Patent Description:
With the continuous progress of screen technology, mass production of foldable flexible screens has been achieved, and flexible display screens that measure <NUM> in thickness are available globally, enriching the form of terminal products from smart wear to smart home, and smartphone terminals. Ultra-thin flexible screens allow diverse designs of products, such as foldable cell phones, ring-shaped cell phones, and special-shaped curved terminal products. Moreover, the arrival of <NUM> facilitates electrical connection of all intelligent products and accelerates data transmission, which enables certain modules of intelligent terminal products to function even when they are separated from the intelligent terminal products, such as camera modules and BOX acoustic modules. Development of battery technology has improved battery capacity, which leads to smaller terminal products and more flexible terminal product design.

With increased demand for flexible screen products, display areas need to be increased or decreased to enhance user experience when the device is used for different purposes, e.g., watching videos or making phone calls. There are currently two main screen expansion structures: foldable screen structures and retractable screen structures.

<CIT> provides a roll-slide mobile terminal in which a front area of a flexible display unit is variable, for solving a problem of an electric field portion narrowing due to a structure for the variation of the front area, the roll-slide mobile terminal comprising: a first frame; a second frame sliding in a first direction with respect to the first frame; the flexible display unit partially fixed to the front surface of the first frame, wound around an end portion of the second frame in the first direction to be provided over the rear surface of the second frame, and having the front area extending or contracting according to movement of the second frame; a first guide rail fixed to the first frame to be parallel to the front area of the flexible display unit and provided in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a first slider moving in the second direction along the first guide rail; and a link rotatably fastened to each of the first slider and the second frame to move the second frame according to movement of the first slider.

<CIT> discloses electronic equipment. The electronic equipment comprises a first shell, a second shell which is connected with the first shell in a sliding manner, a first elastic piece, a flexible display screen, and a rotating shaft, wherein the first end of the first elastic piece is connected with the second shell; the second end of the flexible display screen is connected with the first shell, the first shell can drive the second end of the flexible display screen to move; the rotating shaft is rotatably arranged in the second shell, the flexible display screen is in rolling contact with the rotating shaft; the first shell can drive the flexible display screen to move around the rotating shaft, so that part of the flexible display screen moves from the first side to the second side; or, part of the flexible display screen moves to the first side from the second side, and the first side and the second side are the two sides, opposite to the rotating shaft, of the flexible display screen.

<CIT> discloses terminal device. The terminal device comprises a first shell, a Second shell and a flexible screen; the second shell is movably arranged on the first shell and can stretches out and draws back relative to the first shell; one end of the flexible screen is connected to the first shell; the other end of the flexible screen is wound from the first surface of the second shell to the second surface of the second shell and is connected to the first shell body or the second shell body. In the process of relative movement of the first shell and the second shell, The other end of the flexible screen moves relative to the first shell body or the second shell body, part of the flexible screen located on the second shell body moves between the first surface and the second surface of the second shell body, and the first surface and the second surface are opposite surfaces.

In <CIT>, an electronic device may have a housing with portions that slide relative to each other. A display may be supported on a surface of the housing such as on a front face of the housing. The housing portions may slide between an unexpanded state in which the display has an unexpanded viewable area on the front face and an expanded state in which the display has an expanded viewable area on the front face that is greater than the unexpanded viewable area. The housing portions may have interior regions that contain electrical components. The display may be formed from a flexible display substrate. A portion of a flexible display may be stored in an interior region of the housing when the housing is in the unexpanded state. In the unexpanded state, the flexible display may have one or more bends and may double back on itself one or more times.

In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a slide rail mechanism for a retractable screen structure. The slide rail mechanism includes: a holder assembly including a holder, the holder having a plurality of guide rails extending along a first direction; and a slide rail assembly including a sliding member coupled to a flexible display screen of the retractable screen structure, and an elastic assembly that includes at least one first elastic member having a first end coupled to the holder and a second end coupled to the sliding member, and at least one second elastic member. Each of the plurality of guide rails includes a guide bar, and the at least one second elastic member is fitted over at least one of guide bars. The sliding member includes a plurality of slide slots corresponding to the number of the guide bars, and the slide slots are fitted over the guide bars. The sliding member is arranged on the plurality of guide rails and slidable along the first direction, and the at least one first elastic member, the at least one second elastic member, and the flexible display screen are driven to move together when the sliding member slides along the guide rails.

In some possible embodiments, the slide rail assembly further includes at least one limit block arranged on the holder, and the sliding member includes a limit portion fitting against the limit block.

In some possible embodiments, a plastic member is fitted over the guide bar, and the slide slot is fitted over the plastic member.

In some possible embodiments, the number of the guide rails is an even number, and the guide rails are symmetrically arranged on the holder; the number of the at least one second elastic member corresponds to the number of the guide rails, each second elastic member being fitted over one guide rail.

In some possible embodiments, the at least one first elastic member includes an arc-shaped body portion, a first connection portion coupled to a first end of the arc-shaped body portion, and a second connection portion coupled to a second end of the arc-shaped body portion, the first connection portion being coupled to the holder and the second connection portion being coupled to the sliding member; the second connection portion is driven to move and the first elastic member is deformed when the sliding member slides along the guide rails.

In some possible embodiments, the arc-shaped body portion is C-shaped.

In some possible embodiments, two first elastic members are symmetrically arranged between the holder and the sliding member.

In some possible embodiments, a plurality of second elastic members are arranged, part of the second elastic members being arranged between the two first elastic members and another part of the second elastic members being arranged outside the two first elastic members.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a retractable screen structure. The retractable screen structure includes: the slide rail mechanism according to the above embodiments of the first aspect, a rotation shaft assembly being arranged on a side of the holder away from the slide rail assembly, and an axial direction of the rotation shaft assembly being perpendicular to the first direction; and a flexible display screen having a first end coupled to the sliding member and a second end wound around the rotation shaft assembly.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft assembly includes: a rotation shaft support arranged on the side of the holder away from the slide rail assembly; a rotation shaft passing through the rotation shaft support; and a rotation wheel fitted over the rotation shaft, the second end of the flexible display screen being wound around the rotation wheel.

In some possible embodiments, a plurality of rotation shaft supports are spaced apart along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; especially, a plurality of rotation wheels are arranged, one rotation wheel being assembled between two adjacent rotation shaft supports; and more especially, the plurality of rotation wheels comprise large rotation wheels and small rotation wheels.

In some possible embodiments, the rotation shaft is a D-shaped shaft.

In a third 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 second aspect, arranged within the receiving structure, in which 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 slide rail mechanism, the drive assembly driving the slide rail mechanism to move along the first direction, in which the drive assembly drives the slide rail mechanism to move along the first direction, brings the second housing, the slide rail assembly, the first end of the flexible display screen and the sliding member 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 and brings the slide rail mechanism to move along the first direction.

With the slide rail mechanism according to the present invention, the sliding member moves along the first direction relative to the guide rail and drives the flexible display screen of the retractable screen structure to move together, realizing expansion and retraction of the flexible display screen. The sliding member drives the first elastic member and the second elastic member of the elastic assembly to move together, stretching or squeezing the elastic assembly, generating pretension on the flexible display screen, and making the flexible display screen more flat during expansion, to avoid causing problems such as screen bulging, swelling and distortion when the whole machine slides open.

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 slide rail mechanism, a retractable screen structure, and an electronic device, all of which 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 slide rail mechanism for a retractable screen structure, including: a holder assembly <NUM> and a slide rail assembly <NUM>. The holder assembly <NUM> includes a holder <NUM>, and the holder <NUM> includes a plurality of guide rails <NUM> extending along a first direction X (a vertical direction shown in <FIG>). The slide rail assembly <NUM> includes a sliding member <NUM> coupled to the flexible display screen <NUM> of the retractable screen structure, and an elastic assembly <NUM>. The elastic assembly <NUM> includes at least one first elastic member <NUM> and at least one second elastic member <NUM>; a first end <NUM> of the first elastic member <NUM> is coupled to the holder <NUM>, and a second end <NUM> of the first elastic member <NUM> is coupled to the sliding member <NUM>; the second elastic member <NUM> is fitted over at least one guide rail <NUM>. The sliding member <NUM> is arranged on the plurality of guide rails <NUM> and slidable along the first direction X. When the sliding member <NUM> slides along the guide rails <NUM>, the first elastic member <NUM>, the second elastic member <NUM>, and the flexible display screen <NUM> are driven to move together, and the elastic assembly <NUM> is stretched or compressed under the action of the sliding member <NUM> and thus is deformed, generating pre-tension on the flexible display screen <NUM>. It can be understood that the sliding member <NUM> slides along the guide rails <NUM> in a direction denoted by an arrow in <FIG> relative to the holder <NUM>, squeezing the first elastic member <NUM> and the second elastic member <NUM> of the elastic assembly <NUM>, so that the elastic assembly <NUM> generates reversed tension on the flexible display screen and the flexible display screen keeps a flat state when expanding.

Through the above arrangement, with the slide rail mechanism of the present invention, the sliding member <NUM> moves along the guide rails <NUM> in the first direction X relative to the holder <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 first elastic member <NUM> and the second elastic member <NUM> of the elastic assembly <NUM> to move together, stretching or squeezing 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.

Referring to <FIG>, the guide rail <NUM> includes a guide bar <NUM> extending along the first direction X, and the second elastic member <NUM> is fitted over the guide bar <NUM>. The sliding member <NUM> includes a plurality of slide slots <NUM> corresponding to the number of the guide bars <NUM>. The sliding member <NUM> is slidably arranged on the guide rails <NUM> through the slide slots <NUM>, and when the sliding member <NUM> slides along the guide rails <NUM>, the second elastic members <NUM> fitted over the guide bars <NUM> are driven to move and deform. It can be understood that due to the fit and cooperation between the slide slots <NUM> and the guide bars <NUM>, a sliding direction of the sliding member <NUM> is limited to an extension direction of the guide rail <NUM>, i.e., sliding along the first direction X, which can prevent the sliding member <NUM> from coming out of the guide rail <NUM>. Optionally, the number of the guide rails <NUM> is an even number, and the guide rails are symmetrically arranged on the holder <NUM>. The number of the second elastic members <NUM> corresponds to the number of the guide rails <NUM>, each second elastic member <NUM> being fitted over one guide rail <NUM>. In some embodiments, there are six groups of guide rails <NUM> symmetrically arranged on the holder <NUM>, making the sliding member <NUM> more stable when sliding. In other examples, the number of the guide rails <NUM> may vary without limiting 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 slide rail assembly <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 holder <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 holder <NUM>, and the start position of the sliding member <NUM> is located at the upper end of the holder <NUM>, in which state the elastic assembly <NUM> is preloaded and exerts elastic pre-tension on the sliding member <NUM> to keep the sliding member <NUM> in the start position.

In some possible embodiments, a plastic member <NUM> is fitted over the guide bar <NUM>, and the slide slot <NUM> is fitted over the plastic member <NUM>. The plastic member <NUM> reduces friction between the slide slot <NUM> and the guide rail <NUM>, reducing wear to ensure smooth sliding. In some embodiments, the plastic member <NUM> may employ POM (polyoxymethylene resin) plastic that is a self-lubricating plastic. The slide slot <NUM> of the sliding member <NUM> and the plastic member <NUM> can be combined together as a single part by a co-molding process (insert-molding), to ensure that the sliding member <NUM> can only slide along the extension direction of the guide rail <NUM>, i.e., the first direction X, to prevent the sliding member from falling off and improve structural stability.

In some possible embodiments, the first elastic member <NUM> includes an arc-shaped body portion <NUM>, a first connection portion <NUM> coupled to a first end of the arc-shaped body portion <NUM>, and a second connection portion <NUM> coupled to a second end of the arc-shaped body portion <NUM>. The first connection portion <NUM> is coupled to the holder <NUM> and the second connection portion <NUM> is coupled to the sliding member <NUM>. When the sliding member <NUM> slides along the guide rail <NUM>, the second connection portion <NUM> is driven to move, deforming the first elastic member <NUM> and generating a reverse elastic force on the sliding member <NUM> and the flexible display screen, so that the flexible display screen remains flat when expanding. Optionally, the first elastic member <NUM> and the second elastic member <NUM> may be springs, tension springs and other springs made of metal materials, and exert pre-tension when assembled to keep the sliding member <NUM> in the start position. When the sliding member <NUM> slides along the guide rail <NUM> relative to the holder <NUM>, the second connection portion <NUM> of the first elastic member <NUM> and the second elastic member <NUM> are driven to move, and the first elastic member <NUM> and the second elastic member <NUM> are deformed to generate the reverse elastic force on the sliding member <NUM>. In some embodiments, the arc-shaped body portion <NUM> is C-shaped, and it can be understood that the first elastic member <NUM> may be a C-shaped spring. There are two first elastic members <NUM> symmetrically arranged between the holder <NUM> and the sliding member <NUM>. There are a plurality of second elastic members <NUM>, part of the second elastic members <NUM> being arranged between the two first elastic members <NUM> and another part of the second elastic members <NUM> being arranged outside the two first elastic members <NUM>. By using the two kinds of elastic members in combination and spacing them apart, the overall elastic force of the elastic assembly <NUM> can be enhanced to provide a greater elastic force for the flexible display screen, thereby allowing the flexible display screen to have a longer expansion stroke. It is also possible to keep the elastic force substantially constant, and the tension on the flexible display screen is more stable.

The holder <NUM> may include a guide slot arranged along the first direction X and used for assembling the guide rail <NUM>. During assembling, the second connection portion <NUM> of the first elastic member <NUM> and the sliding member <NUM> are first riveted together; the guide bar <NUM> of the guide rail <NUM> is inserted along a lower side surface of the holder <NUM> and into the guide slot; the slide slot <NUM> of the sliding member <NUM> and the second elastic member <NUM> are fitted over the guide bar <NUM> of the guide rail <NUM>; a tail end of the guide bar <NUM> is firmly fixed to the holder <NUM> by spot welding after the guide bar <NUM> is completely mounted into the holder <NUM>; the first connection portion <NUM> of the first elastic member <NUM> is fixed to the holder <NUM> by riveting. In such a way, the slide rail assembly <NUM> and the holder <NUM> are assembled together.

In some possible implementations, the holder <NUM> may be a stamped metal plate or adopt a hollowed-out design for weight reduction according to a space layout of the whole machine, which facilitates adjustment for locations with great influence on strength, increases space for a better utilization rate, and makes the whole machine thin and light. The flexible display screen <NUM> is fixed to the sliding member <NUM> of the slide rail assembly <NUM>. The sliding member <NUM> may be made of a 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 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 holder <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. The guide bar <NUM> may be a cylindrical bar made of metal materials.

Referring to <FIG> again, 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. A 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>.

Through the above arrangement, the sliding member <NUM> moves along the first direction X relative to the holder <NUM> and can drive the flexible display screen <NUM> to move together, to realize the expansion and retraction of the flexible display screen <NUM>. The sliding member <NUM> drives the elastic assembly <NUM> to move together and stretches the elastic assembly <NUM>, which can produce pre-tension on the flexible display screen <NUM> and make the flexible display screen <NUM> more flat during expansion, to avoid causing problems such as screen bulging, swelling and distortion when the whole machine slides open.

In some possible implementations, the rotation shaft assembly <NUM> includes a rotation shaft support <NUM>, a rotation shaft <NUM> and a rotation wheel <NUM>. The rotation shaft support <NUM> is arranged on the side of the holder <NUM> away from the slide rail assembly <NUM>. The rotation shaft <NUM> passes through the rotation shaft support <NUM>. The rotation wheel <NUM> is fitted over the rotation shaft <NUM>, and the second end of the flexible display screen <NUM> is wound around the rotation wheel <NUM>. When the flexible display screen <NUM> moves along with the slide rail assembly <NUM>, the rotation wheel <NUM> passively rotates, making the expansion and retraction of the flexible display screen <NUM> more smooth.

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. There may be a plurality of rotation shaft supports <NUM> spaced apart from one another along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction X. There may be a plurality of rotation wheels <NUM>, one rotation wheel being assembled between two adjacent rotation shaft supports <NUM>. Depending on a space between two adjacent rotation shaft supports <NUM>, there may be large and small rotation wheels assembled in suitable positions. The rotation 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 bearings, and the rotation wheel <NUM> is fitted over the rotation shaft <NUM> and can passively rotate around the rotation shaft <NUM> via the bearings after being assembled. The rotation shaft <NUM> may adopt a D-shaped shaft, and the D-shaped cross section mainly serves to fix a bearing inner ring to prevent the bearing inner ring from rotating with the rotation shaft. The rotation shaft <NUM> may be made of stainless steel and passes through the plurality of rotation shaft supports <NUM>. The rotation shaft <NUM> includes screw threads <NUM> on both ends and can be fixed to a middle frame of the electronic device by a fastener such as a screw <NUM>, to realize fixation of the rotation shaft. The screw <NUM> may be made of metal. The screw may include a child-mother screw with a screw rod on one end, passing through a screw washer to be fastened to the rotation shaft to lock the screw washer and the rotation shaft tightly. The bearing, which may be made of stainless steel or ceramic, is assembled on the rotation wheel <NUM>, and each rotation wheel <NUM> is assembled with one bearing <NUM> and a bearing spacer, separately on both ends of the rotation wheel. The bearing spacer may be made of metal materials. When the rotation 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 <NUM> passes through an inner hole of the bearing spacer. When both ends of the rotation shaft <NUM> are locked by the screw <NUM>, the screw washer serves to fix the bearing inner ring relative to the rotation shaft <NUM> and prevent the bearing inner ring from rotating along with a bearing outer ring, and has a function of grounding the bearing to the holder.

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 <NUM> 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 <NUM> due to the preload of two kinds of elastic members of the elastic assembly <NUM> 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 holder <NUM> to the other end of the holder 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 <NUM> 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, 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 more flat, 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 holder <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 <NUM>. In this process, the holder <NUM> and the fixed seat are driven by the drive assembly <NUM> to move in the reverse direction, the flexible display screen <NUM> and the sliding member <NUM> are gradually retracted under the elastic force of the elastic assembly <NUM>, and the sliding member <NUM> returns to the start position under the elastic force of the elastic assembly <NUM>, thus restoring the flexible display screen <NUM> 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 the 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 invention. 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 slide rail mechanism for a retractable screen structure, comprising:
a holder assembly (<NUM>), the holder assembly (<NUM>) comprising a holder (<NUM>), the holder (<NUM>) having a plurality of guide rails (<NUM>) extending along a first direction (X); and
a slide rail assembly (<NUM>), the slide rail assembly (<NUM>) comprising:
a sliding member (<NUM>) coupled to a flexible display screen (<NUM>) of the retractable screen structure; and
an elastic assembly (<NUM>), the elastic assembly (<NUM>) comprising: at least one first elastic member (<NUM>) and at least one second elastic member (<NUM>), the at least one first elastic member (<NUM>) having a first end (<NUM>) coupled to the holder (<NUM>) and a second end (<NUM>) coupled to the sliding member (<NUM>),
characterized in that:
each of the plurality of guide rails (<NUM>) comprises a guide bar (<NUM>), and the at least one second elastic member (<NUM>) is fitted over at least one of guide bars (<NUM>); and
the sliding member (<NUM>) comprises a plurality of slide slots (<NUM>) corresponding to the number of the guide bars (<NUM>), and the slide slots (<NUM>) are fitted over the guide bars (<NUM>),
wherein the sliding member (<NUM>) is arranged on the plurality of guide rails (<NUM>) and slidable along the first direction (X), and the at least one first elastic member (<NUM>), the at least one second elastic member (<NUM>), and the flexible display screen (<NUM>) are configured to be driven to move together when the sliding member (<NUM>) slides along the guide rails (<NUM>).