Patent Description:
With the continuous progress of screen technology, mass production of foldable flexible screens has been realized and flexible display screens that measure <NUM> in thickness are available globally, thus enriching the form of terminal products from smart wearables to smart home devices to smart phone terminals. Ultra-thin flexible screens allow diverse designs of future products, such as foldable cell phones, ring-shaped cell phones, and special-shaped curved terminal products. Moreover, the arrival of <NUM> facilitates electrical connection between all intelligent products and accelerates data transmission between products. Further, some modules of intelligent terminal products can still function even if they are separated from the intelligent terminal products, such as camera modules and BOX acoustic modules. Batteries are being developed to achieve higher battery capacity, which also result in terminal products that are smaller in size with more flexible and varied form factors.

With the rise in demand for flexible screen products, display areas need to be increased or decreased to enhance product experience when users deal with different operational tasks, e.g., watching videos and making phone calls. There are currently two main screen expansion structures: foldable screen structures and retractable screen structures.

<CIT> relates to a rolling display arrangement for an electronic device, the rolling display arrangement including a display module, a shaft module, and at least one transmission module, the transmission module being adapted for transferring rotational movement of the shaft module and the transmission module to linear movement of the display module.

<CIT> discloses a mobile terminal including a first frame, a second frame slideably movable from the first frame in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction, a slide frame movable in the first direction or the second direction with respect to the second frame, a flexible display including a first region coupled to the first frame, a second region coupled to the slide frame, and a third region disposed between the first region and the second region, the third region being bent in a manner of surrounding the second frame, and a first magnet positioned on a rear surface of the second frame and configured to provide magnetic force to pull the slide frame or the flexible display.

<CIT> provides electronic equipment, which includes a first shell, a second shell, a first driving device, a second driving device and a balance part, and is characterized in that the first shell is provided with an accommodating space; the second shell can move in the direction close to or away from the first shell relative to the first shell; one end of the flexible screen assembly is connected with the first shell, the other end of the flexible screen assembly is wound at one end, far away from the first shell, of the second shell, and the flexible screen assembly can move along with relative movement of the first shell and the second shell; the first driving device is arranged in the accommodating space; the second driving device is arranged in the accommodating space and is opposite to the first driving device; the balance part is connected with the first driving device and the second driving device and used for restraining the first driving device and the second driving device in the process that the first driving device and the second driving device jointly drive the first shell and the second shell to move relatively.

The present invention provides a retractable screen structure and an electronic device to solve at least some of the problems in the related art.

In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a retractable screen structure. The retractable screen structure includes: a holder assembly including a holder; a rotation shaft assembly including: a rotation shaft support coupled to a side of the holder and having a shaft hole, a rotation shaft passing through the shaft hole, and a rotation wheel fitted over the rotation shaft; and a flexible display screen wound around the rotation wheel, and driving the rotation wheel to rotate when the flexible display screen is expanded or retracted.

The rotation shaft is fixedly coupled to the shaft hole, and the rotation wheel is rotatably coupled to the rotation shaft.

The rotation shaft support includes a plurality of sub-supports spaced apart from each other on the holder, each of the sub-supports has a shaft sub-hole, respective shaft sub-holes of the plurality of sub-supports are arranged coaxially to form the shaft hole, and the rotation shaft passes through a plurality of shaft sub-holes; the rotation wheel includes a plurality of rotation sub-wheels, and one rotation sub-wheel is arranged between two adjacent sub-supports.

The rotation shaft assembly further includes a plurality of first bearings fitted over the rotation shaft, one first bearing being arranged on each of both sides of the rotation sub-wheel; each first bearing includes a bearing inner ring and a bearing outer ring rotatably coupled to the bearing inner ring, the bearing inner ring being coupled to the rotation shaft, and the bearing outer ring being coupled to the rotation sub-wheel.

The rotation shaft assembly further includes a plurality of bearing spacers fitted over the rotation shaft, one bearing spacer being arranged on a side of each first bearing; each bearing spacer has a first end abutting against the bearing inner ring and a second end abutting against an adjacent sub-support.

In some possible embodiments, the bearing spacer exhibits a bowl-like structure, and the bowl-like structure has a bottom end abutting against the bearing inner ring and an opening end abutting against the adjacent sub-support.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft assembly further includes two groups of first fasteners; the rotation shaft has a first end fixedly coupled to the rotation shaft support by one group of first fasteners and a second end fixedly coupled to the rotation shaft support by the other group of first fasteners.

In some possible embodiments, gaskets are arranged between the first fasteners and the rotation shaft support.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft is rotatably coupled to the shaft hole, and the rotation wheel is fixedly coupled to the rotation shaft.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft support includes a plurality of sub-supports spaced apart from each other on the holder, each of the sub-supports has a shaft sub-hole, respective shaft sub-holes of the plurality of sub-supports are arranged coaxially to form the shaft hole, and the rotation shaft passes through a plurality of shaft sub-holes; the rotation wheel includes a plurality of rotation sub-wheels, and one rotation sub-wheel is arranged between two adjacent sub-supports.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft assembly further includes two second bearings fitted over both ends of the rotation shaft, and the ends of the rotation shaft are rotatably coupled to the rotation shaft support by the second bearings; each second bearing includes a bearing inner ring and a bearing outer ring rotatably coupled to the bearing inner ring, the bearing inner ring being coupled to the rotation shaft support and the bearing outer ring being coupled to the rotation shaft.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft assembly further includes two shaft caps; one of the shaft caps abuts against an adjacent inner ring of the rotation shaft from a first end of the shaft hole, and the other of the shaft caps abuts against an adjacent inner ring of the rotation shaft from a second end of the shaft hole.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft assembly further includes a plurality of second fasteners, and the plurality of second fasteners pass through the rotation sub-wheels and are fixedly coupled to the rotation shaft.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide an electronic device. The electronic device includes: a housing including a first housing and a second housing arranged on the first housing and being slidable along a first direction, the first housing and the second housing forming a receiving structure having an opening; the retractable screen structure according to the above embodiments of the first aspect, arranged within the receiving structure, in which an axial direction of the shaft hole is perpendicular to the first direction, the rotation shaft assembly is arranged on a side close to the second housing, and the flexible display screen has a first end close to a bottom of the housing and a second end coupled to the first housing to cover the opening; and a drive assembly arranged within the receiving structure and coupled to the holder, the drive assembly driving the holder to move along the first direction, in which the drive assembly drives the holder to move along the first direction, brings the second housing and the first end of the flexible display screen to move along the first direction relative to the first housing, and allows the flexible display screen to switch between a retracted state and an expanded state.

In some possible embodiments, the drive assembly includes a drive motor, a screw rod coupled to the drive motor, and a nut fitted over the screw rod, the screw rod extending along the first direction and the nut abutting against the holder; the drive motor drives the screw rod to rotate and brings the nut and the holder to move along the first direction.

In some possible embodiments, the electronic device further includes: a slide rail assembly arranged on the holder and being slidable along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft hole, the slide rail assembly being coupled to the first end of the flexible display screen, in which the slide rail assembly is driven to slide along the first direction relative to the holder when the flexible display screen moves along the first direction.

With the retractable screen structure, the flexible display screen is wound around the rotation wheel of the rotation shaft assembly, and the rotation wheel is driven to rotate and acts as a pulley when the flexible display screen is expanded or retracted, which effectively reduces friction and energy loss during the expansion or retraction of the flexible display screen and allows the flexible display screen to expand or retract more smoothly.

It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and explanatory and are not intended to limit the present invention.

The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, show embodiments consistent with the present invention, and together with the specification are used to explain the principles of the present invention.

Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail, with examples thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The implementations set forth in the following description of exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present invention. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present invention as recited in the appended claims.

Terms used herein in the description of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Unless otherwise defined, technical terms or scientific terms used herein shall be understood in the ordinary sense as appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present application belongs. Terms such as "first" and "second" used in the specification and claims are not intended to indicate any sequence, quantity or significance of indicated technical features, and are merely used to distinguish different elements. Likewise, the words "a," "an" and the like used in the specification and claims are not intended to limit the quantity but indicate the presence of at least one element or device referred to by the words. The term "a plurality of" or "several" means two or more than two. Terms such as "front," "rear," "lower" and/or "upper" are merely for the convenience of description and not limited to a position or an orientation, unless indicated otherwise. Terms "comprising" or "containing" mean that the elements or articles before these terms "comprising" or "containing" includes the elements or articles listed after the terms "comprising" or "containing" and do not exclude other elements or articles. The terms "connected" or "coupled" and the like are not limited to physical or mechanical connection, but may include electrical connection, regardless of direct connection or indirect connection.

Terms used in the present application are only used for describing specific embodiments and not intended to limit the present invention. As used in the specification and claims, the terms, "a," "the" and "the" in singular forms, are intended to include plural forms, unless clearly indicated in the context otherwise. It should also be understood that, as used herein, the term "and/or" represents and contains any one and all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

The present invention provides a retractable screen structure and an electronic device. A slide rail mechanism, a retractable screen structure, and an electronic device of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and features in the following embodiments and implementations may be combined with each other in the absence of conflict.

Referring to <FIG>, embodiments of the present invention provide a retractable screen structure including: a holder assembly <NUM>, a rotation shaft assembly <NUM>, a flexible display screen <NUM>, and a slide rail assembly <NUM>. The holder assembly <NUM> includes a holder <NUM>. The slide rail assembly <NUM> includes a fixed seat <NUM>, a sliding member <NUM> coupled to the flexible display screen <NUM> of the retractable screen structure, and an elastic assembly <NUM>. The fixed seat <NUM> is fixedly coupled to the holder <NUM>. The sliding member <NUM> is arranged on the fixed seat <NUM> and is slidable along a first direction X (a vertical direction shown in <FIG>). A first end <NUM> of the elastic assembly <NUM> is coupled to the fixed seat <NUM>, and a second end <NUM> of the elastic assembly <NUM> is coupled to the sliding member <NUM>. When the sliding member <NUM> slides in the first direction relative to the fixed seat <NUM>, the second end of the elastic assembly <NUM> and the flexible display screen <NUM> are driven to move together. The elastic assembly <NUM> is deformed by being stretched or compressed by the sliding member <NUM>, thereby exerting pre-tension on the flexible display screen <NUM>. It can be appreciated that the sliding member <NUM> slides downwards relative to the fixed seat <NUM> in the vertical direction shown in <FIG>, stretching the elastic assembly <NUM> and allowing the elastic assembly <NUM> to generate reversed tension.

Through the above arrangement, with the slide rail mechanism of the present invention, the sliding member <NUM> moves along the first direction X relative to the fixed seat <NUM> and can drive the flexible display screen <NUM> of the retractable screen structure to move together, achieving expansion and retraction of the flexible display screen <NUM>. The sliding member <NUM> drives the elastic assembly <NUM> to move together, stretching the elastic assembly <NUM>, which can produce pre-tension on the flexible display screen <NUM>, and make the expansion of the flexible display screen <NUM> more smooth, to avoid causing problems such as screen bulging, swelling and distortion when the whole machine slides open.

In some possible embodiments, the slide rail assembly <NUM> further includes at least one guide rail <NUM> arranged on the fixed seat <NUM> and extending along the first direction X. The sliding member <NUM> has a slide slot <NUM> corresponding to the guide rail <NUM>, and the sliding member <NUM> is slidably arranged in the guide rail <NUM> by the slide slot <NUM>. In some embodiments, there are four groups of guide rails <NUM> symmetrically arranged on the fixed seat <NUM>, so that the sliding member <NUM> slides more firmly. In other examples, the number of guide rails <NUM> may vary, without limiting in the present invention.

In some possible embodiments, the slide rail assembly <NUM> further includes at least one limit block <NUM> arranged at an end (i.e., an upper end in <FIG>) of the fixed seat <NUM> away from the holder <NUM>, and the sliding member <NUM> includes a limit portion <NUM> that fits against the limit block <NUM>. The limit block <NUM> fits against the limit portion <NUM> of the sliding member <NUM>, which can limit a start position of the sliding member <NUM> and prevent the sliding member <NUM> from coming out of the guide rail <NUM>. In some embodiments, the limit portion <NUM> may be understood as a groove, and there are two limit blocks <NUM> symmetrically arranged on the fixed seat <NUM> and two limit portions <NUM> arranged in correspondence with the limit blocks <NUM>, without limiting the present invention. In an example shown in <FIG>, the limit blocks <NUM> are arranged at the upper end of the fixed seat <NUM>, and the start position of the sliding member <NUM> is located at the upper end of the fixed seat <NUM>, in which state the elastic assembly <NUM> exerts elastic pre-tension on the sliding member <NUM> to keep the sliding member <NUM> in the start position.

Referring to <FIG>, in some possible embodiments, the guide rail <NUM> includes a snap portion <NUM> on at least one side of the guide rail, and the sliding member <NUM> includes a first engagement portion <NUM>, the snap portion <NUM> being snap-fitted to the first engagement portion <NUM>. The sliding member <NUM> can be coupled to the guide rail <NUM> more firmly by the snap-fit between the first engagement portion <NUM> and the snap portion <NUM> of the guide rail <NUM>, and the sliding member <NUM> can slide along the guide rail <NUM> more securely. It can be understood that the snap portion <NUM> may be an inverted hook structure formed by a sheet metal part to prevent the sliding member <NUM> from coming out of the guide rail <NUM>. In some embodiments, both sides of the guide rail <NUM> have the snap portions <NUM>, without limiting the present invention.

Referring to <FIG>, in some possible embodiments, the sliding member <NUM> includes a second engagement portion <NUM> on a side of the sliding member, and the second engagement portion <NUM> is snap-fitted to a side of the fixed seat <NUM>. Through the snap-fit between the second engagement portion <NUM> and the side of the fixed seat <NUM>, the connection between the sliding member <NUM> and the fixed seat <NUM> becomes more stable, preventing the sliding member <NUM> from coming out of the fixed seat <NUM> and improving the stability of the sliding member <NUM> during sliding. Further, the slide rail assembly <NUM> also includes a plastic engagement portion <NUM> covering and snapped on the side of the fixed seat <NUM>, and the second engagement portion <NUM> clamps the plastic engagement portion <NUM>. The plastic engagement portion <NUM> can reduce friction between the second engagement portion <NUM> and the side of the fixed seat <NUM>, and reduce wear to ensure smooth sliding. In some embodiments, the plastic engagement portion <NUM> may employ POM (polyoxymethylene resin) plastic that is a self-lubricating plastic. The sliding member <NUM> and the plastic engagement portion <NUM> can be combined together as a single part by a co-molding process (insert-molding), and a gap between the plastic engagement portion <NUM> and the side of the fixed seat <NUM> is designed to be <NUM>, to ensure that the sliding member <NUM> can only slide along an extension direction of the guide rail <NUM>, i.e., the first direction X, to improve structural stability.

Referring to <FIG>, in some possible implementations, the fixed seat <NUM> includes a step portion <NUM> extending along the first direction X; and the sliding member <NUM> includes an abutting block <NUM> that fits against the step portion <NUM>. Since the abutting block <NUM> fits with the step portion <NUM>, the sliding member <NUM> can be further prevented from coming out of the fixed seat <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in some possible embodiments, the elastic assembly <NUM> includes a first rod member <NUM>, a second rod member <NUM>, and an elastic member <NUM>. The first rod member <NUM> and the second rod member <NUM> are coupled together by insertion and capable of sliding relative to each other. The elastic member <NUM> is coupled between the first rod member <NUM> and the second rod member <NUM>. The first rod member <NUM> is coupled to the fixed seat <NUM> and the second rod member <NUM> is coupled to the sliding member <NUM>. The elastic member <NUM> may be a spring, a tension spring, etc., and exert pre-tension when assembled to keep the sliding member <NUM> in the start position. When the first rod member <NUM> and the second rod member <NUM> are pulled apart, the spring starts to work. When the sliding member <NUM> slides relative to the fixed seat <NUM>, the second rod member <NUM> is driven to slide relative to the first rod member <NUM>, and cooperates with the first rod member <NUM> to stretch or compress the elastic member <NUM>. In such a way, the elastic member <NUM> deforms and generates an elastic force on the sliding member <NUM>.

Further, each of the first rod member <NUM> and the second rod member <NUM> has the slide slot, and the first rod member and the second rod member are coupled together by insertion and are slidable relative to each other. A first end (a lower end in <FIG>) of the first rod member <NUM> is fixed to the fixed seat <NUM> by rivets, and a first end (an upper end in <FIG>) of the second rod member <NUM> is fixed to the sliding member <NUM> by rivets; a second end of the first rod member <NUM> protrudes outwardly to form a first bump <NUM>, and a second end of the second rod member <NUM> protrudes outwardly to form a second bump <NUM>. There are a plurality of groups of elastic members <NUM> evenly distributed between the first bump <NUM> and the second bump <NUM>, to provide sufficient elastic force. When the sliding member <NUM> slides relative to the fixed seat <NUM>, the second rod member <NUM> is driven to slide relative to the first rod member <NUM>, and cooperates with the first rod member <NUM> to stretch the elastic member <NUM>, so that the elastic member <NUM> deforms to produce reversed tension on the sliding member <NUM>, ensuring that the flexible display screen is in a "tensioned" state.

In some possible embodiments, there are a plurality of the elastic assemblies <NUM>, including a first elastic assembly 23A, a second elastic assembly 23B, and a third elastic assembly 23C. The second elastic assembly 23B and the third elastic assembly 23C are arranged symmetrically on both sides of the first elastic assembly 23A. An elastic member <NUM> of the first elastic assembly 23A extends along the first direction X, and elastic members <NUM> of the second elastic assembly 23B and the third elastic assembly 23C are arranged symmetrically along the first direction X and obliquely relative to the first direction X.

Due to the limited space, a single rail can hardly have such a large elastic stroke. With the above arrangement, three groups of elastic assemblies can form a relay to improve the sliding stroke of the elastic assemblies, among which the second elastic assembly 23B and the third elastic assembly 23C have the same design and are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the first elastic assembly 23A; an initial amount of compression of the elastic member of the first elastic assembly 23A may be slightly larger than an initial amount of compression of the elastic member of the second elastic assembly 23B and an initial amount of compression of the elastic member of the third elastic assembly 23C, to increase the sliding stroke. Assuming that a total sliding stroke is designed to be <NUM>, the first elastic assembly 23A can start to work when the sliding member <NUM> has slid by <NUM>.

In some possible implementations, the slide rail assembly <NUM> as a whole may be fixed to the holder <NUM> by riveting. The holder <NUM> may include a connection plate <NUM> at one end of the holder, and the fixed seat <NUM> may be a stamped metal plate fixed to the connection plate <NUM> by a riveting process. The flexible display screen <NUM> is fixed to the sliding member <NUM> of the slide rail assembly <NUM>. The holder <NUM> may be made of aluminum alloy to improve the structural strength. The sliding member <NUM> may be made of SUS stainless steel plate and POM plastic by a co-molding process. The stainless steel plate can act as a main body to provide strength support. The slide slot may be formed by POM plastic injection molding and can slide relative to the fixed seat <NUM> and the guide rail <NUM> to reduce friction. The limit block <NUM> may be made of plastic, and can limit the start position of the sliding member <NUM> and prevent the sliding member <NUM> from coming out of the guide rail <NUM>. The guide rail <NUM> may be formed by a stainless steel stamping process and fixed on the fixed seat <NUM> by spot welding. In cooperation with the slide slot <NUM> on the sliding member <NUM>, an inverted hook structure is formed to prevent the sliding member <NUM> from coming out of the guide rail <NUM> when sliding. An exposed surface of the sliding member <NUM> may act as an adhesive area <NUM>, to which the flexible display screen <NUM> affixes.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, embodiments of the present invention provide a retractable screen structure including the slide rail mechanism and the flexible display screen <NUM> as described in the above embodiments. The rotation shaft assembly <NUM> is arranged on a side of the holder <NUM> away from the slide rail assembly <NUM>, and an axial direction of the rotation shaft assembly <NUM> is perpendicular to the first direction X. The flexible display screen <NUM> has a first end <NUM> coupled to the sliding member <NUM> and a second end <NUM> wound around the rotation shaft assembly <NUM>.

The rotation shaft assembly <NUM> includes a rotation shaft support, a rotation shaft <NUM> and a rotation wheel. The rotation shaft support is coupled to the side of the holder <NUM> away from the slide rail assembly <NUM>, and has a shaft hole, a peripheral direction of the shaft hole being perpendicular to the first direction X. The rotation shaft <NUM> passes through the shaft hole, and the rotation wheel is fitted over the rotation shaft <NUM>. The flexible display screen <NUM> is wound around the rotation wheel and drives the rotation wheel to rotate when the flexible display screen <NUM> is expanded or retracted. It can be understood that the first end <NUM> of the flexible display screen <NUM> is coupled to the sliding member <NUM> of the slide rail assembly <NUM> and the second end <NUM> of the flexible display screen <NUM> is wound around the rotation wheel. In some embodiments, the flexible display screen <NUM> consists of a flexible OLED screen attached to an extremely thin layer of stainless steel mesh, which is highly flexible.

With the above arrangements, the flexible display screen <NUM> is wound around the rotation wheel of the rotation shaft assembly <NUM>, and when the flexible display screen <NUM> is expanded or retracted, the rotation wheel is driven to rotate, that is, the rotation wheel passively rotates. The rotation wheel can act as a pulley, to expand or retract the flexible display screen <NUM> more smoothly, which effectively reduces the friction and energy loss in the process of expanding or retracting the flexible display screen <NUM> and makes the expansion and retraction of the flexible display screen <NUM> more smooth.

The rotation shaft <NUM> is fixedly coupled to the shaft hole and the rotation wheel is rotatably coupled to the rotation shaft <NUM>. It can be understood that the rotation shaft <NUM> is fixedly coupled to the rotation shaft support, the rotation wheel is rotatable relative to the rotation shaft <NUM>, and the rotation shaft does not rotate relative to the rotation shaft support. When the flexible display screen <NUM> is expanded or retracted, only the rotation wheel is driven to rotate.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the rotation shaft support includes a plurality of sub-supports <NUM> spaced apart from each other on the holder <NUM> in a direction perpendicular to the first direction X. Each of the sub-supports <NUM> has a shaft sub-hole, respective shaft sub-holes of the plurality of sub-supports <NUM> are arranged coaxially to form the shaft hole, and the rotation shaft <NUM> passes through a plurality of shaft sub-holes to be fixedly coupled to the plurality of sub-supports <NUM>. The rotation wheel includes a plurality of rotation sub-wheels <NUM>, and one rotation sub-wheel <NUM> is arranged between two adjacent sub-supports <NUM>. It can be understood that the rotation shaft support is configured as the plurality of sub-supports <NUM>, the rotation wheel is configured as the plurality of rotation sub-wheels <NUM>, and the sub-supports <NUM> and the rotation sub-wheels <NUM> are alternately arranged to enhance the strength of the rotation shaft support and the overall structural strength while ensuring the rotational performance of the rotation wheel. It can be understood that each sub-support <NUM> of the rotation shaft support is fixedly coupled to the holder <NUM> or may be integrally formed and processed with the holder <NUM>. It should be noted that the sizes of the sub-supports <NUM> may be different and, for example, there are small and large sub-supports, small sub-supports being arranged on both sides and large sub-supports being arranged in the middle. The sizes of the rotation sub-wheels <NUM> may also be different and, for example, there are small and large rotation wheels, which can be set according to actual needs without limiting the present invention.

The rotation shaft assembly <NUM> further includes a plurality of first bearings <NUM> fitted over the rotation shaft <NUM>, one first bearing <NUM> being arranged on each side of the rotation sub-wheel <NUM>. Each first bearing <NUM> includes a bearing inner ring and a bearing outer ring rotatably coupled to the bearing inner ring, the bearing inner ring being coupled to the rotation shaft <NUM>, and the bearing outer ring being coupled to the rotation sub-wheel <NUM>. It can be understood that the rotation sub-wheel <NUM> rotates relative to the rotation shaft <NUM> via the first bearing <NUM>, and the first bearing <NUM> reduces the frictional loss caused by the rotation of the rotation sub-wheel <NUM>; the bearing inner ring and the rotation shaft <NUM> may be designed in such a way that they fit with each other with no clearance in a radial direction to ensure that the bearing inner ring does not rotate along with the rotation of the rotation sub-wheel <NUM>. The rotation sub-wheel <NUM> and the rotation shaft <NUM> may be designed in such a way that they avoid each other in the radial direction to ensure that the rotation sub-wheel <NUM> and the rotation shaft <NUM> have a clearance between them to achieve rotation.

Referring to <FIG>, in order to prevent the bearing inner ring from rotating with the rotation sub-wheel <NUM>, i.e., to ensure that the bearing inner ring does not rotate relative to the rotation shaft <NUM>, the rotation shaft assembly <NUM> further includes a plurality of bearing spacers <NUM> fitted over the rotation shaft <NUM>, one bearing spacer <NUM> being arranged on a side of each first bearing <NUM>. Each bearing spacer <NUM> has a first end abutting against the bearing inner ring and a second end abutting against an adjacent sub-support <NUM>, so that the bearing inner ring and the adjacent sub-support <NUM> can be tightly pressed against each other to prevent the bearing inner ring from rotating as the rotation sub-wheel <NUM> rotates and to ensure that the bearing inner ring does not rotate relative to the rotation shaft <NUM>. Thus, the rotation of the rotation sub-wheel <NUM> is entirely dependent on the rotation of the bearing outer ring, and the friction loss is low.

Optionally, in some possible embodiments, the bearing spacer <NUM> is made of copper or stainless steel metal and has a bowl-like cross-section and mechanical properties of being slightly compressible in a thickness direction. A bottom end of the bowl-like structure abuts against the bearing inner ring and an opening end of the bowl-like structure abuts against the adjacent sub-support <NUM>, so that the bearing inner ring and the adjacent sub-support <NUM> can be tightly pressed against each other.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft assembly <NUM> further includes two groups of first fasteners <NUM>. The rotation shaft <NUM> has a first end fixedly coupled to the rotation shaft support by one group of first fasteners <NUM> and a second end fixedly coupled to the rotation shaft support by the other group of first fasteners <NUM>. It can be understood that the first fasteners <NUM> pass through outermost sub-supports <NUM> and are fixedly coupled to both ends of the rotation shaft <NUM>, to secure the rotation shaft <NUM> to the rotation shaft support. Optionally, gaskets <NUM> are arranged between the first fasteners <NUM> and the rotation shaft support. The first fasteners <NUM> may employ child-mother screws, and the gaskets <NUM> are arranged between the first fasteners <NUM> and the outermost sub-supports <NUM>, which can make the connection between the rotation shaft <NUM> and the rotation shaft support firmer. Further, the clearance between the sub-support <NUM> and the bearing inner ring may be set to zero or only allow slight interference (depending on the material and the size of the parts), so that under locking force of the child-mother screws at both ends, there is pressure between the bearing spacer <NUM> and the bearing inner ring, and the pressure can ensure that the bearing inner ring does not rotate relative to the rotation shaft <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the rotation sub-wheel <NUM> may be made of engineering plastic POM by injection molding, with a through hole in the middle and slots on both ends to receive the first bearings <NUM>, and the rotation sub-wheel <NUM> is fitted over the rotation shaft <NUM> and can passively rotate around the rotation shaft <NUM> via the first bearings <NUM> after being assembled. The rotation shaft <NUM> may adopt a D-shaped shaft, and the D-shaped cross section mainly serves to fix the bearing inner ring to prevent the bearing inner ring from rotating relative to the rotation shaft. The rotation shaft <NUM> may be made of stainless steel and passes through the plurality of sub-supports <NUM>. The rotation shaft <NUM> includes screw threads <NUM> on both ends to be fastened and coupled to the first fasteners <NUM>, which also facilitates fixation to a middle frame of the electronic device, thereby fixing the rotation shaft. The first fasteners <NUM> may be made of metal, such as child-mother screws, and pass through the gaskets <NUM> to be fastened to the rotation shaft <NUM> to lock the rotation shaft <NUM> to the rotation shaft support. The first bearing <NUM>, which may be made of stainless steel or ceramic, is assembled on the rotation sub-wheel <NUM>, and each rotation wheel <NUM> is assembled with one first bearing <NUM> and the bearing spacer <NUM>, separately on both ends of the rotation sub-wheel. The bearing spacer <NUM> may be made of metal. When the rotation sub-wheels are mounted to the rotation shaft, one bearing spacer is arranged on each of both sides of each rotation wheel, and the rotation shaft passes through an inner hole of the bearing spacer. When both ends of the rotation shaft are locked by the child-mother screws, the bearing spacer serves to fix the bearing inner ring and prevent the bearing inner ring from rotating along with the bearing outer ring, and has a function of grounding the first bearing to the holder.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft <NUM> is rotatably coupled to the shaft hole, and the rotation wheel is fixedly coupled to the rotation shaft <NUM>. It can be understood that the rotation shaft <NUM> is fixedly coupled to the rotation wheel, the rotation wheel is not rotatable relative to the rotation shaft <NUM>, the rotation shaft <NUM> is rotatable relative to the rotation shaft support, and the rotation wheel and the rotation shaft <NUM> are driven to rotate together when the flexible display screen <NUM> is expanded or retracted.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft support includes a plurality of sub-supports <NUM> spaced apart from each other on the holder <NUM> in a direction perpendicular to the first direction X. Each of the sub-supports <NUM> has a shaft sub-hole, respective shaft sub-holes of the plurality of sub-supports <NUM> are arranged coaxially to form the shaft hole, and the rotation shaft <NUM> passes through a plurality of shaft sub-holes to be fixedly coupled to the plurality of sub-supports <NUM>. The rotation wheel includes a plurality of rotation sub-wheels <NUM>, and one rotation sub-wheel <NUM> is arranged between two adjacent sub-supports <NUM>. It can be understood that the rotation shaft support is configured as the plurality of sub-supports <NUM>, the rotation wheel is configured as the plurality of rotation sub-wheels <NUM>, and the sub-supports <NUM> and the rotation sub-wheels <NUM> are alternately arranged to enhance the strength of the rotation shaft support and the overall structural strength while ensuring the rotational performance of the rotation wheel. It can be understood that each sub-support <NUM> of the rotation shaft support is fixedly coupled to the holder <NUM> or may be integrally formed and processed with the holder <NUM>. It should be noted that the sizes of the sub-supports <NUM> may be different and, for example, there are small and large sub-supports, small sub-supports being arranged on both sides and large sub-supports being arranged in the middle. The sizes of the rotation sub-wheels <NUM> may also be different and, for example, there are small and large rotation wheels, which can be set according to actual needs without limiting the present invention.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft assembly <NUM> further includes two second bearings <NUM> fitted over both ends of the rotation shaft <NUM>, and the ends of the rotation shaft <NUM> are rotatably coupled to the rotation shaft support by the second bearings <NUM>. Each second bearing <NUM> includes a bearing inner ring and a bearing outer ring rotatably coupled to the bearing inner ring, the bearing inner ring being coupled to the rotation shaft support and the bearing outer ring being coupled to the rotation shaft <NUM>. It can be understood that the rotation shaft <NUM> rotates relative to the sub-support <NUM> of the rotation shaft support via the second bearing <NUM>, and the second bearing <NUM> reduces the frictional loss caused by the rotation of the rotation shaft <NUM>. The rotation sub-wheel <NUM> and the rotation shaft <NUM> may be designed in such a way that they fit with each other with no clearance in a radial direction to ensure that the rotation sub-wheel <NUM> will not rotate along with the rotation of the rotation shaft <NUM>. The sub-support <NUM> of the rotation shaft support and the rotation shaft <NUM> may be designed in such a way that they avoid each other in the radial direction to ensure that the sub-support <NUM> and the rotation shaft <NUM> have a clearance between them to achieve rotation. In some embodiments, only two second bearings <NUM> are required to achieve rotation of the rotation shaft <NUM> relative to the rotation shaft support, reducing the number of bearings and simplifying the model design.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft assembly <NUM> further includes two shaft caps <NUM>, one of the shaft caps <NUM> abutting against the bearing inner ring of the adjacent second bearing <NUM> from a first end of the shaft hole, and the other of the shaft caps <NUM> abutting against the bearing inner ring of the adjacent second bearing <NUM> from a second end of the shaft hole. The shaft caps <NUM> are tightly pressed against the bearing inner rings, and the rotation shaft <NUM> can be axially limited to avoid its displacement in the axial direction.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft assembly <NUM> further includes a plurality of second fasteners <NUM>, and the second fasteners <NUM> pass through the rotation sub-wheels <NUM> and are fixedly coupled to the rotation shaft <NUM>. It can be understood that one rotation sub-wheel <NUM> may be fixedly coupled to the rotation shaft <NUM> by one second fastener <NUM> or may be fixedly coupled to the rotation shaft <NUM> by a plurality of second fasteners <NUM>, without limiting the present invention.

Referring to <FIG>, embodiments of the present invention provide an electronic device that may be a cell phone, a mobile terminal, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a terminal handheld device with a screen, an in-vehicle display device, and the like. The electronic device includes a housing, the retractable screen structure as described in the above embodiments, and a drive assembly <NUM>.

The housing includes a first housing <NUM> and a second housing <NUM> slidably arranged on the first housing <NUM> along the first direction X. The first housing <NUM> and the second housing <NUM> form a receiving structure <NUM> having an opening. The retractable screen structure is arranged within the receiving structure <NUM>; the rotation shaft assembly <NUM> is arranged on a side close to the second housing <NUM>; the first end <NUM> of the flexible display screen <NUM> is close to a bottom of the housing and the second end <NUM> of the flexible display screen <NUM> is coupled to the first housing <NUM> to cover the opening. The drive assembly <NUM> is arranged within the receiving structure <NUM>, and the drive assembly <NUM> is coupled to the slide rail mechanism to drive the slide rail mechanism to move in the first direction X. Optionally, the first housing <NUM> may include a support plate <NUM>, and the second end of the flexible display screen <NUM> is coupled to the support plate <NUM>, which may provide support and protection for the flexible display screen <NUM>.

The drive assembly <NUM> drives the slide rail mechanism to move along the first direction X, bringing the second housing <NUM>, the slide rail assembly <NUM>, the first end of the flexible display screen <NUM> and the sliding member <NUM> to move along the first direction X relative to the first housing <NUM>, and allowing the flexible display screen <NUM> to switch between a retracted state and an expanded state.

As shown in <FIG>, the sliding member <NUM> in the start position is subjected to a preload force of the elastic assembly due to the preload of the elastic member of the elastic assembly and remains stationary in the start position due to the presence of the limit block <NUM>, in which case the flexible display screen <NUM> is in the retracted state.

The drive assembly <NUM> as a power source is fixed to the middle frame (also known as the housing) of the whole machine, and the electronic device receives a command through a UI and controls the drive assembly <NUM> to drive the slide rail mechanism to move in the first direction X (i.e., moving leftwards in <FIG>), so that the slide rail mechanism as a whole slides out relative to the first housing <NUM> in a direction away from the first housing <NUM>. During this process, the first end of the flexible display screen <NUM> slides together with the sliding member <NUM>, and the rotation wheel of the rotation shaft assembly passively rotates under the force of the flexible display screen <NUM>. Since the second end of the flexible display screen <NUM> is coupled to the first housing <NUM>, an effect of expanding the flexible display screen <NUM> gradually can be achieved as the slide rail mechanism gradually slides out, as shown in <FIG>. During the sliding process of the slide rail mechanism, the sliding member <NUM> can move from one end of the fixed seat <NUM> to the other end of the fixed seat under the pull of the flexible display screen, which can further increase an expanding length of the flexible display screen <NUM>. Moreover, during the sliding process, the elastic assembly is stretched by the sliding member <NUM> and exerts, on the sliding member <NUM>, elastic tension with a reverse direction opposite to a sliding direction, and the flexible display screen <NUM> is always subject to the tension in the reverse direction, which is equivalent to pulling the flexible display screen <NUM> rightwards. As a result, the flexible display screen <NUM> expanded is flatter, and a trajectory of bending the flexible display screen <NUM> conforms to the design intention, to avoid causing problems such as screen bulging, swelling and distortion when the whole machine slides open.

It can be understood that throughout the process, the sliding member <NUM> is pulled by the second end of the flexible display screen <NUM> and can move from one end of the fixed seat <NUM> to the other end thereof. Assuming that the slide rail mechanism slides out for a stroke of S relative to the first housing <NUM> and the sliding member <NUM> slides for a stroke of S, the first end of the flexible display screen <NUM> moves for a distance of <NUM> along with the slide rail mechanism relative to the first housing <NUM>.

When the whole machine receives an external command for retraction, a drive motor <NUM> starts to drive reversely, retracting the slide rail mechanism and the flexible display screen. In this process, the holder and the fixed seat are driven by the drive assembly <NUM> to move in the reverse direction, the flexible display screen and the sliding member are gradually retracted under the elastic force of the elastic assembly, and the sliding member returns to the start position under the elastic force of the elastic assembly, thus restoring the flexible display screen to the retracted state. Therefore, the use of the slide rail mechanism of the present invention can smoothly and effectively ensure that the flexible display screen keeps a bending form throughout the sliding opening and retracting process, and that a power loss caused by the friction generated in the process of sliding opening and retracting the screen is at a low level, and realize practical and easily attainable solutions to guarantee product reliability.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in some possible embodiments, the holder <NUM> includes a transmission member <NUM>. The drive assembly <NUM> includes the drive motor <NUM>, a screw rod <NUM> coupled to the drive motor <NUM>, and a nut <NUM> fitted over the screw rod <NUM>. The screw rod <NUM> extends along the first direction X, and the nut <NUM> abuts against the transmission member <NUM>. The drive motor <NUM> drives the screw rod <NUM> to rotate, bringing the nut <NUM> and the transmission member <NUM> to move along the first direction X, and bringing the slide rail mechanism to move along the first direction X. It should be noted that the drive assembly <NUM> may also adopt a rack-and-pinion structure, a worm-and-gear structure and the like.

Other embodiments of the present invention may be conceivable for those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the technical solutions disclosed herein. The present invention is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptive changes of the present invention. These variations, uses, or adaptive changes follow the general principles of the present invention and include common knowledge or conventional technical means in the technical field that are not disclosed in the present application. The description and the embodiments are regarded as exemplary only, and the true scope of the present invention are indicated by the following claims.

Claim 1:
A retractable screen structure, comprising:
a holder assembly (<NUM>) comprising a holder (<NUM>);
a rotation shaft assembly (<NUM>) comprising:
a rotation shaft support coupled to a side of the holder (<NUM>) and having a shaft hole,
a rotation shaft (<NUM>) passing through the shaft hole,
a rotation wheel fitted over the rotation shaft (<NUM>); and
a flexible display screen (<NUM>) wound around the rotation wheel, and configured to drive the rotation wheel to rotate when the flexible display screen (<NUM>) is expanded or retracted,
wherein:
the rotation shaft (<NUM>) is fixedly coupled to the shaft hole, and the rotation wheel is rotatably coupled to the rotation shaft (<NUM>),
the rotation shaft support comprises a plurality of sub-supports (<NUM>) spaced apart from each other on the holder (<NUM>), and the rotation wheel comprises a plurality of rotation sub-wheels (<NUM>), one rotation sub-wheel (<NUM>) being arranged between two adjacent sub-supports (<NUM>)
the rotation shaft assembly (<NUM>) further comprises a plurality of first bearings (<NUM>) fitted over the rotation shaft (<NUM>), one first bearing (<NUM>) being arranged on each of both sides of the rotation sub-wheel (<NUM>), and each first bearing (<NUM>) comprises a bearing inner ring and a bearing outer ring rotatably coupled to the bearing inner ring, the bearing inner ring being coupled to the rotation shaft (<NUM>), and the bearing outer ring being coupled to the rotation sub-wheel (<NUM>),
characterized in that:
the rotation shaft assembly (<NUM>) further comprises a plurality of bearing spacers (<NUM>) fitted over the rotation shaft (<NUM>), one bearing spacer being arranged on a side of each first bearing (<NUM>); and
each bearing spacer has a first end abutting against a bearing inner ring and a second end abutting against an adjacent sub-support (<NUM>).