Alignment Features for Layered Display Components

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic displays face challenges in accurately aligning layered components, leading to suboptimal performance and reliability due to misalignment of protective sheets and other components, which affects the overall display assembly.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating alignment features such as apertures, slots, notches, printed markings, or etched markings on protective sheets and other display layers to facilitate precise alignment with fiducial markers and other components, using die-cutting, printing, or etching processes, to ensure accurate positioning of protective sheets and other components within the display assembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If traditional assembly methods are used without alignment features, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the alignment precision of layered components deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealignment precision of layered componentsVSAvoidcomplexity of alignment features
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Alignment features such as notches, slots, or markings are pre-formed on the protective sheets and other display layers during the manufacturing process before assembly. This preliminary action enables precise alignment to be achieved during assembly without requiring complex alignment equipment or procedures, thereby improving alignment precision while maintaining manufacturing simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Alignment features serve as intermediary elements between different layered components. These features act as reference points or mechanical guides that facilitate the precise positioning and alignment of protective sheets with other display layers, enabling accurate alignment without direct complex interactions between the components themselves

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If alignment features are added to protective sheets and display layers, then the alignment accuracy improves, but the manufacturing process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealignment accuracyVSAvoidease of manufacturing process
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The alignment system is segmented into independent alignment features on different layers (protective sheets, display layers, etc.). Each layer has its own alignment features that can be manufactured separately using standard processes, and then assembled together. This segmentation allows each feature to be manufactured easily while achieving high overall alignment accuracy through their coordinated arrangement

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Standardized alignment features are designed and replicated across multiple layers and components. By creating copies of the same alignment feature geometry on different layers, the manufacturing process is simplified as the same patterns can be produced using identical manufacturing steps, while the replicated features work together to achieve precise alignment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS9412873B1Alignment features for improved alignment of layered components of a device display
Publication Date: 2016.08.09 AMAZON TECH INC
  • US9412873B1 patent drawing
  • US9412873B1 patent drawing
  • US9412873B1 patent drawing

AI summary

Device display assemblies that include layered components provided with alignment features are disclosed. Protective sheets that are adhered to other layered components of a display assembly may be provided with alignment features that are utilized as part of an alignment process to accurately align the protective sheets with respect to the other layered components as well as to align the display assembly with respect to other device components such as a cover glass. Alignment features may also be provided in other layered components of a display assembly in addition to the protective sheets.