Light sensor windows for electronic devices

• US 10,094,708 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jia, Zhang, Erickson, Christopher S., Dudley, James J., Nakajima, Kenichi, Li, Chunji
• Primary Examiner(s): Sohn, Seung C
• Application Number:
  US15/481,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20170211973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 250214 AL, 250574
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0233 Handheld
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0407 Optical elements not provided otherwise, e.g. manifolds, windows, holograms, gratings
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0411 using focussing or collimating elements, i.e. lenses or mirrors; Aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0418 using attenuators
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0474 Diffusers cavities G01J2001/0481
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4204 with determination of ambient light solar light G01J2001/4266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with light sensors. The electronic device may have an electronic device housing in which a display is mounted. The display may have a transparent layer such as a transparent display cover layer, a thin-film transistor layer, or a color filter layer. An opaque masking layer such as a layer of black ink may be used to cover an inner surface of the transparent layer in an inactive area of the display. Sensor window openings may be formed in the black ink layer. A layer of ink may be formed in each sensor window opening. Each layer of ink may have a diffuse reflectivity that is matched to that of the black ink. A diffuser layer such as a polymer coating layer with light-scattering particles may be coated on the inner surface of the layer of ink in a sensor window opening.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display has an active area and an inactive area and wherein the display has a transparent layer that is coated with a layer of opaque masking material in the inactive area;

a sensor in the housing; and

a sensor window formed from an opening in the layer of opaque masking material, wherein the sensor window includes a layer of diffuser material, and wherein the sensor is aligned with the sensor window.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the layer of diffuser material is formed from a pigment.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the pigment comprises at least one light scattering particle.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the layer of opaque masking material is a black masking layer.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a layer of sensor ink interposed between the transparent layer and the layer of diffuser material.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the sensor is an ambient light sensor and the sensor ink is an ambient light sensor ink.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the sensor is an infrared sensor and the sensor ink is an infrared ink.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the layer of diffuser material comprises a polymer coating.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the layer of diffuser material has a haze value of less than 95%.

10. A display, comprising:

a transparent layer having opposing outer and inner surfaces;

an opaque masking layer on a portion of the inner surface;

a sensor window opening in the opaque masking layer; and

a coating in the sensor window opening, wherein at least a portion of the opaque masking layer is interposed between the coating and the transparent layer, wherein the opaque masking layer has a first transmittance at visible wavelengths, and wherein the coating has a second transmittance at visible wavelengths that is greater than the first transmittance.

11. The display defined in claim 10 wherein the opaque masking layer is a black masking layer.

12. The display defined in claim 11 wherein the black masking layer is a layer of black ink.

13. The display defined in claim 10 wherein the coating comprises blue ink.

14. The display defined in claim 10 wherein the coating is an ambient light sensor coating.

15. The display defined in claim 14 wherein the ambient light sensor coating comprises at least one ink.

16. Apparatus, comprising:

a transparent display cover layer;

a first opaque layer on the transparent display cover layer;

a sensor window opening in the first opaque layer; and

a second opaque layer in the opening, wherein the first opaque layer and the second opaque layer have diffuse reflectivities that differ by less than 50%.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 16 further comprising a sensor aligned with the sensor window opening.

18. The apparatus defined in claim 16 wherein the second opaque layer has a thickness of 2-8 microns.

19. The apparatus defined in claim 16 wherein the second opaque layer has a transmission spectrum that is more transparent than the first opaque layer.

20. The apparatus defined in claim 19 wherein the second opaque layer has a transmittance of 1-10%.