Supporting apparatus, screen assembly and terminal device

A supporting apparatus for supporting a flexible display screen includes a support frame including an overturning curved surface; and a driving mechanism disposed at a side, away from the overturning curved surface, of the support frame. The driving mechanism includes an adjustable rod configured to extend or contract in an adjustment direction; an axial direction of the overturning curved surface is perpendicular to an adjustment direction of the adjustable rod; and the adjustable rod is configured to be connected with the display screen overturned along the overturning curved surface, and the adjustable rod is configured to push the support frame to move during extension and to pull the display screen to move during contraction.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is based upon and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202110352245.0, filed on Mar. 31, 2021, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of terminal devices, in particular to, a supporting apparatus, a screen assembly and a terminal device.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, there are more and more terminal devices with extendable screens which may be extended to expand when a large screen is required and may be contracted to shrink when a small screen is required, and therefore, various different application scenarios may be met. The state of the extendable screens in the related art is unstable, which is particularly more obvious in an extension/contraction process, thereby greatly affecting the use experience of a user.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a supporting apparatus for supporting a flexible display screen is provided, including: a support frame comprising an overturning curved surface; and a driving mechanism disposed at a side, away from the overturning curved surface, of the support frame, and the driving mechanism comprises an adjustable rod configured to extend or contract in an adjustment direction. The axial direction of the overturning curved surface is perpendicular to an adjustment direction of the adjustable rod; and the adjustable rod is configured to be connected with the display screen overturned along the overturning curved surface, and the adjustable rod is configured to push the support frame to move during extension and to pull the display screen to move during contraction.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a screen assembly is provided, including a flexible display screen and one or more supporting apparatuses for supporting the display screen. The supporting apparatus includes: a support frame comprising an overturning curved surface; and a driving mechanism disposed at a side, away from the overturning curved surface, of the support frame, and the driving mechanism comprises an adjustable rod configured to extend or contract in an adjustment direction. The axial direction of the overturning curved surface is perpendicular to an extension or a contraction direction of the adjustable rod; and the adjustable rod is configured to be connected with the display screen overturned along the overturning curved surface, and the adjustable rod is configured to push the support frame to move during extension and to pull the display screen to move during contraction. Each supporting apparatus is used for extending or contracting one side of the display screen.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal device is provided, including the screen assembly, wherein the screen assembly includes a flexible display screen and one or more supporting apparatus for supporting the display screen. The supporting apparatus includes: a support frame comprising an overturning curved surface; and a driving mechanism disposed at a side, away from the overturning curved surface, of the support frame, and the driving mechanism comprises an adjustable rod configured to extend or contract in an adjustment direction. The axial direction of the overturning curved surface is perpendicular to an adjustment direction of the adjustable rod; and the adjustable rod is configured to be connected with the display screen overturned along the overturning curved surface, and the adjustable rod is configured to push the support frame to move during extension and to pull the display screen to move during contraction. Each supporting apparatus is used for extending or contracting one side of the display screen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments will be described in detail herein, and examples of the embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description involves the accompanying drawings, the same numerals in different accompanying drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following examples do not represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. On the contrary, they are merely examples of an apparatus and a method consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

Terms used in the present disclosure are merely for the purpose of describing specific examples, rather than limiting the present disclosure. “A”, “an”, “the” and “this” used in a singular form in the present disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include a plural form unless other meanings are clearly expressed in the contexts. It should be further understood that the term “and/or” used herein refers to and includes any one or all of possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

It should be understood that although terms such as first, second and third may be adopted to describe various information in the present disclosure, the information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish the same type of information. For example, first information may be referred to as second information, similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. According to the context, the word “if” used herein may be interpreted as “while” or “when” or “determining . . . in response to”.

Structures of a supporting apparatus, a screen assembly and a terminal device provided by the present disclosure will be introduced with reference toFIG.1toFIG.11, whereinFIG.1is a front view showing a screen assembly of a terminal device in a contraction state shown in an example of the present disclosure;FIG.2is a side view showing a screen assembly of a terminal device in a contraction state shown in an example of the present disclosure;FIG.3is a rear view showing a screen assembly of a terminal device in a contraction state shown in an example of the present disclosure;FIG.4is a front view showing a screen assembly of a terminal device in an extension state shown in an example of the present disclosure;FIG.5is a rear view showing a screen assembly of a terminal device in an extension state shown in an example of the present disclosure;FIG.6is an exploded view showing a screen assembly of a terminal device shown in an example of the present disclosure;FIG.7is a perspective view showing a supporting apparatus of a terminal device in an extension state shown in an example of the present disclosure;FIG.8is a structural schematic diagram showing a driving mechanism of a terminal device shown in an example of the present disclosure;FIG.9is a structural schematic diagram showing a supporting apparatus of a terminal device in an extension state shown in an example of the present disclosure;FIG.10is a section view showing a supporting apparatus of a terminal device in an extension state shown in an example of the present disclosure; andFIG.11is an exploded view showing a display screen of a terminal device shown in an example of the present disclosure.

In a first aspect, an example of the present disclosure provides a supporting apparatus used for supporting a flexible display screen100. The supporting apparatus includes a support frame including an overturning curved surface3043and a driving mechanism disposed at a side, away from the overturning curved surface3043, of the support frame, wherein the driving mechanism includes an adjustable rod3022configured to extend or contract in an adjustment direction. An axial direction of the overturning curved surface3043is perpendicular to an adjustment direction of the adjustable rod3022. The adjustable rod3022is configured to be connected with the display screen overturned along the overturning curved surface, and the adjustable rod is configured to push the support frame to move during extension and to pull the display screen100to move during contraction.

The thickness of the supporting apparatus300may be smaller than the thickness of the terminal device, that is, the thickness of the support frame may be smaller than the thickness of the terminal device, and the thickness of the driving mechanism may be smaller than the thickness of the terminal device. The width of the supporting apparatus300may be matched with the width of the terminal device (i.e., the length of a side, corresponding to a mounting position of the supporting apparatus300, of the terminal device), so that the range that the supporting apparatus300supports against the display screen100is consistent with the range that a main body (such as a middle frame) of the terminal device supports against the display screen100. That is, the width of the support frame may be matched with the width of the terminal device (i.e., the length of the side, corresponding to the mounting position of the supporting apparatus300, of the terminal device). The length of the supporting apparatus300may be changed, that is, the length of the supporting apparatus300is changed when the adjustable rod3022of the supporting apparatus300pushes the support frame to move or pull the display screen100to contract. Specifically, when the adjustable rod3022pushes the support frame to move, the supporting apparatus300is lengthened to achieve an extension effect, and thus, the display screen100achieves an extension effect; and when the adjustable rod3022pulls the display screen100to contract, the supporting apparatus300is shortened to achieve a contraction effect, and thus, the display screen100achieves a contraction effect.

The overturning curved surface3043of the support frame forms a side (i.e., the side, corresponding to the mounting position of the supporting apparatus300, of the terminal device) of the terminal device, and the display screen100continues to extend along the overturning curved surface3043when extending from front to the side, thereby completing overturning and continuing to extend along the rear of the terminal device, and further, wrapping the supporting apparatus300in the display screen100.

Technical solutions provided by the examples of the present disclosure may include the following beneficial effects:

Due to the disposal of the support frame with the overturning curved surface3043in the present disclosure, the flexible display screen100may overturn along the overturning curved surface3043. Moreover, due to the disposal of the driving mechanism at the side, away from the overturning curved surface3043, of the support frame, the adjustable rod3022of the driving mechanism is configured to push the support frame to move during extension, and the extension of the supporting apparatus300is achieved in a process that the support frame is pushed, and thus, the extension of the display screen100is achieved. Besides, the adjustable rod3022is connected with the overturned display screen100, and therefore, the adjustable rod3022is configured to pull the display screen100to move during contraction to achieve the contraction of the display screen100; and the support frame is pulled back to an original position in the contraction process, and therefore, the adjustable rod3022extends or contracts to realize the extension or contraction of the display screen100. Since the support frame pushes the display screen100to extend during the extension process while the display screen100pulls the support frame to contract during the contraction process, the display screen100is always tightly attached to the support frame in the extension/contraction process, and the state stability of an extendable screen is improved. Moreover, the adjustable rod3022extends or contracts to supply power in an extension/contraction process, so that a noise problem caused by a complicated mechanical structure is avoided.

In some examples of the present disclosure, the support frame includes an adjustment channel for accommodating the adjustable rod3022, and a first sliding chute3044passing through a side wall of the adjustment channel. An extension direction of the first sliding chute3044is parallel to an axial direction of the adjustment channel. A first sliding block305is disposed in the first sliding chute3044, in which a first end of the first sliding block305is connected with the display screen100, and a second end of the first sliding block extends into the adjustment channel. When extending and abutting against a bottom wall of the adjustment channel, the adjustable rod3022is configure to push the support frame to move; and when contracting, the adjustable rod3022is configured to pull the first sliding block305to slide along the first sliding chute3044.

Due to the disposal of the adjustment channel, it is convenient for the adjustable rod3022to extend or contract, and interference to the sliding of the display screen100relative to the support frame may be avoided. Furthermore, due to the disposal of the first sliding chute3044and the first sliding block305, the adjustable rod3022can pull the display screen100to move in the adjustment channel.

The axial direction of the adjustment channel is parallel to the adjustment direction of the adjustable rod3022. The first sliding chute3044may be disposed between the display screen100and the adjustment channel, thereby facilitating the connection between the display screen100and the adjustable rod3022. Optionally, the first sliding chute3044is formed at the rear of the support frame (corresponding to the rear of the terminal device).

In an example, the first sliding block305may be a screw. A screw rod of the screw enters the adjustment channel after sequentially passing through the display screen100and the first sliding chute3044, and a nut of the screw may be located outside the display screen100or embedded into the display screen100. The screw rod may be sleeved with a nut located in the adjustment channel, so that the screw is limited, and thus, the tightness of the display screen100and the support frame may be improved.

Optionally, a tail end of the adjustable rod3022is provided on a bearing base303. One or more bearings3031are sleeved on the bearing base303, and an outer ring of a bearing3031is connected with the side wall of the adjustment channel. The bearing base303may include a first supporting rod, a second supporting rod and a third supporting rod. One end of the first supporting rod and one end of the second supporting rod are connected with one end of the third supporting rod. The first supporting rod is coaxial with the second supporting rod, and the first supporting rod is perpendicular to the third supporting rod. The first supporting rod may be disposed in a thickness or width direction of the supporting apparatus300. The third supporting rod may be fixedly connected with the tail end of the adjustable rod3022. At least one of the first supporting rod and the second supporting rod is sleeved with the bearing3031. When the adjustable rod3022extends or contracts in the adjustment channel, the bearing3031rolls on the side wall of the adjustment channel, thereby avoiding friction and noise caused by sliding.

Optionally, the adjustable rod3022or the bearing base303includes a protrusion3032matched with the first sliding block305, and the protrusion3032is configured to abut against the first sliding block305when the adjustable rod3022contracts. The protrusion3032is disposed at a side, away from the driving mechanism, of the first sliding block305(such as the nut of the screw), and therefore, when extending along with the adjustable rod3022, the protrusion3032may not apply an acting force to the first sliding block305; and when contracting along with the adjustable rod3022, the protrusion3032may abut against the first sliding block305and apply an acting force in a direction towards the driving mechanism to the first sliding block305, so that the first sliding block305may be pulled to move towards the direction close to the driving mechanism, and further, the display screen100is driven to move towards the direction close to the driving mechanism.

Based on the structure of the above-mentioned support frame and a positional relationship between the adjustable rod3022and the support frame, states of the adjustable rod3022during extension and contraction are described as follows:

When the adjustable rod3022completely contracts, the tail end of the adjustable rod3022is located at an opening of the adjustment channel, and a tail end of the display screen100is located at the opening of the adjustment channel, that is, the display screen100completely covers the support frame.

When the adjustable rod3022starts to extend, the acting force may not be applied to the first sliding block305, and therefore, when extending to abut against the bottom wall of the adjustment channel, the adjustable rod3022starts to push the support frame to move towards a direction away from the driving mechanism. The support frame drives the display screen100to slide relative to the support frame in a movement process, and meanwhile, the first sliding block305slides towards the direction away from the driving mechanism in the first sliding chute3044. When the adjustable rod3022extends to an extreme position, the tail end of the display screen100moves to a position close to the overturning curved surface3043, and the first sliding block305abuts against the protrusion3032. At the moment, the adjustable rod3022is in a complete extension state, and the display screen100is in a complete extension state.

When the adjustable rod3022starts to contract, the protrusion3032pulls the first sliding block305to move towards the direction close to the driving mechanism, and then pulls the display screen100to move towards the direction close to the driving mechanism. The display screen100not only slides relative to the support frame, but also pulls the support frame to move towards the direction close to the driving mechanism in a movement process. When the adjustable rod3022contracts to the extreme position, the support frame moves to the extreme position (that is, a position the support frame abuts against the driving mechanism). Moreover, the tail end of the adjustable rod3022is located at the opening of the adjustment channel, and the tail end of the display screen100is located at the opening of the adjustment channel, that is, the display screen100completely covers the support frame. At the moment, the adjustable rod3022restores to be in complete contraction, that is, the display screen100is in the complete contraction state.

In some examples of the present disclosure, the driving mechanism includes a hydraulic module and a magnetic module301, wherein the hydraulic module includes a hydraulic main body3021and the adjustable rod3022, and the magnetic module301supplies power for the hydraulic main body3021. The magnetic module301may be electrified to generate magnetism, thereby applying kinetic energy to a magnetic member in the hydraulic main body3021, and further, the kinetic energy is converted to achieve an extension/contraction function of the adjustable rod3022. When the magnetic module301is connected with the hydraulic main body3021, the magnetic module301and the hydraulic main body3021may be sealed by using a sealing ring306, so that the tightness in the hydraulic main body3021is guaranteed. By adopting the hydraulic module for extension and contraction, and the magnetic module for supplying power for the hydraulic main body3021, the state stability of the extendable screen is further improved, and a noise problem caused by a complicated mechanical structure is further avoided.

In some examples of the present disclosure, the supporting apparatus300includes one or more driving mechanisms. The support frame includes a support frame main body3041and one or more supporting parts3042perpendicularly connected with the support frame main body3041. A side, away from the supporting part3042, of the support frame main body3041is provided with the overturning curved surface3043. The supporting part3042is provided with the adjustment channel and the first sliding chute3044. The one or more driving mechanisms are in one-to-one correspondence to the one or more supporting parts3042.

The supporting part3042may be of a square or round tubular structure, a hollow channel inside which forms the adjustment channel, and an opening in a side wall of the supporting part forms the first sliding chute3044. By designing the support frame to be in a form including the support frame main body3041and a plurality of supporting parts3042, not only the connection between the driving mechanism and the support frame is facilitated, but also the weight of the support frame is reduced, therefore, the driving difficulty is lowered, and the weight of the terminal device is reduced.

In some examples of the present disclosure, the adjustable rod3022and the magnetic module301are disposed at a same side of the hydraulic main body3021, and an extension direction of the magnetic module301is parallel to the adjustment direction of the adjustable rod3022. The supporting part3042includes a second sliding block3045, and the magnetic module301includes a second sliding chute3011. The second sliding block3045is disposed in the second sliding chute3011and is configured to slide along the second sliding chute3011, wherein an extension direction of the second sliding chute3011is the same as the extension direction of the first sliding chute3044, and a depth direction of the second sliding chute3011is perpendicular to a depth direction of the first sliding chute3044.

The adjustable rod3022and the magnetic module301are disposed at a side, close to the support frame, of the hydraulic main body3021side by side, and the adjustable rod3022and the magnetic module301are disposed in the width direction of the supporting apparatus300, so that the supporting part3042sleeving outside the adjustable rod3022and the magnetic module301are also disposed side by side, and the supporting part3042and the magnetic module301are disposed in the width direction of the supporting apparatus300. Outer surfaces of the supporting part3042and the magnetic module301may be attached to each other, so that a sliding direction of the supporting part3042may be displayed when the position of the driving mechanism is fixed (for example, inside the terminal device). And further, the sliding direction of the supporting part3042is further limited by the second sliding block3045and the second sliding chute3011disposed between the supporting part3042and the magnetic module301. Optionally, the depth direction of the second sliding chute3011is set as the width direction of the supporting apparatus300, the depth direction of the first sliding chute3044is set as the thickness direction of the supporting apparatus300. The shake of the supporting part3042in various directions during sliding may be limited by the first sliding chute3044and the second sliding chute3011whose depth directions are perpendicular, so that the state stability of extension/contraction of the support frame is further improved, that is, the state stability of extension/contraction of the display screen100is improved.

In an example, the second sliding block3045has magnetism, wherein when the second sliding block3045is close to the hydraulic main body3021, the magnetism of the magnetic module301is opposite to the magnetism of the second sliding block3045, and when the second sliding block3045is away from the hydraulic main body3021, the magnetism of the magnetic module301is the same as the magnetism of the second sliding block3045. Due to the disposal of the second sliding block3045having the magnetism, the support frame may be further pushed to move by a repulsive force between the second sliding block3045and the magnetic module301in a process that the support frame is away from the driving mechanism, and the support frame is further pulled to move by a magnetic attractive force between the second sliding block3045and the magnetic module301in a process that the support frame is towards the driving mechanism.

In some examples of the present disclosure, the support frame includes two supporting parts3042which are respectively connected with each end of the support frame main body3041. The magnetic module301of the driving mechanism is disposed inside a corresponding supporting part3042. By the two supporting parts3042disposed at two ends of the support frame main body3041, an acting force may be applied to the support frame main body3041from the two ends of the support frame main body3041, thereby improving the movement stability of the support frame. Moreover, the two magnetic modules301are each disposed inside a corresponding supporting parts3042, so that the shake of the support frame in the width direction of the supporting apparatus300may be avoided, and the state stability of the support frame in the movement process is further improved.

According to a second aspect of an example of the present disclosure, a screen assembly is provided. The screen assembly includes a flexible display screen100and one or more supporting apparatus300in the first aspect, wherein each supporting apparatus300is used for extending or contracting one side of the display screen100.

In an example, the display screen100includes a display layer101, a protective layer102(TP DECO) and a flexible metal layer103. The display layer101and the flexible metal layer103are respectively disposed at opposite sides of the protective layer102, and the flexible metal layer103is distributed in a to-be-supported area of the protective layer102, wherein the to-be-supported area is an area where the protective layer102is in contact with the overturning curved surface3043in the extension/contraction process of the adjustable rod3022.

The protective layer102may be attached to the display layer101by an adhesive. The flexible metal layer103may be a flexible steel sheet, and the flexible metal layer103may be injection-molded on the protective layer102by adopting an in-mold injection. The flexible metal layer103is disposed in the to-be-supported area, so that rigid support may be provided for the display layer101and the protective layer102when the display screen100is in the extension state, and problems of sinking or the like may be avoided. Further, the state stability of the display screen100is improved, and cost waste and weight increment caused by disposing the flexible metal layer103on the overall protective layer102are avoided.

According to a third aspect of an example of the present disclosure, a terminal device is provided, including the screen assembly in the second aspect.

The terminal device may include a terminal device main body400, a rear cover200and a screen assembly. When the screen assembly is in a contraction state, a to-be-supported area of the screen assembly overturns to a rear of the terminal device, and a tail end of the screen assembly abuts against the rear cover200at the rear of the terminal device to close the rear of the terminal device. When the screen assembly is in an extension state, the tail end of the screen assembly extends to the position of an overturning curved surface3043, and a support frame extends to an extreme position, so that a magnetic module301and a part of the adjustable rod3022are exposed.

The terminal device may be a device such as a smart phone, a tablet personal computer, a desktop/laptop/handheld computer, a notebook computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a netbook, a cell phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and an augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) device, etc. The specific form of the terminal device is not intended to be limited in the examples of the present disclosure.

Those skilled in the art will readily conceive other implementation solutions after considering the specification and putting the present disclosure disclosed herein into practice. The present disclosure aims at covering any variations, purposes or adaptive changes of the present disclosure, and these variations, purposes or adaptive changes conform to a general principle of the present disclosure and include common general knowledge or conventional technical means in the undisclosed technical field of the present disclosure.