ELECTRONIC DEVICES HAVING MOLDED POLYMER STRUCTURES This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 701,516, filed March 22, 2022, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 164,949, filed March 23, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 229,259, filed August 4, 2021, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties herein.

Abstract

The electronic device may have a display mounted within the housing. The display may have a display panel having an array of pixels on a flexible substrate. The display cover layer may overlay the display panel. The flexible substrate may have a protruding portion forming a tail. When the display is mounted within the housing, the tail may fold back on itself to form a bend. The bend may be embedded in a molded polymer. The device may have structures that help prevent the display cover layer from compressing inward toward the rear of the housing, such as frame structures and / or housing sidewall structures embedded in the molded polymer. Optical components and light guides may be embedded within the molded polymer. Mating chamfers on the display cover layer and the housing may help seat the display cover layer within the housing.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly to electronic devices having a display. [Background technology]

[0002] An electronic device may have components such as a display. Enclosures for electronic devices with displays can have structures 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 walls and other housing structures. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The 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 may overlay the display panel. The flexible substrate may have a protruding portion forming a tail. When the display is mounted within the housing, the tail may be folded back on itself to form a bend. The bend may be embedded in a molded polymer member. The molded polymer member may help to protect and support the embedded display tail.

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

[0005] The housing may have a rear wall having an inwardly facing surface facing the opposing inwardly facing surface of the display cover layer. The device may have structures that help prevent the display cover layer from compressing toward the rear housing wall. These structures may include, for example, frame structures that extend between the inwardly facing surface of the rear housing wall and the opposing inwardly facing surface of the display cover layer. Vertical support may also be provided by vertical ribs that extend along the inner surface of the sidewall. In some configurations, the tail of the display may have parallel fingers, each of which is received in 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 light guides can be embedded in the molded polymer. Mating chamfers on the display cover layer and the housing can help seat the display cover layer in the housing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary electronic device having a display according to one embodiment.

[0008] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of an exemplary display and housing structure that can be stacked together in an electronic device according to one embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of an exemplary display and housing structure that can be stacked together in an electronic device according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of an exemplary display and housing structure that can be stacked together in an electronic device according to one embodiment. [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of an exemplary display and housing structure that can be stacked together in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0009] [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary frame having a tab, according to one embodiment.

[0010] [Figure 7] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an end portion of an exemplary electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0011] [Figure 8] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an end portion of an exemplary electronic device having a frame configured to help support a display cover layer according to one embodiment.

[0012] [Figure 9] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a segmented tail portion of an exemplary flexible display according to one embodiment.

[0013] [Figure 10] 10 is a top view of an edge portion of an exemplary electronic device having attached thereto a flexible display of the type shown in FIG. 9.

[0014] [Figure 11] 11 is a cross-sectional side view of an end portion of the exemplary electronic device of FIG. 10 according to one embodiment.

[0015] [Figure 12] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an end portion of an exemplary electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0016] [Figure 13] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an end portion of an exemplary electronic device having optical components and a light guide embedded in a polymer structure according to one embodiment.

[0017] [Figure 14] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an edge portion of an exemplary electronic device according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The electronic device may have a display and other components. Layers of glass, metal, and / or other structures may be used in forming a housing for the device. The display and other components may be mounted within the housing. A molded polymer may 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 may include a molded polymeric structure is shown in Figure 1. Device 10 of Figure 1 may be a portable device such as a wristwatch, a wristless portable device such as a mobile phone or tablet computer, or other suitable electronic device (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 built into a vehicle or home, an electronic device accessory, and / or other electronic device). At times herein, exemplary configurations are described in which device 10 is a mobile phone or tablet computer.

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

[0021] The electrical components 18 within device 10 may include integrated circuits, discrete components, light emitting components, sensors, and / or other circuitry, and may be interconnected using signal paths in one or more printed circuits, if desired. Electrical components 18 may include control circuitry. The control circuitry may include storage and processing circuitry that supports the operation of device 10. The storage and processing circuitry may include storage such as hard disk drive storage, non-volatile 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 the like. Processing circuitry within the control circuitry may be used to control the operation of device 10. For example, the processing circuitry may collect inputs using sensors and other input / output circuitry to provide outputs and / or send signals to external devices. The processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors, power management units, audio chips, application specific integrated circuits, and the like. The control circuitry may include wired and / or wireless communication circuitry (e.g., antennas and associated radio frequency receiver circuitry such as cellular telephone communication circuitry, wireless local area network communication circuitry, and the like). The communication circuitry of the control circuitry may enable device 10 to communicate with other electronic devices. For example, the control circuitry (e.g., communication circuitry in the control circuitry) may be used to convey wired and / or wireless control commands and other communications between devices such as cellular telephones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, head mounted devices, handheld controllers, watch devices, other wearable devices, keyboards, computer mice, remote controls, speakers, accessory displays, accessory cameras, and / or other electronic devices. For example, the wireless communication circuitry may wirelessly transmit control signals or other information to an external device in response to receiving user input or other input from a sensor or other device at component 18.

[0022] Input / output circuitry of component 18 of device 10 may be used to provide data to device 10 and to provide data from device 10 to external devices. The input / output circuitry may include input devices for collecting user input and other input, and may include output devices for providing visual, audio, or other output.

[0023] Output may 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., tone 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.

[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 touch and / or proximity sensors, such as 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 integrated into a display, two-dimensional capacitive touch sensors and / or two-dimensional force sensors overlying a display, and / or touch and force sensors forming buttons, track pads, or other input devices not associated with a display), and other sensors. Touch sensors for displays or other touch components can be based on arrays of capacitive touch sensor electrodes, acoustic touch sensor structures, resistive touch components, force-based touch sensor structures, optically-based touch sensors, or other suitable touch sensor arrangements. If necessary, a display can include force sensors for collecting force input (e.g., two-dimensional force sensors can be used to collect force input on a display).

[0025] If desired, the sensors may include optical sensors, such as optical sensors that detect luminescence and light, optical touch sensors, optical proximity sensors, and / or other touch and / or proximity sensors, monochrome and color ambient light sensors, image sensors, fingerprint sensors, ultrasonic sensors, temperature sensors, sensors for measuring three-dimensional contactless gestures ("air gestures"), pressure sensors, sensors for detecting position, orientation, and / or motion (e.g., accelerometers, magnetic sensors such as compass sensors, gyroscopes, and / or inertial measurement units that include some or all of these sensors), health sensors, radio frequency sensors (e.g., sensors that use radar-principal or other radio frequency sensing to gather position information, three-dimensional radio frequency images, and / or other information), depth sensors (e.g., depth sensors based on structured light sensors and / or stereoscopic imaging devices), self-mixing sensors, and light detection and ranging (LDR) sensors that gather time-of-flight measurements. The sensors may include optical sensors such as ranging, lidar, humidity sensors, moisture sensors, eye 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 use an array of lasers or other light emitters and associated optical components to emit an array of infrared light beams or other structured light and capture images of the spots created as the light beams illuminate a target object, and / or other three-dimensional image sensors), facial recognition sensors based on three-dimensional image sensors, and / or other sensors.

[0026] In some configurations, components 18 can include mechanical devices for collecting input (e.g., buttons, joysticks, scroll wheels, keypads with movable keys, keyboards with movable keys, and other devices for collecting user input). In operation, device 10 can collect user input using sensors and / or other input / output devices within components 18 (e.g., buttons can be used to collect button press input, touch and / or force sensor overlay displays can be used to collect user touch screen input and / or force input, touch pads and / or force sensors can be used to collect touch and / or force input, microphones can be used to collect voice input, etc.). Control circuitry of device 10 can take action based on the collected information (e.g., by transmitting information over wireless or wired paths to external equipment, by providing output to the user using tactile output devices, visual output devices, audio components, or other input / output devices within housing 12).

[0027] If desired, electronic device 10 (e.g., component 18) can include a battery or other energy storage device, connector ports for supporting wired communication with auxiliary equipment and for receiving wired power, and other circuitry. In some configurations, device 10 can act as an accessory and / or include wired and / or wireless accessories (e.g., a keyboard, a computer mouse, a remote control, a track pad, 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 sensor, or a display that is not sensitive to touch). The displays may include, for example, organic light emitting diode displays, liquid crystal displays, displays having an array of pixels formed from respective light emitting diodes (e.g., pixel arrays having pixels having light emitting diodes formed from respective crystalline light emitting diode dies, such as micro light emitting diode dies), and / or other displays. Displays may include rigid display structures and flexible display structures. For example, a light emitting diode display may have a polymer substrate that is flexible enough to bend. Display 14 may have a rectangular pixel array or another shaped pixel array for displaying images 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 in device 10 may be mounted under a transparent housing structure (which may also be referred to as a transparent display cover layer, a protective cover layer structure, etc.).

[0029] 2, 3, 4, and 5 show top views of exemplary structures that can be assembled together (e.g., by stacking, etc.) in 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 is devoid of pixels and has one or more transparent portions for passing light associated with optical components such as a camera, an ambient light sensor, a three-dimensional sensor, a proximity sensor, etc.). One or more layers of adhesive, such as the exemplary pressure-sensitive adhesive 36 of FIG. 3, may be used in attaching the structure to the display assembly 30 and / or a housing structure (e.g., a rear housing wall member, etc.). In the example of FIG. 3, the adhesive 36 includes an outer ring, such as ring 38 configured to extend along the periphery of device 10, and includes a notch portion 40 having an opening 42 for accommodating a component.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a diagram of an exemplary frame (sometimes referred to as a frame member, support structure, or internal housing structure) of device 10. As shown in FIG. 4, frame 44 can include a ring-shaped portion 50 with a protruding tab 52. Tab 52 may extend out of the page in the orientation of FIG. 4 and may have openings and / or other engagement structures that allow tab 52 to be used to help attach frame 44 to other portions of device 10. Frame 44 may be formed from stainless steel and / or other metal(s), polymer, and / or other suitable material. Portion 46 of frame 44 can have openings 48 into which respective components (e.g., optical components such as cameras, ambient light sensors, 3D sensors, proximity sensors, etc.) are attached. These components can receive light passing through notch portion 34 of FIG. 2 and transparent areas within opening 42 of FIG. 3. Frame 44 may be attached to a structure such as the housing structure of device 10 or display assembly 30 of FIG. 2 using adhesive 36 of FIG. 3 in an exemplary configuration.

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

[0032] The display 14 may have a tail portion. The tail of the display 14 (e.g., the tail of a flexible display panel substrate on which the pixel array of the display 14 is formed) may be used to carry data signals, clock and other control signals, power signals, and / or other display signals from components 18 (e.g., display driver integrated circuits, etc.) to the pixel array of the display used in displaying images. The tail of the display 14 may be formed from a protruding elongated strip of flexible polymer (e.g., polyimide) or other display substrate material (e.g., an integral part of the pixel array substrate). To fit the tail within the housing 12, the tail can be bent. For example, the tail of the display may be folded back on itself (e.g., by 180°). This helps ensure that any border structures surrounding the display 14 may be relatively narrow.

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

[0034] The display panel 14P may include a protruding tail portion, such as 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 may be folded back on itself, as shown in FIG. 7. This may help minimize the size of any inactive display borders visible by a user, such as a viewer 22 looking at the display 14 in direction 24. Display control circuitry (e.g., display drivers and timing control circuitry) may be formed from thin-film circuits and / or integrated circuits mounted on and / or electrically coupled to a portion 14TP of the tail 14T (as one embodiment).

[0035] The housing 12 and the display cover layer 60 surround an interior region 62 and serve to separate the interior region 62 from an exterior region 64 surrounding the device 10. Within the interior region 62, the components 18 (FIG. 1) can be attached. As shown in FIG. 7, a molded polymer 54 may be used in supporting the tail 14T and other structures within the device 10. The molded polymer 54 may be molded over the frame 44, as shown in FIG. 7. The frame 44 may have portions (e.g., threaded holes) that are threaded and / or otherwise configured to receive threaded fasteners such as screws 66. Screws such as screws 66 may pass through openings in the housing 12 and may be threaded into the threaded portions of the frame 44 to help mechanically attach the housing 12 to the frame 44. If desired, an adhesive such as a pressure sensitive adhesive 68 may be used in attaching the frame 44 to the housing 12. An adhesive such as an optically clear adhesive 70 may be used in attaching the display panel 14P to the inwardly facing surface of the display cover layer 60.

[0036] 7 type of configuration, frame 44 can help provide internal structural support for device 10 and can help attach frame 44 to the housing walls and other portions of housing 12 using tabs and / or other engagement structures. Frame 44 may have one or more portions embedded in molded polymer 54. This can help secure frame 44 to polymer 54. The strength added by frame 44 can help device 10 avoid deformation and damage (e.g., during a drop event that can exert an inward force on display cover layer 60 in direction 72, as one example).

[0037] If desired, one or more portions of the housing 12 can be configured to aid in engaging the molded polymer 54. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the housing 12 can have a lip-shaped portion, such as lip 12L. The lip 12L can be a ring-shaped lip that extends around some or all of the periphery of the device 10. The lip 12L can protrude laterally inward from the inside of the sidewall of the housing 12 toward the interior 62 and can engage with the polymer 54, thereby aiding in locking 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] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional side view of device 10 illustrating how device 10 can include support structures that help support display cover layer 60. In the embodiment of Figure 8, frame 44 has a vertically extending portion that extends between an inwardly facing surface 80 of rear housing wall 12R of housing 12 and an opposing inwardly facing surface 82 of display cover layer 60. The presence of the vertical support structures of frame 44 between surfaces 80 and 82 serves to maintain a desired minimum separation between surfaces 80 and 82 and helps prevent over-compression of polymer 54 when a force is applied to the display cover layer in direction 72 due to an undesirable drop event or other impact.

[0039] To help minimize the width of the non-active 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 sidewall structure along the entire edge of the housing 12. For mounting the display 14 in this type of housing, the tail 14T may be segmented across its width, if desired, such that the tail 14T of the display panel 14P has multiple parallel curved fingers, such as fingers 14TF of FIG.

[0040] As shown in the top view of the housing 12 in FIG. 10, the housing 12 (e.g., a wall of the housing 12 adjacent the tail 14T) may include recesses 12R each configured to receive a laterally protruding portion of a respective one of the fingers 14TF. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, each finger 14TF is folded back on itself in a respective recess 12R. Non-recesses 12N of the walls of the housing 12 formed from vertically extending ribs extending parallel to the Z axis along the inner surface of the side walls of the housing 12 protrude laterally inward (e.g., in the Y direction in FIG. 10) from the side walls of the housing 12 and are each disposed between a respective pair of the fingers 14TF. Without 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 configurations where protruding portions 12N are present, these protruding portions act as vertical supports extending between the rear wall of housing 12 and inner surface 82 of display cover layer 60. This is shown in Figure 11, a side cross-sectional view of device 10 of Figure 10. As this example illustrates, by providing one or more recesses in the housing sidewalls to receive one or more corresponding fingers 14TF of tail 12T, it is possible to reduce the inactive border width of display 14 while maintaining the desired vertical support (resistance to excessive forces in direction 72 by portions 12N forming ridges extending vertically parallel to the Z-axis along the inner surface of the sidewall of housing 12).

[0041] If desired, the inner surface 82 of the display cover layer 60 may be provided with a beveled surface that mates with a corresponding beveled surface of the housing 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the housing 12 may have a sidewall, such as sidewall 12W. The sidewall 12W may extend along the rectangular perimeter of the device 10. The sidewall 12W may have a chamfer at an upper portion of an inwardly facing side 90 of the sidewall 12W forming a beveled surface 90C. The chamfered portions of the sidewalls 12W can align with corresponding chamfered portions of the display cover layer 60. As shown in Figure 12, for example, the inner surface 82 of the display cover layer 60 can have a chamfer along its periphery forming an angled (chamfered) surface 82C.

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

[0043] If desired, components (e.g., component 18 of FIG. 1) can be embedded within polymer 54. As an example, consider the exemplary configuration shown in the cross-sectional side view of device 10 in FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 13, components can be mounted within interior region 62 of device 10. These components can include components such as components 94 and 96 (e.g., components 18 of FIG. 1, such as integrated circuits, sensors, input / output devices, 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 may have a display panel 14P attached to the underside (surface 82) of the display cover layer 60 with adhesive 70. The molded polymer 54 may surround a portion of the curved tail 14T of the display panel 14P. The components 94 may be optical components, such as light emitting components and / or light sensing components, if desired. Light may be emitted and / or detected by the components 94 at any suitable wavelength (e.g., infrared, visible, and / or ultraviolet). To help guide the light to a desired location, the device 10 may have an optical waveguide structure. For example, a light guide 98 may be fully or partially embedded in the polymer 54, as shown in FIG. 13. 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, polymer 54 may act as a cladding layer. These types of configurations and / or other light guide configurations can be used to support guiding light through light guide 98 according to the principal of total internal reflection.

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

[0046] The polymer 54 may be any suitable polymeric material, such as a thermosetting polymer (e.g., a photocured polymer, a thermoset polymer, etc.) or a thermoplastic polymer (e.g., a thermoplastic polymer that has been softened and reduced in viscosity by heating during molding). The shaping operation of the polymer 54 may be performed using pressure applied from mating parts in a molding die to shape the polymer and / or using injection molding (e.g., under vacuum conditions, using high or low pressure applied to the polymeric material being shaped, etc.).

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

[0048] It may be desirable to use conductive structures, such as metal housing portions 12A and / or 12C, in device 10 to form antenna structures. As one example, one or more antennas formed from housing portions 12A and 12C, display 14P (e.g., metal traces 134 on a printed circuit board portion of display panel 14P), and / or other conductive structures of device 10 may 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 device 10.

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

[0050] In an exemplary configuration, the metal housing portion 12A may be electrically coupled to a metal trace 134 of the display panel 14P, and these metal structures may work together to form at least a portion of an 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 wave spring having a ring shape that extends around some or all of the periphery of the display 14. Periodically, the wave spring corrugates outwardly and presses against the metal housing member 12A at a location shown by the spring 120 in FIG. 14 to form the electrical connection 122. Periodically, the wave spring corrugates inwardly and presses against the outer surface of the metal structure 126 at a location 120′ to form the electrical connection 124. In this manner, the metal housing portion 12A is shorted to the metal structure 126. The device 10 may have any suitable number of connections, such as connections 122 and 124. As an example, there may be 3-10 separate connection points between the spring 120 and the housing 12A, and there may be 3-10 separate connection points between the spring 120 and the structure 126 around the periphery of the device 10.

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

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

[0053] 14 , metal housing portion 12A (e.g., a ring-shaped metal housing structure that extends along the periphery of display 14) can combine with metal traces 134 associated with display panel 14P to form at least a portion of an antenna for device 10. The use of metal housing portion 12A and display panel 14P to form an antenna can help avoid the use of an overly bulky antenna structure in device 10, and therefore can help maintain a desired compact size of device 10.

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

[0055] As mentioned 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 particular person or that can be used to contact or locate a particular person. Such personal information data may 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), birth date, username, password, biometric information, or any other identifying or personal information.

[0056] This disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information in the present technology may be used to the user's benefit. For example, personal information data may be used to deliver targeted content that is more interesting to the user. Thus, such use of personal information data allows the user to exercise operational control over the content that is delivered. Additionally, other uses of personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by this disclosure. For example, health and fitness data can be used to provide insight into the user's overall wellness, or can be used as proactive feedback to individuals using the technology in pursuit of wellness goals.

[0057] This disclosure contemplates that entities involved in the collection, analysis, disclosure, transmission, storage, or other use of such personal information data will adhere to robust privacy policies and / or privacy practices. Specifically, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for keeping personal information data confidential and secure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users and should be updated as data collection and / or use changes. Personal information from users should be collected for the entity's lawful and legitimate use and should not be shared or sold except for those lawful uses. Furthermore, such collection / sharing should be carried out 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 who have access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Furthermore, such entities may subject themselves to third-party assessments to attest to their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. Moreover, policies and practices should be adapted to the specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed, and should conform to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For example, in the United States, the collection of or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), while health data in other countries may be subject to, and should be handled accordingly, other regulations and policies. Thus, different privacy practices should be maintained with respect to different types of personal data in each country.

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

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

[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 an inwardly projecting locking lip within the molded polymer.

[0069] According to another embodiment, an electronic device includes an optical light guide passing through a 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, an electronic device includes a display cover layer overlying the display layer, and an optical light guide having an end surface adjacent a surface of the display layer.

[0072] According to one embodiment, an electronic device is provided that includes a display layer having an array of pixels, a display cover layer having an inward-facing display cover layer surface overlying the display layer, a housing having an inward-facing housing surface, a molded polymer, and 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.

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

[0074] According to another embodiment, the housing has a sidewall portion having a chamfer forming a sloped housing sidewall surface, and the display cover layer has a chamfer forming a corresponding sloped display cover layer surface that mates with the sloped housing sidewall surface.

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

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

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

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

[0079] According to one embodiment, there is provided an electronic device having a rectangular outline and opposing ends, the electronic device including a display cover layer, a flexible display layer covered by the display cover layer and having a curved tail at one of the ends, a molded polymer in which at least a portion of the curved 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 comprises a portion of a metal frame.

[0081] According to another embodiment, the housing has a sidewall and the metal structure includes a portion of the sidewall.

[0082] According to one embodiment, an electronic device is provided that includes a display cover layer, a display panel covered by the display cover layer and having a curved tail, a molded polymer in which at least a portion of the curved tail is embedded, a housing having first and second metal housing portions at least partially separated by a dielectric, the first metal housing portion extending along a periphery of the display cover layer, wireless communication circuitry, and a metal structure embedded in the molded polymer and forming at least a portion of a conductive path between the wireless communication circuitry and the first metal housing portion.

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

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

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

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

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

Claims

1. An electronic device having an interior and an exterior, a display layer having a curved tail with a plurality of fingers; a housing wall having an inwardly facing surface on said interior, said housing wall having a plurality of recesses on said inwardly facing surface, each recess being configured to receive a respective one of said plurality of fingers; a molded polymer within each of the plurality of recesses, at least a portion of the respective one of the plurality of fingers embedded in the molded polymer; a display cover layer overlying the display layer and the formed polymer, the display cover layer isolating the formed polymer from the exterior; An electronic device comprising:

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the multiple recesses in the housing wall are separated by intervening protruding wall portions, the multiple fingers are parallel fingers, and the molded polymer in a given one of the multiple recesses is separated from the molded polymer in an adjacent one of the multiple recesses by a respective protruding wall portion.

3. the shaped polymer comprises a ring-shaped polymer structure extending along a periphery of the display layer, the electronic device comprising: a frame at least partially embedded in the ring-shaped polymer structure; 10. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a threaded fastener; and wherein the frame includes parallel finger threaded openings each received within at least one of the threaded fasteners configured to receive the threaded fastener; and the housing wall includes openings to receive the threaded fastener.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the housing wall has an inwardly projecting locking lip into the molded polymer.

5. an optical light guide passing through the molded polymer, the electronic device further comprising: The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising an optical component on a first end surface of the optical light guide, the optical light guide having a second end surface adjacent to a surface of the display layer.

6. a display layer having an array of pixels; a display cover layer having an inward-facing display cover layer surface overlying the display layer; a housing having an inward-facing housing surface; A molded polymer; a frame at least partially embedded in the molded polymer, the frame having a portion extending from the inward-facing housing surface to the inward-facing display cover layer surface; An electronic device comprising:

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the housing has a sidewall portion having an inwardly projecting locking lip that penetrates into the molded polymer.

8. 7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the housing has a sidewall portion having a chamfer forming a sloped housing sidewall surface, and the display cover layer has a chamfer forming a corresponding sloped display cover layer surface that mates with the sloped housing sidewall surface.

9. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the frame has a plurality of tabs with openings.

10. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the frame comprises a metal frame.

11. The electronic device of claim 6 , further comprising a light guide embedded in the molded polymer.

12. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the display layer has a curved tail at least partially embedded in the molded polymer.

13. An electronic device having a rectangular outer shape and opposing edges, A display cover layer; a flexible display layer covered by the display cover layer and having a curved tail on one of the ends; a molded polymer having at least a portion of the curved tail embedded therein; a housing having a back wall; a metal structure extending from the rear wall through the molded polymer to the display cover layer; An electronic device comprising:

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the metal structure comprises a portion of a metal frame.

15. A display cover layer; a display panel covered by the display cover layer and having a curved tail; a molded polymer having at least a portion of the curved tail embedded therein; a housing having first and second metal housing portions at least partially separated by a dielectric, the first metal housing portion extending along a periphery of the display cover layer; A wireless communication circuit; a metal structure embedded in the molded polymer and forming at least a portion of a conductive path between the wireless communication circuitry and the first metal housing portion; An electronic device comprising:

16. 16. The electronic device of claim 15, further comprising a spring in contact with the first metal housing portion, the spring comprising a wave spring disposed between the first metal housing portion and the metal structure.

17. 17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the display panel has a metal trace that forms, with the first metal housing portion, at least a portion of an antenna, and the metal structure and the spring electrically couple the metal trace to the first metal housing portion.

18. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the metal structure comprises a metal ring at least partially embedded in the molded polymer.

19. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the metal structure comprises a set of metal inserts at least partially embedded in the molded polymer.

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