Electronic devices with flexible displays and hinges
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsJiang Ai, Mitchell A. Heschke, Soyoung Kim, Stephen R. McClure
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electronic device may have a flexible display that overlaps an axis. The display may be supported by a housing. The housing may have first and second portions that rotate relative to each other about the axis. The housing may be placed in an unfolded configuration to support the display in a planar state. The housing may also be placed in a folded configuration by rotating the first and second portions relative to each other. A hinge mechanism may be used to ensure adequate separation between the first and second portions when the housing is bent. Movable flaps may be retracted when the housing is bent to create room for a bent portion of the display.
Claims20
An electronic device operable in folded and unfolded positions, comprising:
- a housing that folds along a fold axis, wherein the housing has first and second housing portions on opposing sides of the fold axis and wherein the first and second housing portions respectively comprise first and second slots;
- a flexible substrate that overlaps the first and second housing portions and that folds along the fold axis;
- a pixel array on the flexible substrate that overlaps the first and second housing portions and that extends across the fold axis;
- and
- a hinge coupled between the first and second housing portions, wherein the hinge comprises a first gear that rotates the first housing portion about the fold axis, a second gear that rotates the second housing portion about the fold axis, and a third gear coupled between the first and second gears, and wherein the first gear is coupled to a first pin that slides within the first slot during rotation and the second gear is coupled to a second pin that slides within the second slot during rotation.
An electronic device that folds and unfolds along a fold axis, comprising:
- a flexible substrate that folds along the fold axis;
- an array of organic light-emitting diode pixels on the flexible substrate;
- a metal backplate that supports the flexible substrate;
- a metal stiffening plate coupled behind the metal backplate, wherein the metal stiffening plate only partially overlaps the metal backplate;
- and
- first and second housing portions coupled by a hinge having a first gear that rotates the first housing portion about the fold axis and a second gear that rotates the second housing portion about the fold axis.
An electronic device operable in folded and unfolded configurations, comprising:
- first and second housing portions that rotate about a fold axis;
- a hinge coupled between the first and second housing portions, wherein the hinge comprises a gear system that rotates the first and second housing portions by equal amounts when the electronic device transitions between the folded and unfolded configurations;
- a flexible display mounted to the first and second housing portions and overlapping the fold axis;
- first and second overlapping metal plates attached to a rear side of the flexible display, wherein the first metal plate is interposed between the flexible display and the second metal plate and wherein the second metal plate spans only partially across a lower surface of the first metal plate;
- and
- a spring-based biasing structure that holds the flexible display in a flat position when the electronic device is unfolded.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.