Flexible screen module and electronic device having the module

A flexible screen module comprises a rotating shaft, a flexible screen and a connector. The rotating shaft has an external wall and a passage extending through the rotating shaft in an axial direction thereof, and one end of the flexible screen is fixed on the external wall and is rollable around the rotating shaft. The connector comprises a body, a first connecting part which is on one end of the body and electrically connected to the flexible screen, and a second connecting part on another end of the body, wherein the body at least partially passes through the passage, and the first and the second connecting parts are located outside two sides in the axial direction of the rotating shaft.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a flexible screen, and particularly to a flexible screen module and an electronic device having the module.

BACKGROUND

In order to control a displayed image, all screen modules need to be provided with an interface connected with a control circuit. An existing mainstream screen module comprises LCD module and OLED module. A structure included in both types of display modules is a thin film transistor, i.e. TFT, provided on a rigid glass substrate. The above interface is just connected to the TFT through one driving circuit to realize control thereto, and further to control display of the display modules. When the above screen module is mounted to an electronic device, it just needs to connect this interface to a corresponding control circuit.

Recently, appearance of flexible OLED screen makes it possible for the form of the screen module to have many variation modes, rather than merely a conventional plane. One is winding the screen like a drape to flexibly change the size of the screen, while this involves how to design the above interface so as to be adapted to collection or winding of the flexible screen. An existing practice is to design the interface into a structure of an electric brush and a commutator similar to a motor, and this “electric brush” is used to be connected to the above control circuit. However, such structure has relatively low reliability and durability.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a flexible screen module having a structure with relatively high reliability and durability and being adaptable to collection or winding of a flexible screen and an electronic device having the module.

A flexible screen module comprises one rotating shaft, one flexible screen, and one connector. The rotating shaft has an external wall and a passage penetrating through the rotating shaft in an axial direction thereof. The flexible screen has one end fixed to the external wall and is able to be wound around the rotating shaft. The connector comprises a body (in other words, main body), a first connecting part which is on one end of the body and electrically connected to the flexible screen, and a second connecting part on the other end of the body, wherein the body at least partially passes through the passage and the first and second connecting parts are located outside two sides in the axial direction of the rotating shaft.

An electronic device has the above flexible screen module.

In the present disclosure, the body of the connector only deforms but is not worn during the rotation process of the rotating shaft, such that it is not easy to break, thus improving the usage life of the flexible screen module. The present disclosure further provides an electronic device having the flexible screen module.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

In order to make objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more clear, in the following, the present disclosure is further described in detail in conjunction with a plurality of embodiments and figures. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely for illustrating the present disclosure rather than limiting the present disclosure.

In conjunction withFIG. 1, it is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device having a flexible display module provided in a first embodiment of the present disclosure. An electronic device10comprises one casing12, a circuit board14and a flexible screen module20, the circuit board14and the flexible screen module20being fixed and housed in the casing12. A flexible screen of the flexible screen module20can be rolled and also can be unfolded, and when being unfolded, it can be extended to the outside of the casing12through a through hole provided on the casing12for users to view.

Specifically, the flexible screen module20comprises one rotating shaft22, two bearings23, one flexible screen24, one first connecting element26, one first adapting part28, a plurality of wires30, one second adapting part32and one second connecting element34. The rotating shaft22has an external wall22aand a passage22bpenetrating (in other words, extending) through the rotating shaft in an axial direction thereof. In the present embodiment, the rotating shaft22is a hollow cylindrical pipe. The flexible screen24substantially has a rectangular shape, and has one end fixed to the external wall22aof the rotating shaft, for example, fixed to the external wall22athrough an adhesive. Thus, when the rotating shaft22rotates, the flexible screen24can be wound around the rotating shaft22or unfolded from the rotating shaft22to be extended to the outside of the casing12. Two bearings23are fixed to the rotating shaft22and located at both sides of the flexible screen24. Each bearing23has an outer ring, an inner ring, and a roller or a ball sandwiched therebetween, while these structures are common technologies and will not be described in detail herein. The outer ring of each bearing23is fixed to the casing12.

Preferably, still in conjunction withFIG. 2, a controller21for driving the flexible screen24is provided at one end of the flexible screen24fixed to the rotating shaft22and facing towards the rotating shaft22, one receiving hole23is provided on the rotating shaft22, and the controller21is housed in the receiving hole23so that a surface of the flexible screen24opposite to the rotating shaft22will not become unsmooth due to the presence of the controller21. In the figure, it is illustrated that the receiving hole23is provided on the outer wall22awithout penetrating through the external wall, however, it can be understood that in other embodiments, the receiving hole23also can penetrate through the outer wall22a, and the controller21also can enter the passage.

A driving control signal driving the flexible screen24enters the flexible screen through the first connecting element26. In the present embodiment, the first connecting element26is a flexible circuit board, substantially in a U shape, and has one end electrically connected to the flexible screen24and the other end extended to one axial end of the rotating shaft22. In conjunction withFIG. 2, the first adapting part28is housed in the passage22bof the rotating shaft, and it includes one insulating body28a, one first interface28band a plurality of leads28cprovided on the body28a. The body28ais preferably tightly fitted in the passage22b, and of course also can be loosely fitted. The first interface28bis matched with one end of the first connecting element26close to the rotating shaft22so as to be connected therewith. The leads28care electrically connected to the first interface28band extend to the outside of the body28aso that intervals between ends of respective leads28care large, and each end is electrically connected to one corresponding wire30. Four wires are illustrated in the present embodiment, while it should be understood that the number of the wires30can be set as practically required.

A connecting manner of the wires30with the second adapting part32, and structures and connecting manner of the second adapting part32and the second connecting element34are substantially the same as that described about the first connecting element26and the first adapting part28in the above, and the difference lies in that the second adapting part32is extended to the outside of the passage22band fixed to the outer ring of the bearing23. The second connecting element34is further connected to the circuit board14. The wires30are loosely housed in the passage22b, i.e. the length of each wire30is larger than the distance between the first connecting part28and the second adapting part32, and are separated from an internal wall of the rotating shaft22with a certain gap so as to allow the wires30to be enwound with each other inside the passage22b. Thus, the driving control signal sent by the circuit board14for driving the flexible screen24is transferred to the flexible screen24through the second connecting element34, the second adapting part32, the wire30, the first adapting part28and the first connecting element26in sequence.

During operation, when the flexible screen24is unfolded and extended to the outside of the casing12, the respective wires30are not enwound with each other, as illustrated inFIG. 1. When the rotating shaft22rotates and the flexible screen24is wound around the rotating shaft22, the first adapting part28rotates along with the rotating shaft22, while the second adapting part32does not rotate along. Thus, as being driven by the first adapting part28, respective wires30will be enwound with each other to be twisted together. If the length of the wires30twisted together is not less than the interval between the two adapting parts, the first adapting part28can be tightly fitted with the rotating shaft22; otherwise, the first adapting part28should be allowed to be slidable in the axial direction relative to the rotating shaft22, at this time, the first adapting part28preferably cannot rotate relative to the rotating shaft22, for example, a polygonal anti-rotation structure as illustrated inFIG. 3can be used. Of course, the anti-rotation structure also can be a concave-convex structure and so on provided in the axial direction between the first adapting part28and the rotating shaft22.

When the flexible screen24needs to be unfolded to have a relatively large area, or when the rotating shaft22has a relatively small diameter, or in both cases, in order to reach the required unfolded area, the rotating shaft22needs to rotate more turns. At this time, for the structure described in BACKGROUND, the “electric brush” will be greatly worn so that its aging rate is accelerated, and further the usage life of the flexible screen module20is affected. In the present disclosure, the wires30are used to replace the “electric brush” structure which needs more turns of rotation, the wires30, which are enwound with other wires during the rotation process of the rotating shaft22, merely deform but are not worn, such that they are not easy to break, thus improving the usage lives of the flexible screen module20and the electronic device10.

In other embodiments, the first adapting part28also can be extended to the outside of the passage22band fixed with the rotating shaft22. At this time, the bearing23close to the first adapting part28also can be fixedly provided on the first adapting part28(not illustrated in the figures).

It can be understood that in other embodiments, one end of the wire30away from the first adapting part28can be directly connected to the circuit board14, as illustrated inFIG. 4. At this time, the wire30is extended to the outside of the passage22b, and the second adapting part32in the above embodiment may not need to be provided. In this situation, since interwinding of the wires with each other is still used, it also has the merit of improving the usage life of the flexible screen module20brought by the above embodiments.

It can be understood that in other embodiments, the connector27acts as the flexible circuit board can be directly connected with the circuit board after directly passing through the passage22b, at this time the length of the connector27in the passage22bis larger than the length of the passage22bso as to allow it to be also wound during the process of rotation of the rotating shaft22, so that the first connecting element is not damaged by the winding. Preferably, the connector27is wound into a spiral shape in the passage22b, as illustrated inFIG. 5. Thus, when the rotating shaft22starts to rotate and the connector27starts to be changed from a loose state to a relatively tensioned state, since it is already in the winding state, the connector27will be further wound, which can prevent occurrence of damage to the first connecting element26due to disordered deformation in the passage22b.

It can be seen from the above various embodiments that the connector27inFIG. 5actually also serves the functions of the first connecting element26, the first adapting part28, the wires30, the second adapting part32and the second connecting element34inFIG. 1, and likewise also serves the functions of the first connecting element26, the first adapting part28and the wires30inFIG. 4. Therefore, it can be seen that any technical solution providing the following flexible screen module should fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure: a flexible screen module, comprising one rotating shaft, one flexible screen and one connector, wherein the rotating shaft has an external wall and a passage penetrating through the rotating shaft in an axial direction; one end of the flexible screen is fixed on the external wall and is able to be wound around the rotating shaft; the connector comprises a body, a first connecting part which is on one end of the body and electrically connected to the flexible screen and a second connecting part on the other end of the body, wherein the body at least partially passes through the passage and the first connecting part and the second connecting part are located outside two sides in the axial direction of the rotating shaft.

The above is merely for preferable embodiments of the present disclosure and not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements and so on made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure should fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.