Patent Application
20220225492
This relates generally to electronic devices, and, more particularly, to electronic devices with displays.
Electronic devices often have displays. Portability may be a concern for some devices, which tends to limit available real estate for displays.
An electronic device may be provided with a foldable housing that allows the device to fold and unfold about a bend axis. A flexible display may be mounted in the foldable housing. The flexible display may have an array of pixels forming a display panel. The display panel may be configured to bend along the bend axis as the device is folded.
The display panel may display images that are viewable through a transparent display cover layer that overlaps the display panel. The display cover layer may be formed from a layer of glass. An elongated groove or other recess may be formed in the layer of glass that runs parallel to the bend axis while overlapping the bend axis. The recess may form a flexible locally thinned portion in the glass layer. This thinned portion allows the display cover layer to bend as the foldable device is opened and closed.
Polymer may be placed in the recess to help planarize the inner side of the display cover layer adjacent to the display panel. To promote wetting and adhesion of the polymer in the recess and to help reduce reflections, the inner surface of thinned portion of the display cover may be provided with a rough texture. The thinned portion may have variable-thickness portions that transition in thickness between a minimum thinned portion thickness associated with the thinnest area of the thinned portion and a maximum display layer thickness associated with non-thinned portions of the display cover layer.
Electronic devices may be provided with displays. Displays may be used for displaying images for users. Displays may be formed from arrays of light-emitting diode pixels or other pixels. For example, a device may have an organic light-emitting diode display or a display formed from an array of micro-light-emitting diodes (e.g., diodes formed from crystalline semiconductor dies).
A schematic diagram of an illustrative electronic device having a display is shown in
Device 10 may include control circuitry 20. Control circuitry 20 may include storage and processing circuitry for supporting the operation of device 10. The storage and processing circuitry may include storage such as 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 control circuitry 20 may be used to gather input from sensors and other input devices and may be used to control output devices. The processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors and other wireless communications circuits, power management units, audio chips, application specific integrated circuits, etc. During operation, control circuitry 20 may use a display and other output devices in providing a user with visual output and other output.
To support communications between device 10 and external equipment, control circuitry 20 may communicate using communications circuitry 22. Circuitry 22 may include antennas, radio-frequency transceiver circuitry (wireless transceiver circuitry), and other wireless communications circuitry and/or wired communications circuitry. Circuitry 22, which may sometimes be referred to as control circuitry and/or control and communications circuitry, may support bidirectional wireless communications between device 10 and external equipment over a wireless link (e.g., circuitry 22 may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry such as wireless local area network transceiver circuitry configured to support communications over a wireless local area network link, near-field communications transceiver circuitry configured to support communications over a near-field communications link, cellular telephone transceiver circuitry configured to support communications over a cellular telephone link, or transceiver circuitry configured to support communications over any other suitable wired or wireless communications link). Wireless communications may, for example, be supported over a Bluetooth® link, a WiFi® link, a wireless link operating at a frequency between 6 GHz and 300 GHz, a 60 GHz link, or other millimeter wave link, cellular telephone link, wireless local area network link, personal area network communications link, or other wireless communications link. Device 10 may, if desired, include power circuits for transmitting and/or receiving wired and/or wireless power and may include batteries or other energy storage devices. For example, device 10 may include a coil and rectifier to receive wireless power that is provided to circuitry in device 10.
Device 10 may include input-output devices such as devices 24. Input-output devices 24 may be used in gathering user input, in gathering information on the environment surrounding the user, and/or in providing a user with output. Devices 24 may include one or more displays such as display 14. Display 14 may be an organic light-emitting diode display, a liquid crystal display, an electrophoretic display, an electrowetting display, a plasma display, a microelectromechanical systems display, a display having a pixel array formed from crystalline semiconductor light-emitting diode dies (sometimes referred to as microLEDs), and/or other display. Configurations in which display 14 is an organic light-emitting diode display or microLED display are sometimes described herein as an example.
Display 14 may have an array of pixels configured to display images for a user. The pixels may be formed as part of a display panel that is bendable. This allows device 10 to be folded and unfolded about a bend axis. For example, a flexible (bendable) display in device 10 may be folded so that device 10 may be placed in a compact shape for storage and may be unfolded when it is desired to view images on the display.
Sensors 16 in input-output devices 24 may include force sensors (e.g., strain gauges, capacitive force sensors, resistive force sensors, etc.), audio sensors such as microphones, touch and/or proximity sensors such as capacitive sensors (e.g., a two-dimensional capacitive touch sensor integrated into display 14, a two-dimensional capacitive touch sensor overlapping display 14, and/or a touch sensor that forms a button, trackpad, or other input device not associated with a display), and other sensors. If desired, sensors 16 may include optical sensors such as optical sensors that emit and detect light, ultrasonic sensors, optical touch sensors, optical proximity sensors, and/or other touch sensors and/or proximity sensors, monochromatic and color ambient light sensors, image sensors, fingerprint sensors, temperature sensors, sensors for measuring three-dimensional non-contact gestures (“air gestures”), pressure sensors, sensors for detecting position, orientation, and/or motion (e.g., accelerometers, magnetic sensors such as compass sensors, gyroscopes, and/or inertial measurement units that contain some or all of these sensors), health sensors, radio-frequency sensors, depth sensors (e.g., structured light sensors and/or depth sensors based on stereo imaging devices that capture three-dimensional images), optical sensors such as self-mixing sensors and light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors that gather time-of-flight measurements, humidity sensors, moisture sensors, gaze tracking sensors, and/or other sensors. In some arrangements, device 10 may use sensors 16 and/or other input-output devices to gather user input. For example, buttons may be used to gather button press input, touch sensors overlapping displays can be used for gathering user touch screen input, touch pads may be used in gathering touch input, microphones may be used for gathering audio input, accelerometers may be used in monitoring when a finger contacts an input surface and may therefore be used to gather finger press input, etc.
If desired, electronic device 10 may include additional components (see, e.g., other devices 18 in input-output devices 24). The additional components may include haptic output devices, audio output devices such as speakers, light-emitting diodes for status indicators, light sources such as light-emitting diodes that illuminate portions of a housing and/or display structure, other optical output devices, and/or other circuitry for gathering input and/or providing output. Device 10 may also include a battery or other energy storage device, connector ports for supporting wired communication with ancillary equipment and for receiving wired power, and other circuitry.
Display 14 may be mounted in housing 12. Housing 12 may form front and rear housing walls, sidewall structures, and/or internal supporting structures (e.g., a frame, an optional midplate member, etc.) for device 10. Glass structures, transparent polymer structures, and/or other transparent structures that cover display 14 and other portions of device 10 may provide structural support for device 10 and may sometimes be referred to as housing structures. For example, a transparent housing portion such as a glass or polymer housing structure that covers and protects a pixel array in display 14 may serve as a display cover layer for the pixel array while also serving as a housing wall on the front face of device 10. In configurations in which a display cover layer is formed from glass, the display cover layer may sometime be referred to as a display cover glass or display cover glass layer. The portions of housing 12 on the sidewalls and rear wall of device 10 may be formed from glass or other transparent structures and/or opaque structures. Sidewalls and rear wall structures may be formed as extensions to the front portion of housing 12 (e.g., as integral portions of the display cover layer) and/or may include separate housing wall structures.
Housing 12 may have flexible structures (e.g., bendable housing wall structures) and/or hinge structures such as hinge 30. Hinge 30 may have a hinge axis aligned with device bend axis 28. Hinge 30 and/or flexible housing structures that overlap bend axis 28 may allow housing 12 to bend about bend axis 28. For example, housing 12 may have a first portion on one side of bend axis 28 and a second portion on an opposing side of bend axis 28 and these two housing portions may be coupled by hinge 30 for rotational motion about axis 28.
As housing 12 is bent about bend axis 28, the flexibility of display 14 allows display 14 to bend about axis 28. In an illustrative configuration, housing 12 and display 14 may bend by 180°. This allows display 14 to be folded back on itself (with first and second outwardly-facing portions of display 14 facing each other). The ability to place device 10 in a folded configuration in this way may help make device 10 compact so that device 10 can be stored efficiently. When it is desired to view images on display 14, device 10 may be unfolded about axis 28 to place device 10 in the unfolded configuration of
Device 10 of
As shown in
Display cover layer 14CG may be formed from polymer, glass, crystalline materials such as sapphire, other materials, and/or combinations of these materials. To enhance flexibility, a portion of layer 14CG that overlaps bend axis 28 may be locally thinned (e.g., this portion may be thinned relative to portions of layer 14CG that do not overlap bend axis 28). The thickness of layer 14CG (e.g., the non-thinned portions of layer 14CG) may be 50-200 microns, 70-150 microns, 100-200 microns, 100-600 microns, at least 100 microns, at least 200 microns, less than 600 microns, less than 400 microns, less than 250 microns, less than 150 microns, less than 100 microns, at least 50 microns, or other suitable thickness.
In the example of
Electrical components 32 may be mounted in the interior of device 10 (e.g., between display 14 and the rear of housing 12. Components 32 may include circuitry of the type shown in
The outer and/or inner surfaces of display cover layer 14GC may be provided with coatings. These coatings may include, for example, antireflection coatings, anti-scratch coatings, anti-smudge coatings, and/or other coating layers. Consider, as an example, the cross-sectional side view of display cover layer 14CG of
To help planarize inner surface 42 and thereby facilitate mounting of display panel 14P against inner surface 42 (e.g., with a layer of adhesive), the elongated recess (groove) in the inner surface of layer 14CG that forms thinned portion 44 may be filled with polymer 50. Polymer 50 may be sufficiently flexible to bend about bend axis 28 when device 10 is opened and closed. The refractive index of polymer 50 may be matched to that of display cover layer 14CG to help minimize light reflections (e.g., by incorporating inorganic nanoparticles in polymer 50). For example, at a wavelength of 500 nm, the refractive index of polymer 50 may differ from that of layer 14CG by less than 0.15, less than 0.1, or less than 0.05 (as examples).
Coating layers 52 may be formed on outer surface 40. Coating layers 52 may include, for example, anti-scratch layers (sometimes referred to as hard coats), protective polymer layers, anti-smudge layers, anti-fog layers, antireflection layers, anti-static layers, adhesion layers, and/or other coatings. In some configurations, each of these functions may be implemented using a separate respective coating layer. In other configurations, a single layer may serve multiple functions. In general, coatings such as coatings 52 may be formed on outer surface 40 and/or inner surface 42. In the illustrative configuration of
Coatings 52 may be provided in any suitable order. As one example, the lowermost coating of coatings 52 (e.g., a coating layer formed directly on surface 40 of
It may be desirable to configure the cross-sectional profile of inner surface 42 of display cover layer 12 to help avoid distortion of the image on display panel 14P due to changes in the refraction of light from thickness variations. As shown in
In the example of
Inner surface 42 of display cover layer 14CG may have a curved or straight cross-sectional profile in portions 44T. In the example of
As shown in
The rough texture of surface 42 may be formed by randomly distributed protrusions (peaks). To help prevent light scattering from the features in the textured surface, the textured surface may be configured to exhibit small lateral roughness dimensions LF (e.g., peak-to-peak spacings and/or protrusion full-width-half-maximum values) of less than 1 micron. As an example, LF may be subwavelength in size (e.g., the mean value of the lateral surface roughness dimensions LF may be less than 400 nm, less than 300 nm, less than 200 nm, 50-300 nm, 30-400 nm, etc.). The mean height VF of the protrusions and/or other surface roughness features on surface 42 may be 200-400 nm, at least 50 nm, at least 100 nm, at least 300 nm, at least 500 nm, less than 1000 nm (1 micron), less than 700 nm, less than 500 nm, less than 350 nm, or less than 120 nm (as examples).
As shown in
As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of information such as information from input-output devices. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, data may be gathered that includes personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, twitter ID's, home addresses, data or records relating to a user's health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, username, password, biometric information, or any other identifying or personal information.
The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users. For example, the personal information data can be used to deliver targeted content that is of greater interest to the user. Accordingly, use of such personal information data enables users to calculated control of the delivered content. Further, other uses for personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For instance, health and fitness data may be used to provide insights into a user's general wellness, or may be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue wellness goals.
The present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with well-established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining personal information data private and secure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users, and should be updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable uses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimate uses. Further, such collection/sharing should occur after receiving the informed consent of the users. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to such personal information data and ensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted for the particular types of personal information data being collected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For instance, in the United States, collection of or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), whereas health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Hence different privacy practices should be maintained for different personal data types in each country.
Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, the present technology can be configured to allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in the collection of personal information data during registration for services or anytime thereafter. In another example, users can select not to provide certain types of user data. In yet another example, users can select to limit the length of time user-specific data is maintained. In addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use of personal information. For instance, a user may be notified upon downloading an application (“app”) that their personal information data will be accessed and then reminded again just before personal information data is accessed by the app.
Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect a user's privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, when appropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and/or other methods.
Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use of information that may include personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data.
The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made to the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 63/136,955, filed Jan. 13, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63136955 | Jan 2021 | US |
