PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8712233-B2
Application Number: US-201213413525-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Electronic device assemblies

Abstract:
An electronic device may have a conductive housing. A dielectric structure may be mounted in the conductive housing to form an antenna window. An electrical component such as a camera, light sensor, or other device may press against a conductive foam structure. A printed circuit may have conductive traces that form an antenna ground and antenna resonating element. The printed circuit may be wrapped around a support structure. The electrical component, the conductive foam structure, and the printed circuit wrapped around the support structure may be compressed between a display cover layer and the antenna window. A camera window may be attached to a camera window trim using multiple adhesives. The trim may have a curved exterior surface that matches a curved housing surface. A flexible printed circuit cable may have a folded portion. A band structure may surround the folded portion to form a service loop.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device, comprising:
 a dielectric structure; 
 a support structure; 
 a flexible printed circuit that is wrapped around the support structure and that includes conductive traces that form an antenna ground and an antenna resonating element in an antenna; and 
 a conductive foam structure that presses against the antenna ground and that pushes the support structure and the antenna resonating element against the dielectric structure. 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  further comprising a conductive housing, wherein the dielectric structure is configured to form an antenna window in the conductive housing. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device defined in  claim 2  further comprises an electronic component, wherein the conductive foam structure is compressed between the electronic component and the antenna ground. 
     
     
       4. The electronic device defined in  claim 3  wherein the electronic component comprises a camera. 
     
     
       5. The electronic device defined in  claim 4  further comprising a display cover layer mounted on a front surface of the conductive housing, wherein the camera, the conductive foam structure, the support structure, and the flexible printed circuit that is wrapped around the support structure are compressed between the display cover layer and the antenna window. 
     
     
       6. The electronic device defined in  claim 5  wherein the camera, the conductive foam structure, and the flexible printed circuit are configured to occupy a volume of less than 2000 mm 3 . 
     
     
       7. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the antenna ground and antenna resonating element are configured so that the antenna operates in a satellite navigation system band. 
     
     
       8. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  further comprising at least one electrical component that presses against the conductive foam. 
     
     
       9. The electronic device defined in  claim 8  wherein the at least one electrical component includes a camera. 
     
     
       10. The electronic device defined in  claim 8  wherein the at least one electrical component includes a light sensor. 
     
     
       11. The electronic device defined in  claim 1  further comprising:
 a conductive housing in which the dielectric structure serves as an antenna window for the antenna, wherein the conductive housing has a curved surface; and 
 a camera window mounted in the curved surface. 
 
     
     
       12. Apparatus, comprising:
 an electronic device housing; 
 a camera in the electronic device housing; 
 a camera window trim structure mounted in an opening in the housing; 
 first and second adhesives of different types; and 
 a camera window that is mounted in the camera window trim structure with the first and second adhesives. 
 
     
     
       13. The apparatus defined in  claim 12  wherein the first adhesive comprises ultraviolet-light-curing adhesive and wherein the second adhesive comprises hot melt adhesive. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus defined in  claim 13  wherein the ultraviolet-light-curing adhesive and the hot melt adhesive form a seal between the camera window trim structure and the camera window. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus defined in  claim 14  wherein the electronic device housing has a curved surface and wherein the camera window trim structure has a curved exterior surface that matches curved surface of the electronic device housing. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus defined in  claim 15  wherein the camera window trim structure has grooves on the curved exterior surface. 
     
     
       17. An electronic device, comprising:
 a housing having a rectangular periphery and four corners; 
 four corner brackets, each corner bracket being located in a respective corner of the housing; 
 a rectangular display cover layer; and 
 a rectangular ring-shaped gasket that runs around the rectangular periphery and that is interposed between the display cover layer and the four corner brackets, wherein a gap laterally separates at least some of the rectangular display cover layer from the rectangular ring-shaped gasket, wherein each of the four corner brackets has a portion with a recess configured to receive a portion of the rectangular ring-shaped gasket and has a non-recessed portion, wherein the gasket has an L-shaped cross sectional shape over each non-recessed portion, wherein the gasket has an L-shaped cross-section over each non-recessed portion and has an extended portion that covers the non-recessed portion under the gap to block the corner brackets from view through the gap. 
 
     
     
       18. The electronic device defined in  claim 17  wherein the rectangular display cover layer comprises a layer of cover glass. 
     
     
       19. The electronic device defined in  claim 18  wherein the corner brackets comprises metal. 
     
     
       20. The electronic device defined in  claim 19  wherein the gasket comprises a polymer.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/603,118, filed Feb. 24, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to structures for mounting components within electronic devices. 
     Electronic devices such as portable computers and cellular telephones contain electrical components such as displays, wireless circuitry, sensors, and communications buses. It can be challenging to mount desired electrical components within an electronic device housing. Space is generally at a premium, particularly in compact devices. If care is not taken, device performance may suffer or device housing structures may be bulkier than desired. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved techniques for mounting components within electronic devices. 
     SUMMARY 
     An electronic device such as a tablet computer or other electronic equipment may have a housing. A display and other components may be mounted in the housing. Internal electrical components in the housing may include wireless circuits such as transceiver circuits, optical components such as light sensors and cameras, and other devices. 
     A housing for an electronic device may be formed from a conductive material. A dielectric structure may be mounted in a conductive housing to form an antenna window. An electrical component such as a camera, light sensor, or other device may press against a conductive foam structure in the electronic device. A flexible printed circuit may have conductive traces that form an antenna ground and antenna resonating element. The flexible printed circuit may be wrapped around a support structure. 
     One or more electrical components, the conductive foam structure and the printed circuit wrapped around the support structure may be compressed between a display cover layer and the antenna window. In this configuration, an electrical component such as a camera may press against the conductive foam. The conductive foam may press against the antenna ground. Pressure from the conductive foam may press the support structure and the antenna resonating element against the antenna window. 
     A camera window may be attached to a camera window trim using multiple adhesives. The adhesives may include an ultraviolet-light-curing adhesive and a hot melt adhesive. The trim may have a ring shape that surrounds a peripheral edge of the camera window. When mounted in the housing of the electronic device, the trim may have an exposed exterior surface. The housing may have a curved surface. The camera window may be mounted in an opening in the curved surface. The camera trim may surround the camera window and may have a curved exterior surface that matches the curved housing surface. Grooves may be formed on the curved exterior surface. 
     Signals may be routed within the electronic device using a flexible printed circuit cable. The flexible printed circuit cable may have a folded portion. A band structure may surround the folded portion to form a service loop. The flexible printed circuit cable may have one end that is coupled to an electronic component such as a display and another end that is coupled to a component such as a printed circuit board. During assembly and disassembly operations, the flexible printed circuit cable may slide within the band structure to accommodate movement between the components at the ends of the flexible printed circuit cable. 
     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 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of wireless communications circuitry for an electronic device of the type shown in  FIG. 1  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram of illustrative antenna structures coupled to a transmission line in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram showing how antenna structures may be mounted within an electronic device housing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional side view of antenna structures and electronic components mounted in an electronic device housing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5B  is a simplified representation of a compact volume in which antenna structures and electronic components may be mounted in an electronic device housing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram of a camera operating through a camera window mounted within a curved portion of an electronic device housing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device in the vicinity of a camera window in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram of a portion of a seal formed along the edge of a circular camera window in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram of an illustrative camera window mounting fixture in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram of illustrative adhesive-dispensing equipment that may be used in mounting a camera window to an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a diagram of an ultraviolet light source that may be used in curing ultraviolet light adhesive in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a diagram of illustrative vacuum-based seal testing equipment that may be used in testing how well a camera window or other structure has been mounted within an electronic device housing sidewall in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a flow chart of illustrative steps involved in mounting an electronic component such as an electronic device within an electronic device housing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of an illustrative camera window having associated grooved camera window trim structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a top view of an illustrative camera window trim ring in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a side view of a camera window trim mounted in a curved portion of an electronic device housing sidewall in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of a grooved camera trim ring in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a diagram of illustrative computer-controlled milling tool being used to machine a camera window trim member of the type shown in  FIG. 14  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a diagram of illustrative lathe being used to form a camera window trim member of the type shown in  FIG. 14  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is an exploded perspective view of a system in which a flexible printed circuit cable that has been folded has been provided with a retention band to form a service loop in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 21  is a cross-sectional end view of an illustrative folded flexible printed circuit surrounded by a retention band in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 22 ,  23 , and  24  are cross-sectional end views of an illustrative folded flexible printed circuit surrounded by a retention band formed from overlapping tape structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 25  is a top interior view of an electronic device of the type shown in  FIG. 1  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 26  is an exploded perspective view of a corner portion of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 27  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device in the vicinity of a corner of the device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 28  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device at a corner of the device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Electronic devices such as electronic device  10  of  FIG. 1  may be provided with electronic components. The electronic components may include wireless circuit components such as antenna structures and transceivers, optical component such as light sensors and cameras, interconnection paths such as flexible printed circuit signal bus structures, and other components. 
     Electronic device  10  may be a portable electronic device or other suitable electronic device. For example, electronic device  10  may be a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a somewhat smaller device such as a wrist-watch device, pendant device, headphone device, earpiece device, or other wearable or miniature device, a cellular telephone, or a media player. Device  10  may also be a television, a set-top box, a desktop computer, a computer monitor into which a computer has been integrated, or other suitable electronic equipment. 
     Device  10  may have a display such as display  14  that is mounted in a housing such as housing  12 . Display  14  may, for example, be a touch screen that incorporates capacitive touch electrodes or may be a display that is not touch sensitive. Display  14  may include image pixels formed from light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic LEDs (OLEDs), plasma cells, electrowetting pixels, electrophoretic pixels, liquid crystal display (LCD) components, or other suitable image pixel structures. 
     A display cover layer such as a layer of cover glass or a transparent plastic layer may cover the surface of display  14 . The display cover layer may have one or more openings. For example, the cover layer may have an opening to accommodate button  16 . Windows may be provided in the display cover layer to allow light to pass through the display cover layer in connection with the operation of a light sensor, camera, or other optical component. As shown in  FIG. 1 , for example, the display cover layer may have a window such as transparent camera window  18  to accommodate a front-facing camera and an opening such as window  20  to accommodate an ambient light sensor. Camera windows and openings for accommodating other internal electrical components may also be formed in housing  12  (e.g., to form a camera window for a rear-facing camera). 
     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. In some situations, housing or parts of housing  12  may be formed from dielectric or other low-conductivity material. In other situations, housing  12  or at least some of the structures that make up housing  12  may be formed from metal elements. In configurations for device  10  in which housing  12  is formed from conductive materials such as metal, one or more dielectric antenna windows such as antenna window  22  of  FIG. 1  may be formed in housing  12 . 
     Antenna window  22  may be formed from a dielectric such as plastic (as an example). Antennas in device  10  may be mounted within housing  12  so that antenna window  22  overlaps the antennas. During operation, radio-frequency antenna signals can pass through antenna window  22  and other dielectric structures in device  10  (e.g., edge portions of the cover glass for display  14 ). 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram showing illustrative wireless circuitry that may be used in device  10 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , wireless circuitry  24  may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry such as radio-frequency transceiver circuitry  28 . Radio-frequency transceiver circuitry  28  may include cellular telephone transceiver circuitry, wireless local area network transceiver circuitry, and satellite navigation system receiver circuitry such as Global Positioning System (GPS) circuitry and Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) circuitry. 
     Radio-frequency transceiver circuitry  28  may be coupled to one or more antennas such as antenna structures  26  using signal paths such as transmission line path  30 . Transmission line path  30  may include positive transmission line conductor  30 P and ground transmission line conductor  30 N. Transmission line path  30  may be include transmission line structures such as one or more segments of coaxial cable, microstrip transmission line structures, stripline transmission line structures, and other structures for conveying radio-frequency antenna signals. Front-end circuitry such as impedance matching circuits, filters, switches, and other circuitry may, if desired, be interposed within transmission line path  30 . The arrangement of  FIG. 2  is merely illustrative. 
     Antenna structures  26  may include antenna feed structures such as antenna feed  32 . Transmission line  30  may be coupled to antenna feed  32  so that signals from transmitters within transceiver circuitry  28  may be transmitted through antenna structures  26  and so that signals received by antenna structures  26  may be conveyed to receivers within transceiver circuitry  28 . Antenna feed  32  may have a positive antenna feed terminal (+) that is coupled to positive transmission line conductor  30 P and a ground antenna feed terminal (−) that is coupled to ground transmission line conductor  30 G. If desired, antenna structures  26  may be provided with multiple antenna feeds. Each feed may be associated with a respective antenna or multiple feeds may be associated with a common antenna. 
     An illustrative configuration that may be used for one or more antennas in antenna structures  26  is shown in  FIG. 3 . In the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 3 , antenna  26  has been implemented using an inverted-F antenna design. This is merely illustrative. Antennas such as antenna  26  of  FIG. 3  may be formed using patch antennas, monopole antennas, dipole antennas, loop antennas, open and closed slot antennas, helical antennas, planar inverted-F antennas, other suitable antennas, or hybrid antennas that include antenna structures associated with two or more different types of antenna. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , illustrative antenna  26  may have an antenna resonating element such as antenna resonating element  34  and an antenna ground such as antenna ground  36 . Antenna resonating element  34  may have a main antenna resonating element arm such as arm  34 A and a short circuit branch such as branch  34 B that is coupled between arm  34 A and antenna ground  36 . Antenna feed  32  may be formed in a branch of antenna  26  that runs parallel to short circuit branch  34 B and may be coupled to positive conductor  30 P and ground conductor  30 N of transmission line  30 . 
     Antenna resonating element  34  may have multiple branches, curved portions, straight portions, portions with different widths, or any other suitable antenna resonating element shape. Resonating element  34  and antenna ground  36  may be formed from conductive structures in device  10  such as wires, traces on printed circuits (e.g., rigid printed circuit boards such as fiberglass-filled epoxy and flexible printed circuits formed from flexible sheets of polymer such as polyimide), metal housing structures, portions of electronic components such as shielding cans, brackets and other mounting structures, planar metal structures (e.g., sheet metal housing structures), peripheral conductive members that run around the rectangular periphery of an electronic device (e.g., a bezel or conductive housing sidewall), housing structures such as all or part of front, rear, or side housing structures, etc. 
     To ensure satisfactory performance, it may be desirable to accurately control the placement of antenna structures relative to other structures in device  10 , such as antenna window  22  and conductive structures that might affect antenna performance. For example, it may be desirable to accurately control the placement of antenna ground structures relative to antenna resonating element  34 A. 
     A cross-sectional side view of an illustrative configuration that may be used for antenna structures in device  10  is shown in  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , antenna  26  may have an antenna ground formed from conductive structures such as one or more electrical components  36 C, conductive foam  36 B, and conductive antenna ground trace  36 A on flexible printed circuit  38  (and, if desired, portions of conductive housing  12 ). Antenna resonating element  34  may be formed from conductive traces on flexible printed circuit  38 . Antenna resonating element  34  may be mounted within device  10  so that antenna window  22  overlaps antenna resonating element  34 . This allows radio-frequency signals associated with antenna  26  to pass through window  22 . 
     Components  36 C may include optical components, processing circuitry, audio devices, buttons, communications circuitry, circuitry mounted on one or more printed circuits, integrated circuit shielding cans, connectors, or other electrical components. As an example, components  36 C may include an ambient light sensor and a digital camera. 
     Conductive foam structure  36 B may include a layer of conducting foam and/or a layer of non-conducting foam that has a conducting coating such as a conductive fabric coating. 
     Support structure  40  may be used to support printed circuit  38 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , flexible printed circuit  38  may be wrapped around support structure  40  so that conductive foam  36 B presses against antenna ground  36 A. Support structure  40  may be formed from injection molded plastic or other dielectric material. 
     The structures of  FIG. 4  may be compressed between the front and rear surface of device  10 . For example, the front surface of device  10  may be covered with display cover layer  14 CG. Display cover layer  14 CG may be formed from a sheet of transparent plastic, a sheet of glass, or other transparent dielectric. A layer of opaque masking material such as black ink may be interposed between the inner surface of display cover layer  14 CG and components  36 C to hide components  36 C from view. 
     When assembled to form the configuration of  FIG. 4 , conductive foam  36 B may be compressed between support structure  40  and grounded components  36 C. As a result, any dielectric (air) gaps within the structures that make up antenna ground  36  will be removed. The compression of these structures also biases antenna ground  36 A firmly against the top surface of support structure  40  while biasing antenna resonating element structure  34  against the lower surface of support structure  40  and the inner surface of dielectric antenna window structure  22 . By compressing the antenna structures against the outsides of support structure  40 , the distance D 3  between antenna ground  36 A and antenna resonating element  34  will be well controlled. The well-controlled magnitude of distance D 2 , the absence of potentially variable-size air gaps between ground  36 A and grounded components  36 C, and the absence of potentially variable-size air gaps between antenna resonating element and antenna window  22  may help ensure that antenna  26  performs according to desired specifications. Even if the dimension D 1  of components  36 C varies due to manufacturing variations, the flexible size (thickness) D 2  of conductive foam  36 B helps to ensure that a unitary ground element is present that extends from the inner surface of display cover layer  14 CG to antenna ground  36 A on printed circuit  38 . The biasing of support structure  40  and antenna resonating element  34  against window  22  helps ensure that performance variations due to air gap variations between resonating element  34  and antenna window  22  will be negligible. 
       FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative configuration for device  10  that includes an antenna such as antenna  26  of  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 5A , antenna  26  may include antenna resonating element  34  and antenna ground structures such as antenna ground structures  36 A,  36 B, and  36 C. Antenna  26  may be mounted in device  10  so that antenna window  22  overlaps antenna  26  and allows radio-frequency antenna signals to pass through antenna window  22  without being blocked by metal housing  12 . Components such as microphone  48  may, if desired, be mounted to device  10  on the inner surface of antenna window  22 . 
     Display cover layer  14 CG may be mounted to the front face of device  10  using gasket  50 . Conductive structures  36 C may include metal-shielded (grounded) camera  36 C- 1  and ambient light sensor  36 C- 2 . Camera  36 C- 1  may be mounted within device  10  using alignment structure  42  (e.g., a plastic structure). Adhesive may be used to couple the structures of device  10  together. Flex circuit  44  may be used to route signals between electronic components  36 C and storage and processing circuitry  46 . Storage and processing circuitry  46  may be mounted on one or more printed circuit boards and may include memory, digital signal processing integrated circuits, microprocessors, system-on-chip integrated circuits, and application-specific integrated circuits. Transceiver circuitry such as transceiver circuitry  28  of  FIG. 2  may be included in circuitry  46  of  FIG. 5A . 
     Antenna feed  32  may be configured to receive signals from coaxial cable center conductor  30 P (at positive antenna feed terminal +) and signals from outer ground coaxial cable conductor  30 G (at ground antenna feed terminal −). Flex circuit  38  may contain conductive traces (e.g., metal traces) that form antenna resonating element  34  and antenna ground  36 A. 
     The configuration of  FIG. 5A  allows components such as camera  36 C- 1 , ambient light sensor  36 C- 2 , and antenna  26  (e.g., antenna resonating element  34  and antenna ground  36 ) and other structures of  FIG. 5A  such as conductive foam  36 B, microphone  48 , support structure  40 , etc. to be mounted within a compact volume. As shown in  FIG. 5A , these components may be mounted within a volume that is characterized by dimensions such as lateral (horizontal) dimension L 1 , a perpendicular lateral dimension L 3  (e.g., a dimension into the page in the example of  FIG. 5A ), and vertical dimension L 2 . The magnitude of L 1  may be, for example, about 15 mm (e.g., 5 to 45 mm, 10-20 mm, less than 30 mm, or other suitable magnitude). The magnitude of L 2  may be, for example, about 8 mm (e.g., 3 to 25 mm, 4 to 16 mm, less than 16 mm, or other suitable magnitude). The magnitude of L 3  may be, for example, about 20 mm (e.g., 7 to 60 mm, 10 to 40 mm, less than 40 mm, or other suitable magnitude).  FIG. 5B  is a simplified perspective view of the illustrative volume within device  10  in which components such as camera  36 C- 1 , ambient light sensor  36 C- 2 , and antenna  26 . As shown in  FIG. 5B , due to the angled shape of the curved outer surface of window  22 , the volume available for mounting components such as camera  36 C- 1 , ambient light sensor  36 C- 2 , and antenna  26  may approximate a triangular prism shape. The prism may have a triangular cross-sectional area with lengths L 1 , L 2 , and HP. Angle A may be about 20-50°. The area of the triangular cross-section may be about 60 mm 2  (e.g., when L 1  is 15 mm and L 2  is 8 mm) and the size of the volume shown in  FIG. 5B  may be about 1200 mm3 (e.g., when L 3  is 20 mm). In general, the volume in which components such as camera  36 C- 1 , ambient light sensor  36 C- 2 , and antenna  26  may be mounted may have any suitable size (e.g., 500 to 2000 mm 3 , less than 2000 mm 3 , less than 1500 mm 3 , less than 1200 mm 3 , less than 1000 mm 3 , less than 500 mm 3 , etc.). 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of device  10  showing how device  10  may have a camera such as rear-facing camera  52 . Transparent camera window  56  may be formed in an opening in housing  12 . Transparent camera window  56  may be formed from a transparent material such as clear plastic or glass. During operation of camera  52 , camera  52  may receive light from images such as light rays  54  through window  56 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the exterior surface of housing  12  may be curved in the vicinity of window  56 . Window structure  56  may be circular, oval, rectangular, or may have other suitable shapes. The opening in housing  12  in which window structure  56  is mounted may have a corresponding circular shape, a corresponding oval shape, a corresponding rectangular shape, or other mating shape. A trim structure such as camera trim structure  60  may surround the periphery (outer edge) of camera window  56  and may be interposed between housing  12  and window  56 . The shape of trim structure  60  may be configured to mate with the shapes of the opening of the camera window hole in housing  12  and window  56 . For example, if window  56  is circular and the corresponding opening in housing  12  is circular, trim structure  60  may have a circular ring shape. If window  56  has other shapes (e.g., rectangular, oval, etc.), trim  60  may have a corresponding shape (e.g., rectangular, oval, etc.). Trim  60  may be formed from plastic, metal, ceramic, or other suitable materials. For example, trim  60  may be formed from aluminum. 
     Camera holder structures such as camera holder  58  may be used in mounting camera  52  in device  10  so that camera lens  52 L may receive incoming image light  54  through window  56 . Camera holder  58  may have a ring shape that surrounds the periphery of camera window  56 . 
     A fixture such as fixture  62  of  FIG. 8  may be used in assembling camera window  56 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , camera window  56  may have an upper surface with an optical coating such as coating  56 B on glass substrate portion  56 A. Optical coating  56 B may be, for example, an infrared-blocking filter to improve camera performance for camera  52 . Opposing exterior surface  68  of camera window  56  may, if desired, be provided with a coating (e.g., an anti-scratch coating, an anti-smudge coating, an anti-reflection coating, etc.). In the illustrative example of  FIG. 8 , camera window substrate  56 A has an uncoated exterior surface. 
     Due to process variations, there is a risk that exterior surface  68  of camera window  56  may be proud of exterior trim surface  70  of trim  60 , particularly in camera window configurations of the type shown in  FIG. 8  in which camera window exterior peripheral edge  72  and mating surface  74  of trim  60  have curved shapes. Fixture  62  may be used to ensure that surface  68  and  70  are aligned. In particular, fixture  62  may be pressed upwards in direction  76  during assembly. Pressure from fixture  62  helps align surfaces  68  and  70 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     Adhesive may be used to secure window  56  relative to trim  60  after alignment with fixture  62 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , multiple types of adhesive may be used in mounting camera window  56 . Initially, ultraviolet-light-cured adhesive (UV adhesive)  64  may be used to secure the position of camera window  56  relative to trim  60 . After adhesive  64  has been cured to hold window  56  in place, additional adhesive such as hot melt adhesive  66  may be applied. Hot melt adhesive  66  may be a glue that is liquid at elevated temperatures (i.e., temperatures above room temperature) and that solidifies upon cooling to room temperature. To create a satisfactory seal between camera holder  58  and camera window  56 , camera holder  58  may be pressed downwards in direction  78  while adhesive  66  is in its molten state. 
     Adhesives  66  and  64  may have different mechanical properties. For example, adhesive  66  may be more flexible and able to withstand damage due to sharp impacts than adhesive  64 . The presence of adhesive  66  may therefore help to ensure that the seal formed between camera window  56  and camera holder  58  and trim  60  is able to withstand damage from unintended drop events and other impact events. Adhesive  66  may help prevent adhesive  64  from cracking and, in the event that adhesive  64  develops a crack, may serve as a redundant sealing structure for window  56 . 
     Equipment that may be used in forming camera window  56  is shown in  FIGS. 9 ,  10 ,  11 , and  12 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , a computer-controlled fixture such as fixture  62  (i.e., a fixture with a computer-controlled positioner) may be used in positioning camera window  56  relative to other device structures such as trim  60  and housing  12  of  FIG. 1 . If desired, a manually-operated fixture may be used in assembling camera window  56 . 
     Adhesive dispensing equipment  80  of  FIG. 10  may be used to dispense adhesive  88  such as adhesive  64  and/or adhesive  66  of  FIG. 8 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , adhesive dispensing equipment  80  may include an adhesive reservoir such as adhesive reservoir  82  coupled to dispensing nozzle  86 . The position of nozzle  86  may be controlled manually or using computer-controlled positioner  90 . When dispensing hot melt adhesive, heater  84  may be used to heat the adhesive prior to application. 
     Ultraviolet-light-curing adhesive such as adhesive  64  of  FIG. 8  may be cured by application of ultraviolet light. Illustrative equipment that may be used for curing ultraviolet-light-curing adhesive is shown in  FIG. 11 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , ultraviolet light source  100  may produce ultraviolet light  98 . Ultraviolet light source  100  may be an ultraviolet lamp, a light-emitting diode that produces ultraviolet light, or a laser that produces ultraviolet light. Light  98  may cure ultraviolet-light-curing adhesive  96  to attach structures  92  and  94  to each other. 
       FIG. 12  shows how a seal that has been formed around camera window structures or other structures that have been attached to each other using adhesive may be tested using vacuum testing equipment  102 . In the example of  FIG. 12 , structures  104  and  106  have been attached using adhesive  114 . Adhesive  114  may include ultraviolet-light cured adhesive, hot melt adhesive and/or other adhesives. By attaching structure  106  in an opening formed in structure  104  with adhesive  114 , a seal is formed between structure  104  and  106 . Structure  104  may be, for example, a structure such as camera window  56  and structure  106  may be, for example, a structure such as trim  60 . 
     Vacuum test equipment  102  may include a vacuum seal tester such as vacuum seal tester  110  and an associated structure for applying vacuum over the seal to be tested such as vacuum application structure  108 . During testing, tester  110  may create a vacuum. The vacuum may cause air  116  to be evacuated from interior portion  120  of structure  108  via outlet  118 . When all air has been evacuated from interior portion  120 , tester  110  can evaluate the quality of the vacuum in interior portion  120 . If the seal formed by adhesive  114  is satisfactory, the rate at which air enters interior portion  120  will be negligible. If, however, the seal is not satisfactory, leaking air  112  may cause the air pressure within interior portion  120  to rise. By measuring the quality of the vacuum that is produced within interior portion  120 , tester  110  may determine whether or not the seal formed by adhesive  114  is acceptable for use in device  10 . If the seal is not satisfactory, device  10  can be repaired or scrapped. 
       FIG. 13  is a flow chart of illustrative steps involved in forming a camera window for device  10 . At step  122 , equipment such as fixture  62  of  FIG. 9  may be used to hold window  56  and trim  60  in place. By using fixture  62 , the relative position of window  56  relative to trim  60  may be controlled, thereby avoiding undesirable configurations in which surface  68  of window  56  is proud of surface  70  of trim  60 . 
     At step  124 , while the position of window  56  relative to trim  60  is being controlled by fixture  62 , adhesive dispensing equipment  80  of  FIG. 10  may be used to dispense ultraviolet-light-cured adhesive  64  into the gap formed between trim  60  and window  56 . 
     At step  126 , ultraviolet light source  110  may be used to apply ultraviolet light  98  to adhesive  64 . This cures adhesive  64  and secures window  56  relative to trim  60 . 
     At step  128 , adhesive dispensing equipment  80  of  FIG. 10  may be used to dispense hot melt adhesive  66 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , adhesive  66  may fill the remaining gap between window  56  and trim  60  and may abut adhesive  64 . While the hot melt adhesive is still in its molten state, a computer-controlled fixture such as fixture  62  of  FIG. 9  or other computer-controlled or manually controlled equipment may be used to press camera holding structure  58  downwards on adhesive  66  in direction  78  ( FIG. 8 ). Camera holding structure  58  may be held in the position of  FIG. 8  until hot melt adhesive  66  cools and sets. 
     After window  56  has been mounted to device  10  in this way, vacuum seal testing equipment  102  of  FIG. 12  may be used to test the seal between window  56  and device  10  (e.g., the seal formed by adhesives  64  and  66 ). If the seal is not satisfactory, device  10  can be repaired or discarded. 
     It may be desirable to provide exterior surface  70  of trim  60  with grooves or other features (e.g., to enhance device aesthetics), as shown in  FIG. 14 . When mounting camera window  56  in a portion of housing  12  that contains a curved surface, it may be desirable to provide trim  60  with a matching curved shape of the type shown in  FIG. 14 . 
       FIG. 15  is a top view of trim  60 , showing how trim  60  may have a circular ring shape.  FIG. 16  is a side view of trim  60  viewed in direction  136  of  FIG. 15  in a configuration in which trim  60  has been mounted within a portion of housing  12  with a curved surface. As shown in  FIG. 16 , the curved surface shape of trim  60  may be configured to match the curved surface shape of housing  12 . 
       FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of trim  60  taken along line  138  of  FIG. 15  and viewed in direction  140 . As shown in  FIG. 17 , exterior surface  70  of trim  60  may have grooves  134 . Grooves  134  may have a wavy (e.g., sinusoidal) profile, a triangular profile, a square profile or other suitable shape. Trim  60  may be formed form a material such as metal (e.g., aluminum) and the shape and surface of trim  60  may be formed using machining techniques. 
       FIG. 18  is a diagram of illustrative computer-controlled milling equipment that may be used in forming grooves  134  of  FIG. 17 . As shown in  FIG. 18 , equipment  143  (e.g., a computer numerical control machine tool) may include computer-controlled positioner  142  to control the position of milling (grinding) head  144 . Using computer control, head  144  may trace out a pattern of grooves  134  following curved exterior surface  70  of trim  60 . 
     If desired, a lathe may be used in forming grooves  134 . As shown in  FIG. 19 , lathe equipment  156  may include a holder such as holder  146  for holding trim  60  during lathing operations. Rotator  148  may be used in rotating holder  146  and trim  60  about rotational axis  150 . While trim  60  is being rotated about axis  150 , computer-controlled positioner  152  may move lathe head  154  laterally in directions  156  and  160  in a pulsing fashion to create grooves  134  on curved surface  70 . 
     Device  10  may contain flexible printed circuit (“flex circuit”) structures formed from sheets of polyimide or other polymers. Metal traces on the flexible printed circuits may be used to form signal buses. Flex circuit signal cables that contain signal buses may be relatively compact and can have numerous parallel signal traces for carrying relatively large number of signals, if desired. 
     It may be desirable to use a flexible printed circuit cable (“flex circuit cable”) to couple portions of device  10  that move relative to each other during assembly or disassembly. As an example, one end of a flex circuit cable may be attached to a printed circuit board and the other end of the flex circuit cable may be attached to a display or other component. During manufacturing operations or during disassembly to repair a device, it may be necessary to move the display relative to the printed circuit board. The flex circuit cable may be provided with an additional length such as a folded portion to accommodate relative movement between these two components without need to disconnect the flex circuit cable. This type of additional length of flex circuit cable may sometimes be referred to as a service loop. 
     To prevent a flex circuit cable with a service loop from becoming tangled, the service loop may be provided with a service loop band that gathers together segments of the flex circuit cable. The service loop band serves as a cable management structure that prevents excessive lengths of the flex circuit cable from becoming caught on components in device  10  as device  10  is assembled and disassembled. 
     An illustrative service loop band configuration that may be used for a flex circuit cable is shown in  FIG. 20 . As shown in the flexible printed circuit cable assembly of  FIG. 20 , flex circuit cable  166  may contain parallel conductive traces  184  (e.g., metal traces) and substrate  186 . Substrate  186  may be formed from a flexible polymer layer such as a ribbon-shaped strip of polyimide. 
     Flex circuit cable  166  may have opposing first and second ends. End  168  may have a connector such as connector  170  that is adapted to mate with connector  172  on component  174 . End  176  may have a connector such as connector  178  that is adapted to mate with connector  180  on component  182 . Components  182  and  174  may be structures such as a printed circuit board that is populated with one or more integrated circuits, a display, an audio component, or other components of device  10 . If desired, solder connections or connections formed from conductive adhesive may be used in place of connectors  170 ,  172 ,  176 , and  180 . The arrangement of  FIG. 20  is merely illustrative. 
     As shown in  FIG. 20 , flex circuit cable  166  may have one or more bends such as bend  188 . Due to the presence of bend  188 , flex circuit  166  may be folded back on itself in folded region  164  to form a service loop. The service loop includes upper flex circuit cable layer  166 A and lower flex circuit cable layer  166 B. To manage cable  166 , cable  166  may be provided with one or more band structures such as band  162 . Band  162  may surround folded flex circuit cable  166  so that layers  166 A and  166 B are held together as shown in  FIG. 20 . Band  162  may be configured to allow the length of flex circuit cable  166  within the service loop to change when tension is placed on cable  166  (i.e., band  162  may allow layer  166 A and/or layer  166 B to slip longitudinally under band  162  in directions  190  and/or  192  as needed). 
       FIGS. 21 ,  22 ,  23 , and  24  are cross-sectional end views of cable  166  taken along line  194  and viewed in direction  196  of  FIG. 20 . Band structure  162  may be formed from an elastomeric polymer or other suitable material. 
     In the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 21 , the band  162  is substantially free of adhesive. Because the inner surface of the loop-shaped band structure that forms band  162  is free of adhesive, both layer  166 A and layer  166 B of flex circuit cable  166  can move relative to band  162 . 
     This movement allows the length of the service loop that is formed in the flex circuit cable to vary to accommodate movement of parts during assembly and disassembly operations. Band  162  of  FIG. 21  may be, for example, an elastomeric loop. 
     In the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 22 , band structure  162  has been formed from a strip of polymer. Two layers of adhesive  198  have been used to attach band  162  to itself and to the upper surface of flex circuit cable layer  166 A. Upper layer  166 A is attached to the inner surface of band  162  by adhesive  198 , but lower layer  166 B is not attached to band  162  by adhesive  198  and is therefore free to move relative to band  162  when the length of the service loop is adjusted. 
     In the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 23 , band structure  162  has been formed from a strip of polymer that is attached to itself with adhesive  198 , but which does not have any adhesive to attach band structure  162  to flex circuit cable layers  166 A and  166 B. With this type of configuration, both layers  166 A and  166 B may slide within band  162  as the size of the service loop in the flex circuit cable is adjusted. 
     The arrangement of  FIG. 24  uses two layers of adhesive  198  and includes more overlapping area between the ends of band structure  162  than the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 22 . The upper (exterior) surface of layer  166 A is attached to the inner surface of band  162  by adhesive  198  and therefore does not slide relative to band  162 . Layer  166 B is not, however, attached to band  162  by adhesive so that layer  166 A may slide within band  162  as the size of the service loop in the flex circuit cable is adjusted. 
     The configurations of  FIGS. 21 ,  22 ,  23 , and  24  are merely illustrative. Other suitable band-shaped structure may be used to retain folded flex circuit cable structures in device  10 , if desired. 
       FIG. 25  is a top interior view of an electronic device such as device  10  of  FIG. 1 . In the configuration of  FIG. 25 , display cover layer  14 CG ( FIG. 4 ) is not present, so interior components in housing  12  are visible. As shown in  FIG. 25 , corner brackets  200  may be provided at each of the four corners of housing  12  to help strengthen device  10  and support display cover layer  14 CG. Corner brackets  200  may be formed from a metal such as stainless steel, other metals, or other materials. An elastomeric gasket such as gasket  202  may run along the peripheral edge of device housing  12 . Gasket  202  may have a rectangular ring shape for receiving a rectangular display cover layer such as display cover layer  14 CG. When installed in device  10 , gasket  202  may be interposed between display cover layer  14 CG and the walls of housing  12 . 
     Gasket  202  may be formed from an elastomeric material such as a flexible polymer. As an example, gasket  202  may be formed from polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), a PC/ABS blend, silicone, polyamide, butyl rubber, polyurethane, or other suitable gasket material. Gasket  202  need not have a uniform width (later dimension in the page of  FIG. 25 ). For example, gasket  202  may have a narrowed width at the corners of housing  12 . This narrowed width may allow corner brackets  200  to be locally enlarged to enhance strength. 
       FIG. 26  is an exploded perspective view of a corner portion of electronic device  10  showing how gasket  202  may have portions that are configured to fit within recessed portions  200 R of bracket  200 . As shown in  FIG. 26 , some portions of gasket  202  are wider than others. In the  FIG. 26  example, the corner of gasket  202  is narrower than adjacent edge portions of gasket  202 . Bracket  200  may have recessed portions such as recesses  200 R. The size and shape of recesses  200 R may be configured to receive mating portions of gasket  202 . 
     A cross-sectional side view of device  10  of  FIG. 25  taken along line  208  of  FIG. 25  and viewed in direction  210  is shown in  FIG. 27 . Along line  208 , gasket  202  may have an L-shaped cross section. As shown in  FIG. 27 , corner bracket  200  may have a removed portion (e.g., a recess) such as removed portion  200 R to accommodate widened portion  202 W of L-shaped gasket  202 . Adhesive  214  such as pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) may be used to attach display cover layer  14 CG to bracket  200 . 
     A cross-sectional side view of device  10  of  FIG. 25  taken along line  204  and viewed in direction  206  is shown in  FIG. 28 . As shown in  FIG. 28 , in this non-recessed portion of corner bracket  200 , corner bracket  200  may have material  228  in region  226  (i.e., recess  200 R of  FIG. 27  may be filled in with corner bracket material at the corner of device  10 ). The presence of material  228  in region  226  of bracket  200  may help locally strengthen bracket  200 , but may give rise to a risk that bracket  200  will be visible to a user of device  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 28 , gasket  202  may be provided with an extended portion such as portion  202 E that covers portion  218  of bracket  220  in region  216 . Extended portion  202 E may provide gasket  202  with an L-shaped cross section. A gap may laterally separate the outer peripheral edge of display cover layer  14 CG from an opposing inner peripheral edge of rectangular ring-shaped gasket  202 . Extended portion  202 E of gasket  202  may extend under the edge of display cover layer  14 CG. When extended portion  202 E overlaps the gap between display cover layer  14 CG and gasket  202  in this way, extended portion  202 E can block portion  218  of bracket  200  from view in direction  222  along line  224  by viewer  220 . Accordingly, bracket  200  will be hidden from view from the exterior of device  10 , even in the presence of a gap between the outer edge of cover glass  14 CG and the opposing inner edge of gasket  202 . 
     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: 20120306
Publication Date: 20140429
Grant Date: 20140429
Priority Date: 20120224
Inventors: GIBBS KEVIN D.
PETERSON CARL R.
UTTERMANN ERIK A.
LENAHAN CONOR P.
TERNUS JOHN P.
WODRICH JUSTIN R.
KIBITI ELVIS M.
WRIGHT DEREK
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04N23/51", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0264", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B2217/002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0264", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B19/04", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B1/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q9/42", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/055", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B17/02", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0277", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1698", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0277", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1698", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B17/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q9/42", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/028", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B17/30", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0217", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B1/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B17/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B17/30", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0204", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B1/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B17/22", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B17/30", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1698", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q1/24", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01Q9/42", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0264", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/0277", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K1/028", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K5/0018", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B17/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04N23/51", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G03B2217/002", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H05K2201/055", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 48742661