Patent Description:
As flexible display technologies become increasingly mature, a foldable terminal product will be undoubtedly a major trend in the future. To be accepted by consumers, a foldable terminal product (for example, an electronic device such as a foldable mobile phone, a foldable tablet, or a foldable computer) needs to satisfy relatively high reliability and relatively good operation experience and ID appearance. A foldable mobile phone is used as an example. Different from a previous flip phone, a foldable mobile phone has a continuously foldable screen. Therefore, to ensure that the foldable screen is not torn or squeezed, a bent hinge part in the middle of appearance of an entire system of the product is greatly deformed. However, a general structure cannot be greatly deformed to such an extent. Therefore, in a foldable terminal product, a special hinge needs to be designed for a bent and deformed part, to satisfy requirements such as operation experience, appearance, and reliability of an entire system of the product. However, a thickness of a used bent hinge part in the prior art after folding is greater than a thickness of an entire system, affecting a folding effect of a terminal. <CIT> discloses electronic device including: a flexible display; a first housing member; a second housing member; a hinge module coupled to the first housing member and the second housing member; and a support body disposed between the flexible display and the first and second housing members, wherein the second housing member is adapted to pivot about the hinge module relative to the first housing member. <CIT> discloses a display device that includes a first support frame including a first slant surface having a slant angle, a second support frame including a second slant surface symmetrical with and having a same structure as the first slant surface, a display panel on the first and second support frames, and a connection member connecting the first and second support frames to be rotatable around a rotational axis defined by the connection member, wherein the first and second slant surfaces are in areas of upper surfaces of the first and second support frames, respectively, and wherein first areas of the first and second support frames have a larger thickness than second are as of the first and second support frames, respectively, the first areas being adjacent to first sides of the first and second slant surfaces, and the second areas being adjacent to second sides of the first and second slant surfaces. <CIT> discloses a hinge that includes abase frame, a mechanically transmitting assembly and two support frames. The base frame defines two guideways disposed opposite to each other in a front-and-rear direction. The mechanically transmitting assembly is mounted on the base frame and partly disposed in the guideways. Each support frame has an arcuate frame body slidably engaging the respective guideway and coupled with the mechanically transmitting assembly, and a support frame body disposed outwardly of the base frame. The support frames are rotatable about a rotating axis relative to the base frame to make synchronous rotation in opposite rotational directions through the mechanically transmitting assembly. The rotating axis is disposed above the base frame.

This application provides a rotating shaft mechanism and a mobile terminal, to improve a folding effect of the mobile terminal.

According to a first aspect, a rotating shaft mechanism is provided, where the rotating shaft mechanism is applied to a foldable mobile terminal and is used as a foldable mechanism of the mobile terminal, the rotating shaft mechanism is fixedly connected to two housings of the mobile terminal, and when the mobile terminal is folded, the two housings rotate around the rotating shaft mechanism to implement folding. When the rotating shaft mechanism is specifically disposed, the rotating shaft mechanism includes a primary shaft component, a swing arm component, and a support component. The primary shaft component is a support piece, and the swing arm component is configured to connect the support component to the primary shaft component. To improve a folding effect of the mobile terminal, the swing arm component is used to change a movement manner of the support component. The swing arm component includes at least one connection rod group and at least one swing arm group. Each connection rod group includes two connection rods that are correspondingly disposed on two sides of the primary shaft component and that are rotatably connected to the primary shaft component. Each swing arm group includes swing arms that are separately disposed on the two sides of the primary shaft component, and the swing arms are configured to fixedly connect to the two housings of the mobile terminal. In addition, each swing arm is rotatably connected to the primary shaft component, and an axis around which each swing arm rotates and an axis around which a corresponding connection rod rotates are different and are both parallel to a length direction of the primary shaft component. Each swing arm is slidably connected to and can rotate relative to at least one connection rod located on the same side. When the swing arm component supports the support component, the support component includes support plates correspondingly disposed on the two sides of the primary shaft component, and each support plate is rotatably connected to a swing arm located on the same side, and is slidably connected to and can rotate relative to a connection rod located on the same side. Alternatively, each support plate is rotatably connected to the primary shaft component, and is slidably connected to and can rotate relative to a swing arm located on the same side. An axis around which the support plate is rotatably connected to the swing arm or rotatably connected to the primary shaft component is parallel to the length direction of the primary shaft component. In addition, to enable the mobile terminal maintain stable folding and unfolding states, a position limiting mechanism is configured to perform locking during specific disposing. The position limiting mechanism is configured to limit relative sliding positions of the swing arm and the connection rod. During using, when the swing arms located on the two sides of the primary shaft component rotate toward each other to a first position, corresponding connection rods or the swing arms drive the two support plates to rotate toward each other to a second position, so that the support plates and the primary shaft component encircle to form folding space that accommodates a flexible display of the mobile terminal. In addition, based on rotation of the connection rod and rotation of the swing arm relative to the primary shaft component, a thickness of the foldable mechanism after folding is approximately equal to a thickness of the two housings that are stacked together, thereby improving a folding effect of the mobile terminal. In addition, the support plates and the primary shaft component encircle to form the space that accommodates the flexible display, thereby improving a bending effect of the flexible display.

When the axes around which the swing arm and the connection rod rotate are specifically disposed, axes around which the two connection rods in each connection rod group rotate are symmetrically disposed on two sides of axes around which the two swing arms in a corresponding swing arm group rotate.

When the connection rod slides relative to the swing arm, a sliding direction of the connection rod is perpendicular to an axis direction of the connection rod. When the swing arms located on the two sides of the primary shaft component rotate toward each other to the first position, the corresponding connection rod slides to a position close to the axis around which the swing arm rotates. When the connection rod and the swing arm rotate relative to each other, the connection rod slides towards an end that is close to sliding connection between the swing arm and the primary shaft component.

When the swing arm is slidably mounted to the primary shaft component, the primary shaft component is provided with a first arc-shaped chute that is in a one-to-one correspondence with each swing arm. Each swing arm is provided with a first arc-shaped arm that is slidably mounted in a corresponding first arc-shaped chute.

When the primary shaft component is specifically disposed, the primary shaft component includes an outer shaft body and an inner shaft body fixedly connected to the outer shaft body. Each first arc-shaped groove includes: a concave arc-shaped groove disposed on the outer shaft body, and an arc-shaped surface disposed on the inner shaft body and covering the arc-shaped groove.

In addition to the foregoing manner, the first arc-shaped chute may be disposed in another manner. For example, the primary shaft component includes a primary outer shaft and a primary inner shaft fixedly connected to the primary outer shaft. The first arc-shaped chute is disposed on the primary inner shaft or the primary outer shaft. In this way, a structure of the first arc-shaped chute is conveniently disposed.

When the swing arms are specifically disposed, the first arc-shaped arms on the two swing arms that are correspondingly provided in each swing arm group are disposed in a staggered manner. Therefore, a length of a sliding connection part between the swing arm and the primary shaft component can be increased, thereby improving structural stability.

When the swing arm and the primary shaft component are specifically disposed, a surface that is of the primary outer shaft and that is away from the primary inner shaft is an arc-shaped surface, and the axis around which the swing arm rotates and an axis around which the arc-shaped surface rotates are a same axis, thereby further improving the folding effect of the mobile terminal.

When the connection rod is specifically disposed, gears are separately disposed at opposite ends of the two connection rods in each connection rod group, and the two gears mesh with each other. The two meshed gears are disposed, so that the connection rods can move synchronously, thereby ensuring synchronization between the two housings when the mobile terminal is folded.

When the gears cooperate with the primary shaft component, a cavity accommodating the two meshed gears is disposed in the primary shaft component. The two gears are located in the cavity, and the two gears are separately rotatably connected to the primary shaft component. Rotatable connection between the two gears and the primary shaft component implements rotatable connection between the connection rod and the primary shaft component.

When the position limiting mechanism is specifically disposed, the position limiting mechanism includes an elastic component that is slidably mounted on the swing arm, and at least two buckle openings that are disposed on the connection rod and that are configured to buckle with the elastic component. The elastic component and the buckle openings are disposed to cooperate, to limit relative positions of the connection rod and the swing arm.

The elastic component includes a sphere and an elastic piece that pushes the sphere to buckle with the buckle opening. The elastic piece pushes the sphere to slide, and the sphere and the buckle opening cooperate, to perform locking.

When the position limiting mechanism specifically cooperates with the swing arm, different structures may be selected based on corresponding quantities of the swing arms and the connection rods. Each swing arm corresponds to at least one connection rod, and at least one elastic component cooperating with the connection rod is disposed on the swing arm. During specific disposing, each connection rod may correspond to one position limiting mechanism, or may correspond to two position limiting mechanisms. This may be specifically determined based on an actual situation.

When the swing arm specifically cooperates with the connection rod, a notch that is in a one-to-one correspondence with the corresponding connection rod is disposed on each swing arm, and the connection rod is at least partially located in the corresponding notch. In this way, a thickness after the connection rod is connected to the swing arm is reduced.

Specifically, when the swing arm is slidably connected to the connection rod, a first chute is disposed on each connection rod, and a pin shaft that is slidably mounted in the first chute is disposed on a corresponding swing arm; or
a first chute is disposed on each swing arm, and a first protrusion that is slidably mounted in the first chute is disposed on the corresponding connection rod.

When the support plates are slidably connected to the swing arm or the connection rod, a second chute is disposed on each support plate; and a pin shaft that is slidably mounted in the second chute is disposed on a corresponding connection rod or swing arm; or
a second chute is disposed on the connection rod or the swing arm, and a second protrusion that is slidably mounted in the second chute is disposed on a corresponding support plate.

When the support plates are rotatably connected to the swing arm, each of the support plates is rotatably connected to a corresponding swing arm by using a first pin shaft; or a second arc-shaped chute is disposed on each support plate, and a second arc-shaped arm that is slidably mounted in the second arc-shaped chute is disposed on the swing arm corresponding to each support plate. The support plate may rotate relative to the swing arm in different manners.

In a specific implementable solution, the primary shaft component has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The first surface is used to support a surface of the flexible display. When the rotating shaft mechanism unfolds to support the flexible display, the first surface is flush to a surface that is on the support plate and that is used to support the flexible display. The first surface is disposed to be flush to the surface that is on the support plate and that supports the flexible display, to improve a supporting effect of the flexible display.

In a specific implementable solution, a flexible covering layer is further included. The flexible covering layer is fixedly connected to a surface that is of the primary shaft component and that is away from the flexible display, and two ends of the flexible covering layer are suspended and are inserted into two housings of the mobile terminal. The flexible covering layer may cover a notch on the primary shaft component, thereby improving an appearance of the mobile terminal.

In a specific implementable solution, a flexible covering layer is further included, and the flexible covering layer is fixedly connected to a surface that is of the primary shaft component and that is away from the flexible display. At least one swing arm is rotatably connected to a swing rod, and each swing rod is slidably connected to the flexible covering layer. Two ends of the flexible covering layer are fastened by using the swing rod.

In a specific implementable solution, the flexible covering layer is an elastic steel plate or an elastic plastic plate.

According to a second aspect, a mobile terminal is provided. The mobile terminal includes the rotating shaft mechanism according to any one of the foregoing descriptions and two housings, where the two housings are arranged on two sides of the primary shaft component, and each housing is fixedly connected to a swing arm located on the same side; and further includes a flexible display fixedly connected to the two housings. During using, when swing arms located on the two sides of the primary shaft component rotate toward each other to a first position, a corresponding connection rod or the swing arm drives the two support plates to rotate toward each other to a second position, and the support plates and the primary shaft component encircle to form folding space that accommodates the flexible display of the mobile terminal. In addition, based on rotation of the connection rod and rotation of the swing arm relative to the primary shaft component, a thickness of a foldable mechanism after folding is approximately equal to a thickness of the two housings that are stacked together, thereby improving a folding effect of the mobile terminal. In addition, the support plate and the primary shaft component encircle to form the space that accommodates the flexible display, thereby improving a bending effect of the flexible display.

In a specific implementable solution, the flexible display is bonded to the support plate. The flexible display is bonded to the support plate, to improve a folding effect of the flexible display.

In a specific implementable solution, a flexible covering layer is inserted into the two housings. The flexible covering layer is disposed to improve the folding effect of the mobile terminal.

To facilitate understanding of a rotating shaft mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application, the following first describes an application scenario of the rotating shaft mechanism. The rotating shaft mechanism is applied to a mobile terminal, and in particular, to a mobile terminal having a foldable screen, such as a mobile phone, a PDA, a notebook computer, or a tablet computer. However, no matter which mobile terminal is used, the mobile terminal includes a structure shown in <FIG>: a left housing <NUM>, a rotating shaft mechanism <NUM>, a right housing <NUM>, and a flexible display <NUM>. Referring to both <FIG>, the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> is rotatably connected to the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM>, the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM> rotate relative to each other by rotating the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM>, and the flexible display <NUM> covers the left housing <NUM>, the right housing <NUM>, and the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> and is connected to the left housing <NUM>, the right housing <NUM>, and the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> (a connection manner may be bonding or the like), to form the structure shown in FIG.

During using, the mobile terminal includes two states: an unfolded state and a folded state. First, <FIG> shows the unfolded state of the mobile terminal. In this case, the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> is unfolded, and the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM> are arranged on two sides of the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> and are unfolded. In this case, the flexible display <NUM> is unfolded. During bending, the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM> rotate relative to each other, and the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> rotates. After folding, a state shown in <FIG> is formed. In this case, the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM> are stacked opposite to each other, and the flexible display <NUM> is bent along with the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM>. To facilitate understanding of the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> provided in this embodiment of this application, the following describes a structure of the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, <FIG> is a schematic structural diagram of the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM>, and <FIG> is a schematic exploded view of the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM>. The rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> provided in this embodiment of this application mainly includes three parts: a primary shaft component <NUM>, a swing arm component, and a support component. The primary shaft component <NUM> is a support piece and performs a function of a rotating shaft. The swing arm component is configured to connect the two housings of the mobile terminal, and the support component is configured to form a structure that supports the flexible display <NUM>. In addition, the swing arm component is further used as a connecting piece to connect the support component to the primary shaft component <NUM>. The following describes this application in detail with reference to the specific accompanying drawings.

Still referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, an overall structure of the primary shaft component <NUM> provided in this embodiment of this application is a semi-cylinder, and a side surface of the primary shaft component <NUM> includes a first surface and a second surface connected to the first surface. The first surface is a plane and is used to support the flexible display <NUM>, and the second surface is an arc-shaped cylinder. For ease of description, a length direction of the primary shaft component <NUM> is defined. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the length direction of the primary shaft component <NUM> refers to a direction of an axis around which the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM> rotate.

When the primary shaft component <NUM> is specifically disposed, the primary shaft component <NUM> may use different structures. As shown in <FIG>, the primary shaft component <NUM> includes two parts: a primary inner shaft <NUM> and a primary outer shaft <NUM>, and the primary inner shaft <NUM> is fixedly connected to the primary outer shaft <NUM>. Referring to both <FIG> and <FIG>, the primary inner shaft <NUM> is fixedly connected to the primary outer shaft <NUM> in a detachable manner by using a screw. Certainly, in addition to the connection manner shown in <FIG>, the primary inner shaft <NUM> may be fastened to the primary outer shaft <NUM> by using a buckle or a rivet. When the primary inner shaft <NUM> and the primary outer shaft <NUM> are specifically disposed, the first surface is a surface of the primary inner shaft <NUM>, and the second surface is a surface of the primary outer shaft <NUM>. Certainly, it should be understood that a split structure used by the primary shaft component <NUM> is only a specific example. The primary shaft component <NUM> provided in this embodiment of this application may alternatively use another structure. In addition, when the primary shaft component <NUM> supports the swing arm component, a structure corresponding to the swing arm component is disposed on the primary shaft component <NUM>. For ease of understanding an internal structure of the primary shaft component <NUM>, the following describes the structure in the primary shaft component <NUM> with reference to the swing arm component.

Referring to both <FIG>, the swing arm component provided in this embodiment of this application includes two main structures: a connection rod group and a swing arm group. The connection rod group is configured to connect the swing arm group to the primary shaft component <NUM>, and the swing arm group is configured to connect the housing. Quantities of connection rod groups and swing arm groups may be determined according to a requirement, for example, one swing arm group and one connection rod group, or two swing arm groups and two connection rod groups, or two swing arm groups and three connection rod groups. The swing arm group and the connection rod group may be in a one-to-one correspondence, or one swing arm group may correspond to a plurality of connection rod groups. This may be determined during specific disposing according to an actual requirement. As shown in <FIG>, two swing arm groups and two connection rod groups are used in the structures shown in <FIG>, and the swing arm group and the connection rod group are in a one-to-one correspondence. However, it should be understood that in the swing arm component provided in this embodiment of this application, one swing arm group may correspond to two connection rod groups or another correspondence is used.

First, the connection rod group is described. In this application, the connection rod groups have a same structure. <FIG> show a connection structure between the two connection rod groups in the swing arm component in <FIG> and the primary shaft component <NUM>. As can be learned from <FIG>, the two connection rod groups are connected to the primary shaft component <NUM> in a same manner. Therefore, one connection rod group is used as an example. As shown in <FIG>, the connection rod group includes two connection rods. For ease of description, the two connection rods are separately named as a left connection rod 14a and a right connection rod 14b. When the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b are disposed, the two connection rods are correspondingly disposed on the two sides of the primary shaft component <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b are arranged on the two sides of the primary shaft component <NUM> in the length direction of the primary shaft component <NUM>, and are rotatably connected to the primary shaft component <NUM>. For ease of describing a rotation relationship between the connection rod group and the primary shaft component <NUM>, an example in which the primary shaft component <NUM> includes the primary outer shaft <NUM> and the primary inner shaft <NUM> is used for description. Still referring to <FIG>, the primary outer shaft <NUM> is an arc-shaped housing, and there is a groove in the arc-shaped housing. When the primary outer shaft <NUM> is fixedly connected to the primary inner shaft <NUM>, the primary inner shaft <NUM> covers the groove and encircles to form a cavity <NUM> shown in <FIG>. The left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b are separately inserted into the cavity <NUM>. In addition, one end of each of the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b that is inserted into the cavity <NUM> is connected to a shaft <NUM>, and the shaft <NUM> is rotatably connected to the primary shaft component <NUM>. During specific connection, grooves whose cross sections are semicircular are separately designed for the primary inner shaft <NUM> and the primary outer shaft <NUM>. After being mounted, the primary inner shaft <NUM> and the primary outer shaft <NUM> form a hole whose cross section is circular, and the hole whose cross section is circular cooperates with the shaft <NUM> of the connection rod. Certainly, a round hole may be alternatively provided on the primary inner shaft <NUM> or the primary outer shaft <NUM> for the shaft <NUM> to penetrate through. When the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b rotate, the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b may rotate around the shaft <NUM>, to rotate relative to the primary shaft component <NUM>. When the shaft <NUM> is specifically disposed, referring to both <FIG> and <FIG>, the shaft <NUM> around which the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b rotate is parallel to the length direction of the primary shaft component <NUM>. In this case, axes around which the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b rotate are parallel to the length direction of the primary shaft component <NUM>.

Still referring to <FIG>, the connection rod is in a strip shape. Referring to <FIG>, one end of the left connection rod 14a and one end of the right connection rod 14b are located in the primary shaft component <NUM>, and the other end of the left connection rod 14a and the other end of the right connection rod 14b extend outside the primary shaft component <NUM>. In addition, notches cooperating with the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b are correspondingly disposed on the primary outer shaft <NUM>, so that the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b have relatively large rotation space. In addition, the end of the left connection rod 14a and the end of the right connection rod 14b that are exposed outside the primary shaft component <NUM> are configured to slidably connect to the swing arms in the swing arm group. For ease of understanding a connection relationship between the connection rod group and the swing arm group, the following describes a structure of the swing arm group in detail.

First, referring to <FIG>, the swing arm group provided in this embodiment of this application includes two swing arms. For ease of description, the two swing arms are separately named as a left swing arm 13a and a right swing arm 13b, and the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b are separately configured to fixedly connect to the two housings of the mobile terminal. Referring to both <FIG> and <FIG>, the left swing arm 13a is fixedly connected to the left housing <NUM>, and the right swing arm 13b is fixedly connected to the right housing <NUM>. During specific fixed connection, a bolt or a screw may be used. In this case, the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b move synchronously with the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM> respectively. During specific disposing, the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b are disposed on the two sides of the primary shaft component <NUM>. More specifically, the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b are arranged on the two sides of the primary shaft component <NUM> in the length direction of the primary shaft component <NUM>. The left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b are connected to the connection rod and the primary shaft component <NUM> in a same manner. Therefore, the left swing arm 13a is used as an example for description.

When the left swing arm 13a is specifically connected to the primary shaft component <NUM>, the left swing arm 13a is rotatably connected to the primary shaft component <NUM>. In addition, an axis around which the left swing arm 13a rotates and an axis around which the corresponding connection rod rotates are different. Although the axes around which rotation is performed are different, both the axis around which the left swing arm 13a rotates and the axis around which the corresponding connection rod rotates are parallel to the length direction of the primary shaft component <NUM>.

When the left swing arm 13a is specifically rotatably connected to the primary shaft component <NUM>, <FIG> shows a specific structure of rotatable connection between the left swing arm 13a and the primary shaft component <NUM>. During specific disposing, a first arc-shaped chute <NUM> is disposed in the primary shaft component <NUM>, and the left swing arm 13a is slidably mounted in the first arc-shaped chute <NUM>. When the left swing arm 13a slides relative to the primary shaft component <NUM>, the left swing arm 13a simultaneously rotates relative to the primary shaft component <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, when the primary shaft component <NUM> includes the primary inner shaft <NUM> and the primary outer shaft <NUM>, an arc-shaped surface is disposed in the primary inner shaft <NUM>, and the arc-shaped surface is a convex arc-shaped surface. In addition, during specific disposing, the arc-shaped surface is opposite to the first surface of the primary inner shaft <NUM>. Correspondingly, a concave arc-shaped groove is provided on the primary outer shaft <NUM>, and the arc-shaped groove and the primary outer shaft <NUM> are disposed on a surface opposite to the second surface. As shown in <FIG>, when the primary outer shaft <NUM> is fixedly connected to the primary inner shaft <NUM>, the arc-shaped surface covers the arc-shaped groove and encircles to form the first arc-shaped chute <NUM>. Certainly, the first arc-shaped chute <NUM> may also be directly formed on the primary outer shaft <NUM> or the primary inner shaft <NUM> by using an integrated structure. In this case, when the first arc-shaped chute <NUM> is disposed, the first arc-shaped chute <NUM> may be directly produced on the primary outer shaft <NUM> or the primary inner shaft <NUM> when the primary outer shaft <NUM> or the primary inner shaft <NUM> is produced. When this production manner is used, precision of the chute can be improved during production, and it is convenient to mount the swing arm. When the left swing arm 13a is slidably mounted in the first arc-shaped chute <NUM>, a first arc-shaped arm <NUM> configured to be slidably mounted in the corresponding first arc-shaped chute <NUM> is disposed on the left swing arm 13a, as shown in <FIG> show that one first arc-shaped arm <NUM> is disposed on the left swing arm 13a, and one end of the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> is fixedly connected to one end of the left swing arm 13a. However, it should be understood that in the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> provided in this embodiment of this application, a quantity of first arc-shaped arms <NUM> corresponding to the swing arm is not limited. One first arc-shaped arm <NUM> may be disposed on one swing arm shown in <FIG>. Alternatively, a plurality of first arc-shaped arms <NUM> may be disposed on one swing arm, for example, different quantities of two, three, or four first arc-shaped arms. However, no matter how many first arc-shaped arms <NUM> are used, the first arc-shaped arms <NUM> are slidably mounted in the first arc-shaped chute <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> is mounted in the first arc-shaped chute <NUM>, and a radian of the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> is the same as that of the first arc-shaped chute <NUM>. Therefore, when the left swing arm 13a slides, the left swing arm 13a slides along a length direction of the first arc-shaped chute <NUM>. Because the first arc-shaped chute <NUM> is an arc-shaped chute, the left swing arm 13a may rotate relative to the primary shaft component <NUM> during sliding. An arrow shown in <FIG> indicates a direction, and the direction is a rotation direction of the left swing arm 13a. As can be learned from <FIG>, when the left swing arm 13a slides, the left swing arm 13a may slide in an arc-shaped direction defined by the first arc-shaped chute <NUM>, and may rotate relative to the primary shaft component <NUM> while sliding. When the left swing arm 13a is fixedly connected to the left housing <NUM>, rotation of the left swing arm 13a relative to the primary shaft component <NUM> may drive the left housing <NUM> to rotate relative to the primary shaft component <NUM>, to unfold or fold the mobile terminal.

Still referring to <FIG>, when the right swing arm 13b is specifically disposed, a manner of connecting the right swing arm 13b to the primary shaft component <NUM> is the same as that of connecting the left swing arm 13a to the primary shaft component <NUM>. Therefore, details are not described herein again. However, when the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> of the right swing arm 13b is specifically disposed, a manner of disposing the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> may be different from that of disposing the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> of the left swing arm 13a. As shown in <FIG>, when the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b are specifically disposed, the first arc-shaped arms <NUM> of the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b are staggered. The foregoing location staggering refers to that in an axis direction of the primary shaft component <NUM>, there is a position difference between the first arc-shaped arms <NUM> correspondingly connected to the two swing arms, and after the first arc-shaped arms <NUM> are mounted on the primary shaft component <NUM>, the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> of the left swing arm 13a and the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> of the right swing arm 13b are arranged in the axis direction of the primary shaft component <NUM>. When this manner is used for disposing, as shown in <FIG>, the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> of the left swing arm 13a may be in contact with the primary shaft component <NUM> to a relatively large extent, that is, a length by which the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> extends into the first arc-shaped chute <NUM> is relatively long. The left swing arm 13a shown in <FIG> is used as an example. When the mobile terminal is folded, the left swing arm 13a rotates by <NUM> degrees relative to the primary shaft component <NUM>, and therefore drives the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> to accordingly rotate by <NUM> degrees. However, as shown in <FIG>, a length of contact between the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> and the primary shaft component <NUM> is obviously greater than <NUM> degrees. Therefore, it is ensured that the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> does not slide out of the first arc-shaped chute <NUM> in the folded state, thereby improving stability of sliding connection between the entire swing arm and the primary shaft component <NUM>. Certainly, when the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> uses a plurality of swing arm groups, the foregoing disposing manner may be used. In this case, the first arc-shaped arms <NUM> on the two swing arms correspondingly provided in each swing arm group are disposed in the staggered manner. In addition, <FIG> shows only a specific implementation solution. In the swing arm group provided in this embodiment of this application, the first arc-shaped arms <NUM> of the two swing arms may be also symmetrically disposed. In this case, the first arc-shaped arms <NUM> on the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b are symmetrically disposed.

Because the axis around which the connection rod rotates and the axis around which the swing arm rotates are different, when the swing arm and the left connection rod rotate relative to the primary shaft component <NUM>, the swing arm and the connection rod slide and rotate relative to each other. Therefore, when the swing arm is connected to the connection rod, the swing arm is slidably connected to the corresponding connection rod, and the connection rod and the swing arm can rotate relative to each other. <FIG> and <FIG> show specific manners of connecting the swing arm and the connection rod. When the swing arm in the swing arm group is connected to the connection rod in the connection rod group, the two swing arms in the swing arm group are connected to the corresponding connection rods in a same manner. Therefore, the left swing arm 13a and the left connection rod 14a are used as an example for description.

<FIG> are separately schematic exploded views of the left swing arm 13a in a different swing arm group and the left connection rod 14a. When the left swing arm 13a is specifically mounted to the left connection rod 14a, a pin shaft <NUM> is disposed on the left swing arm 13a, and correspondingly, a first chute <NUM> is disposed on the left connection rod 14a. During slidable mounting, slidable connection between the left swing arm 13a and the left connection rod 14a is implemented by sliding the pin shaft <NUM> in the first chute <NUM>, as shown in a structure in <FIG>. When the pin shaft <NUM> slides, the pin shaft <NUM> may rotate relative to the first chute <NUM>, to implement rotation of the left swing arm 13a and the left connection rod 14a during relative sliding. Certainly, <FIG> shows only a specific connection manner. Alternatively, the first chute may be disposed on the left swing arm 13a, and correspondingly, a first protrusion is disposed on the left connection rod 14a. A cooperation principle thereof is the same as that of the foregoing, and details are not described herein again. In addition, to avoid interference between the left swing arm 13a and the left connection rod 14a during rotation relative to the primary shaft component <NUM>, a notch (not marked in the figure) is disposed on the left swing arm 13a when the left swing arm 13a is disposed. When the left connection rod 14a is connected to the left swing arm 13a, the left connection rod 14a is at least partially located in the notch of the left swing arm 13a, and the first chute <NUM> on the left connection rod 14a is also located in the notch. In this case, the pin shaft penetrating through the left swing arm 13a passes through the first chute <NUM>. Specifically, the notch may be formed when the left swing arm 13a is formed. For example, when the left swing arm 13a uses an integrated structure, a notch may be directly produced on the left swing arm 13a. The notch may be formed when the left swing arm 13a is directly produced, or a notch may be opened with a tool after the left swing arm 13a is produced. Certainly, the swing arm may be alternatively a component structure. As shown in <FIG>, the swing arm includes two parts of structures: a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is connected to the first arc-shaped arm <NUM> and the first portion is in a strip shape, and the second portion is in a shape of <NUM>. During connection, the first portion is connected to a horizontal part of the second portion, so that a notch is formed between the first portion and a vertical part of the second portion.

In the foregoing embodiment, a manner of connecting the right swing arm 13b and the right connection rod 14b is the same as that of connecting the left swing arm 13a and the left connection rod 14a. Therefore, details are not described herein again. When the axes around which the swing arm and the corresponding connection rod rotate are specifically disposed, the two swing arms in each swing arm group may be rotatably connected to the primary shaft component around a same axis or around different axes. Axes around which two connection rods in each connection rod group rotate are symmetrically disposed on two sides of an axis around which two swing arms in a corresponding swing arm group rotate. Refer to both <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, when the axis around which the swing arm rotates is specifically disposed, the axis around which the swing arm rotates is a virtual axis and is located outside the first surface. Referring to <FIG>, the shaft <NUM> around which the connection rod rotates shown in <FIG> is located in the primary shaft component <NUM>. Therefore, a shaft around which the swing arm rotates is located above the shaft around which the connection rod rotates. In addition, the shafts <NUM> corresponding to the two connection rods are symmetrically located on two sides of the axis around which the swing arm rotates.

When the swing arm group cooperates with the connection rod group, a notch that is in a one-to-one correspondence with a corresponding connection rod is provided on each swing arm, and the connection rod is at least partially located in the corresponding notch. When the first chute <NUM> is disposed, the first chute <NUM> is disposed on two sides of the notch of each corresponding swing arm. A first protrusion <NUM> slidably mounted in the first chute <NUM> is disposed on a corresponding connection rod, to implement slidable connection between the swing arm and the corresponding connection rod.

When the connection rod slides relative to the swing arm, a sliding direction of the connection rod is in a length direction of the corresponding swing arm (the swing arm is perpendicular to a direction of the axis around which the swing arm rotates). In addition, when the swing arms on the two sides of the primary shaft component <NUM> rotate toward each other to the first position, the two swing arms are close to each other and the mobile terminal is in a folded state. The corresponding connection rod slides to a position close to the axis around which the swing arm rotates. However, when the swing arms on the two sides of the primary shaft component <NUM> rotate toward each other to an unfolded state, the two swing arms are arranged on the two sides of the primary shaft component <NUM>, and the connection rod slides, relative to a corresponding swing arm, to an end that is of the swing arm and that is away from the primary shaft component <NUM>. As can be learned from the foregoing descriptions, when the mobile terminal rotates from the unfolded state to the folded state, when sliding relative to a corresponding swing arm, the connection rod slides from a side that is of the swing arm and that is away from the primary shaft component <NUM> to a side that is of the swing arm and that is close to the primary shaft component <NUM>. When the mobile terminal rotates from the folded state to the unfolded state, when sliding relative to the corresponding swing arm, the connection rod slides from the side that is of the swing arm and that is close to the primary shaft component <NUM> to the side that is of the swing arm and that is far away from the primary shaft component <NUM>.

It should be understood that, although each swing arm corresponds to one connection rod in <FIG>, in the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> provided in this embodiment of this application, quantities of swing arms and corresponding connection rods are not limited. For example, each swing arm corresponds to different quantities of connection rods such as two, three, and four. As shown in <FIG>, each swing arm corresponds to two connection rods. Therefore, in this embodiment of this application, provided that each swing arm is slidably connected to at least one connection rod located on a same side, all quantities may be applied to the embodiments of this application.

In addition, when the swing arm component is used, when the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM> rotate relative to each other, the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b are driven to rotate relative to each other. To ensure synchronization between the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM>, still referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, a gear <NUM> is disposed at each of opposite ends of two connection rods in each connection rod group, that is, the gear <NUM> is disposed at each of opposite ends of the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b. As shown in <FIG>, the gear <NUM> is disposed at an end of the left connection rod 14a and an end of the right connection rod 14b that are located in the cavity <NUM>, and the two gears <NUM> mesh with each other when the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b are mounted. When an end of the left connection rod 14a and an end of the right connection rod 14b are located in the cavity <NUM> of the primary shaft component <NUM>, the two gears <NUM> are located in the cavity <NUM>. In addition, shafts around which the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b rotate relative to the primary shaft component <NUM> separately penetrate through the two gears <NUM>. When the left connection rod 14a or the right connection rod 14b rotates, the meshed gears <NUM> drive the other connection rod to rotate, thereby implementing synchronous rotation of the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b. Further, the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b drive, by using the swing arm group, the two housings to be unfolded and folded synchronously.

When the mobile terminal is used, the mobile terminal needs to be stable in a specific state, for example, in the folded state or the unfolded state. Therefore, when the rotating shaft mechanism is disposed, a position limiting mechanism is disposed for relative rotation of the left housing and the right housing. If relative sliding positions of the swing arm and the connection rod are limited, the position limiting mechanism may further limit relative positions of the left housing and the right housing of the mobile terminal by limiting the relative sliding positions of the swing arm and the connection rod. Alternatively, a relative position at which the swing arm rotates relative to the primary shaft component may be limited, that is, a position at which the left swing arm and the right swing arm rotate relative to each other is limited, to further limit a relative position relationship between the left housing and the right housing. When the position limiting mechanism is specifically disposed, different structures may be used, and are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

When the position limiting mechanism is specifically disposed, the position limiting mechanism includes an elastic component slidably mounted on the swing arm, and at least two buckle openings that are disposed on the connection rod and that are configured to buckle with the elastic component. As shown in <FIG>, the left swing arm 13a is used as an example. The left swing arm 13a corresponds to one left connection rod 14a, and the elastic component includes a sphere <NUM> and an elastic piece that pushes the sphere <NUM> to buckle with the buckle opening. As shown in <FIG>, the elastic piece (for example, a spring <NUM> or an elastic rubber) and the sphere <NUM> are mounted in the left swing arm 13a. A spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM> and a spherical guiding hole <NUM> are designed on the left swing arm 13a. One, two, or more spring cylindrical guiding holes <NUM> may be designed during specific disposing, and a quantity of spring cylindrical guiding holes <NUM> depends on a quantity of springs <NUM>. In addition, a spring guiding rod <NUM> further penetrates through the spring <NUM>, and a compression rate of the spring <NUM> may be limited by the spring guiding rod <NUM>. The sphere <NUM>, the spring guiding rod <NUM>, and the spring <NUM> are sequentially mounted in the left swing arm 13a. When the connection rod corresponds to the position limiting mechanism, one position limiting mechanism may be used to correspond to the connection rod, or two position limiting mechanisms may be used to correspond to the connection rod. In the structures shown in <FIG>, each connection rod corresponds to two position limiting mechanisms, and the two position limiting mechanisms are located on two sides of the notch of the left swing arm 13a. To be specific, when the spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM> is disposed, the spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM> is correspondingly disposed on each of two opposite side walls of the notch of the left swing arm 13a. One end that is of the spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM> and that faces the connection rod is connected to the spherical guiding hole <NUM>, and the other end of the spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM> is opened on the left swing arm 13a. During mounting, the sphere <NUM> and the spring <NUM> are sequentially mounted in the spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM>, and a part of the sphere <NUM> is exposed in the notch. In addition, the other end of the spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM> is blocked by disposing a stopper <NUM>. In this case, two ends of the spring <NUM> separately press against the sphere <NUM> and the stopper <NUM>. Correspondingly, corresponding buckle openings are also separately disposed on two sides of the left connection rod 14a, and relative sliding between the left connection rod 14a and the left swing arm 13a may be limited by cooperation between the sphere <NUM> and the buckle opening. When the left connection rod 14a rotates and slides relative to the left swing arm 13a, the sphere <NUM> in the left swing arm 13a slides relative to and rubs against the buckle opening of the left connection rod 14a under action of the spring <NUM>, to form a cam damping structure and provide a damping effect to rotation of the rotating shaft.

Specifically, when the left swing arm 13a corresponds to the left connection rod 14a, there may be different correspondences. For example, one left swing arm 13a corresponds to one left connection rod 14a or two or more left connection rods 14a. When one left swing arm 13a is slidably connected to at least two left connection rods 14a, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, buckle openings on two adjacent connection rods are disposed opposite to each other, a through hole is disposed on the swing arm, the sphere <NUM> corresponding to each buckle opening is slidably mounted in the through hole, an elastic piece is disposed between the two spheres <NUM>, and two ends of the elastic piece are separately in pressing contact with the two spheres <NUM>. The left swing arm 13a is used as an example. The elastic piece (for example, the spring <NUM> or an elastic rubber) and the sphere <NUM> are mounted in a position between two left connecting pieces in the left swing arm 13a. Specifically, the spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM> and the spherical guiding hole <NUM> are designed in the middle of the left swing arm 13a. There may be two spherical guiding holes <NUM> or one spherical guiding hole <NUM>, and there is one spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM>. During mounting, one end that is of the spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM> and that faces one of the left connection rods 14a is connected to one spherical guiding hole <NUM>, and the other end of the spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM> is opened on the left swing arm 13a. During mounting, after one sphere <NUM> and the spring <NUM> are sequentially mounted in the spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM>, another sphere <NUM> is mounted, and a part of the sphere <NUM> is exposed in the notch. Then, the other end of the spring cylindrical guiding hole <NUM> is blocked by disposing the stopper <NUM>, and another spherical guiding hole <NUM> is disposed on the stopper <NUM>. Therefore, after the stopper <NUM> is fastened, another sphere <NUM> may be exposed in the notch by using the spherical guiding hole <NUM> disposed on the stopper <NUM>. In this case, two ends of the spring <NUM> separately press against the two spheres <NUM>. Correspondingly, corresponding buckle openings are also separately disposed on opposite sides of the two left connection rods 14a, and relative sliding between the left connection rod 14a and the left swing arm 13a may be limited by cooperation between the sphere <NUM> and the buckle opening. When the left connection rod 14a rotates and slides relative to the left swing arm 13a, the sphere <NUM> in the left swing arm 13a slides relative to and rubs against the buckle opening of the left connection rod 14a under action of the spring <NUM>, to form the cam damping structure and provide the damping effect to rotation of the rotating shaft.

It should be understood that the position limiting mechanism corresponding to the right swing arm is the same as that corresponding to the left swing arm 13a. Therefore, details are not described herein again.

A position limiting mechanism <NUM> may further limit a position of the housing of the mobile terminal by limiting rotation of the swing arm. Referring to the structures shown in <FIG>, when the staggered first arc-shaped arms <NUM> are used between the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b, there are two opposite surfaces between the two first arc-shaped arms <NUM> when the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b rotate. An elastic protrusion and a card slot may be separately disposed on the two surfaces. Cooperation between the elastic protrusion and the card slot that are disposed can limit rotation positions of the two swing arms, and a locking function may also be implemented. It should be understood that cooperation between the elastic protrusion and the card slot is implemented in a common clamping manner in this field. Therefore, a structure thereof is not described in detail again.

As can be learned from the foregoing descriptions, cooperation between the elastic component and the buckle opening limits relative sliding positions of the swing arm and the connection rod. In addition, a damping function is further provided between the elastic component and the buckle opening. In this way, a damping force of the mobile terminal can be increased in a folding process, and an adjustable damping force or better folding operation experience is provided.

Referring to both <FIG> and <FIG>, when the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> supports the flexible display <NUM>, the support component is used to support the flexible display <NUM>, to improve a supporting effect of the flexible display <NUM>. When the support component is specifically disposed, refer to <FIG>. The support component includes two support plates, and the two support plates are correspondingly disposed on the two sides of the primary shaft component <NUM>, that is, the two support plates are disposed on the two sides of the primary shaft component <NUM> along the length direction of the primary shaft component <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, when the primary shaft component <NUM> has the first surface and the second surface opposite to the first surface, the first surface is a surface used to support the flexible display <NUM>, and the support plate also has a surface used to support the flexible display <NUM>. When the support plate rotates to a specific position, as shown in <FIG>, the rotating shaft mechanism unfolds and can support the flexible display. In this case, the first surface is approximately flush to the surface that is on the support plate and that is used to support the flexible display <NUM>, so that the flexible display <NUM> can be smoothly supported. Being approximately flush above means that the first surface is flush to the surface that is on the support plate and that supports the flexible display <NUM>, or there is a specific error between the first surface and the surface that is on the support plate and that supports the flexible display <NUM>. The first surface is disposed to be flush to the surface that is on the support plate and that supports the flexible display <NUM>, to improve the supporting effect of the flexible display <NUM>.

When the two support plates are specifically disposed, for ease of description, the support plates are classified into a left support plate 12a and a right support plate 12b. The left support plate 12a is correspondingly connected to the left swing arm 13a and the left connection rod 14a on the left side, and the right support plate 12b is connected to the corresponding right swing arm 13b and the corresponding right connection rod 14b. However, during specific connection, different manners may be used in disposing, and are separately described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<FIG> show specific connection manners. In structures shown in <FIG>, a connection manner of the left support plate 12a is the same as that of the right support plate 12b. Therefore, the left support plate 12a is used as an example for description. As shown in <FIG>, the left support plate 12a is rotatably connected to the left swing arm 13a. During specific connection, the left support plate 12a is rotatably connected to the left swing arm 13a by using a pin shaft <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, two ends of a left side (where a disposing direction of the left support plate 12a in <FIG> is used as a reference direction) of the left support plate 12a are separately rotatably connected to the two left swing arms 13a by using the pin shaft <NUM>. In addition, the left support plate 12a is slidably connected to the left connection rod 14a, and the left support plate 12a may rotate relative to the left connection rod 14a. <FIG> shows a specific manner of connecting the left support plate 12a to the left connection rod 14a. A second chute <NUM> is disposed on the left support plate 12a, correspondingly, a pin shaft <NUM> penetrates through the left connection rod 14a, and the pin shaft <NUM> is slidably mounted in the second chute <NUM>. When the left support plate 12a and the left connection rod 14a slide relative to each other, because the left connection rod 14a and the left swing arm 13a rotate relative to each other, the left support plate 12a is also driven to rotate relative to the left connection rod 14a. It should be understood that cooperation between the second chute <NUM> and the pin shaft <NUM> is only an example. Alternatively, the second chute may be disposed on the left connection rod 14a, and correspondingly, a second protrusion that is slidably mounted in the second chute is disposed on the left support plate.

For ease of understanding a rotation manner of the left support plate 12a, the following describes the rotation manner with reference to specific accompanying drawings. First, <FIG> separately show states of the support plate, the swing arm, and the connection rod of the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> when the mobile terminal is in the unfolded state. In a structure shown in <FIG>, the left support plate 12a is flush to the first surface, and the pin shaft <NUM> on the left connection rod 14a is located on the left side of the second chute <NUM>. In this case, as shown in <FIG>, the left housing <NUM>, the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM>, and the right housing <NUM> are sequentially unfolded, and the flexible display <NUM> covering the left housing <NUM>, the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM>, and the right housing <NUM> are unfolded. When folding needs to be performed, <FIG> shows a state when the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> rotates to a specific angle. In this case, it can be seen that the left connection rod 14a and the left swing arm 13a rotate relative to the primary shaft component <NUM>. In addition, because the left swing arm 13a and the left connection rod 14a rotate around different axes, the left connection rod 14a and the left swing arm 13a slide and rotate relative to each other. In addition, the pin shaft <NUM> slides to a middle position of the second chute <NUM>, and the pin shaft <NUM> drives the left support plate 12a to rotate towards the left swing arm 13a. When the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM> are completely folded (that is, the mobile terminal is in the folded state), as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the pin shaft <NUM> is located at the rightmost end of the second chute <NUM>, and driven by the pin shaft <NUM>, the left support plate 12a and the left swing arm 13a are close to each other, or there is a relatively small gap between the left support plate 12a and the left swing arm 13a. In this case, the swing arms on the two sides of the primary shaft component <NUM> rotate toward each other to the first position, correspondingly, the connection rod and the swing arm drive the two support plates to rotate toward each other to the second position, and the support plates and the primary shaft component encircle to form folded space that accommodates the flexible display of the mobile terminal. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the support plate and the primary inner shaft <NUM> encircle to form space similar to a triangle. Referring to <FIG>, when the flexible display <NUM> is folded, a folded area of the flexible display <NUM> forms a bend similar to a water droplet shape.

When the right support plate 12b is disposed, a connection manner of the right support plate 12b is the same as that of the left support plate 12a. Therefore, details are not described herein again.

As can be learned from the foregoing descriptions, the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b provided in the connection rod group drive the left support plate 12a and the right support plate 12b to move. Because the axis around which the connection rod rotates and the axis around which the swing arm rotates are different, the first protrusion <NUM> is designed on the connection rod and the first chute <NUM> is designed on the swing arm. When the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> is folded and rotated, the first chute <NUM> on the swing arm drives the first protrusion <NUM> on the connection rod to drive the connection rod to rotate, and meshing between the gears <NUM> implements synchronization. In addition, in a folding process, a phase difference generated when the connection rod and the swing arm eccentrically rotate is used, and the second protrusion on the connection rod drives the support plate to rotate and move, to smoothly support the screen in the unfolded state and provide sufficient accommodation space for the screen in the folded state.

Still referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, when the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> is folded, the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b rotate relative to the primary shaft component <NUM> when the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> rotates. In addition, when the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b rotate, the left support plate 12a and the right support plate 12b are driven to rotate and move. After complete folding, the left support plate 12a and the right support plate 12b rotate relative to the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b to avoid a concave space. The concave space can accommodate the screen during complete folding. In addition, in an entire folding process, it can be ensured that a non-bonding area of the flexible display <NUM> has sufficient space for curving inward without a bulge. In addition, after complete folding, there is no large gap between the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM> on the two sides, and the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM> may be completely closed, to achieve an equal thickness of the entire system in the folded state.

When the support plate is rotatably connected to the corresponding swing arm, another manner may be used in addition to the pin shaft <NUM>. For example, a second arc-shaped chute <NUM> is disposed on each support plate. A second arc-shaped arm <NUM> that is slidably mounted in the second arc-shaped chute <NUM> is disposed on the swing arm corresponding to each support plate. The rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> shown in <FIG>, <FIG> is used as an example. When the left support plate 12a and the left swing arm 13a are specifically disposed, the second arc-shaped chute <NUM> is disposed on the left support plate 12a, and correspondingly, the second arc-shaped arm <NUM> that is slidably mounted in the second arc-shaped chute <NUM> is disposed on the left swing arm 13a. A mounting relationship thereof is similar to rotation connection between the left swing arm 13a and the primary shaft component <NUM>. When the left support plate 12a rotates relative to the left swing arm 13a, as shown in <FIG>, when the left support plate 12a rotates to different positions, the positions are limited based on a sliding position of the second arc-shaped arm <NUM> in the second arc-shaped chute <NUM>. For a specific cooperation relationship, refer to the foregoing cooperation relationship between the left swing arm 13a and the primary shaft component <NUM>. In addition, cooperation between the right support plate 12b and the right swing arm 13b is similar, and details are not described herein again.

Certainly, in addition to the foregoing listed state, an embodiment of this application further provides another manner of disposing the support plate. The left support plate 12a is still used as an example. When the left support plate 12a is specifically disposed, as shown in <FIG>, the left support plate 12a is rotatably connected to the primary shaft component <NUM>, and the left support plate 12a is slidably connected to the left swing arm 13a. As shown in <FIG>, a right side (where a disposing direction of the support plate in <FIG> is used as a reference direction) of the left support plate 12a is rotatably connected to the primary shaft component <NUM> by using a pin shaft, and a left side of the left support plate 12a is also slidably connected to the left swing arm 13a by using a pin shaft. In addition, correspondingly, a corresponding second chute is slidably mounted on the left swing arm 13a. Certainly, alternatively, the second chute may be disposed on the left swing arm 13a, and correspondingly, a second protrusion that is slidably mounted in the second chute is disposed on the left support plate 12a. When the mobile terminal is folded, as shown in <FIG>, the left support plate 12a rotates relative to the primary shaft component <NUM>. In addition, because there is a relative sliding and rotation relationship between the left swing arm 13a and the primary shaft component <NUM>, the pin shaft disposed on the left swing arm 13a drives the left support plate 12a to rotate. A connection manner of the right support plate 12b is the same as that of the left support plate 12a. Therefore, details are not described herein again. In this case, when the swing arms on the two sides of the primary shaft component <NUM> rotate toward each other to the first position, the corresponding swing arms drive the two support plates to rotate toward each other to the second position, so that the support plates and the primary shaft component <NUM> encircle to form folded space that accommodates the flexible display of the mobile terminal.

As can be learned from the foregoing descriptions, when each support plate is specifically disposed, each support plate may be rotatably connected to the swing arm located on the same side and slidably connected to the connection rod. Alternatively, each support plate may be rotatably connected to the primary shaft component <NUM> and slidably connected to the swing arm located on the same side. In both cases, the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> may be enabled to form a supporting form of triple door plates (the left support plate 12a, the primary inner shaft <NUM>, and the right support plate 12b), to match supporting solutions in different scenarios, ensure that the screen is smoothly and properly supported, and provide sufficient accommodation space for the screen after folding. In addition, the folded mobile terminal may be of an equal thickness while the flexible display <NUM> is accommodated, to avoid a bulge caused by folding.

When the primary shaft component is specifically disposed, as shown in <FIG>, to enable the connection rod to be exposed outside the primary shaft component <NUM> and connected to the swing arm, a notch (not marked in the figure) is disposed on the primary outer shaft <NUM>. In the folded state, the notch is exposed and affects appearance of the mobile terminal. Therefore, the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> provided in this embodiment of this application further provides a flexible covering layer <NUM>. The flexible covering layer <NUM> may be made of an elastic material, for example, an elastic steel plate or an elastic plastic plate. When the mobile terminal is folded, the mobile terminal may rotate along with the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM>.

When the flexible covering layer <NUM> is specifically disposed, different connection manners may be used. In a connection manner, the flexible covering layer <NUM> is fixedly connected to a surface that is of the primary shaft component <NUM> and that is away from the flexible display <NUM>, that is, the flexible covering layer <NUM> is fastened to the second surface of the primary outer shaft <NUM>. In addition, during specific connection, the flexible covering layer <NUM> may not be connected to the primary outer shaft <NUM>, or may be connected to the primary outer shaft <NUM> in the following manner: adhesive bonding, riveting, welding, or the like. Two ends of the flexible covering layer <NUM> are separately arranged on two sides of the primary outer shaft <NUM> and are suspended. In addition, as shown in <FIG>, when the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> is fixedly connected to the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM>, the two ends of the flexible covering layer <NUM> may be separately inserted into the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM>, and are in pressing contact with the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM>. In this case, when the mobile terminal is observed from a surface that is of the mobile terminal and that is away from the flexible display <NUM>, the notch may be blocked by the disposed flexible covering layer <NUM>. During bending, the flexible covering layer <NUM> is driven to elastically deform and rotate along with the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> by pressing against the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM>.

Certainly, the flexible covering layer <NUM> may be further disposed in another manner in addition to the foregoing manner. For example, the flexible covering layer <NUM> is fixedly connected to the surface that is of the primary shaft component <NUM> and that is away from the flexible display <NUM>, that is, the flexible covering layer <NUM> is fastened to the second surface of the primary outer shaft <NUM>, and may be fixedly connected in an adhesive connection manner or another connection manner during specific connection. In addition, in the disposed swing arm group, a swing rod <NUM> is rotatably connected to at least one swing arm, and the swing rod <NUM> is slidably connected to the flexible covering layer <NUM>. <FIG> and <FIG> show a case in which the swing rod <NUM> is disposed in a swing arm group. When the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b are specifically disposed, the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b are separately rotatably connected to the swing rod <NUM>, and the swing rod <NUM> is slidably connected to the flexible covering layer <NUM>. During specific disposing, a pin shaft <NUM> corresponding to each swing rod <NUM> is disposed on the flexible covering layer <NUM>, and the pin shaft <NUM> is clamped to a chute disposed on the swing rod <NUM> and may limit movement of the flexible covering layer <NUM> in a direction perpendicular to a surface that is of the flexible covering layer <NUM> and that faces the primary shaft component <NUM>. When the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b rotate, relative displacements when the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b rotate relative to the flexible covering layer <NUM> are offset by rotation of the swing rod <NUM> and sliding of the pin shaft <NUM> in the chute. It should be understood that the foregoing shows a case in which the swing rod <NUM> is separately disposed on the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b. However, in this embodiment of this application, the swing rod <NUM> may be disposed on only one of the swing arms, or may be disposed on a plurality of swing arms.

In addition, <FIG> and <FIG> show a case in which the swing rod <NUM> is disposed on the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b. However, in the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> provided in this embodiment of this application, the swing rod <NUM> may be alternatively disposed on the left connection rod 14a and the right connection rod 14b. A principle thereof is similar and only a disposing position of the swing rod <NUM> is changed. Therefore, details are not described herein again.

As can be learned from the foregoing descriptions, in a folding process of the entire system, the flexible covering layer <NUM> may always match a profile of the primary outer shaft <NUM> of the rotating shaft, to cover appearance at any moment in the folding process. The flexible covering layer <NUM> may be fastened to an outer side of the primary outer shaft <NUM> by using a process such as adhesive bonding, riveting, or welding.

As shown in <FIG>, the flexible covering layer <NUM> may be designed as a component. A middle area <NUM> of the flexible covering layer <NUM> is a bendable area including a flexible mechanical part, and areas <NUM> on two sides are unbendable areas including rigid mechanical parts. In this case, the flexible covering layer <NUM> includes the rigid mechanical parts on left and right sides, the flexible mechanical part, and four pin shafts <NUM>. The rigid mechanical parts and the flexible mechanical part may be connected by using adhesive bonding or welding, and the pin shaft <NUM> and the rigid mechanical part are connected by using a process such as riveting or welding. The pin shaft <NUM> may be slidably connected to the chute in the swing rod <NUM>.

In addition, an embodiment of this application further provides a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal includes the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> according to any one of the foregoing descriptions and two housings, where the two housings are separately arranged on two sides of the primary shaft component <NUM> and each housing is fixedly connected to a swing arm located on a same side, and further includes a flexible display <NUM> fixedly connected to the two housings. As shown in <FIG>, the mobile terminal includes the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM>, where the 1eft housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM> are respectively fixedly connected to the left swing arm 13a and the right swing arm 13b in the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM>. In addition, the flexible display <NUM> is divided into five areas, which are respectively an A1 area, a B1 area, a C area, a B2 area, and an A2 area delimited by dotted lines in <FIG>. The A1 area and the A2 area are respectively fixedly connected to the left housing <NUM> and the right housing <NUM>, and are attached to upper surfaces of the two housings by using an adhesive during specific fixed connection. In addition, the B <NUM> area and the B2 area correspond to areas of the left support plate 12a and the right support plate 12b, and the C1 area corresponds to an area of the first surface of the primary outer shaft <NUM>. There are two specific adhesive bonding manners when the B1 area, the B2 area, and the C1 area are specifically connected to the first surface, the left support plate 12a, and the right support plate 12b of the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM>. Sectional views of the two adhesive bonding manners in the folded state are separately shown in <FIG>, and are separately described below.

In a first adhesive bonding manner, the A1 area is connected to the left housing <NUM> by adhesive bonding, the A2 area is connected to the right housing <NUM>, and the B <NUM> area, the B2 area, and the C area are not bonded with an adhesive and are a non-bonding area of the flexible display <NUM>. A folded state of the screen is shown in <FIG>. The non-bonding area of the flexible display <NUM> is in a water droplet shape.

In a second adhesive bonding manner, the A1 area of the screen is connected to the left housing <NUM> by adhesive bonding, the A2 area of the screen is connected to the right housing <NUM>, the B1 area is connected to the left support plate 12a of the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> by adhesive bonding, the B2 area is connected to the right support plate 12b of the rotating shaft mechanism <NUM> by adhesive bonding, and the C area is not bonded with an adhesive and is a non-bonding area of the screen. A foldable state of the screen is shown in <FIG>, and the non-bonding area of the screen is in a semi-arc shape.

During using, when the rotating shaft mechanism is unfolded, the primary shaft component <NUM> and the support plate are configured to support the flexible display <NUM> of the mobile terminal. When the support plate rotates to the second position, because the swing arm and the primary shaft component <NUM> slide relative to each other, when the support plate rotates to the second position, the primary shaft component <NUM> and the support plate encircle to form space that accommodates a folded part of the flexible display <NUM>. In addition, based on rotation of the connection rod and sliding and rotation of the swing arm relative to the rotating shaft, a thickness of the foldable mechanism after folding is approximately equal to a thickness of the two housings that are stacked together, thereby improving a folding effect of the mobile terminal. In addition, the support plate and the primary shaft component <NUM> encircle to form the space that accommodates the flexible display <NUM>, thereby improving a bending effect of the flexible display <NUM>.

As can be learned from the foregoing descriptions, the screen of the mobile terminal does not slide relative to the left housing and the right housing <NUM>, and the rotating shaft provides sufficient concave space for the screen in the folded state, so that the non-bonding area of the flexible display <NUM> is hidden in the concave space in the water droplet shape or the semi-arc shape. The entire system is of an equal thickness in a closed state, and there is no relatively large gap between the housings on the two sides.

Claim 1:
A rotating shaft mechanism (<NUM>), applied to a foldable mobile terminal, wherein the rotating shaft mechanism (<NUM>) comprises:
a primary shaft component (<NUM>);
a swing arm component, comprising at least one connection rod group and at least one swing arm group, wherein each connection rod group comprises two connection rods (14a, 14b) that are correspondingly disposed on two sides of the primary shaft component (<NUM>) and that are rotatably connected to the primary shaft component (<NUM>); each swing arm group comprises swing arms (13a, 13b) that are separately disposed on the two sides of the primary shaft component (<NUM>), and each swing arm (13a, 13b) is rotatably connected to the primary shaft component (<NUM>); an axis around which each swing arm rotates and an axis around which a connection rod rotates are different and are both parallel to a length direction of the primary shaft component (<NUM>); and each swing arm (13a, 13b) is slidably connected to and can rotate relative to at least one connection rod (14a, 14b) located on the same side;
a support component, comprising support plates (12a, 12b) correspondingly disposed on the two sides of the primary shaft component (<NUM>), wherein each support plate (12a, 12b) is rotatably connected to a swing arm (13a, 13b) located on the same side, and is slidably connected to and can rotate relative to a connection rod (14a, 14b) located on the same side; or each support plate (12a, 12b) is rotatably connected to the primary shaft component (<NUM>), and is slidably connected to and can rotate relative to a swing arm (13a, 13b) located on the same side; an axis around which the support plate (12a, 12b) is rotatably connected to the swing arm (13a, 13b) or rotatably connected to the primary shaft component (<NUM>) is parallel to the length direction of the primary shaft component (<NUM>); and
a position limiting mechanism (<NUM>), configured to limit relative sliding positions of the swing arm (13a, 13b) and the connection rod (14a, 14b), wherein
when the swing arms (13a, 13b) on the two sides of the primary shaft component rotate toward each other to a first position, corresponding connection rods (14a, 14b) or the swing arms (13a, 13b) drive the two support plates (12a, 12b) to rotate toward each other to a second position, so that the support plates (12a, 12b) and the primary shaft component encircle to form folded space that accommodates a flexible display (<NUM>) of the mobile terminal.