Outward-folding display device having hinge units

This application claims priority of Chinese Patent Application Nos. 201910621459.6 and 201921079361.4, filed on Jul. 10, 2019.

The disclosure relates to a display device, and more particularly to an outward-folding display device.

Foldable smartphones are mainly divided into two groups: inward-folding smartphones and outward-folding smartphones. When folded, a flexible display for an inward-folding smartphone is located on the interior thereof, and the flexible display for an outward-folding smartphone is wrapped around the exterior thereof. Since the outward-folding smartphone is designed to allow a user to interact with the display when folded, it is generally more popular than its counterpart.

However, in a folding process of a conventional outward-folding smartphone, since a distance between a rotating shaft of the smartphone and a distal edge of the flexible display in a thickness direction is slightly larger than a distance between the rotating shaft and a distal edge of a casing of the smartphone in the thickness direction, the flexible display is subject to tension which may cause damage to the flexible display. In other cases, the middle of the flexible display suffers from insufficient support from the rotating shaft and is thus prone to damage.

Therefore, the object of the disclosure is to provide an outward-folding display device that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

According to the disclosure, an outward-folding display device is adapted to be connected to a flexible display. The outward-folding display device includes a casing unit and two hinge units.

The casing unit includes two flat casings that are arranged in a lengthwise direction. Each of the casings has a folding surface and is adapted to be connected to the flexible display.

The hinge units are spaced apart in a width direction that is perpendicular to the lengthwise direction, and are connected between the casings such that the casings are convertible between an unfolded position, where the folding surfaces of the casings are coplanar and are perpendicular to a height direction which is perpendicular to the lengthwise and width directions, and a folded position, where the folding surfaces are facing toward each other and are perpendicular to the lengthwise direction.

Each of the hinge units includes a shaft holder, two drive shafts, a synchronizer, a flexible connection subunit and two compensation subunits.

The shaft holder has a connecting portion extending in the width direction, two pivot block portions connected to the connecting portion and spaced apart along a first axis in the width direction, and two bushing portions connected to the connecting portion and spaced apart in the width direction along a second axis.

The drive shafts are spaced apart in the lengthwise direction. Each of the drive shafts extends through the bushing portions of the shaft holder along a shaft axis that extends in the width direction, is rotatable about the shaft axis, and has a driving portion and a syncing portion that is formed with a guiding groove extending helically about the shaft axis. The guiding grooves of the drive shafts are symmetrical with each other.

The synchronizer is clamped between the syncing portions of the drive shafts, and has two guiding blocks engaged respectively and symmetrically with the guiding grooves of the syncing portions of the drive shafts so that the rotations of the drive shafts about the shaft axes are synchronized and are respectively in opposite directions.

The flexible connection subunit is connected between the pivot block portions of the shaft holder, and has two connecting ends. A length of the connection subunit is maintained constant.

The compensation subunits are opposite to each other in the lengthwise direction. Each of the compensation subunits includes a rotating plate, a crank member, a driving plate and a driven plate.

The rotating plate has a rotating plate portion and two guiding protrusions. The rotating plate portion is connected co-rotatably to the driving portion of a respective one of the drive shafts, and has opposite first and second surfaces, a first outer edge, a circular-sector-shaped crank recess, a pin hole and an arc-shaped slot.

The first and second surfaces are respectively distal from and proximate to the folding surface of a respective one of the casings. The first outer edge is distal from the driving portion of the respective one of the drive shafts and extends in the width direction. The crank recess is formed in the first surface and has an arc end. The pin hole and the arc-shaped slot are respectively distal from and proximate to the arc end of the crank recess and extend from the crank recess through the second surface. The arc-shaped slot has an unfolded end section and a folded end section. The guiding protrusions are connected to opposite ends of the plate portion in the width direction.

The driving plate is slidably connected to the first surface of the rotating plate, is connected to a respective one of the connecting ends of the connecting subunit, and has a driving slot and a second outer edge. The driving slot is in spatial communication with the crank recess of the rotating plate. The second outer edge is distal from the respective one of the connecting ends of the connecting subunit, and is parallel to the first outer edge of the rotating plate.

The driven plate has a driven plate portion and two spaced-apart track block portions. The driven plate portion is slidably connected to the second surface of the rotating plate, is co-movably connected to the respective one of the casings, and has a driven slot in spatial communication with the arc-shaped slot. The track block portions are connected to the driven plate portion, and are respectively formed with two track grooves. The guiding protrusions of the rotating plate engage slidably and respectively the track grooves.

The crank member is received in the crank recess, and has a driving pin, a driven pin and a rotating pin. The driving pin slidably engages the driving slot of the driving plate. The driven pin slidably extends through the arc-shaped slot of the rotating plate and slidably engages the driven slot of the driven plate. The rotating pin rotatably engages the pin hole. The driving pin and the driven pin are respectively proximate to and distal from the rotating pin.

When the casings are converted from the unfolded position to the folded position, the driving plate slides relative to the rotating plate by a first predetermined final distance and cooperates with the rotating plate to drive the crank member to rotate in the rank recess about the rotating pin relative to the rotating plate, thereby causing the driven pin to slide from the unfolded end section to the folded end section, and driving the driven plate and the respective one of the casings to cooperatively move by a second predetermined final distance relative to the rotating plate which is larger than the first predetermined final distance.

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an outward-folding display device according to the disclosure, illustrating two casings of a casing unit in an unfolded position;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment, illustrating two block boards being exposed from a gap between the casings when the casings are in the unfolded position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment, illustrating the casings in a folded position;

FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the embodiment, illustrating the casings in the folded position;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the embodiment, illustrating the casings in the folded position;

FIG. 6 is a partly exploded perspective view of the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a partly exploded and fragmentary perspective view of the embodiment, illustrating one of the casings, a sliding board of the casing unit and a display protection module of the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating two hinge units, a connecting tube and the block boards of the embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a partly exploded perspective view of FIG. 8 ;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of one of the hinge units of the embodiment;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 10 ;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a drive shaft of one of the hinge units of the embodiment;

FIG. 13 is another perspective view of the drive shaft;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a synchronizer of the one of the hinge units;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the one of the hinge units, illustrating two syncing portions of two drive shafts and the synchronizer;

FIG. 16 is a partly exploded perspective view of a compensation subunit of the one of the hinge units;

FIG. 17 is a side view of a crank member of the compensation subunit;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating a support unit of the embodiment covering the hinge units and the connecting tube;

FIG. 19 is a partly exploded perspective view of FIG. 18 ;

FIG. 20 is a top view of the compensation subunit, illustrating a first outer edge of a rotating plate being flushed with a second outer edge of a driving plate when the casings are in the unfolded position;

FIG. 21 is a bottom view of the compensation unit, illustrating a driven pin of the crank member at an unfolded end section of an arc slot of the rotating plate when the casings are in the unfolded position;

FIG. 22 is a side view of the embodiment, illustrating the casings in a position between the folded and unfolded positions;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view illustrating the support unit when the casings are in the position between the folded and unfolded positions;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view illustrating the one of the hinge units when the casings are in the position between the folded and unfolded positions;

FIG. 25 is a top view of the compensation subunit, illustrating the second outer edge of the driving plate being moved relative to the first outer edge of the rotating plate by a first predetermined distance, and a driving pin of the crank member being moved relative to the rotating plate by the first predetermined distance when the casings are in the position between the folded and unfolded positions;

FIG. 26 is a bottom view of the compensation unit, illustrating the driven pin of the crank member being moved relative to the rotating plate by a second predetermined distance when the casings are in the position between the folded and unfolded positions;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view illustrating the support unit when the casings are in the folded position;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view illustrating the one of the hinge units when the casings are in the folded position;

FIG. 29 is a top view of the compensation subunit, illustrating the driving pin of the crank member being moved relative to the rotating plate by a first predetermined final distance when the casings are in the folded position; and

FIG. 30 is a bottom view of the compensation subunit, illustrating the driven pin of the crank member being moved relative to the rotating plate by a second predetermined final distance when the casings are in the folded position.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5 , an embodiment of an outward-folding display device 100 according to the disclosure is adapted to be connected to a flexible display (not shown), and is convertible between an unfolded state (see FIGS. 1 and 2 ) and a folded state (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 ). In the present embodiment, the word “flexible” refers to the mechanical property of a material that is bendable within a specific range under external forces without breaking, and yet is not extendable in length or width.

Referring further to FIGS. 6 and 7 , the outward-folding display device 100 includes a casing unit 1 , a display protection module 2 , two hinge units 3 , a connecting tube 4 , a support unit 5 and two block boards 6 .

The casing unit 1 includes two flat casings 11 that are arranged in a lengthwise direction (D 1 ), and that are adapted to be connected to the flexible display.

In the present embodiment, the two casings 11 include a first casing 11 a and a second casing 11 b . Each of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b includes a first casing member 111 and a second casing member 112 that are connected together. The first casing member 111 of each of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b is formed with a mounting space 113 , such that a plurality of electronic components (not shown) may be mounted therein. Specifically, the electronic components, which are electrically connected to the flexible display, are mounted in the mounting space 113 of the first casing member 111 of each of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b before the first and second casing members 111 , 112 of each of the casings 11 are connected together during a manufacturing process of the outward-folding display device 100 . However, in other variations of the embodiment, each of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b may be formed integrally as one piece.

In the present embodiment, the first casing member 111 includes a base wall 114 , and a surrounding wall 115 extending from a periphery of the base wall 114 . The second casing member 112 is connected to the surrounding wall 115 of the first casing member 111 , and has a folding surface 15 which is opposite to the flexible display. The base wall 114 has a first edge 114 a and a second edge 114 b that are disposed respectively at opposite sides of the folding surface 15 , and is formed with two connecting indentations 114 c that are arranged along the first edge 114 a.

The case unit 1 further includes a flexible casing board 12 and a sliding board 13 . The casing board 12 is connected between the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b and covers the hinge units 3 . The sliding board 13 is disposed on and slidably mounted to the base wall 114 of the second casing 11 b . The base wall 114 of the first casing 11 a is configured to be disposed closer to the flexible display than the base wall 114 of the second casing 11 b is, and the base wall 114 of the first casing 11 a , the casing board 12 and the sliding board 13 cooperatively define a display surface 14 that is adapted to be connected to the flexible display. Specifically, with the flexible display being connected to the sliding board 13 which is slidable relative to the second casing 11 b , the flexible display is also slidable relative to the second casing 11 b.

The second casing 11 b further has a plurality of buffer slots 114 d , a plurality of cut-out sections 114 e and a plurality of limiting holes 114 f.

The buffer slots 114 d are formed in the base wall 114 of the second casing 11 b , and are arranged along two imaginary parallel lines that are respectively proximate to the first and second edges 114 a , 114 b of the base wall 114 of the second casing 11 b . Each of the buffer slots 114 d has a default end 1141 and a buffer end 1142 that are opposite to each other, and that are respectively distal from and proximate to the first edge 114 a of the base wall 114 . The cut-out sections 114 e are formed in the base wall 114 of the second casing 11 b and are disposed between the abovementioned two imaginary parallel lines. The limiting holes 114 f are respectively in spatial communication with the cut-out sections 114 e.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the display protection module 2 is mounted in the second casing 11 b of the case unit 1 , and includes a plurality of buffer blocks 21 , a plurality of linking blocks 22 and a plurality of resilient members 23 .

The buffer blocks 21 slidably and respectively engage the buffer slots 114 d of the second casing 11 b , and are connected to the sliding board 13 . The linking blocks 22 are disposed respectively in the limiting holes 114 f , and are connected to the sliding board 13 . Each of the resilient members 23 is mounted on a respective one of the cut-out sections 114 e of the second casing 11 b , and has opposite ends that are connected respectively to the second casing 11 b and the sliding board 13 via a respective one of the linking blocks 22 . In other words, each of the linking blocks 22 interconnects a respective one of the resilient members 23 and the sliding board 13 .

In the present embodiment, the resilient members 23 are pre-compressed before being mounted on the cut-out sections 114 e of the base wall 114 of the second casing 11 b , and are capable of biasing the sliding board 13 toward the second edge 114 b of the base wall 114 when each of the buffer blocks 21 is moved from the default end 1141 toward the buffer end 1142 of a respective one of the buffer slots 114 d of the second casing 11 b . In virtue of the above-mentioned configurations of the sliding board 13 and the display protection module 2 , the flexible display is protected from being damaged by unexpected pulling as a result of malfunction of the outward-folding display device 100 . Further details regarding this feature will be described later.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the hinge units 3 are spaced apart in a width direction (D 2 ) that is perpendicular to the lengthwise direction (D 1 ), and are connected between the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b . Specifically, for the base wall 114 of each of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b , the connecting indentations 114 c of the base wall 114 are respectively engaged with the hinge units 3 , and the first edge 114 a is connected to the hinge units 3 , such that the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b are convertible between an unfolded position (see FIGS. 1 and 2 ) and a folded position (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 ).

When the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b are in the unfolded position, the folding surfaces 15 of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b are coplanar and are perpendicular to a height direction (D 3 ) which is perpendicular to the lengthwise and width directions (D 1 , D 2 ). When the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b are in the folded position, the folding surfaces 15 of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b face toward each other and are perpendicular to the lengthwise direction (D 1 ).

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 12 , each of the hinge units 3 includes a shaft holder 31 , two drive shafts 32 , a synchronizer 33 , a plurality of torsion plates 34 , a flexible connection subunit 35 , two compensation subunits 36 and a shaft cap 37 . Since the two hinge units 3 are symmetrical in the width direction (D 2 ) in the present embodiment, for the sake of brevity, only one of the hinge units 3 is described in details in the following paragraphs.

The shaft holder 31 has a connecting portion 311 extending in the width direction (D 2 ), two pivot block portions 313 connected to the connecting portion 311 and spaced apart in the width direction (D 2 ) along a first axis (L 1 ), and two bushing portions 312 connected to the connecting portion 311 and spaced apart in the width direction (D 2 ) along a second axis (L 2 ).

The drive shafts 32 are spaced apart in the lengthwise direction (D 1 ). Each of the drive shafts 32 extends through the bushing portions 312 of the shaft holder 31 along a shaft axis (X) that extends in the width direction (D 2 ), and is rotatable about the shaft axis (X).

Referring further to FIGS. 13 to 15 , each of the drive shafts 32 has a driving portion 321 , a syncing portion 322 , and an extending portion 323 .

For each of the drive shafts 32 , the syncing portion 322 and the extending portion 323 are connected respectively to opposite ends of the driving portion 321 in the width direction (D 2 ). The driving portion 321 is disposed between the bushing portions 312 of the shaft holder 31 , and has an outer surrounding surface that surrounds the shaft axis (X) and that has two flat surface sections 321 a and a curved surface section 321 b . The flat surface sections 321 a are perpendicular to each other and are connected to the curved surface section 321 b . The extending portion 323 has a polygonal cross section. In this embodiment, the syncing portion 322 is formed with two guiding grooves 322 a that extend helically about the shaft axis (X), and the two guiding grooves 322 a of one of the drive shafts 32 are symmetrical with those of the other one of the drive shafts 32 (see FIG. 15 ).

The synchronizer 33 is clamped between the syncing portions 322 of the drive shafts 32 , and has two concave surfaces 323 a and four guiding blocks 323 b . The concave surfaces 323 a are formed symmetrically on opposite ends of the synchronizer 33 . The guiding blocks 323 b are evenly distributed on the opposite ends of the synchronizer 33 , protrude from the concave surfaces 323 a , and are engaged respectively and symmetrically with the guiding grooves 322 a of the syncing portions 322 of the drive shafts 32 so that the rotations of the drive shafts 32 about the shaft axes (X) are synchronized and are respectively in opposite directions. It should be noted that, in a variation of the present embodiment, the number of the guiding block 323 b on each of the opposite ends of the synchronizer 33 may be one, and the number of the guiding groove 322 a of each of the drive shafts 32 may be one as well.

The torsion plates 34 are arranged along the width direction (D 2 ) and tightly abut against each other, and each of the torsion plates 34 is connected to the extending portions 323 of the drive shafts 32 for providing torsion to the drive shafts 32 . The greater the number of the torsion plates 34 , the greater the total torsion.

Referring back to FIGS. 10 and 11 , the connection subunit 35 is connected between the pivot block portions 313 of the shaft holder 31 , and has two connecting ends 351 . A length of the connection subunit 35 is maintained constant. In the present embodiment, the connection subunit 35 is a chain, and includes a plurality of connecting pins 353 and a plurality of links 352 serially interconnected by the connecting pins 353 . Specifically, the links 352 are arranged in two rows, and each of the links 352 includes a plurality of link plates 352 a arranged in the width direction (D 2 ) and abutting against each other. The opposite outermost ones of the connecting pins 353 are respectively located at the two connecting ends 351 of the connecting subunit 35 and are connected respectively to the two compensation subunits 36 . Another one of the connecting pins 353 located in the middle of the connection subunit 35 is connected between the pivot block portions 313 of the shaft holder 31 .

However, the connection subunit 35 is not limited to the chain. In variations of the embodiment, the connection subunit 35 may include other bendable materials.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 16 , the compensation subunits 36 are opposite to each other in the lengthwise direction (D 1 ). Each of the compensation subunits 36 includes a rotating plate 361 , two sliding blocks 362 , a crank member 363 , a driving plate 364 and a driven plate 365 .

The rotating plates 361 of the compensation subunits 36 are respectively connected to the drive shafts 32 , the driving plates 364 of the compensation subunits 36 are connected to the connection subunit 35 , and the driven plates 365 of the compensation subunits 36 are respectively connected to the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b.

The rotating plate 361 of each of the compensation subunits 36 has a rotating plate portion 361 a , a sleeve portion 361 b and two guiding protrusions 361 c.

The rotating plate portion 361 a is connected co-rotatably to the driving portion 321 of a respective one of the drive shafts 32 via the sleeve portion 361 b . Specifically, the sleeve portion 361 b is fixedly connected to the rotating plate portion 361 a , and is formed with a shaft hole 3610 that is fittingly engaged with the driving portion 321 of the respective one of the drive shafts 32 . The guiding protrusions 361 c are connected to opposite ends of the plate portion 361 a in the width direction (D 2 ).

Referring to FIG. 16 , the rotating plate portion 361 a of the rotating plate 361 has opposite first and second surfaces 3611 , 3612 , a first outer edge 3613 , two elongated track slots 3614 , a circular-sector-shaped crank recess 3615 , a pin hole 3616 and an arc-shaped slot 3617 .

The first and second surfaces 3611 , 3612 of the rotating plate portion 361 a are respectively distal from and proximate to the folding surface 15 of a respective one of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b . The first outer edge 3613 is distal from the driving portion 321 of the respective one of the drive shafts 32 (i.e., the first outer edge 3613 is distal from the sleeve portion 361 b of the rotating plate 361 ), and extends in the width direction (D 2 ). The track slots 3614 extend through the first and second surfaces 3611 , 3612 , and are parallel to the guiding protrusions 361 c of the rotating plate 361 . The crank recess 3615 is formed in the first surface 3611 and has an arc end 3615 c . The pin hole 3616 and the arc-shaped slot 3617 are respectively distal from and proximate to the arc end 3615 c of the crank recess 3615 , and extend from the crank recess 3615 through the second surface 3612 . The arc-shaped slot 3617 has an unfolded end section 3618 and a folded end section 3619 .

The driving plate 364 of each of the compensation subunits 36 has a side protruding portion 364 a , a second outer edge 364 b and an elongated driving slot 364 c , is slidably connected to the first surface 3611 of the rotating plate 361 of the compensation subunit 36 , and is connected to a respective one of the connecting ends 351 of the connecting subunit 35 .

Specifically, the sliding blocks 362 slidably and respectively engage the track slots 3614 , and are connected to the driving plate 364 . The side protruding portion 364 a of the driving plate 364 is connected to a respective one of the opposite outermost ones of the connecting pins 353 of the connecting subunit 35 . The second outer edge 364 b is distal from the respective one of the connecting ends 351 of the connecting subunit 35 (i.e., the second outer edge 364 b is distal from the side protruding portion 364 a ), and is parallel to the first outer edge 3613 of the rotating plate 361 . The driving slot 364 c is in spatial communication with the crank recess 3615 of the rotating plate 361 .

The driven plate 365 of each of the compensation subunits 36 is received in a respective one of the connecting indentations 114 c of the respective one of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b (see FIG. 6 ), and has a driven plate portion 365 a and two spaced-apart track block portions 365 b.

The driven plate portion 365 a is slidably connected to the second surface 3612 of the rotating plate 361 , is co-movably connected to the respective one of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b , and has an elongated driven slot 365 c that is in spatial communication with the arc-shaped slot 3617 of the rotating plate 361 . The track block portions 365 b are connected to the driven plate portion 365 a , are spaced apart from each other in the width direction (D 2 ), and are respectively formed with two track grooves 365 d . The guiding protrusions 361 c of the rotating plate 361 engage slidably and respectively the track grooves 365 d of track block portions 365 b of the driven plate 365 . Referring further to FIG. 17 , the crank member 363 of each of the compensation subunits 36 is received in the crank recess 3615 of the rotating plate 361 , and has an arm portion 363 a , a rotating pin 363 b , a driving pin 363 c and a driven pin 363 d.

The rotating, driving and driven pins 363 b , 363 c , 363 d are spaced apart and are connected to the arm portion 363 a.

The rotating pin 363 b rotatably engages the pin hole 3616 of the rotating plate 361 . The driving pin 363 c slidably engages the driving slot 364 c of the driving plate 364 . The driven pin 363 d slidably extends through the arc-shaped slot 3617 of the rotating plate 361 and slidably engages the driven slot 365 c of the driven plate 365 . The driving pin 363 c and the driven pin 363 d are respectively proximate to and distal from the rotating pin 363 b.

When the casings 11 are converted from the unfolded position to the folded position, the driving plate 364 slides relative to the rotating plate 361 by a first predetermined final distance (d 1 ′) (see FIG. 29 ) and cooperates with the rotating plate 361 to drive the crank member 363 to rotate in the rank recess 3615 about the rotating pin 363 b relative to the rotating plate 361 , thereby causing the driven pin 363 d to slide from the unfolded end section 3618 to the folded end section 3619 of the arc-shaped slot 3617 , and driving the driven plate 365 and the respective one of the casings 11 to cooperatively move by a second predetermined final distance (d 2 ′) (see FIG. 30 ) relative to the rotating plate 361 which is larger than the first predetermined final distance (d 1 ′).

It should be noted that the above-mentioned configuration and operation of the compensation subunits 36 play an important role in protecting the flexible display from being damaged. Further details regarding this feature will be described later.

Referring to FIG. 9 , the shaft caps 37 of the hinge units 3 are spaced apart in the width direction (D 2 ). For each of the hinge units 3 , the shaft cap 37 has a first fixing hole 371 facing the casing board 12 , is sleeved on the syncing portions 322 of the drive shafts 32 , and covers the synchronizer 33 .

The connecting tube 4 extends in the width direction (D 2 ), and has two second fixing holes 41 spaced apart in the width direction (D 2 ) and facing the casing board 12 . One end of the connecting tube 4 is sleeved on the extending portions 323 of the drive shafts 32 of one of the hinge units 3 , and the other end thereof is sleeved on the extending portions 323 of the drive shafts 32 of the other one of the hinge units 3 .

Referring to FIG. 6 , the support unit 5 covers the hinge units 3 and the connecting tube 4 , and is mounted beneath the casing board 12 for providing consistent support to the casing board 12 during the conversion of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b.

Specifically, referring to FIGS. 18 and 19 , the support unit 5 includes a first steel strip 51 , two steel plates 52 , two second steel strips 53 and two connecting boards 54 .

The first steel strip 51 extends in the width direction (D 2 ), covers the shaft caps 37 of the hinge units 3 and the connecting tube 4 , and is secured to the shaft caps 37 and the connecting tube 4 by four fastening members (not shown) that fixedly and respectively engage the first fixing holes 371 of the shaft caps 37 and the second fixing holes 41 of the connecting tube 4 .

The steel plates 52 extend in the width direction (D 2 ), and one of the steel plates 52 covers one of the compensation subunits 36 of one of the hinge units 3 and a respective one of the compensation subunits 36 of the other one of the hinge units 3 which is aligned with the one of the compensation subunits 36 of the one of the hinge units 3 . The other one of the steel plates 52 covers the other one of the compensation subunits 36 of the one of the hinge units 3 and the other one of the compensation subunits 36 of the other one of the hinge units 3 which is aligned with the other one of the compensation subunits 36 of the one of the hinge units 3 .

The second steel strips 53 extend in the width direction (D 2 ), are disposed between the steel plates 52 and flank the first steel strip 51 . The connecting boards 54 extend in the width direction (D 2 ). Each of the connecting boards 54 covers a respective one of the steel plates 52 and a respective one of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b , and is fixedly connected the respective one of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b.

In the present embodiment, the outward-folding display device 100 further includes a soft layer 7 which is shown in FIGS. 6 and 18 . The second steel strips 53 are not directly connected to the first steel strip 51 and the steel plates 52 . Instead, the first and second steel strips 51 , 53 , the steel plates 52 and the connecting boards 54 are all embedded in the soft layer 7 which is formed by injection molding technique. In such a manner, the soft layer 7 is disposed beneath the casing board 12 , covers the support unit 5 , and connects the first and second steel strips 51 , 53 , the steel plates 52 and the connecting boards 54 all together. In the present embodiment, the soft layer 7 is made of silicone rubber.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 , the block boards 6 extend in the width direction (D 2 ) and flank the connecting tube 4 .

Specifically, one of the block boards 6 is connected to the rotating plate 361 of one of the compensation subunits 36 of one of the hinge units 3 and the rotating plate 361 of a respective one of the compensation subunits 36 of the other one of the hinge units 3 which is aligned with the one of the compensation subunits 36 of the one of the hinge units 3 . The other one of the block boards 6 is connected to the rotating plate 361 of the other one of the compensation subunits 36 of the one of the hinge units 3 and the other one of the compensation subunits 36 of the other one of the hinge units 3 which is aligned with the other one of the compensation subunits 36 of the one of the hinge units 3 .

Referring again to FIG. 2 , when the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b are in the unfolded position, the block boards 6 are exposed from a gap between the folding surfaces 15 of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 6, 10 and 17 , when the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b are in the unfolded position, the display surface 14 , the casing board 12 and the support unit 5 are all flat. The connection subunit 35 of each of the hinge units 3 extends in the lengthwise direction (D 1 ), and the synchronizers 33 of the hinge units 3 are proximate to the shaft holders 31 of the hinge units 3 . For each of the compensation subunits 36 of each of the hinge units 3 , the second outer edge 364 b of the driving plate 364 and the first outer edge 3613 of the rotating plate 361 are flushed. The driven pin 363 d of the crank member 363 is at the unfolded end section 3618 of the arc-shaped slot 3617 of the rotating plate 361 . The sliding blocks 362 are distal from the corresponding drive shaft 32 .

Referring to FIGS. 22 to 26 , when the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b are converted from the unfolded position toward the folded position, for each of the compensation subunits 36 of each of the hinge units 3 , the rotating plate 361 rotates about the shaft axis (X) of the corresponding drive shaft 32 in a folding direction (F 1 ) (see FIGS. 2 and 22 ). Since the first axis (L 1 ) is above the shaft axes (X), and since the length of the connection subunit 35 is maintained constant, the driving plate 364 is pulled by the connection subunit 35 to slide relative to the rotating plate 361 while rotating with the rotating plate 361 in the folding direction (F 1 ) at the same time. The sliding blocks 362 , which are connected to the driving plate 364 , slide with the driving plate 364 in the respective track slots 3614 of the rotating plate 361 for guiding and stabilizing the slide movement of the driving plate 364 .

Meanwhile, driven by the slide movement of the driving plate 364 relative to the rotating plate 361 , the crank member 363 begins to rotate relative to the rotating plate 361 . Specifically, the driving pin 363 c of the crank member 363 is driven by the driving plate 364 such that crank member 363 rotates about the rotating pin 363 b thereof in the crank recess 3615 of the rotating plate 361 , thereby causing the driven pin 363 d of the crank member 363 to slide in the arc-shaped slot 3617 from the unfolded end section 3618 toward the folded end section 3619 while remaining engaged with the driven slot 365 c of the driven plate 354 .

As a result, the rotating and driving plates 361 , 364 cooperatively drive the driven plate 365 and the respective one of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b to slide relative to the rotating plate 361 via the slidable engagement between the guiding protrusions 361 c of the rotating plate 361 and the track grooves 365 d of the driven plate 365 .

It should be noted that, as the driving plate 364 slides relative to the rotating plate 361 by a first predetermined distance (d 1 ) (see FIG. 25 ), the driven plate 365 slides relative to the rotating plate 361 by a second predetermined distance (d 2 ) (see FIG. 26 ). The first and second predetermined distances (d 1 , d 2 ) are in proportion with each other, and the second predetermined distance (d 2 ) is larger than the first predetermined distance (d 1 ).

In virtue of this feature, the flexible display, being connected to the driven plates 365 of the hinge units 3 via the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b , follows the above-mentioned movement of the driven plates 365 and is protected from being pulled and damaged. At the same time, the casing board 12 and support unit 5 are bent to conform to the movement of the hinge units 3 and consistently provide support to the flexible display.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5 and FIGS. 27 to 30 , when the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b are in the folded position, the folding surfaces 15 are facing toward each other and are perpendicular to the lengthwise direction (D 1 ). The display surface 14 , the casing board 12 and the support unit 5 are bent to conform to the conversion of the hinge units 3 . The synchronizers 33 of the hinge units 3 are distal from the shaft holders 31 of the hinge units 3 . For each of the compensation subunits 36 of each of the hinge units 3 , the second outer edge 364 b of the driving plate 364 is spaced apart from the first outer edge 3613 of the rotating plate 361 by the first predetermined final distance (d 1 ′), that is, the driving plate 364 has slid relative to the rotating plate 361 by the first predetermined final distance (d 1 ′). The driven pin 363 d of the crank member 363 is at the folded end section 3619 of the arc-shaped slot 3617 of the rotating plate 361 , that is, the driven plate 365 has slid relative to the rotating plate 361 by the second predetermined final distance (d 2 ′). The sliding blocks 362 are proximate to the corresponding drive shafts 32 .

Referring again to FIGS. 6 and 7 , under normal circumstances, that is, the hinge units 3 of the outward-folding display device 100 are functioning properly, the flexible display and the sliding board 13 do not slide relative to the second casing 11 b during the above-mentioned conversion process. However, if the hinge units 3 malfunction or cannot function as expected due to reasons such as manufacturing errors or human factors, the flexible display, the sliding board 13 , the buffer and linking blocks 21 , 22 of the display protection module 2 will slide together relative to the second casing 11 b . Thus, the flexible display is protected from being damaged.

Specifically, during operation of the display protection module 2 when the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b are converted from the unfolded position to the folded position, each of the buffer blocks 21 will move from the default end 1141 to the buffer end 1142 of a respective one of the buffer slots 114 d . Each of the linking blocks 22 will move from a respective one of the limiting hole 114 f into a corresponding one of the cut-out sections 114 e against a resilient force of a respective one of the resilient members 23 .

Moreover, by virtue of the resilient force of the resilient members 23 , when the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b are converted from the folded position back to the unfolded position, the linking blocks 22 will be biased back to the limiting holes 114 f , and the buffer blocks 21 will move from the buffer ends 1142 to the default ends 1141 of the buffer slots 114 d , so that the flexible display will not be creased.

It should be noted that the second casing 11 b and the display protection module 2 are not limited to be in the outward-folding display device 100 of the present embodiment. In other variations of the embodiment, the second casing 11 b and the display protection module 2 may be combined with other types of hinge, pivot device or casing, etc.

In summary, the outward-folding display device 100 of the present embodiment has advantages as follows.

By virtue of the synchronizers 33 of the hinge units 3 , the rotations of the drive shafts 32 of the hinge units 3 are synchronized, which helps facilitate and stabilize the conversion process of the first and second casings 11 a , 11 b . Also, the compensation subunits 36 of the hinge units 3 compensate the displacement resulting from the conversion process, and protect the flexible display from being damaged. Finally, in cases where the hinge units 3 fail to function properly, the flexible display is still protected by the display protection module 2 .

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what are considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.