Electronic devices having displays with openings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9825103-B2
Application number	US-201715402009-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2017
Priority date	Oct 14, 2011
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 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:
a flexible polymer substrate having first and second opposing surfaces and having an opening that passes from the first surface to the second surface, wherein signals pass through the opening;
an array of pixels on the first surface; and
an electronic component behind the flexible polymer substrate, wherein the electronic component is mounted in alignment with the opening.

2. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the signals comprise optical signals that are transmitted from the electronic component.

3. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the signals comprise optical signals that are received by the electronic component.

4. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the signals comprise acoustic signals transmitted from the electronic component.

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

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

7. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising a color filter material in the 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 pixels is formed, wherein the opening is formed in the active area.

10. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the opening comprises a perforation in an array of perforations in the flexible polymer substrate.

11. An electronic device, comprising:
a substrate having first and second opposing surfaces and having an opening that passes from the first surface to the second surface;
an array of pixels formed on the first surface; and
an electronic component mounted behind the substrate, wherein the opening overlaps the electronic component and 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 substrate comprises a polymer substrate that is interposed between the array of pixels and the electronic component.

17. An electronic device, comprising:
a substrate having an opening through which signals pass, wherein the opening passes through the substrate;
an electronic component aligned with the opening; and
an array of pixels formed on the substrate, wherein the pixels emit light away from the electronic component, wherein the substrate is interposed between the array of pixels and the electronic component, and wherein the array of pixels and the opening are formed in an active area of a display.

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.

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

• G06F3/011

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06F1/1698

  the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone (details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266) · CPC title

• G09G2320/0626

  for control of overall brightness · CPC title

• G09G2360/144

  the light being ambient light · CPC title

• G02B27/01

  Head-up displays · CPC title