Flexible electronic devices

• US 9,557,874 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2016
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Franklin, Jeremy C., Myers, Scott A., Rappoport, Benjamin M., Lynch, Stephen Brian, Ternus, John P., Wodrich, Justin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Forrest M
• Application Number:
  US15/055,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20160179253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/027 Arrangements or methods related to powering off a display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/035 for flexible display surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2092 Details of a display terminals using a flat panel, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a CRT G09G1/165
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0436 Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/105 Pouches or flexible bags
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 : adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/216 : adapted for button or coin cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/293 : characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/409 : Separators, membranes or diaphragms characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/469 : tubular or cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0216 : Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 : for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 : including a flexible display panel
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 : Flexible OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 : OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 : Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 : Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

Flexible electronic devices may be provided. A flexible electronic device may include a flexible display, a flexible housing and one or more flexible internal components configured to allow the flexible electronic device to be deformed. Flexible displays may include flexible display layers, flexible touch-sensitive layers, and flexible display cover layers. The flexible housing may be a multi-stable flexible housing having one or more stable positions. The flexible housing may include a configurable support structure that, when engaged, provides a rigid support structure for the flexible housing. The flexible internal components may include flexible batteries, flexible printed circuits or other flexible components. A flexible battery may include flexible and rigid portions or may include a lubricious separator layer that provides flexibility for the flexible battery. A flexible printed circuit may include flexible and rigid portions or openings that allow some rigid portions to flex with respect to other rigid portions.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a flexible display that is movable between a folded position and an unfolded position;

a sensor that detects whether the flexible display is in the folded position or the unfolded position; and

processing circuitry that automatically turns on the flexible display when the flexible display moves from the folded position to the unfolded position and that automatically turns off the flexible display when the flexible display moves from the unfolded position to the folded position.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a light sensor.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a pressure sensor.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a capacitive sensor.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible display is touch-sensitive and wherein the sensor comprises a touch sensor that forms part of the touch-sensitive flexible display.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a proximity sensor.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible display comprises first and second portions that face each other when the flexible display is in the folded position.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible display comprises an array of organic light-emitting diode pixels on a flexible substrate.

8. The electronic device defined in 1 further comprising a housing in which the flexible display is mounted, wherein the housing comprises first and second rigid portions joined by a flexible portion.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the housing comprises fabric.

11. An electronic device, comprising:

a flexible display;

a fabric housing member that supports the flexible display;

a sensor that detects bending of the flexible display; and

processing circuitry that gathers sensor signals from the sensor and that controls operation of the flexible display based on the sensor signals.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the fabric housing member comprises metal elements.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the fabric housing member bends with the flexible display.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the flexible display comprises a touch-sensitive flexible display having an array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the fabric housing member forms a flexible hinge that allows the flexible display to be folded.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a fabric-based housing structure;

an array of light-emitting diodes mounted to the fabric-based housing structure;

a sensor that detects flexing of the fabric-based housing structure; and

processing circuitry that gathers sensor signals from the sensor and that controls the array of light-emitting diodes based on the sensor signals.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the fabric-based housing structure comprises a rigid portion and a flexible portion.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the sensor comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of:

a light sensor, a capacitive sensor, and a pressure sensor.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the fabric-based housing structure forms a flexible hinge that allows the array of light-emitting diodes to be folded.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the fabric-based housing structure comprises a layer of fabric on a rigid support structure.