WO2023241014A1 - Housing assembly and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a housing assembly, comprising a first housing, a second housing, a locking assembly, and a controller. The second housing is assembled on the first housing in a sliding mode in a first direction; the locking assembly comprises a first locking member and a second locking member; one of the first locking member and the second locking member is provided on the first housing, and the other one is provided on the second housing; the second locking member is provided with multiple locking positions; the multiple locking positions are arranged side by side in the first direction; the first locking member is selectively locked at one of the locking positions; and the controller is used for controlling the first locking member to move in a second direction. By providing a locking mechanism, the first locking member can be selectively locked at any locking position of the second locking member according to needs, such that the first housing and the second housing can be locked in the process of unfolding and folding a screen, then the screen can be stopped from being unfolded or folded, a flexible screen can be better protected, and the service life is prolonged. In addition, the embodiments of the present application further provide an electronic device.

Description

Housing components and electronic equipment

Cross-references to related applications

This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number CN202210682093.5 and titled "Casing Components and Electronic Equipment" submitted to the China Patent Office on June 15, 2022, the entire content of which is incorporated into this application by reference. .

Technical field

This application relates to the field of flexible screen technology, and specifically to a housing assembly and electronic equipment.

Background technique

Flexible screens have the characteristics of being bendable and rollable. They can accommodate more display areas in a smaller size and are very popular among technology enthusiasts. At present, mobile phones that fold inside and outside have been put on the market in batches. As a breakthrough point for the next generation of new forms of electronic equipment, rolling machines or sliding rolling machines have the advantage of expandable screens. Current sliding rolling machines generally use a mobile shell driven by a motor to unfold and recycle the screen. Usually, this type of electronic device is equipped with a sensor. When the screen is fully unfolded or fully retracted, the sensor detects the position of the moving housing and then stops. During the process of screen unfolding and recycling, the flexible display screen is in an unstable state and is therefore extremely vulnerable to damage. Especially during the screen unfolding and recycling process, the flexible display screen may be damaged when the electronic device is dropped or hit. It is extremely easy to be damaged by collision, which is not conducive to the protection of flexible display screens.

Contents of the invention

The purpose of this application is to provide a housing assembly and an electronic device to at least partially solve the above technical problems.

In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a housing assembly, including a first housing, a second housing, a locking assembly and a controller. The second housing is slidably assembled to the first housing along a first direction, and the locking assembly The assembly includes a first locking part and a second locking part. One of the first locking part and the second locking part is provided on the first housing, and the other is provided on the second housing. The second locking part is provided with a plurality of Locking position, multiple locking positions are arranged side by side along the first direction, the first locking member moves along the second direction and is selectively locked in one of the locking positions, the first direction and the second direction are different directions, and the controller is used to control the third locking position. A locking member moves along the second direction.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application also provide an electronic device, including a housing assembly and a flexible display screen. The housing assembly includes a first housing, a second housing, a locking assembly and a controller. The second housing has an edge along The first direction is slidably assembled on the first housing. The locking assembly includes a first locking member and a second locking member. One of the first locking member and the second locking member is provided on the first housing, and the other is provided on the first housing. Two shells, the second locking piece is provided with a plurality of locking positions, the plurality of locking positions are arranged side by side along the first direction, the first locking piece moves along the second direction and is selectively locked in one of the locking positions, the first direction and The second direction is a different direction. The controller is used to control the first locking member to move in the second direction. The flexible display screen is connected to the first housing and the second housing and can slide relative to the first housing and the second housing. Change the expansion state during the process.

These and other aspects of the application will be more clearly understood in the following description of the embodiments.

Description of the drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings without exerting creative efforts.

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device in a rolled-up state according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device in an unfolded state according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the housing assembly of the electronic device shown in FIG. 1 in a rolled-up state.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the housing assembly of the electronic device shown in FIG. 1 in an unfolded state.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a second housing proposed in an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view of position A in FIG. 5 .

Figure 7 is a logical block diagram of a housing assembly provided by an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of another housing assembly in a rolled-up state according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the housing assembly shown in FIG. 8 in an unfolded state.

Detailed ways

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of this application.

In the related technology, the sliding screen uses a motor to drive the casing to move, driving the flexible display screen to expand or retract, and uses a sensor to detect the position of the casing and control the motor to start or stop. Since the sensor can only detect the position of the housing in a relatively unfolded or folded state, the screen cannot be stopped during unfolding or retracting. The motor can only be stopped when the screen is fully unfolded or fully retracted. During this process, because the display screen is in an unstable state, once the electronic device is dropped or collided, it is easy to cause damage to the flexible display screen, which is not conducive to improving the overall service life of the electronic device.

Based on this, after long-term research, the inventor of this application proposed a housing assembly and an electronic device to reduce the risk of damage to the flexible display screen and extend the service life of the electronic device.

The contents of this application will be introduced in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

Please refer to Figures 1 and 2 together. This embodiment provides an electronic device 10, which includes a housing assembly 200 and the above-mentioned flexible display screen 100. The flexible display screen 100 is connected to the housing assembly 200 and can be folded. Roll or unroll. FIG. 1 shows the structure of the flexible display screen 100 in a rolled-up state, and FIG. 2 shows the structure of the flexible display screen 100 in an unfolded state. It can be understood that the electronic device 10 in the present application can be a mobile phone or a smart phone (for example, based on iPhone TM, Android TM based phone), a portable game device (for example, Nintendo DS TM, PlayStation Portable TM, Gameboy Advance TM, iPhone TM), laptop computer, PDA, portable Internet device, music player and data storage device, the electronic device 10 can also be other wearable devices.

Please refer to Figures 3 and 4 together. The housing assembly 200 includes a first housing 210 and a second housing 220. The second housing 220 is slidably assembled to the first housing 210 along the first direction The body 210 and the second housing 220 can slide relative to each other. That is, the first housing 210 serves as a fixed housing, and the second housing 220 serves as a movable housing. During the relative sliding process of the first housing 210 and the second housing 220, the second housing 220 can slide to a position that overlaps with the first housing 210, or can slide to a position that is offset from the first housing 210. Location. It should be noted that the position where the second housing 220 and the first housing 210 overlap each other means that most areas of the second housing 220 overlap with the first housing 210 or overlap with the first housing 210 . 210 completely overlaps.

In some embodiments, the first housing 210 has a substantially rectangular structure. A slide rail (not shown) is provided on a side of the first housing 210 facing the second housing 220 . The extension direction of the slide rail is along the first direction. X settings. The number of slide rails may be one or multiple, which is not limited here. In this embodiment, the first direction In some other embodiments, the first direction X may also be the length direction of the first housing 210 . The second housing 220 may have a similar structure to the first housing 210. When the second housing 220 and the first housing 210 overlap each other, an accommodation space is formed between the first housing 210 and the second housing 220. The accommodation space can be used to install various components of the electronic device 10 .

Please continue to refer to FIG. 4 . The housing assembly 200 further includes a locking assembly 240 . The locking assembly 240 includes a first locking member 241 and a second locking member 245 . The first locking member 241 and the second locking member 245 may cooperate with each other. One of the first locking member 241 and the second locking member 245 is provided on the first housing 210 and the other is provided on the second housing 220. In this embodiment, the first locking member 241 is provided on the first housing. 210. The second locking member 245 is provided on the second housing 220. Of course, it can be understood that in other embodiments, the first locking member 241 may also be provided on the second housing 220 and the second locking member 245 may also be provided on the first housing 210 .

Please combine Figure 5 and Figure 6 together. The second locking piece 245 is provided with a plurality of locking bits 246. The plurality of locking bits 246 are arranged side by side along the first direction X. Each locking bit 246 can cooperate with the first locking piece 241. , and lock the first locking piece 241. The first locking member 241 moves along the second direction Y and is selectively locked in one of the locking positions 246. When the first locking member 241 is locked in one of the locking positions 246, the second housing 220 and the first housing 210 cannot move along the second direction Y. The first direction X slides relatively, thereby achieving locking between the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 .

The first direction X and the second direction Y are different directions. In one embodiment, the second direction Y and the first direction X are perpendicular to each other.

As a more specific implementation, the first locking piece 241 can be slidably arranged along the first direction X, or can be telescopically arranged along the first direction X, that is, the first locking piece 241 can adjust its position along the first direction X, that is The contact locking with the locking position 246 can be realized, and the disengagement and unlocking with the locking position 246 can also be realized. In this embodiment, the first locking member 241 is telescopically arranged along the second direction Y. The first locking part 241 is close to or away from the locking position 246 of the second locking part 245 during the telescopic process. When the first locking part 241 is close to the second locking part 245, it can be locked with a locking position 246. When the first locking part 241 is close to the second locking part 245, it can be locked. When 241 is away from the second locking piece 245, it can be unlocked from the locking position 246.

In this embodiment, the locking bits 246 include slots 247 provided on the second locking member 245. In order to increase the number of locking bits 246, the distance between two adjacent slots 247 is less than or equal to 0.5cm, such as 0.1cm, 0.05cm. cm, 0.2cm, etc., there are no specific limitations here. Of course, the distance between two adjacent card slots 247 can also be other values. The card slot 247 has an opening, and the opening is disposed toward the first locking member 241. The first locking member 241 can be inserted into the card slot 247. When the first locking member 241 is inserted into the card slot 247, the second locking member 245 is pressed in the first direction X. The first locking member 241 is blocked and cannot slide along the first direction X, thereby making the second housing 220 and the first housing 210 relatively fixed and unable to slide relative to the first housing 210 . In some other embodiments, the locking position 246 may also be a plurality of connecting members provided on the second locking member 245 , and the second locking member 245 is locked by forming a connection with the second locking member 245 . For example, the connecting member may be a magnetic member that is connected to the second locking member 245 through magnetic adsorption. The connector may also be a quick-plug interface, etc., which is not limited here.

In this embodiment, the second housing 220 is provided with a rail 221. The rail 221 is provided along the first direction X. The position of the rail 221 is adapted to the position of the driving part 242. During the relative sliding process of 220 , the driving part 242 fixedly provided on the first housing 210 can slide along the track 221 relative to the second housing 220 . For example, part of the structure of the driving part 242 can be embedded in the track 221 . In this way, the positioning of the driving part 242 can be achieved, and the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 can have a guiding role during the relative sliding process. In this case, there is no need to provide other additional slide rails. Of course, it can be understood that in other embodiments, the driving part 242 may not be in contact with the second housing 220, and the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 may adopt other structures to realize sliding guidance. This is not specifically limited.

The first locking member 241 includes a driving part 242 and a locking block 243. The driving part 242 is connected to the locking block 243 and is used to drive the locking block 243 to move along the second direction Y and selectively lock on one of them during the movement. Lock bit 246. As a method, the driving part 242 may be an electromagnet, and the locking block 243 is made of metal. By controlling the electromagnet to be energized or de-energized, the locking block 243 is driven to move toward the second locking member 245 or away from the second locking member 245 . directional movement of the locking member 245. In some embodiments, the first housing can also be provided with guide rails for the locking block 243 to move. The locking block 243 can be slidably assembled on the guide rail, which can provide a guiding function for the locking block 243 .

In some other embodiments, the first locking member 241 may also be a telescopic cylinder, a voice coil motor, an ultrasonic motor, etc., which is not limited here.

It should also be noted that the number of locking components 240 may be one or multiple. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 , there are two locking components 240 , and the first locking parts 241 of the two locking components 240 They are respectively provided at two ends of the first housing 210 in the length direction. Correspondingly, the second locking pieces 245 of the two locking assemblies 240 are respectively provided at two ends of the second housing 220 in the length direction. Moreover, the first locking parts 241 of the two locking assemblies 240 can move synchronously, for example, locking with the second locking part 245 synchronously, or unlocking with the second locking part 245 synchronously.

Referring to Figure 7, the housing assembly 200 also includes a controller 280. The controller 280 can be electrically connected to the first locking member 241 for controlling the movement of the first locking member 241 along the second direction Y to realize the first housing 210 and the first locking member 241. Selective locking or unlocking between the two housings 220 . In one application scenario, the controller 280 can obtain a user instruction. The user instruction is used to instruct the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 to lock or unlock. After obtaining the user instruction, the controller 280 controls the first locking member 241 Move along the second direction Y to realize locking or unlocking of the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 . The user instructions can be obtained through the user's touch operation, pressing operation, voice operation, etc. on the electronic device 10 .

In another application scenario, the electronic device 10 can detect the current status of the electronic device 10, such as whether there is a collision or a fall. When such a situation occurs, the controller 280 controls the first locking member 241 to move along the first locking member 241. Move in two directions Y, and selectively lock at the locking position 246 currently closest to the first locking member 241. Specifically in this embodiment, the controller 280 controls the first locking member 241 to move in the second direction Y, and selectively lock is inserted into the slot 247 currently closest to the first locking member 241, so that the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are relatively locked. The electronic device 10 may also include a gyroscope, which is disposed in the accommodation space. The gyroscope may be used to detect the current status of the electronic device 10 , such as whether it is in a dropped state.

The housing assembly 200 may also include a sensor 290 and a driving assembly 285. The driving assembly 285 is used to drive the second housing 220 to move relative to the first housing 210. The sensor 290 and the driving assembly 285 are electrically connected to the controller 280. The sensor 290 is used to detect the relative position between the second housing 220 and the first housing 210. The sensor 290 can be disposed at the end of the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 during the relative sliding process, and is used to detect the first housing 220 and the first housing 210. Whether the housing 210 and the second housing 220 completely overlap during the relative unfolding or overlapping process. For example: the sensor 290 can be a travel switch. When the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 overlap each other, the second housing 220 triggers the travel switch, and the sensor 290 detects the first housing 210 and the second housing 220. overlap each other. At this time, the controller 280 can control the driving assembly 285 to stop. Similarly, the sensor 290 can also be configured to detect whether the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are fully deployed. When the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are deployed to each other, the second housing 220 triggers the travel switch. , the sensor 290 detects that the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are unfolded from each other. It can be understood that the sensor 290 can also be other forms of sensors 290, such as a photoelectric sensor 290, an infrared sensor 290, etc., which are not specifically limited here.

The electronic device 10 may also include a reel (not shown), which may be used to roll up the flexible display 100 . Specifically, the reel is rotatably arranged on the first housing 210, and the driving component 285 can be a motor. The reel is driven and rotated by the driving component 285. One end of the flexible display screen 100 is connected to the second housing 220, and the other end is wound around the reel. The driving assembly 285 can drive the reel to rotate, and then the flexible display screen 100 can be rolled up. At the same time, the driving component 285 can also drive the second housing 220 to slide relative to the first housing 210. The driving component 285 can be one or multiple, which is not limited here. During the relative sliding process of the first housing 210 and the second housing 220, the flexible display screen 100 changes its unfolded state, where the expanded state refers to the expanded area of the flexible display screen 100. When the first housing 210 and the second housing When the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are relatively unfolded, the expansion area of the flexible display screen 100 is the largest. When the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are relatively unfolded, the expansion area of the flexible display screen 100 is the largest. During the relative sliding process of the housings 220, the expansion area of the flexible display screen 100 gradually becomes larger or smaller.

The controller 280 may include a processor and a memory, and the processor may include one or more processing cores. The processor uses various interfaces and lines to connect various parts of the entire electronic device 10, and executes the electronic device 10 by running or executing instructions, programs, code sets or instruction sets stored in the memory, and calling data stored in the memory. various functions and process data. Optionally, the processor can use at least one of digital signal processing (Digital Signal Processing, DSP), field-programmable gate array (Field-Programmable Gate Array, FPGA), and programmable logic array (Programmable Logic Array, PLA). implemented in hardware form. The processor can integrate one or a combination of a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), a graphics processor (Graphics Processing Unit, GPU), a modem, etc. It can be understood that the above-mentioned modem may not be integrated into the processor and may be implemented solely through a communication chip.

Memory can include random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (Read-Only Memory). Memory may be used to store instructions, programs, code, sets of codes, or sets of instructions. The memory may include a program storage area and a data storage area, where the program storage area may store instructions for implementing an operating system, instructions for implementing at least one function (such as a touch function, a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), Instructions, etc. used to implement each method embodiment described below. The storage data area can also store data created during use of the electronic device 10 (such as phone book, audio and video data, chat record data), etc.

In another embodiment, please refer to FIGS. 8 and 9 together, the housing assembly 200 further includes a third housing 230 , the third housing 230 is slidably assembled to the first housing 210 along the first direction X, and The third housing 230 and the second housing 220 are located on both sides of the first housing 210 along the first direction X. The flexible display screen 100 is connected to the first housing 210 , the second housing 220 and the third housing 230 , and can change the unfolded state during the sliding process of the second housing 220 and the third housing 230 relative to the first housing 210 . At this time, the second housing 220 and the third housing 230 can be respectively provided with reels, and the reel provided in the second housing 220 can be located at an end of the second housing 220 away from the third housing 230, and is provided in the third housing 220. The reel of the housing 230 may be located at an end of the third housing 230 away from the second housing 220 . One end of the flexible display screen 100 is rolled up on a reel provided on the second housing 220 , and the other end is rolled up on a reel provided on the third housing 230 . The second housing 220 and the third housing 230 are relative to each other. During the process of overlapping or unfolding the first housing 210, the reel provided on the second housing 220 and the reel provided on the third housing 230 can be wound up synchronously.

Locking assembly 240 includes first locking assembly 260 and second locking assembly 270 . The first locking assembly 260 and the second locking assembly 270 each include a first locking piece 241 and a second locking piece 245, wherein one of the first locking piece 241 and the second locking piece 245 of the first locking assembly 260 is disposed on The first housing 210 is provided with the second housing 220 . One of the first locking member 241 and the second locking member 245 of the second locking assembly 270 is provided with the first housing 210 and the other is provided with the first housing 210 . in the third housing 230. For the structure of the first locking component 260 and the second locking component 270, reference can be made to the structure of the aforementioned locking component 240, and will not be described again here.

In the case assembly 200 and the electronic device 10 provided in this embodiment, by providing the locking assembly 240, the first locking member 241 can be selectively locked to any locking position 246 of the second locking member 245 as needed, so that the screen can be expanded During the recycling process, the first housing 210 and the second housing 220 are locked, so that the screen can stop unfolding or recycling, which is more conducive to protecting the flexible screen and improving its service life.

It should be noted that in this application, descriptions involving "first", "second", "third" and "fourth" are only used for distinction and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicit indication. The number of technical characteristics indicated.

The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various modifications and changes. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of this application shall be included in the protection scope of this application.

Claims (20)

A shell assembly, characterized by including: first shell; a second housing, the second housing is slidably assembled to the first housing along the first direction; Locking assembly, the locking assembly includes a first locking piece and a second locking piece, one of the first locking piece and the second locking piece is disposed on the first housing, and the other is disposed on the first housing. In the second housing, the second locking member is provided with a plurality of locking positions, the plurality of locking positions are arranged side by side along the first direction, and the first locking member moves along the second direction and is selectively locked therein. One of the locking positions, the first direction and the second direction are different directions; and A controller, the controller is used to control the movement of the first locking member in the second direction. The housing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first locking member is provided on the first housing, and the second locking member is provided on the second housing. The housing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the housing assembly further includes a third housing, the third housing is slidably assembled to the first housing along a first direction, and the The third housing and the second housing are located on both sides of the first housing along the first direction. The locking assembly includes a first locking assembly and a second locking assembly. The first locking assembly and the second locking assembly each include the first locking piece and the second locking piece, wherein one of the first locking piece and the second locking piece of the first locking assembly is provided In the first housing, the other one is provided in the second housing, and one of the first locking piece and the second locking piece of the second locking assembly is provided in the first housing, and the other is provided on the third housing. The housing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first locking member is slidably disposed along the second direction. The housing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first locking member is telescopically arranged along the second direction. The housing assembly according to claim 5, wherein the first locking member includes a driving part and a locking block, the driving part is used to drive the locking block to move in the second direction, and It is selectively locked in one of the locking positions during movement. The housing assembly according to claim 6, wherein the driving part is an electromagnet. The housing assembly according to claim 6, wherein the second housing is provided with a track arranged along the first direction, and the driving part can be relative to the second housing along the track. slide. The housing assembly of claim 8, wherein the driving portion is at least partially embedded in the track. The housing assembly according to claim 6, wherein the first housing is provided with a guide rail, and the locking block is slidably assembled on the guide rail. The housing assembly of claim 5, wherein the locking position includes a slot provided on the second locking member, the slot has an opening, and the opening is disposed toward the first locking member. , the first locking piece can be inserted into the slot. The housing assembly according to claim 11, wherein the distance between two adjacent slots is less than or equal to 0.5 cm. The housing assembly according to claim 5, wherein the locking position is a plurality of connecting parts provided on the second locking part, and when the locking block is close to one of the connecting parts, it is The connector is connected. The housing assembly according to claim 13, wherein the connecting piece is a magnetic piece, and the locking block and the connecting piece are connected by magnetic adsorption. The housing assembly of claim 5, wherein the first locking member is a telescopic cylinder. The housing assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that there are two locking assemblies, and the first locking parts of the two locking assemblies are respectively provided on the first housing. The second locking pieces of the two locking assemblies are respectively disposed at both ends of the second housing in the length direction. The housing assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the first direction is in the same direction as the width direction of the first housing. The housing assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other. The housing assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the housing assembly further includes a sensor and a driving assembly, the sensor is used to detect the difference between the second housing and the first housing. The relative position between the bodies, the driving component is used to drive the second housing to move relative to the first housing, and the sensor and the driving component are electrically connected to the controller. An electronic device, characterized by including: Housing assembly, the housing assembly includes a first housing, a second housing, a locking assembly and a controller, the second housing is slidably assembled to the first housing along a first direction, the locking assembly It includes a first locking piece and a second locking piece, one of the first locking piece and the second locking piece is provided on the first housing, and the other is provided on the second housing, so The second locking piece is provided with a plurality of locking positions, and the plurality of locking positions are arranged side by side along the first direction. The first locking piece moves along the second direction and is selectively locked in one of the locking positions. The first direction and the second direction are different directions, and the controller is used to control the first locking member to move in the second direction; and Flexible display screen, the flexible display screen is connected to the first housing and the second housing, and can change the unfolded state during the relative sliding process of the first housing and the second housing.

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