible device is
in the bent state, the top surfaces of the bases of the adjacent
moving members are continuous.
14. The flexible device according to claims 3, wherein, a center of
the top surface of the base is below the flexible screen.
15. The flexible device according to claims 3, wherein, the base
comprises a first base plate and a second base plate manufactured
independently of each other, each of the connecting members
comprises a head portion located between the first base plate and
the second base plate, and an end portion penetrating into the
limit groove of the first base plate, and a rod portion penetrating
into the limit groove of the second base plate, the end portion and
the rod portion are located on two opposite sides of the head
portion.
16. The flexible device according to claim 15, wherein, a receiving
groove is defined on a surface of the second base plate facing the
first base plate, and the connecting member further comprises a
locking member fixed to an end of a rod member, the locking member
is received in the receiving groove of the second base plate of the
adjacent moving member.
17. The flexible device according to claims 1, further comprising a
separated first housing and a second housing, the first housing and
the second housing are separated through a groove, the flexible
screen comprises a bonding portion that is attached the first
housing and the second housing, and a connecting portion
corresponding to the groove, the supporting assembly supports the
connecting portion.
18. The flexible device according to claim 17, further comprising a
support plate attached to the connecting portion, a bottom surface
of each of the plurality of moving members is movably abutted
against the support plate.
19. The flexible device according to claim 17, wherein, the support
assembly is received in the groove, and the moving members located
on opposite sides of the support assembly are fixed to the first
housing and the second housing.
20. The flexible device according to claim 17, wherein, the support
assembly extends from the first housing toward the second housing
when the flexible device is in the unfolded state.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to flexible devices, and more
particularly to a flexible device for applying to a flexible
screen.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The existing electronic devices, such as mobile phones,
tablets, video players and the like with display screens are
straight panel due to limitations of materials of screens. With
development of screen technology, the industry has developed
flexible display screens, and it is expected to develop various
types of electronic devices that can be bent or folded in the
future. Due to flexible nature of the flexible display screen, a
corresponding movable mechanical structure is required to support
it. Obviously, a support structure of the existing hard display
screen cannot meet the needs of bending or folding.
SUMMARY
[0003] The present disclosure provides a flexible device that can
meet the needs of bending or folding.
[0004] A flexible device includes a flexible screen and a
supporting assembly for supporting the flexible screen. The
supporting assembly includes a plurality of moving members and
connecting members each connecting two adjacent moving members of
the plurality of moving members. Adjacent moving members of the
plurality of moving members move relatively to support the flexible
screen in an unfolded state or a bent state.
[0005] Each of the plurality of moving members rotates relative to
an adjacent moving member around a rotating center, and the
rotating center of each of the plurality of moving members rotating
relative to the adjacent moving member is in the flexible
screen.
[0006] Each of the plurality of moving members includes a base, and
a limit groove and a through hole defined on the base, each of the
connecting members passes through the limit groove of each of the
plurality of moving members and penetrates the through hole of the
adjacent moving member.
[0007] The limit groove of each of the plurality of moving members
is in an arc shape, and a center of the limit groove is in the
flexible screen.
[0008] Each of the plurality of moving members further includes a
first limiting part and a second limiting part respectively located
on opposite sides of the base, the second limiting part of the each
of the plurality of moving members movably abuts against the first
limiting part of the adjacent moving member.
[0009] A moving track of the second limiting part of the each of
the plurality of moving members relative to the first limiting part
of the adjacent moving member is in an arc shape, and a center of
the moving track is in the flexible screen.
[0010] The first limiting part includes a first positioning surface
in an arc shape, the second limiting part includes a second
positioning surface in an arc shape, centers of the first
positioning surface and the second positioning surface are in the
flexible screen.
[0011] The first positioning surface and the second positioning
surface are respectively inclined toward opposite ends of the
base.
[0012] A height of a center of the first positioning surface is the
same as a height of a center of the second positioning surface.
[0013] The center of the second positioning surface coincides with
the center of the limit groove along a first direction, and the
first direction is from one side of the base to an opposite side of
the base.
[0014] A bottom surface of the base movably supports the flexible
screen.
[0015] An area of the bottom surface of the base supporting the
flexible screen when the flexible device is in the unfolded state
is greater than an area of the bottom surface of the base
supporting the flexible screen when the flexible device is in the
bent state.
[0016] A top surface of the base is curved surface, when the
flexible device is in the unfolded state, the top surfaces of the
bases of the adjacent moving members are staggered; when the
flexible device is in the bent state, the top surfaces of the bases
of the adjacent moving members are continuous.
[0017] A center of the top surface of the base is below the
flexible screen.
[0018] The base includes a first base plate and a second base plate
manufactured independently of each other, each of the connecting
members includes a head portion located between the first base
plate and the second base plate, and an end portion penetrating
into the limit groove of the first base plate, and a rod portion
penetrating into the limit groove of the second base plate, the end
portion and the rod portion are located on two opposite sides of
the head portion.
[0019] A receiving groove is defined on a surface of the second
base plate facing the first base plate, and the connecting member
further includes a locking member fixed to an end of the rod
member, the locking member is received in the receiving groove of
the second base plate of the adjacent moving member.
[0020] The flexible device further includes a separated first
housing and a second housing, the first housing and the second
housing are separated through a groove, the flexible screen
includes a bonding portion that is attached the first housing and
the second housing, and a connecting portion corresponding to the
groove, the supporting assembly supports the connecting
portion.
[0021] The flexible device further includes a support plate
attached to the connecting portion, a bottom surface of each of the
plurality of moving members is movably abutted against the support
plate.
[0022] The support assembly is received in the groove, and the
moving members located on opposite sides of the support assembly
are fixed to the first housing and the second housing.
[0023] The support assembly extends from the first housing toward
the second housing when the flexible device is in the unfolded
state.
[0024] By using a plurality of moving members that can be movable
relatively, the flexible device can be switched between the
unfolded state and the bent state according to need, thereby
facilitating bending or folding of the flexible electronic device
with the flexible device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0025] To describe technology solutions in the embodiments of the
present disclosure more clearly, the following briefly introduces
the accompanying drawings required for the embodiments. Obviously,
the accompanying drawings in the following description show merely
some embodiments of the present disclosure, those of ordinary skill
in the art may also derive other obvious variations based on these
accompanying drawings without creative efforts.
[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible device according
to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0027] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the flexible device of FIG.
1.
[0028] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a supporting assembly of the
flexible device of FIG. 2.
[0029] FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view of the supporting assembly
of FIG. 3.
[0030] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a moving member of the
supporting assembly of FIG. 4.
[0031] FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the moving member of
FIG. 5.
[0032] FIG. 7 is an upper left perspective view of the moving
member of FIG. 5.
[0033] FIG. 8 is an inverted view of the moving member of FIG.
5.
[0034] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the moving member of FIG. 5.
[0035] FIG. 10 is a front view of the moving member of FIG. 5.
[0036] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the moving member of
FIG. 9 taken along line I-I.
[0037] FIG. 12 is a rear view of the moving member of FIG. 5.
[0038] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the moving member of
FIG. 9 taken along line II-II.
[0039] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the supporting assembly
of FIG. 2.
[0040] FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of one moving member located at
one end of the supporting assembly.
[0041] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a bent state of the flexible
device.
[0042] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the flexible device of
FIG. 16.
[0043] FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of the supporting assembly
according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0044] FIG. 19 is an exploded view of the supporting assembly of
FIG. 18.
[0045] FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of a first base plate of the
moving member of the supporting assembly of FIG. 18.
[0046] FIG. 21 is a rear perspective view of the first base plate
of FIG. 20.
[0047] FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of a second base plate of the
moving member of the supporting assembly of FIG. 18.
[0048] FIG. 23 is a rear perspective view of the second base plate
of FIG. 22.
[0049] FIG. 24 is a front view of the first base plate of FIG.
20;
[0050] FIG. 25 is a rear view of the first base plate of FIG.
20.
[0051] FIG. 26 is a front view of the second base plate of FIG.
22.
[0052] FIG. 27 is a rear view of the second base plate of FIG.
22.
[0053] FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view of the supporting assembly
of FIG. 18.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
[0054] The technical solutions in the present disclosure will be
described clearly and completely in the following with reference to
the accompanying drawings in the present disclosure.
[0055] Referring to FIGS. 1-2, a flexible device according to one
embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The flexible device
includes a first housing 10, a second housing 20, a flexible screen
30 attached to the first housing 10 and the second housing 20, and
a supporting assembly 40 supporting the flexible screen 30. The
flexible device can be switched between an unfolded state and a
folded/bent state. In the unfolded state, the flexible screen 30 is
unbent and expanded, the first housing 10 and the second housing 20
are arranged side by side; in the folded/bent state, the flexible
screen 30 is folded or bent, and the first housing 10 and the
second housing 20 are stacked one by one.
[0056] The first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are
substantially in flat-plate shape, and they can be made of hard
materials such as metal or plastic. The first housing 10 and the
second housing 20 may be hollow for receiving various electronic
components such as a control module, a storage module, a drive
module, a power module, a switch module, a speaker module, a sensor
module, and the like. The first housing 10 and the second housing
20 are separated from each other with a narrow groove 100 defined
therebetween.
[0057] One side of the first housing 10 defines a plurality of
grooves 102 along a length direction thereof for fixing the
supporting assembly 40. In this embodiment, the number of the
grooves 102 is four, two of which are respectively close to
opposite ends of the first housing 10, and the other two of which
are close to a middle part of the first housing 10. The groove 102
is sunken from a top surface of the first housing 10 to inside of
the first housing 10, that is, the groove 102 does not cut through
the first housing 10 from top surface to bottom surface. The groove
102 also laterally cuts through one side surface of the adjacent
first housing 10. The bottom surface of the groove 102 defines a
circular screw hole for a screw passing through to fix the support
assembly 40 to the first housing 10. One side of each groove 102
also defines an avoiding slot 104 in the first housing 10. The
avoiding slot 104 is sunken from the bottom surface of the first
housing 10 to the inside of the first housing 10, that is, the
avoiding slot 104 does not cut through the first housing 10 from
the bottom surface to the top surface. The avoiding slot 104 also
laterally cuts through one side surface of the adjacent first
housing 10. The avoiding slot 104 is used for receiving certain
portions of the supporting assembly 40 to reduce space occupied by
the supporting assembly 40. Each avoiding slot 104 is disposed with
one groove 102 in pairs.
[0058] One side of the second housing 20 close to the first housing
10 defines a plurality of grooves 202 for fixing the supporting
assembly 40. In this embodiment, the number of the grooves 202 is
also four, two of which are close to one end of the second housing
20, and the other two of which are close to opposite end of the
second housing 20. In particular, a distance of one groove 202
closest to one end of the second housing 20 to the end of the
second housing 20 is greater than that of one groove 102 closest to
one end of the first housing 10 to the end of the first housing 10.
Along the length direction of the first housing 10 or the second
housing 20, the grooves 202 of the second housing 20 and the
grooves 102 of the first housing 10 are staggered with each other
to fix different portions of the supporting assembly 40. The groove
202 is sunken downward from a top surface of the second housing 20
to the inside of the second housing 20, that is, the groove 202
does not cut through the second housing 20 from the top surface to
the bottom surface. The groove 202 also laterally cuts through one
side surface of the adjacent first housing 10. The bottom surface
of the groove 202 defines a circular screw hole for a screw passing
through to fix the support assembly 40 to the second housing 20.
One side of each groove 202 also defines an avoiding slot in the
second housing 20. The avoiding slot is sunken upward from a bottom
surface of the second housing 20 to inside of the second housing
20, that is, the avoiding slot does not cut through the second
housing 20 from the bottom surface to the top surface. The avoiding
slot also laterally cuts through one side surface of the adjacent
first housing 10. The avoiding slot is used for receiving certain
portions of the support assembly 40 to reduce a space occupied by
the supporting assembly 40. Each avoiding slot is disposed with one
groove 202 in pairs.
[0059] The flexible screen 30 is attached to the bottom surfaces of
the first housing 10 and the second housing 20. The flexible screen
30 can be a flexible display screen, a flexible touch screen, a
combination of the two, or other types of flexible screens. The
flexible screen 30 includes a bonding portion 32 bonded to the
first housing 10 , a bonding portion 32 bonded to the second
housing 20, and a connecting portion 34 between the two bonding
portions 32. The connecting portion 34 is located in the groove 100
between the first housing 10 and the second housing 20. When the
flexible device is unfolded, the bonding portions 32 and the
connecting portion 34 lie in a plane; when the flexible device is
folded or bent, the connecting portion 34 bends correspondingly,
and the two bonding portion 32 face with each other, and the first
housing 10 and the second housing 20 are disposed opposite to each
other.
[0060] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, there are
four groups of supporting assemblies 40, and each group of
supporting assembly 40 connects the first housing 10 and the second
housing 20 along a length direction of the first housing 10 or the
second housing 20. Each group of the supporting assembly 40
includes a plurality of moving members 50 coupled in series. Each
moving member 50 is movably coupled to the adjacent moving member
50 through a connecting member 60, thereby movably supporting the
flexible screen 30. Referring to FIGS. 5-13, in the embodiment, the
moving member 50 includes a base 52, a first limiting part 54 and a
second limiting part 56 respectively protruding from front side and
rear side of the base 52. The base 52 is substantially circular
sector-shaped and includes a top surface 520, a bottom surface 521,
a left end surface 522, a right end surface 523, a front side
surface 524, and a rear side surface 525. The bottom surface 521 of
the base 52 is a rectangular plane, and the left end surface 522
and the right end surface 523 are rectangular planes perpendicular
to the bottom surface 521. The top surface 520 of the base 52 is a
convex surface that protrudes upward in a direction away from the
bottom surface 521. The height of the top surface 520 gradually
increases from the left end surface 522, the right end surface 523
to a middle part, thereby the top surface being curved. A center O0
of the top surface 520 is located below the bottom surface 512 of
the base 52 (see FIG. 10). The front side surface 524 and the rear
side surface 525 are perpendicular to the bottom surface 521, the
left end surface 522, and the right end surface 523 at the same
time. The area of the front side surface 524 and the rear side
surface 525 is greater than that of the left end surface 522 and
the right end surface 523. The base 52 defines a limit groove 51
and a through hole 53 cut through the front side surface 524 and
the rear side surface 525. The limit groove 51 is located close to
the right end surface 523 of the base. The limit groove 51 is in an
arc shape, and substantially inclined to the right and curved
toward the top surface, and its center O1 is located below the
bottom surface 521 of the base 52 (see FIG. 10). The limit groove
51 includes a bottom surface 510, a top surface 512, and two side
surfaces 514 coupling the top surface 510 and the bottom surface
512. The bottom surface 510 is an up-convex curved surface, the top
surface 512 is an up-concave curved surface, and the side surfaces
514 are curved surfaces concaved to the left and right
respectively. In this embodiment, the curvature of the bottom
surface 510 is greater than that of the top surface 512, and the
bottom surface 510 is paralleled to the top surface 512. The curved
surface of the bottom surface 510 is a part of an arc surface, and
its center O2 is located below bottom surface 521 of the base 52.
The curved surface of the top surface 512 is also a part of an arc
surface, and its center O3 is located below the bottom surface 521
of the base 52 and coincides with the center O2 of the bottom
surface 510. In particular, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510
and the center O3 of the top surface 512 are located close to the
bottom surface 521 of the base 52 and coincide with the center O1
of the limit groove 51. The side surfaces 514 smoothly connect the
top surface 512 and the bottom surface 510. The side surfaces 514
each is also a part of an arc surface, but its center O4 is located
inside the limit groove 51, and is higher than the bottom surface
510, and is below the top surface 512. The centers O4 of the two
side surfaces 514 are different in height, wherein, the center O4
of the left side surface 514 is higher than the center O4 of the
right side surface 514, causing the limit groove 51 to incline to
the right. In other words, the center O3 of the top surface 512 and
the center O2 of the bottom surface 510 are below the centers O4 of
the side surfaces 514. In this embodiment, the base 52 further
defines a positioning groove 55 on an outer circumference of the
limit groove 51. The positioning groove 55 is located close to the
front side surface 524 and surrounds the limit groove 51. The area
of the positioning groove 55 is greater than the area of the limit
groove 51. The positioning groove 55 is also in an arc shape, and
its center O5 is below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 (see
FIG. 11). The positioning groove 55 extends rearward from the front
side surface 524 of the base 52 to inside of the base 52, that is,
the positioning groove 55 does not cut through the base 52 from
front surface to back surface. The positioning groove 55 also
includes a top surface 552, a bottom surface 550, and two side
surfaces 554. The top surface 552 of the positioning groove 55 is
also a concave curved surface and is parallel to the top surface
512 of the limit groove 51; the bottom surface 550 of the
positioning groove 55 is a convex curved surface and is parallel to
the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51; the side surfaces
554 of the positioning groove 55 are concave curved surfaces, and
parallel to the side surfaces 514 of the limit groove 51
respectively. In this embodiment, the curvature of the bottom
surface 550 of the positioning groove 55 is greater than that of
the top surface 552. The curved surface of the bottom surface 550
is a part of an arc surface, and its center O6 is located below the
bottom surface 521 of the base 52. The curved surface of the top
surface 552 is also a part of an arc surface, and its center O7 is
located below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52, and coincides
with the center O6 of the bottom surface 550 and the center O5 of
the limit groove 51. In particular, the center O6 of the bottom
surface 550 and the center O7 of the top surface 552 of the
positioning groove 55 are located close to the bottom surface 521
of the base 52 and coincide with the center O2 of the bottom
surface 510 and the center O3 of the top surface 512 of the limit
groove 51 along a first direction. The first direction is from one
side of the base 52 to an opposite side of the base 52. In the
present embodiment, the first direction is from the front side
surface 524 of the base 52 to the rear side surface 525 of the base
52 or from the rear side surface 525 to the front side surface 524.
In other words, the first direction is a thickness direction of the
base 52, or a depth direction of the limit groove 51 or the
positioning groove 55. The side surfaces 554 of the positioning
groove 55 smoothly couple the top surface 552 and the bottom
surface 550. The side surfaces 554 each is also a part of an arc
surface, and its center O8 is located inside the positioning groove
55, and is higher than the bottom surface 550 and is below the top
surface 552. The centers O8 of the two side surfaces 554 are
different in height, wherein the center O8 of the left side surface
554 is higher than the center O8 of the right side surface 554,
thus causing the positioning groove 55 to incline to the right. The
centers O8 of the side surfaces 554 of the positioning groove 55
and the centers O4 of the side surfaces 514 of the limit groove 51
coincide in the first direction.
[0061] The first limiting part 54 and the second limiting part 56
are respectively close to opposite ends of the base 52. The first
limiting part 54 is located at a left end of the front side surface
524 of the base 52, which is adjacent to the limit groove 51 and
the positioning groove 55. The first limiting part 54 protrudes
forward from the front side surface 524 of the base 52, and its top
surface defines a groove 540 close to the front side surface 524 of
the base 52. The portion of the top surface of the first limiting
part 54 without the groove 540 forms a first limiting piece 542
protruding upward. The bottom surface of the first limiting part 54
is aligned with the bottom surface 521 of the base 52, the left end
surface is aligned with the left end surface 522 of the base 52,
the right end surface is located close to the positioning groove
55, and the rear side surface is engaged with the front side
surface 524 of the base 52. The height of the top surface of the
first limiting part 54 is less than that of the top surface 520 of
the base 52. The bottom surface, the left end surface, and the
right end surface of the first limiting part 54 are in plane shape,
and the top surface is a convex arc surface. The top surface of the
first limiting part 54 forms a first limiting surface 544. The
first limiting surface 544 is a part of an arc surface, and its
center O9 is located below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52
(see FIG. 10), and the height of the center O9 is consistent with
the heights of the center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5
of the positioning groove 55, the center O2 of the bottom surface
510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of the
bottom surface 550, the center O7 of the top surface 552. In
particular, the center O9 of the first limiting surface 544 is
close to the left end surface 522 of the base 52; the center O1 of
the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55,
and the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the
top surface 512, the center O6 of the bottom surface 552 and the
center O7 of the top surface 552 are close to the right end surface
523 of the base 52. The curvature of the first limiting surface 544
is greater than that of the top surface 520 of the base 52.
Preferably, the curvature of the first limiting surface 544 is less
than that of the top surface 552 and the bottom surface 550 of the
positioning groove 55, and is further less than the that of the top
surface 512 and the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51. An
inclination direction of the first limiting surface 544 is the
left, which is opposite to the inclination direction of the
positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51. The first limiting
piece 542 is spaced from the front side surface 524 of the base 52
through the groove 540. The groove 540 extends to inside of the
first limiting part 54 from top to bottom and cuts through the left
end surface and the right end surface of the first limiting part 54
along a left-right direction. The bottom surface of the groove 540
forms a first positioning surface 546 (see FIG. 11). The first
positioning surface 546 is below the first limiting surface 544 and
is closer to the base 52 than the first limiting surface 544. The
first positioning surface 546 is also a part of an arc surface, its
center O10 is located below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52,
and the height of the center O10 is consistent with the heights of
center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning
groove 55, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3
of the top surface 512, the center O6 of the bottom surface 550 and
the center O7 of the top surface 552, and the center O9 of the
first limiting surface 544. The center O10 of the first positioning
surface 546 coincides with the center O9 of the first limiting
surface 544 along the first direction. The heights of the center
O10 of the first positioning surface 546 and the center O9 of the
first limiting surface 544 are both greater than height of the
center O0 of top surface 520 of the base 52. In particular, the
center O9 of the first limiting surface 544 and the center O10 of
the first positioning surface 546 are close to the left end surface
522 of the base 52. The center O1 of the limit groove 51, the
center O5 of the positioning groove 55, and the center O2 of the
bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the
center O6 of the bottom surface 550, the center O7 of the top
surface 552 are close to the right end surface 523 of the base 52.
The first positioning surface 546 is parallel to the first limiting
surface 544. The curvature of the first positioning surface 546 is
greater than the curvature of the top surface 520 of the base 52.
Preferably, the curvature of the first positioning surface 546 is
greater than the curvature of the first limiting surface 544 and
the curvature of the top surface 552 of the positioning groove 55
,and is less than the curvature of the top surface 512 and the
curvature of the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51 and the
curvature of the bottom surface 550 of the positioning groove 55.
The inclination direction of the first positioning surface 546 is
the left, which is opposite to the inclination direction of the
positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51, and is the same as
the inclination direction of the first limiting surface 544. The
through hole 53 of the base 53 also extends to the front side
surface of the first limiting part 54 to form a hole that cuts
through from the front to the back.
[0062] The second limiting part 56 is located on the rear side
surface 525 of base 52. The second limiting part 56 protrudes
rearward from the rear side surface 525 of the base 52. The second
limiting part 56 includes a connecting plate 560 and a protrusion
562 protruding from the connecting plate 560. The bottom surface of
the connecting plate 560 is aligned with the bottom surface 521 of
the base 52, the left end surface of the connecting plate 560 is
close to the through hole 53, the right end surface of the
connecting plate 560 is aligned with the right end surface 523 of
the base 52, and the top surface of the connecting plate 560 is
aligned with the top surface 520 of the base 52. The connecting
plate 560 is coupled to the rear side surface 523 of the base 52.
The area in which the connecting plate 560 is engaged with the base
52 is greater than the area in which the first limiting part 54 is
engaged with the base 52. The protrusion 562 protrudes from an
upper portion of the rear side surface of the connecting plate 560.
The top surface of the protrusion 562 is aligned with the top
surface of the connecting plate 560. The top surface of the
protrusion 562, the top surface of the connecting plate 560, and
the top surface 520 of the base 52 are all convex arc surfaces, and
are smoothly connected. Therefore, the top surface of each moving
member 52 forms a continuous arc surface. The left end surface of
the protrusion 562 is aligned with that of the connecting plate
560, and the right end surface of the protrusion 562 is aligned
with that of the connecting plate 560, and the bottom surface of
the protrusion 562 is higher than that of the connecting plate 560.
The bottom surface of the protrusion 562 defines a groove 564. The
groove 564 extends to inside of the protrusion 562 from the bottom
to the top. The groove 564 also cuts through the left end surface
and the right end surface of the protrusion 562 in a left-right
direction. The portion of the bottom surface of the protrusion 562
without the groove 564 forms a second limiting piece 565. The
height of the second limiting piece 565 is greater than the height
of the first limiting piece 542. The second limiting piece 565 is
separated from the rear side surface of the connecting plate 560
through the groove 564. The bottom surface of the second limiting
piece 565 forms a second positioning surface 566 for abutting
against the first positioning surface 546 of the rear adjacent
moving member 50. The second positioning surface 566 is slightly
higher than the first positioning surface 546. The second
positioning surface 566 is a part of an arc surface, and its center
O11 is located below the bottom surface 521 of the base 52 (see
FIG. 12), and the height of the center O11 is consistent with the
heights of the center O10 of the first positioning surface 546, the
center O9 of the first limiting surface 544, the center O1 of the
limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, and
the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top
surface 512, the center O6 of the bottom surface 550, the center O7
of the top surface 552. Moreover, the center O11 of the second
positioning surface 566 also coincides with the center O1 of the
limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, the
center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top
surface 512, the center O6 of the bottom surface 550, and the
center O7 of the top surface 552 along the first direction. In
particular, the center O11 of the second positioning surface 566 is
close to the right end surface 523 of the base 52; the center O10
of the first positioning surface 546 and the center O9 of the first
limiting surface 544 are close to the left end surface 522 of the
base 52. The curvature of the second positioning surface 546 is
greater than the curvature of the top surface 520 of the base 52
and less than the curvature of the top surface 512 and the bottom
surface 510 of the limit groove 51. An inclination direction of the
second positioning surface 546 is the right, and is the same as
that of the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51, and is
opposite to that of the first limiting surface 544 and the first
positioning surface 546.
[0063] The top surface of the groove 564 of the second limiting
part 56 forms a second limiting surface 568. The second limiting
surface 568 is higher than the second positioning surface 566, for
abutting the first positioning surface 546 of the rear adjacent
moving member 50. The second limiting surface 568 is closer to the
base 50 than the second positioning surface 566. The second
limiting surface 568 of the second limiting part 56 is part of an
arc surface, and its center O12 is located below the bottom surface
521 of the base 52 (see FIG. 13), and the height of the center O12
is consistent with the heights of the center O10 of the first
positioning surface 546, the center O9 of the first limiting
surface 544, the center O11 of the second positioning surface 566,
the center O1 of the limit groove 51, the center O5 of the
positioning groove 55, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the
center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of the bottom
surface 550, and the center O7 of the top surface 552. The center
O12 of the second limiting surface 568 also coincides with the
center O11 of the second positioning surface, the center O1 of the
limit groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, the
center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top
surface 512, the center O6 of the bottom surface 550, the center O7
of the top surface 552 along the first direction. In particular,
the center O12 of the second limiting surface 568, the center O11
of the second positioning surface 566 are close to the right end
surface 523 of the base 52, the center O10 of the first positioning
surface 546, the center O9 of the first limiting surface 544 are
close to the left end surface 522 of the base 52. The second
limiting surface 568 is parallel to the second positioning surface
566. The curvature of the second limiting surface 568 is greater
than the curvature of the top surface 520 of the base 52.
Preferably, the curvature of the second limiting surface 568 is
also less than the curvature of the top surface 512 of the limit
groove 51 and the top surface 552 of the positioning groove 55, and
the bottom surface 510 of the limit groove 51, and the bottom
surface 550 of the positioning groove 55 of the second positioning
surface 566. An inclination direction of the second limiting
surface 568 is the right, and the same as that of the second
positioning surface 566, the positioning groove 55, and the limit
groove 51, and is opposite to that of the first limiting surface
544 and the first positioning surface 546. The second positioning
surface 566 and the second limiting surface 568 are both concave
curved surfaces. The first positioning surface 546 and the first
limiting surface 544 are both convex curved surfaces. The
positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 of the base 52 also
cut through the second limiting part 56. The height of the limit
groove 51 is below the heights of the second positioning surface
566 and the second limiting surface 568.
[0064] Referring to FIGS. 3-4, the adjacent moving members 50 are
coupled in series through the connecting member 60. In this
embodiment, the connecting member 60, that coupling each two
adjacent moving members 50 in series, includes a rod member 62 and
a locking member 64 sleeved on the rod member 62. During assembly,
the limit groove 51 and the positioning groove 55 of each moving
member 50 are aligned with the through hole 53 of the rear adjacent
moving member 50, and the second limiting part 56 of each moving
member 50 abuts against the first limiting part 54 of the rear
adjacent moving member 50, each first limiting part 54 of the
moving member 50 abuts against the second limiting part 56 of the
front adjacent moving member 50. The rod member 62 passes through
the positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 of each moving
member 50, and extends out from the through hole 53 of the rear
moving member 50. The locking member 64 is locked to the portion of
the rod member 62 that extending out the through hole 53 to limit
the rod member 62. In this embodiment, the rod member 62 includes a
head portion 620 and a rod portion 620 extending from the head
portion 620. The rod portion 622 is received in the limit groove 51
and the through hole 53. The outer diameter of the head portion 620
is greater than the inner diameter of the through hole 53. The head
portion 620 is received in the positioning groove 55 of the moving
member 50 and abuts against the rear side surface of the
positioning groove 55 of the moving member 50 to prevent the rod
member 62 from falling off. One end of the rod portion 620 away
from the head portion 620 forms screw threads. In this embodiment,
the locking member 64 is a nut locked to the screw threads at the
end of the rod portion 622 to prevent the rod member 62 from
falling off. In order to adjust the rotational damping between the
adjacent moving members 50, the rod portion 622 is further provided
with a spring 66. The spring 66 is located between the rear side
surface 525 of the moving member 50 and the front side surface of
the nut. By adjusting the nut on the screw threads of the rod
member 62, a degree to which the spring 66 is compressed can be
adjusted, thereby adjusting the rotational damping between the
adjacent moving members 50.
[0065] Through the connection of the rod members 62, the adjacent
moving members 50 are movably coupled together in series. The first
limiting piece 542 of the first limiting part 54 of each moving
member 50 is inserted into the groove 564 of the second limiting
part 56 of the front adjacent moving member 50. The rear side
surface of the first limiting piece 542 of the first limiting part
54 of each moving member 50 abuts against the front side surface of
the second limiting piece 565 of the second limiting part 56 of the
front adjacent moving member 50, thereby limiting the two adjacent
moving members 50 to prevent the two adjacent moving members 50
from being separated from each other. Moreover, the first limiting
surface 544 of the first limiting part 54 of each moving member 50
abuts against the second limiting surface 568 of the second
limiting part 56 of the front adjacent moving member 50, thereby
limiting a track of a relative movement of the adjacent two moving
members 50. The second limiting piece 565 of the second limiting
part 56 of each moving member 50 is inserted into the groove 540 of
the first limiting part 54 of the rear adjacent moving member 50.
The front side surface of the second limiting piece 565 of the
second limiting part 56 of each moving member 50 abuts against the
rear side surface of the first limiting piece 542 of the first
limiting part 54 of the rear adjacent moving member 50, thereby
limiting the two adjacent moving members 50 to prevent the two
adjacent moving members 50 from being separated from each other.
Moreover, the second limiting surface 568 of the second limiting
part 56 of each moving member 50 abuts against the first limiting
surface 544 of the first limiting part 54 of the rear moving member
50, thereby limiting a track of the relative movement of the
adjacent two moving members 50.
[0066] In this embodiment, a relative moving track of the adjacent
two moving members 50 are limited by the positioning groove 55, the
limit groove 51, the connecting member 60, the first limiting part
54 and the second limiting part 56. Specifically, the left side
surface 514 and the right side surface 514 of the limit groove 51
of the moving member 50 are arc surfaces having a diameter which
equals to a distance between the top surface 512 and the bottom
surface 510 of the limit groove 51, and as same as that of the
through hole 53. The left side surface 554 and the right side
surface 554 of the positioning groove 55 of the moving member 50
are also arc surfaces having a diameter which equals to the
distance between the top surface 552 and the bottom surface 550 of
the positioning groove 55. Referring to FIG. 14, the outer diameter
of the rod portion 622 of the rod member 62 is slightly less than
or equals to the diameter of the through hole 53, and the outer
diameter of the head portion 620 is slightly less than or equals to
a distance between the top surface and the bottom surface of the
positioning groove 55. When the rod member 62 is disposed in the
positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 of the moving member
50, the head portion 620 is engaged with the positioning groove 55,
the rod portion 622 is disposed in the limit groove 51 and further
passes through the through hole 53 of the rear moving member 50.
The rod member 62 serves as a rotating shaft of the adjacent two
moving members 50. Due to the shape limitation of the limit groove
51, the movement of the moving member 50 relative to the rear
adjacent moving member 50 is also limited correspondingly. In
particular, the rotating center of the moving member 50 relative to
the rear adjacent moving member 50 coincides with the center O12 of
the second limiting surface 568, the center O11 of the second
positioning surface, the center O1 of the limit groove 51, the
center O5 of the positioning groove 55, the center O2 of the bottom
surface 510, the center O3 of the top surface 512, the center O6 of
the bottom surface 550, and the center O7 of the top surface 552
along the first direction. In other words, the rotating center of
each moving member 50 relative to the adjacent moving member 50 is
below the bottom surface of the adjacent moving member 50.
Furthermore, in order to prevent unnecessary rotation of the moving
member 50 during rotating, the first limiting surface 544, the
second limiting surface 568, the first positioning surface 546, and
the second positioning surface 566 of the moving member 50
cooperatively limit the moving track of the moving member 50. The
second limiting surface 568 of each moving member 50 abuts against
the first limiting surface 544 of the rear adjacent moving member
50, and the second positioning surface 566 of each moving member 50
abuts against the first positioning surface 546 of the rear
adjacent moving member 50. The center O12 of the second limiting
surface 568 and the center O11 of the second positioning surface
566 of the moving member 50 coincide with the center O9 of the
first limiting surface 544 and the center O10 of the second
limiting surface 568 of the rear adjacent moving member 50 along
the first direction, and coincide with the center O1 of the limit
groove 51, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55, and the
center O2 of the bottom surface 510, the center O3 of the top
surface 512, the center O6 of the bottom surface 550, the center O7
of the top surface 552 of the moving member 50 along the first
direction, so the first limiting surface 544, the second limiting
surface 568, the first positioning surface 546, the second
positioning surface 566 can further allow the adjacent two moving
members 50 to move along a preset track, and can prevent
unnecessary rotation of the moving member 50. On the other hand,
before the relative rotation of the two moving members 50 (ie, the
supporting assembly 40 is in the unfolded state), the convex top
surfaces of the two moving members 50 are staggered at an
intersection of the two moving members 50; when the two moving
members are relatively rotated (ie, the supporting assembly 40 is
in the bent state), the top surfaces of the two moving members 50
are aligned to form a continuous convex arc surface. Thereby, it is
convenient to support a curved surface.
[0067] The positioning groove 55 and the limit groove 51 of each
moving member 50 are aligned with the through hole 53 of the
adjacent moving member 50, so that the two adjacent moving members
50 are staggered and coupled to each other. These moving members
50, which are staggered and coupled in series, form the groups of
supporting assemblies. Since the moving members 50 need to be
staggered and coupled in series, if the number of moving members 50
is large, the width of the supporting assembly 40 in the left-right
direction will be large. When the supporting assembly 40 is applied
to a miniaturized electronic device, such as a mobile phone or a
portable video player, the width of the supporting assembly 40 in
the left-right direction occupies a large space, which is
disadvantageous to miniaturization of the device. Therefore, in the
present embodiment, the supporting assembly 40 is divided into a
plurality of groups separated from each other, such that the width
of each group is controlled within a small range. In this
embodiment, there are four groups of supporting assemblies 40 along
a front-rear direction, wherein the moving members 50 of the first
group and the third group of supporting assembly 40 are described
in the above embodiments, and the moving members of the second
group and the fourth group of the supporting assembly 40 are
disposed bilaterally symmetrically with respect to the structure of
the moving member 50 in each of the above embodiments. In the
front-rear direction, the first group and the third group of
supporting assemblies 40 couple the adjacent first housing 10 and
the second housing 20 from left to right, and the second group and
the fourth group of supporting assemblies 40 couple the adjacent
first housing 10 and second housing 20 from right to left. Thus,
the connection portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 located between
the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 can be better
supported.
[0068] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 15, each group of supporting
assembly 40 includes two moving members 70 which are fixed to the
first housing 10 and the second housing 20 respectively. The two
moving members 70 are respectively located on the front and rear
sides of each group of supporting assembly 40. A right side portion
of a moving member 70 on a front side of the first and the third
groups of supporting assemblies 40 has a same structure as a right
side portion of the moving member 50, which means that it also
includes a positioning groove 75, a limit groove 71, a second
limiting part 76, a second limiting surface, a second positioning
surface, and the like. For details, it can be referred to the
descriptions of the related structure of the moving member 50. A
left side portion of the moving member 70 includes a bracket 72 in
a L-shape whose top portion defines a screw hole 720 aligned with
the screw hole of the first housing 10. The bracket 72 of the
moving member 70 is inserted into the groove 102 of the first
housing 10, and the screw passes through the screw hole 720 of the
bracket 72 and is locked into the screw hole of the first housing
10, thereby achieving fixation of the moving member 70 and the
first housing 10. A left side portion of the moving member 70 on a
rear side of the first and third groups of the supporting assembly
40 has a same structure as a left side portion of the moving member
50, which means that it includes a through hole, a first limiting
part, a first limiting surface, a first positioning surface, etc.
The details are shown in the related structure descriptions of the
moving member 50. The right side portion of the moving member 70
includes a bracket 72 in a L-shape whose top portion defines a
screw hole 720 aligned with the screw hole of the second housing
20. The bracket 72 of the moving member 70 is inserted into the
groove 202 of the second housing 20, and the screw passes through
the screw hole 720 of the bracket 72 and is locked into the screw
hole of the second housing 20, thereby achieving fixation of the
moving member 70 and the second housing 20. The moving member 70 of
the front side of the second and fourth groups of supporting
assembly 40 is bilaterally symmetrically disposed with the moving
member 70 of the rear side of the first and third groups of
supporting assemblies 40, and the moving member 70 of the rear side
of the second and fourth groups of supporting assemblies 40 are
bilaterally symmetrically disposed with respect to the moving
member 70 of the front side of the first and third groups of
supporting assemblies 40. Thus, each group of supporting assembly
40 movably couples the first housing 10 to the second housing 20 by
the moving member 70.
[0069] The bottom surfaces 521 of each of the moving members 50, 70
are used for directly or indirectly abutting against the top
surface of the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30,
thereby supporting the connecting portion 34. In this embodiment,
the centers O1 of the limit grooves 51 and the centers O5 of the
positioning grooves 55 of each of the moving members 50 and the
moving members 70, and the centers O2 of the bottom surfaces 510,
the centers O3 of the top surfaces 512, the centers O6 of the
bottom surface 550, the centers O7 of the top surfaces 552, the
centers O9 of the first limiting surfaces 544, the centers O12 of
the second limiting surfaces 568, the centers O10 of the first
positioning surfaces 546, the centers O11 of the second positioning
surfaces 566 are all located inside of the connecting portion 34 of
the flexible screen 30. The centers O0 of the top surfaces 520 of
the base 52 of each of the moving members 50, 70 is below the
connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30. Since the relative
rotating centers of the moving members 50, 70 are all located
inside of the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30, when
the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 rotate relatively,
the length of the connecting portion 34 between the first housing
10 and the second housing 20 remains unchanged, without being
compressed or stretched to avoid damage to the flexible screen30.
Referring to FIGS. 16-17, furthermore, in this embodiment, the
bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50, 70 are detachably
abutted against the top surface of the connecting portion 34 of the
flexible screen 30. In other words, the moving members 50, 70 are
not directly or indirectly fixed to the connecting portion 40 of
the flexible screen 30, but are movably supported by the connecting
portion 34 of the flexible screen 30 for a more flexible supporting
effect. When the connecting portion 34 is unfolded, the bottom
surfaces 521 of the moving members 50, 70 abut against the
connecting portion 34; when the connecting portion 34 is bent or
folded, the bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50, 70 are
partially abutted against the connecting portion 34, and the other
portions of the bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50, 70
are separated with the connecting portion 34. In other words, the
area supported by the moving members 50, 70 when the connecting
portion 34 is bent is less than the area supported by the moving
members 50, 70 when the connecting portion 34 is unfolded.
[0070] When the supporting assembly 40 is unfolded, the moving
members 50, 70 are staggered one by one and arranged in a diagonal
line, and the top surfaces 520 of the moving members 50, 70 are
also staggered to form a non-continuous surface; when the
supporting assembly 40 is bent, the moving members 50, 70 are
centered to form an arc shape, the top surfaces 520 of the moving
members 50, 70 are continuous with each other to form a continuous
arc surface.
[0071] In order to better support the flexible screen 30, a support
plate 36 is further provided between the bottom surfaces 521 of the
moving members 50, 70 and the connecting portion 34 of the flexible
screen 30 (see FIG. 2). The support plate 36 may be made of
flexible materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene
terephthalate, polyethylene, or the like. An area of the support
plate 36 is slightly greater than an area of the connecting portion
34, and opposite sides of the support plate 36 are respectively
attached to positions of the bottom surfaces of the first housing
10 and the second housing 20 close to the groove 100. The bottom
surfaces 521 of the moving members 50, 70 of the supporting
assembly 40 abut against a top surface of the support plate 36, and
a bottom surface of the support plate 36 is fixed to the top
surface of the connecting portion 34, whereby the supporting
assembly 40 supports the connecting portion 34 through the
supporting plate 36, so as to avoid damage to the connecting
portion 34 caused by the moving members 50, 70 directly contacting
with the connecting portion 34. The support plate 36 also has
different contact relationships with the supporting assembly 40 in
different states. The bottom surfaces 521 of the moving members 50,
70 are detachably abutted against the top surface of the support
plate 36. When the connecting portion 34 is unfolded, the bottom
surfaces 521 of the moving members 50, 70 abut against the support
plate 36; when the connecting portion 34 is bent, the bottom
surfaces 521 of the moving members 50, 70 are partially abutted
against the support plate 36, and the other portion of the bottom
surfaces 521 of the moving members 50, 70 is separated from the
support plate 36. In other words, the contact area of the support
plate 36 with the moving members 50, 70 when the connecting portion
34 is bent is less than the contact area of the supporting plate 36
with the moving members 50, 70 when the connecting portion 34 is
unfolded.
[0072] In the above embodiments, each moving member 50 has the
first limiting part 54 and the second limiting part 56. It can be
understood that in some conditions where a demand for accuracy is
not high, the supporting assembly 40 may only include two moving
members 50, one of the two moving members 50 has the first limiting
part 54 and the other of the two moving members 50 has the second
limiting part 56. One of the moving members 50 is fixed to the
first housing 10, and the other of the two moving members 50 is
fixed to the second housing 20. The connection portion 34 of the
flexible screen 30 can also be movably supported by the first
limiting part 54 abutting against the second limiting part 56. In
addition, the first limiting part 54 may also have only the first
positioning surface 546, and the second limiting part 56 may also
have only the second positioning surface 566, in other words, the
first limiting part 54 may not include the first limiting surface
544, and the second limiting part 56 may not include the second
limiting surface 568. It can be understood that the moving member
50 may also not include the first limiting part 54 or the second
limiting part 56, and the relative moving track of the two adjacent
moving members 50 is limited by the positioning groove 55 and the
limit groove 51. Moreover, the moving member 50 can also have only
the limit groove 51, which can also limit the moving track of the
moving member 50.
[0073] Referring to FIGS. 18-19, a supporting assembly 40a of
another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The
supporting assembly 40a of the present embodiment functions the
same as the supporting assembly 40 of the foregoing embodiment,
which is used for movably coupling the adjacent first housing 10
and the second housing 20, and supporting the support plate 36 or
the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30. The related
structures of the first housing 10, the second housing 20, the
support plate 36, and the flexible screen 30 are the same as those
of the foregoing embodiment. The supporting assembly 40a of the
present embodiment is also formed by a plurality of moving members
50a coupled in series. Each moving member 50a also includes a base
52a, a first limiting part 54a formed on a front side of the base
52a, and a second limiting part 56a formed on a rear side of the
base 52a. The base 52a defines a through hole 53a and a limit
groove 51a for engaging with the connecting member 60a so as to
movably couple with the base 52a of the adjacent moving member 50a.
Furthermore, the base 52a of the present embodiment includes a
first base plate 52b and a second base plate 52c coupled to the
first base plate 52b. The first base plate 52b is manufactured
separately from the second base plate 52c; the first base plate 52b
and the second base plate 52c are fixed together by welding or the
like when assembled with the connecting member 60a.
[0074] Referring to FIGS. 20-27, an outer contour of the first base
plate 52b is the same as an outer contour of the base 52 of the
foregoing embodiment. A bottom surface 521b of the first base plate
52b is in a flat rectangular shape; a left end surface 522b and a
right end surface 523b of the first base plate 52b are planes
perpendicular to the bottom surface 521b; a front side surface 524b
and a rear side surface 525b of the first base plate 52b are also
planes perpendicular to the bottom surface 521b. The area of the
front side surface 524b and the rear side surface 525b is greater
than the area of the left end surface 522b and right end surface
523b; the top surface 520b of the first base plate 52b is a convex
surface, preferably an upper convex arc surface, and its center O0
is located below the bottom surface 521b. A left side portion of
the first base plate 52b defines a through hole 53b, and a right
side portion of the first base plate 52b defines a limit groove
51b. The through hole 53b cuts through the first base plate 52b
from front to rear. An inner wall surface of the through hole 53b
includes two opposite planes, thus reducing a width of the through
hole 53b in the left-right direction, thereby saving the area
occupied by the through hole 53b. The limit groove 51b also cuts
through the first base plate 52b from front to rear. The shape and
the orientation and the angle of the extending track of the limit
groove 51b of the present embodiment are the same as that of the
limit groove 51 of the foregoing embodiment. The extending track of
the limit groove 51b is also an arc shape whose center O1 is
located under the bottom surface 521b of the first base plate 52b.
The limit groove 51b of the present embodiment also includes a
bottom surface 510b, a top surface 512b, and two side surfaces 514b
coupling the top surface 512b and the bottom surface 510b. The
bottom surface 510b is an up-convex curved surface, the top surface
512b is an up-concave curved surface, and the side surfaces 514b
are curved surfaces concaving to the left and right, respectively.
In this embodiment, the curvature of the bottom surface 510b is
greater than that of the top surface 512b, and the top surface 512b
is parallel to the bottom surface 510b. The curved surface of the
bottom surface 510b is a part of an arc surface, and its center O2
is located below the bottom surface 521b of the first base plate
52b. The curved surface of the top surface 512b is also a part of
an arc surface, and its center O3 is located below the bottom
surface 521b of the first base plate 52b, and the center O3
coincides with the center O2 of the bottom surface 510b and the
center O1 of the limit groove 51b. In particular, the center O1 of
the limit groove 51b, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510b, and
the center O3 of the top surface 512b are located close to the
bottom surface 521b of the first base plate 52b. The side surfaces
514b are smoothly coupled the top surface 512b and the bottom
surface 510b. The side surface 514b is also a part of an arc
surface, but its center O4 is located inside the limit groove 51b,
higher than the bottom surface 510b, and below the top surface
512b. The centers O4 of the two side surfaces 514b are different in
height, wherein the center O4 of the left side surface 514b is
higher than the center O4 of the right side surface 514b, causing
the limit groove 51b to incline to the right. In other words, the
center O3 of the top surface 512b, and the center O2 of the bottom
surface 510b are below the centers O4 of the side surfaces
514b.
[0075] The first base plate 52b defines a groove 540b in its front
side surface 524b. The groove 540b extends downward from the top
surface 512b to inside of the first base plate 52b, and the groove
540b also extends forward through the front side surface 524b of
the first base plate 52b. The portion of the first base plate 52b
located below the groove 540b forms a first limiting part 54a. The
bottom surface of the groove 540b (i.e., a top surface of the first
limiting part 54a) forms the first positioning surface 546a. The
top portion of the through hole 53b cuts through the first
positioning surface 546a to separate the first positioning surface
546a into two separate sections. The first positioning surface 546a
is an arc surface, and its center O10 is located below the bottom
surface 521b of the first base plate 52b, and the center O10, the
center O1 of the limit groove 51b, the center O2 of the bottom
surface 510b and the center O3 of the top surface 512b are
consistent in height. The height of the center O10 of the first
positioning surface 546a is higher than the height of the center O0
of the top surface 520b of the first base plate 52b. In particular,
the center O10 of the first positioning surface 546a is located
close to the left end surface 522b of the first base plate 52b; the
center O1 of the limit groove 51b, the center O2 of the bottom
surface 510b, and the center O3 of the top surface 512b are located
close to the right end surface 523b of the first base plate 52b.
The curvature of the first positioning surface 546a is greater than
that of the top surface 520b of the first base plate 52b. An
inclination direction of the first positioning surface 546a is the
left, and is opposite to the inclination direction of the limit
groove 51b. A left end of the first positioning surface 546a is
aligned with a left end surface 522b of the first base plate 52b,
and a right end of the first positioning surface 546a terminates at
an edge of the limit groove 51b.
[0076] The front side surface 524b of the first base plate 52b
further includes a stopper 58b protruding from a position close to
the limit groove 51b. The stopper 58b is located above the limit
groove 51b and is located close to the top surface 520b and the
right end surface 523b of the first base plate 52b. The stopper 58b
is used for limiting a moving range of the moving member 50a. When
the supporting assembly 40a is in an unfolded state, the moving
member 50a is abutted with the stopper 58b of the rear adjacent
moving member 50a; when the supporting assembly 40a is in a bent
state, the moving member 50a is separated from the stopper 58b of
the rear adjacent moving member 50a.
[0077] The rear side surface 525b of the first base plate 52b
defines a positioning groove 55b around the limit groove 51b. The
area of the positioning groove 55b is greater than that of the
limit groove 51b. The positioning groove 55b extends forward from
the rear side surface 525b of the first base plate 52b to inside of
the first base plate 52b, that is, the positioning groove 55b does
not cut through the first base plate 52b from rear to front. An
extending track of the positioning groove 55b is also in an arc
shape whose center O5 is below the bottom surface 521b of the first
base plate 52b. The positioning groove 55b also includes a top
surface 552b, a bottom surface 550b, and two side surfaces 554b.
The top surface 552b of the positioning groove 55b is also a
concave curved surface and is parallel to the top surface 512b of
the limit groove 51b; the bottom surface 550b of the positioning
groove 55b is a convex curved surface and is parallel to the bottom
surface 510b of the limit groove 51b; the side surfaces 554b of the
positioning groove 55b each is a concave curved surface, and is
parallel to the side surface 514b of the limit groove 51b. In this
embodiment, the curvature of the bottom surface 550b of the
positioning groove 55b is greater than that of the top surface
552b. The curved surface of the bottom surface 550b is a part of an
arc surface, and its center O6 is located below the bottom surface
521b of the first base plate 52b. The curved surface of the top
surface 552b is also a part of the arc surface, and its center O7
is located below the bottom surface 521b of the first base plate
52b and coincides with the center O6 of the bottom surface 550b. In
particular, the center O5 of the positioning groove 55b, the center
O6 of the bottom surface 550b, and the center O7 of the top surface
552b are located close to the bottom surface 521b of the first base
plate 52b, and coincide with the center O1 of the limit groove 51b
and the center O2 of the bottom surface 510b, and the center O3 of
the top surface 512b along the first direction. The first direction
is a direction from one side of the base 52a to the opposite side.
In the present embodiment, the first direction is a direction from
the front side surface of the base 52a to the rear side surface or
a direction from the rear side surface to the front side surface.
In other words, the first direction is a thickness direction of the
base 52a, or a depth direction of the limit groove 51a or the
positioning groove 55b. The side surfaces 554b of the positioning
groove 55b smoothly couple the top surface 552b and the bottom
surface 550b. The side surface 554b is also a part of an arc
surface, but its center O8 is located inside of the positioning
groove 55b and is higher than the bottom surface 550b, and below
the top surface 552b. The centers O8 of the side surfaces 554b of
the positioning groove 55b coincide with the centers O4 of the side
surfaces 514b of the limit groove 51b along the first direction. In
this embodiment, the positioning groove 55b has only one side
surface 554b, and the other side of the positioning groove 55b cuts
through the right side surface 523b of the first base plate 52b. An
inclination direction of the positioning groove 55b is the
right.
[0078] The second base plate 52c is located on a rear side of the
first base plate 52b. An outer contour of the second base plate 52c
is the same as that of the first base plate 52b and the base 52 of
the foregoing embodiment. The second base plate 52c defines a
through hole 53c and a limit groove 51c cutting through the front
side surface 524c and the rear side surface 525c. The through hole
53c of the second base plate 52c is aligned with the through hole
53b of the first base plate 52b, and the limit groove 51c is
aligned with the limit groove 51b of the first base plate 52b. The
through hole 53c of the second base plate 52c is circular and an
area of the through hole 53c is less than that of the through hole
53b of the first base plate 52b. The shape, orientation, and size
of the limit groove 51c of the second base plate 52c are the same
as those of the limit groove 51b of the first base plate 52b, as
described in the limit groove 51b of the first base plate 52b. The
extending track of the limit groove 51c is an arc shape whose
center O13 is located below the bottom surface 521c of the second
base plate 52c. The limit groove 51c of this embodiment also
includes a bottom surface 510c, a top surface 512c, and two side
surfaces 514c coupling the top surface 512c and the bottom surface
510c. The bottom surface 510c is an up-convex curved surface, the
top surface 512c is an up-concave curved surface, and the side
surfaces 514c are concave curved surfaces concaving to the left and
to the right, respectively. In this embodiment, the curvature of
the bottom surface 510c is greater than that of the top surface
512c, and the top surface 512c is parallel to the bottom surface
510c. The curved surface of the bottom surface 510c is a part of an
arc surface, and its center O14 is located below the bottom surface
521c of the second base plate 52c. The curved surface of the top
surface 512c is also a part of an arc surface, and its center O15
is located below the bottom surface 521c of the second base plate
52c, and the center O15 coincides with the center O14 of the bottom
surface 510c and the center O13 of the limit groove 51c. In
particular, the center O13 of the limit groove 51c, the center O14
of the bottom surface 510c and the center O15 of the top surface
512c are located close to the bottom surface 521c of the second
base plate 52c. The side surfaces 514c smoothly couples the top
surface 512c and the bottom surface 510c. The side surfaces 514c
each is also a part of an arc surface, but its center O16 is
located inside of the limit groove 51c and is higher than the
bottom surface 510c, and is below the top surface 512c. The centers
O16 of the two side surfaces 514c are different in height, wherein
the center O16 of the left side surface 514c is higher than the
center O16 of the right side surface 514c, causing the limit groove
51c to incline to the right. In other words, the center O15 of the
top surface 512c, the center O14 of the bottom surface 510c are
below the centers O16 of the side surfaces 514c. The rear side
surface 525c of the second base plate 52c includes a second
limiting part 56a protruding from a position close to the limit
groove 51c. The second limiting part 56a is located close to the
top surface 520c and the right side surface 523c of the second base
plate 52c. The top surface of the second limiting part 56a is
aligned with the top surface 520c of the second base plate 52c, the
right end surface of the second limiting part 56a is aligned with
the right end surface 523c of the second base plate 52c, the left
end surface of the second limiting part 56a is located close to the
left side surface 514c of the limit groove 51c, and the bottom
surface of the second limiting part 56a is located close to the top
surface 512c of the limit groove 51c. The bottom surface of the
second limiting part 56a forms a second positioning surface 566a.
The second positioning surface 566a is an arc surface, and its
center O11 is located below the bottom surface 521c of the second
base plate 52c. The height of the center O11 of the second
positioning surface 566a is the same as that of the center O13 of
the limit groove 51c, the center O14 of the bottom surface 510c and
the center O15 of the the top surface 512c, and further as same as
that of the center O10 of the first positioning surface 546a of the
first base plate 52b and the center O1 of the limit groove 51b and
the center O2 of the bottom surface 510b and the center O3 of the
top surface 512b. The height of the center O11 of the second
positioning surface 566a is greater than that of the center O17 of
the top surface 520c of the second base plate 52c. In particular,
the center O11 of the second positioning surface 566a is located
close to the right end surface 523c of the second base plate 52c.
The center O11 of the second positioning surface 566a, the center
O13 of the limit groove 51c, the center O15 of the top surface 512c
and the center O14 of the bottom surface 510c coincide along the
first direction, and further coincides with the center O1 of the
limit groove 51b of the first base plate 52b, and the center O2 of
the bottom surface 510b and the center O3 of the the top surface
512b along the first direction. The curvature of the second
positioning surface 566a is greater than that of the top surface
520c of the second base plate 52c. An inclination direction of the
second positioning surface 566a is the right, which is the same as
that of the limit groove 51c. The left end of the second
positioning surface 566a is adjacent to the left side surface 514c
of the limit groove 51c, and the right end of the second
positioning surface 566a is aligned with the right end surface 523c
of the second base plate 52c.
[0079] The second base plate 52c also defines a receiving groove
57c in its front side surface 524c. The receiving groove 57c
extends to inside of the second base plate 52c from front to rear.
A left side contour of the receiving groove 57c is circular, and a
right side contour of is the same as that of the limit groove 51c.
The left side of the receiving groove 57c interconnects with the
through hole 53c, and the right side interconnects with the limit
groove 51c.
[0080] The first base plate 52b and the second base plate 52c are
fixed together by welding, bonding, or the like to form a complete
moving member 50a. The outer contours of the first base plate 52b
and the second base plate 52c are aligned with each other; the
through hole 53b of the first base plate 52b is aligned with and
interconnected with the through hole 53c of the second base plate
52c to cooperatively constitute the through hole 53a of the moving
member 50a; the limit groove 51b of the first base plate 52b is
aligned with and interconnected with the limit groove 51c of the
second base plate 52c to form the limit groove 51a of the moving
member 50a; the positioning groove 55b of the first base plate 52b
is interconnected with the receiving groove 57c of the second base
plate 52c. The bottom surface 521b of the first base plate 52b is
combined with the bottom surface 521c of the second base plate 52c
to form the bottom surface 521a of the base 50a. The top surface
520b of the first base plate 52b is combined with the top surface
520c of the second base plate 53b to form the top surface 520a of
the base 52a. The left end surface 522b of the first base plate 52b
is combined with the left end surface 522c of the second base plate
52c to form the left end surface 522a of the base 52a. The right
end surface 523b of the first base plate 52b is combined with the
right end surface 523c of the second base plate 52c to form the
right end surface 523a of the base 52a. The front side surface 524b
of the first base plate 52b forms the front side surface 524a of
the base 52a. The rear side surface 525c of the second base plate
52c forms the rear side surface 525a of the base 52a.
[0081] Referring to FIGS. 19 and 28, the adjacent moving members
50a are coupled in series through the connecting member 60a. In
this embodiment, the connecting member 60a that is coupled in
series with each two adjacent moving members 50a includes a rod
member 62a and a locking member 64a that is sleeved on the rod
member 62a. When assembled, the through hole 53a of each moving
member 50a is aligned with the limit groove 51a of the adjacent
moving member 50a, and the second limiting part 56a of each moving
member 50a abuts against by the first limiting part 54a of the rear
adjacent moving member 50a, and the first limiting part 54a of each
moving member 50a abuts against the second limiting part 56a of the
front adjacent moving member 50a. The rod member 62a passes through
the limit groove 51a of each moving member 50a and penetrates into
the through hole 53a of the rear adjacent moving member 50a. The
locking member 64a is locked to one end of the rod member 62a
penetrating into the through hole 53a of the rear adjacent moving
member 50a, thereby limiting the rod member 62a. In the present
embodiment, the rod member 62a includes a head portion 620a, a rod
portion 622a extending rearward from the head portion 620a, and an
end portion 624a extending forward from the head portion 620a. The
rod portion 622a is received in the limit grooves 51b and 51c of
the first base plate 52b of the moving member 50a, the through hole
53b of the first base plate 52b and the through hole 53c of the
second base plate 52c of the rear adjacent moving member 50a. In
particular, the rod portion 622a has two planes for abutting
against the two planes of the through hole 53b, respectively. The
head portion 620a is received in the positioning groove 55b of the
first base plate 52b of the moving member 50a, and is located
between the front side surface of the positioning groove 55b of the
first base plate 52b and the front side surface 524c of the second
base plate 52c to prevent the rod member 622a from falling off. The
end portion 624a is inserted into the limit groove 51b of the first
base plate 52b. The rod portion 622a includes a screw threads
formed on one end of the rod portion 622a away from the head
portion 620a. In this embodiment, the locking member 64a is a nut
that is locked to the screw threads at the end of the rod portion
622a to prevent the rod member 62a from falling off. In order to
adjust the rotational damping between the adjacent moving members
50a, the rod portion 622a further includes a spring 66a. The spring
66a is located between the rear side surface 525a of the moving
member 50a and the front side surface of the nut. By adjusting the
nut on the screw threads of the rod member 62a, A degree to which
the spring 66a is compressed can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the
rotational damping between the adjacent moving members 50a. In this
embodiment, the locking member 64a and the spring 66a are
respectively received in the receiving groove 57c of the rear
adjacent moving member 50a to protect the locking member 64a and
the spring 66a.
[0082] The adjacent moving members 50a are coupled in series
through the connection of the connecting member 60a. The first
limiting part 54a of each moving member 50a abuts against the
second limiting part 56a of the adjacent moving member 50a, wherein
the first positioning surface 546a of the first limiting part 54a
abuts against the second positioning surface 566a of the second
limiting part 56a, thereby limiting the two adjacent moving members
50a and further limiting the relative moving track of the two
adjacent moving members 50a.
[0083] In the present embodiment, the rod member 62a serves as a
rotating shaft of the adjacent two moving members 50a. Due to the
shape limitation of the limit groove 51a, the movement of the
moving member 50a relative to the rear adjacent moving member 50a
is also limited accordingly. In particular, a rotating center of
the moving member 50a relative to the rear adjacent moving member
50a coincides with the centers O1, O13 of the limit groove 51a of
the rear adjacent moving member 50a, and the center O3 of the top
surface 512b, the center O15 of the top surface 512c, the center O2
of the bottom surface 510b, and the center O14 of the bottom
surface 510c along the first direction, that is, the rotating
center of each moving member 50a relative to the adjacent moving
member 50a is below the bottom surface 521a of the adjacent moving
member 50a. Further, in order to prevent unnecessary rotation of
the moving member 50a during rotating, the first positioning
surface 546a and the second positioning surface 566a of the moving
member 50a cooperatively limit the moving track of the moving
member 50a. The second positioning surface 566a of each moving
member 50a abuts against the first positioning surface 546a of the
rear adjacent moving member 50a. Due to the center O11 of the
second positioning surface 566a of the moving member 50a coincides
with the center O10 of the first positioning surface 546a of the
rear adjacent moving member 50a along the first direction, and
further coincides with the centers O1, O13 of the limit groove 51a
and the center O3 of the top surface 512b, the center O15 of the
top surface 512c, the center O2 of the bottom surface 510b, and the
center O14 of the bottom surface 510c of the moving member 50a
along the first direction, thereby the first positioning surface
546a, the second positioning surface 566a can further limit the
relative movement of the adjacent two moving members 50a along a
preset track, and can prevent the unnecessary rotation of the
moving member 50a. Furthermore, the stopper 58b of the front side
surface 524a of the moving member 50a can further limit the
rotation of the front adjacent moving member 50a to prevent
excessive rotation thereof. On the other hand, before the relative
rotation of the two moving members 50a (ie, the supporting assembly
40a is in the unfolded state), the convex top surface 520a of the
two adjacent moving members 50a is staggered at the intersection
between the two adjacent moving members 50a; when the two adjacent
moving members 50a are relatively rotated, the top surface 520a of
the two adjacent moving members 50a gradually aligns with each
other; after the two moving members 50a are relatively rotated (ie,
the supporting assembly 40a is in the bent state), the top surfaces
520a of the two adjacent moving members 50a are aligned to form a
continuous convex arc surface. Thereby, it is convenient to support
the curved surface.
[0084] It can be understood that the supporting assembly 40a of the
present embodiment can also be divided into multiple groups, and
the front and rear moving members 50a of each group of supporting
assembly 40a can also have a bracket fixed with the first housing
10 or the second housing 20 as in the foregoing embodiment, and the
specific structure and the connection relationship of the bracket
can be referred to the descriptions of the foregoing
embodiment.
[0085] The bottom surface 521a of each moving member 50a is used
for directly or indirectly abutting against the top surface of the
connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30, thereby supporting
the connecting portion 34. In this embodiment, the center O1 of the
limit groove, the center O13 of the limit groove 51a, the center O5
of the positioning groove 55a, the center O2 of the bottom surface
510b, the center O14 of the bottom surface 510c, the center O6 of
the bottom surface 550b, the center O3 of the top surface 512b, the
center O15 of the top surface 512c, the center O7 of the top
surface 552b, the center O10 of the first positioning surface 546a
and the center O11 of the second positioning surface 566a of each
moving member 50a are all located inside of the connecting portion
34 of the flexible screen 30. The center O0 of the top surface 520a
of the base 52a of each moving member 50a is below the connecting
portion 34 of the flexible screen 30. Since the relative rotating
centers of the respective moving members 50a are all located inside
the connecting portion 34 of the flexible screen 30, when the first
housing 10 and the second housing 20 are relatively rotated, the
length of the connecting portion 34 between the first housing 10
and the second housing 20 remains unchanged without being
compressed or stretched to avoid damage to the flexible screen 30.
The bottom surface 521 of the moving member 5a is detachably abut
against the top surface 521a of the connecting portion 34 of the
flexible screen 30. In other words, the moving member 50a is not
directly or indirectly fixed to the connecting portion 40 of the
flexible screen 30, but movably supports the connecting portion 34
of the flexible screen 30 to provide a more flexible supporting
effect. When the connecting portion 34 is unfolded, the bottom
surface 521a of the moving member 50a abuts against the connecting
portion 34; when the connecting portion 34 is bent, the bottom
surface 521a of the moving member 50a partially contacts the
connecting portion 34, and the other portion of the bottom surface
521a of the moving member 50a is separated from the connecting
portion 34. In other words, the area supported by the moving member
50a when the connecting portion 34 is bent is less than the area
supported by the moving member 50a when the connecting portion 34
is unfolded.
[0086] When the supporting assembly 40a is unfolded, the moving
members 50a are staggered one by one and arranged in a diagonal
line, and the top surfaces 520a of moving members 50a are also
staggered to present a non-continuous surface; when the supporting
assembly 40a is bent, the moving members 50a are centered in an arc
shape, and the top surface 520a of the moving members 50a are
continuous with each other to form a continuous curved surface.
[0087] In order to better support the flexible screen 30, a support
plate 36 is further provided and located the bottom surface 521a of
the moving member 50a and the connecting portion 34 of the flexible
screen 30. The support plate 36 can be made of flexible materials
such as polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene or
the like. The area of the support plate 36 is slightly greater than
the area of the connecting portion 34, and the opposite sides of
the support plate 36 are respectively attached to the positions of
the bottom surfaces of the first housing 10 and the second housing
20 close to the groove 100. The bottom surface 521a of the moving
member 50a of the supporting assembly 40a abuts against the top
surface of the support plate 36, and the bottom surface of the
support plate 36 is fixed to the top surface of the connecting
portion 34, whereby the supporting assembly 40a supports the
connecting portion 34 through the support plate 36 to avoid damage
to the connecting portion 34 caused by the moving member 50a
directly contacting with the connecting portion 34. The support
plate 36 also has different contact relationships with the
supporting assembly 40a in different states. The bottom surface
521a of the moving member 50a is detachably abutting against the
top surface of the support plate 36. When the connecting portion 34
is unfolded, the bottom surface 521a of the moving member 50a abuts
against the support plate 36; when the connecting portion 34 is
bent, the bottom surface 521a of the moving member 50a has a
portion that abuts against the support plate 36 and another portion
of the moving member 50a is separated from the support plate 36. In
other words, the contact area of the support plate 36 with the
moving member 50a when the connecting portion 34 is bent is less
than the contact area of the support plate 36 with the moving
member 50a when the connecting portion 34 is unfolded.
[0088] It can be understood that in some occasions where a demand
to accuracy is not high, the supporting assembly 40a may also
include only two moving members 50a, wherein one of the two moving
members 50a has the first limiting part 54a and the other of the
two moving members 50a has the second limiting part 56a. One of the
moving members 50a is fixed to the first housing 10, and the other
of the two moving members 56a is fixed to the second housing 20. By
the first limiting part 54a abutting against the second limiting
part 56a, the connection portion 34 of the movable support 30 can
also be movably supported. Moreover, the first limiting part 54a
may also have the first limiting surface and the first positioning
surface 546a as in the foregoing embodiment, and the second
limiting part 56a may also have the second limiting surface and the
second positioning surface 566a. That is, the first limiting part
54a may further include the first limiting space, and the second
limiting part 56a may further include the second limiting space. It
is also understood that the moving member 50a may also not include
the first limiting part 54a and the second limiting part 56a, and
the relative moving track of the adjacent moving members 50a can
also be limited by the positioning groove 55a and the limit groove
51a. Moreover, the moving member 50a may also have only the limit
groove 51a, and may also have the effect of limiting the moving
track of the moving member 50a.
[0089] In this embodiment, the connecting member 60a is relatively
simple to assemble by separating the first base plate 52b and
second base plate 52c, and only the head portion 620a needs to be
located between the first base plate 52b and the second base plate
52c to realize the assembly of the connecting member 60a and the
moving member 50a.
[0090] The present disclosure can support various forms of the
flexible screen 30 by coupling a plurality of relatively movable
moving members 50, 50a, in particular, a curved shape and a support
of a flat form. Therefore, the presenting support assembly 40, 40a
can be widely applied to a foldable or bendable product of the
flexible screen 30.
[0091] It can be understood that the "unfolded state" and "bent
state" refer to two relative comparative state relationships in the
present disclosure, and the supporting assembly 40, 40a/flexible
device is not required to be fully unfolded or fully bent, as long
as one state is compared to the other. If the state is further
curved, it can be considered to belong to the curved state and the
unfolded state, respectively.
[0092] It is also to be understood that the "center of the surface"
as used in the present disclosure means that the distance from each
position of the surface to the center is the same in a plane
perpendicular to the surface. Similarly, the "center of the groove"
as used by the present disclosure means that the distance from each
position of the groove to the center is the same.
* * * * *