PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9496668-B1
Application Number: US-201514720059-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B1

Title: Connection structures for electrical components in an electronic device

Abstract:
An electronic device may have a rigid support structure to which electrical components are mounted. The rigid support structure may be an electronic device housing structure such as a housing wall having openings that receive the electrical components. The electrical components may have electrical component connectors. A printed circuit board may be used to convey signals for the electrical components. Connectors may be mounted to the printed circuit board. Lateral shift accommodation structures may be formed between the electrical component connectors and the electrical components or in the vicinity of the connectors on the printed circuit to allow the connectors on the printed circuit to mate with the electrical component connectors of the rigidly mounted electrical components.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Apparatus, comprising:
 a support structure; 
 electrical components mounted to the support structure, wherein each of the electrical components has a connector; and 
 a printed circuit to which connectors are mounted, wherein each of the connectors on the printed circuit mates with a corresponding one of the connectors of the electrical components and wherein the printed circuit has openings that form lateral shift accommodation structures that allow the connectors on the printed circuit to shift position relative to the connectors of the electrical components as the connectors on the printed circuit mate with the connectors of the electrical components. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus defined in  claim 1  wherein the support structure comprises an electronic device housing. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus defined in  claim 2  wherein the electronic device housing has openings and wherein the electrical components are mounted in the openings. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus defined in  claim 3  wherein the connectors mounted to the printed circuit are rotationally symmetric. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus defined in  claim 4  wherein the electrical components have circular outlines and wherein the openings are circular. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus defined in  claim 5  wherein the electrical components comprise components selected from the group consisting of: light sources, light detectors, speakers, and sensors. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus defined in  claim 6  further comprising integrated circuits selected from the group consisting of: control circuits that control light-based components and audio circuits. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus defined in  claim 7  wherein each integrated circuit is mounted to the printed circuit between a respective pair of the connectors mounted to the printed circuit. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus defined in  claim 8  wherein the printed circuit comprises a rigid printed circuit board. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus defined in  claim 6  wherein the printed circuit comprises an elongated printed circuit that extends along a surface of the electronic device housing. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus defined in  claim 10  wherein the electronic device housing comprises a cylindrical housing. 
     
     
       12. Apparatus, comprising:
 a support structure; 
 electrical components mounted to the support structure; 
 electrical component connectors each of which is electrically coupled to a respective one of the electrical components; 
 lateral shift accommodation structures each of which is mounted to a respective one of the electrical components and each of which supports a respective one of the electrical component connectors; and 
 a printed circuit to which connectors are mounted, wherein each of the connectors on the printed circuit mates with a corresponding one of the electrical component connectors and wherein the lateral shift accommodation structures allow the electrical component connectors to shift position relative to the connectors on the printed circuit as the electrical connector components mate with the connectors on the printed circuit. 
 
     
     
       13. The apparatus defined in  claim 12  wherein the lateral shift accommodation structures comprises structures that flex to accommodate shifts in position of the electrical component connectors relative to the connectors on the printed circuit. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus defined in  claim 13  wherein the support structure comprises an electronic device housing having a housing wall with openings and wherein the electrical components are mounted in the openings. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus defined in  claim 14  wherein the electrical component connectors are rotationally symmetric, wherein the electrical components have circular outlines, and wherein the openings are circular. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus defined in  claim 15  wherein the electrical components comprise components selected from the group consisting of: light sources, light detectors, speakers, and sensors. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus defined in  claim 16  further comprising integrated circuits selected from the group consisting of: control circuits that control light-based components and audio circuits and wherein each integrated circuit is mounted to the printed circuit between a respective pair of the connectors mounted to the printed circuit. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus defined in  claim 17  wherein the printed circuit comprises an elongated rigid printed circuit board that extends along an inner surface of the electronic device housing, wherein the electronic device housing is cylindrical, and wherein the apparatus further comprises screws that attach the lateral shift accommodation structures to the electrical components. 
     
     
       19. An electronic device, comprising:
 an electronic device housing wall having openings; 
 electrical components mounted in the openings and having electrical component connectors; 
 a printed circuit board to which connectors are mounted, wherein each of the connectors mounted to the printed circuit board mates with a corresponding one of the electrical component connectors; and 
 lateral shift accommodation structures that flex to allow the connectors mounted to the printed circuit board to mate with the electrical component connectors. 
 
     
     
       20. The electronic device defined in  claim 19  further comprising integrated circuits mounted on the printed circuit board. 
     
     
       21. The electronic device defined in  claim 20  wherein the lateral shift accommodation structures are interposed between the electrical components and the electrical component connectors. 
     
     
       22. The electronic device defined in  claim 20  wherein the lateral shift accommodation structures comprises flexible structures formed by openings in the printed circuit board in the vicinity of each connector mounted to the printed circuit board.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 62/057,609, filed Sep. 30, 2014, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to electronic devices with electronic components that are interconnected using printed circuits. 
     Electronic devices include electronic components. Components are sometimes mounted in fixed positions relative to each other. For example, an array of electrical components may be mounted to a rigid support structure so that there is no significant movement between the components. 
     Electrical components are typically interconnected with signal paths. For example, a printed circuit may be coupled to each of the electrical components in an array so that signal paths on the printed circuit can be used to convey signals for the electrical components. Challenges may arise when attempting to couple signal paths in a printed circuit to an array of electrical components mounted to a rigid support structure. Because the electrical components on a rigid support structure are in fixed positions, the electrical components cannot shift positions with respect to each other to accommodate manufacturing variations in the positions of the signal path structures on the printed circuit or manufacturing variations in the electrical components and rigid support structure. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible to mate the signal paths in the printed circuit to the electrical components without damage. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved arrangements for coupling printed circuits to electrical components in an electronic device. 
     SUMMARY 
     An electronic device may have a rigid support structure to which electrical components are mounted. The rigid support structure may be an electronic device housing structure such as a housing wall having openings that receive the electrical components. The electronic device housing wall may have a cylindrical shape. The openings may be circular openings that receive circular electrical components or may have other shapes. 
     The electrical components may have electrical component connectors. A printed circuit board may be used to handle signals for the electrical components. Connectors may be mounted to the printed circuit board. Lateral shift accommodation structures may allow the connectors on the printed circuit to mate with the electrical component connectors associated with the rigidly mounted electrical components. 
     The lateral shift accommodation structures may be formed from flexible structures having flexible support arms or other members that are interposed between the electrical components and the electrical component connectors. The flexible structures may be attached to the electrical components using screws or other attachment mechanisms. The electrical component connectors may be supported on the flexible structures. 
     Lateral shift accommodation structures may also be formed from openings in the printed circuit. The openings may be elongated slot-shaped openings that curve around each connector on the printed circuit. The openings allow the printed circuit to flex laterally so that the connectors on the printed circuit mate with the electrical component connectors on the rigid support structure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device such as a laptop computer in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device such as a handheld electronic device in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device such as a tablet computer in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device such as a computer display in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is perspective of an illustrative electronic device such as a computing device or other device with a cylindrical housing that surrounds an interior region and that is surrounded by an exterior region in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component being mounted in an opening in a device housing in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional side view of the illustrative electronic component of  FIG. 6  following mounting of the component to the device housing in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional side view of an electronic device showing how an array of components may be mounted to the exterior of a device housing in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of an illustrative electronic component with a circular outline in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 10  is a front view of an illustrative electronic component with an oval outline in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of an illustrative electronic component with a rectangular outline in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 12  is a front view of an illustrative electronic component with a hexagonal outline in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component with a trapezoidal cross section in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component with a smoothly tapered cross section in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component with a cross section that is tapered in a step-wise fashion in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic component with a cross section that is triangular in shape and has untapered portions in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 17  is a top view of an illustrative component with a flat outer surface that has been mounted in an opening in a cylindrical housing in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 18  is a top view of an illustrative component with a curved outer surface that has been mounted in an opening in a cylindrical housing in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 19  is an exploded view of an illustrative electronic device containing radially deployed components in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 20  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative configuration in which electrical components are coupled to signal paths in a printed circuit in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 21  is a top view of a connector surrounded by openings in a printed circuit that form a lateral shift accommodation structure in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 22  is a top view of a connector surrounded by horizontally and vertically extending openings that form a lateral shift accommodation structure in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 23  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative connector mounted to a component using a lateral shift accommodation structure in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 24  is a top view of an illustrative lateral shift accommodation structure attached to an electrical component that is mounted to a rigid support structure such as a housing wall in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 25  is a top view of a portion of an illustrative rigid support structure such as a housing wall in which an array of electrical components have been mounted showing how each component may have an electrical connector that is coupled to a lateral shift accommodation structure in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 26  is a top view of an illustrative connector mounted to a component using a lateral shift accommodation structure having radially extending meandering arms in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 27  is a top view of an illustrative connector mounted to a component using a lateral shift accommodation structure with horizontal and vertical members in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Electronic devices may include components. The components may be light-based components, audio components, sensors, or other electrical components. The components may be mounted to a rigid support structure and may be interconnected using signal paths in substrates such as printed circuits. The support structure to which the electrical components are mounted may be part of an electronic device. For example, the components may be mounted to a support structure within the interior of an electronic device and/or may be mounted to a housing wall or other support structure on the exterior of an electronic device. Configurations in which electrical components are mounted to a rigid support structure such as an electronic device housing wall and in which the electrical components are exposed on the exterior of the housing may facilitate signal input and output operations using the components (e.g., input and output operations involving light signals, acoustic signals, temperature information, etc.). Accordingly, configurations in which components are mounted within openings in housing surfaces are sometimes described herein as an example. 
     In some devices, it may be desirable to mount multiple components in proximity to each other. For example, optical components may be mounted in proximity to each other to form a display with an array of pixels or to form other types of light output devices (e.g., a light-based status indicator), speakers may be mounted in an array to form a phased speaker array or to provide enhanced output levels, microphones may be mounted in an array to gather audio information from multiple directions, proximity sensors may be mounted in an array to create a touch or motion input device that can capture input from a user&#39;s hand or other external object, and other sensors and input-output components may be mounted in arrays to enhance the ability of an electronic device to gather input and provide output. 
     Multiple components may be mounted adjacent to one another in a regular array having one or more rows and one or more columns of electrical components. Components may also be organized in a less regular fashion such as a pseudorandom pattern on the surface of a device housing. 
     Illustrative electronic devices that may be provided with components are shown in  FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 . 
     Illustrative electronic device  10  of  FIG. 1  has the shape of a laptop computer having upper housing  12 A and lower housing  12 B with components such as keyboard  16  and touchpad  18 . Device  10  may have hinge structures  20  that allow upper housing  12 A to rotate in directions  22  about rotational axis  24  relative to lower housing  12 B. Display  14  may be mounted in upper housing  12 A. Upper housing  12 A, which may sometimes be referred to as a display housing or lid, may be placed in a closed position by rotating upper housing  12 A towards lower housing  12 B about rotational axis  24 . 
       FIG. 2  shows how electronic device  10  may be a handheld device such as a cellular telephone, music player, gaming device, navigation unit, or other compact device. In this type of configuration for device  10 , housing  12  may have opposing front and rear surfaces. Display  14  may be mounted on a front face of housing  12 . Display  14  may, if desired, have openings for components such as button  26 . Openings may also be formed in display  14  to accommodate a speaker port (see, e.g., speaker port  28  of  FIG. 2 ). 
       FIG. 3  shows how electronic device  10  may be a tablet computer. In electronic device  10  of  FIG. 3 , housing  12  may have opposing planar front and rear surfaces. Display  14  may be mounted on the front surface of housing  12 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , display  14  may have an opening to accommodate button  26  (as an example). 
       FIG. 4  shows how electronic device  10  may be a computer display, a computer that has been integrated into a computer display, or a display for other electronic equipment. With this type of arrangement, housing  12  for device  10  may be mounted on a support structure such as stand  30  or stand  30  may be omitted (e.g., stand  30  can be omitted when mounting device  10  on a wall). Display  14  may be mounted on a front face of housing  12 . 
       FIG. 5  shows how electronic device  10  may have a cylindrical housing. Device  10  may be, for example, a desktop computer such as the Mac Pro computer available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Housing  12  may have an input-output connector region such as region  32  that contains input-output connectors (e.g., Universal Serial Bus connectors and other digital signal connectors, power connectors, audio connectors, memory card slots, and other input-output connectors). Upper surface  12 - 1  of housing  12  may be planar or may have curved surfaces (as shown in  FIG. 5 ). Sidewall  12 - 2  of housing  12  may have a curved surface so that housing  12  has a cylindrical shape (as an example). Housing  12  may also have other shapes (e.g., conical shapes, pyramidal shapes with curved and/or planar sidewall surfaces, spherical housing shapes, other shapes, and combinations of these shapes). 
     Housing  12  may have a vertical dimension (height in dimension Z) that is larger than its lateral (horizontal) dimensions (i.e., widths in dimensions X and Y). Configurations in which housing  12  is shorter in height and wider in width may also be used. If desired, part of housing  12  may be cylindrical and part of housing  12  may have one or more planar sidewalls. For example, housing  12  may have the shape of a half cylinder in which the front portion of housing  12  has a cylindrical shape and the rear portion of housing  12  has a planar rear housing wall. Other shapes with cylindrical surfaces may also be used (e.g., quarter cylinders, three-quarter cylinders, etc.). Display  14  may be mounted in housing  12  or may be omitted from device  10  of  FIG. 5 . 
     The illustrative configurations for device  10  that are shown in  FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5  are merely illustrative. In general, electronic device  10  may be a laptop computer, a computer monitor containing an embedded computer, 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, or other wearable or miniature device, a television, a computer display that does not contain an embedded computer, a gaming device, a navigation device, an embedded system such as a system in which electronic equipment with a display is mounted in a kiosk or automobile, an accessory such as a charging station, a stand for a display, speaker or other electronic device, an alarm clock, a speaker, a docking station, an amplifier, a projector, a camera, a video camera, gaming equipment, a television cable box or other set-top box, lighting equipment, a motion sensor, a touch pad or other input-output device that gathers data from a touch sensor(s), networked attached storage or other data storage device, a wireless access point, a router, or other network equipment, other equipment, or equipment that implements the functionality of two or more of these devices. 
     Housing  12  of device  10 , which is sometimes referred to as a case, may be formed of materials such as plastic, glass, ceramics, carbon-fiber composites and other fiber-based composites, metal (e.g., machined aluminum, stainless steel, or other metals), other materials, or a combination of these materials. Device  10  may be formed using a unibody construction in which most or all of housing  12  is formed from a single structural element (e.g., a piece of machined metal or a piece of molded plastic) or may be formed from multiple housing structures (e.g., outer housing structures that have been mounted to internal frame elements or other internal housing structures). 
     Display  14  may be a touch sensitive display that includes a touch sensor or may be insensitive to touch. Touch sensors for display  14  may be formed from an array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes, a resistive touch array, touch sensor structures based on acoustic touch, optical touch, or force-based touch technologies, or other suitable touch sensor components. 
     Display  14  may include display pixels formed from liquid crystal display (LCD) components, organic light-emitting diode pixels, or other suitable image pixel structures. If desired, display  14  may be omitted from device  10  (e.g., to conserve space) or multiple displays such as display  14  may be included in device  10  (e.g., in an array). Light-based status indicators and other input-output devices may be used to supplement information displayed on display  14  or may be used to provide a user with status information and other output when display  14  has been omitted. 
     If desired, one or more electrical components may be mounted on housing  12 . For example, a single component or an array of components may be mounted in the position(s) of illustrative component(s)  34  of  FIG. 5  or elsewhere on housing  12  of  FIG. 1, 2, 3, 4 , or  5  or on other electronic device housings. Electrical components  34  may be mounted on a planar housing wall or a curved housing wall. Components  34  may, for example, be mounted an a surface of housing  12  where housing  12  has a non-planar surface such as where housing wall  12 - 2  of  FIG. 5  is curved (e.g., curved on the side of a cylinder). In general, components  34  may be mounted on a curved surface such as a corner of a housing, a rounded edge of a housing, a curved sidewall, a curved front wall, a curved rear wall of housing  12 , a curved top wall, etc. Configurations in which housing  12  has a cylindrical surface on which components  34  are mounted in an array (e.g., configurations of the type shown in  FIG. 5  in which components  34  are mounted in an array on some or all of curved cylindrical outer surface  12 - 2  of housing  12 ) are sometimes described herein as an example. 
     The electrical components that are mounted to housing  12  such as components  34  of  FIG. 5  may be electrical components such as light-emitting diodes, lamps, displays, lasers, or other light-emitting components, may be vibrators, buzzers, speakers, tone-generators, microphones, or other acoustic components, may be sensors such as touch sensors, temperature sensors, accelerometers, compasses, gyroscopes, position sensors, proximity sensors, or may be other suitable electronic components. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , each component  34  may be mounted in a respective opening in housing wall  12 - 2  such as opening  36 . Component  34  may be mounted from the exterior of device  10  or from the interior of housing  12 . After component  34  has been placed within opening  36 , fasteners or other suitable attachment mechanisms (e.g., clips, adhesive, springs, other engagement features, etc.) may be used in securing component  34  to housing wall  12 - 2 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , component  34  may be mounted so that some or all of exterior component surface  40  is flush (or nearly flush) with outer surface  38  of housing wall  12 - 2 . In configurations in which housing wall  12 - 2  is curved (e.g., when wall  12 - 2  forms part of a cylinder), external component surface  38  may have a matching curved surface (e.g., some or all of the curvature of surface  40  of component  34  may match (or nearly match) the curvature of housing wall surface  38 . 
     Electrical components  34  may be coupled to control circuitry using signal paths such as signal path  42  of  FIG. 7 . Signal path  42  may include one or more conductive lines on printed circuits or other substrates, wires, optical fibers, light-pipes, cables, plastic carriers with metal traces or other electrical signal lines, or other signal paths. The electrical and/or optical paths that are coupled to components  34  may be used to carry power signals, digital and/or analog signals (e.g., control signals, image data, audio signals, sensor information, etc.), or other signals. 
     Connectors such as connector  44  of  FIG. 7  may be used to facilitate attachment of the electrical components to signal path  42 . For example, components  34  may each have a respective connector such as connector  44  of  FIG. 7  that mates with a corresponding connector on an optical and/or electrical cable or other signal path  42 . Connector  44  may be a zero insertion force cable or other printed circuit connector, may be a coaxial connector or other rotationally symmetric connector for audio and/or radio-frequency signals, may be a power connector, may be a Universal Serial Bus connector or other digital data connector, may be an Ethernet connector, may be an audio connector, may be an optical connector, may be a male connector, may be a female connector, may be a locking connector, may be an reversible (orientation independent) connector with two or more operating positions, or may be any other suitable connector. If desired, connector  44  may have mating contacts that can be coupled and decoupled without using a fixed connection such as a solder or conductive adhesive connection Alternatively, connections between component  34  and a signal path may be made by using solder or conductive adhesive to join mating contacts (e.g., contacts on components  34  and mating contacts on a cable, printed circuit substrate, or other carrier with metal traces or other electrical signal lines). 
     Components such as component  34  of  FIG. 7  may contain subcomponents such as subcomponents  46  and  48 . Subcomponent  46  may be located near the front face of component  34  and may be a lens or lens system (e.g., when component  34  is an optical component), may be a diaphragm or speaker grill (e.g., when component  34  is a speaker), may be a microphone diaphragm, may be an optically or acoustically transparent window structure, may be a dielectric member (e.g., to form a window that allows electromagnetic signals for a sensor to pass through the window), may be a thermally conductive member that allows heat to pass into component  34 , or may be other suitable front-of-component subcomponent. Subcomponent  48  may be a light source such as a light-emitting diode, laser, or lamp, may be a light detector such as an image sensor or photodetector, may be a speaker driver (e.g., a driver that drives a diaphragm), may be a temperature sensor such as a solid state temperature sensor or a thermocouple, may be a motion sensor, capacitive sensor, or other type of sensor, or may be other suitable electrical subcomponent for supporting the operation of component  34 . 
     If desired, components  34  may be mounted in a continuous (or nearly continuous) array of rows and columns on the outer curved surface of cylindrical housing wall  12 - 2 , as shown in the illustrative cross-sectional side view of device  10  in  FIG. 8 . Components  34  may also be mounted on internal housing structures and/or walls such as upper wall  12 - 1 . An optional covering such as covering  50  may be used to cover components  34 . Covering  50  may be acoustically transparent (e.g., covering  50  may be a plastic mesh and/or metal mesh or other cover with openings to allow sound to pass), may be optically transparent (e.g., by using a transparent or semi-transparent material or pattern of material such as frosted glass, plastic with a thin semitransparent coating or patterned coating layer), may be sufficiently thermal conductive to allow temperature measurements to be made through covering  50  (e.g., a thin metal cover), or may be any other suitable covering structure for improving device aesthetics, enhancing component protection, etc. 
     There may be any suitable number of components  34  in the array of components on wall  12 - 2  (e.g., one or more, two or more, five or more, 10 or more, 20 or more, 50 or more 2-200, 5-150, 20-100, less than 100, less than 50, less than 300, less than 20, 20-70, 20-100, or other suitable number). The distance between adjacent components  34  may be less than 10 mm, 2-5 mm, less than 20 mm, more than 3 mm, between 1-15 mm, less than 5 mm, etc. 
     Components  34  may have any suitable shapes such as box shapes, frustoconical shapes (e.g., frustoconical shapes with planar and/or curved ends), pyramidal shapes, shapes with front surfaces that are wider than their opposing rear surfaces, shapes with curved edges and/or straight edges, shapes with curved front surfaces, etc.), cone shapes, step-wise varying cone shapes, spherical shapes, disk shapes, shapes with combinations of curved and straight edges and planar and/or curved sidewalls, etc.).  FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 12  are front views of illustrative shapes that may be used for components  34 . In the example of  FIG. 9 , component  34  has a circular outline when viewed from the front (i.e., when viewed from the exterior of device  10  when component  34  has been mounted in housing sidewall  12 - 2 ). In the example of  FIG. 10 , component  34  has an oval outline when viewed from the front.  FIG. 11  shows how component  34  may have a rectangular outline when viewed from the front. In the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 12 , component  34  has a hexagonal shape when viewed from the front. Other shapes may be used for component  34  if desired. The examples of  FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 12  are merely illustrative. 
     Cross-sectional side views of components  34  of different illustrative shapes are shown in  FIGS. 13, 14, 15, and 16 . As shown in  FIG. 13 , component  34  may have a front face such as front face  34 - 1 , an opposing rear face such as rear face  34 - 2 , and side surfaces such as surfaces  34 - 3 . Some or all of front face  34 - 1  may lie flush with outer surface  38  of housing  12 - 2  (i.e., front face  34 - 1  of component  34  may form exterior surface  40  of  FIG. 7 ). In the example of  FIG. 13 , front face  34 - 1  has larger lateral dimensions (in vertical dimension Z and horizontal dimension X) than rear face  34 - 2 . Side surfaces  34 - 3  form a tapering shape so that component  34  is wider at the front than at the rear. Side surfaces  34 - 3  are straight in the cross-sectional side view of  FIG. 13 . In the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 14 , side surfaces  34 - 3  have smoothly tapering curved profiles.  FIG. 15  shows how side surfaces  34 - 3  may progressively narrow component  34  in a step-wise fashion. In the example of  FIG. 16 , side surfaces  34 - 3  have portions in which component  34  does not taper and portions in which component  34  tapers. Connector  44  may be mounted on rear surface  34 - 2  of component  34  or elsewhere in component  34 . If desired, other side profiles may be used for component  34  (e.g., tapered and/or non-tapered profiles). The configurations of  FIGS. 13, 14, 15, and 16  are shown as examples. 
     It may be desirable to provide front face  34 - 1  of component  34  with a surface shape that matches the surface shape of housing wall  12 - 2 . For example, if housing wall  12 - 2  has a cylindrical shape with a curved (circular) outer surface, component  34  may have a matching curved outer surface.  FIG. 17  is a top view of an illustrative configuration in which component  34  has a front surface (surface  34 - 1 ) that is planar. As a result, surface  34 - 1  does not match the curvature of the curved outer surface of cylindrical housing wall  12 - 2 .  FIG. 18  shows how component  34  may be provided with a curved outer surface (surface  34 - 1 ) that matches the curved outer surface of cylindrical housing wall  12 - 2 . If desired, peripheral edges of surface  34 - 1  or other portion of surface  34 - 1  may match the curved surface of cylindrical housing wall  12 - 2  and other portions (e.g., central portion  34 - 1 ′) may have other surface shapes (e.g., protruding and/or recessed shapes, planar shapes, dome-shaped configurations, etc.). 
       FIG. 19  is an exploded view of device  10  in an illustrative configuration in which an inner support structure such as support structure  70  is used to support one or more components  34  within housing  12 . As shown in  FIG. 19 , components  34  may, if desired, by formed in an array on the surface of support structure  70  in a pattern that matches an array of openings  36  in housing wall  12 - 2  of housing  12 . Support structure  70  may have a shape that allows support structure  70  and components  34  to be mounted within the interior of housing  12 . If, for example, housing  12  has a cylindrical shape or other shape with curved walls  12 - 2 , support structure  70  may have a corresponding cylindrical shape or other shape with matching curved walls. Configurations in which housing  12  and/or support structure  70  have box shapes or other shapes with planar walls may also be used. 
     The dimensions of support structure  70  may be smaller than the interior dimensions of housing  12  to allow support structure  70  and components  34  to be installed within housing  12 . For example, in configurations in which housing  12  is cylindrical in shape, the inner diameter of housing  12  may be larger than the outer diameter of structure  70  and components  34  to ensure that structure  70  and components  34  can be inserted into the interior of housing  12  in direction  64  (e.g., along the longitudinal axis of elongated structures such as housing  12  and support structures  70  of  FIG. 19 ). 
     If desired, structure  70  may have a hollow interior. One or more inner wall structures such as wall  72  may be used as baffles to separate the interior of structure  70  into separate cavities or inner wall structures such as wall  72  may be omitted. Components such as components  60  and  66  may be mounted to the upper and lower ends of structure  70  and housing  12 . Components  60  and  66  may be light-based components such as lamps, light-emitting diodes, or displays, may be input-output components such as buttons or touch sensors, may be input-output ports, may be speakers, microphones, or other audio components, may be printed circuit boards containing integrated circuits and other circuitry, or may be other electrical components. As shown in  FIG. 19 , component  60  may be installed in the upper end of device  10  (e.g., component  60  may be mounted within an open upper end in a cylindrical inner structure such as structure  70  using a sealed or unsealed mounting arrangement). Component  66  may be installed in the lower end of device  10  (e.g., component  66  may be mounted within an open lower end in a cylindrical inner structure such as structure  70  using a sealed or unsealed mounting arrangement). 
     Components  34  may be mounted in openings  36  using threaded mounting arrangements, using press-fit attachment techniques, using adhesive, screws and nuts, or other mechanical fastening techniques, using component deployment structures that press components  34  radially outward into openings  36 , or using other suitable component mounting structures. Once installed, control circuitry in device  10  can gather signals from components  34  and/or may provide signals to components  34 . The control circuitry may include integrated circuits, memory, microprocessors, microcontrollers, application-specific integrated circuits (e.g., audio circuits and/or video circuits, sensor processing circuits, display driver circuits, etc.), audio drivers, or other suitable control circuitry. In some arrangements, the control circuitry may both supply output signals to components  34  and receive input signals from components  34 . In other arrangements, the control circuitry may only supply output signals to components  34  or may only supply input signals to components  34 . 
     In some applications, such as applications in which each of the components  34  in an array of components in device  10  is to be operated independently, it may be desirable to route signals to and/or from each component  34  separately. In this way, data may be gathered independently from each sensor in an array of sensor-based components, light output can be adjusted independently for each light-emitting diode or other light source in an array of light-based components, or audio data can be output (or received) by independently controlling audio components (e.g., independently controlled speakers in an array of speakers, independently controlled microphones in an array of microphones, etc.). 
     Signal paths between the control circuitry of device  10  and each component  34  may be provided using metal traces on a dielectric substrate or other support structure, using stamped metal foil with a desired pattern of metal lines, using wires, using portions of a device housing, using machined metal parts (e.g., brackets), using screws, using springs and other metal structures, or using other conductive signal path structures. Metal traces can be formed by depositing a blanket layer of metal (e.g., aluminum, copper, etc.) followed by photolithographic patterning or other patterning techniques, can be formed by evaporating or sputtering metal through a shadow mask, may be formed by ink jet printing of metallic paint (ink), may be formed by screen printing of metal paint (e.g., silver paint to form silver lines), or may be formed using other deposition and/or patterning techniques. 
     Examples of dielectric substrates include printed circuits (e.g., rigid printed circuit boards formed from fiberglass-filled epoxy or other rigid printed circuit board material, flexible printed circuits formed from flexible polyimide sheets, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheets, or other layers of flexible polymer), molded or machined pieces of plastic that serve as dielectric carriers, glass, ceramic, sapphire, or other dielectric materials. Configurations in which electrical components  34  are interconnected using signal paths such as metal traces in printed circuits are sometimes described herein as an example. 
     Electrical components  34  may be mounted to a rigid support structure. For example, electrical components  34  may be mounted in openings  36  in housing wall  12 - 2  of housing  12  or to structures that are rigidly attached to housing  12 . A component interconnect substrate such as printed circuit  80  of  FIG. 20  may then be used to provide signal paths through which signals for electrical components  34  and other components may be conveyed. Printed circuit  80  may be a rigid printed circuit board or a flexible printed circuit. Printed circuit  80  may have an elongated strip shape (e.g., the shape of an elongated rectangle) or may have other suitable shapes. Elongated shapes may allow printed circuit  80  to form connections to one or more, two or more, or 10 or more components  34  in a single row or column. If desired, printed circuit  80  may also be used to form connections for a two-dimensional array of components  34  (e.g., an array in which multiple components  34  extend in different directions to form both rows and columns). 
     As shown in  FIG. 20 , printed circuit  80  may include metal traces  86 . Metal traces  86  can be formed in a single layer (e.g., the outer surface) of printed circuit substrate  82  (e.g., to minimize cost and complexity) or may be configured to form multiple layers of signal lines interconnected by vias (e.g., lines in a multilayer printed circuit). 
     Metal traces  86  may be patterned to from contacts  84  (sometimes referred to as contact pads or printed circuit contacts). Dielectric substrate  82  may be a flexible layer of polymer such as a polyimide layer or a layer of rigid printed circuit board material (as examples). Connectors such as connectors  144  may be mounted to printed circuit  80  and may be coupled to respective electrical component connectors  44  on electrical components  34 . Connectors  144  may have contacts (contact pads) such as contacts  146 . Solder  148  may be used to form solder joints between contacts  146  of connectors  144  and mating contacts  84  on printed circuit  80 . There may be any suitable number of contacts  146  for each connector  144  (e.g., each connector  144  may have a pair of contacts  146 , may have three or more contacts  146 , or may have any other suitable numbers of contacts  146 ). 
     If desired, electrical components such as components  164  (e.g., integrated circuits) may be mounted to printed circuit  80 . Components  164  may have contacts  166  that are soldered to mating contacts  84  on printed circuit  80  using solder  148 . Components  164  may be signal drivers for light-based components such as display driver integrated circuits, drivers for light-emitting diodes, or control circuits for other light-based components, may be audio circuits such as audio circuits that receive and process signals from microphones or audio integrated circuits (e.g., speaker driver integrated circuits or other audio circuits) for amplifying audio signals or otherwise processing signals on paths  76  before providing these amplified signals to components  34 , may be sensor signal processing circuits (e.g., touch sensor integrated circuits, proximity sensor integrated circuits, etc.), may be discrete components (e.g., one or more inductors, capacitors, or resistors), or may be other electrical components. There may be one component  164  (or one set of multiple components  164 ) between each respective pair of adjacent connectors  144  or other patterns of components  164  and connectors  144  may be soldered to printed circuit  80 . The configuration of  FIG. 20  is merely illustrative. 
     Using the signal paths formed from metal traces  86 , printed circuit  80  may be used to convey signals between electrical components  34  and electrical components  164 . The signal paths of printed circuit  80  may also be interconnected with other circuitry in device  10  using signal path structures such as printed circuit  158 . As shown in  FIG. 20 , a connector such as printed circuit connector  150  may be mounted on printed circuit  80 . 
     Connector  150  may have contacts such as contact  152  that are soldered to respective contacts  84  on printed circuit  80  using solder  148 . Connector  150  may also have contacts such as contact  154  that are soldered with solder  148  to contacts on printed circuit  158  such as contact  156 . Printed circuit  158  may have a dielectric substrate such as substrate  162  (e.g., a flexible printed circuit substrate for a flexible printed circuit or a rigid printed circuit board substrate for a rigid printed circuit board). Metal traces  160  may be formed in substrate  162 . Metal traces  160  include portions that form contacts such as contact  156  that are soldered to contacts on connector  150  such as contact  154 . This couples the signal paths of printed circuit  158  to connector  150 . Connector  150  may be a printed circuit connector such as a board-to-board connector or other connector that couples metal traces  160  of printed circuit  158  to metal traces  86  in printed circuit  80 . Printed circuit  158  may couple printed circuit  80  to circuitry on a printed circuit (e.g., a main logic board) or other circuitry in device  10 . For example, printed circuit  158  may couple components  164  and  34  to analog and/or digital circuitry on one or more printed circuits mounted in housing  12 . 
     The support structure to which components  34  are mounted (i.e., housing wall  12 - 2  in the example of  FIG. 20 ) may be rigid. Because housing wall  12 - 2  is rigid, the positions of components  34  (and therefore connectors  44  of components  34 ) are fixed and are unable to shift laterally with respect to each other along lateral dimensions such as lateral dimension  172 . To help ensure that connectors  144  on printed circuit  80  can mate successfully with connectors  44 , device  10  may be provided with lateral shift accommodation structures. These structures may accommodate slight shifts in position of connectors  144  relative to connectors  44  during assembly, so that printed circuit  80  may be mated with the array of components  34  mounted to housing wall  12 - 2 . 
     With one suitable arrangement, lateral shift accommodation structures such as structures  170  are interposed between the portions of components  34  mounted to rigid housing wall  12 - 2  and electrical component connectors  44 . Structures  170  may be formed as integral portions of components  34  or as separate structures that are attached to other structures in components  34  using screws, adhesive, or other attachment mechanisms. Structures  170  may be sufficiently flexible to accommodate shifts in position along dimensions such as dimension  172  during manufacturing when connectors  144  on printed circuit  80  are being connected to mating connectors  44 . If, for example, one of components  34  is located slightly out of its expected position due to a manufacturing variation related to the position of the opening  36  in which that component  34  is mounted, structure  170  can allow connector  44  to shift in position slightly (i.e., back to the original expected position). Manufacturing variations that affect the locations at which connectors  144  are soldered to printed circuit  80  can likewise be accommodated using lateral shift accommodation structures  170 . 
     With another suitable arrangement, lateral shifts may be accommodated using lateral shift accommodation structures formed in printed circuit  80 . As an example, regions of printed circuit  80  that surround each connector  144  such as regions  168  of  FIG. 20  may be provided with elongated slots or other openings that pass through printed circuit substrate  82 . These openings create locally enhanced regions of flexibility in printed circuit  80  and allow the portions of printed circuit  80  to which connectors  144  are mounted to shift laterally with respect to rigidly mounted components  34  and associated connectors  44 . The regions of printed circuit  80  that contain the openings may sometimes be referred to as lateral shift accommodation structures because they accommodate lateral shifts in the relative positions of connectors  144  and connectors  44  during assembly operations. 
     If desired, lateral shifts in the relative positions between connectors  44  and connectors  144  may be accommodated using both lateral shift accommodation structures  170  and lateral shift accommodation structures  168  or using other types of lateral shift accommodation structures. Because lateral shift accommodation structures allow variations in the relative positions of connectors  144  and  44  to be accommodated, these structure may sometimes be referred to as relative position shift accommodation structures, lateral movement accommodation structures, or lateral misalignment accommodation structures. 
       FIG. 21  is a top view of a portion of printed circuit  80  in which connector  144  has been surrounded by curved slots forming lateral shift accommodation structures  168 . As shown in  FIG. 21 , connector  144  may have terminals such as inner terminal  200  and outer terminal  202 . Terminals  200  and  202  may be rotationally symmetric so that connector  144  can accommodate rotational misalignment with respect to connector  44  on electrical component  34 . Other types of connector may be used in implementing connector  144  if desired (e.g., rectangular connectors and other connector that do not accommodate rotational misalignment between connectors  144  and  44 ). 
     As shown in  FIG. 21 , structure  168  may be formed from openings  204  that surround connector  144 . Sufficient material such as material  206  remains in the spaces between openings  204  to support connector  144 . Material  206  forms flexible structures that can flex during assembly operations. Sufficient material has been removed from printed circuit  80  to ensure that connector  144  can shift in lateral dimensions  172  and  173  to accommodate mating of connectors  144  to corresponding connectors  44  on components  34 . As shown in  FIG. 21 , printed circuit  80  may be elongated along a longitudinal axis  210 . When assembled into device  10 , axis  210  may wrap horizontally around housing  12  (e.g., around the inner surface of housing  12  of  FIG. 19 ), may extend vertically (in dimension Z) along the inner surface of wall  12 - 2 , or may be mounted in other orientations (e.g., diagonally, etc.). One or more printed circuits such as printed circuit  158  may be coupled to printed circuit  80  using connectors such as connector  150 . Components such as component  164  may be mounted along the length of printed circuit  80 . For example, components  164  may be mounted to printed circuit  80  at locations between respective adjacent connectors  144 . 
     Structures  168  and openings  204  may lie within an annular area or other region that surrounds connector  144 , may have configurations in which openings  204  are interposed between connector  144  and components  164  (e.g., configurations in which structures  168  do not completely surround connectors  144 ), and may have other suitable shapes. In the illustrative configuration shown in the top view of printed circuit  80  of  FIG. 22 , lateral shift accommodation structures  168  have been formed from elongated slot-shaped openings  204  that run horizontally and vertically. Other layouts for openings  204  may be used in forming flexible structures such as lateral shift accommodation structures  168 , if desired. The illustrative arrangements of  FIGS. 21 and 22  are merely illustrative. 
       FIG. 23  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electrical component  34  to which a lateral shift accommodation structure such as structure  170  of  FIG. 20  has been mounted. Structure  170  of  FIG. 23  has been attached to electrical component  34  using screws  220 . Screws  220  may have threaded shafts that are received within mating threaded openings in component  34 , nuts may be used with screws  220  to secure structure  170  to component  34 , or adhesive, welds, or other fastening arrangements may be used to secure structure  170  to component  34 . 
     Electrical component  34  may have terminals such as terminals  224  (e.g., one or more terminals, two or more terminals, ten or more terminals, etc.). Terminals  224  on electrical component  34  may be coupled to mating terminals  226  on connector  44  using signal paths  222 . Signal paths  222  may be formed from wires that are soldered to terminals  224  and terminals  222  or may be formed from other suitable conductive structures for electrically coupling connectors  44  to electrical components  34 . 
     A top view of an illustrative configuration that may be used for lateral shift accommodation structure  170  is shown in  FIG. 24 . In the example of  FIG. 24 , structure  170  has openings  240  that separate respective structures such as curved members  242  from each other and provide structure  170  with sufficient flexibility to move laterally when need to accommodate attachment of connector  44  to connector  144  on printed circuit  80 . Support structures  242  may be formed from plastic, metal, or other material that is flexible enough to allow connector  44  to shift position laterally during assembly of device  10 . During lateral movement of connector  44 , wires  222  may bend without becoming detached from terminals  224  and  226 . 
     Connector  44  may have a shape that allows connector  44  to mate with connector  144  on printed circuit  80 . For example, if connector  44  has a square shape with a pair of terminals, connector  144  may have a mating shape with a corresponding pair of terminals. In the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 24 , connector  44  has a circular shape with inner and outer terminals such as inner terminal  244  and outer terminal  246 . Circular connectors such as circular connector  44  of  FIG. 24  may mate with corresponding circular connectors  144  (see, e.g., connector  144  of  FIG. 21 ). Because circular connectors such as these are rotationally symmetric, connectors  44  and  144  can make satisfactory electrical connections regardless of the rotational orientation of connector  44  to connector  144 . 
     Consider, as an example, the arrangement shown in  FIG. 25 . In the example of  FIG. 25 , three components  34 R 1 ,  34 R 2 , and  34 R 3  have been mounted in respective openings in housing wall  12 - 2 . Components  34 R 1 ,  34 R 2 , and  34 R 3  have circular outlines and have become rotationally misaligned with respect to each other as part of the process of being mounted to housing wall  12 - 2  (i.e., each of these components is rotated about its connector  44  by a different amount). Lateral shift accommodation structures  170 - 1 ,  170 - 2 , and  170 - 3  have been attached to components  34 R 1 ,  34 R 2 , and  34 R 3 , respectively (e.g., using screws  220 ). Due to the different rotational positions of components  34 R 1 ,  34 R 2 , and  34 R 3  of  FIG. 25 , the rotational positions of structures  170 - 1 ,  170 - 2 , and  170 - 3  are each different. Nevertheless, because of the rotational symmetry of connectors  44  and  144 , each electrical component connector  44  may be satisfactorily connected to a corresponding connector  144  on printed circuit  80 . 
     In the example of  FIGS. 26 and 27 , structure  170  has a triangular outline and is secured using three screws  220 . Other configurations may be used for structure  170  if desired.  FIG. 26  shows how structure  170  may have three radially extending arms  242 - 1 ,  242 - 2 , and  242 - 3  with meandering shapes (e.g., zig-zag shapes). In the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 27 , structure  170  is secured to electrical component  34  (i.e., a rectangular component) using four screws  220  and has support members  242  that run horizontally and vertically. Other arrangements may be used for forming structure  170  if desired. The illustrative configurations of  FIGS. 24, 26, and 27  are merely illustrative. 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20150522
Publication Date: 20161115
Grant Date: 20161115
Priority Date: 20140930
Inventors: BAKER JOHN J.
BOOZER BRAD G.
STANLEY CRAIG M.
WANG ERIK L.
BOSSCHER NATHAN P.
HOBSON PHILLIP MICHAEL
ZADESKY STEPHEN P.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01R13/6683", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/717", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R35/02", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R25/006", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/50", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R27/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/665", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/91", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R35/02", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R27/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6683", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R12/91", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/665", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R25/006", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/717", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/50", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 57234852