Electronic Devices With Deformable Displays

• US 20170068318A1
• Filed: 07/27/2016
• Published: 03/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Nguyen, Que Anh S., McClure, Stephen R., Wright, Derek W., Drzaic, Paul S., Kim, Soyoung, Hsu, Yung-Yu
• Granted Patent: US 10,345,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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; and

a tactile output device having electrodes to which signals are applied to deform a portion of the flexible display.

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 includes permanent magnet plungers that deform the portion of the flexible display.

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

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

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 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; and

a display mounted in the housing that is overlapped by the tactile output device.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 further comprising a touch sensor that overlaps the display.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the tactile output device comprises electroactive polymer that is deformed when electric fields are applied to the electroactive polymer using the electrodes.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 further comprising a force sensor that measures force applied to the display.

17. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing having a first portion and a second portion that rotate relative to each other about an axis;

display structures mounted in the first and second portions; and

electroactive polymer that rotates the first and second portions relative to each other.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 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.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 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.

20. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a flexible display mounted in the housing, wherein the flexible display has a mesh-shaped polymer substrate layer with openings;

an array of light-emitting diodes mounted on the mesh-shaped polymer substrate layer; and

tactile output device components mounted in the openings.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 20 wherein the tactile output device components comprise structures that deform the flexible display when signals are applied.

22. The electronic device defined in claim 21 wherein the tactile output device components comprise electroactive polymer.

23. The electronic device defined in claim 22 further comprising a flexible polymer in which the array of light-emitting diodes and tactile output device components are embedded.

24. The electronic device defined in claim 21 wherein the tactile output device components comprise microelectromechanical systems devices.