Housing structures and input-output devices for electronic devices

An electronic device may have input-output devices such as sensors, displays, wireless circuitry, and other electronic components mounted within a housing. The housing may have opposing front and rear walls. A display may be formed on a front side of the device and may be overlapped by a front housing wall such as a glass layer. Sensors and other components may be formed on a rear side of the device and may be overlapped by a rear housing wall. The rear housing wall may have a glass portion or other transparent structure through which projectors project images onto nearby surfaces and through which image sensors and other optical sensors receive light. The housing may be supported by a stand. An electrical component in the stand may interact with an electronic device on the stand. Wireless circuitry in an external item may wirelessly couple to wireless circuitry within the housing.

FIELD

This relates generally to electronic devices, and, more particularly, to housings and input-output devices for electronic devices.

BACKGROUND

Electronic devices such as computers include input-output devices. Housings for the electronic devices may be formed from polymer, metal, and other materials.

If care is not taken, the input-output devices of an electronic device may not gather input as desired and/or may not provide a user with desired output. Housings for electronic devices may be formed from materials that are unsightly or that hinder the operation of input-output devices.

SUMMARY

An electronic device may have input-output devices such as sensors, displays, wireless circuitry, and other electronic components mounted within a housing. The housing may have opposing front and rear walls. The housing may include transparent materials such as glass or clear polymer and may, if desired, include polymer with embedded fibers (e.g., fiberglass). In some configurations, the front and rear walls may be formed from glass, transparent polymer, or other transparent materials. A display may be viewed through the front wall. Optical devices and other components may operate through the rear wall or other portions of the housing.

A stand may support the housing so that a display that is overlapped by the front wall may be viewed by a user. Projectors on the rear wall or other portions of the electronic device may project images onto nearby surfaces. Sensors such as gaze detection sensors, three-dimensional image sensors, cameras, and other components may operate through housing walls. Control circuitry may display images on the display and may use projectors to display images onto nearby surfaces using captured images, gaze detection information, and other information from input-output devices.

The electronic device may include wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may be located in the housing or the stand for the housing and may be used in transmitting or receiving wireless power and/or wireless communications signals. The stand may include a glass layer, clear polymer layer, other transparent material and/or other material. A display, wireless circuitry, or other components may operate through the transparent material and/or other materials of the stand.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An electronic device such as a computer may be provided with housing structures such as glass housing structures, clear polymer structures, other transparent materials, and/or other materials. Forming some or all of a housing for an electronic device from materials such as glass, transparent polymer, and other such materials may help accommodate optical components and other electrical devices. In some arrangements, the electronic device may be provided with projecting displays that help enhance the area used for providing a user with visual output. Input-output devices such as optical components, displays, projectors, sensors, wireless circuitry, and/or other electrical devices can be accommodated within a glass housing or other housing structures for the electronic device.

An illustrative electronic device is shown inFIG.1. Electronic device10may be a computing device such as a laptop computer, a computer monitor containing an embedded computer (e.g., a desktop computer formed from a display with a desktop stand that has computer components embedded in the same housing as the display), a tablet computer, a cellular telephone, a media player, or other handheld or portable electronic device, a smaller device such as a wrist-watch device, a pendant device, a headphone or earpiece device, a device embedded in eyeglasses or other equipment worn on a user's head, or other wearable or miniature device, a television, a computer display that does not contain an embedded computer, a gaming device, a navigation device, a tower computer, an embedded system such as a system in which electronic equipment with a display is mounted in a kiosk or automobile, equipment that implements the functionality of two or more of these devices, or other electronic equipment.

As shown inFIG.1, electronic device10may have control circuitry16. Control circuitry16may include storage and processing circuitry for supporting the operation of device10. The storage and processing circuitry may include storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. Processing circuitry in control circuitry16may be used to control the operation of device10. The processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors, power management units, audio chips, application specific integrated circuits, etc. Control circuitry16may include wired and/or wireless communications circuitry (e.g., antennas and associated radio-frequency transceiver circuitry such as cellular telephone communications circuitry, wireless local area network communications circuitry, etc.). The communications circuitry of control circuitry16may allow device10to communicate with keyboards, computer mice, remote controls, speakers, accessory displays, accessory cameras, and/or other electronic devices that serve as accessories for device10.

Input-output circuitry in device10such as input-output devices12may be used to allow data to be supplied to device10and to allow data to be provided from device10to external devices. Input-output devices12may include input devices that gather user input and other input and may include output devices that supply visual output, audible output, or other output. These devices may include buttons, joysticks, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, microphones, speakers, tone generators, vibrators and other haptic output devices, light-emitting diodes and other status indicators, data ports, etc.

Input-output devices12may include one or more displays such as display14. Devices12may, for example, include an organic light-emitting diode display, a liquid crystal display, a projector display (e.g., a projector based on a micromechanical systems device such as a digital micromirror device or other projector components), a display having an array of pixels formed from respective light-emitting diodes (e.g., a pixel array having pixels with crystalline light-emitting diodes formed from respective light-emitting diode dies such as micro-light-emitting diode dies), and/or other displays. Display14may be a touch screen display that includes a touch sensor for gathering touch input from a user or display14may be a touch insensitive display that is not sensitive to touch. A touch sensor for display14may be based on an array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes, acoustic touch sensor structures, resistive touch components, force-based touch sensor structures, a light-based touch sensor, or other suitable touch sensor arrangements. In some configurations, edge lit light-guide plates or other light-emitting components may be used to produce illumination for device10and can replace one or more displays14and/or portions of displays14in device10. In general, any suitable light-emitting devices (displays, light-emitting diodes, lasers, lamps, etc.) may be used in emitting light (e.g., through housing20).

Input-output devices12may also include sensors18. Sensors18may include force sensors (e.g., strain gauges, capacitive force sensors, resistive force sensors, etc.), audio sensors such as microphones, touch and/or proximity sensors such as capacitive sensors (e.g., a two-dimensional capacitive touch sensor integrated into display14, a two-dimensional capacitive touch sensor overlapping display14, and/or a touch sensor that forms a button, trackpad, or other input device not associated with a display), and other sensors. If desired, sensors18may include optical sensors such as optical sensors that emit and detect light, ultrasonic sensors, optical touch sensors, optical proximity sensors, and/or other touch sensors and/or proximity sensors, monochromatic and color ambient light sensors, image sensors, fingerprint sensors, temperature sensors, sensors for measuring three-dimensional non-contact gestures (“air gestures”), pressure sensors, sensors for detecting position, orientation, and/or motion (e.g., accelerometers, magnetic sensors such as compass sensors, gyroscopes, and/or inertial measurement units that contain some or all of these sensors), health sensors, radio-frequency sensors (e.g., sensors that gather position information, three-dimensional radio-frequency images, and/or other information using radar principals or other radio-frequency sensing), depth sensors (e.g., structured light sensors and/or depth sensors based on stereo imaging devices), optical sensors such as self-mixing sensors and light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors that gather time-of-flight measurements, humidity sensors, moisture sensors, gaze tracking sensors, three-dimensional sensors (e.g., pairs of two-dimensional image sensors that gather three-dimensional images using binocular vision, three-dimensional structured light sensors that emit an array of infrared light beams or other structured light using arrays of lasers or other light emitters and associated optical components and that capture images of the spots created as the beams illuminate target objects, and/or other three-dimensional image sensors), facial recognition sensors based on three-dimensional image sensors, and/or other sensors. In some arrangements, device10may use sensors18and/or other input-output devices to gather user input (e.g., buttons may be used to gather button press input, touch sensors overlapping displays can be used for gathering user touch screen input, touch pads may be used in gathering touch input, microphones may be used for gathering audio input, etc.).

If desired, electronic device10may include additional components (see, e.g., other devices in input-output devices12). The additional components may include haptic output devices, audio output devices such as speakers, light sources such as light-emitting diodes (e.g., crystalline semiconductor light-emitting diodes for status indicators and/or displays), other optical output devices, and/or other circuitry for gathering input and/or providing output. Device10may also include an optional battery or other energy storage device, connector ports for supporting wired communications with ancillary equipment and for receiving wired power, and other circuitry. Systems that include device10may also include wired and/or wireless accessories (e.g., keyboards, computer mice, remote controls, trackpads, etc.).

FIG.2is a perspective view of device10in an illustrative configuration in which device10has an optional stand (e.g., so that device10may serve as a stand-mounted desktop computer with an integrated display). As shown inFIG.2, stand24may support housing20of device10on support surface33(e.g., a table top), so that display14may be viewed by user30in direction32. Display14may have an active area with pixels that display an image surrounded by a pixel-free inactive area that serves as a border or display14may be a borderless display that is entirely covered with pixels. Housing20may have a rear portion on rear surface (rear face or rear side) R, a front portion on opposing front surface (front face or front side) F, and a side portion on sidewall surface (sidewall) W. Sidewall surface W may be an extended portion of rear surface R (e.g., in arrangements in which rear surface R curves towards surface F around the periphery of housing20), may be a separate housing surface (e.g., a surface that is oriented perpendicular to front surface F and/or rear surface R), or may have other configurations. In some configurations, sidewalls W or portions of sidewalls W may be transparent and may overlap pixels in display14(e.g., display14may extend from front F onto some or all of sidewalls W).

Stand24and/or housing20may be formed from metal, glass, polymer, fiberglass and/or other polymer with embedded fibers, ceramic, crystalline material such as sapphire, fabric, wood or other natural materials, other materials, and/or combinations of these materials. These materials may include opaque materials and/or transparent materials. Stand24may include a solid cylinder, a solid rectangular column, or other solid support structure, may include an angled metal member or other angled support structure as shown in the illustrative arrangement ofFIG.2, may have a base and pedestal configuration, or may have other suitable shapes for supporting display14at a desired position relative to a table top or other support surface33on which device10is resting. If desired, stand24may be adjustable.

Housing20may include housing walls (e.g., planar or curved layers of 0-10 mm in thickness, at least 0.3 mm in thickness, less than 6 mm in thickness, or other suitable thickness that cover interior components in an interior region of device10) and/or may include internal structures (e.g., frame members, supportive layers such as layers of metal or other materials, etc.). The front portion of housing20, which may sometimes be referred to as a display cover layer, may cover an array of pixels in display14. To allow images that are displayed on the array of pixels to be viewed by user30, the display cover layer may be formed from a transparent material such as clear glass, plastic (transparent polymer), sapphire, etc. The side and rear of housing20may be formed from opaque materials (e.g., metal, opaque polymer, opaque polymer with embedded fibers, etc.) and/or from transparent materials (e.g., clear glass or polymer). In some arrangements, both the front and rear portions (and, if desired, the side portion) of housing20may be formed from glass. Transparent polymer and/or other materials may also be used. In arrangements in which transparent housing material overlaps internal device components, opaque material such as layer of opaque ink may be formed on inner surfaces of housing20to help block internal components from view. Transparent windows (e.g., openings) may be formed in the opaque layer to accommodate cameras, ambient light sensors, proximity sensors, three-dimensional image sensors, and/or other optical sensors.

In one illustrative configuration, which is sometimes described herein as an example, housing20includes a glass display cover layer and has glass on sidewall surface W and rear surface R (or at least some of these surfaces). With this optional arrangement, most or all of the exterior surface of housing20is formed from glass. This type of arrangement may provide device10with an attractive appearance and/or may help device10accommodate desired components such as desired optical components. Transparent materials such as transparent polymer may also be included, if desired. Illustrative mounting locations for the electronic components in device10(e.g., optical components and other input-output devices12) include front surface F, sidewall surface W, and rear surface R (see, e.g., illustrative mounting locations22ofFIG.2, which may be used for gaze tracking sensors, image sensors, projectors, pixel arrays, edge-lit light-guide plates and other lower resolution light-emitting devices, touch sensors, wireless circuitry, and/or other components). These components may also be mounted on stand24(see, e.g., illustrative mounting locations22′).

A cross-sectional side view of device10ofFIG.2is shown inFIG.3. As shown inFIG.3, housing20may have portions on front surface F, rear surface R and sidewall W. Sidewall W may run around the four edges of device10(e.g., when device10has a rectangular outline viewed in direction32) and/or may have other shapes. Sidewall W may have planar portions and/or portions with a curved cross-sectional shape. Housing20may enclose interior region19. Electrical components28may be mounted on one or more printed circuits such as printed circuit26. In some configurations, cables and other electrical paths may be used in routing signals to and from components28. Electrical components28and other structures for device10(e.g., control circuitry16, input-output devices12ofFIG.1, etc.) may be mounted in interior region19and surrounded by housing20. Housing20may separate interior region19from exterior region21, which surrounds housing20and device10.

One or more light-emitting components may be mounted within housing20(e.g., pixel arrays in displays, lasers, light-emitting diodes that form status indicator lights and/or that provide light to a light guide layer, etc.). As shown inFIG.3, for example, displays14may be included in interior region19. Displays14may include arrays of pixels P. A first display may be formed under the portion of housing20on front surface F may serve as the main display for device10. An optional second display such as a strip-shaped display may run along one, two, three, or more segments of sidewall W and may form a ticker-tape-style output device (e.g., to display stock prices, weather, sports scores, etc.). An optional third display may extend over some or all of the area of housing20on rear surface R. These displays may be touch sensitive or insensitive to touch. In general, any one, two, or three of these displays and/or other displays14may be formed within interior19for viewing through transparent overlapping portions of housing20. The example ofFIG.3is illustrative.

As shown inFIG.3, stand24may be coupled to internal support structures (e.g., metal plates, frame members, etc.) such as internal support24F. Printed circuit26and other internal structures may be coupled to internal support24F. Support24F may also be coupled to housing20so that stand24can support housing20. An opening may be formed in housing20(e.g., an opening in a glass housing structure) to allow metal structures associated with stand24to couple to internal support24F. If desired, stand24may be formed from glass and/or may be coupled to a glass structure in housing20without forming an opening in housing20and/or without being coupled to an internal metal support.

A perspective view of a corner portion of an illustrative housing for device10is shown inFIG.4. As shown inFIG.4, housing20may have a front portion20F on front surface F, an opposing rear portion20R on rear surface R, and a sidewall portion20W on sidewall surface W (as an example). Portions20F,20R, and20W may all be formed from glass and/or one or more of these portions may be formed from other material. For example, portion20W may be formed from metal or polymer while portions20F and/or20R are formed from glass, portions20F and20W may be formed from glass while portion20R is formed from metal or polymer, and/or other configurations may be used. Portions20F,20R, and/or20W may be formed from glass layers (e.g., sheets of glass joined using laser welds, glass frit, polymer adhesive joints, and/or other coupling mechanisms). If desired, trim members (e.g., strips of polymer trim, metal trim, and/or other trim) may be formed at seams T between the portions of housing20ofFIG.4.

FIG.5is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of housing20in an illustrative arrangement in which internal layers36(e.g., metal sheets or other internal support structures) have been attached to the inner surfaces of rear portion20R (e.g., a rear glass housing wall) and front portion20F (e.g., a front glass housing wall, sometimes referred to as a display cover layer). Sidewall portion20W may be free of metal supporting structures or metal supporting structures such as internal layers36may also be attached to sidewall portion20W. Layers36may be attached to the glass portions of housing20using layers of adhesive (as an example). If desired, an intervening ink layer and/or other layers of material (e.g., metal, a dielectric thin-film mirror or other thin-film interference filter layer) may be formed between the adhesive layer and the glass portions of housing20(e.g., to provide device10with a desired appearance when viewed from exterior region21). Glass frit, laser welds, adhesive joints, and/or other joints may be formed to couple pieces of housing20together (e.g., to join portion20R and portion20F to portion20W).

In the example ofFIG.6, rear portion20R has an integral curved sidewall portion20RW that forms the sidewall surface for housing20. Portions20R and20F may be coupled using glass frit, laser welds, adhesive joints, and/or other joints.FIG.7shows how integral sidewall portion20RW of rear portion20R may bend sufficiently to form a sidewall for housing20that has a rounded appearance (e.g., portion20RW may be curved back on itself). Other arrangements for joining two or more glass layers to form housing20may be use, if desired. In some configurations, optional trim may be formed between glass seams in housing20.

FIG.8is a rear perspective view of device10in an illustrative arrangement in which input-output devices12have been incorporated into device10. As shown in the example ofFIG.8, rear portion20R of housing20may have windows (e.g., portions that are not covered by ink or other opaque masking material) such as a window in area44. A camera (e.g., a digital image sensor and lens) may be mounted under a window in area44so that images may be captured of objects located to the rear of device10. Cameras in device10may operate at visible wavelengths, infrared wavelengths, and/or ultraviolet wavelengths. As an example, device10may have one or more visible image sensors such as a visible digital image sensor that operates through a window or other portion of rear portion20R or through other portions of housing20(e.g., through a glass housing wall).

If desired, housing20may have one or more areas that include mechanical buttons (e.g., buttons with movable button members and associated switches that are configured to operate through an opening in housing20) and/or one or more that are provided with touch sensor buttons (e.g., buttons that detect user button activation using capacitive sensing). As shown inFIG.8, housing20(e.g., rear housing portion20R or, if desired, portion20W or portion20F) may have a touch sensor button such as a power button and/or other control buttons in button area46.

A wireless input device such as stylus41may be supported using a support structure such as tray42and/or may be coupled magnetically to a portion of housing20(e.g., portion20W, portion20F, or portion20W). For example, magnetic structures (magnets, iron members, etc.) may be provided within housing20in a location such as stylus mounting location42′ so that stylus41may be removably attached to location42′ (e.g. for temporary storage, for wireless charging, etc.). A display device such as a projector may be located in an area of display14such as area48(e.g., under a window). Projectors may also be located behind sidewall portions20W and/or front portion20F. During operation, the projectors may project images onto nearby surfaces such as walls, a tabletop or other support surface on which device10is resting (e.g., images may be projected through glass housing walls or other transparent housing walls such as transparent polymer walls). Projected images may have the same resolution as other displayed images (e.g., an image being displayed on display14) or may have a higher resolution or a lower (coarser) resolution.

Device10may have ports for receiving external cables for power and/or data. For example, housing20may have a power port and/or a data port in one or more areas such as port area40of rear housing portion20R. The port in area40may have contacts (e.g., power and/or data pins that mates with corresponding contacts on an external cable) and/or may use wireless circuitry to receive power and/or data wirelessly through housing20(e.g., through capacitive coupling and/or inductive coupling arrangements). Magnetic structures (iron bars and/or magnets) and/or other attachment mechanisms may be formed in port area40to hold a cable plug on the end of an external cable in place within area40.

A sensor such as a three-dimensional image sensor may be mounted in housing20. For example, a three-dimensional image sensor may be formed in area50of rear housing portion20R or other portion of housing20. The three-dimensional image sensor may be a structured light sensor that has a light-emitting device such as device52that emits an array of light beams through housing20. The light beams may be, for example, infrared light beams. Device52may include an array of lasers (e.g., vertical cavity surface emitting lasers) that generate the infrared light beams. The three dimensional image sensor may also include a light detector such as infrared image sensor54that gathers images of the infrared light beams through housing20as the infrared light beams illuminate a target object. Control circuitry16can process the captured images to reconstruct three-dimensional images of the target object. Additional components (e.g., one or more additional input-output devices12) may also be located in area50and/or other portions of housing20and may operate through housing20. If desired, three-dimensional sensing, position sensing, and/or other sensing may be performed using other sensors (e.g., an ultrasonic sensor, a radio-frequency sensor (radar sensor), a light-based position sensor (lidar), etc. These sensors may generate position information on external objects and/or may generate three-dimensional maps of the shapes of external objects. If desired, device10may be configured to use a projector such as a projector in area48on rear face R or elsewhere in device10to project images (e.g., computer-generated content) onto non-planar objects (e.g., onto real-world objects in a potentially cluttered environment surrounding device10). The projected images may be predistorted by the control circuitry of device10based on knowledge of the three-dimensional shapes of the real-world objects that is gathered using one or more sensors such as one or more three-dimensional image sensors (e.g., based on depth mapping performed by device52). In this way, flat images (computer-generated content with text and other virtual objects that appears flat and undistorted) may be viewed by a user, even when the surfaces onto which the computer-generated content is being projected are not flat.

In some arrangements, accessory devices such as accessory device56may be coupled to housing20(e.g., using magnets, adhesive, fasteners, etc.). Device56may include one or more cameras, a gaze tracking system, a projector or other display, and/or other accessory that supplies additional input-output devices (e.g., devices such as devices12ofFIG.1that are coupled to device10using wired and/or wireless links).

If desired, a portion of housing20such as portion20L ofFIG.9may be configured to serve as a lens (e.g., a convex lens or other suitable lens). This lens may be used with additional optical structures (e.g., one or more optional additional lens elements) and an associated optical component (component57) such as a camera or projector. An image sensing device that is aligned with the lens formed from portion20L may include a visible digital image sensor and/or an infrared digital image sensor and may be used as part of a sensor (e.g., a three-dimensional image sensor, a two-dimensional image sensor, a gaze tracking system, a gesture sensor, etc.). Projectors may be used in emitting light that creates images on nearby surfaces after passing through the lens formed from portion20L. As shown inFIG.9, by forming a lens from portion20L and/or a separate lens element that is aligned with optical component57(e.g., a two-dimensional camera, a three-dimensional image sensor, a projector, etc.), optical component57can operate through housing20(e.g., to capture images, to project images, etc.).

FIG.10is a cross-sectional side view of device10in an illustrative configuration in which projectors58F and58R are configured to project images through front portion20F of housing20and rear portion20R of housing20, respectively. Active shutters60F and60R such as liquid crystal shutters, electronic ink shutters, and/or other electrically adjustable light modulators may be used to selectively hide the projectors from view from the exterior of device10. Control circuitry16(FIG.1) can adjust the states of shutters60F and60R, so that these shutters are opaque and thereby block internal components such as projectors from view or so that these shutters are transparent and thereby allow projected image light from the projectors to exit the interior of device10.

In the illustrative configuration ofFIG.10, projector58F projects an image through active shutter60F and front housing portion20F when shutter60F is transparent. If desired, a portion of display14(e.g., a transparent display portion) may be interposed between housing portion20F and front projector58F. Projector58R may project an image through active shutter60R and rear housing portion20R when shutter60R is transparent. When projectors58F and58R are not in use, shutters60F and60R may be placed in an opaque state to help block projectors58F and58R from view from the exterior of device10. Projectors (and, if desired, shutters that overlap the projectors) may be located in stand24. For example, projector58F may be located at forward-facing position58F′ to project images onto a surface in front of device10, whereas projector58R may be located at rearward-facing position58R to project images onto a surface behind device10. Wireless circuitry, displays, and/or other input-output devices12may also be mounted in stand24.

FIG.11is a perspective view of device10in a system environment in which projectors are being used to project images onto surfaces in the vicinity of device10. As shown inFIG.11, a first projector located in a left rear portion of housing20may project image64in direction62onto a wall or other surface to the left of device10, whereas a second projector located in a right rear portion of housing20may project image68in direction66onto a wall or other surface to the right of device10. If desired, accessory projectors that are linked to device10by wired and/or wireless connections may be used to project images onto nearby surfaces. For example, accessory projector70may project image64in direction72and/or accessory projector74may project image68in direction76. Images64and68may be associated with an image being presented on display14. For example, images64and68may be extended portions of an image being displayed on display14.

If desired, additional images may be projected by projectors in device10. For example, image82may be projected in direction84from a projector in region80of device10. Image82may, for example, be projected onto a tabletop or other support surface on which stand24and device10are resting and/or may be projected onto other surfaces under, to the side of, behind, and/or in front of device10. Projected image82may, as an example, include content that is extended from main display14and/or that is related to the content of main display14. As an example, if a view of a grassy park is display on display14, projected image82may include a grassy lawn that extends from grass in the image on display14and/or may include a diffuse green light or other light that is thematically associated with the grass being displayed on display14.

Accessories such as computer mice, keyboards, remote control devices, and/or other accessories (see, e.g., accessory86) may be used in controlling device10. For example, a user of device10may use a keyboard or other accessory86to supply text, pointing commands, and/or other information to device10over a wired or wireless connection.

Stand24may support housing20on a support surface onto which image82is projected. Stand24may be formed from glass (e.g., a solid glass structure, a structure with a hollow interior region surrounded partially or completely by glass walls, a structure with metal and glass portions or other structures, etc.) and/or may be formed from other materials (opaque and/or transparent polymer, metal, etc.). Stand24may, if desired, have a portion such as portion24P (e.g., a planar portion that runs horizontally and that is characterized by a vertical surface normal) that is configured to receive and support a removable electronic device such as a cellular telephone, stylus, or other external item. Portion24P and/or other portions of stand24may be formed from glass, polymer, or other dielectric to accommodate transmission of light (e.g., through clear dielectric) and/or transmission of wireless data and/or power signals.

Portion24P of stand24and/or other portions of stand24may have an interior portion that contains one or more electrical components such as electrical component83. Electrical component83may include a display (pixel array) that displays images, wireless circuitry (e.g., circuitry for handling wireless power and/or wireless data), sensors, and/or other input-output devices. For example, component83may include a wireless signal structure such as a capacitive coupling plate or a coil that wirelessly couples with a corresponding wireless signal structure (capacitive coupling electrode or coil) for use in wireless signal transmission and/or reception. Wireless power circuitry in component83may be used in transmitting and/or receiving wireless power and wireless communications circuitry in component83may be used in transmitting and/or receiving wireless communications signals.

As an example, wireless power can be wirelessly transmitted from component83(e.g., a coil, capacitor plate, or other wireless power transmitting structure) in portion24P to a portable electronic device resting on portion24P, wireless communications signals can be wirelessly transmitted from component83to the portable device, and/or component83may receive wireless power and/or wireless data signals from the portable device. In some configurations, electrical component83may be configured to emit light that passes through portion24P. For example, electrical component83may have one or more light-emitting diodes or other components that emit light, component83may be a pixel array configured to display images that are visible through the glass or other transparent material of portion24P and/or that are visible through other portions of stand24, component83may be a projector, and/or component83may have other circuitry configured to emit light. In general, electrical component83may be mounted in planar portion24P of stand24and/or other portions of stand24and may be any suitable input-output device (see, e.g., input-output devices12ofFIG.1) or other electrical component for device10.

As shown inFIG.12, content from main display14may be moved between display14and ancillary display regions formed from adjacent projected images64and66(and/or a projected image on the support surface on which stand24is resting). In this way, images64and66(and/or a support surface image) may help expand the effective size of display14. In the example ofFIG.12, a user is moving on-screen object90from main display14onto left image64in direction94(see, e.g., moved object92). The edges of images64and66may blend seamlessly (or nearly seamlessly) with adjacent edges of display14to create a continuous computer desktop. For example, the content displayed at left edge14E of display14may match the content displayed at right edge64E of projected image64. During operation, an input-output device in device10and/or a computer mouse, a trackpad, or other accessory input device (see, e.g., accessory86ofFIG.11) may be used in supplying user input that moves on-screen objects such as object90seamlessly between projected images such as images64and66and adjacent portions of main display14and/or other projected image areas. The use of projectors (e.g., projectors in device10and/or accessory projectors) in displaying images adjacent to device10that serve as extensions to display14provides a user of device10with additional workspace and/or additional areas to receive visual content from device10.

If desired, cameras on device10can capture images of real-world objects. These images can be displayed on display14. Images of real-world objects may, for example, be displayed on display14in positions that make display14appear to be transparent to a user. Consider, as an example, the illustrative configuration ofFIG.13. In the example ofFIG.13, device10is positioned so that display14is overlapping real-world objects102. The overlap between display14and objects100in this example is partial, so that portions102of objects100are not blocked from view by display14and are directly viewable by the user of device10. Portions104of objects100are blocked by display14and are not directly viewable through display14due to the presence of opaque structures within display14.

Although portions104cannot be viewed directly, a camera on the rear of device10or other image sensor circuitry may capture an image that contains portions104and this image may be displayed in real time on display14in alignment with the locations of the blocked portions. In some arrangements, three-dimensional location information (e.g., three-dimensional images from a three-dimensional sensor) may be used to determine the location in three dimensions of portions104. A gaze tracking sensor (sometimes referred to as a gaze tracker or gaze tracking system) may be located on the front side of device10to gather information on the location of the user's eyes. Control circuitry16can use information from the gaze tracking sensor to determine the position of the user's eyes and can use the output of the three-dimensional image sensor or other position sensor circuitry to determine the position of portions104of objects100. From the known positions of objects104, display14, and the user's eyes, control circuitry16can then position captured images of portions104on display14in a location (and with appropriate optional image warping) that ensures that the these images of portions104are satisfactorily aligned with portions102of real-world objects100. In this way, the user will view objects100in their entirety. Portions102will be viewed directly as real-world items and portions104will be viewed as virtual items on display14. Display14will, in effect, appear transparent to the user (e.g., display14will be virtually transparent).

If desired, the virtual transparency of display14can be adjusted dynamically. For example, a user may supply input to device10that enables or disables this see-through feature. As another example, a three-dimensional image sensor or other sensor circuitry in device10can be used by control circuitry16to detect movement behind display14. In the absence of movement, display14will not display virtual objects associated with blocked portions of the real world. In response to detecting movement (e.g., movement of a person who has walked up behind display14to speak to the user of device10), control circuitry16can automatically display captured images of blocked objects on display14(e.g., the virtual transparency of display14can be automatically turned on based on detected movement). Other triggering activities may also be used to automatically invoke (or turn off) virtual transparency (e.g., activities detected using voice detection, noise detection, voice command recognition, visual pattern recognition such as facial recognition or other image recognition, user gaze direction detection such as detection of a lingering gaze on a location just beyond the periphery of display14or detection of a gaze on display14, etc.).

FIG.14is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative external item (item118) that is located adjacent to an outer surface of housing20of device10. Item118may be a plug for a cable such as optional cable120, may be a stylus (see, e.g., stylus41ofFIG.8), may be a computer accessory other than a stylus (e.g., a computer mouse, a trackpad, a keyboard, a camera, a projector or other display device, etc.), may be a portable device such as a cellular telephone, or may be other external device. During operation, item118may be attached to device10. For example, a mounting bracket, ledge, hook-and-loop fastening material, screws or other fasteners, clips, and/or other mounting structures may be used to temporarily attach item118adjacent to housing20. In the illustrative example ofFIG.14, item118has magnetic structures112and device10has magnetic structures110. Magnetic structures112and110may include magnetic material (e.g., iron bars, etc.) and/or magnets (e.g., permanent magnets and/or electromagnets). Magnetic structures110may be located within the interior of device10behind housing20.

Item118may contain wireless signal structure116and device10may contain a mating wireless signal structure114. Wireless signal structures116and114may include respective capacitive coupling plates (e.g., a pair of mating capacitor plates for capacitively coupled wireless power transfer and/or capacitively coupled wireless communications) or respective coils (e.g., a pair of mating coils for inductive wireless power transfer and/or near-field inductive wireless communications). Structures116and114are wirelessly coupled (e.g., via capacitive or inductive coupling).

When it is desired to temporarily couple item118to device10, magnetic structures112may be placed into alignment with magnetic structures110, so that structures112are magnetically attracted toward structures110. This attracts item118toward device10so that structures116and114are wirelessly coupled to each other (e.g., so that structures116and114are capacitively or inductively coupled with each other). Structures116and114may then be used to transfer power wirelessly and/or to communicate wirelessly. For example, in a scenario in which structure116is a capacitor plate and structure114is a capacitor plate, the plates may be capacitively coupled so that wireless power can be transferred to item10from a power source coupled to item118or vice versa and/or so that wireless communications signals can be transmitted from item118to device10or vice versa. In a scenario in which structure116is a coil and structure114is a coil, the coils may be inductively coupled so that wireless power can be inductively transferred to device10from item118or from device10to item118and/or so that wireless communications signals can be transferred from item118to device10or from device10to item118.

Multiple electronic devices10may be used in a system. For example, a user may operate a first electronic device such as a cellular telephone, tablet computer, or other portable electronic device in the presence of a second electronic device such as a desktop computer. The first and second devices may have displays (e.g., displays facing the user). The first device may be placed in front of the second device (e.g., 0.1-1 m in front of the display in the second device). In this position, the first device and its display may be interposed between the user (e.g., the eyes of the user) and the display of the second device, so that the first device (e.g., the display on the first device) occludes a portion of the display of the second device.

The second device may use a camera, a three-dimensional image sensor, magnetic sensors, light-based sensors, and/or other sensors to detect the location of the first device relative to the display of the second device and relative to the user (e.g., the second device may determine the relative location between the first and second devices and user in X, Y, and Z dimensions, angular orientations, etc.). Based on this relative position information, the second device can determine appropriate display content to supply to the first device (e.g., wirelessly) and/or the first device may share visual content and/or other information with the second device. The first device may, for example, receive the content that is provided by the second device and may display this content on a display in the first device. The content that the second device passes to the first device may be, for example, the same content on the display of the second device that is being occluded by the presence of the first device between the user and the second device. In this way, the system may be used to display the content that is occluded on the display of the second device on the display of the first device so that no content is blocked by the presence of the first device.

If desired, the system may include multiple electronic devices such as multiple desktop computers, multiple desktop monitors, or other sets of multiple devices with adjacent displays. There may be an air gap between the displays in this system. For example, when two desktop displays are placed on a user's desk in front of the user, there may be a gap between the right edge of a left-hand display and the opposing left edge of a right-hand display. To help fill the air gap, a projector in the first device and/or a projector in the second device may be used to display filler content on a surface such as a surface that is behind the devices and visible in the gap between the devices. In addition to projecting content behind the devices and/or instead of projecting content rearwardly, gap filler content and/or other content may be projected in front of the devices (e.g., in the vicinity of a keyboard, trackpad, and/or other input-output devices) to help create a visually seamless transition between different areas of displayed content.

Cameras, three-dimensional sensors, magnets and corresponding magnetic sensors, sensor circuitry that emits light rays and corresponding sensor circuitry that detects reflected light rays, and/or other sensor circuitry may be used to determine the relative locations of the devices and the user to determine where to project the filler content and to determine what filler content will visually fill detected gaps.

As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of information such as information from input-output devices. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, data may be gathered that includes personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, twitter ID's, home addresses, data or records relating to a user's health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, username, password, biometric information, or any other identifying or personal information.

Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use of information that may include personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data.