ELECTRONIC DEVICE DISPLAY ALIGNMENT SYSTEM

• US 20130063920A1
• Filed: 09/08/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Farahani, Houtan R., Barham, Larry A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,582,316 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/807
• 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 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49004 including measuring or testing of device or component part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53265 with work-holder for assembly

Abstract

A display alignment system aligns an internal display device with an outer cover glass such that planes defined by both are substantially parallel. A subject electronic device includes an outer housing having a back portion and multiple mounting bosses, a transparent display cover coupled to the outer housing, a display device disposed between the back portion and the display cover, and mounting brackets coupling the display device to the mounting bosses. The exact positions of the mounting brackets are adjusted to compensate for the specific dimensions of the mounting bosses, outer housing and/or display device, which is done using a separate assembly fixture having spring-loaded and locking pins to record individual mounting boss heights. Recorded boss heights are used to position the mounting brackets on sides of the display device so that the combination thereof is customized for the recorded outer housing and mounting bosses.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

an outer housing having a back portion, wherein the back portion includes an outer surface and an inner region, the inner region including a plurality of mounting features;

a display cover coupled to the outer housing and adapted to be viewable therethrough, wherein the display cover defines a first plane;

a display device having a front face defining a second plane and adapted to provide a visual display for a user thereon, the display device being disposed between the back portion of the outer housing and the display cover; and

one or more mounting components coupling the display device to the plurality of mounting features, wherein the specific positioning of the one or more mounting components is adjustable to compensate for the specific dimensions of the outer housing and display device, such that the second plane is substantially parallel to the first plane.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more mounting components have been specifically positioned using a separate assembly fixture having a plurality of spring-loaded pins, each of the spring-loaded pins being adapted to measure one of the plurality of mounting features.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein each of the spring-loaded pins is further adapted to lock into place to record its measurement of its respective one of the plurality of mounting features.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, further including:

a compressible gasket situated between the display cover and the display device, wherein the compressible gasket provides a seal between the display cover and display device that blocks contamination therefrom.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mounting features comprise a plurality of mounting bosses that extend away from the back portion toward the display device.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more mounting components comprise a plurality of mounting brackets coupled to the sides of the display device.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of mounting brackets are screwed to a side of the display device.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the outer housing further includes one or more side portions that extend around the perimeter of and are integrally formed with the back portion, and wherein the upper distal edge around the one or more side portions defines a reference datum with respect to the display cover.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the adjustable positioning of the one or more mounting components results in the ability to have one or more greater dimensional tolerances for the outer housing, the display device, the plurality of mounting features, or any combination thereof.

10. An assembly fixture adapted for use in the manufacture of a separate electronic device, the assembly fixture comprising:

a fixture body defining a frame having a top surface, a bottom surface and an outer circumference that is dimensioned to permit interaction with a plurality of different components from the separate electronic device;

a plurality of spring-loaded and locking pins situated proximate the top surface of the fixture body, wherein each of the plurality of spring-loaded and locking pins is adapted to be actuated by and record the height of a corresponding mounting feature located on an outer housing component of the separate electronic device when the outer housing component is interfaced with the assembly fixture; and

one or more release mechanisms adapted to release and reset the plurality of spring-loaded and locking pins from locked to unlocked positions so that the assembly fixture can be used with a different separate electronic device.

11. The assembly fixture of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of spring-loaded and locking pins records the height of its corresponding mounting feature by moving a distance corresponding to said height and locking into place accordingly.

12. The assembly fixture of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of spring-loaded and locking pins are further adapted to translate the recorded heights of their respective mounting features in order to facilitate the specific positioning of one or more mounting components of the separate electronic device onto a display device of the separate electronic device when the one or more mounting components and display device are subsequently interfaced with the assembly fixture.

13. The assembly fixture of claim 12, wherein the specific positioning of the one or more mounting components is adapted to compensate for the specific dimensions of the outer housing component, mounting features thereof, mounting components, display device, or any combination thereof, in order to provide an improved alignment between components of the separate electronic device.

14. The assembly fixture of claim 13, wherein the improved alignment is provided between the display device and a cover glass of the separate electronic device.

15. The assembly fixture of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the fixture body top surface defines a fixture reference datum, and wherein the fixture reference datum is adapted to contact a corresponding separate reference datum on the outer housing component when the outer housing component is interfaced with the assembly fixture.

16. A method of aligning components on an electronic device, comprising:

interfacing a first electronic device component with a separate assembly fixture, the first electronic device component having a plurality of mounting features;

actuating a plurality of spring-loaded and locking pins on the assembly fixture while the first electronic device component is interfaced therewith;

recording the respective heights of the plurality of mounting features using the respective positions of the actuated plurality of spring-loaded and locking pins;

removing the first electronic device component form the assembly fixture;

interfacing a second electronic device component with the assembly fixture;

coupling one or more mounting components to the second electronic device component in one or more specific locations that correspond to the recorded heights of the plurality of mounting feature; and

coupling the one or more mounting components to the plurality of mounting features.

17. The method of claim 16, further including the step of:

resetting the plurality of spring-loaded and locking pins.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first electronic device component comprises an outer housing, and wherein the second electronic device component comprises an internal display device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the interfacing steps includes placing a datum of the separate assembly fixture into contact with a datum of the respective electronic device component.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the recording step includes locking the plurality of spring-loaded and locking pins into place.