Honor is working on extendable mobile display technology, patent shows

According to details revealed in a recently published patent, Honor is working on a new display technology that could be used on the company’s upcoming smartphones or tablets. The Chinese firm has described a screen that has a fixed panel and another that moves with the help of a linear motor. This technology could allow Honor to introduce a new smartphone or tablet with a compact or portable design that can “expand” to provide a larger display when needed.

Honor’s extendable display technology features a linear motor

Details of Honor’s new extendable display technology have been revealed in patent CN118582642A that was published on Tuesday and spotted by ITHome on the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) portal. The company says the display described in the patent attempts to solve some of the challenges related to flexible screens.

Honor’s improved display supports rear (left) and extended
Photo Credit: CNIPA/Honor

According to Honor, existing structures used in devices with flexible displays do not currently provide adequate support. The company describes the use of a new support structure that consists of multiple support units that are linked to each other in a sequence.

These support structures are used to connect two display panels, one that remains stationary, while the other can be moved using a linear motor. According to the patent document, to allow the panel to move in a straight line, the device is shown to be equipped with an “elastic beam structure” that can be bent to provide more support to the screen.

Various figures in the document explain how the display technology will work. The supporting structures can be extended and retracted to expand and shrink the size of the display respectively. This process is helped by the linear motor seen in the company’s images.

While the presence of the technology described in a patent document is not a guarantee that it will make its way to a consumer electronics device, such a device could provide several benefits. For starters it could allow customers to carry more portable devices as well as access larger screens on demand.