This application relates to the field of display device technologies, and in particular, to a foldable display terminal.
With development of flexible display technologies, foldable display terminals rise to the occasion. When a current foldable display terminal, for example, a foldable mobile phone, is folded, a display screen is covered by a shell. In this case, a secondary screen usually needs to be disposed on the shell for information display and human-computer interactions when the foldable display terminal is in a folded state. Disposing of the secondary screen undoubtedly brings some drawbacks, such as system costs and screen costs are increased, and an overall thickness is affected.
In view of this, the embodiments of this application provide a foldable display terminal, to resolve a problem such as costs of a foldable display terminal are increased due to an additionally disposed secondary screen.
This application provides a foldable display terminal, including: a flexible display screen, a rotating assembly; and a first shell and a second shell that are connected by the rotating assembly along a first direction, wherein each of the first shell and the second shell comprises a first surface and a second surface that are oppositely disposed; wherein when the first shell and the second shell are driven by the rotating assembly to rotate until the first surface of the first shell and the first surface of the second shell are coplanar with each other, the flexible display screen is in an unfolded state on a plane where the first surface of the first shell and the first surface of the second shell are located; and when the first shell and the second shell are driven by the rotating assembly to rotate until the flexible display screen is in a folded state to dispose the first surface of the first shell face to the first surface of the second shell, at least a partial area of the flexible display screen slides to the second surface of the first shell and/or the second surface of the second shell.
According to the foldable display terminal provided in the embodiments of this application, when the foldable display terminal is in an unfolded state, an entire display surface of the flexible display screen is exposed outside for display; and when the foldable display terminal is in a folded state, at least a partial area of the flexible display screen is exposed outside for display, that is, the same flexible display screen is used as not only a main screen in the unfolded state, but also a secondary screen in the folded state. In this case, there is no need to additionally dispose a secondary screen, thereby reducing system costs and screen costs and avoiding increasing a thickness of the foldable display terminal.
In order to make objectives, technical means and advantages of this application clearer, a further detailed description on this application will be given below in combination with accompanying drawings.
Two working states, namely an unfolded state and a folded state, of the foldable display terminal 10 can be implemented by using the rotating assembly 12 between the first shell 13 and the second shell 14. Specifically, as shown in
In this embodiment, as shown in
The rotating assembly 12 may be, for example, a hinge. A specific implementation of the rotating assembly 12 is not limited in this embodiment. The flexible display screen 11 includes a display panel used for display, and may further include a flexible support member, for example, an ultra-thin steel sheet, located below the display panel and used for providing a support function.
According to the foldable display terminal 10 provided in this embodiment, when the foldable display terminal 10 is in the unfolded state, an entire display surface of the flexible display screen 11 is exposed outside for display; and when the foldable display terminal 10 is in the folded state, the at least a partial area Q of the flexible display screen 11 is exposed outside for display, that is, the same flexible display screen 11 is used as not only a main screen in the unfolded state, but also a secondary screen in the folded state. In this case, there is no need to additionally dispose a secondary screen, thereby reducing system costs and screen costs and avoiding increasing a thickness of the foldable display terminal 10.
A specific structure of the foldable display terminal 10 in different embodiments is described below in detail in combination with
Specifically, referring to
In another embodiment, when an area of the flexible display screen 11 that is folded to the second surface D of the second shell 14 is large enough, the first support rod 151 slides onto the third rail 163 and the fourth rail 164, and slides along the third rail 163 and the fourth rail 164. Alternatively, when an area of the flexible display screen 11 that is folded to the second surface B of the first shell 13 is large enough, the second support rod 152 slides onto the first rail 161 and the second rail 162, and slides along the first rail 161 and the second rail 162.
Sliding directions of the first support rod 151 and the second support rod 152 are the same or opposite. When the sliding directions of the first support rod 151 and the second support rod 152 are the same, a secondary screen is formed only on the second surface B of the first shell 13, or the secondary screen is formed only on the second surface D of the second shell 14. When the sliding directions of the first support rod 151 and the second support rod 152 are opposite, a first secondary screen is formed on the second surface B of the first shell 13, and a second secondary screen is formed on the second surface D of the second shell 14.
According to the foldable display terminal 10 provided in this embodiment, the support rods 15 are disposed. In one aspect, the support rods 15 are in sliding fit with the rails, so that sliding of the flexible display screen 11 is implemented, thereby achieving a simple structure and easy implementation; and in another aspect, the support rods provides a support function for the flexible display screen 11 in a sliding process of the flexible display screen 11, which ensures that a surface of the flexible display screen 11 is even.
In one embodiment, the first shell 13 and the second shell 14 comprise a plurality of flanged edges (not shown in the figure) located in the ends and covering an edge of the flexible display screen 11. The flanged edges refer to an area on an edge of a corresponding shell that extends from the first shell 13 or the second shell 14 and is formed after being folded by 180 degrees. In this way, a U-shaped groove is formed at an edge of the shell.
Specifically, the flanged edges comprise a first flanged edge and a second flanged edge disposed in two ends of the first shell and a third flanged edge and a fourth flanged edge disposed in two ends of the second shell. The rails 16 comprise a first rail 161, a second rail 162 parallel to the first rail 161, a third rail 163 and a fourth rail 164 parallel to the third rail 163. The first shell 13 comprises a first U-shaped groove and a second U-shaped groove, the first flanged edge is disposed in the first U-shaped groove, the second flanged edge is disposed in the second U-shaped groove, the first rail 161 is located at a bottom of the first U-shaped groove, and the second rail is located at a bottom of the second U-shaped groove. The second shell 14 comprises a third U-shaped groove and a fourth U-shaped groove, the third flanged edge is disposed in the third U-shaped groove, the fourth flanged edge is disposed in fourth U-shaped groove, the third rail 163 is located at a bottom of the third U-shaped groove, and the fourth rail is located at a bottom of the fourth U-shaped groove.
The flanged edge is equivalent to a pressure plate covering an edge of the flexible display screen 11. When the flexible display screen 11 slides along the rail, the flanged edge can limit the edge of the flexible display screen 11 in a direction perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface, preventing the edge of the flexible display screen 11 from being warped or folded. Therefore, it can be ensured that a display surface presented by the flexible display screen 11 is even.
Further, in one embodiment, on one side close to the rotating assembly 12, there is a predetermined distance d between an end of the flanged edges and an end S of one shell where the flanged edges are located.
Specifically, referring to
Due to the predetermined distance d between the end of the flanged edge and the end S of the shell where the flanged edge is located, in a process when the foldable display terminal 10 is folded and then unfolded or is unfolded and then folded, a yield space is provided for the flexible display screen 11, thereby preventing a position of the flexible display screen 11 from being limited in a direction parallel to the first surface and the second surface. For example, when two opposite ends of the flexible display screen 11 respectively slide in opposite directions to form two secondary screens, an area, corresponding to the rotating assembly 12, of the flexible display screen 11 in the unfolded state may move in a direction away from the rotating assembly 12 without being limited by the flanged edge.
In one embodiment, as shown in
In this embodiment, as shown in
In one embodiment, the transmission component 183 includes a pulley and a synchronous belt. The pulley is coaxially fixed to the at least one motor 182. The synchronous belt includes a first end and a second end that are oppositely disposed. The first end of the synchronous belt is fixed to the pulley. The second end of the synchronous belt is fixed to the flexible display screen 11. For example, the second end of the synchronous belt is fixed on the support rod 15, thereby implementing fixation to the flexible display screen 11. In this case, the synchronous belt is contracted in a curled manner or elongated in an expanded manner under rotation of the at least one motor 182, so as to implement effects that the flexible display screen 11 slides in two opposite directions, thereby ensuring that when the foldable display terminal 10 is in the unfolded state, the flexible display screen 11 slides to the first surfaces of the first shell 13 and the second shell 14, to form a main screen; and that when the foldable display terminal 10 is in the folded state, the at least a partial area Q of the flexible display screen 11 slides to the second surface B of the first shell 13 and/or the second surface D of the second shell 14, to form a secondary screen.
In one embodiment, as shown in
According to the foldable display terminal 10 provided in this embodiment, in a process when the first shell 13 and the second shell 14 are respectively driven by the rotating assembly 12 to rotate in directions close to each other, the at least one motor 182 rotates to drive the synchronous belt to be contracted in a curled manner, so as to further drive the first end 110 of the flexible display screen 11 to slide towards the second surface B of the first shell 13, to form a secondary screen. In a process when the first shell 13 and the second shell 14 are respectively driven by the rotating assembly 12 to rotate in directions away from each other, the at least one motor 182 rotates to drive the synchronous belt to be elongated in an expanded manner, so as to further drive the first end 110 of the flexible display screen 11 to slide towards the first surface A of the first shell 13, to form a main screen.
In one embodiment, the at least one motor 182 includes two motors, the two motors are respectively fixed on the second surfaces of the first shell 13 and the second shell 14. The two motors have the same rotational speed and direction, or the two motors have the same rotational speed and opposite directions.
For example, the at least one motor 182 includes a first motor and a second motor, the first motor is fixed on the second surface B of the first shell 13, and the second motor is fixed on the second surface D of the second shell 14. When the two motors have the same rotational speed and direction, the first end 110 and the second end 120 of the flexible display screen 11 slide in a same direction, so as to form a secondary screen on the second surface B of the first shell 13 or the second surface D of the second shell 14. When the two motors have the same rotational speed and opposite directions, the first end 110 and the second end 120 of the flexible display screen 11 slide in opposite directions, so as to form a secondary screen on the second surface B of the first shell 13 and the second surface D of the second shell 14, respectively.
In one embodiment, the driving assembly 18 further includes a central control circuit board 181 fixed on the first shell and/or the second shell and configured to: when the flexible display screen is in the unfolded state, control an entire display surface of the flexible display screen to display; and when the flexible display screen is in the folded state, control at least a partial area of the flexible display screen to display.
In this embodiment, the rotation angles detected by the angle sensor are used as a switch instruction of a control method of the central control circuit board 181. For example, when a rotation angle detected by the angle sensor 17 is greater than a first angle threshold (for example, 85 degrees), the central control circuit board 181 controls an entire display surface of the flexible display screen 11 to display; when a rotation angle detected by the angle sensor 17 is smaller than a second angle threshold (for example, 5 degrees), the central control circuit board 181 controls at least a partial area of the flexible display screen 11 to display, and the at least a partial area is an area folded to the second surface B of the first shell 13 and/or the second surface D of the second shell 14.
In one embodiment, an end, away from the rotating assembly 12, of each of the first shell 13 and the second shell 14, includes a lower support plate and an upper cover plate, and the flexible display screen 11 is located between the lower support plate and the upper cover plate. In other words, the end of each of the first shell 13 and second shell 14 is implemented as a tunnel structure, and the flexible display screen 11 passes through the tunnel. In this way, the lower support plate is used to support the flexible display screen 11, and the upper cover plate is used to manually open or fold the foldable display terminal 10 when being touched by a user. Further, each of the lower support plate and the upper cover plate includes an arc-shaped surface, to prevent the flexible display screen from being damaged.
The foregoing descriptions are merely preferable embodiments of this application, but are not intended to limit this application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made without departing from the spirit and principle of this application shall fall the protection scope of this application.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202010344749.3 | Apr 2020 | CN | national |
This application is a Continuation Application of PCT application No. PCT/CN2021/083267, filed on Mar. 26, 2021, which claims priority of CN patent application 202010344749.3, filed on Apr. 27, 2020. Both of the aforementioned applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/CN2021/083267 | Mar 2021 | US |
Child | 17720548 | US |