Electronic devices having electrically adjustable optical shutters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10690986-B2
Application number	US-201815887661-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2018
Priority date	Sep 13, 2017
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

An electronic device has an electrically adjustable shutter. The shutter may be placed in a transparent state or a nontransparent state. The shutter may overlap a portion of a display, may overlap a liquid contact indictor or a structure with text in a device, or may overlap an optical component such as an optical proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, visible light-emitting diode or laser, infrared light-emitting diode or laser, visible light image sensor, or infrared light image sensor. Control circuitry in the electronic device may place the shutter in an opaque state to hide an overlapped component from view or may place the shutter in a transparent state to allow the overlapped component to transmit or receive light. The adjustable shutter may exhibit changes in its transmission spectrum in different modes of operation and may be used as a camera filter or neutral density filter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing;
a display mounted in the housing;
an optical component window, wherein the optical component window is formed in a selected one of: an inactive portion of the display, a transparent portion of a rear housing wall in the housing, and a transparent member mounted in an opening in the rear housing wall;
an optical component overlapped by the optical component window;
an electrowetting shutter that is interposed between the optical component window and the optical component; and
control circuitry configured to adjust the electrowetting shutter between a first state in which the electrowetting shutter has a region that is transparent and allows light associated with the optical component to pass and a second state in which the region is not transparent.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the optical component comprises a light source having a selected one of: a curved reflector and a Fresnel lens.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electrowetting shutter comprises:
first and second transparent substrates;
first and second electrodes on the first substrate;
a hydrophobic coating covering the first and second electrodes; and
immiscible first and second liquids interposed between the first and second transparent substrates.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the optical component comprises a light source that is overlapped by the electrowetting shutter.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the optical component comprises an ambient light sensor that is overlapped by the electrowetting shutter.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the optical component comprises an image sensor that is overlapped by the electrowetting shutter.

7. An electronic device having opposing front and rear faces, comprising:
a display on the front face;
a housing having a rear housing wall on the rear face;
an optical component window in an opening in the rear housing wall;
a camera in alignment with the optical component window;
an electrically adjustable component that is separate from and overlaps the camera; and
control circuitry configured to adjust the electrically adjustable component to adjust a light transmission spectrum associated with the electrically adjustable component.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the electrically adjustable component comprises a liquid crystal device.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the electrically adjustable component comprises an electrowetting device.

10. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a component that includes a selected one of: a structure with text and a liquid contact indicator;
an electrically adjustable shutter that overlaps the component; and
control circuitry configured to adjust the electrically adjustable shutter between a first state in which the electrically adjustable shutter has a portion that is transparent and allows the component to be viewed and a second state in which the portion is not transparent and blocks the component from view.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 , wherein the electrically adjustable shutter comprises a shutter selected from the group consisting of a liquid crystal device, an electrochromic device, a suspended particle device, an electrophoretic device, and an electrowetting device.

12. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a transparent display mounted in the housing that has an array of pixels;
an electrically adjustable shutter overlapping at least part of the array of pixels; and
control circuitry configured to adjust the electrically adjustable shutter between a first state in which the electrically adjustable shutter is transparent and a second state in which the electrically adjustable shutter is not transparent.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the display has a display cover layer that overlaps the array of pixels and wherein the array of pixels is interposed between the display cover layer and the electrically adjustable shutter.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the display has a display cover layer and wherein the electrically adjustable shutter is interposed between the display cover layer and the array of pixels.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Firka Michael W
• Fletcher Ashley E
• Pope Benjamin J
• Hooton Lee E
• Myers Scott A
• Bustle Benjamin Shane
• Young Garam
• Coughenour Blake M

Classifications

• G02F1/13781 Primary

  using smectic liquid crystals (G02F1/141 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G09G3/348

  based on the deformation of a fluid drop, e.g. electrowetting · CPC title

• G09G3/36

  using liquid crystals · CPC title

• G02B26/005

  based on electrowetting · CPC title

• G09G2300/023

  Display panel composed of stacked panels · CPC title