INTEGRATED TOUCH SENSOR AND SOLAR ASSEMBLY

• US 20100079387A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Filson, John Benjamin, Hotelling, Steve Porter, Frazier, Cameron, Rosenblatt, Michael Nathaniel, Lyon, Benjamin, Cameron, Gordon
• Granted Patent: US 8,730,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/048 Encapsulation of modules
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/22 Light-reflecting or light-concentrating means directly associated with the PV cell or integrated with the PV cell H01L31/054
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

Integrated touch sensor and solar panel stack-up configurations that may be used on portable devices, particularly handheld portable devices such as a media player or phone are disclosed. The solar cell stack-up configurations may include one or more touch sensor layers and one or more solar cell layers. By integrating both the touch sensors and the solar cell layers into the same stack-up, surface area on the portable device may be conserved. The solar panel may be mounted face down or otherwise obstructed by a touch sensor or other component. In this configuration, the device may include light channels that allow light into the device and direct the light around the component and to the solar panel. A parabolic reflector may be used to direct the light.

Claims

1. An integrated solar cell panel and touch sensor stack-up comprising:

a transparent substrate;

a first touch sensor electrode pattern on a surface of the first transparent substrate; and

a solar cell panel on a surface of the transparent substrate.

2. The integrated solar cell panel and touch sensor stack-up of claim 1, further comprising a second touch sensor electrode pattern on a surface of the transparent substrate opposite the surface comprising the first touch sensor electrode pattern.

3. The integrated solar cell panel and touch sensor stack-up of claim 1, further comprising a flex that routes both touch signals from first electrode pattern and solar power from the solar cell panel.

4. The integrated solar cell panel and touch sensor stack-up of claim 1, wherein the transparent substrate is flexible.

5. The integrated solar cells and touch sensor stack-up of claim 4, wherein the solar cell panel comprises a flexible polymer solar collector.

6. An integrated solar cell panel and touch sensor stack-up comprising:

a transparent substrate;

a touch sensor electrode pattern on a first surface of the first transparent substrate; and

a solar collector on a second surface of the transparent substrate.

7. The integrated solar cell panel and touch sensor stack-up of claim 6, wherein the transparent substrate is flexible.

8. The integrated solar cell panel and touch sensor stack-up of claim 7, wherein the solar collector comprises a flexible polymer solar collector.

9. A portable media player comprising:

a housing; and

an integrated solar cell panel and touch sensor stack-up, the integrated solar cell panel and touch sensor stack-up comprising;

a transparent substrate;

a first touch sensor electrode pattern on a surface of the first transparent substrate configured to detect a touch event on a front surface of the housing; and

a solar cell panel on a surface of the transparent substrate opposite the surface comprising the first touch sensor electrode pattern.

10. The portable media player of claim 9, wherein the integrated solar cell panel and touch sensor stack-up substantially fills the front surface of the housing.

11. The portable media player of claim 9, wherein the housing further comprising a transparent cover that covers the integrated solar cell panel and touch sensor stack-up.

12. The portable media player of claim 11, wherein the cover comprises icons that indicate where on the front surface a user may press to control the portable media player.

13. The portable media player of claim 11, wherein the icons are embossed or etched onto the surface of the transparent cover.

14. The portable media player of claim 11, further comprising a display on the front surface of the housing.

15. The portable media player of claim 9, further comprising a second touch sensor electrode pattern on a surface of the transparent substrate opposite the surface comprising the first touch sensor electrode pattern.

16. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a touch sensor array configured to detect a touch event on a front surface of the housing;

a solar panel mounted behind the touch sensor array; and

a light well configured to allow light into the housing and direct light around the touch sensor array and to the solar panel.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 16, further comprising a display.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 16, further comprising a touch screen.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the light channel comprises a parabolic reflector.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the light channel comprises fiber optics or a mirror.