Electronic devices having displays with openings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9543364-B2
Application number	US-201514612222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2015
Priority date	Oct 14, 2011
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device may have a display. The display may have an active region in which display pixels are used to display images. The display may have one or more openings and may be mounted in a housing associated with the electronic device. An electronic component may be mounted in alignment with the openings in the display. The electronic component may include a camera, a light sensor, a light-based proximity sensor, status indicator lights, a light-based touch sensor array, a secondary display that has display pixels that may be viewed through the openings, antenna structures, a speaker, a microphone, or other acoustic, electromagnetic, or light-based component. One or more openings in the display may form a window through which a user of the device may view an external object. Display pixels in the window region may be used in forming a heads-up display.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display, comprising:
an array of organic light-emitting diode pixels; and
a flexible polymer substrate having first and second opposing surfaces and at least one opening that passes from the first surface to the second surface, wherein the array of organic light-emitting diode pixels is formed on the first surface, and wherein the signals are transmitted through the opening from the first surface to the second surface towards an electronic component behind the flexible polymer substrate.

2. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the signals comprise optical signals.

3. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the signals comprise acoustic signals.

4. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the signals comprise radio-frequency electromagnetic signals.

5. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one opening comprises an air-filled opening.

6. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising a transparent polymer in the at least one opening.

7. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising a color filter material in the at least one opening that blocks some wavelengths of light and transmits other wavelengths of light.

8. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising an infrared filter in the opening that transmits infrared light and blocks visible light.

9. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising an active area in which the array of organic light-emitting diode pixels is formed, wherein the at least one opening is formed in the active area.

10. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one opening comprises a plurality of perforations in the flexible polymer substrate.

11. An electronic device, comprising:
a flexible substrate having first and second opposing surfaces and having an opening that passes from the first surface to the second surface;
an array of organic light-emitting diode pixels formed on the first surface; and
an electronic component mounted in alignment with the opening, wherein signals are conveyed through the opening.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the electronic component comprises a light sensor.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the electronic component comprises a speaker.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the electronic component comprises a microphone.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the electronic component comprises an antenna.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the flexible substrate is interposed between the array of organic light-emitting diode pixels and the electronic component.

17. An electronic device, comprising:
a flexible polymer substrate having an opening that transmits signals;
an array of pixels formed on the flexible substrate, wherein the array of pixels emits light away from the opening; and
an electronic component aligned with the opening, wherein the flexible polymer substrate is interposed between the array of pixels and the electronic component.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the signals comprise ambient light signals and wherein the electronic component comprises an ambient light sensor that receives the ambient light signals through the opening.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the signals comprise proximity sensor signals and wherein the electronic component comprises a proximity sensor that receives the proximity sensor signals through the opening.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the signals comprise optical signals and wherein the electronic component comprises a light-emitting diode that emits the optical signals through the opening.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the array of pixels and the opening are formed in an active area of a display.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Rappoport Benjamin M
• Franklin Jeremy C
• Rothkopf Fletcher R
• Myers Scott A
• Howarth Richard P
• Hoenig Julian
• Stringer Christopher J
• Ternus John P
• Lynch Stephen Brian

Classifications

• G06F1/169

  the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes (G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033) · CPC title

• G02B2027/0138

  comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera · CPC title

• G06F1/1688

  the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers · CPC title

• G02B27/01

  Head-up displays · CPC title

• G09G3/3208

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