Display with a transmitter under an active area

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12175907-B2
Application number	US-202318476892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2023
Priority date	Dec 9, 2022
Publication date	Dec 24, 2024
Grant date	Dec 24, 2024

Abstract

A light emitter that operates through a display may cause display artifacts, even when the light emitter operates using non-visible wavelengths. To mitigate artifacts caused by a light emitter operating through a display, the display may have a higher density of thin-film transistor sub-pixels than emissive sub-pixels. This allows for a region in the display to include emissive sub-pixels but be free of thin-film transistor sub-pixels. The light emitter may operate through this region in the display. Additionally, to reduce the amount of space occupied in the inactive area of a display by gate driver circuitry, at least a portion of the gate driver circuitry may be positioned in the active area of the display. To accommodate the gate driver circuitry, emissive sub-pixels may be laterally shifted relative to corresponding thin-film transistor sub-pixels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a plurality of pixels arranged in a light-emitting area, wherein each one of the plurality of pixels includes an emissive sub-pixel and a thin-film transistor sub-pixel that controls the emissive sub-pixel, wherein the emissive sub-pixels have a first number of emissive sub-pixels per unit area, wherein the thin-film transistor sub-pixels have a second number of thin-film transistor sub-pixels per unit area, and wherein the second number is greater than the first number;
a region in the plurality of pixels that includes a first subset of the emissive sub-pixels and is free of any thin-film transistor sub-pixels, wherein a second subset of the thin-film transistor sub-pixels outside of the region controls the first subset of the emissive sub-pixels that is in the region;
gate driver circuitry that is positioned at an edge of the light-emitting area, wherein the second subset of the thin-film transistor sub-pixels includes at least one thin-film transistor sub-pixel that is interposed between first and second portions of the gate driver circuitry; and
a light source that emits light through the region in the plurality of pixels.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising a third subset of the thin-film transistor sub-pixels that is interposed between the first subset of the emissive sub-pixels and the second subset of the thin-film transistor sub-pixels.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the second subset of the thin-film transistor sub-pixels includes at least one thin-film transistor sub-pixel that is adjacent to a periphery of the light-emitting area.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the thin-film transistor sub-pixels have a first portion that has the second number of thin-film transistor sub-pixels per unit area and a second portion that has a third number of thin-film transistor sub-pixels per unit area.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 , wherein the first portion overlaps the region in a first direction and wherein the second portion does not overlap the region in the first direction.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of data lines;
a plurality of gate lines;
display driver circuitry that is configured to provide data to the plurality of pixels using the plurality of data lines, wherein at least a portion of the gate driver circuitry is positioned in the light-emitting area.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 , wherein a second subset of the emissive sub-pixels overlaps the gate driver circuitry and wherein a third subset of the thin-film transistor sub-pixels controls the second subset of the emissive sub-pixels.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 , wherein the third subset of the thin-film transistor sub-pixels does not overlap the gate driver circuitry.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 , wherein the thin-film transistor sub-pixels are arranged in an area and wherein the third subset of the thin-film transistor sub-pixels is consolidated at an edge of the area.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the light source is an infrared light source.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the emissive sub-pixels have a uniform density across the light-emitting area.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 , wherein the thin-film transistor sub-pixels have a non-uniform density across the light-emitting area.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein each emissive sub-pixel includes a respective anode and wherein the anodes of at least some of the first subset of the emissive sub-pixels are shorted to at least one additional anode.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a heat spreading layer that is interposed between the light source and the plurality of pixels, wherein the heat spreading layer is transparent to the light emitted by the light source.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a metal layer that is interposed between the light source and the plurality of pixels, wherein the metal layer blocks the light emitted by the light source and wherein the metal layer has an opening that overlaps the light source.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
an inorganic reflector layer that is interposed between the light source and the plurality of pixels, wherein the inorganic reflector layer blocks the light emitted by the light source and wherein the inorganic reflector layer has an opening that overlaps the light source.

17. A display comprising:
a plurality of pixels arranged in a light-emitting area, wherein the light-emitting area has rounded corners, wherein each one of the plurality of pixels includes an emissive sub-pixel and a thin-film transistor sub-pixel that controls the emissive sub-pixel, and wherein the emissive sub-pixels have a uniform density across the light-emitting area;
a plurality of data lines;
a plurality of gate lines;
display driver circuitry that is configured to provide data to the plurality of pixels using the plurality of data lines; and
gate driver circuitry that is configured to provide control signals to the plurality of pixels using the plurality of gate lines, wherein, in a first subset of rows of the emissive sub-pixels that includes the rounded corners, the emissive sub-pixels overlap the gate driver circuitry along an edge of the light-emitting area, and wherein, in a second subset of rows of the emissive sub-pixels that does not include the rounded corners, the emissive sub-pixels do not overlap the gate driver circuitry along the edge of the light-emitting area.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 , wherein the first subset of rows of the emissive sub-pixels has the uniform density and wherein the second subset of rows of the emissive sub-pixels has the uniform density.

19. An electronic device comprising:
a display comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a light-emitting area, wherein each one of the plurality of pixels includes an emissive sub-pixel and a thin-film transistor sub-pixel that controls the emissive sub-pixel, wherein the emissive sub-pixels have a uniform density across the light-emitting area, wherein the thin-film transistor sub-pixels have a first portion with a first number of thin-film transistor sub-pixels per unit area and a second portion with a second number of thin-film transistor sub-pixels per unit area, wherein the first portion is adjacent to the second portion, and wherein the second number is different than the first number; and
a proximity sensor comprising a light source that emits light through a portion of the plurality of pixels that is free of thin-film transistor sub-pixels.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 , wherein the display further comprises:
a plurality of data lines;
a plurality of gate lines;
display driver circuitry that is configured to provide data to the plurality of pixels using the plurality of data lines; and
gate driver circuitry that is configured to provide control signals to the plurality of pixels using the plurality of gate lines, wherein at least a portion of the gate driver circuitry is positioned in the light-emitting area.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 19 , wherein the thin-film transistor sub-pixels have a third portion with a third number of thin-film transistor sub-pixels per unit area, and wher

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Yang Shyuan
• Hsieh Cheng-Chih
• Beck Jonathan H
• Che Yuchi
• Tsai Tsung-Ting
• Rieutort-Louis Warren S
• Jamshidi Roudbari Abbas
• Chang Ting-Kuo
• Chang Shih Chang
• Lalgudi Visweswaran Bhadrinarayana
• Choi Jae Won
• Kim Kyounghwan

Classifications

• G09G2300/0452

  Details of colour pixel setup, e.g. pixel composed of a red, a blue and two green components · CPC title

• G09G2320/0233

  Improving the luminance or brightness uniformity across the screen · CPC title

• G09G2300/0465

  Improved aperture ratio, e.g. by size reduction of the pixel circuit, e.g. for improving the pixel density or the maximum displayable luminance or brightness · CPC title

• G09G2320/0242

  Compensation of deficiencies in the appearance of colours · CPC title

• H10K59/131

  Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals · CPC title