Electronic device with illumination

An electronic device may have electrical components mounted in an interior region of the electronic device. A housing may surround the interior region and may separate the interior region from an exterior region that surrounds the electronic device. Arrays of recesses may be formed on opposing inner and outer sides of the housing. The arrays may be laterally offset from each other along the housing. The recesses on the inner and outer sides of the housing may meet at passageways within the housing. During operation of the electronic device, air may flow through the inner recesses, the passageways, and the outer recesses to cool electrical components within the interior region. Lighting may be provided for the housing. Light-emitting devices such as light-emitting diodes may be received within cavities in the housing. Light guiding structures, diffusers, reflectors, and other structures may be used to help adjust illumination from the light-emitting devices.

FIELD

This relates generally to electronic devices, and, more particularly, to illumination for electronic devices.

BACKGROUND

Electronic devices such as laptop computers and other devices may be provided with housings. In some arrangements, portions of a housing may be illuminated.

It can be challenging to illuminate electronic device structures such a housings. For example, it may be difficult to provide an electronic device housing with desired illumination without adversely affecting airflow through the housing or adversely affecting the appearance of the electronic device housing.

SUMMARY

An electronic device may have a housing with an interior region in which electronic components are mounted. The electrical components may include integrated circuits, input-output devices, and other components that generate heat. An exterior region may surround the housing.

Arrays of recesses may be formed on opposing inner and outer sides of the housing. The arrays may be laterally offset from each other along the surfaces of the housing. The recesses on the inner and outer sides of the housing may meet at passageways formed within the housing. During operation of the electronic device, air may flow through the inner recesses, the passageways, and the outer recesses to cool electrical components within the interior region. If desired, a fan may be used to generate air flow through the housing.

The housing may be illuminated to provide the electronic device with a desired appearance and/or to provide status information and other output to a user. For example, light-emitting devices such as light-emitting diodes may emit light that is used to illuminate the housing. The light-emitting devices may be mounted cavities in the housing. Microperforations, light guiding structures, diffusers, reflectors, and other structures may be used to help control emitted light from the light-emitting devices and thereby create a desired pattern of illumination for the electronic device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An electronic device may be provided with illumination. For example, an electronic device may have one or more light sources that emit light for illuminating portions of a housing for the electronic device. The illumination that is provided in this way may be decorative and/or may be used to provide a user of the electronic device with information such as information on the current operating status of the electronic device. As an example, illumination may be adjusted to supply information on whether a device is in a normal operating state, a low power sleep state, a state where maintenance is required, or other information on the current operating state of the electronic device. Illumination may include light of one or more different colors, diffuse illumination, text, icons, flashing lights, light that is spatially and/or temporally patterned to produce desired decorative effects (e.g., chasing lights, gradually diming and strengthening global illumination, etc.) and/or that is spatially and/or temporally patterned to supply users with information (e.g., flashing colors to indicate an urgent condition, light of a particular color to indicate that a message has been received, light with attributes that inform users of the current temperature of a device, and/or other light).

An illustrative electronic device of the type that may be provided with illumination is shown inFIG. 1. Electronic device10may be a computing device such as a laptop computer, a computer monitor containing an embedded computer (e.g., an all-in-one 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 desktop computer (e.g., a tower computer or other computer without a display, etc.), 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, device10may have a housing such as housing12. Housing12may be formed from polymer, metal (e.g., aluminum, stainless steel, steel, etc.), fiber composites such as carbon fiber composites, glass, ceramic, crystalline materials such as sapphire, other materials, and/or combinations of two or more of any of these materials. Housing12or parts of housing12may be formed using a unibody construction in which housing structures are formed from an integrated piece of material. Multipart housing constructions may also be used in which housing12or parts of housing12are formed from frame structures, housing walls, and other components that are attached to each other using fasteners, adhesive, and other attachment mechanisms. For example, housing12may include housing walls that enclose interior region22of device10and that separate interior region22from exterior region24, which surrounds device10and housing12.

Components such as electrical components16may be mounted on one or more substrates such as printed circuit14in interior region22. Components16may include integrated circuits, discrete components such as capacitors, resistors, and inductors, may include power supply components, sensors, communications circuits, and/or other circuitry.

Components16may include control circuitry and input-output circuitry. Control circuitry in components16may 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 the control circuitry may 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. The control circuitry may include wired and/or wireless communications circuitry (e.g., wireless local area network transceiver circuitry and antennas, cellular telephone transceiver circuitry and antennas, wired communications circuits, etc.).

The input-output circuitry of components16may be used to allow data to be supplied to device10and to allow data to be provided from device10to external devices. Input-output devices in components16may include buttons, joysticks, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, microphones, speakers, tone generators, vibrators and other haptic output devices, sensors with digital image sensors such as visible light cameras and other sensors, light-emitting diodes and other status indicators, data ports, etc. A user can control the operation of device10by supplying commands through the input-output devices of components16and/or the input-output devices of accessory devices (e.g., external keyboards, mice, and/or other input-output devices that communicate with device10via wired and/or wireless connections).

A user may receive status information and other output from device10using the output resources of the input-output devices. Components16may include light-emitting devices (status indicator lights, displays with arrays of pixels such as organic light-emitting diode displays and liquid crystal displays, etc.) and sensors. Device10may, for example, include a touch screen display that includes a touch sensor for gathering touch input from a user or a touch insensitive display that is not sensitive to touch. A touch sensor for a display in device10may 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. A display may be mounted to face outwardly from one of the sides of device10and housing12(e.g., a display may be mounted in a display opening on a housing wall). Accessory displays (e.g., computer monitors, etc.) may also be coupled to device10via wired and/or wireless connections. Sensors in components16may include magnetic sensors, ambient light sensors, force sensors, pressure sensors, microphones, humidity sensors, gas sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, capacitive sensors (e.g., capacitive touch sensors and/or capacitive proximity sensors for gathering air gesture input, optical sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and/or other sensors). Sensors may be used in gathering information on the environment surrounding device10and may be used in gathering user input.

To help remove heat that is produced by components16during operation housing12may have one or more openings such as opening18. For an example, an array of openings may be formed in a housing wall. Components such as fan25and/or passive cooling structures may create inward and outward air flow through openings18, as shown by arrow20. In this way, heat that is produced in interior region22during operation of device10can be removed and replaced by cool air from exterior region24surrounding device10.

If desired, some or all of the inner side of housing12may be provided with an air-permeable layer such as layer23that helps to block dust and other environmental contaminants. Layer23may be, for example, a grid-shaped screen or other mesh formed from polymer, metal, and/or other materials. Layer23, which may sometimes be referred to as an air-permeable dust-blocking layer may be sufficiently permeable to air flow to allow heat to be removed from the interior of device10by fan25during operation, while helping to block dust and other contaminants from the exterior of device10and thereby preventing these contaminants from entering interior region22. In arrangements in which there are an array of airflow paths through housing12, layer23may overlap some or all of these passageways (e.g., layer23may overlap some or all of openings18in the example ofFIG. 1).

FIGS. 2 and 3are exterior and interior views, respectively, of an illustrative housing for electronic device10. As shown in the exterior view of housing12ofFIG. 2, housing12may have an array of outer recesses18T and an array of inner recesses18B that are joined by interior passageways26(e.g., openings where the outer and inner recesses meet each other). In the example ofFIG. 2, the recesses that are formed from the outer side of housing12are semispherical in shape and are associated with circular openings at the outer surface of housing12. The recesses that are formed in housing12from the opposing inner side of housing12are also semispherical in shape and are associated with circular openings at the inner surface of housing12. The circular openings on the inner and outer surfaces may have any suitable size. For example, the circular openings on the inner and outer surfaces and the semispherical recesses in housing12may have radius values of at least 0.2 cm, at least 0.5 cm, at least 1 cm, at least 1.5 cm, at least 2 cm, at least 3 cm, less than 7 cm, less than 4 cm, less than 2.5 cm, less than 1.8 cm, less than 1.3 cm, or other suitable values.

When viewed from the exterior of device10, the outer and inner recesses overlap so that passageways26are formed between the outer and inner recesses. This creates passageways for air flow from interior region22to exterior region24(see, e.g., opening18ofFIG. 1) that pass through housing12. Although the inner and outer recesses in the example ofFIG. 2are semispherical in shape, recesses of other shapes may be formed, if desired. For example, recesses in housing12may have straight walls (e.g., rectangular box shapes), may have walls with multiple facets, may have walls with curved and straight cross-sectional profiles, may have shapes that create openings at the surfaces of housing12that are circular, rectangular, triangular, hexagonal, oval, and/or that have combinations of straight and curved edges. The passageways that are formed between the outer and inner recesses may have circular cross sections, may have rectangular cross sections, may have tubular shapes, and/or may have other suitable shapes.

In the illustrative configuration ofFIG. 2, recesses18T are organized in a first array of rows and columns and recesses18B are arranged in a second array of rows and columns. The pitch (center-to-center spacing) of the outer recesses and the pitch of the inner recesses may be equal (as shown inFIG. 2) to allow the formation of regularly patterned sets of passageways26. As shown inFIG. 2, the outer and inner recesses may be laterally offset with respect to each other (e.g., laterally offset along the inner and outer surfaces of housing12parallel to the plane of a planar housing wall structure formed from housing12). This helps creates a variety of indirect paths for air flow through housing12and creates portions of housing structures12that block direct light-of-sight viewing of interior22from exterior24. Airflow passageways are therefore provided through housing12while enhancing the appearance of device10when viewed from the exterior of device10.

As shown in the view of the interior side of housing12in the example ofFIG. 3, housing12may have recesses such as cavities28(e.g., in portions of housing12that have not been removed when forming inner recesses18B). Cavities28and/or other portions of housing12may be configured to receive light-emitting devices that are used in illuminating housing12.

A cross-sectional side view of housing12ofFIG. 3taken along line30and viewed in direction32is shown inFIG. 4. As shown inFIG. 4, semispherical inner recesses18B form circular openings on the inner surface of housing12facing interior region22and form associated inwardly facing semispherical surfaces29. Semispherical outer recesses18T form circular openings on the outer surface of housing12facing exterior24and form associated outwardly facing semispherical surfaces32. Passageways26allow air to flow between interior22and exterior24through pathways involving recesses18B, passageways26, and recesses18T. Cavities28are formed on the inner planar surface of housing12in the example ofFIG. 4, but may be formed in other portions of housing12(e.g., in surfaces29and/or32, etc.), if desired.

FIG. 5is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of housing12showing how light-emitting device42may be received within cavity28. Light-emitting device42may be a light-emitting diode, a laser such as a vertical cavity surface emitting laser or other laser diode, and/or other light-emitting component. There may be any suitable number of light-emitting devices42in device10(e.g., at least 1, at least 2, at least 5, at least 20, at least 80, fewer than 1000, fewer than 200, etc.). Light-emitting devices in device10may have different colors. For example, some light-emitting devices42may be red (e.g., some devices may emit red light), some may be blue (e.g., some devices may emit blue light), etc.

Each light-emitting device42may be controlled individually by the control circuitry of device10and/or groups of some or all of light-emitting devices42may be controlled together. In the example ofFIG. 5, light-emitting device42emit light48that passes through perforations44. Perforations44, which may sometimes be referred to as microperforations or microperfs may have any suitable size. For example, the size of perforations44may be sufficiently small to make perforations44invisible or nearly invisible to the naked eye of a normal observer. Perforations44may be, for example, less than 60 microns in diameter, less than 40 microns in diameter, less than 30 microns in diameter, at least 10 microns in diameter, or other suitable size. The pitch of perforations44(e.g., the distance between the centers of respective adjacent perforations44) may be less than 150 microns, less than 100 microns, less than 80 microns, less than 60 microns, less than 25 microns, at least 20 microns, at least 40 microns, or other suitable pitch. Perforations44may be tapered (e.g., so that their upper openings are wider than their lower openings) and/or may have other cross-sectional profiles.

As shown inFIG. 5, perforations44may be formed in an array that overlaps light-emitting device42. The array may contain at least 10 perforations, at least 50 perforations, at least 100 perforations, at least 200 perforations, fewer than 250 perforations, fewer than 130 perforations, fewer than 70 perforations, or fewer than 35 perforations (as examples). The array may contain a single contiguous set of perforations44or perforations44may be arranged in patterns containing two or sets of perforations44(e.g., sets of perforations separated by gaps). Perforations44may form an array with a circular outline (footprint when viewed from the exterior of device10), with a rectangular outline, or an array(s) of other suitable outline(s). Transparent polymer46or other material that is transparent to emitted light48from light-emitting device42may overlap perforations44and/or may extend partly or completely into perforations44to prevent dust and/or other environmental contaminants from entering perforations44. Polymer46may have a low haze or may incorporate light-scattering particles to raise the haze value of polymer46and thereby allow polymer46to serve as a diffuser for emitted light48. Devices42may be mounted on substrates such as printed circuit40and connected to control circuitry in device10by metal traces on printed circuit40and/or other signal paths. Printed circuit40may be placed adjacent to the inner surface of housing12so that light-emitting devices such as device42are aligned with and optionally protrude into cavities28.

FIG. 6is a cross-sectional side view of housing12in an illustrative configuration in which printed circuit40includes a wireless power transmitting coil such as wireless power transmitting coil50T. During operation, the control circuitry of device10may use transmitting coil50T to transmit wireless power signals to a corresponding wireless power receiving coil50R in printed circuit40T. Printed circuit40T may be mounted in cavity28on inner surface29of a portion of housing12. The power received by receiving coil50R may be used to power light-emitting device42and thereby produce light48without using a direct wired path to supply power to light-emitting device42(although such a direct wired path may optionally be used). Light48may exit housing12through perforations44that overlap cavity28and light-emitting device42and/or may exit housing12through other light passageways.

FIG. 7is a view of an illustrative interior surface of housing12showing how a cavity such as cavity28that is formed on the inner side of housing12may have light passageways such as passageways20E (e.g., channels formed between cavity28and the surrounding recesses in housing12. These openings in housing12may help allow emitted light48from light-emitting device42to pass laterally outward into recesses18B and18T.

In the example ofFIG. 8, light-emitting device42emits light48that reflects one or more times from portions of housing12and/or the surface of printed circuit40while spreading laterally outward from light-emitting device42(e.g., while passing through passageways such as passageways20E ofFIG. 7, etc.). If desired, optional transparent material(s)50may be formed around light-emitting device21. Material50may be solid or may have a ring shape with an inner opening that receives light-emitting device42and may include one or more layers of material, transparent polymer, and/or other material. Material50may be a polymer or other material that includes light-scattering particles (e.g., inorganic particles such at titanium dioxide particles), optional colorant (dye and/or pigment), and/or other material (e.g., to form a light diffuser that helps diffuser emitted light48).

If desired, light guide layers that guide light in accordance with the principal of total internal reflection may be used to help distribute illumination for housing12. Light guide layers may be formed from transparent polymer or other materials (e.g., transparent polymer films, transparent polymer coatings on housing structures, etc.).

FIG. 9is a cross-sectional side view of housing12in an illustrative configuration in which light guide layer52is interposed between printed circuit40and the inner surface of housing12. Openings such as opening56may be formed to accommodate light-emitting devices such as device42. Light-coupling structures58(e.g., recesses and/or protrusions and/or other texture) may be provided on the inner surfaces of opening56to help couple light that is emitted by device42into light guide layer52. Openings such as opening56may, if desired, be aligned with cavities such as cavity28in housing12. Larger openings54in light guide layer52may be aligned with recesses18B and may accommodate recesses18B.

A perspective view of a portion of light-guide layer52ofFIG. 9is shown inFIG. 10. During operation, light that has been coupled into layer52from devices such as device42ofFIG. 9is guided laterally within layer52in accordance with the principal of total internal reflection. The inner surfaces of openings54such as surface54T, the inner surfaces of openings56and/or other portions of light guide layer52may be provided with texture and/or other light-coupling structures58to help extract the guided light so that the extracted light may serve as illumination for housing12and is visible to a user of device10.

FIG. 11is a cross-sectional side view of illustrative structures that may be used to distribute light emitted by light-emitting device42. These structures may be located between printed circuit40and the inner side of housing12. As shown inFIG. 11, light-emitting device42may emit light48into light-guide layer52. This light may be distributed within light guide layer52in accordance with the principal of total internal reflection. Light guide layer52may extend parallel to the surfaces of housing12and printed circuit40(as an example). Light-extraction features such as textured areas on the upper and/or lower surface of layer52may extract light from layer52to form illumination for housing12(e.g., illumination that passes through the recesses and other light paths through housing12). Layers60may be formed above and/or below layer52. These layers may include coatings on printed circuit40(e.g., a reflective layer), may include coatings on layer52(e.g., a reflective top or bottom coating), may include separate reflective films (e.g., metallized polymer films and/or polymer films covered with thin-film stacks of dielectric to form reflectors), may include diffuser layers (e.g., a polymer film containing light-scattering particles), and/or other layers of material. Reflective layers may include metal layers and thin-film mirrors formed from reflective thin-film interference filters (e.g., stacks of dielectric layers of alternating refractive index and/or other thin-film mirror structures). Colorant (e.g., dye and/or pigment) may be incorporated into one or more of layers60and/or layer52to adjust the color of the illumination associated with emitted light48.

If desired, light guide layers, diffusers, reflective layers, opaque layers, and/or other layers of material may be formed as one or more coating layers on housing12, as shown by illustrative coating80on surfaces29and32ofFIG. 12. Coating80may, as an example, be formed from a polymer layer that guides light internally via total internal reflection and thereby serves as a light guide layer (e.g., a light guide coating). Emitted light from light-emitting devices42may be coupled into coating80through light guide layer52and/or other optical coupling structures. If desired, light-emitting devices42may be located on surfaces29(see, e.g., illustrative recesses70, which may receive light-emitting devices42mounted on printed circuits such as printed circuit40T to receive wireless power for powering light-emitting devices42). Texture, light-scattering particles, and/or other light-scattering structures may be incorporated into coatings80to help cause light to exit coatings80and serve as illumination for device10. Light-emitting devices42may, if desired, include components that emit light of different colors. For example, light-emitting devices42on printed circuit40may have one color and light-emitting devices42in cavities70may have another color.

If desired, housing12may be formed from polymer or other dielectric materials. Metal and other materials may optionally be included in a housing that is otherwise formed entirely from polymer (e.g., to provide structural support). In some configurations, wires, printed circuits with metal traces such as printed circuit40ofFIG. 12, light-emitting devices42, and/or other circuitry may be embedded in housing12. For example, devices42and signal paths coupled to devices42may be embedded in a molded polymer member forming housing12, as shown by illustrative embedded structures90ofFIG. 13and illustrative wires94and device42in structures90.

The polymer that forms housing12may include transparent polymer and/or may include opaque polymer (e.g., polymer that includes colorant such as dye and/or pigment that imparts a neutral color such as black or gray to housing12and/or that imparts a non-neutral color such as yellow, red, blue, or green to housing12). For example, light guide52and the other structures ofFIG. 12such as substrate30, housing12, and coating80and/or housing structures12ofFIG. 13may be implemented using a single shot of molded clear polymer or multiple shots of molded clear (e.g., so that the molded polymer forms a housing and so that devices42and other circuitry are embedded within the housing). Polymer for forming housing12may have a low haze (e.g., portions of housing12may be optically clear) and/or may have a high haze (e.g., portions of housing12may have a foggy appearance and may serve as a diffuser that diffuses light from devices42).

If desired, portions of a molded polymer member may have colorant (e.g., to impart desired colors and opacity to the housing in particular locations). Transparent portions of the housing that are formed from the single shot of molded polymer (or housing structures that are formed using optional additional shots of polymer, coatings, etc.) may be used in forming light guides, light diffusing structures, light extraction structures that help extract light that is being guided within a light guide, optical coupling structures, and/or other optical structures.

Light extraction structures may be molded into the housing that contains embedded components such as devices42as part of the molding process being used to form the housing. The light extraction structures may include protrusions such as bumps and/or ridges and recesses such as grooves and/or pits and may be located where indicated by layer80ofFIG. 12, where indicated by light guide52ofFIG. 12, and/or in other suitable locations in the housing (see, e.g., illustrative light extraction structures92ofFIG. 13). In general, a molded polymer housing for device10may have openings such as openings18T and/or18B ofFIG. 12, may have other suitable openings (e.g., through holes such as cylindrical through holes that pass from the outer surface of the housing to an opposing inner surface), may have light extraction features, may have light guiding features, may have cavities and/or other structures that are configured to receive protruding components such as devices42mounted on printed circuits such as printed circuit40and illustrative printed circuit40′ ofFIG. 13and/or that are configured to receive embedded components (e.g., devices42and/or other circuitry that is molded into interior locations within the polymer housing), may have portions that form optical couplers to enhance light coupling between devices42and the transparent portions of the housing, may include embedded fibers or other structures that enhance strength (e.g., fiberglass, carbon fibers, metal fibers, fabric, mesh, etc.), may include filler particles for enhancing thermal conductivity and/or adjusting other properties, may have portions that surround devices42and/or other components to serve as encapsulation, may have cosmetic coatings, and/or coatings that help extract light, diffuse light, and/or block light, and/or may have other suitable features. Devices42may be located in or on any suitable portions of housing12and/or printed circuits such as illustrative printed circuit40and/or illustrative printed circuit40′ ofFIG. 13. For example, devices42may be mounted on printed circuits with metal traces forming signal lines, may be coupled to wires, or may be coupled to other signal paths in device10that allow devices42to receive signals during operation. These mounting locations may be used to place devices42in the illustrative locations ofFIG. 13and/or other suitable locations (e.g., on the upper surface of a printed circuit such as printed circuit40′ that is located on the outer surface of housing12, on the inner surface of printed circuit40′ protruding into openings18T, in the center of spherical openings18T and/or18B or elsewhere in openings18T and/or18B, embedded within housing12, on one or more curved or planar surfaces of housing12, etc. Devices42may be viewed through diffuse portions of housing12(e.g., when devices42are embedded within diffuse polymer forming housing12), may be viewed through non-hazy portions of housing12, may be viewed directly through air without any interposing portions of housing12(e.g., when devices42are placed in the spherical openings of housing12or other openings in housing12), and/or may be viewed through other portions of device10. If desired, coatings such as illustrative coatings80of FIG.13may be opaque (e.g., to selectively block light from devices42). Coating material may be formed on the outer and/or inner surface of housing12, on curved portions of housing12, and/or on other housing surfaces. Configurations in which coating80covers all of housing12and/or other portions of housing12and/or in which coating80is transparent or has a non-neutral color (e.g., red, blue, etc.) may also be used. Light-extraction features92(e.g., ridges, bumps, or other protrusions, grooves, pits, or other recesses, light scattering particles, etc.) may be formed in coating80and/or may be formed from portions of housing12.

As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of information such as sensor information. 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.