Abstract:
An item may have a flexible support structure and may include a flexible component. The flexible component may have electrical components mounted on component mounting regions in a flexible circuit substrate. The component mounting regions may be interconnected by serpentine interconnect paths or other flexible interconnect paths. The flexible circuit substrate and component mounting regions may extend along a longitudinal axis of the flexible component or may form a two-dimensional array. Two-dimensional mesh-shaped flexible circuit substrates may be used in forming displays. The mesh-shaped flexible circuit substrates may be auxetic substrates that widen when stretched (e.g., structures with a negative Poisson's ratio that become thicker perpendicular to applied force when stretched) and that therefore reduce image distortion. Temporary tethers may help hold flexible circuit substrates together until intentionally broken following assembly of a flexible component into the flexible support structure.
Abstract:
An electronic device such as a wearable electronic device may have a band. The band may form a stand-alone device or a strap for a wristwatch unit or other device. Electrical components may be mounted on flexible printed circuit substrates. A substrate may be encapsulated by elastomeric polymer material or other material forming the band. The elastomeric polymer material may form cavities that receive the electrical components. Components such as light-emitting diodes may be mounted to the flexible printed circuit substrates so that the light-emitting diodes are located in the cavities. Reflective sidewalls in the cavities may reflect light from the light-emitting diodes outwardly through a thinned portion of the band. Light-diffusing material in the cavities may be formed from clear polymer with light-scattering particles.
Abstract:
An electronic device may be provided with a housing in which display structures are mounted. Additional input-output devices such as a track pad may also be mounted in the housing. These input-output devices may include components such as touch sensors and force sensors for gathering input from a user. The display structures may include a display such as a flexible organic light-emitting diode display or a liquid crystal display that can present visual information to the user. To provide the user with tactile output, an output device such as a display or track pad may be provided with electroactive polymer structures, electromagnetic actuators, and other tactile output devices. The tactile output devices may provide protrusions, indentations, selectively stiffened and softened areas, and other tactile output for a user.
Abstract:
An electromagnetic radiation detector pixel includes a set of epitaxial layers and a lens. The set of epitaxial layers defines an electromagnetic radiation absorber. The lens is directly bonded to the set of epitaxial layers.
Abstract:
A tiling display system has multiple display panels. The display panels may be positioned by positioners that are coupled to the display panels. In an untiled operating mode, the display panels of the tiling display system are moved apart. In this mode, each display panel can display different content such as different static images of artwork. In a tiled operating mode, the display panels of the tiling system are moved together to form a single display that displays a single still or moving image. Components on the backs of the display panels and/or along the edges of the display panels may be used to facilitate panel-to- panel alignment, to help couple adjacent panels together, and to support the transfer of power and/or data signals among the panels. The components may include optical and/or electrical alignment sensors, magnets for alignment and coupling, and transmitters and receivers for transmitting and receiving signals.
Abstract:
An electronic device may have a display overlapped by a display cover layer. Portions of the surface of the display and cover layer may have curved profiles. For example, a display cover layer may have transparent sidewall portions with curved surface profiles. The transparent sidewall portions of the display cover layer may include rounded comers having areas of compound curvature. A flexible display panel may be pressed over a mold to impart desired curvature (such as compound curvature) to the flexible display panel. To mitigate wrinkling in a flexible display panel molded to have compound curvature, a backfilm may be included that absorbs compressive strains in the display panel. The backfilm may have a coefficient of thermal expansion that is higher than that of the display panel. Instead or in addition, the backfilm may have portions with different Young's modulus magnitudes or different thickness magnitudes.
Abstract:
An electronic device such as a voice-controlled speaker device may have a housing characterized by a vertical longitudinal axis. A flexible substrate such as a flexible mesh substrate with component support regions coupled by flexible segments may be wrapped around the housing and the vertical axis. The housing may have surface regions with compound curvature. The flexible substrate may conform to the regions with compound curvature. A fabric spacer layer may be interposed between the flexible substrate and the housing. Electrical components such as input-output devices may be mounted to the component support regions. A display may be formed from an array of light-emitting devices that are mounted on respective component support regions. Light from the light-emitting devices may pass through the fabric spacer layer toward the housing and back out away from the housing. An outer fabric layer may cover the mesh.
Abstract:
Conformable transfer devices and micro-transfer printing methods are described. In an embodiment, a conformable transfer devices includes first and second arrays of transfer heads with differential lengths to support a micro-transfer printing sequence including a single pick operation and multiple placement operations.
Abstract:
An electronic device display may have pixels formed from crystalline semiconductor light-emitting diode dies, organic light-emitting diodes or other pixel structures. The pixels may be formed in a display panel having a single substrate or an array of display panel tiles (24). The display panel has inwardly facing display panel contacts (56') that mate with corresponding outwardly facing interconnect substrate contacts (54) on an interconnect substrate (44). The interconnect substrate may have areas with compound curvature that are overlapped by the display panel. To enhance flexibility of the interconnect substrate, the interconnect substrate may have flexibility enhancement openings and/or may be formed from a material with a low elastic modulus such as silicone or other elastomeric material.
Abstract:
An electronic device may have control circuitry coupled to input-output devices such as a display. A flexible input-output device (20) may be formed from an elastomeric substrate layer (44). The substrate layer may have signal paths (42) to which components (24) are mounted. Openings may be formed in the elastomeric substrate layer between the signal paths to create a stretchable mesh-shaped substrate. The electrical components may each include an interposer having solder pads soldered to the elastomeric substrate. Electrical devices such as micro-light-emitting diodes may be soldered to the interposers. The electrical components may also include electrical devices such as sensors and actuators. A stretchable lighting unit may have a stretchable light guide illuminated by a stretchable light source.