Displays with polarizer layers for electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9690024-B2
Application number	US-201514790822-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2015
Priority date	Oct 30, 2012
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device may have a display. Inactive portions of the display may be masked using an opaque masking layer. An opening may be provided in the masking layer. A camera may receive light through the opening in the opaque masking layer. The display may include upper and lower polarizers, a color filter layer, and a thin-film transistor layer. The upper polarizer may have an unpolarized window aligned with the opening in the opaque masking layer for the camera, a logo, or another internal structure. The unpolarized window may be formed from openings in polarizer layers such as a polyvinyl alcohol layer and optical retarder layers. The openings may pass through all or less than all of the polarizer layers. The openings may be filled with transparent filler material. The polarizer may include a try-acetyl cellulose layer that continuously covers the opening in other polarizer layers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device display comprising:
a polarizer comprising a plurality of polarizer layers, wherein a first polarizer layer in the plurality of polarizer layers includes an opening, and wherein a second polarizer layer in the plurality of polarizer layers overlaps the opening.

2. The electronic device display defined in claim 1 , wherein the first polarizer layer comprises a layer of polyvinyl alcohol.

3. The electronic device display defined in claim 2 , wherein the second polarizer layer comprises a layer of optically clear adhesive.

4. The electronic device display defined in claim 3 , wherein the layer of optically clear adhesive at least partially fills the opening in the layer of polyvinyl alcohol.

5. The electronic device display defined in claim 4 further comprising a third polarizer layer and an opening in the third polarizer layer that overlaps the opening in the first polarizer layer.

6. The electronic device display defined in claim 5 , wherein the third polarizer layer comprises an optical retarder layer.

7. The electronic device display defined in claim 6 , wherein the layer of optically clear adhesive at least partially fills the opening in the layer of polyvinyl alcohol and the opening in the optical retarder layer.

8. The electronic device display defined in claim 7 , wherein the optical retarder layer is interposed between the layer of polyvinyl alcohol and the layer of optically clear adhesive.

9. A display comprising:
a display substrate; and
a polarizer attached to the display substrate, wherein the polarizer comprises:
an opening that extends partially through the polarizer; and
transparent material in the opening.

10. The display defined in claim 9 , wherein the polarizer comprises a layer of polyvinyl alcohol and an optical retarder layer interposed between the display substrate and the layer of polyvinyl alcohol, and wherein the opening extends through the layer of polyvinyl alcohol and the optical retarder layer.

11. The display defined in claim 10 , wherein the transparent material comprises a layer of optically clear adhesive that attaches the polarizer to the display substrate.

12. The display defined in claim 11 , wherein the polarizer further comprises a layer of tri-acetyl cellulose that overlaps the opening.

13. The display defined in claim 12 , wherein the opening extends into the layer of tri-acetyl cellulose.

14. The display defined in claim 12 , wherein the layer of polyvinyl alcohol is interposed between the layer of tri-acetyl cellulose and the optical retarder layer.

15. The display defined in claim 10 , wherein the transparent material comprises a protective layer that forms an outer surface of the polarizer.

16. The display defined in claim 15 , wherein the protective layer extends from the outer surface of the polarizer to the display substrate to fill the opening.

17. An electronic device comprising:
a display having an active region and an inactive region; and
a polarizer in the display that overlaps the active region and the inactive region, wherein the polarizer comprises a plurality of layers, wherein a first layer of the plurality of layers comprises an opening in the inactive region, and wherein a second layer of the plurality of layers overlaps the opening and forms an outer surface of the display.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 further comprising a camera that receives unpolarized light through the opening.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the second layer comprises a protective layer that extends continuously over the plurality of layers to form a continuous outer surface of the polarizer.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the protective layer at least partially fills the opening.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Jiao Meizi
• Qi Jun
• Yin Victor H

Classifications

• G02F2001/13312

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02B5/30 Primary

  Polarising elements (light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00) · CPC title

• G02B5/005

  Diaphragms (for cameras G03B9/02) · CPC title

• G06F2203/04103

  Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices · CPC title

• G02B5/3033

  in the form of a thin sheet or foil, e.g. Polaroid · CPC title