Backlight Structures for an Electronic Device With Sensor Circuitry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016320543-A1
Application number	US-201514881067-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 12, 2015
Priority date	May 1, 2015
Publication date	Nov 3, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A display may be mounted within an electronic device housing. The display may deflect inwardly when pressed by a user. A sensor formed from a flexible printed circuit may measure capacitance changes associated with inward deflection of the display. A backlight for the display may have a backlight plate on which the printed circuit is mounted. The backlight plate may be formed from a fiber-composite material such as carbon fiber. Multiple carbon-fiber layers may be sandwiched together to form the backlight plate. An electromagnetic shield layer may be used to electromagnetically the printed circuit. The backlight plate may have an opening in which conductive material is placed to short the electromagnetic shield layer to a ground pad on the printed circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic device, comprising:
a housing; a display mounted within the housing; and backlight structures that supply backlight to the display, wherein the backlight structures include a fiber-composite plate.

2 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the fiber-composite plate comprises a carbon-fiber plate.

3 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the fiber-composite plate comprises multiple fiber-composite layers.

4 . The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the fiber-composite plate comprises at least one unidirectional fiber-composite layer.

5 . The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the fiber-composite plate comprises at least four unidirectional fiber-composite layers.

6 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the fiber-composite plate comprises two outermost unidirectional fiber-composite layers and at least one interior unidirectional fiber composite layer.

7 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the fiber-composite plate comprises at least first and second unidirectional fiber-composite layers having respective fibers that are perpendicular to each other.

8 . The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the fiber-composite plate comprises:
two outer unidirectional carbon-fiber layers; and
two inner unidirectional carbon-fiber layers sandwiched between the two outer unidirectional carbon fiber layers.

9 . The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the housing comprises a rectangular housing having two opposing short edges and two opposing long edges that are longer than the short edges, wherein the two outer unidirectional carbon-fiber layers have fibers running between the two opposing long edges parallel to the short edges, and wherein the two inner unidirectional carbon-fiber layers have fibers running between the two opposing short edges parallel to the long edges.

10 . The electronic device defined in claim 9 further comprising:
a flexible printed circuit supported by the fiber-composite plate.

11 . The electronic device defined in claim 10 further comprising an electromagnetic shield layer that shields the flexible printed circuit.

12 . The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the electromagnetic shield layer comprises a layer selected from the group consisting of: a layer of conductive adhesive and a layer of metal foil.

13 . The electronic device defined in claim 12 further comprising a first layer of adhesive between the flexible printed circuit and the shield layer and a second layer of adhesive between the shield layer and the fiber-composite plate.

14 . The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the fiber-composite plate has a surface and wherein the electromagnetic shield layer comprises a metal coating on the surface.

15 . The electronic device defined in claim 14 further comprising a layer of adhesive between the electromagnetic shield layer and the flexible printed circuit.

16 . The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the flexible printed circuit has a surface and wherein the electromagnetic shield layer comprises a metal layer on the surface.

17 . The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising a layer of adhesive between the metal layer and the fiber-composite plate.

18 . The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the electromagnetic shield layer comprises a layer of metal foil embedded within the fiber-composite plate.

19 . The electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein the layer of metal foil has first and second opposing surfaces and wherein a portion of the first surface is exposed to conductive material that shorts the metal foil to a ground pad in the flexible printed circuit.

20 . The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the flexible printed circuit has a ground trace, wherein the fiber-composite layer has an opening, and wherein the electronic device further comprises conductive material in the opening that shorts the electromagnetic shield layer to the ground trace.

21 . The electronic device defined in claim 20 wherein the conductive material comprises a polymer with embedded metal particles.

22 . The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the display has a surface that is deflected by application of pressure from a finger of a user and wherein the flexible printed circuit measures the deflection of the display.

23 . An electronic device, comprising:
a rectangular housing; and a display with backlight structures that include a fiber-composite plate having at least some fibers that span the rectangular housing.

24 . The electronic device defined in claim 23 further comprising:
a flexible printed circuit supported on the fiber-composite plate; and
an electromagnetic shield layer that is interposed between the fiber-composite plate and the flexible printed circuit.

25 . The electronic device defined in claim 23 wherein the rectangular housing has two opposing short edges and two opposing long edges, wherein the fiber-composite plate comprises a pair of outer unidirectional carbon-fiber layers and a pair of inner unidirectional carbon-fiber layers sandwiched between the pair of outer unidirectional carbon-fiber layers, and wherein the outer unidirectional carbon-fiber layers have carbon fibers that run between the two opposing long edges.

26 . The electronic device defined in claim 25 further comprising an opening in the fiber-composite plate and conductive material in the opening that shorts the electromagnetic shield layer to a ground pad on the flexible printed circuit.

27 . An electronic device, comprising:
a housing; a deflectable display in the housing; a backlight plate formed from multiple layers of carbon-fiber material; and a flexible printed circuit attached to the backlight plate to measure capacitance changes associated with deflection of the deflectable display.

28 . The electronic device defined in claim 27 further comprising an electromagnetic shield layer, wherein the flexible printed circuit has a ground pad and wherein the backlight plate has an opening in which conductive material is placed to short the electromagnetic shield layer to the ground pad.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Schlaupitz Alexander D
• Howe Jacqueline M

Classifications

• H05K1/0393

  Flexible materials (H05K1/038 takes precedence; specific organic compositions are classified in H05K1/0313 and subgroups) · CPC title

• H05K2201/10151

  Sensor · CPC title

• G02B6/0065

  Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects · CPC title

• H05K1/16

  incorporating printed electric components, e.g. printed resistors, capacitors or inductors · CPC title

• G06F2203/04107

  Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds · CPC title