Flexible electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9557874-B2
Application number	US-201615055432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2011
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

Flexible electronic devices may be provided. A flexible electronic device may include a flexible display, a flexible housing and one or more flexible internal components configured to allow the flexible electronic device to be deformed. Flexible displays may include flexible display layers, flexible touch-sensitive layers, and flexible display cover layers. The flexible housing may be a multi-stable flexible housing having one or more stable positions. The flexible housing may include a configurable support structure that, when engaged, provides a rigid support structure for the flexible housing. The flexible internal components may include flexible batteries, flexible printed circuits or other flexible components. A flexible battery may include flexible and rigid portions or may include a lubricious separator layer that provides flexibility for the flexible battery. A flexible printed circuit may include flexible and rigid portions or openings that allow some rigid portions to flex with respect to other rigid portions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a flexible display that is movable between a folded position and an unfolded position;
a sensor that detects whether the flexible display is in the folded position or the unfolded position; and
processing circuitry that automatically turns on the flexible display when the flexible display moves from the folded position to the unfolded position and that automatically turns off the flexible display when the flexible display moves from the unfolded position to the folded position.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a light sensor.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a pressure sensor.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a capacitive sensor.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible display is touch-sensitive and wherein the sensor comprises a touch sensor that forms part of the touch-sensitive flexible display.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a proximity sensor.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible display comprises first and second portions that face each other when the flexible display is in the folded position.

8. The electronic device defined in 1 further comprising a housing in which the flexible display is mounted, wherein the housing comprises first and second rigid portions joined by a flexible portion.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the housing comprises fabric.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the flexible display comprises an array of organic light-emitting diode pixels on a flexible substrate.

11. An electronic device, comprising:
a flexible display;
a fabric housing member that supports the flexible display;
a sensor that detects bending of the flexible display; and
processing circuitry that gathers sensor signals from the sensor and that controls operation of the flexible display based on the sensor signals.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the fabric housing member comprises metal elements.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the fabric housing member bends with the flexible display.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the flexible display comprises a touch-sensitive flexible display having an array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the fabric housing member forms a flexible hinge that allows the flexible display to be folded.

16. An electronic device, comprising:
a fabric-based housing structure;
an array of light-emitting diodes mounted to the fabric-based housing structure;
a sensor that detects flexing of the fabric-based housing structure; and
processing circuitry that gathers sensor signals from the sensor and that controls the array of light-emitting diodes based on the sensor signals.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the fabric-based housing structure comprises a rigid portion and a flexible portion.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the sensor comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of: a light sensor, a capacitive sensor, and a pressure sensor.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the fabric-based housing structure forms a flexible hinge that allows the array of light-emitting diodes to be folded.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the fabric-based housing structure comprises a layer of fabric on a rigid support structure.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Franklin Jeremy C
• Myers Scott A
• Rappoport Benjamin M
• Lynch Stephen Brian
• Ternus John P
• Wodrich Justin R

Classifications

• H01M50/469

  tubular or cylindrical · CPC title

• H01M50/216

  adapted for button or coin cells · CPC title

• H01M50/293

  characterised by the material · CPC title

• H01M50/105

  Pouches or flexible bags · CPC title

• H01M50/213

  adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic (H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence) · CPC title