Devices with Displays Having Transparent Openings and Shorted Pixels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025374762-A1
Application number	US-202519304397-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 19, 2025
Priority date	Apr 1, 2021
Publication date	Dec 4, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic device may include a display and an optical sensor formed underneath the display. The display may have both a full pixel density region and a high-transmittance region that overlaps the optical sensor. To increase the transmittance of light through the high-transmittance region of the display, emissive sub-pixels in the high-transmittance region may be shorted together. Each emissive sub-pixel may be shorted to an emissive sub-pixel of the same color. The emissive sub-pixels in the high-transmittance region of the display may have the same layout but smaller sizes relative to the full pixel density region of the display. The thin-film transistor sub-pixels in the high-transmittance region may be consolidated horizontally and/or vertically to produce larger continuous high-transmittance areas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic device, comprising:
an input-output component; and a display having an array of pixels, wherein the display comprises:
a first portion having a first pixel density; and
a second portion overlapping the input-output component and having a second pixel density that is lower than the first pixel density, wherein the second portion of the display comprises:
emissive sub-pixels that emit light; and
thin-film transistor (TFT) sub-pixels that control the emissive sub-pixels, wherein the TFT sub-pixels are arranged in an array of rows and columns and wherein, within a given row, the TFT sub-pixels are unevenly distributed.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the TFT sub-pixels are consolidated horizontally in an area of the second portion of the display.

3 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the given row of TFT sub-pixels comprises a middle area and an edge area, wherein there is a first density of TFT sub-pixels in the middle area, and wherein there is a second density different than the first density of TFT sub-pixels in the edge area.

4 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the second density is less than the first density.

5 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the edge area has zero TFT sub-pixels.

6 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the middle area includes at least a first set of six columns and wherein the edge area includes at least a second set of six columns.

7 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one column has zero TFT sub-pixels.

8 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein a first thin-film transistor sub-pixel controls first and second emissive sub-pixels in the second portion and wherein the first and second emissive sub-pixels are in a same row and different columns.

9 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein, within a given column, the TFT sub-pixels are unevenly distributed.

10 . The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein at least one row has zero TFT sub-pixels.

11 . The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein a first thin-film transistor sub-pixel controls first and second emissive sub-pixels in the second portion and wherein the first and second emissive sub-pixels are in a same column and different rows.

12 . The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein a first thin-film transistor sub-pixel controls first and second emissive sub-pixels in the second portion and wherein the first and second emissive sub-pixels are in different columns and different rows.

13 . An electronic device, comprising:
an input-output component; and a display having a plurality of emissive sub-pixels and a plurality of thin-film transistor (TFT) sub-pixels that control the emissive sub-pixels, wherein the display comprises:
a first portion in which there is one emissive sub-pixel for each TFT sub-pixel; and
a second portion in which there are two emissive sub-pixels for each TFT sub-pixel, wherein the second portion overlaps the input-output component, wherein the TFT sub-pixels in the second portion are arranged in an array of rows and columns, and wherein, within a given column, the TFT sub-pixels are unevenly distributed.

14 . The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the TFT sub-pixels are consolidated vertically in an area of the second portion of the display.

15 . The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the given column of TFT sub-pixels comprises a middle area and an edge area, wherein there is a first density of TFT sub-pixels in the middle area, and wherein there is a second density different than the first density of TFT sub-pixels in the edge area.

16 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the second density is less than the first density.

17 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the edge area has zero TFT sub-pixels.

18 . An electronic device, comprising:
an input-output component; and a display having an array of pixels, wherein the display comprises:
a first portion having a first pixel density; and
a second portion overlapping the input-output component and having a second pixel density that is lower than the first pixel density, wherein the second portion of the display comprises:
emissive sub-pixels that emit light; and
thin-film transistor (TFT) sub-pixels that control the emissive sub-pixels, wherein the TFT sub-pixels are consolidated at opposite edges of the second portion.

19 . The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the TFT sub-pixels are consolidated at top and bottom edges of the second portion.

20 . The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein a central area of the second portion has zero TFT sub-pixels.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Cui Yue
• Peterson Ricardo A
• Che Yuchi
• Yang Shyuan
• Rieutort-Louis Warren S
• Tsai Tsung-Ting
• Qiao Yi
• Guillou Jean-Pierre S
• Jamshidi Roudbari Abbas

Classifications

• H10D86/60

  wherein the TFTs are in active matrices · CPC title

• G09G3/3208

  organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED] · CPC title

• G09G2340/0407

  Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas · CPC title

• G09G2300/0452

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

• G09G2354/00

  Aspects of interface with display user · CPC title