Electronic devices having displays with openings

• US 10,121,831 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2017
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rappoport, Benjamin M., Franklin, Jeremy C., Rothkopf, Fletcher R., Myers, Scott A., Howarth, Richard P., Hoenig, Julian, Stringer, Christopher J., Ternus, John P., Lynch, Stephen Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US15/812,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20180069060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/208 for use with infrared or ultraviolet radiation, e.g. for separating visible light from infrared and/or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 : Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 : OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/60 : OLEDs integrated with inorganic light-sensitive elements, e.g. with inorganic solar cells or inorganic photodiodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 : Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 : Organic PV cells

Abstract

An electronic device may have a display. The display may have an active region in which display pixels are used to display images. The display may have one or more openings and may be mounted in a housing associated with the electronic device. An electronic component may be mounted in alignment with the openings in the display. The electronic component may include a camera, a light sensor, a light-based proximity sensor, status indicator lights, a light-based touch sensor array, a secondary display that has display pixels that may be viewed through the openings, antenna structures, a speaker, a microphone, or other acoustic, electromagnetic, or light-based component. One or more openings in the display may form a window through which a user of the device may view an external object. Display pixels in the window region may be used in forming a heads-up display.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing that encloses an interior cavity;

an electronic component mounted in the interior cavity; and

a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display comprises a pixel array that overlaps the electronic component, and wherein signals associated with the electronic component pass through the display.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display comprises a polymer substrate on which the pixel array is formed.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the polymer substrate comprises first and second opposing surfaces and wherein the display has an opening that passes from the first surface to the second surface.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein display comprises a layer of thin-film transistor circuitry, a layer of organic emissive material, and a layer of sealant.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the opening passes through the layer of thin-film transistor circuitry, the layer of organic emissive material, and the layer of sealant.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the electronic component aligns with the opening.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 3 further comprising a transparent polymer in the opening.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 3 further comprising a color filter material in the opening that blocks some wavelengths of light and transmits other wavelengths of light.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 3 further comprising an infrared filter in the opening that transmits infrared light and blocks visible light.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the signals comprise optical signals that are transmitted from the electronic component.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the signals comprise optical signals that are detected by the electronic component.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the signals comprise acoustic signals transmitted from the electronic component.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the signals comprise radio-frequency electromagnetic signals.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing that surrounds an interior cavity;

an electronic component mounted in the interior cavity; and

a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display has an active area with an array of pixels, wherein the active area of the display overlaps the electronic component, and wherein signals associated with the electronic component pass through the display.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the display comprises a substrate with an array of openings, and wherein the signals pass through the array of openings.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the openings pass from a first surface of the substrate to an opposing second surface of the substrate.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 14 where the signals are emitted by the electronic component.

18. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

an electronic component mounted in the housing; and

a display having an array of pixels that overlap the electronic component, wherein the display comprises transmissive regions between the pixels, and wherein signals associated with the electronic component pass through the transmissive regions of the display.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein the display comprises a polymer substrate and wherein the transmissive regions are formed from openings that pass from a first surface of the polymer substrate to an opposing second surface of the polymer substrate.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the pixels comprise organic light-emitting diode pixels that overlap the electronic component, and wherein the electronic component comprises a sensor that detects optical signals through the openings in the polymer substrate.