Electronic devices with light sensors and displays

• US 9,310,843 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Shedletsky, Anna-Katrina, Drzaic, Paul S., de Long, Erik G., Rothkopf, Fletcher R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sohn, Seung C
• Application Number:
  US13/732,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20140183342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 250/215, 250/216, 250/227.11, 250/239, 250/214.AL, 348/602, 348/603, 345/173, 345/175, 345/176, 345/207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13312 Circuits comprising photodetectors for purposes other than feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13318 Circuits comprising a photodetector
• 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: H10K 2102/3026 Top emission
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/11 characterised by the electroluminescent [EL] layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/818 Reflective anodes, e.g. ITO combined with thick metallic layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/828 Transparent cathodes, e.g. comprising thin metal layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/856 comprising reflective means
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/86 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/865 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. light-blocking layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/13 comprising photosensors that control luminance
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/60 OLEDs integrated with inorganic light-sensitive elements, e.g. with inorganic solar cells or inorganic photodiodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/80518 Reflective anodes, e.g. ITO combined with thick metallic layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/80524 Transparent cathodes, e.g. comprising thin metal layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/873 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/878 comprising reflective means
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8791 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light

Abstract

An electronic device is provided with a display and a light sensor that receives light that passes through the display. The display includes features that increase the amount of light that passes through the display. The features may be translucency enhancement features that allow light to pass directly through the display onto a light sensor mounted behind the display or may include a light-guiding layer that guides light through the display onto a light sensor mounted along an edge of the display. The translucency enhancement features may be formed in a reflector layer or an electrode layer for the display. The translucency enhancement features may include microperforations in a reflector layer of the display, a light-filtering reflector layer of the display, or a reflector layer of the display that passes a portion of the light and reflects an additional portion of the light.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

an enhanced translucency display having a layer of reflective material having a first translucency enhancement feature and a thin-film transistor layer having a second translucency enhancement feature, wherein the first and second translucency enhancement features allow light to pass through the enhanced translucency display;

a light sensor configured to receive the light that passes through the first and second translucency enhancement features; and

masking material interposed between the layer of reflective material and the light sensor, wherein the masking material comprises an opening that is aligned with the first and second translucency enhancement features.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light sensor comprises an ambient light sensor that senses ambient light that passes through the first and second translucency enhancement features of the enhanced translucency display.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the first translucency enhancement feature comprises at least a portion of the layer of reflective material that reflects a first portion of the ambient light while passing a second portion of the ambient light.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the first portion of the ambient light has a first range of wavelengths and wherein the second portion of the ambient light has a second range of wavelengths that is different from the first range of wavelengths.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the first range of wavelengths comprises visible wavelengths and wherein the second range of wavelengths comprises at least infrared wavelengths.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the first and second portions of the ambient light have a common range of wavelengths.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the second portion of the ambient light comprises at least one percent of the ambient light.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the first translucency enhancement feature comprises a plurality of microperforations in the layer of reflective material.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the second translucency enhancement feature includes modified conductive traces that allow the light to pass between the modified conductive traces onto the light sensor.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the modified conductive traces comprise conductive traces having thinned portions that are formed over the light sensor.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the modified conductive traces comprise conductive traces having curved portions that reroute the conductive traces around a portion of the thin-film transistor layer that covers the light sensor.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the masking material blocks the light sensor from view.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light sensor is adjacent to the layer of reflective material.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

an organic light-emitting diode display having a display substrate, a layer of organic emissive material formed on the display substrate, and a light-guiding layer formed between the display substrate and the layer of organic emissive material; and

a light sensor adjacent to an edge of the display, wherein the light sensor receives light that passes through at least a portion of the light-guiding layer onto the light sensor.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the layer of organic emissive material is interposed between the light-guiding layer and an outer surface of the display.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the light-guiding layer is interposed between the layer of organic emissive material and an outer surface of the display.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 14, further comprising masking material formed on an edge of the light-guiding layer, wherein the masking material includes an opening adjacent to the light sensor that allows light to pass from the light-guiding layer onto the light sensor.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the light-guiding layer directs the light onto the light sensor.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a display that generates light that is used to display images to a user of the electronic device, wherein the display includes an outer surface, an inner surface, an edge, and a thin-film transistor layer between the outer surface and the inner surface;

a first light sensor mounted adjacent to the inner surface of the display that receives light that passes through the outer surface and the inner surface of the display;

a second light sensor mounted adjacent to the edge of the display that receives light that passes through the outer surface and the edge of the display; and

at least one translucency enhancement feature in the thin-film transistor layer, wherein the light generated by the display is transmitted through the at least one translucency enhancement feature in the thin-film transistor layer.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the display comprises a light-guide layer that guides the light that passes through the outer surface and the edge of the display through the light-guide layer to the edge of the display.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 19, further comprising:

at least one additional translucency enhancement feature between the inner surface and the outer surface of the display.