Displays with camera window openings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9806219-B2
Application number	US-201414151253-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2014
Priority date	Feb 14, 2013
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A display may include a color filter layer, a liquid crystal layer, and a thin-film transistor layer. A camera window may be formed in the display to accommodate a camera. The camera window may be formed by creating a notch in the thin-film transistor layer that extends inwardly from the edge of the thin-film transistor layer. The notch may be formed by scribing the thin-film transistor layer around the notch location and breaking away a portion of the thin-film transistor layer. A camera window may also be formed by grinding a hole in the display. The hole may penetrate partway into the thin-film transistor layer, may penetrate through the transistor layer but not into the color filter layer, or may pass through the thin-film transistor layer and partly into the color filter layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display, comprising:
a thin-film transistor layer having first and second opposing surfaces, a first peripheral edge, and a notch that extends at least partly into the first peripheral edge to form a recessed edge of the thin-film transistor layer, wherein the thin-film transistor layer includes an unpolished portion along the recessed edge, and wherein the first peripheral edge comprises a polished portion that extends from the first surface to the second surface;
a camera mounted within the notch; and
a color filter layer that overlaps the notch and the camera, wherein the color filter layer comprises a second peripheral edge that is aligned with the first peripheral edge.

2. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the color filter layer has an active area and an inactive area, wherein the inactive area includes an opaque black masking layer with an opening that is aligned with the camera.

3. The display defined in claim 2 wherein the notch has a shape defined by a scribe line on the thin-film transistor layer, wherein the thin-film transistor layer includes a scribe-damaged surface region along the scribe line.

4. The display defined in claim 3 wherein the scribe-damaged surface region comprises a laser-scribed surface region.

5. The display defined in claim 3 wherein the scribe-damaged surface region comprises a wheel-scribed surface region.

6. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the color filter layer has an active area with an array of color filter elements and an inactive area with an opaque masking layer, wherein the opaque masking layer has an opening and wherein the opening in the opaque masking layer is aligned with the notch and the camera so that light passes through the opening in the opaque masking layer into the camera.

7. The display defined in claim 6 further comprising a layer of adhesive that attaches the camera to the color filter layer.

8. The display defined in claim 7 wherein the color filter layer has a polished edge and wherein a region of the color filter layer adjacent to the notch and a region of the color filter layer that is not adjacent to the notch have matched polished surfaces.

9. A display, comprising:
a color filter layer;
a thin-film transistor layer;
a hole that penetrates partly into the thin-film transistor layer;
a camera having a housing with a surface in which a lens is mounted, wherein a portion of the color filter layer and a portion of thin-film transistor layer extend over the lens of the camera, and wherein the camera is mounted in the hole so that light is received by the camera through the portion of the color filter layer that overlaps the camera and through the portion of the thin-film transistor layer that overlaps the camera; and
adhesive that attaches the surface of the housing in which the lens is mounted to the portion of the thin-film transistor layer that overlaps the camera.

10. The display defined in claim 9 further comprising:
liquid crystal material interposed between a portion of the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer; and
an opaque masking layer on a border region of the color filter layer, wherein the opaque masking layer has an opening that is aligned with the hole so that light passes through the opening into the camera.

11. The display defined in claim 10 further comprising a flexible printed circuit attached to the camera.

12. The display defined in claim 10 further comprising first and second polarizers, wherein the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer are interposed between the first and second polarizers.

13. The display defined in claim 9 wherein the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer have aligned polished edges.

14. A display, comprising:
a color filter layer;
a thin-film transistor layer;
a hole that penetrates through the thin-film transistor layer and partly into the color filter layer;
a camera mounted in the hole so that light is received by the camera through a portion of the color filter layer that extends over the camera; and
adhesive in the hole that attaches the camera to the portion of the color filter layer that extends over the camera.

15. The display defined in claim 14 further comprising:
an opaque masking layer on a portion of the color filter layer, wherein the opaque masking layer has an opening that is aligned with the hole so that light passes through the opening into the camera.

16. The display defined in claim 14 wherein the color filter layer comprises glass and wherein the hole comprises a ground hole.

17. The display defined in claim 16 further comprising first and second polarizers, wherein the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer are interposed between the first and second polarizers.

18. The display defined in claim 14 wherein the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer have aligned polished edges.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Benson Eric L
• Posner Bryan W
• Boitnott Christopher L
• Mathew Dinesh C
• Qi Jun
• Cao Robert Y
• Yin Victor H

Classifications

• H10F71/00

  Manufacture or treatment of devices covered by this subclass (patterning processes to connect thin photovoltaic cells in integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/33; manufacture or treatment of encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells H10F19/80; manufacture or treatment of integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one element in which radiation controls the flow of current H10F39/00) · CPC title

• G06F1/1643 Primary

  the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads (details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615) · CPC title

• G02F1/1362

  Active matrix addressed cells {(G02F1/134336, G02F1/134363 take precedence)} · CPC title

• G02F1/133514

  Colour filters · CPC title

• G02F2201/58

  Arrangements comprising a monitoring photodetector · CPC title