Electronic device with enhanced display area

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to electronic devices with enhanced display areas. An electronic device display and display cover can be coupled to a housing. The display can have an array of pixels configured to emit light. One or more light redirecting elements can be incorporated into the electronic device that redirect and thereby change the direction of light rays emitted from the perimeter pixels in the display. The light redirecting elements can be used to expand the effective size of the display, create an image on the sidewall surfaces of the display cover, and / or create a diffused light emitting area around the perimeter of the device. The light redirecting elements can be formed as an integral part of the display cover, as a laminated optical film on the display cover, or as a coating on the display cover. An afocal optical system can be formed by placing a first light redirecting element and a second light redirecting element on opposite first and second sides of the display cover.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of the patent application with the application number 202010371684.1, the priority date of which is May 10, 2019, the filing date of which is May 6, 2020, and the invention name of which is “Electronic Device with Enhanced Display Area”.

[0002] Related Cross-Reference

[0003] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 813,457, filed March 9, 2020, and U.S. Patent Application No. 62 / 846,529, filed May 10, 2019, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] The present disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more specifically to electronic devices with displays. BACKGROUND

[0005] Electronic devices can have displays. The displays have an array of pixels for displaying images to a user. To prevent damage to the pixels, the pixels can be covered with a transparent display cover layer.

[0006] It can be challenging to incorporate a display cover layer into an electronic device. If not careful, the perimeter region of the display cover layer can introduce distortions or can be associated with undesirable dead display borders. SUMMARY

[0007] An electronic device can have a housing with an interior. Electronic components can be mounted in the interior. A display and a display cover layer that overlaps the display can be coupled to the housing.

[0008] The display can have an array of pixels configured to emit light. One or more light redirecting elements can be incorporated into the electronic device to redirect light emitted from the perimeter pixels in the display. The light redirecting elements can be used to expand the effective size of the display, create images on curved or flat sidewall surfaces of the display cover layer, and / or create a diffuse light emitting region around the perimeter of the device.

[0009] The light redirecting elements can be refractive light redirecting elements that refract light rays and / or can be diffractive light redirecting elements that diffract light. The light redirecting elements include lenses such as Fresnel lenses, lenticular lenses, and hemispherical microlens arrays (e.g., lenses with a circular profile), can include holograms, and can include gratings and other optical elements. The light redirecting elements can be formed as an integral part of the display cover layer, as a laminated optical film on the display cover layer, or as a coating on the display cover layer. The display cover layer can have portions with curved cross-sectional profiles and can have planar portions.

[0010] In some configurations, afocal optical systems can be formed using first and second light redirecting elements on opposite first and second sides of a display cover layer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 is a side view of an exemplary electronic device with a display cover layer according to embodiments.

[0012] Figure 2 and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of an exemplary electronic device according to embodiments.

[0013] Figure 4 and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an edge portion of a display cover layer according to embodiments.

[0014] Figure 6 and Figure 7 is an illustration showing exemplary lens patterns that can be used on portions of a display cover layer according to embodiments.

[0015] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary display and display cover layer with an outer optical layer that redirects light according to embodiments.

[0016] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary electronic device with a flexible display with curved edges and an edge portion with light redirecting elements according to embodiments.

[0017] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary display cover layer with an afocal optical system formed by upper and lower optical elements that redirect light according to embodiments.

[0018] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary electronic device with a curved display portion and a display cover layer with a Fresnel lens structure according to embodiments.

[0019] Figure 12 For a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having a display cover layer with a curved inner surface on which optical elements have been formed, in accordance with an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] An electronic device can have a display. The display can have an array of pixels for creating an image. The image can pass through a protective display cover layer that overlaps the array of pixels. To minimize display boundaries, optical elements can be formed on the upper and / or lower side of the display cover layer. The optical elements can include optical layers that re-direct light (e.g., through refraction and / or diffraction). As an example, the optical elements can include lenses, holograms, gratings, or other light redirecting elements. The light redirecting elements can be formed from a coating, optical structures formed from portions of the glass member or other transparent layer that forms the display cover layer, and / or an optical film that is laminated onto the surface of the display cover layer (e.g., using heat and / or pressure, and if desired, using an adhesive). The light redirecting elements on the display cover layer can help direct light from the perimeter pixels in the array of pixels in a desired direction (e.g., toward the perimeter display cover layer edge surface, outward along the outermost perimeter portion of the display cover layer toward a user, etc.).

[0021] Figure 1 A cross-sectional side view of a portion of an illustrative electronic device having a display cover layer that includes light redirecting elements is shown in FIG. 1. In the example of FIG. 1, the device 10 is a portable device such as a cellular telephone, wristwatch, or tablet computer. Other types of devices can have display cover layers with light redirecting elements, if desired. Figure 1

[0022] The device 10 includes a housing such as the housing 12. The housing 12 can be formed from a polymer, metal, glass, crystalline material such as sapphire, ceramic, fabric, fiber, fiber composite, natural material such as wood and cotton, other material, and / or a combination of such materials. The housing 12 can be configured to form a housing wall. The housing wall can enclose one or more interior regions such as the interior region 24, and can separate the interior region 24 from the exterior region 22.

[0023] Electronic components 18 can be mounted in the interior region 24. The electronic components 18 can include integrated circuits, discrete components, light emitting components, sensors, and / or other circuitry, and if desired, can be interconnected using one or more printed circuits such as the signal paths in the printed circuit 20. If desired, one or more portions of the housing wall can be transparent (e.g., so that light associated with an image on a display or other light emitting or light detecting component can pass between the interior region 24 and the exterior region 22). ​

[0024] The electronic components 18 can include control circuitry. The control circuitry can include storage and processing circuitry to support operation of the device 10. The storage and processing circuitry can 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), and / or the like. Processing circuitry in the control circuitry can be used to control operation of the device 10. For example, the processing circuitry can use sensors and other input-output circuitry to gather input and provide output and / or to transmit signals to external devices. The processing circuitry can be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors, power management units, audio chips, application-specific integrated circuits, and / or the like. The control circuitry can include wired and / or wireless communication circuitry (e.g., an antenna and associated radio-frequency transceiver circuitry such as cellular telephone communication circuitry, wireless local area network communication circuitry, and / or the like). The communication circuitry of the control circuitry can allow the device 10 to communicate with other electronic devices. For example, the control circuitry (e.g., the communication circuitry in the control circuitry) can be used to allow wired and / or wireless control commands and other communications to be transmitted between devices such as cellular telephones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, head-mounted devices, handheld controllers, wrist-watch devices, other wearable devices, keyboards, computer mice, remote controls, speakers, accessory displays, accessory cameras, and / or other electronic devices. The wireless communication circuitry may, for example, wirelessly transmit control signals and other information to external devices in response to receiving user input or other input from sensors or other devices in the components 18.

[0025] Input-output circuitry in the components 18 of the device 10 can be used to allow data to be supplied to the device 10 and to allow data to be provided from the device 10 to external devices. The input-output circuitry can include input devices that gather user input and other input, and can include output devices that provide visual, auditory, or other output.

[0026] Output can be provided using light-emitting diodes (e.g., crystalline semiconductor light-emitting diodes for status indicators and / or displays, organic light-emitting diodes in displays and other components), lasers and other light-emitting devices, audio output devices (e.g., audio generators and / or speakers), haptic output devices (e.g., vibrators, electromagnetic actuators, piezoelectric actuators, and / or other devices that provide haptic output to a user), and other output devices.

[0027] The input-output circuitry of device 10 (e.g., of component 18) can include sensors. The sensors of device 10 can 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., two-dimensional capacitive touch sensors integrated into a display, two-dimensional capacitive touch sensors and or two-dimensional force sensors that overlap a display, and / or touch sensors or force sensors that form buttons, trackpads, or other input devices that are not associated with a display), and other sensors. The touch sensors of a display or other touch component can be based on an array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes, acoustic touch sensor structures, resistive touch components, force-based touch sensor structures, light-based touch sensors, or other suitable touch sensor arrangements. If desired, a display can have force sensors for gathering force inputs (e.g., a two-dimensional force sensor can be used to gather force inputs on a display).

[0028] If desired, the sensors can 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, monochrome and color ambient light sensors, image sensors, fingerprint sensors, temperature sensors, sensors for measuring three-dimensional non-contact gestures ("mid-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 (e.g., sensors that gather position information, three-dimensional radio frequency images, and / or other information using radar principles or other radio frequency sensing), depth sensors (e.g., structured light sensors and / or depth sensors based on stereoscopic imaging devices), optical sensors such as self-mixing sensors and light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors that gather time-of-flight measurements, humidity sensors, moisture sensors, line-of-sight tracking sensors, three-dimensional sensors (e.g., time-of-flight image sensors, pairs of two-dimensional image sensors that gather three-dimensional images using binocular vision, three-dimensional structured light sensors that emit arrays of infrared light beams or other structured light using arrays of lasers or other light emitters and associated optical components and capture images of dots generated when the light beams illuminate a target object, and / or other three-dimensional image sensors), face recognition sensors based on three-dimensional image sensors, and / or other sensors.

[0029] In some configurations, components 18 can include mechanical devices for gathering input (e.g., buttons, joysticks, scroll wheels, keypads with movable keys, keyboards with movable keys, and other devices for gathering user input). During operation, device 10 can use sensors and / or other input-output devices in components 18 to gather user input (e.g., buttons can be used to gather button press input, touch and / or force sensors overlaid with a display can be used to gather user touch screen input and / or force input, touchpads and / or force sensors can be used to gather touch and / or force input, microphones can be used to gather audio input, and so on). Control circuitry of device 10 can then take action based on this gathered information (e.g., transmit information to an external device over a wired or wireless path, provide output to a user through the use of tactile output devices, visual output devices, audio components, or other input-output devices in housing 12, and so on).

[0030] If desired, electronic device 10 can include a battery or other energy storage device, connector ports for supporting wired communication with auxiliary devices and for receiving wired power, and other circuitry. In some configurations, device 10 can function as an accessory and / or can include wired and / or wireless accessories (e.g., a keyboard, a computer mouse, a remote control, a trackpad, and so on).

[0031] Device 10 can include one or more displays. A display of device 10 can have an array of pixels for displaying images for a user. As shown, display 14 of device 10 can have an array of pixels P. Display 14 can be an organic light emitting diode display, a liquid crystal display, a display having an array of pixels formed from corresponding light emitting diodes (e.g., having an array of pixels with crystalline light emitting diodes formed from corresponding light emitting diode dies such as micro light emitting diode dies), and / or other displays. Display 14 can include a rigid display structure and / or can be a flexible display. For example, a light emitting diode display can be sufficiently flexible to be bent. Figure 1

[0032] Each array of pixels in device 10 (which can sometimes be referred to as a display panel, a display substrate, or a display) can be mounted under a transparent display cover layer that helps protect the array of pixels. In the example shown, display (array of pixels) 14 is mounted under display cover layer 16, which serves as a protective transparent cover for display 14 (and which can sometimes be referred to as forming a transparent portion of a housing of device 10). Display cover layer 16 can be attached to other portions of device 10 (e.g., housing 12) using elastomeric gaskets, adhesives, fasteners, bezels, and / or other attachment mechanisms. Figure 1 Figure 1 ​​cover layer 16 can have portions that form transparent covers for the display 14 and can have integral portions that form other portions of the housing 12). In some arrangements, the display cover layer 16 can have portions that form transparent covers for the display 14 and can have integral portions that form housing side walls, a rear housing wall, or other portions of the housing 12.

[0033] The display cover layer 16 can be formed from a single transparent glass member (e.g., a single planar transparent member), a crystalline material such as a sapphire layer, a transparent polymer, etc., and / or the display cover layer 16 can be formed from one or more laminated layers of one or more of these transparent materials. In some configurations, the display cover layer 16 can include an Anderson localization material or a fiber layer formed from a coherent bundle of optical fibers. If desired, coatings (e.g., anti-reflective layers, oleophobic coatings, etc.) can be incorporated.

[0034] During operation, the pixels of the display 14 produce image light that passes through the display cover layer 16 for viewing by a user of the device 10, such as a viewer 28, who is viewing the device 10 along the direction 26. To help expand the effective size of the display 14 (e.g., laterally outward in the X-Y plane so that the image area is larger when viewed by the viewer 28) and / or to otherwise modify the optical properties of the display 14, one or more light redirecting elements can be incorporated into the device 10. The light redirecting elements can be positioned adjacent to one or more edges of the display 14. These light redirecting elements can include lenses, holograms, gratings, and / or other structures for redirecting light. As shown, the light redirecting elements can be formed between the inner surface of the display cover layer 16 and the display 14 (see, e.g., light redirecting element 16-1), can be formed from portions of the display cover layer 16 (see, e.g., light redirecting element 16-2, which is formed from a portion of the display cover layer 16 that is on the inner surface of the display cover layer 16, faces the display 14 and the interior 24, and faces away from the exterior 22), and / or can be formed on the outer surface of the display cover layer 16 (see, e.g., light redirecting element 16-3, which faces away from the display 14 and the interior 24 and faces toward the exterior 22). Figure 1

[0035] During operation, light from a pixel P (e.g., a perimeter pixel P that is located near the left edge, right edge, top edge, and bottom edge of the device 10 when viewed along the direction 26) can be directed by one or more light redirecting elements of the device 10 in a desired direction. For example, Figure 1 One or more of the light redirecting elements of the device 10 (e.g., element 16-1 or 16-2) can cause emitted light 32 from a perimeter pixel P (or other pixel P that is overlapped by and / or otherwise near the light redirecting element) to be directed toward a perimeter portion of the display cover layer 16, as shown in FIG. 3B. In some configurations, the light redirecting element can be configured to direct the emitted light 32 toward the display cover layer 16 in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the display cover layer 16 (e.g., in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the X-Y plane). Figure 2 Figure 3 ​​as shown.

[0036] The outer surface 30 of the display cover layer 16 at the periphery of the device 10 can have a curved cross-sectional profile (see, e.g., the rounded edge profile of the layer 16 in Figure 2 or can be characterized by one or more planar portions (see, e.g., the planar vertical sidewall portions 30F of the layer 16 in Figure 3 The surface normal of the planar vertical sidewall portions 30F is perpendicular to the surface normal of the display 14). The light redirecting elements 16-1 and / or 16-2 can direct light outward as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 such that (from the perspective of the viewer 28) some light from the pixels P visually overlaps the housing 12, effectively magnifying the size of the display 14 and minimizing the display border, and / or such that some light from the pixels P creates an image or diffused glow on the sidewalls of the layer 16 (e.g., the planar sidewall portions 30F of the layer 16 in Figure 3

[0037] The pixels P can be uniformly or non-uniformly distributed. For example, an even number of pixels (or an odd number of pixels) can be omitted in a peripheral portion of the display 14, and / or the pitch of the pixels P (pixel-to-pixel spacing) can otherwise vary across the surface of the display 14. If desired, the pixel size can vary across the display 14. For example, the pixels P at the center of the display 14 can be smaller than the pixels P near the periphery of the display 14. The pixel size, brightness, color, shape, density, center-to-center distance, and / or other pixel attributes can be constant, can vary in a step-wise fashion, can vary continuously, and / or can otherwise differ in different regions of the display 14.

[0038] ​Light redirected by the light redirecting element can form a unitary (peripheral) region of an image on the front face of the device 10, can form separate images (e.g., icons of virtual buttons, text, and / or other image content that does not form a unitary part of an image on the front face of the device 10), can form blurred content and / or other low resolution content, and / or can form a solid band of light of a desired color (e.g., a diffusely glowing edge region). If the light redirecting element imposes distortion, the distortion can be compensated for during a pre-compensation operation (e.g., actively adjusting the data provided to the pixels P so that the pixels P produce light output values that result in the desired image being viewable by a user after the light 32 passes through the light redirecting element). In configurations in which the size of an image on the display 14 is effectively magnified (e.g., by directing light from peripheral pixels laterally outward to make the image larger), opaque portions of the device 10 such as portions of the housing 12 can be hidden from view, making the display 14 borderless or nearly borderless. In configurations in which a diffusely glowing halo is provided along a vertical sidewall portion or other edge portion of the device 10, the appearance of the device 10 can be enhanced. In configurations in which virtual buttons are displayed (e.g., icons associated with touch screen input provided using two-dimensional touch sensors elsewhere in the display 14 or below the display cover layer 16), the ability of the device 10 to capture user input and provide output to the user can be enhanced.

[0039] Figure 4 It is shown how the light redirecting element 16-2 can be formed by a lens structure on the lower surface of the display cover layer 16. Figure 4 The lens structure of the element 16-2 in FIG. 16A can be, for example, a Fresnel lens element. The lens structure on the lower surface of the layer 16 can be formed by etching the layer 16 into the desired shape, by machining the layer 16 into the desired shape, by molding the layer 16 into the desired shape, or by otherwise directly forming the lens in the layer 16. With this type of arrangement, Figure 4 The Fresnel lens element of the element 16-2 and the layer 16 in FIG. 16A is formed from a unitary portion of the same material. If desired, a polymer coating or other transparent coating with the lens element can be formed on the lower surface of the layer 16, and / or an optical film (e.g., a polymer film) containing the lens (lens element) can be attached to the lower surface of the layer 16 with an adhesive. Figure 5 It is shown how the lenses of the element 16-2 can have rounded (curved) cross-sectional profiles. The lenses of the element 16-2 can be, for example, elongated lenses (e.g., cylindrical lenses or other lenticular lenses) with circular or nearly circular cross-sectional shapes, as shown in the top view of FIG. 16B; or can be hemispherical lenses with circular (or nearly circular) footprint (profile), as shown in the top view of FIG. 16C. Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 7 ​​The lenses in the lens array can be microlenses and can have a common diameter shared, or can be characterized by a plurality of different diameters, by way of example. The lens size can be smaller than, comparable to, or larger than the pixel size.

[0040] In Figure 8 examples, light redirecting elements 16-3 have been formed on the outer side of member 16 (e.g., as a thin film coating, as a laminated layer, as an integral part of layer 16, etc.). Light redirecting elements 16-3 can help to redirect light from the peripheral pixels P in display layer 14 upward in the Z direction so that a viewer 28 looking along direction 26 at device 10 can view the light.

[0041] If desired, display 14 can have a curved portion. For example, as shown in Figure 9 , display 14 can be curved away from display cover layer 16 along one or more of the peripheral edges of device 10. In Figure 9 examples, optically transparent adhesive 34 has been used to attach display 14 to the inner surface of display cover layer 14, and light redirecting elements 16-1 (and / or elements 16-2) have been formed on the inner surface of layer 16 along the peripheral edges of device 10. If desired, optically transparent adhesive can be formed over all or other portions of display 14. If desired, the optically transparent adhesive or other transparent polymeric material can have a different (e.g., lower) index of refraction than the material used to form the adjacent light redirecting elements. If desired, an air gap can be formed adjacent to the light redirecting elements.

[0042] Figure 10 It is shown how light redirecting elements can be present on both the outer and inner surfaces of display cover layer 16. As shown in Figure 10 , light redirecting elements 16-3 can be formed on the first (outer-facing) side of display cover layer 16, and light redirecting elements 16-2 (or 16-1) can be formed on the opposite second (inner-facing) side of display cover layer 16. The outer and inner light redirecting elements in this type of configuration can form an afocal optical system. The use of an afocal configuration for the light redirecting elements of display cover layer 16 allows light 32 to be directed in a desired direction by the light redirecting elements while producing an optical system in which the size of the image viewed by viewer 28 on display 14 does not change with changes in the distance D between viewer 28 and layer 16.

[0043] In Figure 11 examples, light redirecting elements 16-2 have been formed on the curved edge portions of display cover layer 16. Figure 11The curved cross-sectional profile of the inner surface of the display cover layer 16 in the example can bend in the same direction as the display 14 near the perimeter of the display 14. A Fresnel lens (e.g., an array of Fresnel lens elements) or other optical structure can be used for the shaping element 16-2.

[0044] In the example of FIG. 1, the optional outer light redirecting element 16-3 is formed on the flat vertical sidewall surface 30F of the member 16. Figure 11 Figure 12 An optional optically transparent adhesive 34 can be used to attach the display 14 to the inner surface of the layer 16 at the center of the device 10. Optional light redirecting elements 16-3 can be formed on planar surfaces such as the vertical surface 30F, and / or the layer 16 can have a curved edge profile.

[0045] The device 10 can operate in systems that use personally identifiable information. It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized and accepted as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risks it faces from unauthorized or illegal processing, accidental loss, or misuse. Users should be given an opportunity to opt in to authorized uses of their personally identifiable information.

[0046] According to one embodiment, an electronic device is provided that includes a housing, electronic components located in an interior of the housing, a display having an array of pixels configured to emit light, and a planar display cover layer overlapping the array of pixels and coupled to the housing, the planar display cover layer including a light redirecting element selected from the group consisting of a refractive light redirecting element and a diffractive light redirecting element, the planar display cover layer having edges, and the light redirecting element adjacent to at least one of the edges.

[0047] According to another embodiment, the light redirecting element includes a light redirecting element selected from the group consisting of a hologram, a grating, and a set of lenses.

[0048] According to another embodiment, the light redirecting element includes a Fresnel lens.

[0049] According to another embodiment, the light redirecting element includes a lenticular lens.

[0050] According to another embodiment, the light redirecting element has a circular lens.

[0051] According to another embodiment, the light redirecting element has a side with a curved cross-sectional profile facing the display.​

[0052] According to another embodiment, the display includes a flexible display having a curved perimeter portion.

[0053] According to another embodiment, the display includes a curved perimeter portion, the light redirecting element has a curved cross-sectional profile, and the light redirecting element includes a lens.

[0054] According to another embodiment, the planar display cover layer has opposing outer and inner sides, the light redirecting element includes a first light redirecting element on the inner side and a second light redirecting element on the outer side, the first and second light redirecting elements are configured to form an afocal system, the first light redirecting element includes a light redirecting element selected from the group consisting of a hologram, a grating, and a set of lenses, and the second light redirecting element includes a light redirecting element selected from the group consisting of a hologram, a grating, and a set of lenses.

[0055] According to one embodiment, an electronic device is provided that includes a housing, electronic components located in an interior of the housing, a display having an array of pixels configured to emit light, a display cover layer overlapping the display and coupled to the housing, the display cover layer having a planar sidewall surface and a light redirecting element, a surface normal of the planar sidewall surface being perpendicular to a surface normal of the display, the light redirecting element overlapping a peripheral pixel in the array of pixels and redirecting light from the peripheral pixel to the planar sidewall surface.

[0056] According to another embodiment, the display cover layer has an inner side and the light redirecting element is located at the inner side.

[0057] According to another embodiment, the light redirecting element is formed by a portion of the display cover layer.

[0058] According to another embodiment, the light redirecting element is formed by a light redirecting layer attached to an inner-facing surface of the display cover layer.

[0059] According to another embodiment, the inner-facing surface of the display cover layer has a curved cross-sectional profile.

[0060] According to another embodiment, the electronic device includes a light redirecting element on the planar sidewall surface.

[0061] According to another embodiment, the light redirecting element includes an optical layer selected from the group consisting of a hologram layer, a grating layer, and a lens layer.

[0062] According to one embodiment, an electronic device is provided, the electronic device comprising: a housing; electronic components located in an interior of the housing; a display having an array of pixels configured to emit light and having a curved peripheral portion; a display cover layer overlapping the display and coupled to the housing, the display cover layer having opposite inner and outer surfaces, the outer surface having a peripheral portion with a curvilinear cross-sectional profile, the inner surface having a peripheral portion with a curvilinear cross-sectional profile, and the inner surface configured to form a lens element that redirects light emitted from peripheral pixels in the array of pixels.

[0063] According to another embodiment, the lens comprises a Fresnel lens element.

[0064] According to another embodiment, the lens element comprises a lenticular lens.

[0065] According to another embodiment, the lens element has a circular profile.

[0066] The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made to the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments can be implemented independently or in any combination.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: shell; A display comprising an array of pixels configured to emit light; as well as A display cover layer that overlaps with and is coupled to the housing, and has an inner surface with a curved portion, wherein the display cover layer includes a light redirection element adjacent to at least one edge of the display cover layer, and wherein the light redirection element includes a first light redirection element comprising a flexible layer or coating adjacent to at least one edge of the display cover layer and on the curved portion of the inner surface of the display cover layer.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The light redirection element includes light redirection elements selected from the group consisting of: refracting light redirection elements, diffraction light redirection elements, holograms, gratings, and lens groups.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The optical redirection element includes a Fresnel lens.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The optical redirection element includes a biconvex lens.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The optical redirection element has a circular lens.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The light redirection element has a side with a curved cross-sectional profile facing the display.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The display includes a flexible display with a curved peripheral portion.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The display includes a curved peripheral portion, wherein the light redirecting element has a curved cross-sectional profile, and wherein the light redirecting element includes a lens.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The display overlay has an outer surface, wherein the light redirection element includes a second light redirection element on the outer surface configured to form a focal-free system with the first light redirection element, and wherein the second light redirection element includes a light redirection element selected from the group consisting of holograms, gratings, and lens groups.

10. An electronic device, comprising: shell; The display is configured to emit light; A display cover layer that overlaps with and is coupled to the housing, wherein the display cover layer has: an inward-facing surface, an outward-facing surface, and a sidewall surface between the inward-facing surface and the outward-facing surface; as well as A light redirection element that overlaps with the periphery of the display and redirects light to a flat sidewall surface.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein, The light redirection element is located on the inward-facing surface.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein, The light redirection element is formed from a portion of the display overlay.

13. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein, The light redirection element is formed from a light redirection layer attached to the inward-facing surface of the display overlay.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein, The inward-facing surface of the display cover has a curved cross-sectional profile.

15. The electronic device of claim 10, further comprising a light redirection element on the flat sidewall surface.

16. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein, The light redirection element includes an optical layer selected from the group consisting of: a holographic layer, a grating layer, and a lens layer.

17. An electronic device comprising: shell; A display having a pixel array configured to emit light and having a curved peripheral portion; A display cover layer, overlapping the display and coupled to the housing, wherein the display cover layer has opposing inner and outer surfaces, wherein the outer surface has a peripheral portion with a curved cross-sectional profile, and wherein the inner surface has a peripheral portion with a curved cross-sectional profile; and A light redirection element located on the peripheral portion of the inner surface, wherein the light redirection element includes a lens having a circular profile at the peripheral portion of the inner surface.

18. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein, The optical redirection element includes a Fresnel lens element.

19. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein, The optical redirection element includes a biconvex lens.

20. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein, The outline of the circle is hemispherical.

Images