Electronic devices having displays with openings

• US 8,947,627 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rappoport, Benjamin M., Franklin, Jeremy C., Rothkopf, Fletcher R., Myers, Scott A., Howarth, Richard P., Hoenig, Julian, Stringer, Christopher, Ternus, John P., Lynch, Stephen Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US13/273,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20130094126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 349/149, 349/150, 349/151, 349/152
• US Class Current: 349/151
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/208 for use with infrared or ultraviolet radiation, e.g. for separating visible light from infrared and/or ultraviolet radiation
• 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• 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 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 : Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 : OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/60 : OLEDs integrated with inorganic light-sensitive elements, e.g. with inorganic solar cells or inorganic photodiodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 : Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 : Organic PV cells

Abstract

An electronic device may have a display. The display may have an active region in which display pixels are used to display images. The display may have one or more openings and may be mounted in a housing associated with the electronic device. An electronic component may be mounted in alignment with the openings in the display. The electronic component may include a camera, a light sensor, a light-based proximity sensor, status indicator lights, a light-based touch sensor array, a secondary display that has display pixels that may be viewed through the openings, antenna structures, a speaker, a microphone, or other acoustic, electromagnetic, or light-based component. One or more openings in the display may form a window through which a user of the device may view an external object. Display pixels in the window region may be used in forming a heads-up display.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display having a display substrate and having an active region in which display pixels are configured to display images, wherein the display pixels are formed on the display substrate;

at least one opening in the display substrate within the active region, wherein the at least one opening passes through the display substrate; and

an electronic component mounted within the electronic device in alignment with the opening so that signals associated with the electronic component pass through the opening, wherein the display substrate is interposed between the display pixels and the electronic component.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic component comprises a camera and wherein the signals comprise image light for the camera.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic component comprises an ambient light sensor and wherein the signals comprise ambient light.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic component comprises a light-based proximity sensor and wherein the signals comprise light that has been emitted by the light-based proximity sensor and reflected from an external object.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the at least one opening comprises a first opening and a second opening and wherein the light-based proximity sensor comprises a light source aligned with the first opening and a light detector aligned with the second opening.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one opening comprises an array of openings in the display, wherein the array of openings contains at least one hundred openings in the active region of the display and wherein the electronic component comprises an array of corresponding light emitters and light detectors that form a light-based touch sensor array for the electronic device.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one opening comprises a plurality of openings, wherein the electronic component comprises an antenna, and wherein the signals comprise radio-frequency electromagnetic signals.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic component comprises a status indicator light source and wherein the signals comprise light from the status indicator light source.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic component comprises a speaker and wherein the signals comprise sound produced by the speaker.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic component comprises a microphone and wherein the signals comprise sound received by the microphone.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic component comprises a button that moves within the opening.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one opening forms a window region through which a user of the electronic device views external objects while the display pixels serve as a heads-up display that displays images in the window region.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

display having an active region in which display pixels are configured to display images;

at least one opening in the display within the active region; and

an electronic component mounted within the electronic device in alignment with the opening so that signals associated with the electronic component pass through the opening, wherein the at least one opening comprises a plurality of openings, wherein the electronic component comprises an antenna, wherein the signals comprise radio-frequency electromagnetic signals, wherein the antenna comprises a near field communications antenna, wherein the electronic device further comprises a near field communications transceiver coupled to the near field communications antenna, and wherein the signals comprise near-field coupled electromagnetic signals.

9. An electronic device, comprising:

display having an active region in which display pixels are configured to display images;

at least one opening in the display within the active region; and

an electronic component mounted within the electronic device in alignment with the opening so that signals associated with the electronic component pass through the opening, wherein the at least one opening comprises an array of openings in the display, wherein the electronic device further comprises an additional display having an array of additional display pixels, wherein the additional display pixels are each aligned with a corresponding one of the openings in the array of openings, and wherein the signals comprise light from the additional display pixels.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the additional display pixels comprise pixels selected from the group consisting of:

liquid crystal display pixels and electronic ink display pixels.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a flexible display layer containing display pixels;

an array of holes in the flexible display layer;

a housing in which the flexible display layer is mounted; and

at least one electrical component mounted in the housing that produces signals that pass through the array of holes.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising an additional display in the housing that is mounted behind the flexible display layer, wherein the additional display comprises additional display pixels that each transmit light through a respective one of the holes in the flexible display layer.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the display pixels are located in an active region of the flexible display layer and wherein the holes in the array of holes are located in the active region.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a display having a display substrate and having an active region that contains an array of display pixels formed on the display substrate;

an array of openings in the display substrate in the active region;

a housing in which the display is mounted; and

an electronic component mounted in the housing under the array of openings, wherein the display substrate is interposed between the array of display pixels and the electronic component.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the electronic component comprises a component selected from the group consisting of:

a microphone and a speaker, wherein acoustic signals associated with the component pass through the openings.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the electronic component comprises a component selected form the group consisting of:

an ambient light sensor, a light-based proximity sensor, status indicator light-emitting diodes, and a light-based touch sensor array, wherein light associated with the component passes through the openings.

22. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the electronic component comprises an antenna structure, wherein radio-frequency electromagnetic signals associated with the component pass through the openings.