Devices and methods for providing access to internal component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10019940-B2
Application number	US-201615240472-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2016
Priority date	Nov 30, 2011
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed for applying concealment of components of an electronic device. In one embodiment, an electronic device may include a component that is disposed behind a display (e.g., a transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display) that is configured to selectively become transparent at certain transparency regions. Additionally, the electronic device includes data processing circuitry configured to determine when an event requesting that the component be exposed occurs. The data processing circuitry may control portions of the display to become transparent, to expose the component upon the occurrence of the event requesting that the component be exposed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a display having a substrate and having an array of pixels on the substrate;
a component behind the substrate; and
processing circuitry that selectively controls the array of pixels to generate a transparent region and an adjacent non-transparent region on the display, wherein the transparent region overlaps the component and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to alter a shape of the transparent region.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the component is selected from the group consisting of: a light sensor, a biometric sensor, a solar panel, a light-emitting diode, and a reflective image.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the transparent region includes a first portion of the array of pixels that is not emitting light and the non-transparent region includes a second portion of the array of pixels that is emitting light.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the first portion of the array of pixels has a lower pixel density than the second portion of the array of pixels.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein display produces images in the non-transparent region.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the component comprises a light sensor that receives light through the transparent region.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising an additional component behind the substrate, wherein the processing circuitry selectively controls the array of pixels to generate an additional transparent region over the additional component.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the pixels comprise organic light-emitting diode pixels.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display comprises a polarizer having an opening that overlaps the component.

10. An electronic device, comprising:
an organic light-emitting diode display having a substrate, an array of thin-film transistors on the substrate, and a touch sensor that receives touch input;
a light sensor behind the substrate; and
processing circuitry that controls the array of thin-film transistors to produce a transparent region in the organic light-emitting diode display in response to the touch input, wherein the light sensor receives light through the transparent region.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the light sensor comprises a light sensor selected from the group consisting of: an image sensor and a fingerprint reader.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the processing circuitry controls the array of thin-film transistors to produce images adjacent to the transparent region.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the processing circuitry controls the array of thin-film transistors to transition the transparent region from a transparent state to a non-transparent state.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the light sensor comprises a camera, wherein the organic light-emitting diode display produces an image of a camera icon, and wherein the processing circuitry controls the array of thin-film transistors to produce the transparent region in response to touch input at the camera icon.

15. An electronic device comprising:
a display having an array of pixels on a display substrate and having a touch sensor that receives touch input;
components behind the display substrate, wherein the components comprise a light source; and
processing circuitry that controls the array of pixels to produce transparent regions on the display to expose the components, wherein each transparent region overlaps a respective one of the components, and wherein the processing circuitry determines which component to expose based on the touch input.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the components comprise a light sensor.

17. An electronic device comprising:
a display having an array of pixels on a display substrate and having a touch sensor that receives touch input, wherein the display substrate comprises glass;
components behind the display substrate; and
processing circuitry that controls the array of pixels to produce transparent regions on the display to expose the components, wherein each transparent region overlaps a respective one of the components, and wherein the processing circuitry determines which component to expose based on the touch input.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the pixels comprise organic light-emitting diode pixels.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Rappoport Benjamin Mark
• Stringer Christopher J
• Rothkopf Fletcher R
• Franklin Jeremy C
• Ternus John Patrick
• Hoeing Julian Christoph
• Howarth Richard Paul
• Myers Scott Andrew
• Lynch Stephen Brian

Classifications

• G09G2360/14

  Detecting light within display terminals, e.g. using a single or a plurality of photosensors · CPC title

• G09G2330/022

  in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time · CPC title

• G09G2300/046

  with an emissive area and a light-modulating area combined in one pixel · CPC title

• G09G2300/0456

  with a reflective area and a transmissive area combined in one pixel, such as in transflectance pixels · CPC title

• G09G3/3225 Primary

  using an active matrix · CPC title