Electronic device

Disclosed is an electronic device. The electronic device includes a housing provided with an opening, a functional device movably mounted on the housing, and a driving mechanism and a transmission mechanism mounted in the housing. The driving mechanism includes a piezoelectric device that vibrates when being energized. The transmission mechanism includes a cam disposed at an inner side of the functional device and including a wheel body mounted on the piezoelectric device and a protruding portion disposed at a wheel rim of the wheel body. The piezoelectric device drives the cam to rotate between a first location and a second location. When the cam is at the first location, the functional device is located in the housing. When the cam is at the second location, the protruding portion drives at least part of the functional device to extend out of the housing from the opening.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to the technical field of communication devices, and in particular, to an electronic device.

BACKGROUND

Technological innovations enable the types of the electronic devices to be gradually increased, and the development process of a wearable smart device represented by a smart watch is extremely fast. An acoustic device is disposed on the smart watch, so that the smart watch has a call function, and some smart watches are further equipped with cameras, so that the smart watches have a video call function. In the current smart watch, a functional device, such as the camera, is generally fixed beside a display screen, however, this arrangement causes that a screen-to-body ratio of the smart watch is relatively small, and if the smart watch collides, it extremely causes damage to the functional device.

SUMMARY

An electronic device is provided, which includes:a housing, provided with an opening;a functional device, movably mounted on the housing;a driving mechanism, mounted in the housing and including a piezoelectric device, where the piezoelectric device vibrates when being energized; anda transmission mechanism, including a cam, where the cam is disposed at an inner side of the functional device, the cam includes a wheel body and a protruding portion, the protruding portion is disposed at a wheel rim of the wheel body, the wheel body is mounted on the piezoelectric device, and the piezoelectric device drives the cam to rotate between a first location and a second location; andin a case that the cam is at the first location, the functional device is located in the housing, and in a case that the cam is at the second location, the protruding portion drives at least part of the functional device to extend out of the housing from the opening.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To describe the purpose, the technical solutions and the advantages of the present application more clearly, the technical solutions of the present application are clearly described below with reference to the specific embodiments and the corresponding accompanying drawings of the present application. Apparently, the described embodiments are merely some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without involving an inventive effort shall fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

The technical solutions disclosed in various embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown inFIG.1toFIG.11, the embodiments of the present application disclose an electronic device which can be a smart phone, a tablet computer, an E-book reader, or a wearable device.

As shown inFIG.1, the electronic device includes a housing100, a functional device200, a driving mechanism300, and a transmission mechanism400. An opening is formed on the housing100; moreover, the functional device200is movably mounted on the housing100; the driving mechanism300is connected to the transmission mechanism400; and the transmission mechanism400cooperates with the functional device200, so that at least part of the functional device200can extend out of the housing100from the opening, and the functional device200retracts into the housing100from the opening. Optionally, the functional device200can include at least one of a camera, a sensor, a receiver, and a light supplementing lamp.

As shown inFIG.1toFIG.3, the driving mechanism300is mounted in the housing100, the driving mechanism300includes a piezoelectric device310, the piezoelectric device310is made of a piezoelectric material, and the piezoelectric device310vibrates when being energized. Optionally, the piezoelectric device310can be of an annular structure. As shown inFIG.10andFIG.11, the piezoelectric device310includes polarized A and B phase regions, the polarization directions of the A phase region and the B phase region are opposite, E is an electric field direction, and F is a polarization direction. The piezoelectric device310can be connected to a power supply700in the electronic device through a wire. In a case that the power supply700applies an electrical signal to the piezoelectric device310, the piezoelectric device310will alternately stretch and retract for deformation, so that the piezoelectric device310can generate traveling waves rotating along an annular circumferential direction, and any point on a surface of the piezoelectric device310can generate ultrasonic vibration according to an elliptical trajectory to rub with the transmission mechanism400, and thus, the transmission mechanism400rotates.

No electromagnetic interference is generated in the working process of the piezoelectric device310, and there is almost no noise during working, so that the user experience is relatively good and there is no need to configure a deceleration mechanism for the driving mechanism300, and thus, the whole structure of the electronic device is more concise. Optionally, the piezoelectric device310can be a piezoelectric ceramic formed of BaTiO3 (barium tatanate), or can also be PZT, i.e., a binary piezoelectric ceramic with the chemical formula of PbPb(Zr11xTix)O3, so that it is ensured that the piezoelectric device310has good comprehensive performance.

Further, as shown inFIG.11, an unpolarized region of λ/4 can be clamped between the A phase region and the B phase region, and the unpolarized region can be used as a sensor for controlling the power supply to feed back a signal, and the other region of a 3λ/4 wavelength between the A phase region and the B phase region can be used as a public region. The voltage and frequency of the piezoelectric device310can be determined according to actual conditions, and are not limited herein.

As shown inFIG.1toFIG.3andFIG.9, the transmission mechanism400includes a cam410; the cam410is disposed at an inner side of the functional device200, and the cam410is mounted on the piezoelectric device310; the piezoelectric device310drives the cam410to rotate between a first location and a second location; and on the basis of the structural features of the cam410, by mounting the cam410at the inner side of the functional device200, in a case that a position of the cam410that is in contact with the functional device200is changed, a distance between the center of rotation of the cam410and the functional device200is also changed.

As shown inFIG.1toFIG.3, the cam410can include a wheel body411and a protruding portion412; the protruding portion412is connected to a wheel rim of the wheel body411; and compared with a condition that the wheel body411is in contact with the functional device200, in a case that the protruding portion412is in contact with the functional device200, a distance between the functional device200and the center of rotation of the cam410can be larger. Therefore, in a case that the protruding portion412of the cam410is in contact with the functional device200, the location of the cam410can be set to be the second location, and in a case that the wheel body411of the cam410is in contact with the functional device200, the location of the cam410can be set to be the first location. In a case that the cam410is at the first location, the functional device200is located in the housing100, and in a case that the cam410is at the second location, the cam410can drive at least part of the functional device200to extend out of the housing100from the opening. It should be noted that in a case that the protruding portion412of the cam410is not in contact with the functional device200, the functional device200can retract into the housing100in a manual push-back manner to be in contact with the wheel body411of the cam410.

The transmission mechanism400of the electronic device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application includes the cam410, the location of the cam410can be changed through the piezoelectric device310, and the mounting and working space occupied by the transmission mechanism400, i.e., the cam410, is relatively small, and thus, the structure is simple and compact, it is convenient to design and easy to manufacture, and the reliability is relatively high. In the process of using the electronic device, in a case that there is no need to use the functional device200, the functional device200can retract into the housing100by making the cam410rotate to the first location, so that the housing100provides a protection function for the functional device200, and prevents the functional device200from being damaged due to a collision. In a case that there is a need to use the functional device200, through the piezoelectric device310, the cam410can rotate to the second location from the first location, and the cam410can drive at least part of the functional device200to extend out of the housing100from the opening of the housing100, so that it is ensured that the functional device200can normally work. Moreover, because the functional device200is mounted in the housing100, but not on a surface of the housing100, the functional device200does not occupy the space, used for mounting the display screen, on the housing100, and thus, the area occupied by the display screen can be expanded and the screen-to-body ratio of the electronic device can be increased.

Further, as shown inFIG.3, the transmission mechanism400can further include a reset portion420; one end of the reset portion420can be connected to the functional device200, and the other end of the reset portion420can be connected to the housing100; an included angle between a stretchable direction of the reset portion420and a movement direction of the functional device200can be β, and 0°≤β<90; in a case that the cam410is at the first location, the reset portion420is in a natural state; and in a case that the cam410is at the second location, the reset portion420is in a compressed state, or in a case that the cam410is at the second location, the reset portion420is in an extended state.

In the process of using the aforementioned structure, in a case that the cam410is at the second location, the reset portion420stores elastic potential energy due to being stretched or compressed, so that once the cam410leaves the second location, the reset portion420has a tend to restore deformation to release the elastic potential energy; and because the stretchable direction of the reset portion420has a component in the movement direction of the functional device200, under the action of the reset portion420, the functional device200can automatically retract into the housing100.

Alternatively, the reset portion420can be a compression spring, and one end of the compression spring can be fixed on the housing100, and the other end of the compression spring can be fixed on the functional device200. In the process that the functional device200moves relative to the housing100, the location of an end portion of the compression spring connected to the housing100is not changed relative to the housing100, but the location of an end portion of the compression spring connected to the functional device200is changed along with the movement of the functional device200relative to the housing100, and therefore, by designing a mounting location of the compression spring, in a case that the cam410rotates to the second location, the compression spring can be in the compressed state or the extended state.

For example, in a case that the end portion of the compression spring connected to the housing100and the end portion of the compression spring connected to the functional device200are arranged along an extension direction of the functional device200, along with the execution of the process that the functional device200extends out of the housing100, the end portion of the compression spring connected to the functional device200moves towards a direction distant from the end portion of the compression spring connected to the housing100, so that the compression spring is stretched, and in a case that the cam410rotates to the second location, the compression spring can be in the extended state. Moreover, in a case that the end portion of the compression spring connected to the housing100and the end portion of the compression spring connected to the functional device200are arranged along a retraction direction of the functional device200, along with the execution of the process that the functional device200extends out of the housing100, the end portion of the compression spring connected to the functional device200moves towards a direction close to the end portion of the compression spring connected to the housing100, so that the compression spring is compressed, and in a case that the cam410rotates to the second location, the compression spring can be in the compressed state.

Alternatively, as shown inFIG.3, the stretchable direction of the compression spring can be parallel to the movement direction of the functional device200, and thus, on one hand, the elastic function of the compression spring can be prevented from having a negative influence on other components, and on the other hand, the automatic retraction speed and thoroughness of the functional device200can further be improved. Optionally, as shown inFIG.3, the compression spring can be mounted between the functional device200and the cam410, and in a case that the cam410rotates to the second location, the compression spring can be in the compressed state, so that the mounting space in the electronic device can be well utilized.

Further, the transmission mechanism400can further include a connection portion440; the functional device200can be connected to one end of the connection portion440, and the other end of the connection portion440can be engaged with the cam410, so that the engagement difficulty between the cam410and the functional device200is reduced through the connection portion440. In detail, in the case that the connection portion440is provided, a distance between the mounting location of the cam410and the opening can be relatively large, so that it is ensured that there is a certain distance between the protruding portion412of the cam410and an edge of the housing100, and in a case that the cam410drives the functional device200to extend out, the protruding portion412of the cam410can be prevented from being in contact with the edge of the housing100.

Alternatively, the connection portion440can be of a rod-shaped connection structure, can be fixedly connected to the functional device200in a bonding manner and the like, or can further fix the functional device200to one end of the connection portion440through a connection member, such as a bolt. The size and shape of the connection portion440can be determined according to actual conditions.

Optionally, the electronic device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can further include a guide rail510; the guide rail510is fixed on the housing100; and by enabling the connection portion440to be in movable engagement with the guide rail510along the movement direction, and enabling the connection portion440to engage with the guide rail510in a limiting manner along a direction perpendicular to the movement direction, the movement direction of the connection portion440can be limited, and it can be prevented that the cam410cannot move in the process of driving the functional device200through the connection portion440because the functional device200is stuck in the opening due to the deflection of the connection portion440.

Alternatively, the guide rail510can be a limiting structure corresponding to the structure of the connection portion440. For example, the connection portion440can be a rectangular rod-shaped structure, and then the guide rail510can be a rectangular cylindrical structure. The connection portion440is disposed in the guide rail510, so that the connection portion440only can move along the movement direction of the functional device200, and the guide rail510can further provide a certain guide function for the connection portion440to a certain extent, and improve the movement stability of the connection portion440and the functional device200. Of course, the guide rail510can further be another type of component. For the consideration of brevity, details are not described again.

In the process of using the electronic device, in a case that the functional device200is supported directly through the cam410, the functional device200keeps the extended state, so that the cam410is frequently subjected to a shear force for a long time, which easily breaks a connection relationship between the cam410and the piezoelectric device310, and the actual location of the cam410is affected by the working state of the piezoelectric device310. If the piezoelectric device310accidentally acts, it may cause that the cam410vibrates or rotates, and thus, the cam cannot provide a stable support effect for the functional device200.

Further, the transmission mechanism can further include a positioning portion450; the positioning portion450can be hingedly connected to the connection portion440; the positioning portion450includes a positioning hook451; and in a case that the cam410is at the second location, the positioning hook451is engaged with the positioning groove110in a limiting manner to limit the functional device200to retract into the housing100from the opening. In the process of using the aforementioned structure, in a case that at least part of the functional device200extends out of the housing100, by enabling the positioning hook451to cooperate with the positioning groove110, it can be ensured that a stable relative fixed relationship can be formed between the functional device200and the housing100, and the service lives of the cam410and the piezoelectric device310can be prolonged to a certain extent.

Alternatively, as shown inFIG.3, the positioning groove110can be formed at a location of the housing100corresponding to the positioning hook451, so that in the process that the cam410drives the connection portion440to move, the positioning hook451is gradually close to the positioning groove110, and in a case that the positioning hook451reaches the location of the positioning groove110, the positioning hook451can stretch into the positioning groove110, and even though after the cam410is detached from the second location, the functional device200can also fail to automatically retract into the housing100, so that it is ensured that the functional device200can be stable in the state of extending out of the housing100.

Correspondingly, in a case that there is a need to enable the functional device200to retract into the housing100, on one hand, it is needed to ensure that the cam410rotates to the first location, and on the other hand, it is needed to enable the positioning hook451to be detached from the positioning groove110, so that a limiting engagement relationship between the positioning hook451and the positioning groove110is broken. Optionally, through a corresponding connection structure, the positioning hook451can be detached from the positioning groove110in a manual operation manner, such as pulling the positioning hook451.

Further, in order to enable the positioning hook451to be able to more easily form the limiting engagement relationship with the positioning groove110, optionally, as shown inFIG.3, the transmission mechanism400can further include an elastic portion430; one end of the elastic portion430can be connected to the positioning hook451, and the other end of the elastic portion430can be connected to the housing100; an included angle between a stretchable direction of the elastic portion430and the movement direction of the functional device200is γ, and 0°<γ≤90°; and in a case that the cam410is at the first location, the elastic portion430is in an extended state or a compressed state.

In the process of using the aforementioned structure, in a case that the cam410is at the first location, the elastic portion430stores elastic potential energy due to being stretched or compressed, so that once the cam410leaves the first location, the elastic portion430has a tend to restore deformation to release the elastic potential energy; and because the stretchable direction of the elastic portion430has a component in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the functional device200, no matter whether there are other influence factors, in a case that the positioning hook451moves to the location of the positioning groove110, under the action of the elastic portion430, it can be ensured that the positioning hook451can form a reliable limiting engagement relationship with the positioning groove110.

Optionally, as shown inFIG.3, in a case that the positioning hook451is engaged with the positioning groove110in a limiting manner, the stretchable direction of the elastic portion430can be perpendicular to the movement direction of the functional device200, and this can maximally prevent the occurrence of a phenomenon that the positioning hook451is accidentally detached from the positioning groove110. The elastic portion430can be an extension spring, and the elastic portion430is disposed between the positioning hook451and the positioning groove110, so that the space between the positioning hook451and the positioning groove110is effectively utilized.

In another embodiment of the present application, the positioning portion450can further include a blocking segment452; the blocking segment452is connected to the positioning hook451, and is located at one side of a hinge point of the positioning portion450facing away from the positioning hook451; in the process that the cam410rotates to the first location from the second location, the cam410can be in contact with the blocking segment452; and because the blocking segment452and the positioning hook451are respectively at the opposite two sides of the hinge point of the positioning portion450, the cam410can drive the positioning hook451to be detached from the positioning groove110, so that it is ensured that the functional device200can retract into the housing100. It should be noted that the relationships among the orientation of the positioning hook451, the location of the blocking segment452, and the rotation direction of the cam410can be correspondingly set according to actual requirements.

In order to reduce the design difficulty and control difficulty of the electronic device, the electric field direction cannot be changed in the working process of the electronic device, so that the piezoelectric device310drives the cam410to always rotate along the same direction. As shown inFIG.4toFIG.8, in a case that the cam410clockwise rotates to the second location from the first location, the cam410can drive the functional device200to extend out of the housing100; and as shown in the figures, in a case that the cam410continues to clockwise rotate to the first location from the second location, the functional device200can retract into the housing100.

In a case that the cam410always rotates along the same direction, more specifically, in a case that the cam410clockwise rotates, in order to more clearly describe the mutual relationships among the positioning hook451, the blocking segment452, and the cam410, by taking the electronic device shown inFIG.6as an example, the functional device200is disposed above the cam410, and the positioning hook451can be rightwards disposed, so that in the process that the cam410drives the connection portion440to upwards move, the positioning hook451can form the limiting engagement relationship with the positioning groove110, so as to limit the functional device200from retracting into the housing100. Meanwhile, the blocking segment452can be disposed at the right side of the positioning hook451, i.e., at the downstream of the positioning hook451. In the process that the cam410clockwise rotates, the cam410first cooperates with the positioning hook451, and after the cam410continues to rotate by a certain angle, the blocking segment452can be in contact with the cam410. Because the blocking segment452and the positioning hook451are located at the opposite two sides of the hinge point, in a case that the cam410drives the blocking segment452to rotate, the blocking segment452moves towards an upper right direction and the positioning hook451moves towards a lower left direction and can be detached from the positioning groove110, and then under the action of the reset portion420, the functional device200can automatically retract into the housing100.

Optionally, the cam410can further include a rotating rod413; the rotating rod413is connected to the wheel body411; in the process that the cam410rotates towards the first location from the second location, the rotating rod413is in contact with the blocking segment452to drive the positioning hook451to be detached from the positioning groove110. By additionally providing the rotating rod413and enabling the rotating rod413to engage with the blocking segment452, the functions and roles of the components in the cam410are more single, so that in the process of structure design, the design difficulty of the protruding portion412, the rotating rod413, the blocking segment452and other components is reduced.

Moreover, in order to prevent the protruding portion412from colliding with the blocking segment452during rotation, optionally, the rotating rod413and the protruding portion412can be arranged along the axial direction of the wheel body411, and the blocking segment452is located at one side of the wheel body411where the rotating rod413is located, so that the blocking segment452and the protruding portion412are located at different planes, and it is ensured that the protruding portion412does not collide with the blocking segment452in the process of rotating along with the wheel body411.

In a case that the cam410always rotates along the same direction, in order to enable the response speeds of the functional device200in the extension process and in the retraction process to relatively approach to each other, optionally, a preset included angle can be formed between the protruding portion412and the rotating rod413, so that in the processes that the functional device200extends and retracts, the angles by which the protruding portion412rotates are closer to each other, and thus, it is prevented that the response speed of an extension action or a retraction action of the functional device200is too slow, and the user experience is improved.

Further, as shown inFIG.3, a guide surface412acan be formed on the protruding portion412, and the location of the guide surface412ais associated with the rotation direction of the cam410. Alternatively, in the process that the cam410rotates to the second location from the first location, a surface of the protruding portion412that is in contact with the functional device200is the guide surface412a, and under the action of the guide surface412a, the functional device200can more easily move onto the protruding portion412of the cam410from the wheel body411of the cam410, and the movement process of the functional device200can be smoother and more stable. Alternatively, as shown inFIG.3, a guide portion can be an inclined plane, or the guide surface412acan also a smooth curved surface. Of course, in a case that the functional device200is connected to one end of the connection portion440, in the process that the cam410rotates to the second location from the first location, the end portion of the functional device200facing away from the connection portion440is in contact with the guide surface412aof the protruding portion412.

In order to further ensure that the cam410can more reliably drive the functional device200to move, optionally, the transmission mechanism can further include a pulley460. The pulley460is fixed to one end of the functional device200facing the cam410, and the pulley460is movably connected to the housing100along the movement direction of the functional device200. In the process that the cam410rotates, the cam410can engage with the pulley460in a rolling manner, and this can reduce the rotation resistance of the cam410. Moreover, in a case that the protruding portion412of the cam410rotates to a location where the pulley460is located, the pulley460can further provide a certain guide function for the rotation of the protruding portion412, and thus, it is easier for the protruding portion412of the cam410to rotate between the pulley460and the wheel body411, so as to drive the pulley460to move towards a direction facing away from the wheel body411to drive the functional device200to extend out of the housing100.

Alternatively, the axle of the pulley460can be movably connected to the housing100, and the functional device200can be connected to the axle of the pulley460. Optionally, the functional device200can be connected to the axle of the pulley460through the connection portion440. In addition, as shown inFIG.2, the reset portion420can be sleeved on the connection portion440, so that the connection portion440can further provide a certain guide function for the reset portion420, and prevent the reset portion420from being bent or deformed when being compressed. Optionally, one end of the reset portion420can be fixed on the housing100, and the other end of the reset portion can be fixed on the connection portion440.

Further, the driving mechanism300can further include a wear-resistant layer330. The wear-resistant layer330can be fixed at one side of the cam410facing the piezoelectric device310, so that in the working process of the piezoelectric device310, by enabling the wear-resistant layer330to be in contact with the piezoelectric device310, the service life of the transmission mechanism400can be prolonged, and the cam410can be prevented from being damaged. Optionally, the wear-resistant layer330can be formed of a carbon nano-material, and a thickness of the wear-resistant layer can be determined according to an actual requirement.

Optionally, the driving mechanism300can further include an elastic layer320; the elastic layer320is an elastic structural member, and the elastic layer320can be fixed to one side of the piezoelectric device310facing the cam410in a bonding manner and the like; and the elastic layer320can generate a relatively large amount of deformation in the working process of the piezoelectric device310, and under the action of a larger amount of deformation, it can further be ensured that the cam410can generate a rotation action along a preset direction. Optionally, the elastic layer320can be formed of a metal copper material and be of a sheet-shaped structure, so that it is ensured that the elastic layer320has a relatively large elastic capability and further has relatively high structural strength. In a case that the electronic device is a smart watch, the piezoelectric device310can be disposed parallel to a dial to reduce the whole thickness of the electronic device. In addition, as shown inFIG.1, an operation button800can further be disposed on a watch case, and the operation button800can be disposed at one side of the watch case facing away from the opening. In the process of using the electronic device, a corresponding operation can be performed on the electronic device through the operation button800. For example, a volume adjustment function of the electronic device can be implemented through the operation button800, and correspondingly, the functional device200can also be driven to move through the operation button800.

Optionally, the electronic device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application is the smart watch; the housing100can be the watch case; the smart watch further includes a watch band600; and the watch band600is connected to the watch case. The watch case can be formed of a metal and the like, and can be a square structure, a round structure, or the like. The watch band600can be formed of plastic, a fiber, a corium, or the like; a clamping detachable connection relationship between the watch band600and the watch case can be formed through a spring bar; and the watch band600can be of a segmented structure, and can also be of an integrated structure.

Further, a preset included angle α is formed between the watch band600and the opening of the housing100, and 0°<α≤90°. In this case, the functional device200can be prevented from being hindered by the watch band600as much as possible in the process of extending out of the housing100. Optionally, the preset included angle α between the watch band600and the opening can be equal to 90°, so that the watch band600and the opening are located at different sides of the housing100, and the watch band600can be maximally prevented from hindering the extension and retraction processes of the functional device200.

The descriptions of the aforementioned embodiments of the present application focus on differences between the embodiments. As long as different optimized features between the embodiments are not contradictory, they can be combined to form a more preferred embodiment. Further descriptions are omitted herein for the purpose of brevity.

The foregoing descriptions are only for the embodiments of the present application, but are not intended to limit the present application. Persons skilled in the art can make modifications and variations on the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included within the scopes of protection of the claims of the present application.