Flexible electronic devices

• US 9,971,448 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2017
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• 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:
  US15/419,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20170139532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 36167926
• 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 display having an array of pixels and having a rigid cover layer over the array of pixels;

a flexible fabric layer;

a touch sensor that receives user input on the flexible fabric layer; and

processing circuitry that controls the array of pixels based on the user input.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display comprises light-emitting diodes.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry activates a software application in response to the user input.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry switches the display between an on mode and a sleep mode in response to the user input.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible fabric layer is attached to at least one metal structure.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible fabric layer is movable between a flat configuration and a curved configuration.

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

8. A wearable electronic device, comprising:

a flexible fabric material;

an array of light-emitting elements mounted to the flexible fabric material;

a flexible touch sensor that detects user input on the flexible fabric material; and

processing circuitry that controls the light-emitting elements based on the user input.

9. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the light-emitting elements are covered by a rigid layer.

10. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the array of light-emitting elements comprises a flexible array of light-emitting elements.

11. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the light-emitting elements comprise light-emitting diodes.

12. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the flexible touch sensor comprises a capacitive touch sensor.

13. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the flexible fabric material is attached to a metal structure.

14. A wrist-watch electronic device, comprising:

a display having a rigid cover layer;

a flexible member coupled to the display;

a sensor that detects user input on the flexible member; and

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

15. The wrist-watch electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the flexible member comprises a material selected from the group consisting of:

polymer, silicone, fabric, and metal.

16. The wrist-watch electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the display comprises an organic light-emitting diode display.

17. The wrist-watch electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the sensor comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of:

a proximity sensor, a pressure sensor, and a touch sensor.

18. The wrist-watch electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the display comprises an organic light-emitting diode display.

19. The wrist-watch electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the flexible member is movable between a flat configuration and a curved configuration.

20. The wrist-watch electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the sensor detects deformation of the flexible member and wherein the processing circuitry controls the display based on the deformation.