Reducing the border area of a device

• US 9,652,096 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2014
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• 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:
  US14/445,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20140333858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 361749, 361748, 174254
• 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 display, comprising:

a flexible display substrate having an active region and at least one bent edge portion, wherein the bent edge portion extends partially underneath the active region;

active display structures on the flexible display substrate in the active region; and

conductive traces on the flexible display substrate that extend from the active display structures in the active region onto the bent edge portion, wherein the flexible display substrate comprises a thinned region in the bent edge portion and wherein a thickness of the flexible display substrate in the thinned region is less than a thickness of the flexible display substrate in the active region.

2. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising a touch sensor substrate having capacitive touch sensor circuitry.

3. The display defined in claim 2 wherein the capacitive touch sensor circuitry overlaps the active region of the flexible display substrate.

4. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the bent edge portion is bent around a bend axis, wherein the flexible display substrate comprises a plurality of perforations in the bent edge portion, and wherein the perforations are formed in a line that extends parallel to the bend axis.

5. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one bent edge portion comprises first and second bent edge portions, wherein the active region is interposed between the first and second bent edge portions, and wherein the first and second bent edge portions extend partially underneath the active area.

6. The display defined in claim 5 wherein the first and second bent edge portions are bent around respective first and second bend axes, wherein the flexible display substrate comprises first perforations in the first bent edge portion and second perforations in the second bent edge portion, wherein the first perforations are formed in a first line that extends parallel to the first bend axis, and wherein the second perforations are formed in a second line that extends parallel to the second bend axis.

7. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the active display structures comprise liquid crystal display structures.

8. The display defined in claim 7 wherein the active region is flat and wherein the bent edge portion is curved.

9. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the bent edge portion has a length and wherein at least some of the conductive traces extend along the length of the bent edge portion.

10. An electronic device comprising:

a display substrate having an active display region;

active display structures in the active display region; and

a touch sensor substrate having a touch-sensitive region that overlaps the active display region, wherein the touch sensor substrate has at least one folded edge that folds under the touch-sensitive region.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the touch sensor substrate comprises capacitive touch sensor circuitry in the touch-sensitive region.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the touch sensor substrate comprises metal traces that are routed from the capacitive touch sensor circuitry in the active region to the folded edge.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the touch sensor substrate comprises perforations in the folded edge.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the touch sensor substrate has a first thickness in the folded edge and a second thickness in the touch-sensitive region, wherein the first thickness is less than the second thickness.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch sensor substrate having a touch-sensitive region;

a flexible display substrate having an active display region that overlaps the touch-sensitive region, wherein the flexible display substrate has at least one folded edge that folds under the active display region; and

active display structures in the active display region.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the flexible display substrate comprises conductive traces that are routed from the active display structures in the active display region to the folded edge.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the flexible display substrate comprises at least two perforations in the folded edge, wherein one of the conductive traces has a portion that is interposed between the at least two perforations.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the folded edge has a length and wherein at least some of the conductive traces extend parallel to the length of the folded edge.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the folded edge has a curved surface.