IP Library Granted Patent US 12,416,724
Granted Patent B2
US 12,416,724 · App. 17/887,340 · Granted Sep 16, 2025

Display with array of light-transmitting windows

Inventors: Minhyuk Choi (San Jose, CA); Rui Liu (San Jose, CA); Cheng Chen (San Jose, CA); Chin-Wei Lin (San Jose, CA); Sang Y. Youn (Cupertino, CA); Shih Chang Chang (Cupertino, CA); Tsung-Ting Tsai (San Jose, CA)
G01S17/04G09G3/3233H10F77/40H10K50/813H10K59/1213H10K59/1216H10K59/131H10K59/352H10K59/60H10K59/80515G09G2300/0452G09G2300/0842
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,416,724
App. No.
17/887,340
Granted
Sep 16, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A display may have an array of pixels. Each pixel may have a light-emitting diode such as an organic light-emitting diode. The organic light-emitting diodes may each have an anode that is coupled to a thin-film transistor pixel circuit for controlling the anode. Transparent windows may be formed in the display. The windows may be formed by replacing data storage capacitors and other pixel circuit structures in a subset of the pixels with transparent window structures, by selectively removing portions of light-emitting diode anodes, and by shifting anodes. An array of electrical components such as an array of light sensors may be aligned with the transparent windows and may be used to measure light passing through the transparent windows.

Claims (29)

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a display mounted in the housing and having an array of pixels including first and second pixels, wherein the second pixel has at least one pixel circuit element that is excluded from the first pixel to accommodate a light-transmissive window in the display; and

a light sensor located behind the array of pixels, wherein the light sensor detects light through the light-transmissive window in the display.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the pixels comprise organic light-emitting diode pixels.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display comprises a substrate on which the array of pixels is located.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the light-transmissive window comprises a hole in the substrate.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the hole passes from an upper surface to a lower surface of the substrate.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display has an active area and an inactive area, wherein the array of pixels is located in the active area, and wherein the first pixel has pixel circuitry that is located in the inactive area of the display.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the pixel circuitry associated with the first pixel comprises a drive current line that extends between the inactive area and the first pixel.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the second pixel includes a data storage capacitor and wherein the first pixel is free of a data storage capacitor.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the light-transmissive window is part of an array of light-transmitting windows in the substrate.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light sensor is part of an array of light sensors that respectively detect the light through the array of light-transmitting windows.

11. An electronic device, comprising:

a display comprising an array of pixels on a substrate;

light-transmitting windows within the array of pixels, wherein the array of pixels comprises first and second groups of pixels and wherein the second group of pixels has pixel circuit elements that are excluded from the first group of pixels to accommodate the light-transmitting windows; and

a light sensor behind the substrate that detects light that passes through the light-transmitting windows within the array of pixels.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the first group of the pixels has less pixel circuitry than the second group of the pixels.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the display comprises an active area and an inactive area and wherein at least some of the pixel circuitry associated with the first group of the pixels is located in the inactive area of the display.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the first group of pixels do not include storage capacitors.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the light-transmitting windows comprise holes in the substrate.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display has an active area with an array of pixels including first and second groups of pixels, wherein the second group of pixels has pixel circuit elements that are excluded from the first group of pixels; and

an array of light sensors located behind the first group of pixels, wherein the array of light sensors receives light that passes through the display.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the array of light sensors forms a fingerprint sensor.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the display comprises light-transmissive windows within the array of pixels through which the light passes.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the display has an inactive area without pixels and wherein the first group of the pixels has at least some pixel circuitry that is located in the inactive area.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the pixels in the first group do not include storage capacitors.

Continuity (4)
Continuation 16859904 · Apr 27, 2020
Continuation 15257374 · Sep 6, 2016
Provisional Application 62247543 · Oct 28, 2015
Related Publication 20220392965A1 · Dec 8, 2022
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