ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING HOUSING HAVING AT LEAST ONE THROUGH HOLE

• US 20180295222A1
• Filed: 04/05/2018
• Published: 10/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: JUNG, Min Su, KIM, Jae Wan, HONG, Sung Won, KIM, Kwang Tai, OH, Seung Ah, LEE, Jung Won, CHOI, Jong Chul
• Granted Patent: US 10,462,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4206 Optical features G02B6/4207, G02B6/421 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/035 Improving the acoustic characteristics by means of constructional features of the housing, e.g. ribs, walls, resonating chambers or cavities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

An electronic device includes a housing including a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface defining an internal space of the housing, a touch screen display interposed between the first surface and the second surface, and a sensor module disposed under the touch screen display and including a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, wherein the third surface includes a plurality of through holes each including optical structures, wherein a portion of light emitted from the light emitting unit is guided to an exterior of the electronic device through a first optical structure of a first through hole, and wherein at least a portion of light introduced from the exterior of the electronic device is guided to the light receiving unit on a second optical structure of a second through hole.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a housing including a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface defining an internal space of the housing;

a touch screen display interposed between the first surface and the second surface;

a sensor module disposed under the touch screen display and including a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit; and

a wireless communication circuit disposed in the internal space,

wherein the third surface includes a plurality of through holes each including optical structures, the plurality of through holes formed at a specified angle relative to a plane of the first and second surfaces,

wherein a portion of light emitted from the light emitting unit is guided to an exterior of the electronic device through a first optical structure of a first through hole, and

wherein at least a portion of light introduced from the exterior of the electronic device is guided to the light receiving unit on a second optical structure of a second through hole.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the third surface defines a curve according to a specified curvature.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a central axis of the light emitting unit corresponds to one end of the first through hole.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a central axis of the light receiving unit corresponds to one end of the second through hole.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein each optical structure includes:

a pattern formed according to a prespecified shape to at least partially reflect light.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first optical structure of the first through hole includes at least one region having a convex surface oriented towards the exterior of the electronic device.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second optical structure of the second through hole includes at least one region having a concave surface oriented towards an interior of the electronic device.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the housing includes at least one region formed by a metal material.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication circuit is electrically connected with the housing.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver module disposed in the internal space of the housing.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the receiver module is aligned with a third through hole such that sound output from the receiver module travels through the third through hole to the exterior of the electronic device.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, further comprising:

a light emitting device (LED) module disposed in the internal space of the housing,

wherein LED module is aligned to a fourth through hole such that light emitted by the LED module travels through the fourth through hole to the exterior of the electronic device.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the first through hole, the second through hole, the third through hole, and the fourth through hole are each respectively aligned to an arrangement of the sensor module, the receiver module, and the LED module in the electronic device.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the third through hole is formed in the third surface having a diameter greater than diameters of the first through hole and the second through hole as formed within the third surface.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the receiver module is coupled to a case having a shape corresponding to a shape of the receiver module, and

wherein an assembly including the receiver module coupled to the case defines an internal space oriented in a direction matching an orientation of the third surface.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the case is coupled to at least one sealing member.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the internal space further defines an opening communicating with at least a portion of the third through hole.

18. An electronic device comprising:

a housing including a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface forming along an edge of the first surface, wherein the third surface includes a plurality of through holes arranged along the edge of the first surface;

a touch screen display interposed between the first surface and the second surface;

a wireless communication circuit disposed in an internal space of the housing;

a first light guide having a convex surface disposed within a first through hole and exposed to an exterior of the electronic device;

a second light guide disposed within a second through hole;

an infrared light source disposed in the internal space such that emitted light passes through the first light guide to the exterior of the electronic device; and

an infrared light detector disposed in the internal space to detect the emitted light when the emitted light passes through the second light guide after reflection by an external object.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, further comprising:

at least one of a speaker disposed in the internal space of the housing and a visible light source,

wherein the speaker is aligned to a third through hole such that generated sound passed through the third through hole to the exterior.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the visible light source is aligned to a fourth through hole including a third light guide, such that light emitted from the visible light source passes through the third light guide to the exterior.