PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10879318-B2
Application Number: US-202016745185-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Electronic devices having displays with openings

Abstract:
An electronic device may have a display. The display may have an active region in which display pixels are used to display images. The display may have one or more openings and may be mounted in a housing associated with the electronic device. An electronic component may be mounted in alignment with the openings in the display. The electronic component may include a camera, a light sensor, a light-based proximity sensor, status indicator lights, a light-based touch sensor array, a secondary display that has display pixels that may be viewed through the openings, antenna structures, a speaker, a microphone, or other acoustic, electromagnetic, or light-based component. One or more openings in the display may form a window through which a user of the device may view an external object. Display pixels in the window region may be used in forming a heads-up display.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device, comprising:
 a housing; 
 a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display has an active area and an inactive area; 
 a first component that emits first acoustic signals through the active area of the display; and 
 a second component that detects second acoustic signals through the active area of the display. 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  where in the display comprises organic light-emitting diode pixels. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the second component comprises a microphone. 
     
     
       4. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the display comprises glass that covers the first and second components. 
     
     
       5. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the first component comprises a vibrator. 
     
     
       6. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the display comprises openings through which the first and second acoustic signals pass. 
     
     
       7. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the display comprises a polymer substrate. 
     
     
       8. The electronic device defined in  claim 7  wherein the polymer substrate comprises first and second opposing surfaces and an opening that passes from the first surface to the second surface. 
     
     
       9. The electronic device defined in  claim 8  wherein the first component is aligned with the opening. 
     
     
       10. The electronic device defined in  claim 9  wherein display comprises a layer of thin-film transistor circuitry, a layer of organic emissive material, and a layer of sealant, and wherein the opening passes through the layer of thin-film transistor circuitry, the layer of organic emissive material, and the layer of sealant. 
     
     
       11. An electronic device, comprising:
 a polymer substrate; 
 an array of pixels on the polymer substrate that form an active display area; and 
 acoustic components that emit and detect acoustic signals through the active display area. 
 
     
     
       12. The electronic device defined in  claim 11  wherein the acoustic components comprise a vibrator. 
     
     
       13. The electronic device defined in  claim 11  wherein the acoustic components comprise a microphone. 
     
     
       14. The electronic device defined in  claim 11  wherein the polymer substrate comprises an array of openings and wherein the acoustic signals pass through the openings. 
     
     
       15. The electronic device defined in  claim 11  wherein the pixels comprise organic light-emitting diode pixels. 
     
     
       16. An electronic device, comprising:
 a housing; 
 a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display has an active area; 
 components that emit and receive acoustic waves through the active area of the display; and 
 control circuitry that controls the display based at least partly on data from components. 
 
     
     
       17. The electronic device defined in  claim 16  wherein the display comprises glass. 
     
     
       18. The electronic device defined in  claim 17  wherein the display comprises organic light-emitting diode pixels in the active area. 
     
     
       19. The electronic device defined in  claim 16  wherein the display comprises a substrate having openings through which the acoustic waves pass. 
     
     
       20. The electronic device defined in  claim 16  wherein the components comprise a vibrator and a microphone.

Description:
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/203,410, filed Nov. 28, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/179,713, filed Nov. 2, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,431,636, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/812,884, filed Nov. 14, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,121,831, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/402,009, filed Jan. 9, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,825,103, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/612,222, filed Feb. 2, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,543,364, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/273,851, filed Oct. 14, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,947,627, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This relates to electronic devices and, more particularly, to electronic devices with displays. 
     Cellular telephones and other portable devices often contain displays. Displays often occupy relatively large portions of an electronic device. For example, in an electronic device cellular telephone or tablet computer, a display may occupy the entire front face of the device. 
     In many device configurations such as those in which displays occupy large portions of a device, it can be challenging to accommodate device components within the device. For example, a display may present an obstacle to the installation and operation of device components. Unless care is taken, a designer may be forced to make aesthetically unappealing design choices or may need to install device components using awkward or bulky arrangements. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved arrangements for electronic devices with displays. 
     SUMMARY 
     An electronic device may have a display. The display may have an active region in which display pixels are used to display images. The display may be formed from a flexible display substrate such as an organic light-emitting diode display substrate or other display layers. 
     The display may have one or more openings. The openings may be organized in an array having rows and columns. The openings may be located in the active portion of the display. 
     The display may be mounted in a housing associated with the electronic device. An electronic component may be mounted in alignment with the one or more openings in the display. Signals associated with the electronic component may pass through the openings. The signals may include acoustic signals, electromagnetic signals such as radio-frequency electromagnetic signals, and light. 
     The electronic component may be a structure that uses light such as a camera, a light sensor, a light-based proximity sensor, a status indicator light, a light-based touch sensor array, or a secondary display that has display pixels that may be viewed through the openings. 
     The electronic component may also be a structure that uses radio-frequency signals such as an antenna. Antenna structures may, for example, include a near field antenna or other antenna structures. 
     The electronic component may be an acoustic component such as a microphone or speaker. A microphone may receive acoustic signals through the openings. Sound from a speaker may be emitted through the openings. 
     One or more openings in the display may form a window through which a user of the device may view an external object. Display pixels in the portion of the display in which the window is formed may be used in forming a heads-up display. With this type of configuration, the electronic device may display an image for the user using the display pixels in the window region while the user simultaneously views the external object through the window region. 
     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 electronic device with a display having an opening in accordance an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an illustrative electronic device having a display with an opening in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having a display with an opening to accommodate signals associated with an internal electronic component in the device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of a portion of an illustrative display having an opening in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of a portion of an illustrative display having multiple openings with curved edges organized in an array of rows and columns in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of a portion of an illustrative display having multiple openings with straight edges organized in an array of rows and columns in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of a portion of an illustrative display having an array of rectangular openings and display pixel structures and interconnects formed on structures surrounding the openings in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative upper display with openings through which display pixels on a lower display may be viewed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative device with a display that has openings and an antenna mounted under the openings to communicate with external wireless equipment in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having a display with openings through which acoustic signals associated with one or more acoustic components may pass in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having a display with an opening that allows light to reach a camera in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having a display with an opening that allows light to reach a light sensor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having a display with openings to accommodate a light-based proximity sensor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having a display with openings to accommodate emitted light from light-emitting-diode status indicators in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having a display with openings through which light associated with a light-based touch sensor may operate in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having a display with an opening to accommodate a moving member such as a button member in accordance with embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having a display with an opening that is filled with air and an opening that is filled with a material such as a clear window material in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of an illustrative electronic device having a transparent window region of the type that may be formed from an opening or openings in a display in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a cross-sectional side view of the illustrative electronic device of  FIG. 18  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Electronic devices such as device  10  of  FIG. 1  may be provided with displays. A display in a device such as device  10  may have one or more openings. The openings may be used to allow signals to pass through the display. 
     Device  10  of  FIG. 1  may be a portable computer, a tablet computer, a computer monitor, a handheld device, global positioning system equipment, a gaming device, a cellular telephone, portable computing equipment, or other electronic equipment. 
     Device  10  may include a housing such as housing  12 . Housing  12 , which may sometimes be referred to as a case, may be formed of plastic, glass, ceramics, fiber composites, metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), other suitable materials, or a combination of these materials. 
     Housing  12  may be formed using an unibody configuration in which some or all of housing  12  is machined or molded as a single structure or may be formed using multiple structures (e.g., an internal frame structure, one or more structures that form exterior housing surfaces, etc.). 
     In some configurations, housing  12  may be formed using front and rear housing structures that are substantially planar. For example, the rear of device  10  may be formed from a planar housing structure such as a planar glass member, a planar plastic member, a planar metal structure, or other substantially planar structure. The edges (sidewalls) of housing  12  may be straight (vertical) or may be curved (e.g., housing  12  may be provided with sidewalls formed from rounded extensions of a rear planar housing wall). 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the front of device  10  may include a display such as display  14 . Display  14  may, for example, be a touch screen that incorporates capacitive touch electrodes or a touch sensor formed using other types of touch technology (e.g., resistive touch, light-based touch, acoustic touch, force-sensor-based touch, etc.). Display  14  may include pixels formed from light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic LEDs (OLEDs), plasma cells, electronic ink elements, liquid crystal display (LCD) components, or other suitable display pixel structures. 
     Display  14  may have an active region and an inactive region. Active region  22  of display  14  may lie within rectangular boundary  24 . Within active region  22 , display pixels such as liquid crystal display pixels, organic light-emitting diode display pixels, or other display pixels may display images for a user of device  10 . Active display region  22  may be surrounded by an inactive region such as inactive region  26 . Inactive region  26  (a portion of display  14  that is devoid of display pixels) may have the shape of a rectangular ring surrounding active region  22  and rectangular boundary  24  (as an example). If desired, the width of inactive region  26  may be minimized by using a flexible display layer to implement display  14  (e.g., a flexible organic light-emitting-diode display layer) and by bending edges of the flexible display layer that are associated with inactive region  26  downwards away from the exposed face of display  14 . 
     Device  10  may include input-output ports, buttons, sensors, status indicator lights, speakers, microphones, and other input-output components. As shown in  FIG. 1 , for example, device  10  may include one or more openings in inactive region  26  of display  14 . For example, device  10  may have an opening in inactive region  26  to accommodate button  16  and an opening in inactive regions  26  to accommodate speaker port  18 . 
     One or more openings such as openings  28  may also be formed in active region  22  of display  14 . For example, in a display such as an organic light-emitting-diode display, display  14  may be formed from a polymer substrate such as a polyimide substrate on which thin-film transistors, organic light-emitting material, and a sealant layer have been deposited. With this type of display arrangement, display  14  may have a front surface formed by the outermost layer of sealant and a rear surface formed by the polymer substrate. Openings  28  may pass through the entirety of the display from the front surface to the rear surface (e.g., in active region  22  of display  14 ). Displays with other types of layers may likewise have openings  28  that pass through the entirety of the display. 
     Openings  28  may allow signals to pass through display  14 . These signals may include, for example, electromagnetic signals such as radio-frequency electromagnetic signals, acoustic signals, and light. In the example of  FIG. 1 , openings  28  have been formed in an array having rows and columns of multiple openings. This is merely illustrative. There may be one opening in display  14 , two openings in display  14 , ten or more openings in display  14 , one hundred or more openings in display  14 , one thousand or more openings in display  14 , or any other suitable number of openings. Openings  28  may, for example, be formed in active display region  22 . Display  14  may also be provided with openings such as opening  28  that are located in inactive region  26 . 
     A schematic diagram of an illustrative electronic device such as electronic device  10  of  FIG. 1  is shown in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , electronic device  10  may include control circuitry such as storage and processing circuitry  30 . Storage and processing circuitry  30  may include storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. Processing circuitry in storage and processing circuitry  30  may be used to control the operation of device  10 . This processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors, power management units, audio codec chips, application specific integrated circuits, display driver integrated circuits, etc. 
     Storage and processing circuitry  30  may be used to run software on device  10  such as internet browsing applications, voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) telephone call applications, email applications, media playback applications, operating system functions, etc. The software may be used to implement control operations such as image acquisition operations using a camera, ambient light measurements using an ambient light sensors, proximity sensor measurements using a proximity sensor, information display functions implemented using status indicators such as light-emitting-diode status indicators, touch event measurements using a touch sensor, functions associated with displaying information on multiple (e.g., layered) displays, operations associated with performing wireless communications functions, operations associated with gathering and producing audio signals, control operations associated with gathering and processing button press event data, and other functions in device  10 . 
     Input-output circuitry  42  may be used to allow data to be supplied to device  10  and to allow data to be provided from device  10  to external devices. Input-output circuitry  42  may include sensors  32 . Sensors  32  may include ambient light sensors, light-based and capacitive proximity sensors, touch sensors (e.g., light-based touch sensors and/or capacitive touch sensors that are part of a touch screen display or that are implemented using stand-alone touch sensor structures), accelerometers, and other sensors. 
     Input-output circuitry  42  may also include one or more displays such as display  14 . Display  14  may be a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode display, an electronic ink display, a plasma display, a display that uses other display technologies, or a display that uses any two or more of these display configurations. Display  14  may include an array of touch sensors (i.e., display  14  may be a touch screen). The touch sensors may be capacitive touch sensors formed from an array of transparent touch sensor electrodes such as indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes or may be touch sensors formed using other touch technologies (e.g., acoustic touch, pressure-sensitive touch, resistive touch, optical touch, etc.). 
     Audio components  36  may be used to provide device  10  with audio input and output capabilities. Examples of audio components that may be included in device  10  include speakers, microphones, buzzers, tone generators, and other components for producing and detecting sound. 
     Communications circuitry  38  may be used to provide device  10  with the ability to communicate with external equipment. Communications circuitry  38  may include analog and digital input-output port circuitry and wireless circuitry based on radio-frequency signals and/or light. Wireless circuitry in communications circuitry  38  may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry, power amplifier circuitry, low-noise amplifiers, switches, filters, and antennas. Wireless communications circuitry in circuitry  38  may, for example, include circuitry for supporting near field communications (NFC) by transmitting and receiving near-field-coupled electromagnetic signals. For example, circuitry  38  may include a near field communications antenna and a near field communications transceiver. Circuitry  38  may also include a cellular telephone transceiver and antennas, wireless local area network transceiver circuitry and antennas, etc. 
     Device  10  may also include a battery, power management circuitry, and other input-output devices  40 . Input-output devices  40  may include buttons, joysticks, click wheels, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, cameras, light-emitting diodes and other status indicators, etc. 
     A user can control the operation of device  10  by supplying commands through input-output circuitry  42  and may receive status information and other output from device  10  using the output resources of input-output circuitry  42 . 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative device having a display with an opening. As shown in  FIG. 3 , device  10  may have a housing such as housing  12  in which display  14  is mounted. Display  14  may be an organic light-emitting diode display (e.g., a thin flexible display having a thickness of 100 microns or less, 500 microns or less, or other suitable thickness) or may implemented using other display technologies. Display  14  may cover some or all of the front surface of device  10  or may be mounted in housing  12  so that other portions of device  10  are covered by display  14 . 
     One or more openings such as opening  28  of  FIG. 3  may be formed in display  14 . In particular, one or more openings such as opening  28  may be formed in the active region of display  14 . When formed in the active region of display  14 , opening  28  will generally be surrounded by display pixels in display  14  such as illustrative display pixels  44 . In particular, opening  28  will be surrounded by display pixels  44  lying in the same plane as opening  28 , (i.e., the X-Y plane in the example of  FIG. 3 ). Display pixels  44  may be, for example, organic light-emitting diode display pixels. 
     Electrical components such as component  46  may be mounted in housing  12 . For example, component  46  may be mounted in lateral alignment with opening  28  (i.e., component  46  may be mounted in under opening  28  in the orientation of  FIG. 3  so that component  46  and opening  28  are aligned along lateral dimensions X and Y and lie along a common axis in dimension Z). With this type of configuration, opening  28  may overlap component  46  sufficiently that signals  48  that are associated with the operation of component  46  may pass through opening  28 . 
     If desired, component  46  may be larger than opening  28  or component  46  may be smaller than opening  28 . A single component  46  may also span multiple openings  28  and/or a single opening  28  may span multiple components  46 . Signals  48  may include acoustic signals (sound), electromagnetic signals such as radio-frequency electromagnetic signals, and light (e.g., visible and/or infrared light). In the example of  FIG. 3 , device  10  is shown as having a single opening  28  and a single associated internal electronic device component  46 . This is merely illustrative. Device  10  may have one or more openings  28  and one or more components  46  that operate using signals  48  that pass through the openings. 
       FIG. 4  is a top view of a portion of display  14  in a configuration in which display  14  has a single opening  28 . In the example of  FIG. 5 , display  14  has multiple openings  28  that form an array having multiple rows and columns. Each row and each column in the array of  FIG. 5  may contain multiple openings  28 . Other configuration such as configurations in which openings  28  have a random pattern or other irregular pattern may be used if desired. Openings  28  in the illustrative configurations of  FIGS. 4 and 5  have circular shapes, but may, in general, have any suitable shapes (e.g., shapes with curved edges, shapes with straight edges, shapes with combinations of curved and straight edges, squares, hexagons, rectangles, ovals, circles, etc.). In displays with multiple openings  28  the openings may be equal in size or may have different sizes. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , display  14  may have an array of rectangular openings  28 . In this type of arrangement, the portions of display  14  that have not been removed to create openings  28  form a grid shape. A grid-shaped display layer (i.e., a display formed from intersecting vertical and horizontal strips of display structures such as display substrate layer structures) may be used to display images for a user. As shown in  FIG. 7 , for example, display pixels  44  may formed on and supported by portions of display  14  that remain after removing display structures to form openings  28 . Display pixels  44  may, for example, be formed at or near the intersection between vertical strip portions  14 V of display  14  and horizontal strip portions  14 H of display  14 . Electrical interconnects  50  may be formed on portions of display  14 . Electrical interconnects  50  may include portions that run vertically along strip portions  14 V of display  14  and portions that run horizontally along strip portions  14 H of display  14 . The horizontal and vertical conductive lines in interconnects  50  may be used to distribute data and control signals to an array of display pixels  44  in display  14 . 
     The presence of openings such as rectangular openings  28  of  FIG. 7  in display  14  may allow an additional display to be mounted underneath display  14 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , for example, an additional display having additional display pixels  52  may be mounted under display  14  so that that display pixels  52  in the additional display are visible by a user of device  10  through openings  28 . Display pixels  52  may be pixels in an organic light-emitting-diode display, pixels in an electronic ink display, pixels in a liquid crystal display, pixels in a plasma display, or pixels in other suitable types of displays. 
     A cross-sectional side view of a device having this type of configuration is shown in  FIG. 8 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , display  14  of  FIG. 7  may serve as an upper display and display  54  may serve as a lower display. Display  14  may have openings  28  that are aligned with (i.e., that overlap) corresponding display pixels  52  in display  54 . This allows display pixel light  56  that is produced by display pixels  52  in display  54  to pass through openings  28  in display  14  for viewing by a user of device  10 . Display  14  may have display pixels such as display pixels  44  that are formed using the portions of display  14  that have not been removed to form openings  28 . Display pixels  44  may emit display light  56 . In the example of  FIG. 8 , display pixels  44  are shown as being formed on the upper surface of display  14 . This is merely illustrative. Display pixels  44  may be formed from structures that are embedded within the layers of display  14  or may be formed using other suitable display arrangements. 
     A dual layer display system of the type shown in  FIG. 8  may use one or both of displays  14  and  54  in displaying information for a user. For example, in a first mode of operation, display  14  may be active and display  54  may be inactive, in a second mode of operation, display  14  may be inactive and display  54  may be active, and in an optional third mode, displays  14  and  54  may be simultaneously active. When display  14  is active and display  54  is inactive, display pixels  44  may be used to display images to the user, whereas display pixels  52  may be inactivated to conserve power. When display  54  is active and display  14  is inactive, display pixels  52  may be used to display images to the user through openings  28  in display layer  14  while display pixels  44  may be inactivated to conserve power. If desired, display pixels  52  and  44  may be used simultaneously. 
     Control circuitry such as storage and processing circuitry  30  of  FIG. 2  may control the operation of displays  14  and  54 . Decisions as to which display(s) to activate to use in displaying images to the user of device  10  may be made by the control circuitry in device  10  in real time based on criteria such as power consumption criteria, criteria such as image quality criteria (e.g., desired display resolution, display contrast, display brightness), operating environment (e.g., high or low ambient light conditions), the nature of displayed content (e.g., whether device  10  is displaying text associated with a book or other document, whether device  10  is displaying video, whether device  10  is displaying black and white content or is displaying color information, whether device  10  is displaying content that is moving rapidly such as game content or is displaying content that moves slowly such as web page content without video, etc.), or other suitable criteria. 
     With one illustrative configuration, display  14  may be a thin flexible display such as an organic light-emitting-diode display and display  54  may be a display that is capable of consuming less power during operation than display  14 . For example, display  54  may be a liquid crystal display or an electronic ink display. With this type of dual layer display configuration, display  14  may be used for periods of time when the attributes of display  14  are desired (brightness, resolution, contrast, color accuracy, absence of motion artifacts, etc.) and when the higher power consumption of display  14  is acceptable and display  54  may be used when the attributes of display  54  are desired (e.g., lower potential power consumption with acceptable or preferably image display attributes such as brightness, resolution, contrast, etc.). 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , antenna structures  64  may be mounted under openings  28  in display  14 . Openings  28  may be transparent to radio-frequency signals, so radio-frequency signals  62  may pass through display  14 . 
     Antenna structures  64  may include one or more antennas. Examples of antennas that may be included in antenna structures  64  include near field communications antennas (e.g., antennas designed for communications using near-field-coupled electromagnetic signals conveyed over relatively short distances such as distances of 5 cm or less, 4 cm or less, or 2 cm or less), cellular telephone antennas, and local wireless area network antennas. 
     Control circuitry  30  (e.g., storage and processing circuitry  30  of  FIG. 2 ) may be used to supply data to be transmitted to radio-frequency transceiver  66  and may be used to receive incoming data from radio-frequency transceiver  66 . Radio-frequency transceiver  66  may use antenna structures  64  to transmit radio-frequency signals  62  to external equipment  60  and may use antenna structures  64  to receive radio-frequency signals  62  from external equipment  60 . 
     In near field communications scenarios, external equipment  60  may be a near field communications terminal at a store or other establishment, signals  62  may be conveyed between equipment  60  and device  10  over a relatively short distance (e.g., using electromagnetic near field coupling when device  10  and equipment  60  are separated by a distance of 5 cm or less, 4 cm or less, or 2 cm or less), and radio-frequency transceiver circuitry  66  may include near field communications radio-frequency transceiver circuitry. In other types of wireless communications schemes, radio-frequency transceiver circuitry  66  such as wireless local area network transceiver circuitry and/or cellular telephone transceiver circuitry and one or more associated antennas  64  may be used to communicate with external equipment  60  that is located farther from device  10  (e.g., 1 m or more, 10 m or more, 100 m or more, or 1000 m or more). 
     If desired, openings  28  may be used to allow acoustic signals (sound) to exit or enter device  10 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , for example, display  14  may be provided with one or more openings  28  through which acoustic signals  70  may pass. One or more acoustic components  68  may be mounted adjacent to openings  28 . Acoustic components  68  may include microphones for gathering incoming sound through openings  28 . Acoustic components  68  may also include speakers, vibrators, tone generators, buzzers, and other components for generating sound that exits device  10  and housing  12  through openings  28 . Arrangements in which microphones and sound-generating components are both mounted under openings  28  may be used or components  68  may include only microphone structures or only sound-generating structures. 
       FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device in which a camera is mounted adjacent to an opening in a display. As shown in  FIG. 11 , camera  74  may be mounted in lateral alignment with opening  28  in display  14 . During operation of device  10 , image light  72  for camera (image sensor)  74  may be received by camera  74  through opening  28 . Opening  28  of  FIG. 11  and the other drawings may, if desired, be formed in an active region of display  14  such as active region  22 . 
       FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device in which a light sensor is mounted adjacent to an opening in a display. As shown in  FIG. 12 , light sensor  76  may be mounted in lateral alignment with opening  28  so that light  78  may reach light sensor  76  through opening  28 . If desired, light  78  may reach light sensor  76  through multiple openings  28  in parallel. Light sensor  76  may be a photodiode, phototransistor, a light detector formed from an integrated circuit, a light detector formed from a discrete packaged device, a visible light sensor, an infrared light sensor, or other suitable light sensor. Light  78  may be, for example, ambient light that is indicative of the amount of brightness in the vicinity of device  10 . Light sensor  76  may be and ambient light sensor that is used in measuring light  78 . 
     Control circuitry  30  may use ambient light sensor measurements from ambient light sensor  76  in taking suitable actions in device  10 . For example, control circuitry  30  may increase the brightness of display  14  when ambient light sensor readings from ambient light sensor  76  indicate that device  10  is being used in a bright environment and/or may decrease the brightness of display  14  when ambient light sensor readings from ambient light sensor  76  indicate that device  10  is being used in a dim environment. 
       FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device in which a light-based proximity sensor is mounted adjacent to one or more openings in a display. As shown in  FIG. 13 , proximity sensor  90  may include a light source such as light source  86  and may include a light detector such as light detector  88 . Light source  86  may be formed from a light-emitting diode such as an infrared light-emitting diode or other device that produces light  80 . Light source  86  may emit light  80  (e.g., infrared light or visible light). Emitted light  80  may pass through opening  28  in display  14 . Emitted light  80  that has passed through opening  28  may reflect off of an external object such as external object  82  when external object  82  is in the vicinity of device  10  (e.g., less than 10 cm away, less than 3 cm away, or less than 1 cm away). Reflected light  84  may pass through opening  28  and may be received by light detector  88 . 
     Light detector  88  may be a semiconductor device such as a photodiode or phototransistor and may be used in measuring the magnitude of reflected light  84 . When the magnitude of reflected light  84  is relatively low, device  10  can conclude that no external object is in the vicinity of proximity detector  90  and device  10 . When the magnitude of reflected light  84  is relatively high, device  10  can conclude that an external object such as external object  82  (e.g., the user&#39;s head or other body part) is in close proximity to proximity sensor  90  and device  10 . Device  10  can take appropriate actions in response to detection of an external object in the vicinity of device  10 . For example, device  10  can temporarily deactivate touch sensor functionality in display  14  to avoid unintended input. 
     In the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 14 , device  10  has been provided with internal status indicator light sources such as light-emitting diodes  92 . Control circuitry  30  may provide control signals to light-emitting diodes  92  to turn light-emitting diodes  92  on and off and to control the brightness of light-emitting diodes  92 . When turned on, light-emitting diodes  92  may be used to emit status indicator light  94  that passes through openings  28  in display  14 . Status indicator light  94  may be indicative of the operational status of device  10 . Examples of device functions having operating status that may be reflected by the states of status indicator light-emitting diodes  92  include power functions (power on/off states), audio volume functions (e.g., current volume level or mute on or off), port functions (I/O connector plugged in or not plugged in), wireless communications circuitry functions (active/inactive), display brightness (brightness level or on/off), etc. 
     If desired, openings  28  in display  14  may be used to facilitate formation of a light-based touch sensor. A light-based touch sensor array that is capable of ascertaining the position of a user&#39;s finger or other external object in lateral dimensions X and Y may be formed using an array of light emitters and light detectors formed under display  14 . An illustrative configuration that may be used for device  10  to form a light-based touch sensor under display  14  is shown in  FIG. 15 . As shown in  FIG. 15 , display  14  may be provided with an array of openings  28 . There may be, for example, rows and columns of openings  28  in a two-dimensional array that spans some or all of the active area of display  14 . In the example of  FIG. 15 , the array of openings formed in display  14  covers only part of display  14 . This is, however, merely illustrative. Openings  28  may be arranged in an array that covers substantially all of the surface area of display  14  if desired. There may be any suitable number of openings  28  in the array (e.g., ten or more, one hundred or more, one thousand or more, etc.). Each row and column in the array may have five or more openings, ten or more openings, one hundred or more openings, etc.). Each opening may be surrounded by display pixels. 
     Light-based touch sensor array  100  may include light sources  98  and light detectors  102 . Light sources  98  may be laterally aligned with respective openings  28  and light detectors  102  may be aligned with respective openings  28 . In particular, light sources  98  may be arranged in a two-dimensional array under corresponding openings  28  and light detectors  102  may be arranged in a two-dimensional array under corresponding openings  28 . For example, sources  98  and detectors  102  may be arranged in a checkerboard pattern or other pattern that intersperses light sources  98  among light detectors  102 . Light sources  98  may be formed from light-emitting diodes (e.g., visible or infrared light-emitting diodes) or other sources of light. Light detectors  102  may be formed from semiconductor light sensor components such as silicon photodiodes, phototransistors, etc. 
     During operation, sources  98  may emit light  104 . Light  104  may pass through openings  28 . When no external objects are present in the vicinity of touch sensor  100 , light  104  will not be reflected towards detectors  102  in sensor  100 . When, however, an external object such as a user&#39;s finger or other object  96  is present in the vicinity (e.g., less than 2 cm, less than 0.5 cm, less than 0.1 cm, etc.) of one or more of light emitters  98 , some of light  104  may be reflected back towards touch sensor  100  as reflected light  106 . Reflected light  106  may pass through openings  28  in display  14  and may be received by detectors  102  in light-based touch sensor  100 . 
     Control circuitry  30  may process received light signal strength data from light sensors  102  in light-based touch sensor  100 . For example, control circuitry  30  may determine the X and Y location at which reflected light magnitude is greatest and thereby determine the location of object  96 . Signal strength interpolation and other processing schemes may be used to enhance X and Y resolution. By using reflected light measurements through openings  28  to determine the location of eternal object  96  in dimensions X and Y, an arrangement of the type shown in  FIG. 15  may be used to provide display  14  with touch sensing capabilities. 
       FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative configuration that may be used for electronic device  10  when it is desired to allow moving members to travel within openings  28 . In the example of  FIG. 16 , device  10  has control circuitry  30  formed from one or more internal components mounted on a substrate such as substrate  114 . Substrate  114  may be, for example, a printed circuit board substrate. Printed circuit board substrate  114  may be formed from a rigid printed circuit board material such as fiberglass-filled epoxy (e.g., FR4) or a flexible printed circuit board substrate such as a sheet of polyimide or other polymer (e.g., a flex circuit). Control circuitry  30  may be used to control the operation of one or more buttons or other input-output components with moving members. In the example of  FIG. 16 , a button has been provided in device  10  that has a button member such as button member  108  that travels vertically in up and down directions  110  within opening  28  in display  14 . When pressed inwardly by a user&#39;s finger or other object, button member  108  may press against switch  112 . When button member  108  is not pressed inwardly, switch  112  may bias button member  108  outwardly (i.e., vertically upward in the configuration of  FIG. 16 ). Control circuitry  30  can monitor the status of switch  112  (e.g., open/closed) to determine the state of the button. 
     Display  14  may be formed from one or more layers of material. For example, when implemented as a liquid crystal display, display  14  may include upper and lower polarizer layers and, sandwiched between the upper and lower polarizer layers, may include a thin-film transistor layer, a layer of liquid crystal material, and a color filter layer. In the example of  FIG. 17 , display  14  has been implemented using an organic light-emitting diode design. As shown in  FIG. 17 , display  14  may have an upper (outermost) surface such as surface  116  and may have a lower (innermost) surface such as surface  118 . One or more layers of material may be interposed between surfaces  116  and  118 . Openings  28  (e.g., left-hand opening  28 A and right-hand opening  28 B in the  FIG. 17  example) may pass completely through display  14  from upper surface  116  to lower surface  118  (as an example). Configurations in which recesses are formed partway through the layers of display  14  may also be used to facilitate the passage of signals through display  14 , if desired. 
     Organic light-emitting diode display  14  of  FIG. 17  may have a thickness (vertical dimension) of about 200 microns or less, 100 microns or less, or other suitable thickness. Cover glass layers may, if desired, be omitted from device  10  as shown in  FIG. 17  to reduce weight and ensure that device  10  is compact. A substrate such as substrate  126  may serve as a supporting layer for other display layers in display  14 . Substrate  126  may be formed from a thin flexible sheet of material such as a polyimide layer or a sheet of other polymer material (as examples). Thin-film devices  124  may be formed on substrate  126 . Thin-film devices  124  may include thin-film circuitry such as thin-film transistors (e.g., polysilicon and/or amorphous silicon transistors), conductive interconnects (e.g., interconnect lines formed from patterned metal, pattered indium tin oxide or other patterned transparent conductive materials, or other conductive structures), and other circuitry. Organic light-emitting material such as material  122  may be formed on top of thin-film devices  124 . An encapsulating layer such as sealant layer  120  may be used to encapsulate and protect the layer of organic light-emitting material and other underlying structures in display  14 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 17 , openings such as opening  28 A may pass through the layers of display  14  to form a passageway between the interior of device  10  and the exterior of device  10 . Openings  28  such as opening  28 A may be filled with air and may be used to convey acoustic signals, radio-frequency signals, and light. If desired, some openings  28  in display  14  such as opening  28 B may be filled with a material other than air. For example, opening  28 B may be filled with material  128  such as glass, polymer, ceramic, multiple materials such as these, or other suitable materials. 
     Material  128  may be a radio-transparent material that allows radio-frequency signals to be transmitted and received through opening  28 B. Material  128  may be clear (e.g., transparent in the visible and/or infrared portions of the light spectrum) to allow light to be transmitted and received through opening  28 B. Colored materials may also be used in implementing material  128  (e.g., to provide optical filtering capabilities to opening  28 B). 
     If desired, device  10  may be provided with one or more transparent window portions. As shown in  FIG. 18 , for example, device  10  may be provided with a transparent portion such as window  130 . Window  130  may be formed by creating transparent window regions in the front and rear surfaces of device  10 . The rear window opening may, for example, be formed from a clear glass plate or other transparent structure. The front window opening may be formed from an array of openings  28  in display  14  or from a single larger opening  28  in display  14 . 
     During operation of a device such as device  10  of  FIG. 18 , a user (depicted as viewer  132  of  FIG. 18 ) may view an object such as object  134  by looking through window  130  in direction  138 . Display  14  may have display pixels that are located within window  130 . These pixels may be activated as a user views object  134  through window  130  to form a heads-up display in which an image is displayed by the display pixels while the external object is simultaneously visible to the user of device  10 . 
     A cross-sectional side view of device  10  of FIG.  18  taken along line  142  and viewed in direction  140  is shown in  FIG. 19 . As shown in  FIG. 19 , display  14  may have openings  28  that provide a portion of display  14  with sufficient transparency to form window  130 . In the example of  FIG. 19 , openings  28  are organized in an array in part of the active region of display  14  and are interspersed among display pixels  44  and interconnects  50  in display  14 . If desired, openings  28  (or one or more larger openings  28 ) may be formed in other portions of display  14  (e.g., inactive portions of display  14 ). The arrangement of  FIG. 19  is merely illustrative. 
     Housing  12  may have a rear housing window structure such as window  136 . Window  136  may be formed from clear glass, clear plastic, or other suitable transparent structures. Control circuitry  30  may be implemented using components mounted on a substrate such as printed circuit  114 . During operation, control circuitry  30  can control images displayed on display  14  within window region  130 , so that window region  130  serves as a heads-up display. With this type of configuration, viewer  132  may view external objects such as object  134  through window  130  and corresponding rear window  136  by looking in direction  138 . At the same time that a user is viewing object  134  through windows  130  and  136 , control circuitry  30  may display images on display  14  using display pixels  44  in window  130 . The images that are displayed may relate to the user&#39;s current surroundings, may relate to camera information (e.g., when the heads-up display is used as a camera viewfinder), or other suitable information. 
     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: 20200116
Publication Date: 20201229
Grant Date: 20201229
Priority Date: 20111014
Inventors: RAPPOPORT, BENJAMIN M.
FRANKLIN, JEREMY C.
ROTHKOPF, FLETCHER R.
MYERS, SCOTT A.
HOWARTH, RICHARD P.
HOENIG, JULIAN
STRINGER, CHRISTOPHER
TERNUS, JOHN P.
LYNCH, STEPHEN BRIAN
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G02B2027/0138", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1698", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/15", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1688", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/042", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1698", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1686", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B27/01", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2360/144", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1686", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B5/208", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B2027/014", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/028", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G3/3208", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/044", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/011", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1688", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B27/01", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/04101", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/169", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B2027/014", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/011", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2320/0626", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1637", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B2027/0138", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/169", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y02E10/549", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/04108", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/044", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1641", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1637", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1698", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/028", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B5/208", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2360/144", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G3/3208", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/15", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B2027/014", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1686", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B2027/0138", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/042", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1688", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/04101", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/044", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/011", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/04108", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G02B27/01", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L27/3227", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L51/0097", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K999/99", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/169", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2320/0626", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1641", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L27/323", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1637", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H10K59/60", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H10K59/40", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H10K77/111", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H10K59/60", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H10K59/40", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 48085824