PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9143668-B2
Application Number: US-91647510-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Camera lens structures and display structures for electronic devices

Abstract:
A camera may be mounted under a display in an electronic device. The display may include a polarizer layer, a color filter layer, and a thin-film-transistor layer. A layer of material such as a glass insert may be attached to an edge of the display. Openings may be formed in the layers of the display and the insert to accommodate the camera. A sleeve structure may be mounted within an opening. The camera may include lens structures formed from a stack of lens elements. One or more layers of the display may be interposed within the lens structures. The glass insert may be mounted within a notch in the color filter layer and thin-film transistor layer or along a straight edge of the color filter layer and thin-film transistor layer. The edge of the color filter layer may be recessed with respect to form a mounting shelf for the insert.

Claims:
What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An electronic device, comprising:
 a display having a color filter layer and a thin-film-transistor layer, wherein the color filter layer and the thin-film-transistor layer each have an opening; 
 an insert layer mounted over the opening, wherein the insert layer comprises a layer of glass having a camera window, and wherein the camera window comprises an opening in the insert layer; and a camera having lens structures that are aligned with the camera window, wherein the color filter layer and the thin-film-transistor layer have respective edges, wherein the edge of the color filter layer is recessed with respect to the edge of the thin-film-transistor layer to form a ledge on which the insert layer is mounted wherein the display further comprises a polarizer layer mounted to the color filter layer that overlaps the lens structures and an opaque masking layer mounted on the polarizer layer, and wherein the opaque masking layer has an opaque masking layer opening that is aligned with the camera lens structures. 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device defined in  claim 1 , wherein the polarizer layer has a depolarized window region that is aligned with the opaque masking layer opening and the lens structures. 
     
     
       3. An electronic device, comprising:
 a display that includes a polarizer with an opening, a thin-film-transistor layer and a color filter layer; a sleeve that passes through the opening; a camera having lens structures that are at least partly contained within the sleeve; 
 a layer of glass that is attached to the display, wherein the layer of glass has an opening through which the lens structures and the sleeve pass; wherein the color filter layer and the thin-film-transistor layer have respective edges and wherein the edge of the color filter layer is recessed with respect to the edge of the thin-film-transistor layer to form a ledge on which the layer of glass is mounted, wherein the color filter layer and the thin-film-transistor layer have a notch along which the ledge runs, and wherein the layer of glass forms an insert that is mounted on the ledge. 
 
     
     
       4. The electronic device defined in  claim 3 , wherein the layer of glass has an elongated strip shape, and wherein the ledge is straight.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates to electronic devices and, more particularly, to camera structures such as camera lens structures and associated display structures for electronic devices. 
     Electronic devices such as portable computers and cellular telephones often have cameras. Cameras may be used to take still images and may be used to support video features such as video calls. 
     In a cellular telephone with a camera, the camera may be mounted under a portion of a cover glass layer in the display of the cellular telephone. Black ink may be printed under the cover glass to hide the camera from view. An opening may be formed in the black ink to form a window for the camera. 
     In a portable computer, a camera may be mounted along the upper edge of the display. In a typical arrangement, the display may be mounted within the housing of the portable computer using a bezel. An opening may be provided in the bezel to form a window for the camera. 
     Camera mounting arrangements such as these may not be satisfactory in device configurations where space is at a premium. For example, it may not be acceptable to include a cover glass layer in a cellular telephone or it may not be desirable to include a bezel in a portable computer. Without the presence of conventional display structures such as these, it can be challenging to mount electronic components such as cameras within a device. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved camera and display structures for electronic devices. 
     SUMMARY 
     An electronic device may be provided with a display. The display may contain display layers such as polarizer layers, a color filter layer, and a thin-film transistor layer. Cover glass may optionally be omitted from the display. 
     A camera may be mounted under a camera window in the display. The camera window may be formed by forming one or more openings in the layers of the display. For example, openings may be formed in a polarizer layer, in a color filter layer, and in a thin-film transistor layer. 
     The camera may contain lens structures formed from multiple lens elements. Some of the lens structures may be formed above part of the display and some of the lens structures may be formed below part of the display. For example, a first part of the lens structures may be located above one or more display layers and a second part of the lens structures may be located below these display layers. The display layers that are interposed within the lens structures in this way may include the color filter layer, the thin-film transistor layer, and the polarizer layer. 
     A layer of material such as a glass insert layer may be attached to the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer. The glass insert may have an opening that serves as a window for the camera. The color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer may have edges that are aligned. In the vicinity of the glass insert, the edge of the color filter layer may be recessed relative to the edge of the thin-film transistor layer to form a ledge upon which the glass insert may be mounted using adhesive. 
     A sleeve structure may be mounted within the openings in the display layer and the glass insert. A clear layer of material may be inserted within the sleeve structure to serve as a window. The lens structures may include lens elements that are mounted within the sleeve. 
     An opaque masking layer may be mounted on the lower surface of a polarizer layer or other display layer. An opaque masking layer opening within the opaque masking layer may be aligned with the lens structures within the camera and intervening layers of the 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. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an illustrative portable computer with display structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a handheld device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional side view of an electronic device having a display in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional side view of illustrative display structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side view of a polarizer for an electronic device display in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of a conventional liquid crystal display (LCD) module and camera in a portable computer. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a conventional camera of the type shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative camera with lens structures that may be used in an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of a display showing how a camera may be mounted below layers of the display such as a polarizer layer, color filter layer, and thin-film-transistor layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of a display showing how a camera may be mounted below layers of the display such as a polarizer layer and color filter layer while a lens in the camera passes through an opening in a thin-film-transistor layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of a display showing how a camera lens may be mounted below a polarizer layer in a display while passing through openings in a color filter layer and thin-film-transistor layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of a display showing how a camera lens may pass through openings in a polarizer layer, color filter layer, and thin-film-transistor layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a portion of a display having a notch to accommodate a camera in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional side view of portions of a display in an electronic device showing how a window opening that is lined with a sleeve may be formed through a polarizer layer and color filter layer to accommodate a camera that is mounted under a thin-film-transistor layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a camera window sleeve of the type that may be used in a camera mounting arrangement of the type shown in  FIG. 14  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional side view of a camera mounted in an electronic device so that part of the lens structures of the camera are mounted above a color filter layer and part of the lens structures of the camera are mounted below the color filter layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional side view of a camera mounted in an electronic device so that part of the lens structures of the camera are mounted above a color filter layer and an associated thin-film-transistor layer and part of the lens structures of the camera are mounted below the color filter layer and the thin-film-transistor layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional side view of a camera mounted in an electronic device so that part of the lens structures of the camera are mounted above a thin-film-transistor layer and part of the lens structures of the camera are mounted below the thin-film-transistor layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view of a display showing how interconnect lines that route signals between a printed circuit board and a camera may be routed along peripheral regions of a display such as peripheral regions on the edge of a thin-film-transistor layer of the type shown in  FIG. 18  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is an exploded perspective view of an edge of part of a display showing how a planar insert with a camera opening may be mounted to display layers such as a color filter layer and a thin-film-transistor layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 21  is a cross-sectional side view of display structures in an electronic device showing how the lens of a camera may be mounted through an opening such as the opening in the planar insert of  FIG. 20  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 22  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative display mounting arrangement in which an opening has been formed through a polarizer layer and a planar insert to accommodate the lens of a camera in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 23  is an exploded perspective view of an edge portion of a display showing how an elongated rectangular planar insert with a camera opening may be mounted to display layers such as a color filter layer and a thin-film-transistor layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 24  is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of a display in which a planar insert with a camera window has been mounted in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 25  is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of a display showing how a camera window may be formed in a color filter layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 26  is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of a display showing how a camera window may be formed through a color filter layer and a thin-film transistor layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 27  is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of an electronic device showing how a camera may be mounted so that a lens portion of the camera protrudes through an opening in a planar insert that is attached to a color filter layer and thin-film-transistor layer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Electronic devices such as notebook computers, tablet computers, cellular telephones, and other computing equipment may be provided with displays. Cameras and other electronic components may be mounted within the electronic devices in the vicinity of the displays. Mounting arrangements may be used in which a portion of the lens in the camera is mounted above one or more layers of the display and a portion of the lens in the camera is mounted below one or more layers of the display. In some configurations, the camera lens may protrude through one or more layers of the display and associated insert layers. 
     An illustrative electronic device such as a portable computer or other electronic equipment that has a display is shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , display  14  of device  10  may be mounted in upper housing portion  12 A of housing  12 . Housing  12  may be formed from a unibody construction in which some or all of housing  12  is formed form a unitary piece of material (e.g., metal, plastic, or fiber composite materials) or may be formed from multiple structures that have been mounted together using adhesive, fasteners, and other attachment mechanisms. For example, housing  12  may be formed from frame members and other internal supports to which external plates, housing sidewalls, bezel structures, and other structures are mounted. 
     Because housing portion  12 A may be used to house display  14 , housing portion  12 A may sometimes be referred to as a display housing. Display housing  12 A may be attached to housing portion  12 B (sometimes referred to as a main unit or base housing) using hinge structures  18 , so that display housing  12 A may rotate relative to main housing  12 B around hinge axis  16 . Device  10  may include ports for removable media, data ports, keys such as keyboard  20 , input devices such as track pad  24 , microphones, speakers, sensors, status indicators lights, etc. 
     Display  14  may have an active portion and an inactive portion. Active portion  28 A of display  14  may have a shape such as the rectangular shape that is bounded by dashed line  28 D in  FIG. 1 . Inactive portion  28 I of display  14  may have a rectangular ring shape or other suitable shape and may form a border around the periphery of display  14 . Image pixel array elements such as liquid crystal diode image pixels or other active image pixel structures may be used in portion  28 A to present images to a user of device  10 . Inactive portion  28 I is generally devoid of image pixel elements and does not participate in forming images for a user. To hide unsightly internal components from view, internal components in inactive portion  28 I may be blocked from view using an opaque masking layer such as a layer of ink. 
     Device  10  may have components that are formed in inactive device region  28 I. For example, device  10  may have a camera such as camera  22 . Camera  22  may be mounted within display housing  12 A and may operate through a window (sometimes referred to as a camera window) in display  14 . 
     Additional structures such as logo structures  26  may also be mounted in upper housing  12 A. For example, logo  26  may be formed in inactive display region  28 I of upper housing  12 A under a transparent window in display  14 . 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an illustrative configuration that may be used for a handheld electronic device. Electronic device  10  of  FIG. 2  may be, for example, a cellular telephone or other handheld electronic equipment. Device  10  of  FIG. 1  may have housing  12 . Display  14  may be mounted within housing  12  on the front of device  10 . Active portion  28 A of display  14  may lie within rectangular boundary  28 D. Inactive portion  28 I of display  14  may form a boundary around the periphery of display  14 . Housing  12  may have sidewalls that run around the periphery of device  10  (as an example). The sidewall structures of housing  12  may be formed from metal, plastic, glass, ceramic, carbon-fiber materials or other fiber-based composites, other materials, or combinations of these materials. The rear of housing  12  may be formed from metal, plastic, a planar member such as a glass or ceramic plate, fiber-based composites, other materials, or combinations of these materials. 
     Device  10  may have openings such as openings  34  in the sidewalls of housing  12 . Openings  34  may be used to form microphone and speaker ports, openings to accommodate button members, openings for data ports and audio jacks, etc. One or more openings may be formed in inactive region  28 I of display  14 . For example, one or more openings may be formed in inactive region  28 I for buttons such as button  32  (e.g., a menu button). Openings such as opening  30  may also be formed in inactive region  28 I (e.g., to form a speaker port for an ear speaker). 
     Camera  22  may be covered by a window structure. If desired, windows may also be formed over information such as logo information (see, e.g., information structures  26  of  FIG. 1 ) to allow the logo or other information to be viewed by a user of device  10 . 
     The illustrative electronic device structures of  FIGS. 1 and 2  are merely examples. Any suitable electronic devices  10  may be provided with displays  14 . Electronic devices  10  may, for example, include tablet computers, wristwatch devices, pendant devices, other miniature and wearable devices, televisions, computer displays, accessories, etc. 
     A cross-sectional end view of an electronic device with a display (e.g., a device such as device  10  of  FIG. 2 , a portion of device  10  of  FIG. 1 , etc.) is shown in  FIG. 3 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , display  14  may be mounted within housing  12  so that the exterior surface of display  14  is exposed. Device housing  12  may be used to enclose printed circuit boards such as printed circuit board  36 . Printed circuit board  36  may be a rigid printed circuit board such as a fiberglass-filled epoxy printed circuit board (e.g., FR4), a flexible printed circuit (“flex circuit”) formed from a flexible dielectric such as a sheet of polyimide with patterned conductive traces, a rigid flex substrate, or other substrate. 
     Electrical components such as components  37  may be mounted to boards such as board  36 . Electrical components  37  may include switches, resistors, inductors, capacitors, integrated circuits, connectors, cameras, sensors, speakers, or other device components. These components may be soldered or otherwise connected to board  36 . 
     Display  14  may be a touch screen display. Touch screen displays such as display  14  of  FIG. 3  may include an array of capacitive electrodes (e.g., transparent electrodes such as indium tin oxide electrodes), or may include a touch sensor array based on other touch technologies (e.g., resistive touch sensor structures, acoustic touch sensor structures, piezoelectric sensors and other force sensor structures, etc.) The touch structures for display  14  may be implemented on a dedicated touch sensor substrate such as a layer of glass or may be formed on the same layer of glass that is being used for other display functions. For example, touch sensor electrodes may be formed on a color filter array layer, a thin-film transistor layer, or other layers in a liquid crystal display (LCD). 
     Display  14  may, in general, be formed from any suitable type of display structures. Examples of display structures that may be used for display  14  include liquid crystal display (LCD) structures, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) structures, plasma cells, and electronic ink display structures. Arrangements in which display  14  is formed from liquid crystal display (LCD) structures are sometimes described herein as an example. This is merely illustrative. In general, display  14  may be formed using any suitable display technology. 
     A cross-sectional view of display  14  of  FIG. 2  is shown in  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , display  14  may include a backlight unit (BLU) such as backlight unit  38 . Light  44  for backlight unit  38  may be launched into light-guide panel  51  from light source  32 . Light source  32  may be formed from an array of light-emitting diodes (as an example). Reflector  49  (e.g., white polyester) may be used to reflect light  44  upwards (outwards) in direction  46  through display module  40 . Optical films  48  may include a diffuser layer and light collimating layers (as an example). 
     Display  14  and display module  40  may have an active region  28 A that produces image pixel light  43  from an array of image pixels. Image pixel light  43  forms an image in active region  28 A that may be viewed by a user of device  10 . The image may include text, graphics, or other image information. A portion of display  14  and display module  40  such as region  28 I may be inactive. Region  28 I may have a shape that surrounds the periphery of display  14  and display module  40  as shown in  FIG. 1  (as an example). Inactive region  28 I generally does not contain active image pixels and may include an opaque masking layer to block interior structures from view. Backlight unit  38  may have a footprint that is aligned with active region  28 A or may have edges that extend under some or all of inactive region  28 I (as shown in  FIG. 4 ). 
     Display module  40  may include a lower polarizer such as lower polarizer  50  and an upper polarizer such as polarizer  62 . A thin layer (e.g., 3-5 microns) of liquid crystal material  58  may be interposed between color filter layer  60  and thin-film transistor layer  52 . 
     Thin-film transistor layer  52  may be formed on a transparent planar substrate such as a layer of glass or plastic. The upper surface of thin-film-transistor layer  52  may contain pixel electrode structures and thin-film transistors (shown as circuitry  54  above dashed line  56 ). The circuitry on thin-film-transistor layer  52  may be organized into an array of image pixels that can be controlled to display images on display  14  for a user of device  10 . 
     Color filter layer  60  may include colored filter pixel elements (e.g., red, green, and blue filter elements) that provide display  14  with the ability to display color images. Color filter layer  60  may be formed using a transparent planar substrate such as a glass or plastic substrate. 
     If desired, other layers of material may be included within display module  40  and backlight unit  38 . For example, display module  40  and backlight unit  38  may include one or more layers of material for forming a touch sensor, layers of optical films such as birefringent compensating films, antireflection coatings, scratch prevention coatings, oleophobic coatings, layers of adhesive, etc. 
     Patterned opaque masking layers may be included in display module  40  to block internal structures from view by a user. An opaque masking layer may be formed from black ink, ink with other (non-black) colors (e.g., white, silver, gray, red, blue), an opaque polymer, a layer of metal, or other suitable opaque substances. Examples of locations in which an opaque masking layer may be formed in display module  40  include position P 1  on the top of polarizer  62 , position P 2  on the lower surface of polarizer  62 , position P 3  on the top surface of color filter layer  60 , and position P 4  on the lower surface of color filter layer  60 . Other masking layer locations and combinations of masking layer locations may be used if desired. 
     Polarizers such as upper (outer) polarizer  62  and lower (inner) polarizer  50  may be formed from multiple layers of material that are laminated together. An illustrative laminated polarizer is shown in the cross-sectional side view of  FIG. 5 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , polarizer  62  (i.e., an upper polarizer in this example) may have polarizer film  68 . Film  68  may be formed from a stretched polymer such as stretched polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and may therefore sometimes be referred to as a PVA layer. Iodine may be placed on to the stretched PVA film so that iodine molecules align with the stretched film and form the polarizer. Other polarizer films may be used if desired. Polarizer film  68  may be sandwiched between layers  66  and  70 . Layers  66  and  70  may be formed from a material such as tri-acetyl cellulose (TAC) and may sometimes be referred to as TAC films. The TAC films may help hold the PVA film in its stretched configuration and may protect the PVA film. Other films may be laminated to film  68  if desired. 
     Coating layer  72  may be formed from one or more films of material that provide polarizer  62  with desired surface properties. For example, layer  72  may be formed from materials that provide polarizer  62  with antiglare (light diffusing) properties, antireflection properties, scratch resistance, fingerprint resistance, and other desired properties. Layer  72  may be formed from one or more layers of material such as antireflection (AR) layers (e.g., films formed from a stack of alternating high-index-of-refraction and low-index-of-refraction layers), antiglare (AG) layers, antireflection-antiglare (AR/AG) layers, oleophobic layers, antiscratch coatings, or other coating layers. The functions of these layers need not be mutually exclusive. For example, an antiglare film in coating  72  may help provide polarizer  62  with scratch resistance. 
     Polarizer  62  may, if desired, be provided with a layer of adhesive such as adhesive  64  (e.g., optically clear adhesive) to help attach polarizer  62  to the upper surface of display module  40  (i.e., color filter  60  of  FIG. 4 ). The thickness of polarizer  62  may be about 50-200 microns (as an example). 
     It is often desirable to mount cameras within the interior of an electronic device. Conventionally, a camera may be mounted under a layer of cover glass in the inactive portion of a display. This type of arrangement is shown in  FIG. 6 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , conventional device structures  74  may include cover glass  76 . Cover glass  76  may be associated with a display that has active and inactive regions. For example, cover glass  76  of  FIG. 6  may be associated with inactive display region  98  and active display region  100 . 
     Black ink layer  78  is formed on the underside of cover glass  76  in inactive region  98  and blocks internal components such as camera  86  from view. Black ink layer  78  has opening  80  for camera  86 . During operation, light  82  from an image can pass through layer  76  and opening  80  into lens  84  of camera  86 . Display module  96  is mounted under active region  100 . Display module  96  includes color filter layer  92 , thin-film transistor layer  94 , upper polarizer  90 , and other LCD layers mounted within chassis structure  88 . Black ink  78  hides chassis structure  88  from view. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of conventional camera  86 . Camera  86  may gather image light  114  using lens  84 . Image light is focused by lens  84  onto solid state image sensor  110 . Image sensor  110  is mounted to printed circuit board  106 , which forms part of camera base  108 . Signals may be routed to and from base  108  using flexible printed circuit (“flex circuit”)  112 . Flex circuit  112  is connected to traces in printed circuit board  106 . These traces interconnect the conductive lines in flex circuit  112  to the image pixels in sensor  110 . Lens  84  is formed from a stack of lens elements  104  and is sometimes referred to as a lens train. In a conventional mounting arrangement of the type shown in  FIG. 6 , all lens elements  104  in lens train  84  are mounted in a stack that is located below ink opening  80  on the underside of cover glass layer  76 . 
     A camera of the type that may be used in electronic device  10  is shown in  FIG. 8 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , camera  22  may include a lens such as lens  126  (sometimes referred to as a lens train or lens structures). Lens structures  126  may be used to focus image light  116  onto image sensor  118 . Image sensor  118  may include an array of image sensor pixels. Image sensor  118  may be mounted to a substrate such as printed circuit board  120 . Printed circuit board  120  may include interconnects  121  that route signals between image sensor array  118  and cable  122 . Cable  122  may be formed from a flex circuit (e.g., a flexible printed circuit in which conductive traces are formed on one or more flexible substrate layers such as layers of polyimide or other polymer sheets). One end of cable  122  (i.e., the end of cable  122  that is shown in  FIG. 8 ) may be connected to printed circuit board  120  using a connector, using solder, using conductive adhesive, etc. An opposing end of cable  122  may be connected to traces on a printed circuit board such as a main logic board in device  10  (e.g., using a connector, using solder connections, using conductive adhesive connections, etc.). 
     Lens structures  126  may include one or more layers  127  of transparent material. These layers of material may serve as optical elements within the imaging path of lens  22  and are therefore sometimes referred to as lens elements. Examples of materials that may be used to form the layers (lens elements) in lens structures  126  include glass, plastic (e.g., plastic sheets and polymeric adhesives), ceramic, transparent conductive materials such as indium tin oxide, other clear materials, or combinations of these materials. 
     The layers of lens structures  126  may have concave surfaces, convex surfaces, flat surfaces, and surface shapes that form lens elements with combinations of these surfaces (e.g., lens elements with flat and convex surfaces, lens elements with convex and concave surfaces, lens elements with flat and concave surfaces, etc.). The index of refraction of each layer may potentially be different. If desired, layers of adjacent material may have matched indices of refraction. Lens structures  126  may also include stacks of high-index-of-refraction and low-index-of-refraction materials. Layers of material may, for example, have alternating high and low indices of refraction or other patterns. Using these patterns of material in the layers that make up lens structures  126 , lens structures  126  may be provided with desired optical properties. For example, the layers of lens structures  126  may be used implement an antireflection coating, a reflective coating, a bandpass filter, a cut-off filter such as an ultraviolet light cutoff filter or an infrared light cutoff filter, etc. The size and shape of the lens elements in lens structures  126  may be selected to implement a lens with a desired focal length and aperture for camera  22 . 
     If desired, lens structure  126  may be mounted below one or more layers of transparent material in device (e.g., one or more layers associated with display  14  such as a cover glass layer, a polarizer layer, a color filter layer, a thin-film transistor layer, other optical films, etc.). In some illustrative arrangements, one or more layers of display  14  may be interposed as intermediate layers within lens structures  126 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , for example, lens structure  126  may include one or more intermediate layers such as layer  126 - 2  that are sandwiched between other portions of lens structure  126 . Layer  126 - 2 , which may be a display layer such as a cover glass layer, a polarizer layer, a color filter layer, a thin-film transistor layer, other layer, may be sandwiched between upper (outer) lens structures  126 - 1  and lower (inner) lens structures  126 - 3 . Structures such as structures  126 - 1  and  126 - 3  may, for example, each include a stack of lens elements and may therefore be said to form lens train portions for lens structures  126  (e.g., an upper lens train portion and a lower lens train portion, respectively). 
     Taken together, lens structures  126 - 1 ,  126 - 2 , and  126 - 3  may be configured to serve as the lens for camera  22  by focusing image light  116  onto image sensor  118 . In configurations in which one or more display layers such as illustrative layer  126 - 2  of  FIG. 8  are located at intermediate positions within the lens train for camera  22 , it may be possible to minimize the height (Z-dimension parallel to Z-axis  128  of  FIG. 8 ) of the portion of lens structures  126  beneath display  14  (e.g., structures  126 - 3  of  FIG. 8 ). This may help minimize the size of camera  22  and device  10 . The size of the optical structures associated with camera  22  and device  10  may also be minimized (if desired) by omitting cover glass  76  of  FIG. 6  from device  10 , as described in connection with display  14  of  FIG. 4 . 
     In configurations of device  10  such as those in which cover glass  76  is omitted, it may be desirable to form a transparent unpolarized window within polarizer layer  62 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , for example, it may be desirable to depolarize material  132  to form transparent unpolarized window  130  within polarizer  62 . Window  130  may be used to allow internal structures within device  10  to be viewed from the exterior of device  10  and/or to permit sensors and other electronic components such as camera  22  that are mounted within the interior of device  10  to receive light from the exterior of device  10 . Unpolarized window regions such as window  130  in polarizer  62  are sometimes referred to herein as camera windows. 
     Camera window  130  may be formed by applying ultraviolet light to polarizer  62  where it is desired to form window  130  (e.g., to bleach the iodine-coated polyvinyl alcohol layer in polarizer  62  such as layer  68  of  FIG. 5 ). Light for locally bleaching polarizer  62  and thereby forming camera window  130  may be applied using a mask, using a lens, or using other suitable techniques. If desired, camera window  130  may be formed by chemically bleaching polarizer  62  or by otherwise locally modifying the optical properties of polarizer  62 . Removing the polarizing properties of polarizer  62  within window  130  may improve light transmission and may improve image quality. Windows such as window  130  may also be formed by selectively removing a portion of polarizer  62 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , camera  22  may be aligned with window  130  along vertical alignment axis  138  (i.e., so that window  130  and camera  22  are coaxial). If desired, a layer of opaque ink or other opaque masking layer may be included in display. The opaque masking layer may have an opening that is aligned with axis  138 . 
     In the illustrative mounting configuration of  FIG. 9 , camera  22  has been mounted so that lens structures  22  are formed below polarizer  62 , color filter layer  60 , and thin-film-transistor layer  52 . The portions of color filter layer  60  and thin-film transistor layer  52  that are interposed between camera  22  and window  130  may be transparent. For example, the portions of color filter layer  60  that are aligned with camera  22  may be devoid of colored filter elements and the portions of thin-film-transistor layer  52  that are aligned with camera  22  may be devoid of thin-film transistors, electrodes, and other potentially light-blocking structures. 
     If desired, an opening may be formed partway or completely through thin-film-transistor layer  52  to accommodate lens structures  126 . This type of configuration is shown in  FIG. 10 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , thin-film-transistor layer  52  may include an opening such as opening  134  into which some or all of lens structures  126  may be mounted. Lens structures  126  may be formed by depositing, molding, or otherwise forming structures  126  within display layer openings such as opening  134  or may be formed into completely or partly finished stacks of lens elements before insertion into openings such as opening  134 . Adhesive, fasteners, and other structures and materials may be used to mount lens structures  126  within display layer openings such as opening  134  in thin-film-transistor layer  52 . 
     In the example of  FIG. 10 , the portion of color filter layer  60  that is aligned with camera  22  is solid and does not contain an opening. As shown in  FIG. 11 , color filter layer  60  may, if desired, include an opening that partly or completely passes through color filter layer  60  to accommodate lens structures  126 . In the  FIG. 11  example, opening  136  passes completely through thin-film-transistor layer  52  and color filter layer  60 , so that lens structures  126  are mounted against the lower surface of polarizer  62  under window  130 . 
       FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative configuration in which opening  138  extends through polarizer  62 , color filter layer  60 , and thin-film-transistor layer  52 . In this type of configuration, opening  142  in polarizer  62  may form a camera window for camera  22 . As illustrated by dashed line  140 , some of lens structures  126  may, if desired, be accommodated within printed circuit board  118  or other structures in base  124  of camera  22 . If desired, a coating layer may be provided over display structures of the type shown in  FIG. 12  (e.g., an antireflection coating or other layer associated with the outermost surface of polarizer  62 , a cover glass layer or other layer to protect polarizer  62  and the other layers of display  14 , etc.). The coating layer may be used to cover structures  126  in window region  142  and/or the outer surface of polarizer  62  (as an example). 
     Openings such as opening  134  of  FIG. 10 ,  136  of  FIGS. 11 , and  138  of  FIG. 12  may be circular in shape, rectangular in shape, or may have other suitable shapes. The portions of the layers that form display  14  in the vicinity of these openings may completely surround the openings (as shown by the laterally enclosed openings in  FIGS. 10 ,  11 , and  12 ). 
     If desired, openings such as openings  134 ,  136 , and  138  may be formed along the edge of display  14 . An example of this type of notched-shaped opening arrangement is shown in  FIG. 13 . As shown in  FIG. 13 , opening  136  may be formed in display layers such as thin-film-transistor layer  52  and color filter layer  60 . Because one of the sides of opening  136  is located along the edge of display  14 , opening  136  is not completely surrounded by the display layers, but rather has an open edge portion. 
     Opening  136  of  FIG. 13  may be used to accommodate camera  22 . For example, lens structures  126  (see, e.g.,  FIG. 11 ) may be mounted within opening  136  of  FIG. 13  so that the uppermost portions of lens structures  126  rest against the inner surface of polarizer layer  62 . As indicated by dashed line  142 , a notch-shaped opening may be formed in polarizer  62  such as opening  142  of  FIG. 12 . If desired, color filter layer  60  may be solid and may contain no camera opening (e.g., the edge-aligned opening that accommodates camera  22  of  FIG. 13  may extend only through thin-film-transistor layer  52 , as indicated by opening  134  of  FIG. 10 ). 
     It may be desirable to line the interior of the openings in the layers of display  14  with a liner structure such as a cylindrical sleeve. This type of configuration is shown in the illustrative cross-sectional side view of display  14  in  FIG. 14 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , opening  144  may be lined with a sleeve structure such as sleeve  146 . Opening  144  may pass through polarizer  66 , some or all of color filter  60 , and some or all of thin-film-transistor layer  52 . Adhesive may be used to help secure sleeve  146  within opening  144 . To ensure that opening  144  is sufficiently deep to retain sleeve  146 , opening  144  may be formed through both polarizer  62  and color filter layer  60  (as an example). In general, opening  144  may pass through only layer  62 , through layer  62  and some or all of layer  60 , through layer  62 , layer  60 , and some or all of layer  52 , or may pass through additional layers. 
     Transparent material  148  (e.g., a polymer, glass, ceramic, etc.) may be used to fill the cavity within sleeve  146  if desired. Sleeve  146  may be formed from metal, plastic, or other suitable materials. Sleeve  146  may be provided with a flange structure such as flange  150  to help attach sleeve  146  to display  14  (e.g., using an adhesive layer under flange  150 ). A perspective view of an illustrative sleeve such as sleeve  146  of  FIG. 14  is shown in  FIG. 15 . As shown in  FIG. 15 , sleeve  146  may have a cylindrical shape with a central cylindrical opening  150 . Other shapes may be used to form sleeve  146  if desired. 
     A cross-sectional side view of a portion of display  14  showing how lens structures  126  may include a portion of color filter layer  60  is shown in  FIG. 16 . As shown in  FIG. 16 , lens structure  126  in camera  22  may include upper lens structures  126 - 1  and lower lens structures  126 - 3 . Portion  154  of color filter layer  60  may be interposed between structures  126 - 1  and  126 - 3  and may serve as layer  126 - 2  of lens structures  126  of  FIG. 8 . 
       FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of display  14  in a configuration in which lens structures  126  include portions of color filter layer  60  and thin-film transistor layer  52 . As shown in  FIG. 17 , lens structures  126  for camera  22  may include layer  60  and layer  52 . Portion  156  of layer  60  and portion  158  of layer  52  may be interposed between upper lens structures  126 - 1  and lower lens structures  126 - 3  and may form part of lens structures  126 . If desired, display structures such as portions  156  and  158  may have concave or convex surfaces to help focus image light for camera  22 , as indicated by optional curved color filter surface  125  in  FIG. 17 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 18 , thin-film-transistor layer  52  may be the only layer that is interposed within lens structures  126 . With arrangements of the type shown in  FIG. 18 , part of thin-film-transistor layer  52  such as portion  160  may be interposed between upper lens structures  126 - 1  and lower lens structures  126 - 3  in lens structures  126 . Mounting structures  164  such as adhesive, bracket structures, or other structures may be used to help hold lens structures  126  in place on thin-film-transistor layer  52 . Backlight unit  38  may be used to provide illumination for active region  28 A of display  14 . If desired, conductive traces such as traces  162  may be formed on thin-film-transistor layer  52 . Traces  162  may, for example, be formed on the underside of layer  52  in inactive peripheral display region  28 I. Traces  162  may be used to form interconnect structures for routing signals to and from camera  22 . A flex circuit or other path may be used to interconnect camera electronics such as image sensor circuitry  118  and traces  162 , as illustrated by path  163 . 
       FIG. 19  is a perspective view of display  14  showing how traces  162  may run along the peripheral edges of display  14 . In this type of configuration, traces  162  may form a signal bus that runs along upper edge  174 , right-hand edge  176 , and lower edge  178  of display  14  (e.g., on the lower surface of thin-film-transistor layer  52 , as shown in  FIG. 18 ). A flex circuit such as flex circuit  166  may interconnect traces  162  on the underside of the thin-film-transistor layer in display  14  of  FIG. 19  to traces  170  on printed circuit board  168 . Printed circuit board  168  may be, for example, a driver board on which integrated circuits  172  for driving display  14  are located. Signals from path  162  may be routed to integrated circuits such as integrated circuits  172  via flex circuit  166  and traces  170 . Integrated circuits  172  may include integrated circuits for processing camera signals from camera  22 . Printed circuit board  168  may be connected to other printed circuit boards in device  10  such as a main logic board. 
     If desired, a layer of material such as insert layer  180  of  FIG. 20  may be included in display  14 . Insert  180  may have a camera window such as camera window  182 . Camera window  182  may be formed from a clear solid structure (e.g., a transparent portion of insert layer  180 ) or may be formed from an opening that passes through layer  180  (e.g., a circular opening in layer  180 ). Camera  22  may be mounted under window  182  and may receive image light through window  182 . With an arrangement of the type shown in  FIG. 20 , opening  190  in thin-film-transistor layer  184  and color filter layer  60  has a mouse-hole notch shape that matches the shape of insert  180 . In the vicinity of notch  190 , the edge of color filter layer  60  may be recessed slightly from the edge of thin-film-transistor layer  52  (or vice versa) to form ledge (shelf)  184 . Opening  190  may have a curved shape, a shape with straight edges (e.g., part of a rectangle), or other suitable shapes. Ledge  184  may run along the edge of opening  190 . Edge portions  186  of insert  180  may be mounted on ledge  184  using adhesive when insert  180  is inserted within opening  190  in direction  188 . 
     Insert  180  may be formed from metal, plastic, ceramic, or other suitable materials. With one suitable arrangement, insert  180  may be formed from a material that has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is matched to the materials used in forming layers  52  and  60  to prevent thermal mismatch. As an example, in configurations in which layers  52  and  60  are formed from glass, insert  180  may be formed from glass. Camera  22  (i.e., base  124  and lens structures  126 ) may be mounted in alignment with camera window  182 . For example, lens structures  126  may be mounted under window  182  (e.g., an opening in layer  180 ). 
       FIG. 21  is a cross-sectional side view of display  14  showing how camera  22  may be mounted so that part of lens structures  126  pass through opening  182  in insert layer  180  within opening  190 . Opening  190  of  FIG. 21  may be a notch-shaped opening or may be an elongated opening to accommodate a strip-shaped insert layer. As shown in  FIG. 21 , camera  22  may be mounted on housing  12  or may be mounted on other support structures within device  10 . Backlight unit  38  may be used to illuminate active region  28 A of display  14 . Camera  22  may be mounted in alignment with camera window  130  in polarizer  62  within inactive display region  28 I. 
     Opaque masking layer  192  on polarizer  62  may be patterned to form an opening that is aligned with camera window  130  and depolarized material  132  in polarized layer  62 . Adhesive such as adhesive  194  may be used to attach insert  180  to ledge  184  on thin-film-transistor layer  52 . 
       FIG. 22  is a cross-sectional side view of display  14  showing how lens structures  126  may be mounted within a sleeve such as sleeve  146  that passes through an opening within polarizer  62 . Insert  180  may have an opening such as opening  182  that is aligned with the opening in polarizer  62 . Sleeve  146  may have a flange structure such as flange  150  that is mounted onto the upper surface of polarizer  62 . Opening  144  may form a camera window for camera  22 . A transparent structure such as a glass window or other clear member (member  196 ) may be mounted within sleeve  146  and opening  144 . Lens structures  126  of camera  22  may be mounted within sleeve  146 . Insert  180  may be mounted to ledge  184  of thin-film-transistor layer  52  adjacent to color filter layer  60 . 
     If desired, insert  180  may have an elongated planar strip shape, as shown in  FIG. 23 . Ledge  184  may be substantially straight and may be formed by aligning the edges of color filter layer  60  and thin-film-transistor layer  54  so that the edge of color filter layer  60  is recessed with respect to the edge of thin-film-transistor layer  54 . When mounting elongated insert  180  to straight ledge  184  using adhesive, arrangements of the type shown in  FIG. 23  may provide a relatively large amount of surface area between insert  180  and thin-film-transistor layer  52 . This may facilitate attachment and reduce the likelihood that insert  180  could be accidentally dislodged from display  14 . In the example of  FIG. 23 , insert  180  has the shape of an elongated strip of material. Other elongated shapes may be used if desired. Opening  182  may be formed in a portion of insert  180  that allows opening  182  to be aligned with an opening such as notch  190  in thin-film transistors layer  52 . Camera  22  may be mounted under opening  182  so that lens structures  126  of camera  22  pass through opening  190  (as an example). 
     A cross-sectional side view of display  14  showing how insert  180  may be mounted onto ledge  184  on thin-film-transistor layer  52  adjacent to color filter layer  60  using adhesive  181  is shown in  FIG. 24 . If desired, insert  180  may have the same thickness as color filter layer  60  to avoid creating visible and potentially unsightly steps in height on the surface of color filter layer  60 . 
     If desired, color filter layer  60  may be provided with a camera region such as window region  198  of  FIG. 25  (e.g., an opening or a region that is devoid of all or substantially all light-blocking structures and color filter element structures). Camera  22  and lens structures  126  in camera  22  may be mounted to the lower surface of color filter layer  60  in alignment with window region  198 . As shown in  FIG. 26 , color filter layer  60  and thin-film-transistor layer  62  may be provided with region  200  (e.g., an opening or a clear region that does not significantly block light and that can serve as a camera window for device  10 ). Camera  22  and lens structures  126  in camera  22  may be mounted in alignment with camera window  200 . 
     As shown in the cross-sectional side view of  FIG. 27 , insert  180  may be mounted so that camera window  182  is covered by color filter layer  60 . In this type of configuration, notch shape  190  ( FIG. 23 ) may extend only through thin-film-transistor layer  52  and not color filter layer  60 . As a result, camera  22  may be mounted so that a portion of lens structures  126  passes through opening  182  in window camera and rests adjacent to the overlapping portion of color filter layer  60 . Color filter layer  60  may have a clear portion (see, e.g., portion  198  of  FIG. 14 ) through which light passes to reach the image sensor in camera  22 . 
     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.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20101029
Publication Date: 20150922
Grant Date: 20150922
Priority Date: 20101029
Inventors: MATHEW DINESH C.
HENDREN KEITH J.
WILSON, JR. THOMAS W.
GARELLI ADAM T.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F1/1686", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1637", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1686", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1605", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02F2201/58", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02F1/133528", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/57", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/54", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/57", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/54", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1605", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/57", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/57", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/54", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N5/2253", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02F1/133528", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N5/2251", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N5/2254", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1605", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1686", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0266", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0264", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1686", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1637", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1605", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1601", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 44983458