Reducing the border area of a device

• US 9,933,875 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2017
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• 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:
  US15/591,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20170242517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• Field of Search: 361749, 361748
• 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 a curved edge portion, wherein the flexible display substrate has an additional curved edge portion and wherein the active region is interposed between the curved edge portion and the additional curved edge portion;

a touch sensor having an active region and a curved edge portion; and

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 curved edge portion.

2. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising a cover layer that covers the touch sensor and the flexible display substrate.

3. The display defined in claim 2 wherein the cover layer comprises glass.

4. The display defined in claim 3 further comprising a layer of adhesive that attaches the touch sensor to the cover layer.

5. The display defined in claim 4 further comprising an opaque mask on an inner surface of the cover layer that covers the conductive traces.

6. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the touch sensor comprises capacitive touch sensor circuitry.

7. The display defined in claim 6 wherein the capacitive touch sensor circuitry overlaps the active region of the flexible display substrate.

8. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the curved edge portion has perforations.

9. The display defined in claim 1 wherein a thickness of the flexible display substrate in the curved edge portion is less than a thickness of the flexible display substrate in the active region.

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 and the display substrate each have a flat portion between first and second curved edge portions.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the touch sensor substrate and the display substrate are flexible.

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

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the touch sensor substrate comprises metal traces that are routed from the capacitive touch sensor circuitry in the active display region to the first curved edge portion.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the touch sensor substrate comprises perforations in the first curved edge portion.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch sensor substrate having a central portion that defines a first plane and having first and second opposing edge portions that curve out of the first plane, wherein the touch sensor has a touch-sensitive region on the central portion;

a flexible display substrate having a first portion that defines a second plane and a second portion that curves out of the second plane, wherein the flexible display substrate has an active display region on the first portion that overlaps the touch-sensitive region; and

active display structures in the active display region.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the touch sensor substrate comprises plastic.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the flexible display substrate comprises conductive traces that are routed from the first portion to the second portion of the flexible display substrate.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the flexible display substrate comprises first and second perforations in the second portion, wherein one of the conductive traces extends between the first and second perforations.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 15 further comprising a cover glass, wherein the touch sensor substrate is interposed between the cover glass and the flexible display substrate.