WO2025201220A1 - Hinge mechanism and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

A hinge mechanism (1), comprising a base (100) and swing arms (200); the base is provided with bushing grooves; each swing arm comprises a body part (210), a connecting part (220) and a bushing part (230); the bushing part is rotationally connected to the bushing grooves; the connecting part is located between the bushing part and the body part; the thickness of the body part is greater than the thickness of the connecting part; of surfaces in the thickness direction, one side surface of the body part is provided with first recesses (211), wherein the distance between the edge of each first recess and the edge of the body part is greater than zero. Further provided is an electronic device having the hinge mechanism. The first recesses in the body parts can provide an energy absorption function to prevent impact loads from concentrating at the connecting parts, so as to ensure better deformation and fracture resistance of the entire swing arms, thus preventing damage to the hinge mechanism caused by impact, and prolonging the service life of the hinge mechanism.

Description

Hinge mechanism and electronic device

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on March 29, 2024, with application number 202410377513.8 and invention name “Hinge mechanism and electronic device”. The entire contents of the Chinese patent application are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present application belongs to the technical field of electronic equipment, and specifically relates to a hinge mechanism and an electronic device.

Background Art

Driven by user demand, foldable electronic devices are increasingly popular among consumers for their combination of large display areas and enhanced portability. Foldable electronic devices typically utilize a hinge mechanism to pivotally connect two housing parts. The hinge mechanism includes a base and swing arms connected to either side of the base. One end of the swing arm pivots with the base, and the other end of the swing arm is mounted on the housing. This allows the housing parts on either side of the base to pivot relative to each other, allowing the electronic device to switch between a folded and unfolded state.

During the use of electronic devices, it is inevitable that the electronic devices will collide with the ground or desktop. During the collision, especially when the side where the base is located is the direct collision surface, the swing arm is prone to stress concentration problems due to the relatively large weight and inertia of the shell. In particular, the part of the swing arm located between the base and the shell is prone to breakage due to impact loads, which in turn causes damage to the hinge mechanism.

Summary of the Invention

The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a hinge mechanism and an electronic device to solve the problem in the current hinge mechanism that the swing arm is easily broken by the impact load, causing the hinge mechanism to be easily damaged.

In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a hinge mechanism, which includes a base and a swing arm, the base is provided with a bearing groove, the swing arm includes a main body, a connecting part and a bearing part, the bearing part is rotatably connected to the bearing groove, and the connecting part is located between the bearing part and the main body; the thickness of the main body is greater than the thickness of the connecting part, and a first groove is provided on one side surface of the main body on the surface along the thickness direction, and the distance between the edge of the first groove and the edge of the main body is greater than zero.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device comprising the above-mentioned hinge mechanism.

The present invention discloses a hinge mechanism comprising a base and a swing arm. The base is provided with a bearing shoe groove that is rotatably connected to a bearing shoe portion of the swing arm, thereby enabling the swing arm to form a rotational engagement with the base. In the swing arm, a connecting portion is located between the bearing shoe portion and a main body portion, such that the bearing shoe portion is connected to the main body portion via the connecting portion, and the main body portion is thicker than the connecting portion. Based on this, when the opposite ends of the swing arm connected to other structures are subjected to impact force, in order to prevent the relatively small thickness connection part from being deformed or even broken, in the hinge mechanism disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, a first groove is provided on the surface of the main body part whose thickness is greater than that of the connection part, and the first groove is recessed along the thickness direction of the main body part, so that the first groove in the main body part can provide energy absorption and prevent the impact load from being concentrated on the connection part; at the same time, the distance between the edge of the first groove and the edge of the main body part is greater than zero, which can ensure that at the position where the first groove is provided on the main body part, there is still a part of the structure whose thickness has not been reduced by the first groove, so that the impact resistance of the part of the main body part where the first groove is provided is still relatively strong, ensuring that the deformation and fracture resistance of the entire swing arm are better, thereby preventing the hinge mechanism from being damaged by impact and improving the service life of the hinge mechanism.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a hinge mechanism disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a swing arm in a hinge mechanism disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of the swing arm shown in FIG2 in another direction;

FIG4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure shown in FIG2 taken along line A-A;

FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of the swing arm shown in FIG2 in another direction;

FIG6 is another structural schematic diagram of a swing arm in the hinge mechanism disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of the swing arm shown in FIG6 in another direction;

FIG8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure shown in FIG7 taken along line B-B;

FIG9 is an enlarged schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of the hinge mechanism disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application.

The accompanying drawings are:
1-hinge mechanism, 2-housing, 3-display screen, 31-first display area, 32-second display area, 33-third display area,
100-base,
200-swing arm, 210-body, 211-first groove, 212-second groove, 220-connecting part, 230-bearing part, 231-
First bearing, 232-second bearing, 233-transition portion, 234-third groove, 235-first opening, 236-second opening, 240-embedded portion, 241-embedded body, 242-clearance boss,
300-bracket,
400-door panel,
500-Damping assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field are within the scope of protection of this application.

The terms "first," "second," and the like in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or precedence. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of this application can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein, and that the objects distinguished by "first," "second," and the like are generally of the same type, and do not limit the number of objects; for example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, the term "and/or" in the specification and claims refers to at least one of the connected objects, and the character "/" generally indicates that the objects connected are in an "or" relationship.

As shown in FIG1 , an embodiment of the present application discloses a hinge mechanism that can be used in an electronic device to rotatably connect two housings of the electronic device. As shown in FIG2 to FIG9 , the hinge mechanism includes a base 100 and a swing arm 200. The swing arm 200 is rotatably connected to the base 100, and the swing arms 200 are usually provided on opposite sides of the base 100 to ensure that the two housings can form a rotational connection relationship through the hinge mechanism. In addition, the hinge mechanism may also include other structures such as a bracket 300 and a door panel 400. The bracket 300 is used to directly connect to the above-mentioned housing, and the bracket 300 is also connected to the swing arm 200 to form a stable assembly relationship between the housings. The door panel 400 is used to provide support for the portion of the display screen of the electronic device that is opposite to the hinge mechanism, ensuring that the portion of the display screen located outside the housing is also relatively well supported. Of course, the hinge mechanism may also include other components such as a damping assembly 500. Considering the brevity of the text, they will not be introduced here one by one.

In the embodiment of the present application, the swing arm 200 is used to provide a rotational connection between the base 100 and the housing, and the base 100 and the swing arm 200 form a rotational engagement relationship using a bearing structure. Specifically, the base 100 is provided with a bearing groove, that is, a groove structure is provided on the base 100 for inserting the bearing structure. Accordingly, the specific shape and size of the bearing groove can correspond to the shape and size of the bearing portion 230 of the swing arm 200, ensuring that the bearing portion 230 of the swing arm 200 can be inserted into the bearing groove and the swing arm 200 is rotationally connected to the base 100.

As shown in FIG2 , the swing arm 200 includes a main body 210, a connecting portion 220, and a bearing portion 230. The bearing portion 230 is the structure used to directly connect the swing arm 200 to the base 100. Specifically, the bearing portion 230 is rotatably connected to the bearing groove, thereby achieving the purpose of rotatably connecting the entire swing arm 200 to the base 100. Specifically, the bearing portion 230 can be an entire arc-shaped shoe-shaped structure, or the bearing portion 230 can also include other parts, which are not limited herein.

At the same time, in the swing arm 200, the bearing portion 230 is fixedly connected to the main body portion 210 through the connecting portion 220, that is, the connecting portion 220 is located between the bearing portion 230 and the main body portion 210, so that the connecting portion 220 is used as a bridging structure between the main body portion 210 and the bearing portion 230. The main body portion 210 can be a part of the swing arm 200 that is directly used to connect with other structures such as the shell or the bracket 300, or, similar to the connecting portion 220, the main body portion 210 can also be a bridging structure between other functional structures in the swing arm 200, which is not limited in this article.

Unlike the connecting portion 220, the thickness of the main body 210 is greater than that of the connecting portion 220, or in other words, the thickness of the connecting portion 220 is less than that of the main body 210. Of course, it should be noted that the thickness of the main body 210 and the connecting portion 220 may vary at different locations. In this case, the location with the smallest thickness between the main body 210 and the connecting portion 220 is located on the connecting portion 220. Based on this, intuitively speaking, in the entire swing arm 200, the connecting portion 220 can withstand relatively less impact load than the main body 210.

Furthermore, in order to prevent the connection portion 220 from being deformed or broken after the swing arm 200 is subjected to an impact force, in the embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, a first groove 211 can be provided on the main body 210, and the first groove 211 is recessed from the surface of the main body 210 along the thickness direction of the main body 210. In other words, the first groove 211 is provided on one side of the main body along the thickness direction of the main body 210. Of course, the first groove 211 is still a slot structure, not a through hole. In other words, none of the first grooves 211 penetrates the main body 210 in the thickness direction of the main body 210.

With respect to the above technical solution, generally speaking, a first groove 211 can be provided on at least one of the front and back surfaces of the main body 210, recessed from the surface along the thickness direction of the main body 210. Since the bearing shell 230 is generally arc-shaped, the inner side of the bearing shell 230 can be defined as the side of the bearing shell 230 facing its rotation axis. Therefore, the front surface of the main body 210 can be defined as the surface of the main body 210 facing away from the inner side of the bearing shell 230. Correspondingly, the back surface of the main body 210 is the surface of the main body 210 facing the inner side of the bearing shell 230. More intuitively, the surface of the main body 210 shown in FIG2 is the front surface of the main body 210, and the surface of the main body 210 shown in FIG3 is the back surface of the main body 210. In addition, since the main body 210 may not be a regular cubic structure, generally speaking, the thickness direction of the main body 210 can be the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG2 and FIG3.

As described above, the hinge mechanism disclosed in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to electronic devices, and when the electronic device collides with other structures, the parts directly subjected to the force are usually the base 100 of the hinge mechanism and the housing of the electronic device. In this case, the swing arm 200 used to connect the base 100 and the housing will be subjected to a large impact load. In addition, since the part of the swing arm 200 that is directly connected to the base 100 is the bearing portion 230, and the part of the swing arm 200 that is directly connected to the housing is the distal end of the bearing portion 230, that is, the main body 210 or the structure of the swing arm 200 on the side of the main body 210 facing away from the bearing portion 230 (specifically, it can be the embedded portion 240 mentioned below). Among them, the contact area between the bearing portion 230 and the bearing groove is relatively large, and the distal end of the bearing portion 230 in the swing arm 200 and the shell usually adopts an axial hole matching relationship. Therefore, the contact area between the distal end of the bearing portion 230 in the swing arm 200 and the shell is also relatively large. In this case, the point of action of the impact load is usually concentrated in the middle of the swing arm 200, specifically at the connecting portion 220 with a smaller thickness in the swing arm 200.

In the embodiment of the present application, since the surface of the main body 210 is provided with a first groove 211 which is recessed along the thickness direction thereof, under the action of the first groove 211, the force transmitted from the far end of the bearing portion 230 and the bearing portion 230 in the swing arm 200 to the connecting portion 220 can be transferred to the first groove 211, thereby causing the first groove 211 to produce an energy absorption effect, weakening the effect of the force transmitted to the connecting portion 220, and thereby preventing deformation or even breakage of the connecting portion 220.

At the same time, since the thickness of the main body 210 is relatively large, and the distance between the edge of the first groove 211 and the edge of the main body 210 in the axial direction of rotation of the bearing shell 230 is greater than zero, so as to achieve the purpose of spacing the first groove 211 and the edge of the main body 210 from each other, thereby ensuring that the first groove 211 will not penetrate the main body 210 in the axial direction of rotation of the bearing shell 230, so that the position where the first groove 211 is located on the main body 210 still includes a portion that has not yet been extended by the first groove 211, and the thickness of this portion is relatively large, at least greater than the thickness of the connecting portion 220, so that even if the first groove 211 is provided on the surface of the main body 210, the overall load impact resistance of the main body 210 can still be ensured to be relatively strong.

More specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, it is necessary to ensure that any first groove 211 is spaced from the edge of the main body 210 along both the length and width directions of the swing arm 200. Specifically, the length direction of the swing arm 200 can be direction Y in FIG. 2 , and the width direction of the swing arm 200 can be direction X in FIG. 2 .

The present invention discloses a hinge mechanism comprising a base 100 and a swing arm 200. The base 100 is provided with a bearing shoe groove rotatably connected to a bearing shoe portion 230 of the swing arm 200, thereby enabling the swing arm 200 to form a rotational engagement with the base 100. In the swing arm 200, a connecting portion 220 is located between the bearing shoe portion 230 and the main body 210, such that the bearing shoe portion 230 is connected to the main body 210 via the connecting portion 220. Furthermore, the thickness of the main body 210 is greater than that of the connecting portion 220. Based on this, when the opposite ends of the swing arm 200 connected to other structures are subjected to impact force, in order to prevent the connection part 220 with a relatively small thickness from being deformed or even broken, in the hinge mechanism disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, a first groove 211 is provided on the surface of the main body 210 whose thickness is greater than that of the connection part 220, and the first groove 211 is recessed along the thickness direction of the main body 210, so that the location of the first groove 211 in the main body 210 can provide energy absorption and prevent the impact load from being concentrated on the connection part 220; at the same time, by making the distance between the edge of the first groove 211 and the edge of the main body 210 greater than zero, it can be ensured that at the position where the first groove 211 is provided on the main body 210, there is still a part of the structure whose thickness has not been reduced by the first groove 211, so that the impact resistance of the part of the main body 210 where the first groove 211 is provided is still relatively strong, thereby ensuring that the entire swing arm 200 has good anti-deformation and anti-fracture effects, thereby preventing the hinge mechanism from being damaged by impact and improving the service life of the hinge mechanism.

As described above, at least one of the front and back surfaces of the main body 210 may be provided with a first groove 211. In a specific embodiment of the present application, the surface of the main body 210 facing away from the inner side of the bearing shell 230 may be the first surface, i.e., the front surface of the main body 210, and the surface of the main body 210 facing the inner side of the bearing shell 230 may be the second surface, i.e., the back surface of the main body 210. In other words, the surfaces of the main body 210 along its thickness direction are respectively the first surface and the second surface. On this basis, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first groove 211 may be provided on the first surface, and the second groove 212 may be provided on the second surface. In other words, grooves (including the first groove 211 and the second groove 212) may be provided on both the front and back surfaces of the main body 210. In this case, the energy absorption effect of the grooves on the main body 210 may be enhanced, thereby further weakening the effect of the impact load on the connection portion 220, and further preventing the connection portion 220 from being deformed or even broken.

Furthermore, to maximize the overall energy absorption effect of the first groove 211 and the second groove 212, as shown in FIG4 , in the embodiment of the present application, at least a portion of the projection of the first groove 211 can be arranged outside the projection of the second groove 212 along the thickness direction of the body portion 210. That is, the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 are arranged non-overlappingly along the thickness direction of the body portion 210. In other words, the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 are at least partially offset in the above direction.

When the above-mentioned technical solution is adopted, the energy absorption effectiveness of the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 can be increased, thereby further enhancing the overall energy absorption effect of the main body 210; and, since the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 will both reduce the thickness of the corresponding parts in the main body 210, when the above-mentioned technical solution is adopted, the area occupied by the part of the main body 210 where the first groove 211 is provided on the first surface and the second groove 212 is provided on the second surface can be reduced as much as possible, thereby preventing the relatively small thickness part from having a greater adverse effect on the overall structural strength of the main body 210.

As described above, when the first surface of the main body 210 is provided with a first groove 211 and the second surface is provided with a second groove 212, the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 can be at least partially offset. In this case, it can also be considered that the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 may partially overlap. Moreover, because the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 are both recessed relative to the surface of the main body 210 along the thickness direction of the main body 210, the thickness of the main body 210 at the locations where the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 are provided will be reduced. In this case, if a certain location in the main body 210 has a first groove 211 on the first surface and a second groove 212 on the second surface, the thickness at that location may be relatively smaller, or even zero. In other words, the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 act together to penetrate the main body 210, which can have a significant adverse effect on the overall structural reliability of the main body 210.

To this end, in a specific embodiment of the present application, if a first groove 211 is provided on the first surface at a certain position in the main body 210, and a second groove 212 is also provided on the second surface at the same position, then as shown in Figure 4, in the thickness direction of the main body 210, the distance between the bottom of the first groove 211 located at the same position and the bottom of the second groove 212 located at the same position is greater than zero. In other words, even if a first groove 211 and a second groove 212 are provided at the same position on the main body 210, the bottoms of the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 at the same position are still spaced apart from each other in the thickness direction of the main body 210, thereby ensuring that the two do not penetrate the main body 210.

In more general terms, the depths of the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 can each be less than half the thickness of the main body 210. Of course, when adopting the above technical solution, the depths of the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 can also be different. In this case, the sum of the depths of the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 distributed along the thickness direction of the main body 210 can be less than the thickness of the main body 210.

Furthermore, the projection of the bottom of the first groove 211 on a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the main body 210 can be positioned outside the projection of the bottom of the second groove 212 on the aforementioned plane. That is, the projections of the bottoms of the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 do not overlap at all. This maximizes the energy absorption effect provided by the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 for the entire main body 210 and minimizes the degradation of the overall structural performance of the main body 210 caused by the presence of the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 on the first and second surfaces, respectively.

Furthermore, to facilitate the processing and forming of the swing arm 200, a transition fillet can be formed between the bottom and the wall of each of the first groove 211 and the second groove 212. To this end, if the bottom of the first groove 211 and the bottom of the second groove 212 do not completely overlap, as shown in FIG4 , the wall of the first groove 211 can be made to partially overlap with the corresponding wall of the second groove 212, which does not conflict with the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, in this case, the overall coverage area of the formed first groove 211 and the second groove 212 can be relatively larger within the limited size of the main body 210, thereby further enhancing the overall energy absorption effect of the main body 210. Of course, in this case, it is also necessary to ensure that the wall of the first groove 211 (including the corresponding transition fillet) and the wall of the second groove 212 (including the corresponding transition fillet) are spaced apart from each other to prevent penetration at any position on the main body 210.

As described above, at least a portion of the projection of the first groove 211 of the main body 210 can be positioned outside the projection of the second groove 212 to enhance the overall deformation resistance of the main body 210. In a specific embodiment of the present application, two first grooves 211 can be provided on the first surface, and the two first grooves 211 on the first surface can be spaced apart along the rotation axis of the bearing shell 230, thereby preventing the two first grooves 211 on the first surface from being interconnected or adjacent to each other, thereby preventing the structural strength of the position where the two first grooves 211 are provided in the main body 210 from being significantly weakened. Of course, in the embodiment of the present application, parameters such as the spacing between the two first grooves 211 on the first surface and the dimensions of the two first grooves 211 in the rotation axis can be flexibly determined according to actual conditions, and are not limited herein.

At the same time, to maximize the deformation resistance of the portion of the first surface of the main body 210 sandwiched between the two first grooves 211, as shown in FIG4 , the second groove 212 of the second surface can be sandwiched between the two first grooves 211 of the first surface in the rotational axis. That is, along the thickness direction of the main body, the projections of the two first grooves 211 can be located on opposite sides of the second groove 212. In this case, the deformation resistance of any position of the main body 210 distributed along the rotational axis is relatively strong, thereby further improving the ability of the main body 210 to distribute the impact load on the connecting portion 220.

Of course, as mentioned above, in order to prevent the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 from having a significant impact on the structural strength of the main body 210, it is necessary to make the distance between the edge of the first groove 211 and the edge of the main body 210 greater than zero. Correspondingly, it is also necessary to make the distance between the edge of the second groove 212 and the edge of the main body 210 greater than zero, so as to prevent the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 from extending to the edge of the main body 210, thereby preventing the structural strength of the main body 210 at the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 from having a significant adverse effect.

However, considering that the impact load on the connecting portion 220 of the swing arm 200 is transmitted by the opposite ends of the swing arm 200, that is, the impact load is generally transmitted along the length direction of the swing arm 200 (that is, the distribution direction between the bearing portion 230 of the swing arm 200 and the other end away from the bearing portion 230), and further, in order to maximize the absorption and transfer of the impact load on the swing arm 200, in a specific embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG2 , the size of at least part of the main body 210 can be made larger than the size of the connecting portion 220 in the rotational axis. In layman's terms, the width of the main body 210 can be made larger than the width of the connecting portion 220. In this case, the first surface of the main body 210 can be provided with two first grooves 211 spaced apart from each other along the above-mentioned rotational axis. At the same time, in the rotational axis, the distance between the groove walls of the two first grooves 211 that are away from each other is made greater than or equal to the size of the connecting portion 220 in the corresponding direction.

When the above technical solution is adopted, since the two first grooves 211 can basically extend to the two side edges of the connecting part 220 respectively in the rotation axis direction, no matter the impact load acts on the connecting part 220 from the edge of the connecting part 220 or the impact load acts on the connecting part 220 from the middle of the connecting part 220, it can basically be absorbed and dispersed by the two first grooves 211 on the first surface, thereby maximizing the absorption and transfer of the stress transmitted to the connecting part 220, ensuring that the deformation resistance of the connecting part 220 at any position in the above-mentioned rotation axis is relatively strong.

Generally speaking, in the above technical solution, the edges of the two first grooves 211 can be positioned as close as possible to the lateral edges of the main body 210, i.e., the two opposing edges of the main body 210 along the aforementioned rotational axis. It should be emphasized that, at the same time, the spacing between the edges of the first grooves 211 and the edges of the main body 210 must still be greater than zero. More specifically, as shown in FIG4 , the spacing between the edges of the first grooves 211 and the edges of the main body 210 along the rotational axis can be greater than or equal to 0.3 mm. In addition, in the above-mentioned length direction of the swing arm 200, it is also necessary to ensure that the first grooves 211 are spaced apart from the edges of the main body 210, wherein, in the above-mentioned length direction of the swing arm 200, the distance between the edge of the first groove 211 and the edge of the main body 210 needs to be greater than or equal to 0.6 mm, and it is necessary to ensure that the thickness of the position where the first groove 211 and the second groove 212 are simultaneously provided on the main body 210 needs to be greater than or equal to 0.5 mm to prevent the overall structural strength of the main body 210 from being weakened too much; and for the second groove 212, in the length direction of the swing arm, it is also necessary to make the distance between the edge of the second groove 212 and the edge of the main body 210 greater than or equal to 0.5 mm.

As described above, the parts of the swing arm 200 that are directly connected to other components are the opposite ends of the swing arm 200. One end is connected to the housing or bracket 300, and an assembly relationship is usually formed using a shaft hole structure. Since the swing arm 200 and the rotating shaft are usually in a surface-fit relationship, and the diameter and other dimensions of the structure provided with the shaft hole on the swing arm 200 are relatively large, the structural reliability of this end of the swing arm 200 is relatively strong. As for the part of the swing arm 200 that is connected to the base 100, it is the aforementioned bearing 230. Since the bearing 230 is usually an arc-shaped structural component, although the bearing 230 and the bearing groove of the base 100 also form a surface-fit relationship, the thickness of the portion of the bearing 230 that extends into the bearing groove is still relatively small. Therefore, when the hinge mechanism is hit, the bearing 230 also has a corresponding risk of deformation and fracture.

Based on the above situation, in a specific embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 2, the bearing portion 230 can include a first bearing 231, a second bearing 232 and a transition portion 233, wherein in the above-mentioned rotation axis, the first bearing 231 and the second bearing 232 are respectively connected to the opposite sides of the transition portion 233, and the first bearing 231 and the second bearing 232 are both rotatably connected to the bearing groove of the base 100. When the bearing portion 230 adopts the above-described structure, a third groove 234 can be provided on the transition portion 233, with the opening of the third groove 234 facing away from the inner side of the first bearing 231. The third groove 234 is also a groove structure, that is, recessed from the surface of the transition portion 233 along the thickness direction of the transition portion 233. This third groove 234 provides a certain energy absorption function for the first and second bearing pads 231, 232, thereby dispersing the impact load directly acting on the first and second bearing pads 231, 232 and reducing the risk of deformation or even fracture of the first and second bearing pads 231, 232. Similar to the first groove 211, the third groove 234 is also a non-through structure, that is, it does not penetrate the transition portion 233 in the thickness direction of the transition portion 233. Similarly, the third groove 234 can be spaced apart from the edge of the transition portion 233 to improve the overall structural reliability of the transition portion 233.

In another embodiment of the present application, to further reduce the probability of deformation or even fracture of the first and second bearing bushes 231, 232 under stress, as shown in FIG2 , the transition portion 233 is provided with a first opening 235. The first opening 235 extends through the transition portion 233 along its thickness and extends from the end of the transition portion 233 away from the connection portion 220 to the third groove 234. In other words, with the first opening 235 provided in the transition portion 233, the ends of the first and second bearing bushes 231, 232 away from the connection portion 220 are separated. The first opening 235 provides stress relief, enhancing the deformation capacity of each of the first and second bearing bushes 231, 232, thereby further preventing fracture under stress. Of course, the specific dimensions of the first opening 235 in the length and width directions of the swing arm 200 can be flexibly selected based on actual conditions and are not limited herein. In addition, the third groove 234 on the back side of the transition portion 233 can be extended as close as possible to the position close to the first bearing 231 and the second bearing 232 , thereby maximizing the stress transfer capability of the third groove 234 .

As described above, in the bearing portion 230 of the swing arm 200, the transition portion 233 is located between the first bearing 231 and the second bearing 232, as shown in Figure 5. In this case, in order to improve the overall structural reliability of the transition portion 233, the transition portion 233 can be protruded and arranged on the inner surface of the first bearing 231 and the second bearing 232. In this case, since the inner surface of the first bearing 231 and the side wall surface of the transition portion 233 adjacent to the first bearing 231 are substantially perpendicular to each other, the first bearing 231 still has a greater risk of fracture when subjected to shear force. For this reason, as shown in Figures 6-8, in the axial direction of rotation, a second opening 236 can be provided on the surface of the transition portion 233 facing the first bearing 231. At the same time, the second opening 236 is extended along the axial direction of rotation toward the second bearing 232, and the second opening 236 is extended along the thickness direction of the transition portion 233 away from the first bearing 231, so that a part of the side wall surface of the transition portion 233 adjacent to the first bearing 231 is "dug out", so that the inner surface of the first bearing 231 and the surface connected to the transition portion 233 are in an inclined connection state, so that when the first bearing 231 is subjected to shear force, the extrusion stress between the first bearing 231 and the transition portion 233 is reduced, thereby greatly reducing the risk of the first bearing 231 fracture. The specific shape, size, and other parameters of the second opening 236 can be flexibly selected based on actual conditions and are not limited herein. Furthermore, the direction along the rotational axis toward the second bearing 232 can be specifically referred to as direction M in FIG8 , while the direction along the thickness direction of the transition portion 233 away from the first bearing 231 can be specifically referred to as direction N in FIG8 .

Accordingly, in order to prevent the second bearing 232 from breaking easily when subjected to shear force, a structure such as the above-mentioned second opening 236 can also be formed on the side wall surface of the transition portion 233 adjacent to the second bearing 232, and the above-mentioned structure can be extended in the direction close to the first bearing 231 in the axial direction of rotation, and also extend in the direction away from the first bearing 231 in the thickness direction of the transition portion 233.

As described above, in the hinge mechanism, one end of the swing arm 200 includes a bearing portion 230 and is rotationally connected to the base 100, while the other end of the swing arm 200 away from the bearing portion 230 can be directly or indirectly rotationally connected to the shell. In a specific embodiment of the present application, the hinge mechanism also includes a bracket 300 and a rotating shaft, wherein the bracket 300 is used to directly connect to the shell of the electronic device. For this purpose, the swing arm 200 can form an assembly relationship with the shell through the bracket 300. More specifically, the bracket 300 is provided with a mounting recess, and the swing arm 200 can also include an embedding portion 240, which can be embedded in the mounting recess of the bracket 300, so that the mounting recess provides a certain limiting effect for the embedding portion 240. At the same time, the embedded portion 240 is provided with an axis hole, and the rotating shaft can be passed through the axis hole, and the rotating shaft can also be rotatably connected to the bracket 300, so that the entire swing arm 200 can form a rotational connection relationship with the bracket 300; at the same time, under the action of the installation embedment of the bracket 300, the assembly compactness between the various components in the entire hinge mechanism is relatively higher, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the overall volume of the hinge mechanism, saving installation space in electronic equipment, and facilitating the miniaturization of electronic equipment.

As described above, the embedded portion 240 is embedded in the mounting notch, allowing the embedded portion 240 to be restricted in its position along the axis of rotation of the shaft. Of course, to ensure that the embedded portion 240 and the bracket 300 can still rotate relative to each other, the mounting notch needs to be larger than the embedded portion 240 along the axis of the shaft. However, if the difference between the mounting notch and the embedded portion 240 is large, the swing arm 200 and the bracket 300 may rub against each other along the axis of the shaft. This not only hinders the stability of the hinge mechanism, but also easily causes damage and deformation to components such as the swing arm 200.

To this end, in the embodiment of the present application, the dimensions of the embedded portion 240 can be made as close as possible to, but still smaller than, the dimensions of the mounting notch, to minimize the amount of friction experienced by the swing arm 200. However, when employing the aforementioned technical solution, it is inevitable that the axially opposing side surfaces of the embedded portion 240 along the rotating shaft will abut against the surface of the mounting notch facing the embedded portion 240. Furthermore, during the relative rotation of the swing arm 200 and the bracket 300, the surface-to-surface contact between the embedded portion 240 and the mounting notch will hinder the rotation, increasing rotational friction.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2, 5 and 9, in an embodiment of the present application, the embedded portion 240 may include an embedded body 241 and an anti-backlash boss 242, wherein the embedded body 241 is provided with an anti-backlash boss 242 on at least one of the two opposite sides along the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and as shown in Figure 5, the area of the surface of the anti-backlash boss 242 facing away from the embedded body 241 is smaller than the area of the surface of the embedded body 241 facing the bracket 300 (middle mounting recess) along the axial direction of the rotating shaft, so that the embedded portion 240 can use the relatively smaller area of the anti-backlash boss 242 to contact the surface of the mounting recess, thereby reducing the contact area between the embedded portion 240 and the mounting recess, thereby reducing the amount of friction of the hinge mechanism while reducing the difficulty of rotation between the swing arm 200 and the bracket 300, preventing rotation jamming, and improving the smoothness of the hinge structure.

More specifically, within the embedded portion 240, the embedded body 241 can be generally cylindrical. Similarly, the anti-backlash boss 242 can also be generally cylindrical, with the diameter of the anti-backlash boss 242 being smaller than that of the embedded body 241. Of course, for ease of processing, the anti-backlash boss 242 can be generally truncated cone-shaped. In this case, the anti-backlash boss 242 can be formed by cutting and chamfering the outer side of the embedded body 241. Of course, to further enhance the smooth rotation of the swing arm 200, the anti-backlash bosses 242 can be provided on both axially opposing sides of the embedded body 241 along the axis of rotation.

Based on the hinge mechanism disclosed in any of the above embodiments, as shown in Figure 10, the embodiment of the present application also discloses an electronic device, which includes any of the above hinge mechanisms 1. Of course, the electronic device can also generally include a display screen 3 and at least two shells 2, wherein any two shells 2 can form a rotational connection relationship through the hinge mechanism 1, and the display screen 3 can be installed on the hinge mechanism 1 and the shell 2 to form a foldable electronic device with folding ability. In addition, the display screen 3 can be a flexible screen as a whole, or the display screen 3 can include a first display area 31, a second display area 32 and a third display area 33, wherein the third display area 33 is connected between the first display area 31 and the second display area 32, and the first display area 31 and the second display area 32 are respectively supported on the two shells 2, both of which can be flexible structures or rigid structures. The third display area 33 is opposite to the hinge mechanism 1, and the third display area 33 is a flexible structure.

The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of this application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the purpose of this application and the scope of protection of the claims, all of which are within the protection of this application.

Claims (11)

A hinge mechanism comprises a base and a swing arm, wherein the base is provided with a bearing shoe groove, the swing arm comprises a main body, a connecting portion and a bearing shoe portion, the bearing shoe portion is rotatably connected to the bearing shoe groove, and the connecting portion is located between the bearing shoe portion and the main body; The thickness of the main body is greater than that of the connecting portion. A first groove is provided on one side surface of the main body along the thickness direction of the main body, and a distance between an edge of the first groove and an edge of the main body is greater than zero. The hinge mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the surfaces of the main body along the thickness direction are respectively a first surface and a second surface, the first surface is provided with the first groove, and the second surface is provided with the second groove. The hinge mechanism according to claim 2, wherein, in the thickness direction of the main body, a distance between a bottom of the first groove and a bottom of the second groove is greater than zero. The hinge mechanism according to claim 2, wherein, in a thickness direction of the body portion, at least a portion of a projection of the first groove is located outside a projection of the second groove. The hinge mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the first surface is provided with two first grooves spaced apart from each other along the rotation axis of the bearing shell portion, and in the thickness direction of the main body portion, the projections of the two first grooves are located on opposite sides of the projection of the second groove. The hinge mechanism according to claim 2, wherein, in the axial direction of rotation of the bearing shell, the size of the main body is larger than the size of the connecting portion, and along the axial direction of rotation of the bearing shell, two first grooves are provided at intervals on the first surface, and the distance between the groove walls of the two first grooves that are away from each other is greater than or equal to the size of the connecting portion. The hinge mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the bearing portion comprises a first bearing, a second bearing, and a transition portion, wherein in the rotational axis of the bearing portion, the first bearing and the second bearing are respectively connected to opposite sides of the transition portion, and the first bearing and the second bearing are both rotatably connected to the bearing groove; The transition portion is provided with a third groove, the notch of the third groove is arranged away from the inner side of the first bearing shell, and the third groove is recessed from the surface of the transition portion along the thickness direction of the transition portion. The hinge mechanism according to claim 7, wherein the transition portion is provided with a first opening, the first opening passes through the transition portion along the thickness direction of the transition portion, and the first opening extends from an end of the transition portion away from the connecting portion to the third groove. The hinge mechanism according to claim 7, wherein the transition portion is protrudingly arranged on the inner surface of the first bearing and the second bearing, and in the rotation axis direction, the surface of the transition portion facing the first bearing is provided with a second opening, the second opening extends along the rotation axis in a direction close to the second bearing, and the second opening extends along the thickness direction of the transition portion in a direction away from the first bearing. The hinge mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a bracket and a rotating shaft, the bracket being provided with a mounting notch, the swing arm further comprising an embedding portion, the embedding portion being embedded in the mounting notch, the embedding portion being provided with an axis hole, the rotating shaft being passed through the axis hole, and the rotating shaft being connected to the bracket; The embedded portion includes an embedded body and an anti-backlash boss, and the anti-backlash boss is provided on at least one of the two opposite sides of the embedded body along the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and the area of the surface of the anti-backlash boss away from the embedded body is smaller than the area of the surface of the embedded body facing the bracket along the axial direction. An electronic device comprising the hinge mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 10.