TWI885800B - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

A display device including a base having a curved rail and a linear rail, a display, a first shaft, a second shaft, and a cable is provided. The curved rail has a first end, a second end, and a concave therebetween. The linear rail is located at a position facing away the concave. The cable electrically connected to the display penetrates a window of the display and extends into the base. The cable has a first fixed end fixed to the window and a second fixed end fixed to the base. The first shaft disposed to the display is pivotably and movably coupled to the curved rail, and the second shaft disposed to the display is pivotably and movably coupled to the linear rail, such that the display is pivoted relative to the base to be transformed between a portrait state and a landscape state. A portion of the cable between the first and the second fixed ends is received in the concave during the transformation.

Description

Display device

The present invention relates to a display device.

Computer systems have become an indispensable part of modern life. With the advancement of technology and the needs of different applications, not only has the hardware performance improved rapidly, but the overall architecture has also developed in a diversified way. From desktop computer systems to laptop computer systems, they represent two different needs in terms of functionality and portability, and different architectures can be extended and developed. Regardless of the above, as the usage scenarios increase, the screen can be rotated accordingly and provide the required portrait display mode or landscape display mode, so that the computer system can expand its image display function.

However, this is accompanied by design problems in the mechanism in order to achieve the above rotation. For example, in order to make the rotation smooth and accommodate related components, the thickness of the body will inevitably increase. Furthermore, for the connection of wires or cables, sufficient space must be provided to cope with the rotation. In this way, the design of the body is obviously deviated from the trend of being thin and short, and it also compromises portability.

The present invention provides a display device having a better cable routing configuration to cope with a rotatable screen and enable the display device to have a compact structure and a thin and light appearance.

The display device of the present invention includes a base, a screen, a first axis, a second axis and a cable. The base has a curved track and a straight track, the curved track has a first end, a second end and a notch formed therebetween, and the straight track is located at the notch opposite to the curved track. The cable is electrically connected to the screen and passes through the window of the screen and extends into the base. The cable has a first fixed end fixed to the window and a second fixed end fixed to the base, the first fixed end rotates with the screen relative to the base, and the second fixed end is located next to the second end. The first axis is arranged on the screen and is pivotally and movably connected to the curved track, and the second axis is arranged on the screen and is pivotally and movably connected to the straight track, so that the screen is parallel and rotated relative to the base, and switches between a straight state and a horizontal state, and during the switching process, a portion of the cable between the first fixed end and the second fixed end is accommodated in the recess. When the first axis is located at the first end, the screen is in the horizontal state and the screen and the base are completely overlapped. When the first axis is located at the second end, the screen is in the straight state and the screen and the base are partially overlapped. When the screen is in a horizontal state, the orthographic projection of the first fixed end on the base forms a connecting line with the second fixed end, and the curved track is located between the connecting line and the straight track.

Based on the above, the screen is rotatably and movably coupled to the curved track and the straight track with the first axis and the second axis respectively, so that the screen can rotate parallel to the base, and due to the combination of the curved track and the straight track, the screen can avoid interference with the structure of the bottom of the base during the rotation process.

More importantly, as a cable electrically connected to the screen, the window of the screen and the curved track are adapted, and the cable has a first fixed end fixed to the window and a second fixed end fixed to the base, and after the first fixed end and the second fixed end form a connection, the curved track is located between the straight tracks of the connection. In this way, when the screen rotates relative to the base, the cable will bend partially between the first fixed end and the second fixed end, and the bend can be accommodated in the notch of the curved track.

Accordingly, through the above-mentioned fixed bending mode, the cable will not interfere with or get stuck with the surrounding structure during the rotation of the screen. At the same time, due to the existence of the first fixed end and the second fixed end, the space required for the cable to deform is still limited between the screen and the base, and the thickness of the screen device is not affected. In other words, the thickness of the screen device can have a compact structure configuration and a thin thickness due to the deformation restriction of the cable.

10: Laptop computer

100: Display device

110: Base

111:Curved track

111a: Notch

111b: Inflection point

111c: Positioning depression

112: Straight track

113: Window

120: Screen

121: Part 1

121a: Window

122: Part 2

123: bottom edge

130: Cable

131: First fixed end

132: Second fixed end

133: Pre-folding section

140: Elastic parts

200:Host

240: Elastic mechanism

241: Buffer seat

242: Connector

243:Linear spring

300: Hinge

B1: Bottom edge

E1: First end

E2: Second end

E2a: Outer edge

E3: The third end

E4: The fourth end

H1, H2, H3: Distance

LN:Connection

P1: First axis

P2: Second axis

Q1: First Quadrant

Q2: Second Quadrant

Q3: The third quadrant

Q4: The fourth quadrant

W1, W2: Width

FIG1A is a schematic diagram of a notebook computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the laptop computer in FIG. 1A in another state.

Figure 2A is an exploded view of some components of a laptop computer.

Figure 2B shows some components of Figure 2A from another perspective.

FIG. 3A shows a front view of the display device in a landscape position.

Figure 3B is a simplified schematic diagram of Figure 3A.

FIG4A shows a front view of the display device in an intermediate state.

Figure 4B is a simplified schematic diagram of Figure 4A.

FIG. 5A shows a front view of the display device in a vertical position.

Figure 5B is a simplified schematic diagram of Figure 5A.

Figures 6A to 6C are schematic diagrams of a display device in different states according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a laptop computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the laptop computer of FIG. 1A in another state. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 simultaneously. This embodiment takes a laptop computer 10 as an example, which includes a host computer 200, a display device 100 and a hinge 300. The display device 100 and the host computer 200 are connected to each other through the hinge 300 to facilitate the display device 100 to rotate and open relative to the host computer 200. It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the electronic product that the display device 100 is compatible with. In other embodiments not shown, the display device can also be a home appliance screen product, a desktop screen, an all-in-one (AIO) computer or any electronic product with an image display function.

FIG. 2A is an exploded view of some components of a notebook computer. FIG. 2B shows some components of FIG. 2A from another perspective. Please refer to FIG. 1B, FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B simultaneously. The display device 100 of this embodiment includes a base 110 and a screen 120, wherein the base 110 is connected to the host 200 via a hinge 300. Here, the screen 120 is further divided into a component 1 121 and a component 2 122 to facilitate the subsequent identification and description of the structural features required for rotation. FIG. 3A shows a front view of the display device in a horizontal state. Please refer to FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B and FIG. 3A. The base 110 of this embodiment has a curved track 111 and a straight track 112, wherein the curved track 111 has a first end E1 and a second end E2, and a notch 111a is formed between the first end E1 and the second end E2, and the straight track 112 is located on one side of the curved track 111 and is located opposite to the notch 111a.

The display device 100 further includes a first axis P1, a second axis P2, and a cable 130. The first axis P1 is disposed on the screen 120 and is rotatably and movably connected to the curved track 111. The second axis P2 is disposed on the screen 120 and is rotatably and movably connected to the linear track 112. The first axis P1 and the second axis P2 are respectively matched with the curved track 111 and the linear track 112, so that the screen 120 is parallel to and rotates relative to the base 110, and the screen 120 is switched between a portrait state (as shown in FIG. 1B) and a landscape state (as shown in FIG. 1A or FIG. 3A) relative to the base 110. When the first axis P1 is located at the first end E1, the screen 120 is in a horizontal state and the screen 120 and the base 110 are completely overlapped. In this embodiment, the curved track 111 has positioning recesses 111c at the first end E1 and the second end E2, respectively, for positioning when the first axis P1 moves to the first end E1 or the second end E2.

Referring to FIG. 2A , the screen 120 has a window 121a that passes through a local area of its component 121. The cable 130 is electrically connected to the screen 120 and extends into the base 110 through the window 121a of the screen 120. Specifically, the cable 130 has a first fixed end 131 and a second fixed end 132. The first fixed end 131 is fixed to the screen 120 and can be arranged along the edge (corner) of the window 121a according to the requirements of the line design. The first fixed end 131 rotates with the screen 120 relative to the base 110. The second fixed end 132 passes through the window 121a and extends to be fixed to the base 110 and is located next to the second end E2. When the screen 120 is in a horizontal state, the orthographic projection of the first fixed end 131 on the base 110 forms a line LN with the second fixed end 132, and the curved track 111 is located between the line LN and the straight track 112. In addition, the orthographic projection of the window 121a on the base 110 is relatively located below the curved track 111, that is, the curved track 111 is located between the window 121a and the straight track 112.

FIG. 3B is a simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3A. FIG. 4A is a front view of the display device in the middle state. FIG. 4B is a simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 4A. FIG. 5A is a front view of the display device in the vertical state. FIG. 5B is a simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 5A. Here, the screen 120 in the above simplified schematic diagrams is dotted to present a different expression from FIG. 3A, FIG. 4A and FIG. 5A, so as to facilitate marking the coordinates of the relevant components or positions.

Please refer to FIG. 3A, FIG. 4A and FIG. 5A, which show the process of screen 120 rotating relative to base 110 from 0 degree (FIG. 3A), 53 degree (FIG. 4A) to 90 degree (FIG. 5A), wherein FIG. 3A is a horizontal state, FIG. 5A is a vertical state, and FIG. 4A is an intermediate state. In this embodiment, the curved track 111 further has an inflection point 111b, which is located between the first end E1 and the second end E2, and the notch 111a is formed by the first end E1, the second end E2 and the inflection point 111b. In the horizontal state, the first axis P1 is located at the first end E1. When the first axis P1 moves to the inflection point 111b, the screen 120 is in the middle state relative to the base 110, and when the first axis P1 is located at the second end E2, the screen 120 is in the vertical state and the screen 120 and the base 110 partially overlap. At the same time, it can also ensure that the lower left corner of the screen 120 in the horizontal state is located above the bottom of the base 110 during the conversion process from Figure 3A to Figure 5A, and especially passes above the hinge 300, thereby avoiding the occurrence of structural interference.

The following further establishes the corresponding relationship between related components through the description of coordinates.

Please refer to Figure 3B. In the horizontal state, the center point of the screen 120 is used as the reference as the origin (0,0) of the X-Y coordinate, the coordinates of the first end E1 are (X1, Y1), the coordinates of the second end E2 are (X2, Y2), and the coordinates of the inflection point 111b are (X3, Y3). The first end E1 is located in the third quadrant Q3 of the X-Y coordinate, the second end E2 and the inflection point 111b are located in the first quadrant Q1 of the X-Y coordinate, and |X3|<|X2|<|X1|. Furthermore, the coordinates (X5, Y5) of the first fixed end 131 are located in the third quadrant Q3 of the X-Y coordinates like the first end E1, where |X5|>|X1|, |Y5|>|Y1|; the coordinates (X6, Y6) of the second fixed end 132 are located in the first quadrant Q1 of the X-Y coordinates like the second end E2, where |X6|>|X2|, |Y6|<|Y2|. The first fixed end 131 is at a distance H3 from the bottom edge 123 of the screen 120, the second end E2 is at a distance H2 from the bottom edge 123, the first end E1 is at a distance H1 from the bottom edge 123, and H3<H1<H2. In this embodiment, the bottom edge 123 is equivalent to being located on the straight line of the equation Y=a, a<0, that is, the bottom edge 123 of the screen 120 passes through the third quadrant Q3 and the fourth quadrant Q4 of the X-Y coordinate.

Next, please refer to the straight track 112 shown in FIG. 3A , FIG. 4A and FIG. 5A . In this embodiment, the straight track 112 has a third end E3 and a fourth end E4 opposite to each other, the third end E3 is adjacent to the curved track 111, and the fourth end E4 is far from the curved track 111. In the transverse state, the second axis P2 is adjacent to the third end E3 and far from the fourth end E4. In the intermediate state, the second axis P2 is adjacent to the fourth end E4 and far from the third end E3. In the straight state, the second axis P2 is located at the third end E3. In addition, the display device 100 of this embodiment further includes an elastic member 140, such as a torsion spring, located between the base 110 and the component 1 121, and connected between the base 110 and the second axis P2, and the elastic member 140 constantly drives the second axis P2 to move toward the third end E3. Accordingly, when the user applies force to the screen 120 to convert it from the horizontal state to the intermediate state, it is equivalent to applying force to the elastic member 140 and driving it to deform (and accumulate elastic force). Therefore, in the subsequent process of the screen 120 converting from the intermediate state to the vertical state, the user does not need to apply force again, and can use the elastic force of the elastic member 140 to drive the screen 120 to complete the conversion, which is equivalent to using the accumulated elastic force to drive the second axis P2 to move back to the third end E3 again, thereby achieving a labor-saving effect.

Next, please refer to FIG. 3B, FIG. 4B and FIG. 5B. In this embodiment, the coordinates (X4, Y4) of any point on the straight track 112 are located in the second quadrant Q2 of the X-Y coordinate, where |X4|<|X1|, |X1|:|X4|=3:2, and the straight track 112 is parallel to the Y axis and is between the first end E1 and the inflection point 111b.

As for the cable 130, its first fixed end 131 is fixed to the window 121a of the screen 120, so it rotates with the screen 120 (as shown in the transition from FIG. 3A to FIG. 4A to FIG. 5A), and the second fixed end 132 of the cable 130 is fixed to the window 113 of the base 110, wherein the window 113 is adjacent to the second end E2 of the curved track 111. As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the portion between the first fixed end 131 and the second fixed end 132 of the cable 130 substantially extends from the front surface of the component 1 121 through the window 121a to the rear surface of the component 1 121, and then penetrates into the window 113 of the base 110, that is, the second fixed end 132 of the cable 130 is between the rear surface of the component 1 121 and the window 113 of the base 110. Accordingly, during the rotation of the screen 120 relative to the base 110, the cable 130 needs to maintain a sufficient length for it to bend. Here, the length of the cable 130 between the first fixed end 131 and the second fixed end 132 is L, and 2.5×(|X1|+|X2|)≦L≦3×(|X1|+|X2|).

Please refer to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B again. In the intermediate state shown, the local cable 130 moves with the rotation of the screen 120 and is temporarily accommodated in the notch 111a of the curved track 111. Since the cable at the notch 111a is bent, there is a minimum wire-avoiding space between the bottom edge B1 of the window 121a and the outer edge E2a of the second end E2 for the bent cable 130 to pass through. Here, the width W1 of the wire-avoiding space is greater than the width W2 of the cable 130. In other words, the designer can ensure the above correspondence between the wire-avoiding space and the cable 130 by designing the appearance of the window 121a and matching the intermediate state when the bottom edge B1 of the window 121a is closest to the second end E2.

In addition to making the cable 130 have sufficient length, please view FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B simultaneously. The cable 130 of this embodiment also has a pre-folded portion 133 in the horizontal state, and the pre-folded portion 133 substantially corresponds to the notch 111a, which is equivalent to the orthographic projection of the pre-folded portion 133 on the X-axis overlapping the orthographic projection of the curved track 111 on the X-axis.

In addition, since the X-Y coordinates are fixed to the screen 120 and rotate relative to the base 110, in the horizontal state, the first fixed end 131 and the second fixed end 132 are located in different quadrants of the X-Y coordinates (the first fixed end 131 is located in the third quadrant Q3, and the second fixed end 132 is located in the first quadrant Q1), and in the vertical state, the first fixed end 131 and the second fixed end 132 are located in the same quadrant of the X-Y coordinates (the third quadrant Q3), wherein the first fixed end 131 rotates with the screen 120 and has the same coordinates (X5, Y5), and the second fixed end 132 is fixed to the base 110 and its coordinates are converted to (X7, Y7). At the same time, by comparing FIG. 3A with FIG. 5A, it can be seen that due to the bending of the cable 130, the connection line LN (the relative distance between the first fixed end 131 and the second fixed end 132) is also shortened from that shown in FIG. 3A to that shown in FIG. 5A.

6A to 6C are schematic diagrams of a display device in different states according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6A to 6C , unlike the elastic member 140 shown in the aforementioned embodiment, the elastic mechanism 240 is used as the semi-automatic driving mechanism required between the screen 120 and the base 110 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the elastic mechanism 240 includes a buffer seat 241 disposed on the base 110, a movable connecting seat 242, and a linear spring 243 connected between the buffer seat 241 and the connecting seat 242. The linear spring 243 is equivalent to the elastic member 140 of the aforementioned embodiment. The connecting seat 242 is connected to the second axis P2 away from a part of the linear spring 243 and can move along the linear track 112 along the second axis P2.

Accordingly, the movement mode of the second axis P2 on the linear track 112 is the same as the above-mentioned embodiment, so when the screen 120 rotates 53 degrees relative to the base 110 and reaches the middle state, the second axis P2 moves to the fourth end E4 and deforms the linear spring 243, and then the user can further drive the screen 120 from the middle state shown in FIG. 6B to the straight state shown in FIG. 6C by the elastic force of the linear spring 243.

In summary, in the above embodiments of the present invention, the screen is rotatably and movably coupled to the curved track and the straight track by the first axis and the second axis respectively, so that the screen can rotate parallel to the base, and due to the combination of the curved track and the straight track, the screen can avoid interference with the structure of the bottom of the base during the rotation process.

More importantly, as a cable electrically connected to the screen, the window of the screen and the curved track are adapted, and the cable has a first fixed end fixed to the window and a second fixed end fixed to the base, and after the first fixed end and the second fixed end form a connection, the curved track is located between the straight tracks of the connection. In this way, when the screen rotates relative to the base, the cable will bend partially between the first fixed end and the second fixed end, and the bend can be accommodated in the notch of the curved track, so that the cable can be ensured to be in the predetermined movement path every time it bends. In one embodiment, the center of the screen is used as a reference to define the relative positional relationship between the straight track, the curved track, the first fixed end, and the second fixed end, and the cable length and the pre-folded portion are matched to allow the bend of the cable to be smoothly accommodated in the notch of the curved track.

Through the above-mentioned predetermined bending mode, the cable will not interfere with or get stuck with the surrounding structure during the screen rotation process. At the same time, due to the existence of the first fixed end and the second fixed end, the space required for the cable to deform is still limited between the screen and the base, and will not affect the thickness of the screen device. In other words, the thickness of the screen device can have a compact structure configuration and a thin thickness due to the deformation restriction of the cable.

10: Laptop computer

100: Display device

110: Base

120: Screen

200:Host

300: Hinge

Claims (17)

A display device comprises: A base having a curved track and a linear track, wherein the curved track has a first end and a second end, and a notch is formed between the first end and the second end, and the linear track is located at the notch opposite to the curved track; A screen having a window; A first shaft disposed on the screen, the first shaft being rotatably and movably connected to the curved track; A second axis is disposed on the screen, the second axis is rotatably and movably connected to the linear track, and the first axis and the second axis are respectively matched with the curved track and the linear track, so that the screen is parallel to and rotates relative to the base, and the screen is switched between a portrait state and a landscape state relative to the base. When the first axis is located at the first end, the screen is in the landscape state and the screen and the base are completely overlapped. When the first axis is located at the second end, the screen is in the portrait state and the screen and the base are partially overlapped; and A cable is electrically connected to the screen and extends through the window into the base, wherein the cable has a first fixed end and a second fixed end, the first fixed end is fixed to the window, the first fixed end rotates with the screen relative to the base, the second fixed end is fixed to the base and is located next to the second end, when the screen is in the horizontal state, the orthographic projection of the first fixed end on the base forms a connecting line with the second fixed end, and the curved track is located between the connecting line and the straight track, during the conversion process, the cable generates a bend in the portion between the first fixed end and the second fixed end that is accommodated in the recess. A display device as described in claim 1, wherein the curved track also has an inflection point located between the first end and the second end, the recess is formed by the first end, the second end and the inflection point, and when the first axis moves to the inflection point, the screen is in an intermediate state between the horizontal state and the vertical state relative to the base. A display device as described in claim 2, wherein the straight track has a third end and a fourth end opposite to each other, the third end is adjacent to the curved track, and the fourth end is far from the curved track, in the horizontal state, the second axis is adjacent to the third end and far from the fourth end, in the intermediate state, the second axis is adjacent to the fourth end and far from the third end, and in the vertical state, the second axis is located at the third end. The display device as described in claim 3 further includes an elastic member connected between the base and the second axis, and the elastic member constantly drives the second axis to move toward the third end. A display device as described in claim 2, wherein in the horizontal state, the center point of the screen is used as the reference as the origin (0,0) of the XY coordinates, the coordinates of the first end (X1, Y1), the coordinates of the second end (X2, Y2), and the coordinates of the inflection point (X3, Y3), wherein the first end is located in the third quadrant of the XY coordinates, and the second end and the inflection point are located in the first quadrant of the XY coordinates, and ＜ ＜ . The display device of claim 5, wherein the coordinates (X4, Y4) of any point on the linear track are located in the second quadrant of the XY coordinates, and ＜ . A display device as described in claim 6, wherein : =3:2. A display device as described in claim 5, wherein the straight line track is parallel to the Y axis, and the straight line track is between the first end and the inflection point. The display device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the coordinates (X5, Y5) of the first fixed end are located in the third quadrant of the XY coordinates, ＞ , ＞ , the coordinates (X6, Y6) of the second fixed end are located in the first quadrant of the XY coordinates, ＞ , ＜ . A display device as described in claim 9, wherein the first fixed end is at a distance (H3) relative to the bottom edge of the screen, the second end is at a distance (H2) relative to the bottom edge, the first end is at a distance (H1) relative to the bottom edge, and H3＜H1＜H2. The display device of claim 10, wherein the bottom edge is located on a straight line of the equation Y=a, a<0. The display device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the length of the cable between the first fixed end and the second fixed end is L, and 2.5 ( + )≦L≦3 ( + ). A display device as described in claim 5, wherein in the horizontal state, the first fixed end and the second fixed end are located in different quadrants of the X-Y coordinate, and in the vertical state, the first fixed end and the second fixed end are located in the same quadrant of the X-Y coordinate. A display device as described in claim 1, wherein the curved track has positioning recesses at the first end and the second end respectively. As described in claim 2, in the intermediate state, there is a minimum wire avoidance space between the bottom edge of the window and the outer edge of the second end for the cable to pass through, and the wire avoidance space is larger than the width of the cable. A display device as described in claim 2, wherein when the first axis moves to the inflection point, the screen is tilted 53 degrees relative to the base. A display device as described in claim 1, wherein the connection line is shortened as the screen switches from the landscape state to the portrait state.

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