The ability to dynamically change the colors of electronic devices will enable a new array of personalized electronic devices that can provide additional function, such as responding to the whims of users or changes in the environment of the user. Thus there is a desire to provide electronic devices with such color changing capability without greatly increasing the size and power consumption of the electronic device.
Color changing cover devices for use with electronic devices are disclosed herein.
In one illustrative embodiment, a color changing cover device for an electronic device comprises a translucent cover component appearing white when not illuminated and having a shape adapted to cover a select portion, such as one or more sides, of the electronic device. The translucent cover component has a direct transmission of less than 10% and a diffuse transmission of greater than 1%. The color changing cover device also includes a backlight component arranged to illuminate the translucent cover component from a back surface of the translucent cover component. The backlight component is configured to provide at least two individually addressable colored lights with different spectral output.
The color changing cover can be mounted on an electronic device so as to cover a select portion of the electronic device, with appropriate connections made between the power and control units of the electronic device and the backlight component of the color changing cover device. This will allow the illumination color of the translucent cover component to be changed dynamically, for example, according to user preferences specified through the electronic device. The colored lights provided by the backlight component can be selected such that there is virtually no limit to the visible color that the translucent cover component can have when illuminated.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing summary and the following detailed description are exemplary. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure.
The following is a description of the figures in the accompanying drawings. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic in the interest of clarity and conciseness.
The backlight component (not visible in
In
In one embodiment, the translucent cover component 12 is made from a white glass-ceramic material. For damage resistance, the white glass-ceramic material is selected from (i) a white glass-ceramic material having at least one surface under a compressive stress of at least 200 MPa and a compressively stressed layer with a depth of layer of at least 15 μm, (ii) a white glass-ceramic material having at least one surface under a compressive stress of at least 700 MPa and a compressively stressed layer with a depth of layer of at least 20 μm, and (iii) a white glass-ceramic material having a compressive stress and compressively stressed layer as in (i) or (ii) and a liquidus viscosity of greater than 50 kP, preferably greater than 100 kP, and more preferably greater than 200 kP. Examples of glass-ceramic compositions that can be chemically strengthened to have the properties described above are disclosed in, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/038,203. The chemical strengthening process will provide the white glass-ceramic material with the required toughness to resist damage from impact with hard surfaces.
In another embodiment, the translucent cover component 12 is made of two layers of material. As shown in
In yet another embodiment, the translucent cover component 12 may be made of a white polymer or other material or structure having the translucency, transmission, and color properties described above for the translucent cover component 12.
In
Returning to
Other scattering patterns may be formed on, or embedded in, the back surface 14 of the translucent cover component 12 (12a) besides the ones shown in
The color changing cover device 10 described above will enable an electronic device whose color can be dynamically changed. In the unpowered state, the translucent cover component 12 (12a) will appear white and opaque. In the powered state, the color of the translucent cover component 12 (12a) can be changed via the backlight component 16 (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e). The control of the backlight component can be achieved through the electronic device. For example, the user of the electronic device could set the desired color for the cover through a menu displayed on a screen of the electronic device. The electronic device will then control the intensities of the light sources in the backlight component 16 (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e) to provide the desired illumination color to the translucent cover component 12 (12a). The translucent cover component 12 (12a) can be illuminated with a solid color or gradient color or a colored image or pattern. For example, light sources in the backlight component 16 (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e) can be arranged in a predetermined pattern and individually controlled to illuminate the translucent cover component 12 with a predetermined image or pattern. Waveguides embedded in the translucent cover component 12 (12a) or patterned illumination arrays can also be used to create illuminated images in the translucent cover component 12 (12a).
Polymer-based covers scratch easily, whereas hard glass or glass-ceramic covers are more resistant to surface scratching. If the glass or glass-ceramic cover is ion exchanged with a compressive stress of more than 200 MPa and a depth of layer greater than 15 microns, the glass or glass-ceramic cover will have improved damage resistance and retained strength after use. Table I below lists some exemplary glass-ceramics that are well suited for making the translucent cover component 12 (12a).
To minimize visibility of components behind the translucent cover component 12 (12a), it is desirable for the translucent cover component 12 (12a) to have a low direct transmission. However, it is also desirable to let as much of the backlight through the translucent cover component 12 (12a) as possible to maximize efficiency and minimize power consumption for a given brightness, so a high diffuse transmission is required. In general, the translucent cover component 12 (12a) needs to have less than 10% direct transmission to prevent viewing of the device interior. Also, a direct transmission of less than 5% is needed to obscure the interior in bright ambient conditions such as sunlight, while a direct transmission of less than 2% is most desirable for obscuring the interior even when backlit. For high efficiency, the diffuse transmission should be greater than 2% and more preferably greater than 5% to decrease power consumption, and most preferably the diffuse transmission should exceed 10% for optimal device brightness and battery life.
The diffuse and direct transmission curves for composition 519HHT heat treated under various conditions are illustrated in
Finally, it is desirable to have as broad a color palette as possible, so a neutral white cover is ideal. In general, the D65 reflected color coordinates L*, a* and b* should be within the following limits: 80≤L*≤100, −5≤a*5, and −5≤b*≤5. A larger color palette is achievable when 85≤L*≤100, −≤3a*≤3, and −3≤b*≤4.
While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims.
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 14/711,073 filed on May 13, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/005,345 filed May 30, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14711073 | May 2015 | US |
Child | 16266665 | US |