Camera lens structures and display structures for electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10009525-B2
Application number	US-201514858695-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2015
Priority date	Oct 29, 2010
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

A camera may be mounted under a display in an electronic device. The display may include a polarizer layer, a color filter layer, and a thin-film-transistor layer. A layer of material such as a glass insert may be attached to an edge of the display. Openings may be formed in the layers of the display and the insert to accommodate the camera. A sleeve structure may be mounted within an opening. The camera may include lens structures formed from a stack of lens elements. One or more layers of the display may be interposed within the lens structures. The glass insert may be mounted within a notch in the color filter layer and thin-film transistor layer or along a straight edge of the color filter layer and thin-film transistor layer. The edge of the color filter layer may be recessed with respect to form a mounting shelf for the insert.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a display having a plurality of layers comprising at least one thin-film transistor layer; and
a camera comprising lens structures and an image sensor that receives light through the lens structures, wherein at least part of the camera extends partially through the at least one thin-film transistor layer, wherein the camera is below at least one of the plurality of layers, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers comprises a polarizer layer having a window, wherein the polarizer layer is formed from a first material and processed in a manner to have a polarizing property, and wherein the window is formed from the first material and processed in a manner to remove the polarizing property.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising traces on the at least one thin-film-transistor layer that are electrically connected to the camera and that run along a plurality of edges of the at least one thin-film-transistor layer.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the camera is mounted within the display with an adhesive fastener.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least part of the camera extends entirely through the at least one thin-film transistor layer.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the lens structures comprise a lens train.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the camera is mounted along an edge of the at least one thin-film transistor layer.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of layers comprises a color filter layer.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein at least part of the camera extends partially through the color filter layer.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the camera is not in direct contact with the color filter layer.

10. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of the color filter layer is devoid of colored filter elements.

11. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the polarizer layer is on top of the color filter layer, and wherein the color filter layer is on top of the at least one thin-film transistor layer.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the camera is aligned coaxially with the window.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Mathew Dinesh C
• Hendren Keith J
• Wilson Jr Thomas W
• Garelli Adam T

Classifications

• G06F1/1686

  the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera · CPC title

• G06F1/1637

  Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing · CPC title

• G06F1/1626

  with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs] · CPC title

• G06F1/1605 Primary

  Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones · CPC title

• G02F2201/58

  Arrangements comprising a monitoring photodetector · CPC title