Electronic Device Component Stack

• US 20140062939A1
• Filed: 10/09/2012
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewbel, Hannah Rebecca, Rinko, Kari J., Zehner, Robert Waverly, Menon, Anoop, Dylewski, Scott M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,041,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/00 Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

Electronic devices that include reflective displays for rendering content, touch sensors layered atop the reflective displays for detecting touch inputs, front lights layered atop the touch sensors for lighting the reflective displays and antiglare components for reducing glare caused by ambient light. This disclosure also describes techniques for assembling electronic devices including these component stacks.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising;

one or more processors;

memory, coupled to the one or more processors and storing at least one content item;

a reflective display configured to display the content item and comprising a top surface;

a capacitive touch sensor coupled at least in part to the top surface of the reflective display and configured to receive touch input, the capacitive touch sensor including a top surface;

a lightguide coupled at least in part to the top surface of the capacitive touch sensor and configured to receive light from a light source at an edge of the lightguide and propagate the light onto the top surface of the reflective display, the lightguide including a top surface; and

an antiglare component coupled at least in part to the top surface of the lightguide.

2. An electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the lightguide couples at least in part to the top surface of the capacitive touch sensor via one or more of solid optically clear adhesive (SOCA) or liquid optically clear adhesive (LOCA).

3. An electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the antiglare component couples at least in part to the top surface of the lightguide via one or more of solid optically clear adhesive (SOCA) or liquid optically clear adhesive (LOCA).

4. An electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the light source comprises at least one light-emitting diode (LED); and

the electronic device further comprises a flexible printed circuit (FPC) coupled to the LED via one or more of solid optically clear adhesive (SOCA) or liquid optically clear adhesive (LOCA).

5. An electronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein the FPC also couples to the lightguide via the SOCA or the LOCA that couples the FPC to the LED.

6. An electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the lightguide comprises a substrate, a layer of lacquer applied to a top surface of the substrate, and grating elements formed in the layer of lacquer.

7. An electronic device comprising:

a reflective display configured to display content;

a touch sensor coupled to a top surface of the reflective display and configured to receive touch input; and

a front light coupled to a top surface of the touch sensor and configured to direct light onto the reflective display.

8. An electronic device as recited in claim 7, wherein the reflective display comprises an electronic paper display or a reflective LCD display.

9. An electronic device as recited in claim 7, wherein the touch sensor comprises a capacitive touch sensor or an interpolating force sensitive resistance (IFSR) touch sensor.

10. An electronic device as recited in claim 7, wherein the front light couples to the touch sensor via one or more of liquid optically clear adhesive (LOCA) or solid optically clear adhesive (SOCA).

11. An electronic device as recited in claim 7, further comprising an antiglare component coupled to a top surface of the front light.

12. An electronic device as recited in claim 11, wherein the antiglare component couples to the front light via one or more of solid optically clear adhesive (SOCA) or liquid optically clear adhesive (LOCA).

13. An electronic device as recited in claim 11, wherein:

the front light couples to the touch sensor via a first optically clear adhesive (OCA);

the antiglare component couples to the front light via a second OCA; and

respective refractive indices of the first and second OCAs are less than a refractive index of the front light.

14. An electronic device as recited in claim 11, further comprising a light-diffusive reflective tape residing around at least a portion of a perimeter of the antiglare component, the reflective tape configured to propagate light from a light source onto the reflective display.

15. An electronic device as recited in claim 7, wherein the front light comprises a light source and a lightguide, the lightguide to receive light from the light source and direct the light onto the reflective display.

16. An electronic device as recited in claim 15, wherein the lightguide comprises a substrate, a layer of lacquer on a top surface of the substrate, and grating elements formed within the layer of lacquer.

17. An electronic device as recited in claim 7, wherein the electronic device comprises a top edge and a bottom edge, and further comprising one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) residing adjacent the bottom edge of the electronic device and configured to provide light for propagation by the front light onto the reflective display.

18. An electronic device as recited in claim 7, wherein:

the front light includes a light source and a lightguide;

the electronic device further comprises a flexible printed circuit (FPC); and

the FPC couples to the light source.

19. An electronic device as recited in claim 18, wherein the FPC couples to the light source and the lightguide via one or more of solid optically clear adhesive (SOCA) or liquid optically clear adhesive (LOCA).

20. An electronic device as recited in claim 18, wherein the FPC includes a light-diffusing reflective coating to increase the propagation of the light by the lightguide onto the reflective display.

21. An electronic device as recited in claim 7, wherein the front light includes multiple sections, each of the multiple sections including a different pattern of grating elements for directing the light onto the reflective display.

22. An electronic device as recited in claim 21, wherein a first section of the multiple sections comprises fewer grating elements than a second section of the multiple sections.

23. An electronic device as recited in claim 21, wherein a first section of the multiple sections comprises fewer grating elements than a second section of the multiple sections, and the second section of the multiple sections comprises fewer grating elements than a third section of the multiple sections.

24. An electronic device as recited in claim 23, wherein the front light comprises a light source for providing the light to the reflective display, and wherein the first section is nearer to the light source than the second and third sections and the second section is nearer the light source than the third section.

25. An electronic device as recited in claim 7, wherein the front light includes multiple grating-element pattern groups for directing the light onto the reflective display, and wherein a spacing between each grating element of at least one of the grating-element pattern groups is substantially uniform.

26. A method for assembling at least a portion of an electronic device that includes a touch sensor coupled to a top surface of a reflective display, the method comprising:

coupling a front light to a top surface of the touch sensor, the front light configured to propagate light from a light source onto the reflective display; and

coupling an antiglare component onto a top surface of the front light.

27. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the front light is coupled to the top surface of the touch sensor via liquid optically clear adhesive (LOCA).

28. A method as recited in claim 27, wherein the coupling of the front light to the top surface of the touch sensor comprises placing the LOCA on at least a portion of a perimeter of the top surface of the touch sensor and curing the LOCA at the portion of the perimeter.

29. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein the coupling of the front light to the top surface of the touch sensor further comprises curing LOCA on a remainder of the front surface of the touch sensor at least partly subsequent to curing the LOCA at the portion of the perimeter.

30. A method as recited in claim 27, wherein the coupling of the front light to the top surface of the touch sensor comprises placing the LOCA near a center of the top surface of the touch sensor, pressing the LOCA outwards towards a perimeter of the top surface of the touch sensor and curing the LOCA.

31. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the touch sensor comprises a capacitive touch sensor or an interpolating force sensitive resistance (IFSR) touch sensor.

32. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the antiglare component is coupled to the top surface of the front light via one or more of solid optically clear adhesive (SOCA) or liquid optically clear adhesive (LOCA).

33. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

coupling a light source to a flexible printed circuit (FPC); and

coupling the FPC to the front light.

34. A method as recited in claim 33, wherein the light source couples to the FPC and the FPC couples to the front light via one or more of solid optically clear adhesive (SOCA) or liquid optically clear adhesive (LOCA).

35. A method as recited in claim 33, further comprising coupling a light-diffusing reflective coating to the FPC.

36. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising coupling light-diffusive reflective tape residing around at least a portion of a perimeter of the antiglare component, the reflective tape configured to reflect light from a light source onto the reflective display.

37. A method as recited in claim 26, further comprising etching, abrading, or polishing a top surface of the antiglare component.