Hollowed electronic display

• US 9,735,185 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Essential Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Essential Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Evans, V, David John, Jiang, Xinrui, Hershenson, Matthew, Tate, Joseph Anthony, Gagne-Keats, Jason Sean, Zavin, Rebecca Schultz, Miao, Xiaoyu, Rubin, Andrew E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Bo
• Application Number:
  US15/233,818
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• Field of Search: 257 72
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/201 in the form of arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3033 in the form of a thin sheet or foil, e.g. Polaroid
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0051 Diffusing sheet or layer
• 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: G02F 1/1333 Constructional arrangements; Manufacturing methodsG02F1/135, G02F1/136 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133504 Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1339 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1341 Filling or closing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134336 Matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134345 Subdivided pixels, e.g. for grey scale or redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1362 Active matrix addressed cells G02F1/134336, G02F1/134363 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/56 Substrates having a particular shape, e.g. non-rectangular
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1262 with a particular formation, treatment or coating of the substrate

Abstract

Presented here are manufacturing techniques to create an irregularly shaped electronic display, including a hollow within which a sensor, such as a camera, can be placed. The manufacturing techniques enable the creation of the hollow anytime during the manufacturing process. The resulting electronic display occupies the full side of the mobile device, with the sensors placed within and surrounded by the display.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a mask corresponding to a plurality of layers in an electronic display, wherein the plurality of layers comprises a color filter (CF) layer, a display layer, and a thin film transistor (TFT) layer;

providing the CF layer comprising a CF substrate and a plurality of color regions disposed on the CF substrate;

providing the display layer comprising a plurality of display elements disposed between the CF layer and the TFT layer, the plurality of display elements configured to transmit light;

providing the TFT layer comprising a TFT substrate and a plurality of transistors disposed on the TFT substrate;

forming a hollow from within the CF layer, the display layer, and the TFT layer, wherein the hollow associated with the CF layer, the display layer, and the TFT layer, corresponds to the mask;

sealing the CF layer, the display layer, and the TFT layer to obtain a combined layer; and

disposing a sensor inside the removed hollow.

2. The method of claim 1, said providing the TFT layer comprising:

distributing a plurality of thin film transistors on the hollowed TFT substrate; and

distributing a plurality of row and column electrodes corresponding to the plurality of thin film transistors such that each row and column electrode in the plurality of row and column electrodes interrupted by the hollow circumvents the hollow.

3. The method of claim 1, said providing the CF layer comprising:

depositing a colored photoresist coating onto the CF substrate;

based on the mask, modifying a photomask to comprise a plurality of protected areas, and a plurality of unprotected areas, wherein the mask is associated with the plurality of unprotected areas; and

removing the plurality of unprotected areas to leave the colored photoresist coating disposed on the CF substrate in the plurality of protected areas.

4. The method of claim 1, said providing the display layer comprising:

depositing a sealant on a layer in the plurality of layers, said depositing comprising tracing at least a partial outline associated with the electronic display and an outline associated with the mask; and

depositing a plurality of liquid crystal beads inside the outline.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said forming the hollow comprises:

laser cutting the hollow from the CF layer, the display layer, and the TFT layer, wherein the hollow associated with the CF layer, the display layer, and the TFT layer corresponds to the mask.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said sealing the CF layer, the display layer, and the TFT layer comprises:

upon said forming the hollow, combining the CF layer, the display layer, and the TFT layer to obtain the combined layer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mask comprises a circle.

8. The method of claim 1, the sensor comprising at least one of a camera, an ambient light sensor, or a proximity sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the display layer comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) layer, the LCD layer comprising an LCD substrate and a plurality of liquid crystals disposed on the LCD substrate.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the display layer comprises an organic light emitting diode (OLED) layer, the OLED layer comprising an OLED substrate and a plurality of OLEDs disposed on the OLED substrate.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the display layer comprises a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) layer, the MEMS layer comprising a MEMS substrate and a plurality of MEMS disposed on the MEMS substrate.

12. The method of claim 1, said forming the hollow comprising:

forming the hollow within a polarizer layer, the CF layer, the display layer, and the TFT layer, wherein the hollow associated with the polarizer layer, the CF layer, the display layer, and the TFT layer corresponds to the mask.