Rotational alignment of a circular display and a circular lens

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10031344-B2
Application number	US-201414314092-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2014
Priority date	Jun 6, 2014
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

This disclosure describes techniques and apparatuses for rotational alignment of a circular display and a circular lens. In one or more implementations, a display device, such as a smart watch, includes a circular lens assembly that overlays a circular display assembly. The display device includes at least two alignment points positioned along the perimeter of the circular display assembly that enable a machine vision system to rotationally align the circular display assembly to the circular lens assembly. At least one of the alignment points includes a target mark on the perimeter of the circular lens assembly that is viewable by the machine vision system through a corresponding alignment hole on the perimeter of the circular display assembly. The alignment hole is within a border region of the circular display assembly, but is sized and positioned so that it does not impact the structure of the circular display assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A display device comprising:
a circular lens assembly that includes a lens and a touch sensor; and
a circular display assembly that includes a display and a bezel, the circular display assembly assembled to the circular lens assembly wherein:
the circular lens assembly comprises a first target mark at a first location on the lens assembly and the circular display assembly comprises a first alignment hole at a first location on the display assembly and on the perimeter of the circular display assembly that enables a viewing of the first target mark; and
the circular lens assembly comprises a second target mark at a second location on the lens assembly that is different than the first location of the first target mark, and the circular display assembly comprises a second alignment hole at a second location on the display assembly that is different than the first location of the first alignment hole and on the perimeter of the circular display assembly that enables a viewing of the second target mark, wherein the first target mark is visually different than the second target mark when viewed through the first alignment hole and the second alignment hole, respectively, in at least one of: length, color, shape, and width, and wherein a length of the first alignment hole is different than a length of the second alignment hole.

2. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first alignment hole is located approximately 180 degrees around the perimeter of the circular display assembly from the second alignment hole.

3. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the circular display assembly includes an active area and a border region, wherein the first alignment hole and the second alignment hole are positioned within the border region of the circular display assembly, and wherein a width of the border region is less than 5% of a diameter of the circular display assembly.

4. The display device of claim 1 , wherein a width of the first alignment hole is between 0.2 and 0.5 millimeters along the perimeter of the circular display assembly, and a depth of the first alignment hole is between 0.2 to 0.5 millimeters.

5. The display device of claim 1 , wherein a width of the second alignment hole is between 0.3 and 0.6 millimeters along the perimeter of the circular display assembly and a depth of the second alignment hole is between 0.2 to 0.5 millimeters.

6. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the circular lens assembly includes artwork along the perimeter of the circular lens assembly, and wherein the first target mark and the second target mark comprise marks on the artwork that are a different color than a primary color of artwork along the perimeter of the circular lens assembly.

7. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first target mark and the second target mark are viewable through an optically clear layer of the touch sensor of the circular lens assembly.

8. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first alignment hole is positioned proximate an existing spring contact hole on the bezel of the circular display assembly.

9. The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first target mark and the first alignment hole correspond to a first alignment point, the second target mark and second alignment hole correspond to a second alignment point, and the display device further comprises a third alignment point located on the perimeter of the bezel of the circular display assembly; and
the first alignment point, second alignment point, and third alignment point are used to align x and y coordinates of the circular display assembly to corresponding x and y coordinates of the circular lens assembly, and wherein the first alignment point and the second alignment point are used to rotationally align the circular display assembly to the circular lens assembly.

10. The display device of claim 9 , further comprising a fourth alignment point on the perimeter of the circular display assembly, wherein the fourth alignment point is used to confirm that the circular assembly and the circular lens assembly do not have defects.

11. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the display device comprises a smart watch, wherein the smart watch further includes a wristband and a base coupled to the wristband, and wherein a back side of the circular display assembly is coupled to the base.

12. A computer-implemented method to assemble a circular display assembly to a circular lens assembly by a machine vision system, wherein the circular lens assembly includes a first target mark at a first location and a second target mark at a second location that is different than the first location of the first target mark, and the circular display assembly includes a first alignment hole at a first location on the perimeter and a second alignment hole at a second location on the perimeter that is different than the first location of the first alignment hole, the method comprising:
positioning the circular display assembly over the circular lens assembly;
aligning x and y positions of the circular display assembly to corresponding x and y positions of the circular lens assembly using the first alignment hole positioned along the perimeter of the circular display assembly and the second alignment hole positioned along the perimeter of the circular display assembly;
rotationally aligning the circular display assembly to the circular lens assembly by rotating the circular display assembly until the first target mark on the circular lens assembly is viewable by the machine vision system through the first alignment hole and the second target mark on the circular lens assembly is viewable by the machine vision system through the second alignment hole, wherein the first target mark is visually different than the second target mark when viewed through the first alignment hole and the second alignment hole, respectively, in at least one of: length, color, shape, and width, and wherein a length of the first alignment hole is different than a length of the second alignment hole; and
assembling the circular display assembly to the circular lens assembly.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the aligning x and y positions of the circular display assembly to corresponding x and y positions of the circular lens assembly sensor further uses an alignment point located on the perimeter of the circular display assembly.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , further comprising verifying that the circular display assembly and the circular lens assembly do not have defects using a third alignment hole positioned along the perimeter of the circular display assembly.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the positioning comprises positioning a front side of the circular display assembly over a back side of the circular lens assembly.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the second alignment hole is positioned approximately 180 degrees from the first alignment hole along the perimeter of the circular display assembly.

17. A smart watch comprising:
a wristband;
a base coupled to the wristband;
a circular display, a backside of the circular display coupled to the base, and a front side of the circular display configured to display a watch face;
a circular lens and touch sensor overlaying the circular display, the circular display assembled to the circular lens and touch sensor wherein:
the circular lens and touch sensor comprise a first target mark at a first location and the circular display comprises a first alignment hole at a first loca

Assignees

• Google Technology Holdings LLC

Inventors

• Meer Daniel J
• Gitzinger Thomas E

Classifications

• G02B27/62 Primary

  Optical apparatus specially adapted for adjusting optical elements during the assembly of optical systems · CPC title

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title

• G02B27/36

  adjustable · CPC title