Electronic devices with deformable displays
First Claim
1. An electronic device, comprising:
- a housing;
a flexible display mounted in the housing, wherein the flexible display comprises a pixel array, a polymer substrate, and an array of openings that pass at least partially through the polymer substrate, and wherein the pixel array comprises pixels that are located between the openings; and
a tactile output device having electrodes to which signals are applied to deform a portion of the flexible display, wherein the tactile output device deforms localized portions of the pixel array while other portions of the pixel array remain flat.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic device may be provided with a housing in which display structures are mounted. Additional input-output devices such as a track pad may also be mounted in the housing. These input-output devices may include components such as touch sensors and force sensors for gathering input from a user. The display structures may include a display such as a flexible organic light-emitting diode display or a liquid crystal display that can present visual information to the user. To provide the user with tactile output, an output device such as a display or track pad may be provided with electroactive polymer structures, electromagnetic actuators, and other tactile output devices. The tactile output devices may provide protrusions, indentations, selectively stiffened and softened areas, and other tactile output for a user.
-
Citations
22 Claims
-
1. An electronic device, comprising:
-
a housing; a flexible display mounted in the housing, wherein the flexible display comprises a pixel array, a polymer substrate, and an array of openings that pass at least partially through the polymer substrate, and wherein the pixel array comprises pixels that are located between the openings; and a tactile output device having electrodes to which signals are applied to deform a portion of the flexible display, wherein the tactile output device deforms localized portions of the pixel array while other portions of the pixel array remain flat. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. An electronic device, comprising:
-
a housing; a flexible display mounted in the housing, wherein the flexible display has a mesh-shaped polymer substrate layer having first and second opposing surfaces and through-holes that pass from the first surface to the second surface of the mesh-shaped polymer substrate layer; an array of light-emitting diodes mounted on the mesh-shaped polymer substrate layer between the through-holes; and tactile output device components mounted in the through-holes. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. An electronic device, comprising:
-
a housing; a tactile output device having a flexible polymer layer and having electrodes to which signals are applied to deform a portion of the flexible polymer layer; a display mounted in the housing that is overlapped by the tactile output device, wherein the display comprises a pixel array with pixels on a polymer substrate, wherein the polymer substrate has an array of through-holes located between the pixels, and wherein the tactile output device is located between a pair of the pixels in the pixel array; a touch sensor that overlaps the display; and a force sensor that measures force applied to the display, wherein the force sensor comprises capacitive force sensor electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
-
-
20. An electronic device, comprising:
-
a housing having a first portion and a second portion that rotate relative to each other about an axis, wherein the housing surrounds an interior cavity; electrical components mounted in the interior cavity; display structures mounted in the first and second portions, wherein the display structures overlap the electrical components and wherein the display structures include an array of pixels, a polymer substrate, and an array of openings between the pixels that pass at least partially through the polymer substrate; electroactive polymer that rotates the first and second portions relative to each other. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
-
Specification