PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9651999-B1
Application Number: US-201514720538-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B1

Title: Electronic device with radially deployed components

Abstract:
An array of electrical components may be mounted in openings in an electronic device housing. Gaskets may be used to seal the electrical components to a housing wall. The housing wall may be planar or may have a cylindrical shape or other curved shape. A support structure such as a hollow tube may be mounted within the interior of a cavity region defined by the housing wall. The electrical components may be radially deployed into the openings. Mating ramped structures may be translated with respect to each other to push elongated strips of components outward or each electrical component may be pushed outward using a threaded nut that engages threads on the electrical component.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device, comprising:
 a housing having a housing wall defining an opening; 
 a carrier structure disposed within the housing; 
 an electrical component mounted on the carrier structure and aligned with the opening; and 
 a translating member that bears against the carrier structure along a ramped surface and moves in a first direction when translated to push the electrical component in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction and into the opening, the carrier structure being positioned between the translating member and the housing. 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  further comprising a screw, wherein rotation of the screw translates the translating member. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device defined in  claim 2  wherein the opening comprises one of a plurality of openings in the housing wall and wherein the electrical component comprises one of a plurality of electrical components mounted on the carrier structure that are respectively aligned with the openings. 
     
     
       4. The electronic device defined in  claim 3  wherein the carrier structure comprises a plurality of ramped surfaces. 
     
     
       5. The electronic device defined in  claim 4  wherein the carrier structure is an elongated carrier structure and wherein the translating member comprises an elongated translating member with a plurality of ramped portions that bear against the ramped surfaces of the carrier structure. 
     
     
       6. The electronic device defined in  claim 5  wherein the elongated carrier structure comprises one of a plurality of elongated carrier structures each carrying a corresponding set of the electrical components, the electronic device further comprising a support structure to which a plurality of the elongated carrier structures are mounted. 
     
     
       7. The electronic device defined in  claim 6  wherein the support structure is a cylindrical support structure having a longitudinal axis and wherein the elongated carrier structures extend parallel to the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
       8. The electronic device defined in  claim 7  wherein the housing wall is cylindrical. 
     
     
       9. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the electrical component comprises a component selected from the group consisting of: a light source, a light detector, a speaker, and a sensor. 
     
     
       10. The electronic device defined in  claim 9  wherein the housing wall is a curved housing wall and wherein the opening comprises one of a plurality of openings sized to receive electrical components. 
     
     
       11. An electronic device, comprising:
 a housing having a curved housing wall defining a housing wall opening; 
 an electrical component aligned with the housing wall opening and having threads; 
 a support structure within the housing that has a support structure opening; and 
 a nut extending through the support structure opening, the nut defining a threaded aperture engaged by the threads of the electrical component, wherein rotation of the nut causes interaction between a portion of the nut defining the threaded aperture and the threads of the electrical component that pushes the electrical component towards the housing wall opening. 
 
     
     
       12. The electronic device defined in  claim 11  wherein the curved housing wall is a cylindrical housing wall. 
     
     
       13. The electronic device defined in  claim 12  wherein the support structure comprises a cylindrical support structure within an interior portion of the housing defined by the cylindrical housing wall. 
     
     
       14. The electronic device defined in  claim 13  further comprising rotation prevention structures that bear against the electrical component so the electrical component does not rotate when the nut is rotated. 
     
     
       15. The electronic device defined in  claim 13  wherein the electrical component has an air vent that vents to an air-filled region between the curved housing wall and the support structure. 
     
     
       16. The electronic device defined in  claim 15  wherein the air-filled region comprises an annular region that surrounds the cylindrical support structure. 
     
     
       17. The electronic device defined in  claim 16  wherein the cylindrical support structure is hollow and includes a cylindrical air-filled cavity. 
     
     
       18. The electronic device defined in  claim 17  wherein the electrical component comprises a component selected from the group consisting of: a light source, a light detector, a speaker, and a sensor. 
     
     
       19. The electronic device defined in  claim 18  further comprising an additional electrical component, wherein the additional electrical component is mounted at an end of the cylindrical support structure in communication with the cylindrical cavity. 
     
     
       20. An electronic device, comprising:
 a housing having a cylindrical housing wall with an array of housing wall openings; 
 a hollow cylindrical support structure within the housing, wherein the cylindrical housing wall and the hollow cylindrical support structure are separated by an annular region of air; 
 a plurality of electrical components each aligned with a respective one of the housing wall openings; and 
 radial deployment structures that press the plurality of electrical components radially outward into the respective housing wall openings. 
 
     
     
       21. The electronic device defined in  claim 20  further comprising ring-shaped gaskets that seal the electrical components to the cylindrical housing wall. 
     
     
       22. The electronic device defined in  claim 21  wherein the electrical components comprise components selected from the group consisting of: light sources, light detectors, speakers, and sensors.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 62/057,840, 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 mounted to device housings. 
     Electronic devices include electronic components. Some components such as integrated circuits and batteries are mounted within interior portions of electronic device housings. Other components are mounted on the exteriors of housings. For example, components that emit or receive light or sound are often mounted in exposed locations on housings to facilitate proper operation of the components in supplying output and receiving input. 
     In some device designs, it may be desirable to mount multiple components in an array. For example, some electronic components benefit from operation as a coordinated group. It may be helpful in such arrangements to mount components in close proximity to each other. If care is not taken, components may be damaged during installation, damage may be created to the housing to which the components are being mounted, components may be difficult to repair when faults are detected, or components may consume more space within a device than desired. 
     It would be desirable to be able to address these challenges with a mounting scheme that is suitable for use when mounting components in a variety of housings. 
     SUMMARY 
     An electronic device may have a housing wall. An array of electrical components may be mounted in a corresponding array of openings in the housing wall. The components may be audio components, light-based components, sensors, or other electrical components. Gaskets may be used to seal the electrical components to the housing wall. 
     The housing wall may be planar or may be curved. Curved housing walls may have cylindrical shapes to form cylindrical housings. The array of openings in the housing may cover some or all of the surface of the cylindrical housing wall. 
     A cylindrical support structure may be mounted within the interior of a cylindrical housing. The electrical components may be radially deployed into the openings using radial deployment structures. The radial deployment structures may include mating ramped structures that are translated with respect to each other to push elongated strips of components outward or may include threaded nut deployment structures that engage threads on electrical components to push the electrical components outward. 
    
    
     
       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 top view of a component being mounted within a housing opening in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 21  is a cross-sectional side view of ramp structures in an electronic device that are being used to mount a component within a housing in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 22  is a cross-sectional top view of an illustrative component with threads prior to being mounted in an opening in a housing in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 23  is a cross-sectional top view of the illustrative component of  FIG. 22  following rotation of a component deployment structure to mount the component in the opening in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 24  is a cross-sectional top view of an illustrative component that has been mounted in a housing using a rotating component deployment structure 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 within the interior of an electronic device and/or may be mounted on the exterior of an electronic device. Configurations in which electrical components are exposed on the exterior of a 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  68  may be mounted to the upper and lower ends of structure  70  and housing  12 . Components  60  and  68  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). 
     When structure  70  (e.g., a hollow tube or other support) is installed within a mating cylindrical cavity in the housing  12 , each component  34  may be aligned with a respective one of openings  36 . To ensure that each component  34  is properly seated within a respective opening  36 , components  34  may be moved outwards using component deployment structures. This type of radial deployment of components  34  may be performed for each component  34  separately or may be performed for one or more groups of multiple components  34  simultaneously. 
     There may be an air gap between the outer surface of structure  70  and the inner surface of wall  12 - 2 . This air gap may be used to convey sound, may allow air to flow (e.g., when cooling components that generate heat), may be used to allow light to pass, and/or may provide a separation between structure  70  and housing wall  12 - 2  that facilitates insertion of structure  70  and components  34  into the interior of housing wall  12 - 2 . 
     Components  60  and  66  may seal the upper and lower ends of the interior of structure  70 . For example, in configurations in which structure  70  is a hollow tube having an interior wall such as interior wall  72 , structure  70  (and wall  72 ) may create two cylindrical cavities. Component  60  may be installed within the upper end of tube  70  (i.e., at the upper end of the upper cylindrical cavity) and component  66  may be installed within the lower end of tube  70  (i.e., at the lower end of the lower cylindrical cavity). Other configurations for device  10  may be used if desired (e.g., configurations that use additional components in the interior of tube  70 , configurations in which one or both of components  60  and  66  are omitted, etc. The configuration of  FIG. 19  is merely illustrative. 
     Components  34  may be mounted on the exterior of structure  70  directly or using intermediate carrier structures. Components  34  may, for example, be mounted on the exterior of structure  70  using printed circuit boards, using plastic carriers, using dielectric substrates such as plastic support structures or printed circuits that include patterned metal traces for carrying signals to and from components  34 , or using other suitable carriers that serve as component substrates. As an example, components  34  may be mounted on carriers formed from elongated strips of dielectric material. Each strip of dielectric material may contain a respective set of components  34 . 
     The elongated carrier strips to which components  34  are mounted may be arranged around the surface of support  70 . Each strip may extend vertically (e.g., parallel to the longitudinal axis of a cylindrically shaped support structure  70 ), may wrap around the circumference of support structure  70  horizontally, and/or may be mounted to structure  70  diagonally or using other suitable mounting arrangements. The carrier structures with which components  34  are supported may be attached to structure  70  using adhesive, screws, threads, engagement features, prongs, springs, clips, or other suitable attachment mechanisms. As an example, structure  70  may have an array of protrusions (e.g., plastic posts, etc.) that extend radially outward from structure  70  and the carrier structures to which components  34  are attached may have an array of recesses that mate with the protrusions. Other types of interlocking features may also be used. The use of posts and mating recesses is merely illustrative. 
     During assembly of device  10 , the carrier structures may be moved outwards to radially deploy multiple components  34  at once. For example, an elongated carrier structure may be moved radially outwards towards wall  12 - 2 , thereby simultaneously moving multiple components  34  outward into respective openings  36  in wall  12 - 2 . Configurations in which component deployment structures are used to individually install components  34  within respective openings  36  may also be used. 
       FIG. 20  is a cross-sectional top view of an illustrative carrier structure being used to radially deploy one or more components  34 . As shown in  FIG. 20 , support structure  70  may have outer surface such as outer surface  76  and an opposing inner surface such as inner surface  74 . Protrusions such as one or more posts  78  may be formed on outer surface  76  (as an example). Posts  78  may be formed as integral portions of structure  70  or may be separate structures that are attached to structure  70  using adhesive, welds, screws, or other attachment mechanisms. Carrier structure  80  may have corresponding recesses or other features that engage with posts  78 . This allows carrier structure  80  to be mounted on surface  76  prior to insertion of structure  70  into the interior of housing  12  (e.g., the recesses or other engagement features on carrier structure  80  may mate with corresponding protrusions  78 ). 
     Carrier structure  80  may be a printed circuit (e.g., a rigid printed circuit formed from fiberglass-filled epoxy or other rigid printed circuit board material or a flexible printed circuit formed from a sheet of polyimide or a layer of other flexible polymer), may be a plastic part such as a molded plastic structure, may be a structure formed from glass, a crystalline dielectric, ceramic, or a support structure formed from other suitable materials. Conductive paths for component signals may be embedded within the carrier and/or may be formed on the surface of the carrier structure (e.g., patterned metal traces may be formed in a printed circuit or other substrate, etc.). Components  34  may be mounted to each carrier structure  80  using solder, welds, adhesive, mating engagement structures, screws, or other attachment mechanisms. 
     As shown in  FIG. 20 , openings such as opening  36  in housing wall  12 - 2  may be aligned with respective components such as component  34  on carrier  80  of  FIG. 20  when structure  70  is installed within the interior of housing wall  12 . There may initially be a radial separation in radial dimension R between outer cylindrical surface  76  of support structure  70  and the opposing inner cylindrical surface of housing wall  12 - 2 . To mount a component such as component  34  satisfactorily within opening  36 , that component  34  may be deployed radially outward into opening  36  as shown by arrows  82 . During radial deployment (e.g., deployment outward in radial directions from a central axis such as the longitudinal axis of cylindrical housing  12 ), elastomeric gaskets or other compressible materials may be compressed between each component  34  and an opposing portion of housing wall  12 - 2  to form seals around each component  34  (e.g., around the circular edge of a circular component, etc.). 
     Carriers such as carrier  80  may be elongated strips that run vertically along the surface of structure  70  in vertical dimension Z. If desired, ramp structures may be used to radially deploy components  34  into openings  36 . A ramp-based configuration for radially deploying components  34  is shown in  FIG. 21 . As shown in  FIG. 21 , components  34  may be mounted on carrier  80  in alignment with openings  36  in housing wall  12 - 2 . Each carrier  80  may be elongated along vertical dimension Z. A plurality of components  34  may be mounted along carrier  80  in dimension Z. The width of carrier  80  in lateral dimension X may be sufficient to support a single component  34  or to support multiple components  34 . 
     A plurality of carriers  80  may be mounted around the periphery of support structure  70  (e.g., to cover some or all of structure  70  with an array of components  34 ). Portions of a single illustrative carrier  80 , support structure  70 , and housing  12  are shown in  FIG. 21 . As shown in  FIG. 21 , carrier structure  80  may have ramped surfaces  92  formed from angled (ramped) portions of carrier  80  adjacent to elongated member  86 . Elongated member  86  may be a translating member (e.g., a member that moves vertically in the example of  FIG. 21 ). Elongated member  86  may have corresponding ramped surfaces  94  formed from ramped portions of elongated member  86 . Configurations in which member  86  has ramps and carrier  80  has mating structures that are not ramped and in which carrier  80  has ramps and member  86  has mating structures that are not ramped may also be used. The configuration of  FIG. 21  in which the ramped structures of device  10  are formed on both member  86  and carrier  80  is merely illustrative. 
     Screw  84  of  FIG. 21  may be rotated about axis  96  when it is desired to radially deploy components  34 . The shaft of screw  84  may be received within threaded portions of structure  88 . Structure  88  may have a position that is fixed relative to support structure  70 . For example, structure  88  may be an extended portion of structure  70  or may be attached to structure  70 . Support structure  70  and housing  12  (e.g., housing wall  12 - 2 ) may be attached to each other using structures such as base  90 , by attaching extensions of structure  70  (e.g., extension  88 ) to the inner surface of housing wall  12 - 2 , etc. 
     The lower surface of the head of screw  84  bears against upper surface  98  of elongated translating member  86  as screw  84  is screwed in a clockwise direction about axis  96 . As screw  84  is screwed into portion  88  of support structure  70  or other structure that is fixed relative to support structure  70 , the lower surface of screw  84  pushes surface  98  of elongated member  86  downwards in direction  100 . As elongated member  86  is pushed downwards and translates in direction  100 , ramp surfaces  94  of elongated member  86  bear against mating ramp surfaces  92  of carrier structure  80 . The inner surface of structure  86  may be bear against the outer surface of support structure  70 . Vertical movement of carrier  80  is constrained (e.g., due to attachment of carrier  80  to support structure  70  with posts  78  or because the bottom of carrier  80  bears against base structure  90  or other portions of device. This causes ramp surfaces  94  and  92  to interact with each other. Downwards movement of elongated member  100  and ramp surfaces  94  relative to carrier structure  80  and ramp surfaces  92  therefore pushes carrier structure  80  and components  34  on carrier structure  80  radially outwards in direction  82 . Screw  84  can be screwed until elongated member  86  has moved sufficiently downward to push components  34  against housing  12 - 2  and openings  36 . Mounting components  34  in openings  36  in this way may be particularly efficient in configurations in which more than one component  34  is mounted to each carrier  80 . If desired, an elastomeric gasket (e.g., a ring-shaped gasket) may be interposed between the edge of each component  34  and an opposing surface of housing wall  12 - 2 , so that components  34  each form a seal with housing wall  12 - 2 . 
     Components  34  may also be radially deployed by screwing a deployment structure in a way that engages threads on components  34 . This type of arrangement is shown in  FIGS. 22 and 23 . In the configuration of  FIG. 22 , component  34  has just been installed within the interior of housing wall  12 - 2  and has not yet been radially deployed. Component  34  may be mounted on a support structure  70  as part of an array of components  34 , as described in connection with  FIG. 19  (e.g., support structure  70  may be a hollow tube and housing wall  12 - 2  may be a hollow cylindrical wall that has an interior sufficiently large to accept support structure  70  and components  34 ). In the configuration of  FIG. 23 , component  34  has been deployed radially outward in direction  82  into opening  36  in housing wall  12 - 2 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 22 , component  34  may be deployed outward in direction  82  using a component deployment structure such as nut  104 . Peripheral surface  100  of nut  104  may have a circular shape when viewed along axis  102 . Nut  104  may extend through a circular opening such as circular opening  112  in support structure  70 . The circular outline of nut  104  and the corresponding circular shape of opening  112  allow nut  104  to rotate about rotational axis  102 . Nut  104  has threads  106  that engage with mating threads  108  on component  34 . 
     Support structure  70  or other structures in device  10  that are fixed relative to housing  12  may have stationary component rotation prevention structures such as structures  70 ′. Rotation prevention structures  70 ′ may be integral portions of support structure  70  that extend outwardly on either side of component  34  (as shown in  FIG. 22 ), may be integral portions of support structure  70  that extend outwardly above and below component  34 , or may be other protrusions from support structure  70  that rest along the surfaces of component  34 . Rotation prevention structures  70 ′ may also be attached to other portions of device  10  that do not rotated with nut  104  instead of or in addition to being attached to support structure  70 . The example of  FIG. 22  is merely illustrative. 
     Component  34  may have sidewall portions that define planar surfaces  34 - 3  or other surfaces that interact with rotation prevention structures  70 ′. In the example of  FIG. 22 , the inner surfaces of rotation prevention structures  70 ′ bear against surfaces  34 - 3  of component  34  and prevent component  34  from rotating about axis  102 . Due to this rotational constraint of component  34 , rotation of nut  104  will cause threads  106  and  108  to engage and move component  34  outward in direction  82  as nut  104  is rotated about axis  102 . Upon sufficient rotation of nut  104 , component  34  will be mounted within opening  36 , as shown in  FIG. 23 . 
       FIG. 24  shows how a nut driver or other tool may rotate a nut-based component deployment structure such as nut  104  to radially deploy component  34  into opening  36  in housing  12 . Nut  104  may be rotated about rotational axis  102  using nut driver  116 . Nut driver  116  may be positioned and rotated manually and/or using computer-controlled positioning equipment  118 . Nut driver  116  may have an outer surface shape  114  that mates with inner surface  132  of nut  104 . As an example, outer shape  114  may be hexagonal (when viewed along axis  102 ) and inner surface  132  may be formed from a corresponding hexagonal recess within nut  104 . 
     Outer surface  110  of nut  104  may be circular to permit nut  104  to rotate within circular opening  112  of support structure  70 . Threads  106  on the inner surface of nut  104  may engage corresponding threads  108  on the outer surface of component  34 . Rotation prevention structures  70 ′ may prevent component  34  from rotating about axis  102 , as described in connection with structures  70 ′ in  FIGS. 22 and 23 . 
     As nut  104  is rotated about axis  102 , component  34  is driven outwardly in direction  82  into opening  36 . An elastomeric gasket such as elastomeric ring-shaped gasket  142  may be compressed between the peripheral edges of component  34  and the portions of housing wall  12 - 2  around opening  36 . This seals component  34  to housing wall  12 - 2 . Nut  104  may be rotated until component  34  is being pushed outwardly in direction  82  with sufficient force to compress gasket  142 . The restoring force from gasket  142  causes nut  104  to be biased inwardly in direction  150 . This causes nut  104  to compress an elastomeric gasket such as ring-shaped gasket  122  between inwardly facing portions of nut  104  and outwardly facing portions of support structure  70 . Gasket  122  seals nut  104  to support structure  70 . Retaining ring  124  may be used to help retain nut  104  in support structure  70  during assembly. 
     With the seals formed by gaskets  142  and  122 , the exterior of housing  12  is isolated from the portion of device  10  between support structure  70  and housing wall  12 - 2 . This cavity (shown as region  126  in  FIG. 24 ) may be filled with air. If desired, component  34  may have internal components  46  and  48  (e.g., light-based components, sensor components, audio components, etc.) that benefit from being vented to interior region  126  between support structure  70  and housing  12 . Accordingly, one or more openings such as air vent  120  may be formed in component  34  to vent the interior of component  34  to surrounding air regions such as region  126 . 
     Gasket  122  seals interior region  140  in support structure  70  from surrounding regions such as region  126  between support structure  70  and housing wall  12 - 2 . With this type of arrangement, region  140  is an isolated cylindrical air-filled cavity and region  126  is an isolated annular air-filled cavity that surrounds cylindrical support structure  70 . Components such as components  60  and  66  may be mounted on the ends of support structure  70  (e.g., in positions that expose one side of each component to interior  140  and an opposing side of each component to the exterior of device  10 ). If desired, wall structures such as wall  72  of  FIG. 19  may separate interior cavity  140  into upper and lower portions. In this type of arrangement, component  60  may be in communication with the upper air cavity and component  66  may be in communication with the lower air cavity. Components  34  may vent air to region  126  without venting any air to region  140  (i.e., regions  140  and  126  may be isolated from each other). 
     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: 20170516
Grant Date: 20170516
Priority Date: 20140930
Inventors: HOBSON PHILLIP MICHAEL
BOSSCHER NATHAN P.
BAKER JOHN J.
STANLEY CRAIG M.
BOOZER BRAD G.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F1/1686", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/181", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1684", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1688", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/20", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1684", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/182", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1688", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0217", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/181", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1686", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/20", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/182", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0217", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/20", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/181", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1688", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1684", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1686", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 58671116