Electronic devices with soft input-output components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9869807-B2
Application number	US-201615070498-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2016
Priority date	Jun 30, 2015
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

An electronic device may have control circuitry coupled to input-output devices such as a display. A flexible input-output device may be formed from an elastomeric substrate layer. The substrate layer may have signal paths to which components are mounted. Openings may be formed in the elastomeric substrate layer between the signal paths to create a stretchable mesh-shaped substrate. The electrical components may each include an interposer having solder pads soldered to the elastomeric substrate. Electrical devices such as micro-light-emitting diodes may be soldered to the interposers. The electrical components may also include electrical devices such as sensors and actuators. A stretchable lighting unit may have a stretchable light guide illuminated by a stretchable light source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus, comprising:
a stretchable light guide; and
a stretchable light source that emits light into the stretchable light guide, wherein the stretchable light source includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes, wherein the stretchable light source includes serpentine signal paths coupled between the light emitting diodes, and wherein the plurality of light-emitting diodes are embedded within the stretchable light guide.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the stretchable light guide includes an edge surface and wherein the stretchable light source is mounted on the edge surface and emits the light into the stretchable light guide through the edge surface.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the stretchable light guide includes light scattering structures and wherein the light scattering structures comprises structures selected from the group consisting of: protrusions and recesses.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the stretchable light guide includes light scattering structures and wherein the light scattering structures comprises a structures attached to a surface of the stretchable light guide.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the stretchable light guide comprises a polymer sheet having a first index of refraction and a polymer coating on the polymer sheet that has a second index of refraction that is less than the first index of refraction.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the light source comprises multiple layers of the light-emitting diodes stacked on top of each other.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 1 further comprising interposers on which the light-emitting diodes are mounted, wherein the light-emitting diodes include light-emitting diodes of different colors.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the stretchable light guide includes a plurality of sheets of material with edges that are joined using transparent bonding material.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the stretchable light guide includes a transparent elastomeric sheet and includes an elastomeric coating on the elastomeric sheet and wherein the light has a first wavelength, the apparatus further comprising downconversion material in the elastomeric coating that converts the light of the first wavelength into light with a second wavelength that is longer than the first wavelength.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the stretchable light guide includes first and second transparent elastomeric layers that guide the light, and wherein the stretchable light source includes a first set of the light-emitting diodes that emit a first portion of the light into the first transparent elastomeric layer and a second set of the light-emitting diodes that emit a second portion of the light into the second transparent elastomeric layer and wherein the apparatus further comprises:
a separation layer between the first and second transparent elastomeric layers, wherein the separation layer comprises a layer selected from the group consisting of: a liquid layer and a gel layer; and
spacers in the separation layer that define a gap between the first and second transparent elastomeric layers.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the stretchable light guide includes an elastomeric sheet and a light scattering coating on the elastomeric sheet.

12. A stretchable device, comprising:
a light-emitting component;
a stretchable light guide layer that receives light from the light-emitting component;
an elastomeric layer;
a separation layer between the stretchable light guide layer and the elastomeric layer; and
spacers in the separation layer that define a gap between the elastomeric layer and the stretchable light guide layer.

13. The stretchable device defined in claim 12 wherein the separation layer comprises a layer selected from the group consisting of: a liquid layer, a gel layer, and a layer having gaseous material and spacer structures.

14. The stretchable device defined in claim 12 further comprising light scattering structures on the stretchable light guide, wherein the light-emitting component comprises a light-emitting component selected from the group consisting of: a light-emitting diode and a laser diode.

15. A stretchable lighting unit, comprising:
a stretchable light guide formed from a sheet of elastomeric polymer having light scattering structures, wherein the light scattering structures comprise structures selected from the group consisting of: protruding portions of the sheet of elastomeric polymer and recessed portions in the sheet of elastomeric polymer; and
a stretchable light source having light-emitting diodes and stretchable signal paths coupled between the light-emitting diodes, wherein the light-emitting diodes emit light into the sheet of elastomeric polymer and wherein the light is scattered out of the sheet of elastomeric polymer by the light scattering structures.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Kim Hoon Sik
• Hsu Yung-Yu
• Drzaic Paul S

Classifications

• G02B6/0068

  Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources · CPC title

• H10W90/724

  between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL · CPC title

• H10W70/63

  Vias, e.g. via plugs · CPC title

• H10W70/688

  Flexible insulating substrates · CPC title

• H10W70/611

  for connecting multiple chips together · CPC title