Patent Publication Number: US-10777857-B2

Title: Portable computer battery indicator

Description:
This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 14/866,581, filed Sep. 25, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,985,323, which is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 13/372,760, filed Feb. 14, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,147,915, which is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 12/340,635, filed Dec. 19, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,125,344, which claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/105,040, filed Oct. 13, 2008, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. This application claims the benefit of and claims priority to patent application Ser. No. 14/866,581, filed Sep. 25, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,985,323, patent application Ser. No. 13/372,760, filed Feb. 14, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,147,915, patent application Ser. No. 12/340,635, filed Dec. 19, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,125,344, and provisional patent application No. 61/105,040, filed Oct. 13, 2008. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates to electronic devices and, more particularly, to battery indicator structures for electronic devices such as portable computers. 
     Portable computers often are provided with indicator lights. For example, a light-emitting diode may be provided on the surface of a portable computer that indicates whether or not the portable computer is powered. Battery status information may also be conveyed using light-emitting diodes. For example, a portable computer may have a light-emitting diode that is illuminated when the battery in the portable computer is fully charged. 
     Conventional indicators are often unsightly and do not convey sufficient information to a computer user. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved battery indicator structures for electronic devices such as portable computers. 
     SUMMARY 
     Portable computers with improved battery charge status indicator lights are provided. 
     A portable computer may be provided with a metal housing. An array of holes may be formed in the housing. A light-emitting diode array may be mounted behind the holes. The pattern of light-emitting diodes in the array that are lit at any given time may be indicative of the battery charge status of the battery in the portable computer. 
     Light-emitting diodes for the light-emitting diode array may be mounted on a printed circuit board. An opaque member may be provided that contains an array of holes. The array of holes on the opaque member may be aligned with the array of light-emitting diodes on the printed circuit board and the array of holes in the housing. Light diffusing material may be incorporated into the holes of the opaque member to improve the appearance of the light emitted from the housing. 
     Further features of the invention, its nature, and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an illustrative portable computer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of an illustrative battery indicator light assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is cross sectional perspective view of a portion of a portable computer having a battery indicator light assembly of the type shown in  FIG. 2  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates to electronic devices with indicator lights. The indicator lights may be used to convey information such as battery charge status information or other information about the operation of the electronic device to a user of an electronic device. The electronic device may be a handheld computer, a miniature or wearable device, a portable computer, a desktop computer, a mobile telephone, a music player, a remote control, a global positioning system device, devices that combine the functions of one or more of these devices and other suitable devices, or any other electronic device. With one suitable arrangement, which is sometimes described herein as an example, the electronic devices in which the indicator lights are provided may be portable computers such as laptop (notebook) computers. This is, however, merely illustrative. Indicators lights may, in general, be provided in any suitable electronic device. 
     An illustrative electronic device such as a portable computer in which indicator lights may be provided is shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , portable computer  10  may have a housing  12 . Housing  12 , which is sometimes referred to as a case, may be formed from one or more individual structures. For example, housing  12  may have a main structural support member that is formed from a solid block of machined aluminum or other suitable metal. One or more additional structures may be connected to the housing  12 . These structures may include, for example, internal frame members, external coverings such as sheets of metal, etc. Housing  12  and its associated components may, in general, be formed from any suitable materials such as plastic, ceramics, metal, glass, etc. An advantage of forming housing  12  at least partly from metal is that metal is durable and attractive in appearance. Metals such as aluminum may be anodized to form an insulating oxide coating. 
     Case  12  may have an upper portion  26  and a lower portion  28 . Lower portion  28  may be referred to as the base or main unit of computer  10  and may contain components such as a hard disk drive, battery, and main logic board. Upper portion  26 , which is sometimes referred to as a cover or lid, may be rotatably connected to lower housing portion  28 . For example, portion  18  of computer  10  may allow upper portion  26  to rotate relative to lower portion  28  about rotational axis  16 . Portion  18  may contain a hinge and associated clutch structures and may sometimes be referred to as a clutch barrel. 
     Lower housing portion  28  may have a slot such as slot  22  through which optical disks may be loaded into an optical disk drive. Lower housing portion may also have a touchpad such a touchpad  24  and keys  20 . If desired, additional components may be mounted to upper and lower housing portions  26  and  28 . For example, upper and lower housing portions  26  and  28  may have ports  72  to which cables may be connected (e.g., universal serial bus ports, an Ethernet port, a Firewire port, audio jacks, card slots, etc.). Buttons and other controls may also be mounted to housing  12 . 
     If desired, upper and lower housing portions  26  and  28  may have transparent windows through which light may be emitted (e.g., from light-emitting diodes). This type of arrangement may be used, for example, to display status information to a user. Openings may also be formed in the surface of upper and lower housing portions to allow sound to pass through the walls of housing  12 . For example, openings may be formed for microphone and speaker ports. With one illustrative arrangement, speaker openings such as speaker openings  30  may be formed in lower housing portion  28  by creating an array of small openings (perforations) in the surface of housing  12 . 
     A display such as display  14  may be mounted within upper housing portion  26 . Display  14  may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, or plasma display (as examples). A glass panel may be mounted in front of display  14 . The glass panel may help add structural integrity to computer  10 . For example, the glass panel may make upper housing portion  26  more rigid and may protect display  14  from damage due to contact with keys or other structures. 
     Computer  10  may have input-output components such as touch pad  24 . Touch pad  24  may include a touch sensitive surface that allows a user of computer  10  to control computer  10  using touch-based commands (gestures). A portion of touchpad  24  may be depressed by the user when the user desires to “click” on a displayed item on screen  14 . 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a battery indicator light subassembly that may be used to provide a user with a visual indication of battery status. The structures of  FIG. 2  may include an array of light-emitting diodes or other suitable light emitting devices. The pattern of light-emitting diodes that is illuminated for the user may be used to indicate the amount of charge on the battery in computer  10 . As an example, all of the lights in the array may be illuminated when the battery is fully charged and proportionally fewer lights may be illuminated when there is less charge on the battery. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , battery indicator light subassembly  32  may include a printed circuit board  68 . Printed circuit board  68  may have a printed circuit board substrate  40 . Substrate  40  may be formed from a rigid printed circuit board material such as fiberglass-filled epoxy or a flexible printed circuit board (“flex circuit”) material such as polyimide. Components may be mounted on substrate  40  such as connector  42  and button mechanism  46 . 
     Computer  10  may include one or more printed circuit boards, such as a main logic board. Components such as a microprocessor, memory, and associated integrated circuits may be mounted on the main logic board. The main logic board may have a connector through which control signals for battery indicator subassembly  32  are provided. A flex circuit cable or other suitable electrical cable may be used to convey control signals between the main logic board and battery indicator light subassembly  32 . One end of the cable may be plugged into the connector on the main logic board. The other end of the cable may be plugged into connector  42  on substrate  40  of battery indicator light printed circuit board  68 . This arrangement allows circuitry on the main logic board to drive light-emitting diodes in subassembly  32 . If desired, other control arrangements may be used. For example, control circuitry on a logic board other than the main logic board may be used in controlling the light-emitting diodes or control circuitry for the light-emitting diodes may be incorporated onto printed circuit board  68 . 
     Button mechanism  46  may be formed from any suitable mechanical or electrical switch structure. Subassembly  32  may be mounted in computer  10  in region  60  of housing portion  28 . When mounted in this way, button mechanism  46  may be aligned with button  64  on housing portion  28 . Button  64  may be formed from a metal disk or other suitable structure. To provide a spring mechanism for button  64 , an elastomeric ring such as ring  58  may be interposed between the inside surface of button  64  and the outer surface of button mechanism  46 . When a user presses button  64 , elastomeric member  58  (e.g., foam) may be compressed against button mechanism  46 , thereby actuating button mechanism  46 . Button  64  may be, for example, the main power button for computer  10 . 
     Stiffener  34  may be used to enhance the structural integrity of subassembly  32  by providing stiffness for printed circuit board  68 . Stiffener  34  may include a stiffening member  36 . Member  36  may be formed from a metal such as stainless steel or other rigid materials such as plastic. Stiffener  34  may also include a layer of adhesive such as double-sided adhesive tape  38 . Adhesive  38  may help to hold stiffener to the back of printed circuit board substrate  40 . Stiffener  34  may have holes such as holes  50 ,  52 , and  54 . Screws in holes  50 ,  52 , and  54  may be screwed into housing portion  28  to attach subassembly  32  to housing portion  28 . The screws in outermost holes  50  and  54  may pass to either side of printed circuit board  68 . The screw in central stiffener hole  52  may pass through corresponding hole  48  in printed circuit board substrate  40 . 
     Battery indicator light array member  56  may have a series of holes though which light may pass before being emitted through holes in region  62  of housing portion  28 . Member  56  may be formed from cast aluminum or other suitable opaque material. Screw holes may be provided in member  56  to facilitate mounting as part of subassembly  32 . Because member  56  is preferably opaque, member  56  may help to separate individual light-emitting diodes from each other by preventing undesired light leakage. Light diffusing plastic  44  may be placed in holes  70  to enhance the uniformity of the light emitted by the light-emitting diodes on board  68 . The holes in member  56  may be about 1.32 mm in diameter. Although shown as separate structures in the exploded view of  FIG. 2 , following fabrication (e.g., by injection molding), the light diffusing plastic  44  is preferably formed within the holes  70  and is prevented from exiting holes  70  by flared features on the entrance and exit of each hole  70 . 
       FIG. 3  shows how diffusing plastic  44  is formed within holes  70  of member  56  when subassembly  32  is mounted within housing portion  28 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , light diffusing plastic  44  forms a series of raise bumps  44 A,  44 B, etc. Each bump in diffuser  44  corresponds to one of holes  66  in the sidewall of housing portion  28 . For example, diffuser bump  44 A is mounted in housing portion  28  so that light that passes through bump  44 A will be emitted through housing sidewall hole  66 A, diffuser bump  44 B feeds light through holes  66 B, etc. If desired, holes  66  may be filled with a clear ultraviolet-light-curable adhesive or other transparent filler to prevent blockage of holes  66  by dust. Holes  66  may be drilled into housing portion  28  using laser drilling, mechanical drilling, or other suitable fabrication techniques. Holes may, if desired, be relatively small (e.g., less than 0.8 mm in diameter, less than 0.6 mm in diameter, less than 0.4 mm in diameter, etc.). If desired, an array of holes  66  may be formed on a separate member that is subsequently mounted within a rectangular opening in housing portion  28  as an insert. Other arrangement may also be used (e.g., to support different numbers of holes, to support different patterns of indicator lights, etc.). 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.