Electronic devices with backlit displays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10488705-B2
Application number	US-201815974590-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2018
Priority date	Apr 19, 2017
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A display may have a backlight unit that provides backlight illumination. The backlight unit may include a light guide that distributes light through the display. Light-emitting diodes may emit light into the light guide. A reflector that is overlapped by the light guide may help reflect light upwards through an array of pixels. The backlight unit may have a chassis that receives the reflector, light guide, light-emitting diodes, and optical films such as diffusers and prism films. Optical and mechanical features in the backlight unit may enhance color and intensity uniformity for the backlight illumination and may help enhance durability.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus, comprising:
display layers that form an array of pixels configured to display images; and
backlight structures that provide backlight illumination that passes through the array of pixels, wherein the backlight structures include:

a printed circuit;
a light-emitting diode mounted on the printed circuit;
a reflector adjacent to the printed circuit;
a strip of reflective tape adhered to the printed circuit, wherein the strip of reflective tape has a first region with a first reflectivity and a second region with a second reflectivity that is different than the first reflectivity, wherein the first region is aligned with the light-emitting diode, and wherein the strip of reflective tape comprises a white polymer in the first region; and
a light guide layer overlapping the reflector and the strip of reflective tape.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 , wherein the strip of reflective tape comprises:
a base layer;
an adhesive layer that adheres the strip of reflective tape to the printed circuit; and
a patterned ink layer that forms the first and second regions.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 , wherein the base layer comprises the white polymer.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 , wherein the patterned ink layer comprises light-absorbing ink.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 4 , wherein the first region is aligned with the light-emitting diode, wherein the light-absorbing ink is absent from the first region, and wherein the first reflectivity is greater than the second reflectivity.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 4 , wherein the patterned ink layer in the first region has a first absorptivity, and wherein the patterned ink layer in the second region has a second absorptivity that is greater than the first absorptivity.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 6 , wherein the first region is aligned with the light-emitting diode.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 1 , wherein the strip of reflective tape reduces nonuniformities in the backlight illumination that passes through the array of pixels.

9. A display, comprising:
display layers that include an array of pixels for displaying images; and
backlight structures that provide backlight illumination for the array of pixels, wherein the backlight structures include:
a light guide layer having an edge;
light-emitting diodes that emit light into the edge of the light guide layer;
a printed circuit on which the light-emitting diodes are mounted; and
a patterned light adjustment layer between the printed circuit and the light guide layer, wherein the patterned light adjustment layer has alternating regions that reflect different amounts of light from the light-emitting diodes, wherein the alternating regions comprise first regions that are aligned with the light-emitting diodes and second regions that are aligned with gaps between the light-emitting diodes, wherein the first regions are more reflective than the second regions, and wherein there is a gap between the patterned light adjustment layer and the light guide layer.

10. The display defined in claim 9 , wherein the patterned light adjustment layer comprises a layer of light-absorbing ink.

11. The display defined in claim 10 , wherein the layer of light-absorbing ink is at least partially removed from the first regions.

12. The display defined in claim 10 , wherein the second regions comprise more of the light-absorbing ink than the first regions.

13. The display defined in claim 9 , wherein the array of pixels defines an active area of the display, wherein the active area is surrounded by an inactive area of the display, and wherein the patterned light adjustment layer is in the inactive area of display.

14. Backlight structures, comprising:
a light guide layer;
light-emitting diodes that emit light into the light guide layer, wherein the light-emitting diodes are separated by gaps;
a printed circuit, wherein the light-emitting diodes are mounted on the printed circuit; and
tape interposed between the printed circuit and the light-guide layer, wherein the tape comprises:
a base layer having first and second opposing surfaces;
first adhesive on the first surface, wherein the first adhesive attaches the tape to the printed circuit;
a coating on the second surface, wherein a first portion of the coating that is aligned with the light-emitting diodes has a first absorptivity, and wherein a second portion of the coating that is aligned with the gaps has a second absorptivity that is greater than the first absorptivity; and
second adhesive on the coating, wherein the second adhesive attaches the tape to the light guide layer.

15. The backlight structures defined in claim 14 , wherein the base layer comprises white polymer.

16. The backlight structures defined in claim 15 , wherein the coating comprises light-absorbing ink printed on the white polymer.

17. The backlight structures defined in claim 16 , wherein the light-absorbing ink has the first absorptivity in the first portion of the coating and has the second absorptivity in the second portion of the coating.

18. The backlight structures defined in claim 14 , wherein the first portion of the coating is formed from a first material, and wherein the second portion of the coating is formed from a second material that is different than the first material.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Xu Daming
• Suh Heesang
• Son Mookyung
• Zhu Wenyong
• Yin Victor H

Classifications

• G02B6/0073

  Light emitting diode [LED] · CPC title

• G02F1/133611

  including means for improving the brightness uniformity · CPC title

• G02B6/0088

  of the light guide or other optical sheets in the package · CPC title

• G02F1/133603 Primary

  with LEDs · CPC title

• G02B6/0031

  Reflecting element, sheet or layer · CPC title