Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US10088927B2/en
Timestamp: 2019-07-23 18:31:25
Document Index: 528438322

Matched Legal Cases: ['application No. 61', 'application No. 61', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1', '§ 122', '§ 1']

US10088927B2 - Electronic devices with flexible displays - Google Patents
Electronic devices with flexible displays Download PDF
US10088927B2
US10088927B2 US14/467,657 US201414467657A US10088927B2 US 10088927 B2 US10088927 B2 US 10088927B2 US 201414467657 A US201414467657 A US 201414467657A US 10088927 B2 US10088927 B2 US 10088927B2
US14/467,657
US20140362020A1 (en
2011-03-21 Priority to US201161454894P priority Critical
2011-06-28 Priority to US13/171,295 priority patent/US8816977B2/en
2014-08-25 Application filed by Apple Inc filed Critical Apple Inc
2014-08-25 Priority to US14/467,657 priority patent/US10088927B2/en
2014-12-11 Publication of US20140362020A1 publication Critical patent/US20140362020A1/en
2018-10-02 Publication of US10088927B2 publication Critical patent/US10088927B2/en
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/171,295, filed Jun. 28, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/454,894, filed Mar. 21, 2011, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. This application claims the benefit of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/171,295, filed Jun. 28, 2011, and U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/454,894, filed Mar. 21, 2011.
Electronic devices such as portable computers and cellular telephones are often provided with rigid displays made from rigid display structures. For example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) may be formed from a stack of rigid display structures such as a thin-film, transistor layer with display pixels for providing visual feedback to a user, a color filter layer for providing the display pixels with color, a touch screen panel for gathering touch input from a user, and a cover glass layer for protecting the display and internal components.
During operation of the electronic device, the flexibility of the display may allow a user to interact with the component through the display. For example, sound waves from a speaker or localized vibrations front an actuator in an electronic device may pass through the flexible display. The flexible display may also allow an internal microphone, pressure sensor, or force sensor (or other internal components) to receive external input. For example, a user may deflect a flexible display using a finger or other external object, barometric pressure may be monitored through the flexible display, or sound waves may be received through the flexible display.
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.
Flexible displays may be formed from flexible layers such as a flexible display layer (e.g., a flexible organic light-emitting diode array), a flexible touch-sensitive layer (e.g., a sheet of polymer with an array of transparent capacitor electrodes for a capacitive touch sensor), a flexible substrate layer, etc. These flexible layers may, if desired, be covered by a flexible or rigid cover layer (sometimes referred to as a cover glass) or may be supported by a support structure (e.g., a rigid support structure on the underside of the flexible layers). In electronic devices with flexible displays that are covered by rigid cover layers, the cover layers may be provided with openings that provide access to the flexible layers of the display in the vicinity of a user interface device. For example, a cover glass layer may nave an opening that allows a button member to move relative to the cover glass layer. As the button member moves within the opening, underlying portions of the flexible display may be deformed (e.g., to allow actuation of an associated switch).
In configurations for display 14 in which the cover layer for display 14 is flexible, input-output components that rely on the presence of flexible layers may be mounted at any suitable location under the display (e.g., along peripheral portions of the display, in a central portion of the display, etc.). In configurations for display 14 in which the flexible layers are covered by a rigid cover glass layer or other rigid cover layer, the rigid layer may be provided with one or more openings and the electronic components may be mounted under the openings. For example, a rigid cover layer may have openings such as a circular opening 16 for button 17 and a speaker port opening such as speaker port opening 18 (e.g., for an ear speaker for a user). Device 10 may also nave other openings (e.g., openings in display 14 and/or housing 12 for accommodating volume buttons, ringer buttons, sleep buttons, and other buttons, openings for an audio jack, data port connectors, removable media slots, etc.).
In some embodiments, portions of flexible display 14 such as peripheral regions 20I may be inactive and portions of display 14 such as rectangular central portion 20A (bounded by dashed line 20) may correspond to the active part, of display 14. In active display region 20A, an array of image pixels may be used to present text and images to a user of device 10. In active region 20A, display 14 may include touch sensitive components for input and interaction with a user of device 10. If desired, regions such as regions 20I and 20A in FIG. 1 may both be provided with display pixels (i.e., all or substantially all of the entire front planar surface of a device such as device 10 may be covered with display pixels).
Device 10 may, if desired, have internal user interface components such as buttons 17 or speaker component 19 that occupy openings such as openings 16 and 18 respectively in an optional rigid, cover layer of flexible display 14. Buttons 17 may be based on dome switches or other switch circuitry. Buttons 17 may include button members that form push buttons (e.g., momentary buttons), slider switches, rocker switches, etc. Device 10 may include internal structural components such as structural component 22 that add a raised structure to a portion of flexible display 14. Device 10 may include components such as interface components 24 and 26 that may be fully internal to device 10, but that receive input from the user or from the surrounding environment through physical interaction with flexible display 14. Interface components 22, 24, and 26 may be positioned in active region 20A or inactive region 20I of flexible display 14. Interface components 22, 24, and 26 may be positioned separately from one another or may be commonly located to form a combined component with structural and internal features. Interface components 24 and 26 may be positioned underneath flexible display 14 so that flexible display 14 must be deformed in order to contact components 24 or 26 or, if desired may be positioned to remain in constant contact with flexible display 14.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of device 10 in the vicinity of button 17 of device 10. The illustrative embodiment of FIG. 5 differs from the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 4 in that cover layer 14C of flexible display 14 is not a rigid cover layer, but a flexible cover layer. In an embodiment in which flexible display 14 contains a flexible cover layer 14C, button 17 includes dome switch 55 and printed circuit 54. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, a user may press the exterior of flexible display 14 in direction 58. Flexible display 14 may be deformed to depress dome switch 56 or other switch mechanism, thereby activating the switch. As in FIG. 4, dome switches such as dome switch 56 may, if desired, be mounted to printed circuits such as printed circuit 54. Dome switch 56 may have a dome-shaped biasing member that pushes flexible display 14 outward in direction 60 when the user releases pressure from button member 52. Dome switch 54 and printed circuit 54 may be mounted in support structures 50 behind flexible display 14. Other types of switches may use spring-based biasing members or other biasing structures to bias button members such as button member 52. The use of a dome switch with a dome-shaped biasing structure is merely illustrative.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of device 10 in the vicinity of a component such as component 22 of FIG. 1. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, component 22 may contain an actuator such as a piezoelectric (actuator 90). Piezoelectric actuators such as piezoelectric actuator 90 may vary in shape (e.g., thickness) in response to applied control voltages and may produce an output voltage when compressed (i.e., the piezoelectric element in actuator 90 may serve as a force sensor in addition to serving as a controllable actuator). A user of device 10 may exert force on flexible display 14 in direction 92. Flexible display 14 may be deformed to exert a mechanical pressure on piezoelectric element 90 or other force sensor, inducing a voltage which may be transmitted to device 10. Conversely, piezoelectric actuator 90 may be used to provide tactile feedback to a user of device 10. A voltage difference applied to the surfaces of piezoelectric actuator 90 may induce an expansion of piezoelectric actuator 90. Piezoelectric actuator 90 may then deform flexible display 14 in direction 94 providing tactile feedback to a user of device 10.
a display having a substrate and an array of display pixels formed on the substrate, wherein the display comprises an array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes; and
an electrical component mounted behind a portion of the substrate, wherein the electrical component comprises a force sensor that gathers user input by detecting a localized deformation of the portion of the substrate, wherein the portion of the substrate transitions from a flat configuration to a deformed configuration during the localized deformation while the rest of the substrate remains undeformed, and wherein the force sensor is located behind the array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes.
2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display comprises an active area and an inactive area, wherein the array of display pixels is formed in the active area, and wherein the electrical component is mounted behind the active area.
3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the electrical component comprises a button and wherein the localized deformation of the portion of the substrate actuates the button.
4. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the localized deformation comprises a vibration of the portion of the substrate in response to sound waves passing through the display from an exterior of the electronic device and wherein the electrical component comprises a microphone that gathers the user input by detecting the vibration of the portion of the substrate.
5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the microphone comprises a laser microphone.
6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the substrate is interposed between the array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes and the electrical component.
7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes is formed on a flexible sheet of polymer.
8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electrical component comprises a pressure sensor and wherein the localized deformation of the portion of the substrate exerts pressure on the pressure sensor.
9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the pressure sensor comprises a piezoelectric actuator and wherein the mechanical pressure induces a voltage on the piezoelectric actuator.
a display having a flexible substrate and an array of display pixels formed in an active area of the flexible substrate;
an input component mounted behind the active area of the flexible substrate; and
a touch-sensitive layer that gathers touch input, wherein the flexible substrate is interposed between the touch-sensitive layer and the input component, wherein the input component gathers user input by detecting a localized deformation of a portion of the touch-sensitive layer and the flexible substrate while the rest of the touch-sensitive layer and the flexible substrate remain undeformed.
11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the portion of the flexible substrate has a natural shape and a deformed shape, wherein the external forces cause the portion of the flexible substrate to transition from the natural shape to the deformed shape.
12. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the external forces are associated with sound waves, wherein the sound waves cause a vibration of the flexible substrate, wherein the input component comprises a microphone, and wherein the microphone gathers the user input by detecting the vibration of the flexible substrate.
13. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the input component comprises a button.
14. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the button comprises a dome switch mounted to a printed circuit substrate and wherein the dome switch is actuated by the localized deformation of the portion of the flexible substrate.
a display having a flexible substrate and an array of display pixels formed in an active area of the flexible substrate, wherein the display displays a virtual button in a region of the active area;
an electrical component mounted behind the region of the active area where the virtual button is displayed, wherein the electrical component gathers user input by detecting a deformation of the flexible substrate and provides output by vibrating a localized portion of the flexible substrate; and
a touch-sensitive layer, wherein the flexible substrate is interposed between the touch-sensitive layer and the electrical component, wherein the touch-sensitive layer comprises a flexible sheet of polymer and a plurality of capacitive touch-sensing electrodes on the flexible sheet of polymer.
16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the electrical component comprises a button and wherein the deformation of the flexible substrate actuates the button.
17. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the electrical component comprises a pressure sensor and wherein the deformation of the flexible substrate exerts pressure on the pressure sensor.
US14/467,657 2011-03-21 2014-08-25 Electronic devices with flexible displays Active 2032-04-14 US10088927B2 (en)
US201161454894P true 2011-03-21 2011-03-21
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US14/467,657 US10088927B2 (en) 2011-03-21 2014-08-25 Electronic devices with flexible displays
US16/147,253 US20190042041A1 (en) 2011-03-21 2018-09-28 Electronic Devices With Flexible Displays
US13/171,295 Continuation US8816977B2 (en) 2011-03-21 2011-06-28 Electronic devices with flexible displays
US16/147,253 Continuation US20190042041A1 (en) 2011-03-21 2018-09-28 Electronic Devices With Flexible Displays
US20140362020A1 US20140362020A1 (en) 2014-12-11
US10088927B2 true US10088927B2 (en) 2018-10-02
ID=46876931
US13/171,295 Active 2031-07-19 US8816977B2 (en) 2011-03-21 2011-06-28 Electronic devices with flexible displays
US14/467,657 Active 2032-04-14 US10088927B2 (en) 2011-03-21 2014-08-25 Electronic devices with flexible displays
US16/147,253 Pending US20190042041A1 (en) 2011-03-21 2018-09-28 Electronic Devices With Flexible Displays
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US20190042041A1 (en) 2019-02-07
US20140362020A1 (en) 2014-12-11
US8816977B2 (en) 2014-08-26
US20120242592A1 (en) 2012-09-27