Electronic devices with molded polymer structures

Abstract

To maintain a desired compact size for an electronic device having a display mounted in a housing.SOLUTION: The display may have a display panel having an array of pixels on a flexible substrate and have a protruding portion that forms a tail. When a display 14 is mounted in a housing 12, a tail 14T may be bent back on itself to form a bend. The bend may be embedded in molded polymer 54. The device may have structures that help prevent a display cover layer 60 from being compressed inwardly towards the rear of the housing, such as frame structures embedded in the molded polymer and / or housing sidewall structures. Optical components and optical waveguides may be embedded within the molded polymer. Mating chamfers on the display cover layer and housing may help seat the display cover layer in the housing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 701,516, filed Mar. 22, 2022, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 164,949, filed Mar. 23, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 229,259, filed Aug. 4, 2021, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. This application relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to electronic devices having a display.

Background Art

[0002] An electronic device may have components such as a display. A housing for an electronic device having a display can have a structure formed from materials such as glass and metal. In some configurations, the display can be mounted under a display cover glass layer to protect the display pixels from damage. The display cover glass may be attached to the housing wall and other housing structures.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] An electronic device may have a display mounted within a housing. The display may have a display panel having an array of pixels on a flexible substrate. A display cover layer can overlap the display panel. The flexible substrate may have a protruding portion that forms a tail. When the display is mounted within the housing, the tail may be folded back onto itself to form a bend. The bend may be embedded in a molded polymer member. The molded polymer member can serve to protect and support the embedded display tail.

[0004] The housing may have an inwardly projecting lip that extends around the periphery of the device. The lip can project into the molded polymer from the sidewall of the housing to help lock the molded polymer in place.

[0005] The housing may have a rear wall having an inward surface that faces the opposing inward surface of the display cover layer. The device may have a structure that helps prevent the display cover layer from being compressed toward the rear housing wall. These structures may include, for example, a frame structure that extends between the inward surface of the rear housing wall and the opposing inward surface of the display cover layer. Vertical supports may also be provided by vertical ribs that extend along the inner surface of the sidewalls. In some configurations, the tail of the display may have parallel fingers, each of which is received within a sidewall recess formed between a pair of vertical ribs or other inwardly projecting support structures.

[0006] The frame structure and other support structures may be embedded in the molded polymer. If desired, electrical components and other structures can be embedded in the molded polymer. For example, optical components and associated optical waveguides can be embedded within the molded polymer. The mating chamfers on the display cover layer and the housing can help seat the display cover layer within the housing.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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Figure 1

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Figure 6

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Figure 7

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Figure 8

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The electronic device can have a display and other components. Layers of glass, metal, and / or other structures may be used to form a housing for the device. The display and other components can be mounted within the housing. A molded polymer can be used to support the housing structure, the display, and other components. Portions of the housing structure, the display, and other components may be embedded in the polymer.

[0019] A perspective view of an exemplary electronic device of a type that can include a molded polymer structure is shown in FIG. 1. The device 10 of FIG. 1 may be a portable device such as a wristwatch, a portable device without a wristband such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer, or other suitable electronic equipment (e.g., a desktop computer, a voice-controlled speaker with a display panel, a television or other non-portable display, a head-mounted device, an embedded system such as a system incorporated into a vehicle or a home, an electronic device accessory, and / or other electronic devices). In this specification, an exemplary configuration where the device 10 is a mobile phone or a tablet computer may sometimes be described as an example.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, device 10 includes a housing such as housing 12. Housing 12 can be formed from polymers, metals, glass, crystalline materials such as sapphire, ceramics, fabrics, fibers, fiber composite materials, neutral materials such as wood and cotton, other materials and / or combinations of such materials. Housing 12 can be configured to form a housing wall. The housing wall can surround one or more internal regions to which the internal device components 18 are attached and can separate the internal region of device 10 from the external environment surrounding device 10. In some configurations, openings can be formed in housing 12 for data ports, power ports, to accommodate audio components, or to accommodate other devices. A transparent housing region can be used to form an optical component window. In the exemplary configuration of FIG. 1, the transparent housing layer can cover the top surface of device 10 and can function as a protective display cover layer for display 14. If desired, a dielectric housing structure can be used to form a wireless transmission area for antennas and wireless power components. Display 14 may be disposed on the front face of device 10 and may have a rectangular outer shape (e.g., a square or non-square rectangular shape with rounded corners or other shaped corners), a circular outer shape, or other suitable shape.

[0021] The electrical components 18 inside device 10 can include integrated circuits, individual components, light-emitting components, sensors, and / or other circuits and can be interconnected using signal paths within one or more printed circuits if desired. Electrical component 18 may include a control circuit. The control circuit may include storage and processing circuitry to assist in the operation of device 10. The storage and processing circuitry can include storage such as hard disk drive storage, non-volatile memory (e.g., other electrically programmable read-only memory configured to form flash memory or solid state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random access memory). The processing circuit within the control circuit may be used to control the operation of device 10. For example, the processing circuit can collect inputs using sensors and other input / output circuits, provide outputs, and / or transmit signals to external devices. The processing circuit can be used based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors, power management units, audio chips, application-specific integrated circuits, etc. The control circuit can include wired and / or wireless communication circuits (e.g., antennas, associated high-frequency receiver circuits such as cellular phone communication circuits, wireless local area network communication circuits, etc.). Through the communication circuit of the control circuit, device 10 can communicate with other electronic devices. For example, the control circuit (e.g., the communication circuit within the control circuit) can be used to transmit wired and / or wireless control commands and other communications between devices such as cellular phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, head-mounted devices, handheld controllers, wristwatch devices, other wearable devices, keyboards, computer mice, remote controls, speakers, accessory displays, accessory cameras, and / or other electronic devices. For example, the wireless communication circuit can wirelessly transmit a control signal or other information to an external device in response to receiving a user input or other input from a sensor or other device at component 18.

[0022] The input / output circuit of component 18 of device 10 can be used to supply data to device 10 and to supply data from device 10 to an external device. The input / output circuit can include input devices that collect user inputs and other inputs, and can include output devices that supply visual outputs, audio outputs, or other outputs.

[0023] Light-emitting diodes (e.g., state indicators and / or crystalline semiconductor light-emitting diodes for displays, organic light-emitting diodes in displays and other components), lasers, and other light-emitting devices, audio output devices (e.g., tone generators and / or speakers), haptic output devices (e.g., vibrators, electromagnetic actuators, piezoelectric actuators, and / or other devices that supply haptic output to a user), and other output devices can be used to provide output.

[0024] The input / output circuitry of device 10 (e.g., the input / output circuitry of component 18) can include sensors. Sensors for device 10 can include force sensors (e.g., strain gauges, capacitive force sensors, resistive force sensors, etc.), audio sensors such as microphones, capacitive sensors (e.g., two-dimensional capacitive touch sensors incorporated into a display, two-dimensional capacitive touch sensors covering a display and / or two-dimensional force sensors, and / or touch sensors and force sensors forming other input devices not associated with a button, trackpad, or display), proximity sensors, and other sensors. Touch sensors for a display or other touch component can be based on an array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes, an acoustic touch sensor structure, a resistive touch component, a force-based touch sensor structure, a light-based touch sensor, or other suitable touch sensor arrangements. If necessary, the display can include a force sensor for collecting force inputs (e.g., a two-dimensional force sensor can be used to collect force inputs on the display).

[0025] If desired, the sensor can include an optical sensor such as an optical sensor that emits and detects light, an optical touch sensor, an optical proximity sensor, and / or other touch sensors and / or proximity sensors, monochrome and color ambient light sensors, image sensors, fingerprint sensors, ultrasonic sensors, temperature sensors, sensors for measuring three-dimensional non-contact gestures (“air gestures”), pressure sensors, sensors for detecting position, orientation, and / or movement (e.g., magnetic sensors such as accelerometers, compass sensors, gyroscopes, and / or an inertial measurement unit that includes some or all of these sensors), health sensors, high-frequency sensors (e.g., sensors that use radar principles or other high-frequency sensing to collect position information, three-dimensional high-frequency images, and / or other information), depth sensors (e.g., structured light sensors and / or depth sensors based on stereoscopic imaging devices), self-mixing sensors, and optical sensors such as light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors that collect time-of-flight measurements, humidity sensors, moisture sensors, gaze tracking sensors, three-dimensional sensors (e.g., time-of-flight image sensors, pairs of two-dimensional image sensors that use binocular vision to collect three-dimensional images, three-dimensional structured light sensors that emit an array of infrared light or other structured light using an array of lasers or other light emitters and associated optical components and capture an image of the spots generated when the light irradiates the target object, and / or other three-dimensional image sensors), face recognition sensors based on three-dimensional image sensors, and / or other sensors.

[0026] In some configurations, component 18 can include a mechanical device for gathering inputs (e.g., a button, joystick, scroll wheel, keypad with moveable keys, keyboard with moveable keys, and other devices for gathering user input). During operation, device 10 can use sensors and / or other input / output devices within component 18 to gather user input (e.g., a button can be used to gather button press inputs, a touch and / or force sensor overlay display can be used to gather the user's touchscreen and / or force inputs, a touchpad and / or force sensor can be used to gather touch and / or force inputs, a microphone can be used to gather voice inputs, etc.). The control circuitry of device 10 can take actions based on the gathered information (e.g., by transmitting information to an external device via a wireless or wired path, by using a tactile output device, visual output device, audio component, or other input / output device within housing 12 to supply an output to the user).

[0027] If desired, electronic device 10 (e.g., component 18) can include a battery or other energy storage device, a connector port for assisting with wired communication and receiving wired power, and other circuitry. In some configurations, device 10 can serve as an accessory and / or can include wired and / or wireless accessories (e.g., a keyboard, computer mouse, remote control, trackpad, etc.).

[0028] Device 10 may include one or more displays such as display 14 (e.g., a display including a two-dimensional capacitive touch sensor and / or other touch sensors, or a display that does not respond to touch). The display may include, for example, an organic light emitting diode display, a liquid crystal display, a display having an array of pixels formed from respective light emitting diodes (e.g., a pixel array having pixels with light emitting diodes formed from respective crystalline light emitting diode dies such as a micro light emitting diode die), and / or other displays. The display may include a rigid display structure and a flexible display structure. For example, a light emitting diode display can have a polymer substrate that is flexible enough to be bent. Display 14 may have a rectangular pixel array or a pixel array of another shape for displaying an image to a user, and thus may sometimes be referred to as a pixel array. Display 14 and / or a portion of display 14 may also sometimes be referred to as a display panel, a display layer, or a pixel layer. Each pixel array within device 10 may be mounted under a transparent housing structure (which may sometimes be referred to as a transparent display cover layer, a protective cover layer structure, etc.).

[0029] Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5 show top views of exemplary structures that can be assembled together (e.g., by stacking) within device 10. The exemplary display assembly 30 of FIG. 2 has a display panel portion 32 (e.g., a display cover layer, an array of pixels for displaying an image, etc.) and a notch portion 34 (e.g., an inactive area that has no pixels and has one or more transparent portions for passing light associated with optical components such as a camera, ambient light sensor, 3D sensor, proximity sensor, etc.). One or more layers of an adhesive, such as the exemplary pressure - sensitive adhesive 36 of FIG. 3, may be used when attaching the structure to the display assembly 30 and / or a housing structure (e.g., a rear housing wall member, etc.). In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the adhesive 36 includes an outer ring, such as a ring 38 configured to extend along the periphery of device 10, and includes a notch portion 40 having an opening 42 for accommodating components.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a view of an exemplary frame (which may also be referred to as a frame member, support structure, or internal housing structure) of device 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the frame 44 can include a ring - shaped portion 50 having protruding tabs 52. The tabs 52 may extend out of the page in the orientation of FIG. 4 and may have openings and / or other engagement structures that allow the tabs 52 to be used to assist in attaching the frame 44 to other parts of device 10. The frame 44 may be formed from stainless steel and / or other metal(s), may be formed from a polymer, and / or may be formed from other suitable materials. A portion 46 of the frame 44 can have openings 48 to which respective components (e.g., optical components such as a camera, ambient light sensor, 3D sensor, proximity sensor, etc.) can be attached. These components can receive light passing through the transparent regions within the notch portion 34 of FIG. 2 and the opening 42 of FIG. 3. In an exemplary configuration, the frame 44 may be attached to a housing structure of device 10 or a structure such as the display assembly 30 of FIG. 2 using the adhesive 36 of FIG. 3.

[0031] During injection molding operations, a polymer such as the molded polymer 54 of FIG. 5 can be molded onto a structure of the device 10 (e.g., a part or all of the frame 44). The ring-shaped portion 56 of the polymer 54 can surround the notch portion 34 of FIG. 2. A portion of the frame 44, such as the tab 52, may remain uncovered by the molded polymer and / or may be partially covered. For example, a tab such as the exemplary tab 52 of FIG. 6 may remain uncovered, i.e., not covered at all or only partially covered, such that the tab opening 52T remains open and is not covered by the polymer. This enables the tab opening 52T of the frame 44 and / or other tab structures to engage with a mating housing member when the device 10 is assembled (e.g., the opening 52T can receive a protruding housing sidewall structure, etc.).

[0032] The display 14 may have a tail portion. Using the tail of the display 14 (e.g., the tail of the flexible display panel substrate on which the pixel array of the display 14 is formed), data signals, clock signals, and other control signals, power signals, and / or other display signals can be conveyed from a component 18 (e.g., a display driver integrated circuit, etc.) to the pixel array of the display used to display an image. The tail of the display 14 may be formed from a flexible polymer (e.g., polyimide) or a protruding elongated strip of another display substrate material (e.g., an integral part of the pixel array substrate). The tail can be bent to fit into the housing 12. For example, the tail of the display may be folded back (e.g., by 180°) onto itself. This helps ensure that any boundary structure surrounding the display 14 can be relatively narrow.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 7, the display 14 can have a display panel such as a display panel 14P having an array of pixels P forming an active area AA. During operation of the device 10, an image can be displayed within the active area AA. The display 14 can have an associated protective cover layer such as a transparent display cover layer 60. The display cover layer 60 can be formed from one or more layers of a crystalline material such as glass, a transparent polymer, sapphire or other crystalline material, and / or other transparent structure(s). The presence of the layer 60 can help protect the outer surface of the display panel 14P from scratches.

[0034] The display panel 14P can include a protruding tail portion such as a tail 14T (e.g., in the embodiment of FIG. 7, a flexible tail protruding leftward from the left edge of the rectangular active area AA). When the display 14 is attached to the housing 12, the tail 14T can be folded back onto itself, as shown in FIG. 7. This can help minimize the size of any inactive display boundary visible to a user such as viewer 22 looking at the display 14 in direction 24. The display control circuit (e.g., a display driver and a timing control circuit) can be formed from a thin film circuit and / or an integrated circuit mounted on and / or electrically coupled to a portion 14TP of the tail 14T (as one example).

[0035] The housing 12 and the display cover layer 60 surround an internal region 62 and serve to separate the internal region 62 from an external region 64 that surrounds the device 10. Components 18 (FIG. 1) can be attached within the internal region 62. As shown in FIG. 7, the molded polymer 54 may be used when supporting the tail 14T and other structures within the device 10. The molded polymer 54 can be molded over the frame 44, as shown in FIG. 7. The frame 44 can have threaded portions (e.g., threaded holes) configured to receive threaded fasteners such as screws 66 that are threaded and / or otherwise. Screws such as screw 66 can pass through an opening in the housing 12 and be screwed into the threaded portion of the frame 44 to assist in mechanically attaching the housing 12 to the frame 44. If desired, an adhesive such as a pressure-sensitive adhesive 68 may be used when attaching the frame 44 to the housing 12. An adhesive such as an optically transparent adhesive 70 can be used when attaching the display panel 14P to the inward-facing surface of the display cover layer 60.

[0036] In a configuration of the type shown in FIG. 7, the frame 44 can help provide internal structural support for the device 10 and can use tabs and / or other engagement structures to assist in attaching the frame 44 to the housing wall and other portions of the housing 12. The frame 44 may have one or more portions embedded in the molded polymer 54. This can serve to secure the frame 44 to the polymer 54. The strength provided by the frame 44 can help the device 10 avoid deformation and damage (e.g., during a drop event where there is a possibility of applying an inward force to the display cover layer 60 in direction 72, as an example).

[0037] If desired, one or more portions of the housing 12 can be configured to assist in the engagement with the molded polymer 54. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the housing 12 may have a lip-shaped portion such as a lip 12L. The lip 12L may be a ring-shaped lip that extends around a part or all of the perimeter of the device 10. The lip 12L can project laterally inwardly from the inside of the side wall of the housing 12 towards the interior 62, engage with the polymer 54, and thereby help lock the polymer 54 in place (e.g., the lip 12L can function as a locking lip that locks the polymer 54 to the housing 12).

[0038] FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the device 10 showing how the device 10 can include a support structure that helps support the display cover layer 60. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the frame 44 has a vertically extending portion that extends between the inward-facing surface 80 of the rear housing wall 12R of the housing 12 and the opposing inward-facing surface 82 of the display cover layer 60. The presence of the vertical support structure of the frame 44 between the surfaces 80 and 82 serves to maintain a desired minimum separation between the surfaces 80 and 82 and helps prevent excessive compression of the polymer 54 when a force is applied to the display cover layer in the direction 72 due to an undesired drop event or other impact.

[0039] To help minimize the width of the inactive display border, it may be desirable for the tail 14T to extend into a recess in the edge of the housing 12. This allows the size of the active area AA to be increased without narrowing the width of the side wall structure along the entire end of the housing 12. To attach the display 14 to this type of housing, the tail 14T may be segmented across its width such that, if desired, the tail 14T of the display panel 14P has a plurality of parallel curved fingers such as the fingers 14TF in FIG. 9.

[0040] As shown in the top view of the housing 12 of FIG. 10, the housing 12 (for example, the wall of the housing 12 adjacent to the tail 14T) may include recesses 12R each configured to receive a respective lateral protruding portion of one of the fingers 14TF. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, each finger 14TF is folded back onto itself within an individual recess 12R. The non-recessed portion 12N of the wall of the housing 12 formed from vertically extending ribs extending parallel to the Z-axis along the inner surface of the side wall of the housing 12 protrudes laterally inward from the side wall of the housing 12 (for example, in the Y-direction of FIG. 10) and is respectively disposed between individual pairs of the fingers 14TF. In the absence of the vertical supports formed from the protruding portions 12N of the housing 12, the walls of the housing 12 would be uniformly thinner to accommodate the tail 14T. This thinner size of the walls of the housing 12 may reduce the strength of the housing 12. However, in a configuration where the protruding portions 12N are present, these protruding portions function as vertical supports extending between the rear wall of the housing 12 and the inner surface 82 of the display cover layer 60. This is shown in FIG. 11 which is a side cross-sectional view of the device 10 of FIG. 10. As shown by this embodiment, by providing one or more recesses in the housing side wall to receive one or more corresponding fingers 14TF of the tail 12T, it is possible to reduce the non-active border width of the display 14 while maintaining the desired vertical support (resistance to excessive force in the direction 72 by the portion 12N forming the raised portion extending vertically parallel to the Z-axis along the inner surface of the side wall of the housing 12).

[0041] If desired, the inner surface 82 of the display cover layer 60 may be provided with an inclined surface that mates with the corresponding inclined surface of the housing 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the housing 12 may have side walls such as side wall 12W. The side wall 12W can extend along the rectangular periphery of the device 10. The side wall 12W may have a chamfered portion forming an inclined surface 90C at the upper part of the inward-facing surface 90 of the side wall 12W. The chamfered portion of the side wall 12W can be aligned with the corresponding chamfered portion of the display cover layer 60. As shown in FIG. 12, for example, the inner surface 82 of the display cover layer 60 may have a chamfered portion along its peripheral edge, forming an inclined (chamfered) surface 82C.

[0042] The surface normal n1 of the surface 82C and the surface normal n2 of the surface 90C may be parallel to each other and oriented at a non-zero angle (e.g., at least 10°, at least 30°, less than 90°, less than 70°, or other suitable values) with respect to the vertical axis Z (parallel to the surface normal n3 of the outer surface of the display cover layer 60). The angled orientation of the surfaces 82C and 90C can help prevent the display cover layer 60 from being pushed inward to compress (and potentially damage) the polymer 54 when subjected to an external force in direction 70 (e.g., a force due to an undesired drop event). At the same time, the configuration of FIG. 12 helps seat the display cover layer 60 within the outer peripheral portion of the housing formed by the side wall 12W so that the layer 60 does not slide laterally across the top of the side wall 12W.

[0043] If desired, components (e.g., component 18 of FIG. 1) can be embedded within the polymer 54. As an example, consider the exemplary configuration shown in the side cross-sectional view of the device 10 of FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 13, components can be mounted within the internal region 62 of the device 10. These components can include components such as components 94 and 96 (e.g., component 18 of FIG. 1 such as an integrated circuit, a sensor, an input / output device, etc.). Printed circuits such as printed circuit 92 and / or other signal paths can be used to electrically interconnect components 94 and 96.

[0044] The display 14 can have a display panel 14P attached to the lower side (surface 82) of the display cover layer 60 with an adhesive 70. The molded polymer 54 can surround the portion of the bent tail 14T of the display panel 14P. The component 94 may be an optical component such as a component that emits light and / or a component that senses light, if desired. The light may be emitted and / or detected by the component 94 at any suitable wavelength (e.g., infrared, visible, and / or ultraviolet). To help guide the light to a desired location, the device 10 can have an optical waveguide structure. As shown in FIG. 13, for example, a light guide 98 can be fully or partially embedded in the polymer 54. The light guide 98 may be formed from a transparent elongated light guide structure (e.g., a transparent elongated cylinder or other light guide formed from a polymer and / or glass that guides light along its length). In an exemplary configuration, the light guide 98 includes a core surrounded by a cladding having a lower refractive index than the core. If desired, the polymer 54 may function as the cladding layer. Using these types of configurations and / or other light guide configurations, it is possible to support guiding light through the light guide 98 according to the principals of total internal reflection.

[0045] During operation, the optical component 94 can generate light that is received at the light guide end face 100 of the light guide 98 and emitted from the light guide 98 at the opposite end face 102 (for example, such that the emitted light can pass through the layer 60), and / or receive light at the end face 102 (for example, after passing through the layer 60) and guide it through the light guide 98 to the end face 100 for sensing by the component 94. If desired, the light guide 98 may have one or more bends along its length. The component 94, which can form one of the sensors for the device 10 and / or function as an output component or other input / output device for the device 10, can include one or more light-emitting devices such as light-emitting diodes and / or lasers, and one or more light detectors such as photodiodes and image sensors.

[0046] The polymer 54 may be any suitable polymer material such as a thermosetting polymer (for example, a photocurable polymer, a thermosetting polymer, etc.) or a thermoplastic polymer (for example, a thermoplastic polymer that softens and has a reduced viscosity by heating during molding). The molding operation of the polymer 54 may be performed using the pressure applied from the fitting parts in the molding die to mold the polymer and / or using injection molding (for example, under vacuum conditions, using high or low pressure applied to the polymer material to be molded, etc.).

[0047] If desired, electrical connections can be formed through the molded polymer structures within the device 10. As an example, consider the configuration of FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 14, the housing 12 of the device 10 may have conductive portions such as a metal housing portion 12A and a metal housing portion 12C that are at least partially separated by a dielectric portion such as the dielectric portion 12B. The portion 12B may be formed of a polymer or other insulator and may have a complete or partial ring shape such as an O shape, a C shape, or another shape that extends along at least a portion of the periphery of the device 10 (for example, along at least three sides of the rectangular periphery of the device 10 surrounding a rectangular display).

[0048] In order to form an antenna structure, it may be desirable to use a conductive structure such as the metal housing portions 12A and / or 12C in the device 10. As an example, one or more antennas formed from the housing portions 12A and 12C, the display 14P (e.g., the metal trace 134 on the printed circuit board portion of the display panel 14P), and / or other conductive structures of the device 10 can be used to transmit and / or receive radio frequency antenna signals, satellite navigation system signals, and / or other wireless communication signals for wireless communication by the device 10.

[0049] A conductive path may be formed between the wireless communication circuit 132 and the antenna structure of the device 10. The circuit 132 may include, for example, a radio frequency transceiver circuit, a low noise amplifier circuit, a power amplifier circuit, a baseband processor circuit, a filter circuit, an impedance matching circuit, a tuning circuit, etc. As shown in FIG. 14, the circuit 132 may be electrically coupled to the metal trace 134 of the display panel 14P using a signal path such as the path 130 (also, if desired, using additional signal paths to be electrically coupled to conductive structures such as the housing portion 12C, the printed circuit board ground plane, and / or other conductive structures of the device 10). These signal paths can be formed using metal traces on a printed circuit, laser direct structured metal traces on a polymer member, conductive polymer shots in a molded polymer structure, metal members, wires, and / or other conductive path structures.

[0050] In an exemplary configuration, the metal housing portion 12A may be electrically coupled to the metal trace 134 of the display panel 14P, and these metal structures may operate together to form at least a part of the antenna. The trace 134 may be electrically connected to the metal housing portion 12A using a conductive path formed from the metal structure 126 and the spring 120. The spring 120 may be a corrugated spring having a ring shape extending around a part or all of the periphery of the display 14. Periodically, the corrugated spring undulates outward and presses against the metal housing member 12A at the position indicated by the spring 120 in FIG. 14 to form an electrical connection 122. Periodically, the corrugated spring undulates inward and presses against the outer surface of the metal structure 126 at the position 120' to form an electrical connection 124. In this way, the metal housing portion 12A is short-circuited to the metal structure 126. The device 10 may have any suitable number of connections such as the connections 122 and 124. As an example, there may be 3 to 10 separate connection points between the spring 120 and the housing 12A, and there may be 3 to 10 separate connection points between the spring 120 and the structure 126 around the periphery of the device 10.

[0051] The metal structure 126 may be formed from a single metal ring extending around a part or all of the periphery of the display 14. This single metal ring may be at least partially embedded in a molded polymer (e.g., may be formed as an integral part of a co-molded component or may be formed separately, see the molded polymer 54A and the molded polymer 54B). If desired, instead of a single metal ring, a set of separate metal inserts may be used. The metal structure 126 may, as an example, be formed from 3 to 8 separate metal inserts spaced at regular intervals around the periphery of the display 14. The metal inserts may also be at least partially embedded in the molded polymer 54A and / or 54B. As described in connection with FIG. 7, the tail portion 14T of the display panel 14P may be embedded in a molded polymer (e.g., in the molded polymer 54B).

[0052] The metal trace 134 can form one or more connections with the metal structure 126, and / or a separate structure such as a copper tape or other conductive material (see, e.g., path 128) may be used to connect the trace 134 to the metal structure 126. In general, electrical connections between the conductive structures of the device 10 can be formed using direct contact, conductive adhesives, solder, welding, metal fasteners, and / or other suitable electrical connection structures.

[0053] By using a connection of the type shown in FIG. 14, the metal housing portion 12A (e.g., a ring-shaped metal housing structure extending along the periphery of the display 14), in combination with the metal trace 134 associated with the display panel 14P, can form at least a part of an antenna for the device 10. The use of the metal housing portion 12A and the display panel 14P to form the antenna can help avoid the use of an overly bulky antenna structure in the device 10 and thus can help maintain the desired small size of the device 10.

[0054] The configurations shown in FIGS. 1 - 14 may be used independently and / or any suitable number of these configurations (e.g., one or more) may be used in combination with each other.

[0055] As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the collection and use of information such as sensor information. The present disclosure contemplates that in some cases, data may be collected that includes personal information data that uniquely identifies a specific person, or personal information data that can be used to contact a specific person or indicate the location of a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, phone numbers, email addresses, Twitter IDs, home addresses, data or records regarding a user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information), birthdays, user names, passwords, biometric information, or any other identifying or personal information.

[0056] The present disclosure recognizes that such use of personal information in the present technology can be used for the benefit of the user. For example, personal information data may be used to deliver more interesting target content to the user. Accordingly, such use of personal information data enables the user to perform arithmetic control of the content to be delivered. Further, other uses of personal information data that provide benefits to the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For example, health data and fitness data can be used to provide insights into the user's overall well-being, or can also be used as positive feedback to individuals who are using technologies to pursue wellness goals.

[0057] The present disclosure contemplates that entities involved in the collection, analysis, disclosure, transmission, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with firm privacy policies and / or privacy practices. Specifically, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining the confidentiality of personal information data. Such policies should be readily accessible to users and updated as data collection and / or use changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and proper use by the entity and should not be shared or sold except for those legitimate uses. Further, such collection / sharing should be conducted after informing and obtaining consent from the user. Moreover, such entities should consider taking all necessary measures to protect and secure access to such personal information data and ensure that others with access rights to personal information data faithfully adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Additionally, such entities can subject themselves to third-party evaluations to demonstrate their compliance with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. Further, the policies and practices should be tailored to the specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed and should comply with applicable laws and regulations, including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For example, in the United States, the collection 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), and health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be processed accordingly. Therefore, different privacy practices should be maintained for different types of personal data in each country.

[0058] Notwithstanding the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments that selectively block a user from using or accessing personal information data. That is, the present disclosure is intended that hardware elements and / or software elements may be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, the technology may be configured to allow a user to select an “opt-in” or “opt-out” of participating in the collection of personal information data during registration for a service or at any time thereafter. In another example, a user may be able to select not to provide a certain type of user data. In yet another example, a user may be able to select to limit the length of time that user-specific data is maintained. In addition to providing “opt-in” and “opt-out” options, the present disclosure is intended to provide notice regarding access or use of personal information. For example, a user may be notified upon downloading an application (an “app”) that accesses the user's personal information data, and then again immediately prior to the personal information data being accessed by the app.

[0059] Furthermore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. The risk can be minimized by restricting data collection and deleting data when it is no longer needed. Additionally, anonymization of data can be used to protect a user's privacy where applicable in certain health-related applications. Anonymization can be facilitated, as needed, by removing certain identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of the data stored (e.g., collecting location data at the city level rather than the address level), controlling how the data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and / or other means.

[0060] Thus, while the present disclosure broadly includes using information, which may include personal information data, to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments may also be implemented without requiring access to personal information data, i.e., various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable by the absence of all or a portion of such personal information data.

[0061] According to one embodiment, an electronic device is provided that includes a display layer having a curved tail, a housing wall having an inwardly facing surface, the housing wall having a recess on the inwardly facing surface configured to receive the curved tail, and a molded polymer within the recess, where at least a portion of the curved tail is embedded in the molded polymer.

[0062] According to another embodiment, the recess is formed from a plurality of recesses in the housing wall each separated by intervening protruding wall portions.

[0063] According to another embodiment, the curved tail includes parallel fingers each received within a respective one of the recesses.

[0064] According to another embodiment, the shaped polymer comprises: It includes a ring-shaped polymer structure that extends along the periphery of the display layer.

[0065] According to another embodiment, an electronic device includes a frame at least partially embedded in a ring-shaped polymer structure.

[0066] According to another embodiment, the electronic device includes a threaded fastener and the frame includes at least one threaded opening configured to receive the threaded fastener.

[0067] According to another embodiment, the housing wall includes an opening for receiving a threaded fastener.

[0068] According to another embodiment, the housing wall has a locking lip that projects inwardly into the molded polymer.

[0069] According to another embodiment, the electronic device includes an optical light guide that passes through the molded polymer.

[0070] According to another embodiment, the electronic device includes an optical component at an end face of the optical light guide.

[0071] According to another embodiment, the electronic device includes a display cover layer that overlaps the display layer, and the optical light guide has an end face adjacent to the surface of the display layer.

[0072] According to one embodiment, there is provided an electronic device including a display layer having an array of pixels, a display cover layer having an inward-facing display cover layer surface that overlaps the display layer, a housing having an inward-facing housing surface, a molded polymer, and a frame that is at least partially embedded in the molded polymer and has a portion that extends between the inward-facing housing surface and the inward-facing display cover layer surface.

[0073] According to another embodiment, the housing has a side wall portion having an inwardly projecting locking lip that penetrates into the molded polymer.

[0074] According to another embodiment, the housing has a side wall portion having a chamfer that forms an inclined housing side wall surface, and the display cover layer has a corresponding chamfer that forms an inclined display cover layer surface that mates with the inclined housing side wall surface.

[0075] According to another embodiment, the frame has a plurality of tabs having openings.

[0076] According to another embodiment, the frame includes a metal frame.

[0077] According to another embodiment, the electronic device includes a light guide embedded in the molded polymer.

[0078] According to another embodiment, the display layer has a bent tail at least partially embedded in the molded polymer.

[0079] According to one embodiment, there is provided an electronic device having a rectangular outer shape and end portions on both sides, including a display cover layer, a flexible display layer covered by the display cover layer and having a bent tail at one of the end portions, a molded polymer in which at least a part of the bent tail is embedded, a housing having a rear wall, and a metal structure extending from the rear wall through the molded polymer to the display cover layer.

[0080] According to another embodiment, the metal structure includes a part of a metal frame.

[0081] According to another embodiment, the housing has side walls, and the metal structure includes a part of the side walls.

[0082] According to one embodiment, there is provided an electronic device including a display cover layer, a display panel covered by the display cover layer and having a bent tail, a molded polymer in which at least a part of the bent tail is embedded, first and second metal housing portions at least partially separated by a dielectric, wherein the first metal housing portion extends along a peripheral edge of the display cover layer, a housing having the first and second metal housing portions, a wireless communication circuit, and a metal structure embedded in the molded polymer and forming at least a part of a conductive path between the wireless communication circuit and the first metal housing portion.

[0083] According to another embodiment, the electronic device includes a spring in contact with the first metal housing portion.

[0084] According to another embodiment, the spring includes a corrugated spring disposed between the first metal housing portion and the metal structure.

[0085] According to another embodiment, the display panel, together with the first metal housing portion, has a metal trace that forms at least a part of the antenna, and the metal structure and the spring electrically couple the metal trace to the first metal housing portion.

[0086] According to another embodiment, the metal structure includes a metal ring at least partially embedded in a molded polymer.

[0087] According to another embodiment, the metal structure includes a set of metal inserts at least partially embedded in a molded polymer.

[0088] The above are merely examples, and various modifications may be made to the described embodiments. The above embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.

Claims

1. A display layer having a bent tail; A housing wall having an inward-facing surface, the inward-facing surface having a recess configured to receive the bent tail; A molded polymer within the recess, at least a portion of the bent tail being embedded in the molded polymer; An electronic device comprising the above.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the recess is formed from a plurality of depressions in the housing wall, each separated by an intervening protruding wall portion.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the bent tail includes parallel fingers respectively received within an individual one of the depressions.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the molded polymer includes a ring-shaped polymer structure extending along a peripheral edge of the display layer.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, further comprising a frame at least partially embedded in the ring-shaped polymer structure.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, further comprising a threaded fastener, the frame including at least one threaded opening configured to receive the threaded fastener.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the housing wall includes an opening configured to receive the threaded fastener.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the housing wall has a locking lip protruding inwardly into the molded polymer.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising an optical light guide passing through the molded polymer.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, further comprising an optical component at an end face of the optical light guide.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, further comprising a display cover layer overlapping the display layer, the optical light guide having an end face adjacent to a surface of the display layer.

12. A display layer having an array of pixels; A display cover layer having an inward-facing display cover layer surface overlapping the display layer; A housing having an inward-facing housing surface; A molded polymer; A frame at least partially embedded in the molded polymer and having a portion extending between the inward-facing housing surface and the inward-facing display cover layer surface; An electronic device comprising the above.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the housing has a side wall portion having a locking lip that protrudes inward and penetrates into the molded polymer.

14. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the housing has a side wall portion having a chamfered portion that forms an inclined housing side wall surface, and the display cover layer has a corresponding chamfered portion that forms a corresponding inclined display cover layer surface that fits with the inclined housing side wall surface.

15. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the frame has a plurality of tabs having openings.

16. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the frame includes a metal frame.

17. The electronic device according to claim 12, further comprising a light guide embedded in the molded polymer.

18. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the display layer has a bent tail that is at least partially embedded in the molded polymer.

19. An electronic device having a rectangular outer shape and end portions on both sides, a display cover layer, a flexible display layer covered by the display cover layer and having a bent tail at one of the end portions, a molded polymer in which at least a part of the bent tail is embedded, a housing having a rear wall, a metal structure extending from the rear wall through the molded polymer to the display cover layer, and comprising an electronic device.

20. The electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the metal structure includes a part of a metal frame.

21. The electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the housing has a side wall, and the metal structure includes a part of the side wall.

22. a display cover layer, a display panel covered by the display cover layer and having a bent tail, a molded polymer in which at least a part of the bent tail is embedded, first and second metal housing portions that are at least partially separated by a dielectric, wherein the first metal housing portion extends along a peripheral portion of the display cover layer, and a housing having the first and second metal housing portions, a wireless communication circuit, a metal structure embedded in the molded polymer and forming at least a part of a conductive path between the wireless communication circuit and the first metal housing portion, and comprising an electronic device.

23. The electronic device according to claim 22, further comprising a spring that contacts the first metal housing portion.

24. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein the spring includes a corrugated spring disposed between the first metal housing portion and the metal structure.

25. The display panel, together with the first metal housing portion, has a metal trace that forms at least a part of an antenna, and the metal structure and the spring electrically couple the metal trace to the first metal housing portion. The electronic device according to claim 24.

26. The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein the metal structure includes a metal ring at least partially embedded in the molded polymer.

27. The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein the metal structure includes a set of metal inserts at least partially embedded in the molded polymer.

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