Hinge mechanism and flexible electronic device having the same

A flexible electronic device comprising:

• a flexible display;
• a support structure including first and second substrate units which are juxtaposed and spaced apart from each other in a left-and-right direction, a first mounting plate which is movably connected with said first substrate unit and interposed between said first and second substrate units, and a second mounting plate which is movably connected with said second substrate unit and interposed between said first mounting plate and said second substrate unit, said first and second substrate units and said first and second mounting plates being coplanar to cooperatively define a display supporting surface for said flexible display to be attached thereto;
• and
• two hinge mechanisms disposed between said first and second substrate units and opposite to each other in a front-and-rear direction transverse to the left-and-right direction, each of said hinge mechanisms including:
• a cam extending in the left-and-right direction to have left and right sides, and a middle portion interposed between said left and right sides, said cam having two adjusting slots which are formed in said middle portion and spaced apart from each other in the left-and-right direction, two arcuate surface sections which are respectively disposed on said left and right sides and face upwardly, and two peripheral cam surface sections which are respectively disposed on said left and right sides and respectively face said arcuate surface sections to cooperatively define two retaining cavities;
• a first arm unit including a first movable arm which has first proximate and distal ends relative to said left side of said cam, a first cam follower protrusion that is disposed on said first proximate end and movably received in one of said retaining cavities, and a first peg that extends in the front-and-rear direction and that is engaged in and movable relative to one of said adjusting slots;
• and
• a second arm unit including a second movable arm which has second proximate and distal ends relative to said right side of said cam, a second cam follower protrusion that is disposed on said second proximate end and movably received in the other one of said retaining cavities, and a second peg that extends in the front-and-rear direction and that is engaged in and movable relative to the other one of said adjusting slots such that said first and second movable arms are pivotable relative to each other between an unfolded position, where said first and second distal ends are remote from each other to have said first and second movable arms extending parallel to each other along the left-and-right direction and where said first and second cam follower protrusions are respectively received in said retaining cavities, and a folded position, where said first and second distal ends are close to each other and have said first and second movable arms extending in an up-and-down direction that is transverse to both the left-and-right direction and the front-and-rear direction, and where said first and second cam follower protrusions are respectively disengaged from and disposed upwardly of said retaining cavities, and such that during the pivoting of said first and second movable arms from the unfolded position to the folded position, each of said first and second cam follower protrusions is moved from said respective cavity and slides on a respective one of said peripheral cam surface sections to move each of said first and second movable arms away from said cam and to bring each of said first and second substrate units distant from a respective one of said first and second mounting plates by a distance so as to provide a leeway between said first and second substrate units for said flexible display to be bendably received therein.