Electronic devices with deformable displays

• US 10,345,905 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2016
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: McClure, Stephen R., Wright, Derek W., Drzaic, Paul S., Kim, Soyoung, Hsu, Yung-Yu, Nguyen, Que Anh S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Dong Hui
• Application Number:
  US15/221,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20170068318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1649 the additional display being independently orientable, e.g. for presenting information to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

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.

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.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electrodes form electromagnets and wherein the tactile output device includes ferromagnetic material that receives magnetic fields from the electromagnets.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the ferromagnetic material comprises a ferrofluid.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the tactile output device has a flexible polymer layer with recesses that receive the ferrofluid.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the ferromagnetic material includes permanent magnet plungers that deform the portion of the flexible display.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the tactile output device comprises electroactive polymer that is deformed upon application of electric fields from the electrodes.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the electroactive polymer forms a layer of material having opposing first and second surfaces and wherein the electrodes include first electrodes that extend along a first dimension on the first surface and second electrodes that extend along a second dimension that is perpendicular to the first dimension on the second surface.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display comprises an organic light-emitting diode display, wherein the tactile output device comprises an electroactive polymer layer that is overlapped by the organic light-emitting diode display, and wherein the electroactive polymer layer and the overlapping organic light-emitting diode display are deformed in response to application of electric fields to the electroactive polymer layer with the electrodes.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 further comprising a touch sensor, wherein the organic light-emitting diode display overlaps the touch sensor.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the tactile output device comprises fluid that deforms the portion of the flexible display when signals are applied to the electrodes.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the tactile output device comprises a layer with openings through which the fluid flows when the signals are applied to the electrodes.

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.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the tactile output device components comprise structures that deform the flexible display when signals are applied.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the tactile output device components comprise electroactive polymer.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 further comprising a flexible polymer in which the array of light-emitting diodes and tactile output device components are embedded.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the tactile output device components comprise microelectromechanical systems devices.

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.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein the tactile output device comprises electroactive polymer that is deformed when electric fields are applied to the electroactive polymer using the electrodes.

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.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 20 further comprising control circuitry that applies signals to the electroactive polymer to close the housing by rotating the first and second portions of the housing into a closed position in which the display structures are bent about the axis.

22. The electronic device defined in claim 21 wherein the display structures comprise an organic light-emitting diode display that overlaps the axis and wherein the control circuitry is configured to apply the signals to the electroactive polymer to fold the organic light-emitting diode display along the axis.