Reducing the border area of a device

• US 8,804,347 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Martisauskas, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Aychillhum, Andargie M
• Application Number:
  US13/229,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20130063891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 361/749, 361/679.56, 361/748, 174/254, 174/250
• US Class Current: 361/749
• 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 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• 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: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base

Abstract

A circuit panel of an electronic device is disclosed. The circuit panel includes a substantially flat surface including an active area of the electronic device; a bent border area contiguous with and extending from the active area of the substantially flat surface; and a plurality of traces coupled to the active area and routed in the bent border area.

Claims

1. A circuit panel of an electronic device comprising:

a substrate having;

a substantially flat surface in an active area of the electronic device; and

a bent border area contiguous with and extending from the substantially flat surface;

a plurality of traces on the substrate that are coupled to the active area and routed in the bent border area; and

patterned perforations in a portion of the substrate that extends between the substantially flat surface and the bent border area that decrease stress in the portion of the substrate, wherein at least one of the traces extends between a respective one of the perforations and an outermost edge of the substrate and wherein the circuit panel comprises a display panel and the active area comprises a visible area of the display panel.

2. The circuit panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of traces are routed through the portion of the substrate from the flat surface to the bent border area.

3. The circuit panel of claim 2, wherein one or more of the plurality of traces are routed between the perforations.

4. The circuit panel of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a flexible substrate.

5. The circuit panel of claim 1, wherein the circuit panel comprises a touch sensor panel.

6. The circuit panel of claim 5, wherein the active area comprises a touch-active area including a plurality of conductive rows or columns.

7. The circuit panel of claim 6, wherein one or more of the plurality of traces are configured to connect to one or more of the conductive rows or columns.

8. The circuit panel of claim 1, wherein the active area substantially occupies the flat surface of the substrate.

9. The circuit panel of claim 1, wherein the display panel comprises an LCD panel.

10. The circuit panel of claim 1, wherein the bent border area is substantially perpendicular to the active area.

11. The circuit panel of claim 1, wherein the bent border area is folded towards a back surface of the substrate.

12. A tablet PC comprising the circuit panel of claim 1.

13. A smartphone comprising the circuit panel of claim 1.

14. A circuit panel of an electronic device comprising:

a substrate having;

a planar portion including a matrix of touch pixels;

a bent edge portion contiguous with and extending from the planar portion; and

one or more thinned regions along the bent edge portion; and

a plurality of traces on the substrate that are coupled to the matrix of touch pixels and that extend from the planar portion into the bent edge portion, wherein each of the touch pixels in the matrix of touch pixels comprises a capacitive sensing node.

15. The circuit panel defined in claim 14, wherein one or more of the plurality of traces are routed between the thinned regions.

16. The circuit panel defined in claim 15, further comprising:

a plurality of drive lines; and

a plurality of sense lines.

17. The circuit panel defined in claim 16 wherein the capacitive sensing node is located at an intersection of a selected one of the drive lines and a selected one of the sense lines.

18. The touch sensor defined in claim 14 wherein the substrate comprises a flexible substrate.