阅读说明：本技术 包括玻璃陶瓷区域的电子设备壳体 (Electronic device housing including glass-ceramic region ) 是由 J·R·威尔逊 C·D·琼斯 T·A·马歇尔 于 2020-11-25 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开提供了一种包括玻璃陶瓷区域的电子设备壳体。公开了一种包括光学部件和壳体的电子设备,所述壳体包括玻璃陶瓷区域。玻璃陶瓷区域的光学特性和玻璃陶瓷区域相对于光学部件的定位可影响光学部件的性能、光学部件的视觉外观或两者。(The present disclosure provides an electronic device housing including a glass-ceramic region. An electronic device is disclosed that includes an optical component and a housing that includes a glass-ceramic region. The optical properties of the glass-ceramic region and the positioning of the glass-ceramic region relative to the optical component may affect the performance of the optical component, the visual appearance of the optical component, or both.)

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a reflective sensor assembly, the reflective sensor assembly comprising:

a transmitter module configured to transmit an optical signal; and

a receiver module configured to detect a reflection of the optical signal;

and

a housing enclosing the display and including a cover member positioned over the reflective sensor assembly, the cover member including:

an emitter region configured to transmit the optical signal emitted from the emitter module;

a receiver region configured to transmit the reflection of the optical signal to the receiver module; and

a glass-ceramic region positioned between the transmitter region and the receiver region and configured to block transmission of the optical signal.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the glass-ceramic region has an internal structure that is configured to scatter the optical signal.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein:

the emitter region comprises a first glass-ceramic material having a first median crystal size;

the receiver region comprises a second glass-ceramic material having a second median crystal size; and is

The glass-ceramic region includes a third glass-ceramic material having a third median crystal size greater than each of the first median crystal size and the second median crystal size.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein each of the transmitter and receiver regions comprises a glass material.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the optical signal is a visible light signal; and is

Each of the transmitter region and the receiver region is transparent to visible light.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the optical signal is an infrared light signal having a wavelength of 800nm to 1.6 microns.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the glass-ceramic region surrounds the emitter region.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the glass-ceramic region surrounds the receiver region.

9. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a sensor assembly, the sensor assembly comprising:

an optical emitter module configured to emit an optical signal comprising light within a sensor wavelength range; and

an optical receiver module configured to detect light within the sensor wavelength range; and

a housing enclosing the display and the sensor assembly, the housing including a cover member comprising:

a first region positioned above the optical emitter module and having a first transmittance for light within the sensor wavelength range;

a second region positioned above the optical receiver module and having a second transmittance for light within the sensor wavelength range;

a third region positioned between the optical emitter module and the optical receiver module and comprising a glass-ceramic material having a third transmittance for light within the sensor wavelength range that is less than the first transmittance and the second transmittance.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the glass-ceramic region prevents optical crosstalk between the optical transmitter module and the optical receiver module.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein:

each of the first and second transmittances is greater than 70%; and is

The third transmittance is less than 50%.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein:

the glass-ceramic material comprises crystals dispersed within the third region; and is

At least some of the crystals scatter light in the sensor wavelength range.

13. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein:

the wavelength range of the sensor is an infrared range;

the first region has a transmittance for visible light that is less than the first transmittance; and is

The second region has a transmittance for visible light that is less than the second transmittance.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a sensor assembly, the sensor assembly comprising:

an optical transmitter module configured to transmit an optical signal comprising light in a wavelength range; and

an optical receiver module configured to detect reflections of the optical signal; and

a housing enclosing the touch-sensitive display and the optical receiver module, the housing including a cover member comprising:

an emitter region configured to transmit the optical signal;

a receiver region configured to transmit the reflection of the optical signal; and

a glass-ceramic region configured to prevent the optical signal within the cover member from being transmitted from the transmitter region to the receiver region.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein:

the optical emitter module is a first optical emitter module, the optical signal is a first optical signal, and the emitter region is a first emitter region;

the sensor assembly further comprises a second optical emitter module configured to generate a second optical signal different from the first optical signal;

the optical receiver module is further configured to detect the second optical signal; and is

The cover member further includes a second emitter region configured to transmit the second optical signal.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the glass-ceramic region is further configured to prevent the second optical signal within the cover member from being transmitted from the second emitter region to the receiver region.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein:

the glass-ceramic region is a first glass-ceramic region; and is

The second glass-ceramic region is configured to prevent the second optical signal within the cover member from being transmitted from the second emitter region to the receiver region.

18. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein:

the first optical signal is a first visible optical signal; and is

The second optical signal is a second visible optical signal different from the first visible optical signal.

19. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein:

the first optical signal is a visible optical signal; and is

The second optical signal is an infrared optical signal.

20. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein:

the electronic device is a wearable electronic device;

the cover member is positioned along a rear surface of the electronic device; and is

The sensor assembly is a health monitoring sensor assembly.

Technical Field

The embodiments generally relate to an electronic device housing including a glass-ceramic region. More particularly, the present embodiments relate to electronic devices in which a glass-ceramic region of a housing affects the transmission of light to or from optical components within the housing.

Background

Many modern portable electronic devices include cameras and various optical sensors integrated into the device. Typically, a camera or other optical sensor is positioned below a cover glass or plastic component sheet of the housing. Embodiments described herein relate to electronic device housings that include glass-ceramic materials and may have advantages over some conventional electronic device housings. The electronic device housings described herein generally include a glass-ceramic region near the optical sensor or optical component, which may be particularly suited to enhance sensor performance and/or improve the visual appearance of the device.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments described herein relate to an electronic device including an optical component and a housing having a glass-ceramic region. The optical properties of the glass-ceramic region and the positioning of the glass-ceramic region relative to the optical component may affect the performance of the optical component, the visual appearance of the optical component, or both. In some examples, the optical component is a sensor, a camera, or a sensor or camera module.

The housing may include a cover member, and the glass-ceramic region may be formed in the cover member. The glass-ceramic region typically includes crystals formed by crystallization of the glass. The optical properties of the glass-ceramic region may be due to its composition and its internal structure. For example, the size of the crystals may affect the transmittance of the glass-ceramic region.

In some cases, the glass-ceramic region surrounds another region of the cover member that is positioned in a desired optical path of the optical component. The glass-ceramic region may be configured to help confine light to a desired optical path, which may improve performance of the optical component. For example, the optical component may be configured to emit or detect light in a specified wavelength range, and the glass-ceramic region may be configured to have a lower transmittance for light in the specified wavelength range than another region of the cover member. When the optical component is a sensor, the specified wavelength range may be a sensor wavelength range.

In some embodiments, the electronic device includes a sensor assembly including an emitter module and a receiver module, and the glass-ceramic region at least partially prevents optical crosstalk between the emitter module and the receiver module. The cover member may include a first area positioned over the transmitter module and a second area positioned over the receiver module. The glass-ceramic region interposed between the first region and the second region may be configured to have a lower transmittance for light in a sensor wavelength range than each of the first region and the second region. The sensor wavelength range may be a visible or infrared wavelength range.

In further cases, the glass-ceramic region is positioned in a desired optical path of the optical component and is configured to visually obscure at least a portion of the optical component. For example, the optical component may be configured to emit or detect infrared light, and the glass-ceramic region may be sufficiently infrared transmissive for operation of the optical component.

An electronic device includes a display and a reflective sensor assembly including a transmitter module configured to transmit an optical signal and a receiver module configured to detect a reflection of the optical signal. The electronic device further includes a housing enclosing the display and including a cover member positioned over the reflective sensor assembly, the cover member including: an emitter region configured to transmit the optical signal emitted from the emitter module; a receiver region configured to transmit the reflection of the optical signal to the receiver module; and a glass-ceramic region positioned between the transmitter region and the receiver region and configured to block transmission of the optical signal.

The present disclosure also provides an electronic device comprising a display and a sensor assembly, the sensor assembly comprising: an optical emitter module configured to emit an optical signal comprising light within a sensor wavelength range; and an optical receiver module configured to detect light within the sensor wavelength range. The electronic device further includes a housing enclosing the display and the sensor assembly, the housing including a cover member including: a first region positioned above the optical emitter module and having a first transmittance for light within the sensor wavelength range; a second region positioned above the optical receiver module and having a second transmittance for light within the sensor wavelength range; and a third region positioned between the optical emitter module and the optical receiver module and comprising a glass-ceramic material having a third transmittance for light within the sensor wavelength range, the third transmittance being less than the first transmittance and the second transmittance.

The present disclosure also provides an electronic device including a touch-sensitive display and a sensor assembly including an optical emitter module configured to emit an optical signal including light in a wavelength range and an optical receiver module configured to detect a reflection of the optical signal. The electronic device also includes a housing enclosing the touch-sensitive display and the optical receiver module, the housing including a cover member including an emitter region configured to transmit the optical signal, a receiver region configured to transmit the reflection of the optical signal, and a glass-ceramic region configured to prevent the optical signal within the cover member from being transmitted from the emitter region to the receiver region.

Further, the present disclosure provides an electronic device including a display, a sensor assembly including an infrared optical module, and a housing enclosing the display and the sensor assembly. The housing includes a cover member including a glass-ceramic region positioned over the infrared optical module, the glass-ceramic region configured to have a first transmittance for infrared light and a second transmittance for visible light that is less than the first transmittance.

Drawings

The present disclosure will become more readily understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like elements.

FIG. 1A illustrates a front view of an exemplary electronic device.

FIG. 1B illustrates a back view of the electronic device of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the sensor area of the electronic device of FIG. 1A.

Fig. 3A shows a top view of an electronic device including a housing having a glass-ceramic region.

Fig. 3B shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of fig. 3A.

Fig. 3C is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of fig. 3A, schematically illustrating operation of the transmitter module and the receiver module.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a detail of the glass-ceramic region.

Fig. 5A shows a top view of an additional electronic device including a housing with a glass-ceramic region.

Fig. 5B shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of fig. 5A.

Fig. 6A shows a top view of an electronic device including a housing having a plurality of glass-ceramic regions.

Fig. 6B shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of fig. 6A.

Fig. 7A shows a top view of another electronic device including a housing with a glass-ceramic region.

Fig. 7B shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of fig. 7A.

Fig. 7C shows an additional cross-sectional view of a portion of the electronic device of fig. 7A.

Fig. 8A shows a top view of an additional electronic device including a housing with a glass-ceramic region.

Fig. 8B shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of fig. 8A.

Fig. 9A shows a top view of a further electronic device comprising a housing with a glass-ceramic region.

Fig. 9B shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of fig. 9A.

Fig. 10 shows another example of an electronic device.

Fig. 11 shows an additional example of an electronic device.

Fig. 12 shows another example of an electronic device.

Fig. 13 shows a block diagram of components of an electronic device.

The use of cross-hatching or shading in the drawings is generally provided to clarify the boundaries between adjacent elements and also to facilitate the legibility of the drawings. Thus, the presence or absence of cross-hatching or shading does not indicate or indicate any preference or requirement for a particular material, material property, proportion of elements, size of elements, commonality of like-illustrated elements or any other characteristic, property or attribute of any element shown in the figures.

Further, it should be understood that the proportions and dimensions (relative or absolute) of the various features and elements (and collections and groupings thereof) and the limits, spacings, and positional relationships presented therebetween are provided in the drawings solely to facilitate an understanding of the various embodiments described herein, and thus may not necessarily be presented or illustrated as being scaled and are not intended to indicate any preference or requirement for the illustrated embodiments to preclude embodiments described in connection therewith.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following description is not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred implementation. On the contrary, the embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure and defined by the appended claims.

Embodiments described herein relate to an electronic device including an optical component and a housing having a glass-ceramic region. The optical properties of the glass-ceramic region and the positioning of the glass-ceramic region relative to the optical component may affect the performance of the optical component, the visual appearance of the optical component, or both. In some examples, the optical component is a sensor assembly or a camera assembly.

The housing may include a cover member, and the glass-ceramic region may be formed in the cover member. The glass-ceramic region may have a different optical or other characteristic than another region of the cover member. For example, the other region of the cover member may be a glass region or a glass-ceramic region comprising a different glass-ceramic material. The glass-ceramic region may also have an optical characteristic or optical characteristic that is different from another region. For example, a glass-ceramic region may have a different transmittance or refractive index than another region.

The device may also include one or more optical components. As described herein, the optical component can be configured to emit or detect light in a specified wavelength range. In some cases, the glass-ceramic region may be configured to have a lower transmittance for light in a specified wavelength range than another region of the cover member. For example, the glass-ceramic region may be configured to scatter light within a specified wavelength range. In further cases, the glass-ceramic region may be configured to have a higher transmittance for light in a specified wavelength range than for light in another wavelength range. When the optical component is a sensor, the specified wavelength range may be a sensor wavelength range.

In some cases, the glass-ceramic region may be configured to help confine light in a desired optical path, which may improve performance of the optical element. For example, a first region of the cover member may be positioned in a desired optical path of the optical component, and a second region comprising a glass-ceramic material may surround the first region. The first region may be a receiver region if the optical component is a receiver module and a transmitter region if the optical component is a transmitter module. The glass-ceramic region may improve the directional sensitivity of the optical detection if the optical component is a receiver module. Alternatively or in addition, the glass-ceramic region may improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the receiver module by reducing the amount of ambient light reaching the sensor and/or by reducing sensor crosstalk, as discussed in more detail below. If the optical component is an emitter module configured to illuminate an object outside the housing, more light may be directed toward the object. In some cases, the optical path may form an oblique angle with respect to a thickness of the cover member, as explained in more detail with respect to fig. 6B.

In some cases, the glass-ceramic material may be configured to have a lower transmittance for light in a specified wavelength range than the first region of the cover member. For example, glass-ceramic materials may scatter and/or absorb light in a specified wavelength range. In further cases, the glass-ceramic material may have a lower index of refraction than the receiver and/or emitter region of the cover member, and at least some of the light emitted from the optical emitter module may be internally reflected along an interface between the receiver and/or emitter region and the glass-ceramic region.

In some embodiments, the glass-ceramic region at least partially prevents optical crosstalk between a transmitter module and a receiver module of the electronic device. For example, the cover member includes a first region positioned over the transmitter module, a second region positioned over the receiver module, and a third region comprising a glass-ceramic material interposed between the first and second regions. The third region may be configured to have a lower transmittance for light in a specified wavelength range than each of the first region and the second region. For example, the third region may have a third transmittance that is less than the first transmittance of the first region and a second transmittance that is less than the second transmittance of the second region. The specified wavelength range may be a visible or infrared wavelength range.

In further cases, the glass-ceramic region is configured to visually obscure all or a portion of the optical component. For example, the glass-ceramic region is configured to selectively transmit light and may have a lower transmittance for visible light than for light in the wavelength range transmitted or detected by the optical component.

These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to fig. 1A-13. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting.

Fig. 1A illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary electronic device 100 that includes a cover member as described herein. The electronic device 100 may be a mobile phone (also referred to as a handset). In further embodiments, the electronic device 100 may be a notebook computing device (e.g., a notebook or laptop as shown in fig. 10), a tablet computing device (e.g., a tablet), a wearable device (e.g., a watch as shown in fig. 11), a portable media player (e.g., a speaker as shown in fig. 12), or another type of portable electronic device. Electronic device 100 may also be a desktop computer system, a computer component, an input device, a device, or virtually any other type of electronic product or device component.

FIG. 1A schematically shows a sensor region 118 of an electronic device 100. Electronic device 100 may include one or more sensor components that are generally located near sensor region 118. One or more camera components may also be located near the sensor region 118. The sensor assembly may also be referred to herein simply as a sensor. Examples of sensors (components) include, but are not limited to, proximity sensors, light sensors (e.g., ambient light sensors), biometric sensors (e.g., facial or fingerprint recognition sensors or health monitoring sensors), depth sensors, or imaging sensors. Other types of exemplary sensors include a microphone or similar type of audio sensing device, a touch sensor, a force sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, or similar type of position/orientation sensing device. The electronic device may also include a processing unit (also referred to as a processor) that calculates a value based on the signal from the sensor. The description of the sensor assembly and processor provided with respect to fig. 13 applies generally herein and, for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here. Fig. 2 provides an enlarged view of an exemplary sensor area and additional description of camera components and sensor components included in the sensor area, and for the sake of brevity, this description is not repeated here.

The optical component or optical module may comprise one or more light emitting elements. An optical module comprising a light emitting element may also be referred to herein as an emitter module or an optical emitter module. The light emitting elements may be Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) or lasers, such as Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs). Each light-emitting element can be configured to generate light within a specified wavelength range, such as a visible wavelength range, an Infrared (IR) light wavelength range, or an Ultraviolet (UV) wavelength range. When the light emitting element is a laser, the wavelength range can be as narrow as 1-2 nm. In some cases, an optical module may be described by a wavelength range of the emitted light, such as an infrared optical module (e.g., an infrared camera module or an infrared emitter module). The light may be coherent (e.g., a laser source) or incoherent, depending on the type of sensor. The light emitted by the emitter module may be described herein as an optical signal, and may include light pulses that may form a spatial pattern, continuously emitted light pulses, discrete beam pulses or light pulses, or other various light emitting techniques. In some examples, the optical signal is a visible light signal, an infrared light signal, or an ultraviolet light signal (also referred to herein as a visible optical signal, an infrared optical signal, and an ultraviolet optical signal, respectively).

The optical component or the optical module may include a light receiving element. An optical module including a light receiving element may also be referred to herein as a receiver module or an optical receiver module. The light receiving element may be a photodetector, which may include one or more photodiodes, phototransistors, or other optically sensitive elements. For example, the camera assembly may include an image sensor, such as a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, a Charge Coupled Device (CCD), or other type of sensing array. The light receiving elements may be configured to detect light within a specified wavelength range of the one or more light emitting elements. In some cases, a receiver module or optical module may be described by a range of wavelengths of detected light, such as an infrared receiver module or infrared optical module.

As shown in fig. 1A, the electronic device 100 may have a housing 110. The housing 110 may have a glass-ceramic region as described herein. The housing 110 includes a cover assembly 122, and in some cases, the cover assembly 122 includes a glass-ceramic region. The cover assembly 122 may at least partially define the front surface 102 of the electronic device 100. In this example, the cover component 122 defines substantially the entire front surface of the electronic device 100. The overlay component 122 is positioned over the display 144 and may define a transparent portion (also referred to as a window region) positioned over the display 144 and configured to transmit graphical output produced by the display. The housing 110 may at least partially surround the display 144 and may enclose the display 144. In some cases, display 144 is a touch-sensitive display. In some cases, the housing 110 partially or completely encloses the sensor assembly or the camera assembly.

A cover assembly, such as cover assembly 122, generally includes a cover member 132, also referred to herein simply as a member. As shown in fig. 1A, the cover assembly 122 is a front cover assembly and the cover member 132 is a front member. In some cases, the cover assembly may be formed from multiple layers. For example, the front cover assembly may include a cover member and one or more coatings and layers, such as a decorative inner layer or an anti-fouling outer layer. In the example of fig. 1A, the cover component 122 defines an aperture, such as an audio port 153, to allow (audio) input or output from a device component, such as a microphone or speaker.

In some cases, the cover member 122 includes a region comprising a glass-ceramic material and a region comprising a different material. In some examples, the cover member 122 is a composite cover member that includes one or more regions that include a glass-ceramic material and one or more regions that include a glass material. In further examples, the cover member includes one or more regions comprising a first glass-ceramic material and one or more regions comprising a second glass-ceramic material different from the first glass-ceramic material. In further examples, the cover member includes one or more regions comprising a third glass-ceramic material. In some cases, the one or more glass-ceramic materials and one or more of their respective regions are formed from a common precursor material, such as a crystallizable glass material or a glass-ceramic material. The crystallizable glass can be treated regionally or locally (in one or more treatment steps) to produce different materials, thereby producing a unitary or monolithic covering member comprising multiple materials, as described in more detail with respect to fig. 3A-3C and 7A-7C. The additional description provided with respect to fig. 3A-3C and 7A-7C is generally applicable herein and, for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

In some cases, the glass material or glass-ceramic material may be substantially transparent to visible light, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, or combinations thereof. In other cases, the glass material or glass-ceramic material may be translucent and may have a transmittance less than that of the substantially transparent region. These regions may extend from the outer surface to the inner surface of the cover member and thus span the thickness of the cover member. Additional description of the transparent and translucent materials provided with respect to fig. 3A are generally applicable herein and, for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

In some embodiments, the glass-ceramic region of the cover member may be configured to reduce optical crosstalk between the transmitter module and the receiver module of the optical component, as described in more detail with respect to fig. 3C. Reducing optical crosstalk can reduce the amount of noise introduced into the receiver signal. Fig. 3A to 6B show examples of a cover member configured to reduce optical crosstalk. The description provided with respect to fig. 3A-6B applies generally herein and, for the sake of brevity, is not repeated here.

In further embodiments, the glass-ceramic region of the cover member may be configured to block some or all of the optical components from view. For example, the glass-ceramic region may be configured to have a higher transmittance for infrared light than for visible light, and thus may at least partially obscure an infrared sensor component positioned below the glass-ceramic region. In some cases, the cover member may include one or more internal coatings and/or external textures to further obscure the optical component from view, as described in more detail with respect to fig. 7C. The additional description provided with respect to fig. 7A-9B is generally applicable herein and, for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

In other cases, the cover member may have one or more given layers of material extending substantially across the width and length of the cover member. For example, such covering members may include one or more glass layers, glass-ceramic layers, polymer layers, and/or various coatings and layers. In some cases, the cover member may be a glass cover member or a glass-ceramic cover member. For example, the cover assembly may include one or more glass layers defining the cover member and one or more coatings on the outer and/or inner surfaces of the member.

Although cover assembly 122 is shown in fig. 1A as being substantially planar, the principles described herein also relate to cover assemblies and members that define raised features (such as shown in fig. 1B), recessed features, and/or one or more curved surfaces. In embodiments, the glass part may be three-dimensional or may define a shaped profile. For example, the cover member may define a peripheral portion that is non-coplanar with respect to the central portion. The peripheral portion may, for example, define a sidewall of the device housing, while the central portion defines a front surface (which may define a transparent window or window area that covers the display). Further, the cover member may have a substantially uniform thickness or a thickness that varies along the cover member. For example, in some cases, the thickness of the central portion of the cover member may be greater than the thickness of the peripheral portion of the cover member, or vice versa.

Typical cover assemblies herein are thin and typically have a cover member that is less than 5mm thick and more typically less than 3mm thick. In some aspects, the members of the covering assembly, such as covering members 132 and 134, may have a thickness of about 0.1mm to 2mm, about 0.3mm to 3mm, 0.5mm to 2.5mm, 0.5mm to 2mm, or 0.2mm to 1 mm. In some cases, the member and the cover assembly including the member may have a non-uniform thickness, such as described in further detail below with respect to the cover member 134 and the rear cover assembly 124. The cover member may extend laterally across the cover assembly (such as substantially across the width and length of the cover assembly).

As shown in fig. 1A, the housing 110 also includes a housing part 112 (which may also be referred to simply as a housing). The cover assembly 122 may be coupled to the housing 112. For example, the cover assembly 122 may be coupled to the housing 112 using adhesives, fasteners, engagement features, or a combination thereof.

The housing 112 may at least partially define the side surface 106 of the electronic device 100 and may include one or more metal members (e.g., one or more metal segments) or one or more glass members. In this example, the housing 112 defines all four sides or continuous side surfaces of the electronic device 100. As shown in fig. 1A, the housing 112 is formed of a series of metal segments (114,116) separated by polymer or dielectric segments 115 that provide electrical isolation between adjacent metal segments. For example, polymer segment 115 may be disposed between a pair of adjacent metal segments. One or more of the metal segments (114,116) may be coupled to internal circuitry of the electronic device 100 and may function as an antenna for sending and receiving wireless communications.

The housing 112 may define one or more openings or ports. As shown in fig. 1A, metal section 116 of housing 112 defines an opening 117. Opening 117 may allow (audio) input or output from a device component, such as a microphone or speaker, or may include an electrical port or connection.

Fig. 1B shows a back view of the electronic device 100. As shown in fig. 1B, the housing 110 also includes a cover assembly 124, also referred to as a back cover or back cover assembly. In some cases, the cover assembly 124 includes a glass-ceramic region as described herein. In further cases, each of the cover component 122 (of fig. 1A) and the cover component 124 includes a glass-ceramic region. The cover assembly 124 defines the rear surface 104 of the electronic device, and the rear surface 104 defines an exterior surface of the electronic device. In the example shown in fig. 1B, the cover assembly 124 defines substantially the entire rear surface of the electronic device. In some cases, the electronic device 100 includes a camera assembly coupled to an inner surface of the cover assembly 124.

The cover assembly 124 includes a cover member 134. As shown in fig. 1B, the cover assembly 124 is a rear cover assembly and the cover member 134 is a rear cover member. The cover assembly 124 may also include an outer anti-fouling coating, an inner decorative coating, or a combination thereof, as previously described with respect to the front cover member 122.

As shown in fig. 1B, the cover assembly 124 defines a raised or offset feature 126 relative to a portion 129 of the cover assembly 124. The features 126 may also be referred to herein as protruding features. The features 126 may define a top surface 127 and a side surface 128. The portion 129 may also be referred to herein as a base portion, and may define a base area that covers the outer surface of the assembly 124. Portion 129 may be adjacent to and may at least partially surround the raised feature. The features 156 may define a textured region 156 and the base portion may define a textured region 159. Textured region 156 may have a similar or different texture than textured region 159. For example, the textured region 156 may have at least one roughness parameter that is different from the roughness parameter of the textured region 159.

The features 126 may house one or more device components, such as an optical component 177 (e.g., a camera component, a proximity sensor component, an ambient light sensor component, etc.). The optical component 177 can be positioned at least partially within the opening 157 in the protruding feature. The optical component 177 may include a transmitter module, a receiver module, or both. Feature 126 may also include a sensor component such as a microphone that may be positioned at least partially within opening 154 or below opening 154. In implementations in which the features 126 are used to protect one or more sensor modules or components, the features 126 may be referred to as sensor features, camera features, sensing panels, camera panels, and/or camera bumps.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of the sensor area of the electronic device. The electronic device 200 corresponds to the electronic device 100 of fig. 1A and 1B, and redundant description of shared features and components is omitted for clarity. The electronic device 200 includes a proximity sensor 271, a microphone 273, an ambient light sensor 275, and a camera assembly 277, which are typically near the sensor area. In the example of fig. 2, the proximity sensor 271, the ambient light sensor 275 and the camera assembly 277 are positioned below the cover assembly 224, as schematically indicated by the dashed lines. The microphone may be positioned below the opening 253. The sensor region 218 may be located on any suitable surface 202 of the electronic device, such as a front surface or a back surface. The cover member 224 is a part of the housing 210.

In some cases, additional sensors may be located near sensor region 218. For example, the electronic sensor area 218 may also include a sensor assembly that includes an IR light module that projects a spatial pattern (e.g., a dot pattern), a flood IR light (illumination) module, and an IR camera. Such sensor components may be used for biometric identification. As a further example, the sensor region 218 may include a sensor component that measures distance to a target, such as a LiDAR sensor component configured to illuminate an object with light and then determine the distance from the reflected light to the object (e.g., a time-of-flight (TOF) sensor). Such sensor assemblies may include a light emitting module (e.g., a laser) and a receiver module, and may be used in conjunction with a camera module. LIDAR sensors may provide digital three-dimensional representations of objects that may be used for a number of applications, including Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). In addition, other device components such as speakers may be located in the sensor region 218 and/or below the sensor region 218.

The proximity sensor 271 may include a light emitting module and a light receiving module as shown in the detailed views of fig. 3A to 3C. The light emitting module of the proximity sensor may generate infrared light. In some embodiments, the light emitting module generates near infrared light, such as light having a wavelength of about 800nm to about 2.5 microns, 900nm to about 1.6 microns, or about 800nm to about 1000 nm. In some cases, the proximity sensor may be a time-of-flight sensor.

The ambient light sensor 275 may include a light sensing module that may provide a measurement of the intensity of ambient light. In some cases, the ambient light sensor may include color sensing. Although the example of fig. 2 shows the ambient light sensor 275 as being separate from the proximity sensor 271, in other examples, the ambient light sensor 275 may be packaged with the proximity sensor 271.

The camera assembly 277 generally includes a camera module. The camera module of the camera assembly 277 may generate images from visible light. However, the electronic device 200 may also include a camera module and camera components that produce images from infrared light. In some cases, the camera module includes an optical sensing array and/or optical components such as lenses, filters, or windows. In further cases, the camera module includes an optical sensing array, an optical component, and a camera module housing surrounding the optical sensing array and the optical component. The camera module may also include a lens assembly, which may include moving elements and/or moving lenses. For example, the focusing assembly may include an actuator for moving a lens of the camera module. In some cases, the optical sensing array may be a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) array or the like.

Fig. 3A shows a top view of an electronic device 300 comprising a housing 310 with a glass-ceramic region. The electronic device 300 includes a sensor 371 positioned below the cover assembly 322 and including a transmitter module 382 and a receiver module 384. The cover assembly 322 includes a cover member 332 that includes a first region 342, a second region 344, and a third region 346. The transmitter module 382 and the receiver module 384 are located in the sensor area 318 of the cover assembly and are shown schematically in dashed lines in fig. 3A. In some cases, first region 342 and second region 344 may be positioned along one side of the window region of cover member 332.

As shown in fig. 3A-3C, the emitter module 382 is positioned below the first region 342 (also referred to herein as the emitter region) and the receiver module 384 is positioned below the second region 344 (also referred to herein as the detector region). The first region 342 may be configured to transmit (emit or output) light from the emitter module through a first thickness of the cover member, and the second region 344 may be configured to transmit (receive or input) light to the receiver module through a second thickness of the cover member. The cover member 332 defines an outer surface 353 and an inner surface 351.

The third region 346 is interposed between the first region 342 and the second region 344 and comprises a glass-ceramic material. In the example of fig. 3A-3C, a third region is adjacent to each of the first and second regions 342, 344. In some cases, the glass-ceramic material can at least partially optically isolate the receiver module 384 from the transmitter module 382 and at least partially prevent optical crosstalk between the transmitter module 382 and the receiver module 384, as discussed in further detail below with respect to fig. 3C.

In the example of fig. 3A-3C, the third region 346 includes a glass-ceramic material having at least one optical characteristic, such as transmittance, that is different from the first and second regions 342, 344. The glass-ceramic material of third region 346 is generally structurally different from the one or more materials of first region 342 and second region 344. The first, second, and third regions 342, 344, 346 may be integrally formed, as described in more detail below.

Fig. 3B shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 300 along a-a, and fig. 3C is an additional cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the operation of the transmitter and receiver modules of fig. 3B. In some cases, the sensor 371 may be configured to operate in a reflective sensing mode, so the sensor 371 is a reflective sensor. For example, light (e.g., optical signals) from the emitter module 382 may be transmitted through the cover assembly 322 to the object, and light reflected from the object (e.g., optical signals reflected from the object) may be detected by the receiver module 384, as schematically illustrated in fig. 3C. In some cases, the receiver module 384 may receive only a portion of the light (e.g., the first portion of the light) generated by the transmitter module 382.

In the example of fig. 3A-3C, the third region 346 has at least one optical characteristic, such as transmittance, that is different from the first region 342 (emitter region) and the second region 344 (receiver region). In some cases, the glass-ceramic material of the third region 346 may be configured to at least partially prevent a "shortcut" for transmitting light from the transmitter module 382 to the receiver module 384, as described in more detail below with respect to fig. 3C. For example, the glass-ceramic material of the third region may be configured to prevent transmission of another portion of the light generated by the emitter module 382 that is directed toward and/or into the third region rather than exiting the cover assembly 322 (e.g., the second portion of the light). Thus, the light transmission characteristics of the third region 346 may allow closer spacing of the emitter and receiver.

In the example of fig. 3A and 3B, the third region 346 forms a ring or other optical barrier around the first region 342. It should be understood that this example is not limiting, and that third region 346 may be interposed between first region 342 and second region 344 in a variety of ways. For example, the third region may form a ring or other suitable shape around the first region 342 (transmitter region), the second region 344 (receiver region), or both (as shown in fig. 5A and 5B). In some cases, the lateral dimension of the third region can be 100 micrometers to 1cm, 250 micrometers to 5mm, 250 micrometers to 1m, or 500 micrometers to 5 mm.

The emitter module 382 may be configured to emit light within a specified wavelength range, such as a visible wavelength range, an Infrared (IR) light wavelength range, or an Ultraviolet (UV) wavelength range. The light may be emitted from the emitter module in a continuous fashion or as one or more pulses. The receiver module 384 may be configured to detect light within a specified wavelength range. The visible range can be associated with spectral color. For example, violet may be associated with light having a wavelength of about 380nm to about 450nm, blue may be associated with light having a wavelength of between about 450nm to about 495nm, cyan may be associated with light having a wavelength of between about 490nm to about 520nm, green may be associated with light having a wavelength of between 495nm and 570nm, yellow may be associated with light having a wavelength of between about 570nm to about 590nm, orange may be associated with light having a wavelength of between about 590nm to about 620nm, and red may be associated with light having a wavelength of between about 620nm to about 750 nm. The IR range may be the near infrared range, such as from about 800nm to about 2.5 microns, from about 900nm to about 1.6 microns, or from about 800nm to about 1000 nm.

As shown in fig. 3B, the transmitter module 382 and the receiver module 384 may be spaced apart from the cover assembly 322 by a gap 361. The size of the gap 361 has been exaggerated in fig. 3B and 3C to more conveniently illustrate the optical path. In addition, transmitter module 382 and receiver module 384 may be supported by a support 387, which may include a circuit substrate or other support structure. It should be understood that the form of the support 387 is not limiting, and that the sensor 371 may include additional elements not shown in fig. 3B, such as circuitry and additional packaging for the transmitter and receiver modules.

The shapes of the transmitter module 382 and the receiver module 384 are not limited to the shapes shown in the examples of fig. 3A and 3B, but may be any suitable shape, including a rectangular prism, cube, or cylinder. Electronic device 300 may be an example of electronic device 100 or any other electronic device described herein. The sensor region 318 may be located on any suitable surface of the electronic device, such as a front surface or a back surface.

Fig. 3C schematically illustrates the operation of the transmitter module 382 and the receiver module 384. The emitter module 382 comprises an emitter element 381 which emits light towards the cover component 322. At least a portion of the light is transmitted through the cover member 332 and the cover assembly 322. The dashed lines schematically indicate the desired path of light generated by the transmitter element 381 and received by the receiver element 385. The emitter module 382 has a field of view 383. The receiver module 384 has a field of view 386 and includes a receiver element 385. In examples where the field of view 386 of the receiver module is wider than the width of the second region 344 (the receiver region), the third region 342 may help block stray light (e.g., ambient light) from reaching the receiver module.

An exemplary optical signal generally includes a plurality of light rays and/or light beams. By way of example, the light ray 392 is transmitted through the cover member 332, and the cover assembly 322 is within the field of view 383, reflected from the object 315, and received by the receiver element 385. Thus, detection of light 392 by receiver element 385 may provide information about object 315. The desired path of light emitted by the emitter module 382 passes through the first region 342 and the desired path of light transmitted toward the receiver module 384 passes through the second region 344.

In contrast, the light ray 394 does not pass through the outer surface 353 of the cover member 332 and therefore does not provide information about the object 315. Light that reaches the receiver element 385 without being reflected by the object 315 is referred to herein as creating "optical crosstalk" between the transmitting module 382 and the receiving module 384. In the example of fig. 3C, when light 394 enters the cover member 332, it is internally reflected from the outer surface 353 of the cover member 332. If the third region 346 does not prevent the propagation of the light ray 394 towards the receiving element 385 (within the cover member 332), the light ray 394 may reach the receiving element 385 of the receiver module 384 after undergoing one or more internal reflections within the cover member 332. The path that allows light to reach the receiving element 385 without reflection from objects external to the electronic device is referred to herein as a "shortcut. Ray 394 is outside the desired path indicated by the dashed line.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the third region 346 prevents light rays 394 from propagating toward receiver elements 385 within the cover member 332. More generally, the third region 346 of the cover member 332 is configured to at least partially block light (e.g., optical signals) from propagating from the emitter module through the third region. For example, the third region 346 may be configured to at least partially block light from propagating toward the second region 344. As explained in more detail below, the glass-ceramic material of the third region 346 may impede the propagation of light by scattering, absorption, and/or reflection. Thus, the third region may at least partially optically isolate the second region 344 from the first region 342.

The ability of the third region 346 to at least partially block light from propagating in a given direction may be measured in several ways. For example, the transmittance of the third region 346 (or a specified thickness of the third region) over a specified wavelength range may be used as a measure. The transmittance may be measured as total transmittance, direct transmittance (also referred to as regular transmittance), diffuse transmittance, or a combination thereof. In some cases, the transmittance of the third region 346 is less than the transmittance of each of the first and second regions 342 and 344. For example, the transmissivity of the third region 346 can be less than or equal to 50%, less than or equal to 40%, less than or equal to 30%, or less than or equal to 20%. The transmittance of each of the first and second regions 342, 344 may be at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, or at least 95%. For the example of fig. 3A-3C, the transmittance values may reference a specified wavelength range or a subset of the wavelength range of the emitter module 382.

In some cases, the internal structure of the third region 346 can be configured to at least partially block light (within a specified wavelength range) from propagating toward the second region 344. The first region 342 (positioned over the emitter module 382) and the second region 344 (positioned over the receiver module 384) of the cover member 332 may have internal structures that are configured to transmit light to a greater degree than the third region 346. When implemented over a sufficiently large area, the internal structure of the third region may improve the strength of the cover member and/or help to prevent crack propagation, in addition to providing the optical benefits described herein. The internal structure of a region of a cover member can be characterized, at least in part, by one or more phases present in the region, a characteristic length scale of the one or more phases (e.g., the size of crystalline phases present in the region), and a characteristic quantity of the one or more phases. The internal structures may also be referred to as microstructures or nanostructures (when the feature length scale is from about 1nm to about 100 nm).

In generalThe third region 346 comprises a glass-ceramic material, also referred to herein simply as a glass-ceramic. As described herein, the glass-ceramic material comprises one or more crystalline phases formed by crystallization of the (precursor) glass material. Thus, the glass-ceramic is at least partially crystallized. The glass-ceramic may also include an amorphous (glass) phase, and crystals may be dispersed over the third region. The glassy phase may be a residual phase remaining after crystallization. The crystalline phase may form particles (also referred to herein as crystals). In some cases, the crystals may include a plurality of crystallites. For example, the crystals may comprise a plurality of crystallites in a single phase. The crystals may also comprise crystallites of different phases. For example, the crystal may include a nucleation phase (e.g., TiO) in addition to one or more crystallites of another phase (e.g., a later crystalline phase in the glass-ceramic)₂、ZrO₂) The crystallites of (2). The size of the crystals (or crystallites if the crystals comprise different crystallites) may be measured by x-ray diffraction and/or microscopy, such as transmission electron microscopy. In some examples, the crystalline phase in the third region 346 includes 20% to 90%, 30% to 90%, 40% to 90%, 50% to 90%, 60% to 90%, 70% to 90%, 75% to 95%, or greater than 80% by volume of the at least partially crystalline glass-ceramic. The volume percentages may be averaged over the entire area.

In some cases, the glass-ceramic material of the third region 346 at least partially blocks the propagation of light by scattering. For example, at least some of the crystals in the third region 346 may have a size that scatters light over all or a portion of the wavelength range produced by the emitter module 382. For mie scattering, the size of the crystal can determine whether a given wavelength of light will be scattered. In some cases, longer wavelength light may be scattered by larger crystals, but may not be scattered by smaller crystals. For example, at least some of the crystals in the third region 346 may have a size (e.g., diameter) that is a multiple of the wavelength of the light. For example, the multiple may be 0.06 to 1.0, 0.1 to 0.7, 0.1 to 0.3, or 0.3 to 1.0. The size of the crystals can be controlled so that at least some of the light is scattered back and to the sides (relative to the direction of incidence of the light) to more effectively block the light. In some cases, the third region 346 may include a distribution of crystal sizes (crystal sizes), as schematically illustrated in fig. 4. Thus, the median crystal size in the third region 346 can be less than that obtained using the multiples listed above.

In some cases, the median crystal size for at least partially blocking the transmission of near infrared light can be from about 50nm to about 2 microns, from about 75nm to about 1 micron, or from about 100nm to about 1.6 microns. These crystal sizes may also at least partially block the transmission of visible light. In some cases, the median crystal size for at least partially blocking transmission of visible light is from about 30nm to about 780nm, from about 50nm to about 550nm, from about 50nm to about 230nm, or from about 230nm to about 780 nm.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a detailed view of the glass-ceramic region 446 of the cover member 436. The glass-ceramic region 446 includes a plurality of crystals 456. In the example of fig. 4, the crystals 456 have a distribution of sizes. For example, the size of the crystals may generally be smaller at the periphery of the third region 446 adjacent to another region. The size of the crystals 456 in the central portion of the third region 346 is generally large, resulting in a gradient in crystal size. Although the crystal 456 shown in fig. 4 has a regular shape, this example is not limiting, and the crystal may have an irregular shape. Further, the shape of the crystals may be spherical, faceted, elongated, layered, or any other suitable shape.

Alternatively or additionally, the glass-ceramic material of the third region 346 may at least partially block the propagation of light by reflection and/or absorption. For example, if the refractive index of the third region is lower than the refractive index of the first region, light may be at least partially reflected along the interface between the third region and the first region. The magnitude of the refractive index difference between the third region and the first region may depend, at least in part, on the difference between the refractive index of the crystal and the refractive index of the glass from which the crystal is formed. Further, if the crystal is much larger than the wavelength of the light (such as about 500 times the wavelength of the light), the light may be reflected from a single crystal. As another example, in some cases, the third region can include an absorption center that selectively absorbs light entering the third region. The glass-ceramic material of this third region may comprise one or more metals or metal oxides that contribute to the formation of the absorption centers. The presence of these absorbent centers can impart a colored appearance to the third zone.

As previously described, the first region 342 (positioned over the emitter module 382) and the second region 344 (positioned over the receiver module 384) may have internal structures configured to provide a higher transmittance to light within a specified wavelength range than the third region 346. In some cases, each of first region 342 and second region 344 is a glass region. First region 342 can be a first glass region and second region 344 can be a second glass region. The first glass region and the second glass region may have substantially the same composition and structure.

In further cases, each of first region 342 and second region 344 includes nuclei for crystallization dispersed in the crystallizable glass. The first region 342 and the second region 344 may be substantially free of crystalline phases formed by the main elements of the glass-ceramic (also referred to as main crystalline phases), or only a small amount of the main crystalline phases may be present in these regions. For example, the core may be titanium oxide (e.g., TiO)₂) Zirconium oxide (ZrO)₂) Or crystallites of mixed oxides of titanium and zirconium. The size of the core may be about 2nm to about 6 nm. The first region 342 and the second region 344 may have substantially the same composition and structure.

In further cases, each of first region 342 and second region 344 is a glass-ceramic region that is different from glass-ceramic third region 346. For example, the glass-ceramic material of the third region 346 may have a larger median crystal size than the glass-ceramic material of each of the first and second regions 342, 344. First region 342 may be a first glass-ceramic region and second region 344 may be a second glass-ceramic region. First glass-ceramic region 342 and second glass-ceramic region 344 may have substantially the same composition and structure.

In some cases, each of the first glass-ceramic region and the second glass-ceramic region is substantially transparent. For example, each of the first and second glass-ceramic regions may have a transmittance of at least 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% over the visible wavelength range (e.g., the visible spectrum). The first glass-ceramic region and the second glass-ceramic region may have similar transmittance in the range of the infrared sensor. The median crystal size of the first and second glass-ceramic regions may be less than or equal to 50nm, such as from 5nm to 30nm, or from 10nm to 50 nm.

In other cases, each of the first and second glass-ceramic regions has a greater transmission for light within the sensor wavelength range than for visible light. Thus, the first region 342 may at least partially obscure the transmitter module 382, and the second region 344 may at least partially obscure the receiver module 384 from view by a user. For example, first region 342 and second region 344 may have dimensions that scatter light over all or part of the visible spectrum, but to a lesser extent longer wavelength light. For example, light of near infrared wavelengths, such as from about 800nm to about 2.5 microns, from 900nm to about 1.6 microns, or from about 800nm to about 1000nm, may be scattered to a lesser extent than visible wavelengths (in the visible spectrum of about 380nm to about 740 nm). As a specific example, the crystals in the first and second regions 342 and 344 may be sized to scatter light in the visible spectrum by mie scattering, but may be sized to scatter light in the near infrared wavelength range to a lesser extent by mie scattering. In some cases, the first region 342 and the second region 344 can primarily include crystals having a size (e.g., diameter) that is less than or equal to a multiple of near-infrared wavelengths of light, such as a multiple of about 0.06 or 0.1. Further, the size (e.g., diameter) of at least some of the crystals in the first and second regions 342, 344 may be greater than or equal to a multiple of the wavelength of visible light, such as a multiple of about 0.1 or 0.3. For example, the median crystal size of the first and second regions 342 and 344 may be from about 30nm to about 80nm, from about 50nm to about 100nm, or from about 90nm to about 150 nm.

Alternatively or additionally, the glass-ceramic material of the third region 346 may have at least one crystalline phase that is different from one or more crystalline phases in the one or more glass-ceramic materials of the first and second regions 342, 344, as explained in more detail below. Further, in some cases, first region 342 can be a glass region and second region 344 can be a glass-ceramic region, or vice versa.

A cover member including a glass-ceramic third region 346 that is different from the first and second regions 342, 346 can be formed by locally modifying a precursor of the cover member to form the third region. The precursor of the cover member may also be referred to herein as a precursor member. When the precursor member is formed from a single sheet of material, the resulting cover member is also integrally formed. The cover member may have substantially the same shape as the precursor member, but has been locally modified to have an internal structure (e.g., microstructure or nanostructure) that is different from the internal structure of the precursor member.

The precursor member may be locally modified by locally applying energy to at least one region of the precursor member. For example, the at least one region of the precursor member may be locally heated with a laser or other local heat source. Furthermore, the precursor member may also be heated in a furnace, oven, or the like, while the region not intended to be locally modified is cooled or otherwise isolated from heat. In further examples, at least one region of the precursor member may be exposed to ultraviolet radiation, an electron beam, or the like.

In some cases, the precursor member comprises a crystallizable glass, and the local modification of the precursor comprises local formation of crystals in the crystallizable glass member. When the precursor comprises crystallizable glass, the locally formed crystals may comprise locally formed nuclei for crystallization, and then the crystals are grown at some or all of the nuclei. The operation of forming nuclei for crystallization may be performed at a lower temperature (e.g., nucleation temperature) than the operation of growing crystals at some of all the nuclei (e.g., crystallization temperature). The first region and the second region may remain substantially uncrystallized. For example, the volume percentage of crystals in the first and second regions may be less than 10%, less than 5%, or less than 2%. The volume percentages may be averaged over the entire area.

In further cases, the precursor form includes nuclei for crystallization dispersed in the crystallizable glass (e.g., wholly or partially formed from one or more nucleating agents)The formed core). The precursor member may be substantially free of crystalline phases formed by the primary elements of the glass-ceramic (also referred to as primary crystalline phases), or only a small amount of the primary crystalline phases may be present in the precursor. For example, the core may be formed wholly or partially of titanium oxide (e.g., TiO)₂) Zirconium oxide (ZrO)₂) Or one or more crystallites of a mixed oxide of titanium and zirconium. The core may have a smaller size relative to the typical crystal size of the predominant crystalline phase. The bulk density of the core may be less than the typical bulk density of the primary crystalline phase. For example, the size of the core may be about 2nm to about 6 nm.

In further cases, the precursor member comprises a glass-ceramic having a crystalline phase, and the localized modification of the precursor member comprises locally growing crystals of the same crystalline phase, locally forming crystals of a different crystalline phase, or a combination thereof. Thus, the local modification results in a glass-ceramic material that is different from the glass-ceramic material of the precursor member. As an example, the crystalline phase in the precursor member comprises 20% to 90%, 30% to 90%, 40% to 90%, 50% to 90%, 60% to 90%, 70% to 90%, 75% to 95%, or more than 80% by volume of the at least partially crystalline glass-ceramic. The volume percentages may be averaged over the area of the precursor member.

When the cover member 332 results from the local modification of the glass-ceramic precursor member, the glass-ceramic material of the third region 346 is different from the glass-ceramic material of the first and second regions 342, 344. The glass-ceramic material of the third region 346 may have a larger median crystal size than the glass-ceramic material of each of the first and second regions 342, 344 when the internal structure of the precursor member allows the size of the crystals to expand. Alternatively or additionally, the glass-ceramic material of the third region 346 may have at least one crystalline phase that is different from one or more crystalline phases in the glass-ceramic material of the first and second regions 342, 344. For example, if a region of a glass-ceramic precursor member is locally heated to a higher temperature and/or for a longer time than the temperature used to form one or more crystalline phases in the precursor member, a different crystalline phase may be formed in the locally heated region.

In some cases, the size of the crystals may vary throughout the third region 346, as schematically illustrated in fig. 4. For example, the size of the crystals may be generally smaller at the periphery of the third region 346 (adjacent to the first region 342 and/or the second region 344) and generally larger at the center portion of the third region 346, resulting in a gradient in crystal size. The gradient in crystal size may result from a change in energy applied to a region of the precursor features during local modification of the precursor features. For example, the gradient in crystal size may result from a thermal gradient across a region of the precursor member. The gradient in crystal size may be such that the boundaries of the third region are not visually too different or perceptible to the user.

The precursor member may be a glass-ceramic precursor member, and the cover member after the partial modification may be a glass-ceramic cover member. The amorphous and crystalline phases together may comprise 90% to 100% by volume of the glass-ceramic covering member. In some cases, the cover member includes a sufficiently high volume percentage of crystalline phase to be described as a glass-ceramic cover member. For example, the glass-ceramic covering member may include 50% to 90%, 60% to 90%, 70% to 90%, 75% to 95%, or greater than 80% crystalline phase by volume.

By way of example, the glass-ceramic material may be an alkali silicate, an alkaline earth silicate, an aluminosilicate, a boroaluminosilicate, a perovskite-type glass-ceramic, a silicophosphate, an ferrosilicate, a fluorosilicate, a phosphate, or a glass-ceramic material from another glass-ceramic composition system. In some embodiments, the glass-ceramic portion comprises an aluminosilicate glass-ceramic or a boroaluminosilicate glass-ceramic. In addition to the main elements of the glass-ceramic material (e.g., aluminum, silicon, and oxygen for aluminosilicate), the glass-ceramic material may also include other elements. For example, the glass-ceramic material (and precursor glass) may include elements such as titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, or combinations thereof for nucleating crystalline phases of the glass-ceramic material. Aluminosilicate and boroaluminosilicate glass-ceramics may also include monovalent or divalent ions that compensate for the charge generated by the introduction of aluminum ions in the glass-ceramic. For example, the alkali aluminosilicate may include alkali ions that compensate for the inclusion of aluminum ions in the glass-ceramic.

The Lithium Aluminosilicate (LAS) glass-ceramic may be formed from a lithium aluminosilicate glass. For example, the lithium aluminosilicate glass may include 60 to 90 wt.% SiO₂5 to 30% by weight of Al₂O₃And 2 to 15% by weight of Li₂And O. The lithium aluminosilicate glass may also include relatively small amounts (e.g., a few percent by weight) of nucleating agents, such as TiO₂、ZrO₂、SnO₂、Ta₂O₅、Ta₂O₅Or a combination thereof. The lithium aluminosilicate glass may also include a relatively small amount of one or more alkaline earth metal oxides or one or more alkali metal oxides other than lithium oxide. Lithium aluminosilicate glasses can form several types of crystalline phases including beta quartz solid solution crystals, keatite solid solution crystals (beta spodumene solid solution crystals), petalite crystals, and lithium disilicate crystals. Some of these crystalline phases may be transformed into other crystalline phases. For example, a solid solution crystal of beta quartz can be converted to keatite/beta spodumene crystals. As another example, a mixture of crystalline phases may be converted into a different mixture, such as a mixture comprising lithium disilicate and petalite crystals into a mixture comprising lithium disilicate and β spodumene solid solution crystals. In some cases, the crystal may have a coefficient of thermal expansion close to zero or even less than zero.

The cover member may be chemically reinforced by one or more ion exchange operations. During each ion exchange operation, ions present in the cover member may be exchanged for larger ions in an ion exchange region extending from a surface of the cover member. A compressive stress layer extending from a surface of the cover member may be formed in the ion exchange region. In some cases, the ion exchange region is formed in one or more glass materials of the cover member. For example, the ion exchange region may be formed in the glass material of the glass region, in the glass material of the region including the crystallization nuclei dispersed in the glass material, and/or in the residual glass material of the glass-ceramic region.

For example, ion-exchangeable glasses covering the componentThe glass material may include monovalent ions or divalent ions such as alkali metal ions (e.g., Li)⁺、Na⁺Or K⁺) Or alkaline earth metal ions (e.g., Ca)²⁺Or Mg²⁺) These monovalent ions or divalent ions may be exchanged for other alkali metal ions or alkaline earth metal ions. If the glass material includes sodium ions, the sodium ions may be exchanged for potassium ions. Similarly, if the glass material includes lithium ions, the lithium ions may be exchanged for sodium ions and/or potassium ions.

In one example, the chemical strengthening process involves exposing the cover member to a medium that includes larger ions, such as by immersing the cover member in a bath that includes larger ions, or by spraying or coating the cover member with a larger ion source. For example, a salt bath comprising larger ions (e.g., a bath comprising potassium ions or a mixture of potassium and sodium ions) may be used for ion exchange. Suitable temperatures for ion exchange are above room temperature and are selected according to process requirements. The ion exchange process may be performed at a temperature below the strain point of the glass material. After the ion exchange operation, the component may be cooled. Depending on factors already discussed above, a compressive stress layer approximately 10 microns to 250 microns deep may be formed in the glass region. The surface Compressive Stress (CS) can be from about 300MPa to about 1100 MPa. A mask may be used to shield portions of the cover member from ion exchange as desired. Optionally, the member is washed after the ion exchange operation.

Fig. 5A shows a top view of an electronic device including a housing 510 with a glass-ceramic region. The electronic device 500 includes a cover member 522 that includes a first region 542, a second region 544, and a third region 546. The sensor 571 includes a transmitter module 582 positioned below the first region 542 and a receiver module 584 positioned below the second region 542. The third region 546 includes a glass-ceramic material capable of at least partially optically isolating the receiver module 584 from the transmitter module 582, as previously discussed with respect to fig. 3C. The description of sensor 371 applies to sensor 571 and, for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here. Fig. 5B shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 500 taken along B-B. Electronic device 500 may be an example of electronic device 100 or any other electronic device described herein. The cover member 522 may define any suitable surface of the electronic device, such as a front surface or a back surface.

The transmitter module 582 and the receiver module 584 of the sensor 571 are positioned below the cover assembly 522 and are schematically illustrated in dashed lines in fig. 5A. As shown in fig. 5B, the transmitter module 582 and the receiver module 584 may be spaced apart from the cover assembly 522 by a gap 561. Further, the transmitter module 582 and the receiver module 584 may be supported by a support 587.

As shown in fig. 5A, the cover assembly 522 includes a cover member 532, and the cover member 532 includes a first region 542, a second region 544, and a third region 546. The first region 542 is positioned above the transmitter module 582 and the second region 544 is positioned above the receiver module 584. A portion of the third region 546 is interposed between the first region 542 and the second region 544. As shown in the cross-sectional view of fig. 5B, each of the first region 542, the second region 544, and the third region 546 may extend from the inner surface 551 to the outer surface 553 of the cover member 632.

In the example of fig. 5A and 5B, the third region 546 surrounds the first region 542 and the second region 544. In some cases, the portion of the third region interposed between first region 542 and second region 544 can have a minimum lateral dimension of 100 micrometers to 1cm, 250 micrometers to 5mm, 250 micrometers to 1m, or 500 micrometers to 5 mm. In some cases, the maximum lateral dimension of the third region can be at most 1cm, at most 2cm, at most 5cm, or greater.

The third region 546 comprises a glass-ceramic material and typically comprises a different material than the first region 542 and the second region 544. The glass-ceramic material of the third region 546 of the cover member may be configured to at least partially prevent transmission of light within a specified wavelength range and reduce optical crosstalk, as previously described with respect to fig. 3A-3C. The description of the first, second, and third regions 342, 344, and 346 provided with respect to fig. 3A-3C applies to the first, second, and third regions 542, 544, and 546, and is not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

Fig. 6A shows a top view of an electronic device including a housing 610 having a plurality of glass-ceramic regions. The electronic device 600 includes a cover member 632 that includes a first region 642, a second region 643, a third region 646, a fourth region 646, and a fifth region 647. The first region 642 is positioned above the emitter module 682, the second region 643 is positioned above the emitter module 683, and the third region 644 is positioned above the receiver module 684. The fourth region 646 and the fifth region 647 each comprise a glass-ceramic material capable of at least partially optically isolating the receiver module 684 from the emitter modules 682 and 683, as previously discussed with respect to fig. 3C. In some cases, cover member 632 may be a cover member of a wearable electronic device, such as electronic device 1100.

As shown in fig. 6A, the two emitter modules 682 and 683 are part of the same sensor 671. In some cases, the emitter module 682 is configured to emit a first optical signal and the emitter module 683 is configured to emit a second optical signal different from the first optical signal. The first optical signal may have a first sensor wavelength range and the second optical signal may have a second sensor wavelength range different from the first sensor wavelength range. For example, the first optical signal may be a first visible light signal and the second optical signal may be a second visible light signal different from the first visible light signal. In particular, the first optical signal may be a visible light signal and the second optical signal may be a near infrared signal. In some cases, the sensor 671 may be a health monitoring sensor (component), such as a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor. The PPG sensor may be adapted to operate as a heart rate sensor, a pulse oximeter, or other health sensor configured to measure a health characteristic or health indicator of the user. Thus, the PPG sensor may detect heart rate, oxygen content, or both. However, this example is not limiting, and in other examples, the two emitter modules may be part of different sensors.

The transmitter modules 682, 683 may share the receiver module 684, and/or the receiver module 684 may include multiple photosensitive elements that respond to different wavelengths of light. For example, the receiver module 684 may include multiple photodiodes that each respond to a different wavelength or band of wavelengths. In some cases, the receiver module 684 is responsive to a wide range of wavelengths, which may include light emitted from the emitter modules 682 and 683.

Fig. 6B shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 600 along C-C. Electronic device 600 may be an example of electronic device 100 or any other electronic device described herein. The cover component 622 may define any suitable surface of the electronic device, such as a front surface or a back surface. The arrangement of the transmitter modules 682 and 683 and receiver module 684 is provided by way of illustrative example. However, the relative positions of the modules may vary depending on the implementation. For example, in some implementations, the sensor 671 can use a single transmitter and multiple receivers. According to the examples provided above, a single emitter may include multiple light-emitting elements configured to produce the same wavelength band or different wavelength bands or different discrete wavelengths.

The transmitter modules 682 and 683 and receiver module 684 are positioned below the cover assembly 622 and are shown schematically in phantom in fig. 6A. As shown in fig. 6B, the transmitter module 682 and the receiver module 684 may be spaced apart from the cover assembly 622 by a gap 661. Further, the emitter modules 682 and 683 and receiver module 684 may be supported by supports 687. The description of the transmitter module 382 applies to the transmitter modules 682 and 683, and the description of the receiver module 384 applies to the receiver module 684. For the sake of brevity, those descriptions are not repeated here.

As shown in fig. 6A, the cover assembly 622 includes a cover member 632, and the cover member 632 includes a first region 642, a second region 643, a third region 644, a fourth region 646, and a fifth region 647. In the example of fig. 6B, the cover member 632 and the cover assembly 622 define a curve rather than a plane. In particular, the cover member 632 defines a convex outer surface 653. As shown in the cross-sectional view of fig. 6B, each of first region 642, second region 643, third region 644, fourth region 646 and fifth region 647 can extend from inner surface 651 to outer surface 653 of cover member 632. In the example of fig. 6B, the third region 644 is thicker than the first region 642 and the second region 643. However, this example is not limiting, and in some examples, the thickness may be uniform, or the thickness of the central portion of the cover member may be greater than the thickness of the peripheral portion of the cover member (or vice versa).

As shown in fig. 6B, the first region 642 is arranged such that the path of light emitted by the emitter 682 (also referred to herein as the optical path) will pass through the first region 642. The optical path may form a first inclination angle with respect to the thickness of the cover member 632. Similarly, the second region 643 is positioned such that the path of light emitted by the emitter 683 will pass through the second region 643. The optical path may form a second inclination angle with respect to the thickness of the cover member 632. When the light path is not parallel to the thickness of the cover member, the first region 642 may not be positioned directly over the emitter 682 and the second region 643 may not be positioned directly over the emitter 683.

As shown in fig. 6A, the fourth region 646 forms a ring around the first region 642 and the fifth region 647 forms a ring around the third region 643. It should be understood that this example is not limiting, and that the fourth 646 and fifth 647 regions can be configured in a variety of ways. As shown in fig. 6B, the diameter of the ring formed by the fourth 646 and fifth 647 regions decreases from the outer surface 653 to the inner surface 651. Accordingly, the sides of each of the first and second regions 642, 643 may define a generally conical shape. The annular shape of the fourth region 646 and the fifth region 647 can be used with the cover member 632 defining the curved outer surface 653 and the cover member defining the flat outer surface. In some cases, the lateral dimensions of the fourth 646 and fifth 647 regions can be 100 micrometers to 1cm, 250 micrometers to 5mm, 250 micrometers to 1m, or 500 micrometers to 5 mm.

The fourth region 646 comprises a glass-ceramic material and generally comprises a different material than the first region 642 and the third region 644. Further, the fifth region 647 includes a glass-ceramic material and generally includes a different material than the second region 643 and the third region 644. The glass-ceramic material of the fourth 646 and fifth 647 regions of the cover member may be configured to at least partially block transmission of light within a specified wavelength range and reduce optical crosstalk, as previously described with respect to fig. 3A-3C. Thus, the light transmissive characteristics of the fourth 646 and fifth 647 regions of the cover member may allow closer spacing of the emitters and receivers.

The description of the first region 342 provided with respect to fig. 3A-3C applies to the first region 642 and the second region 643. The description of the second region 344 provided with respect to fig. 3A-3C applies to the third region 644. The description of the third region 346 provided with respect to fig. 3A through 3C applies to the fourth region 646 and the fifth region 647. For the sake of brevity, those descriptions are not repeated here.

Fig. 7A shows a top view of an electronic device including a housing 710 with a glass-ceramic region. The electronic device includes a cover member 732 that includes a first region 742 and a second region 746, and an optical component 784 positioned below the second region 746. Second region 746 may include a glass-ceramic material. The optical component 784 may be a sensor component or a camera component or any optical component described herein. Electronic device 700 may be an example of electronic device 100 or any other electronic device described herein. The cover component 722 may define any suitable surface of the electronic device, such as a front surface or a back surface.

In the example of fig. 7A-7C, the optical component 784 is configured to emit or detect light within a specified wavelength range that is different from the visible spectrum, such as an Infrared (IR) light wavelength range or an Ultraviolet (UV) light wavelength range. The glass-ceramic material of the second region 746 is configured to transmit light in the specified wavelength range to a first degree and to transmit light in the visible spectrum to a second degree less than the first degree. Thus, the second region 746 at least partially obscures the optical component 784 from view by the user.

Fig. 7B and 7C illustrate exemplary cross-sectional views of a portion of the electronic device of fig. 7A along D-D. In the example of fig. 7A-7C, the second region 746 forms a cylinder over the optical component 784, and the first region 742 surrounds the second region 746. It should be understood that this example is not limiting, and that the second region 746 can have a cross-sectional shape that is circular, elliptical, rectangular, square, triangular, etc. Further, the second region 746 can form a substantially conical shape similar to that previously shown in fig. 6B. Additionally, the second region 746 may have a larger lateral dimension, an example of which is shown in fig. 9A. Further, although the example of fig. 7A-7C show second region 746 extending through a thickness of cover member 734, in other examples, second region 746 may extend through less than the thickness of the cover member. For example, the second region may extend through one-half to three-quarters of the thickness or one-quarter to one-half of the thickness.

The optical component 784 is positioned below the cover assembly 722 and is shown schematically in phantom in fig. 7A. In the example of fig. 7B and 7C, the optical component 784 may be supported by a support 787. In the example of fig. 7B, the optical component 784 contacts the cover member 732 of the cover assembly 722. In the example of fig. 7C, the optical component 784 may be spaced apart from the cover member 732 by a coating 763 along an inner surface of the cover member 732. The coating 763 can be configured to further modify the appearance of the covering component 722 without substantially interfering with the optical component 784, as explained in more detail below. In other examples, the optical module may be spaced apart from the cover assembly 722 by a gap (as previously shown in fig. 3B), or may extend into an opening in the cover assembly 722.

As previously described, the optical component 784 can emit or detect light within a specified wavelength range, and the second region 746 can be configured to transmit light in a specified wavelength range (which is different than the visible spectrum). Further, the second region 746 can be configured to transmit light in the visible spectrum to a lesser extent than light in the specified wavelength range. Thus, the second region 746 may at least partially obscure the optical component 784 from view while not significantly interfering with the operation of the optical component 784. In the example of fig. 7C, the coating may also be configured to transmit light in a specified wavelength range while transmitting light in the visible spectrum to a lesser extent. Thus, the coating may further obscure the optical component 784 from view. In some cases, the coating can be configured to absorb light in the visible spectrum without significantly absorbing light in the near infrared range. In some cases, the coating includes a visibly absorbing infrared transparent pigment in a polymeric binder.

The degree to which a region of the covering member 732 transmits light can be measured by the transmittance of that region in a specified wavelength range. The transmittance may be measured as total transmittance, direct transmittance (also referred to as regular transmittance), diffuse transmittance, or a combination thereof.

In some cases, second region 746 can have a transmittance of at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, or at least 95% of a specified wavelength range (such as the near infrared range). Second region 746 may have a transmittance of less than or equal to 50%, less than or equal to 40%, less than or equal to 30%, or less than or equal to 20% across the visible spectrum.

The first region 742 may have a different transmittance from the second region 746. In some cases, the transmittance of first region 742 is greater than the transmittance of second region 746 over the visible spectrum. For example, first region 742 may appear transparent or less translucent than second region 746. The first region 742 may have a transmittance of at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, or at least 95% in the visible spectrum.

In still other cases, the transmissivity of first region 742 can be less than the transmissivity of second region 746 over a specified wavelength range and visible range. For example, first region 742 may be used to optically isolate second region 746 of cover member 732 by at least partially preventing light transmission through first region 742 in a manner similar to that previously described with respect to fig. 3C. The first region 742 may have a transmittance of less than or equal to 50%, less than or equal to 40%, less than or equal to 30%, or less than or equal to 20% over a specified wavelength range or visible spectrum.

The internal structure of the glass-ceramic material of the second region 746 can be configured to transmit light in a specified wavelength range and to a lesser extent in the visible spectrum. The internal structure of a region of a cover member can be characterized, at least in part, by one or more phases present in the region, a characteristic length scale of the one or more phases (e.g., the size of crystalline phases present in the region), and a characteristic quantity of the one or more phases. The internal structures may also be referred to as microstructures or nanostructures (when the feature length scale is from about 1nm to about 100 nm). In some examples, first region 742 may have internal structures configured to transmit light in the visible spectrum to a greater extent than second region 746 such that region 742 is transparent.

In the example of fig. 7A-7C, the second region 746 includes a glass-ceramic material having a crystalline phase. In some cases, at least some of the crystals in second region 746 may have a size that scatters light over all or part of the visible spectrum, but to a lesser extent longer wavelength light. For example, light of near infrared wavelengths, such as from about 800nm to about 2.5 microns, from 900nm to about 1.6 microns, or from about 800nm to about 1000nm, may be scattered to a lesser extent than visible wavelengths (in the visible spectrum of about 380nm to about 740 nm).

As a specific example, the crystals in the second region 746 may be sized to scatter light in the visible spectrum by mie scattering, but may be sized to scatter light in the near-infrared wavelength range to a lesser extent by mie scattering. In some cases, the second region 746 can include primarily crystals having a size (e.g., diameter) that is less than or equal to a multiple of the near-infrared wavelength of light, such as a multiple of about 0.06 or 0.1. Further, at least some of the crystals in the second region 746 can have a size (e.g., diameter) greater than or equal to a multiple of the wavelength of visible light, such as a multiple of about 0.1 or 0.3. For example, the median crystal size of the second region 746 can be from about 30nm to about 80nm, from about 50nm to about 100nm, or from about 90nm to about 150 nm.

Second region 746 comprises a glass-ceramic material that is different from the material of first region 742. In some cases, the first region is a glass region. In other cases, first region 742 includes nuclei for crystallization dispersed in the crystallizable glass. The cores may be as previously described with respect to fig. 3A-3C, and for the sake of brevity, this description is not repeated here. In other cases, the glass-ceramic material of first region 742 is different than the glass-ceramic material of second region 746. For example, first region 742 may have a different median crystal size than second region 746. When the median crystal size of the first region 742 is smaller than that of the second region, the transmittance of the first region 742 for visible light may be higher than that of the second region. Further, when the median crystal size of the first region 742 is larger than that of the second region, the transmittance of the first region for IR light may be lower than that of the second region. Alternatively or additionally, the glass first region 742 has at least one crystalline phase that is different from one or more crystalline phases in the second region 742. The description of glass and glass-ceramics provided with respect to fig. 3A-3C is generally applicable herein and, for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

A cover member including a glass-ceramic second region 746 that is different from the first region 742 can be formed by locally modifying a precursor of the cover member to form the second region. When the precursor member is formed from a single sheet of material, the cover member is also integrally formed. The precursor member may be locally modified by locally applying energy to at least one region of the precursor member. For example, the at least one region of the precursor member may be locally heated with a laser or other local heat source. The methods for locally applying energy described with respect to fig. 3A-3C are generally applicable herein and, for the sake of brevity, are not repeated here.

In some cases, the precursor member comprises a crystallizable glass, and the local modification of the precursor member comprises local formation of crystals in the crystallizable glass member. In further cases, the precursor form includes nuclei (e.g., nuclei formed from one or more nucleating agents) for crystallization dispersed in the crystallizable glass. The precursor member may be substantially free of crystalline phases formed by the primary elements of the glass-ceramic (also referred to as primary crystalline phases), or only a small amount of the primary crystalline phases may be present in the precursor. In further cases, the precursor member comprises a glass-ceramic having a crystalline phase, and the localized modification of the precursor member comprises locally growing crystals of the same crystalline phase, locally forming crystals of a different crystalline phase, or a combination thereof. The description of the precursor member, the partial modification of the precursor member, and the glass-ceramic material with respect to fig. 3A-3C is generally applicable herein and, for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

Fig. 8A shows a top view of an electronic device including a housing 810 with a glass-ceramic region. The electronic device includes a cover member 822 including first and second regions 842, 846 and an optical component 884 positioned below a portion of the first and second regions 842, 846. The second region 846 may comprise a glass-ceramic material. The optical component 884 may be a sensor assembly, a camera assembly, or any other optical component described herein. Electronic device 800 may be an example of electronic device 100 or any other electronic device described herein. The cover component 822 may define any suitable surface of the electronic device, such as a front surface or a back surface.

Fig. 8B illustrates an exemplary cross-sectional view of a portion of the electronic device of fig. 8A along E-E. As shown in fig. 8A-8B, the first region 842 and a portion of the second region 842 are positioned above the optical member 884. The portion of the second region 846 may be positioned over a peripheral region of the optical component 884, and the first region 842 may be positioned over a central region of the optical module. The central region of the optical component 884 can correspond to the aperture of the optical module. In the example of fig. 8A and 8B, the optical component 884 may be supported by a support 887.

In some cases, optical component 884 can be configured to emit or detect light within a specified wavelength range. When the specified wavelength range is different than the visible spectrum, the second region 846 may comprise a glass-ceramic material configured to transmit light in the specified wavelength range to a first degree and to transmit light in the visible spectrum to a lesser degree. Because the second region 846 transmits light within a specified range of wavelengths, the field of view of the emitter and/or receiver module need not be substantially limited by the presence of the second region. The first region 842 may be configured to transmit light in both a specified wavelength range and the visible spectrum. When the optical component 884 is configured to emit or detect light within the visible spectrum, the second region 846 may simply be configured to transmit light within the visible spectrum to a lesser extent than the first region 842.

In the example of fig. 8A-8B, the first area 842 forms a cylinder over the optical member 884, and the second area 846 surrounds the first area 842. It should be understood that this example is not limiting, and that the first region 842 may have a cross-sectional shape that is circular, elliptical, rectangular, square, triangular, etc. Further, the first 842 may be generally conical in shape. Further, although the example of fig. 8A-8B shows the second area 846 extending through the thickness of the cover member 832, in other examples, the second area 846 may extend through less than the thickness of the cover member. For example, the second region may extend through one-half to three-quarters of the thickness or one-quarter to one-half of the thickness.

Optical component 884 may be an example of optical module 746, first region 842 may have similar characteristics and may be formed in a similar manner as previously described for first region 742, and second region 846 may have similar characteristics and may be formed in a similar manner as previously described for first region 746. For the sake of brevity, the description provided with respect to the optical module 746, the first region 742, and the second region 746 will not be repeated here.

Fig. 9A shows a top view of an electronic device 900 including a housing 910 having a glass-ceramic region. The electronic device 900 includes a cover member 932 that includes a first region 942 and a second region 946. The second region 846 may comprise a glass-ceramic material. The sensor assembly 971 includes a transmitter module 982 and a receiver module 984 positioned below the second region 946. Electronic device 900 may be an example of electronic device 100 or any other electronic device described herein. The cover component 922 may define any suitable surface of the electronic device, such as a front surface or a back surface.

In the example of fig. 9A and 9B, the emitter module 982 is configured to emit light within a specified wavelength range different from the visible spectrum, such as an Infrared (IR) light wavelength range or an Ultraviolet (UV) light wavelength range. The receiver module 984 is configured to detect light from the transmitter module. The second region 946 comprises a glass-ceramic material that is configured to transmit light in a specified wavelength range to a first degree and to transmit light in the visible spectrum to a lesser degree, thereby at least partially shielding the emitter module 982 and the receiver module 984 from view by a user.

The transmitter module 982 and receiver module 984 of the sensor 971 are positioned below the cover assembly 922 and are schematically illustrated in phantom in fig. 9A. Fig. 9B shows a cross-sectional view of electronic device 900 along F-F. The shapes of the transmitter module 982 and receiver module 984 are not limited to the shapes shown in the examples of fig. 9A and 9B, but may be any suitable shape, including a rectangular prism, cube, or cylinder. Sensor 971 may be configured to operate in a reflective sensing mode, as previously described with respect to fig. 3C.

As shown in fig. 9B, transmitter module 982 and receiver module 984 may be spaced apart from cover assembly 922 by a gap 961. Further, the transmitter module 982 and the receiver module 984 may be supported by a support 987. It should be understood that the form of the support 987 is not limiting, and that the sensor 971 may include additional elements not shown in fig. 9B, such as circuitry and additional packaging for the transmitter and receiver modules.

The first region 942 may have similar characteristics and may be formed in a similar manner as previously described for the first region 742. Second region 946 may have similar characteristics and may be formed in a similar manner as previously described for first region 746. For the sake of brevity, the description provided with respect to the first region 742 and the second region 746 will not be repeated here.

Fig. 10 shows another example of an electronic device 1000 including a housing 1010 with a glass-ceramic region. The electronic device 1000 includes a first portion 1002 and a second portion 1004. The first portion 1002 may include a display 1011 positioned within a housing 1012. The overlay assembly 1022 is disposed over the display 1011. The second portion 1004 may include a housing 1014, a keyboard 1016, and a touchpad 1017. The electronic device 1000 may be a laptop or notebook computing device, with the first portion 1002 coupled to the second portion 1004 by a hinge 1003. Alternatively, the first portion 1002 of the electronic device 1000 may be a tablet computing device and the second portion 1004 may be removably coupled to the first portion 1002. In some cases, the second portion 1004 may be configured to form a housing of a tablet computing device.

In the example of fig. 10, the first portion 1002 includes a cover component 1022 that includes a sensor region 1018. The electronic device 1000 may include one or more optical components located near the sensor region 1018. In some cases, the optical module of the sensor or camera assembly may be positioned below the cover assembly 1022. In further instances, an optical module of a sensor or camera component (e.g., a camera module) may be positioned at least partially within an opening in the cover component 1022. Alternatively or in addition, the second portion 1004 of the electronic device can include a sensor region. For example, the sensor area may be included as part of the keyboard 1016 or touchpad 1017. The descriptions of the optical components, sensor assembly, and camera assembly provided with respect to fig. 1A-3C are generally applicable herein and, for the sake of brevity, are not repeated here.

In some cases, the cover assembly 1022 includes a cover member having a glass-ceramic region. In some examples, the glass-ceramic region of the cover member is configured to at least partially optically isolate the transmitter module from the receiver module, as previously described with respect to fig. 3A-3C. In further examples, the glass-ceramic region of the cover is configured to obscure a visual view of the emitter module and/or the receiver module configured to operate in a different wavelength range (e.g., a near infrared wavelength range) as previously described with respect to fig. 7A-9B. The description provided with respect to fig. 3A-3C and 7A-9B applies generally herein and, for the sake of brevity, is not repeated here.

Fig. 11 shows an additional example of an electronic device 1100 that includes a housing 1110 having a glass-ceramic region. The electronic device 1100 includes a housing 1112, a cover assembly 1122, and a cover member 1132. The electronic device 1100 may be a wearable electronic device, such as a watch. The housing 1012 and the cover component 1122 may define a rear surface of the wearable electronic device. For example, when the wearable electronic device is worn, the back surface of the device may contact the user's skin. The electronic device also includes input devices 1105 and 1107.

As shown in fig. 11, the cover assembly 1122 includes a sensor region 1118. Electronic device 1100 may include one or more sensor components located near sensor region 1118. For example, the one or more sensor components may be one or more health monitoring sensor components or biosensor components, such as an Electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor, a heart rate sensor, a pulse oximeter, or other biosensor. In the example of fig. 11, the electronic device 1100 includes two transmitter modules 1182 and 1183 and two receiver modules 1184 and 1185. However, this example is not limiting, and the electronic device may include a greater or lesser number of transmitter modules and/or receiver modules. In addition, the arrangement of the transmitter module and the receiver module is not limited to the arrangement shown in fig. 11. In further examples, the receiver modules may be positioned closer to the perimeter of the cover assembly 1122 than the transmitter modules, and may be positioned around the transmitter modules (e.g., may be positioned along a ring around the transmitter modules). For example, the sensor may define a central emitter region located near or at the center of the cover assembly 1122. The sensor may also define an array of receiver areas surrounding a central transmitter area, each receiver area having one or more receiver modules positioned below the cover assembly 1122. Other transmitter/receiver module arrangements may also be used.

In some cases, the transmitter module 1182 is configured to transmit a first optical signal, and the transmitter module 1183 is configured to transmit a second optical signal different from the first optical signal. The second optical signal may have a second sensor wavelength range different from the first sensor wavelength range of the first optical signal.

The electronic device may include one or more emitter modules that emit light within at least a portion of the visible spectrum (e.g., green and/or red light), in which case the optical signal may be a visible (light) signal. The electronic device may also include one or more emitter modules that emit light in the near-infrared wavelength range, in which case the optical signal may be a near-infrared (light) signal. For example, a heart rate biosensor may include an emitter module that generates a visible light signal (e.g., green light) and an emitter module that generates an infrared light signal. As another example, a pulse oximetry biosensor (e.g., SpO)₂Sensor) may include generatingOne or more emitter modules that absorb optical signals in different wavelength ranges (e.g., red light) of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin, and one or more emitter modules that produce optical signals in wavelength ranges (e.g., green or infrared light) in which the absorption of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin are similar.

As previously mentioned, the electronic device may also include a processing unit, also referred to herein as a processor. When the sensor component is a biosensor component, the processing unit may be configured to calculate a health indicator or health feature associated with the user based on the signal from the sensor. For example, the health indicator calculated based on the optical biosensor (e.g., PPG sensor) component may be heart rate and/or peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO)₂) The value is obtained. The device may also include a display disposed within the housing and configured to display the health indicator.

In some cases, the cover assembly 1122 includes a cover member 1132 having a glass-ceramic region. In some examples, the glass-ceramic region of the cover member 1132 is configured to at least partially optically isolate the transmitter module from the receiver module. In some examples, a single glass-ceramic region may be used to isolate the transmitter module (e.g., 1182, 1183) from the receiver module (e.g., 1185). In further examples, the cover member 1132 may include a plurality of glass-ceramic regions. Each of the transmitter regions may be surrounded by a glass-ceramic region, as shown in fig. 6A and 6B, or each of the receiver regions may be surrounded by a glass-ceramic region. In further examples, the glass-ceramic region of the cover member 1132 is configured to obscure visual observation of emitter modules and/or receiver modules configured to operate in different wavelength ranges (e.g., near-infrared wavelength ranges), as previously described with respect to fig. 7A-9B. The description provided with respect to fig. 3A-3C and 7A-9B applies generally herein and, for the sake of brevity, is not repeated here.

As shown in fig. 11, the housing 1110 includes a housing 1112 that defines a rear surface 1104 of the electronic device 1100 and curved side surfaces 1106 that extend from a bottom surface to a top surface. The cover member 1132 may be provided along a rear surface of the electronic device. The back surface of the electronic device 1100 may be substantially flat. The band 1170 may be attached to the housing and configured to secure the wearable electronic device to a user (in fig. 11, the band 1170 is curved to show the rear surface 1104). The housing 1110 may define a cavity, and the housing 1112 may define an opening to the cavity. A display, such as a touch sensitive display, may be at least partially disposed within the cavity and may have a viewable area. The device may also include a front cover member disposed over the display and including a flat middle portion larger than a viewable area of the display, a curved edge portion surrounding the flat middle portion and coinciding with the curved side portion along a perimeter of the cavity to form a continuous contoured surface.

The electronic device 1100 may also include a crown module positioned at least partially within an aperture formed within the curved side portion of the housing. The crown module may include an input member 1105 (e.g., a dial) having an outer surface configured to receive rotational user input. The crown module may be offset between the top portion and the flat sole portion relative to a centerline of the housing. The offset may be toward a top portion of the housing. The crown module may include a turntable, a portion of which is higher than an interface between the cover and the housing.

In some exemplary embodiments, the device includes a biosensor component disposed in an opening formed in the rear surface of the housing. The biosensor assembly may include a base positioned in the opening of the housing. One or more transmitter modules and one or more receiver modules may be attached to the base. A cover member 1132 is disposed over the base and over the one or more transmitter modules and the one or more receiver modules. In some embodiments, the cover member 1132 has a convex outer profile. For example, the cover member 1132 may have a shape similar to that shown in fig. 6B.

Fig. 12 shows a top view of an electronic device 1200 including a housing 1210 having a glass-ceramic region. The electronic device 1200 includes a housing 1212 and a cover member 1222. The electronic device 1200 may be a portable media player, such as a smart speaker. The housing 1212 and the cover member 1222 may define a top portion of the electronic device.

Electronic device 1200 may include one or more sensor components located near sensor region 1218. In the example of fig. 12, electronic device 1200 includes four sensor assemblies 1271,1272,1273 and 1274. One or more of the sensor assemblies 1271,1272,1273 and 1274 may include one or more emitter modules that emit light in the near infrared wavelength range. In some cases, at least one of the sensor components 1271,1272,1273 and 1274 is a proximity sensor, a time of flight sensor, a biometric sensor, or the like. The description of the transmitter and receiver modules provided with respect to fig. 1A-3C is generally applicable herein and, for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here. Electronic device 1200 may also include a transmitter module 1275.

In some cases, the cover assembly 1222 includes a cover member 1232 having a glass-ceramic region. In some examples, the glass-ceramic region of the cover member is configured to at least partially optically isolate the transmitter module from the receiver module, as previously described with respect to fig. 3A-3C. In further examples, the glass-ceramic region of the cover is configured to obscure a visual view of the emitter module and/or the receiver module configured to operate in a different wavelength range (e.g., a near infrared wavelength range) as previously described with respect to fig. 7A-9B. The description provided with respect to fig. 3A-3C and fig. 7A-9B generally applies herein and, for the sake of brevity, is not repeated here.

Fig. 13 shows a block diagram of components of an electronic device. The schematic shown in fig. 13 may correspond to the components of the apparatus described above in fig. 1A-12. However, fig. 13 may also more generally represent other types of electronic devices having a cover assembly as described herein.

In an embodiment, the electronic device 1300 may include sensors 1320 to provide information regarding the configuration and/or orientation of the electronic device in order to control the output of the display. For example, a portion of the display 1308 may be turned off, disabled, or placed in a low energy state when all or a portion of the viewable area of the display 1308 is blocked or substantially obscured. As another example, display 1308 can be adapted to rotate the display of graphical output based on a change in orientation of device 1300 (e.g., 90 degrees or 180 degrees) in response to a rotation of device 1300.

The electronic device 1300 also includes a processor 1306 operably connected to the computer-readable memory 1302. The processor 1306 may be operatively connected to the memory 1302 via an electronic bus or bridge. The processor 1306 may be implemented as one or more computer processors or microcontrollers configured to perform operations in response to computer-readable instructions. Processor 1306 may include a Central Processing Unit (CPU) of device 1300. Additionally or alternatively, processor 1306 may include other electronic circuitry within device 1300, including Application Specific Integrated Chips (ASICs) and other microcontroller devices. The processor 1306 may be configured to perform the functions described in the above examples.

The memory 1302 may include various types of non-transitory computer-readable storage media including, for example, read-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable memory (e.g., EPROM and EEPROM), or flash memory. The memory 1302 is configured to store computer readable instructions, sensor values, and other persistent software elements.

The electronic device 1300 may include a control circuit 1310. The control circuit 1310 may be implemented in a single control unit and need not be implemented as distinct circuit elements. As used herein, "control unit" will be used synonymously with "control circuit". Control circuitry 1310 may receive signals from the processor 1306 or from other elements of the electronic device 1300.

As shown in fig. 13, the electronic device 1300 includes a battery 1314 configured to provide power to components of the electronic device 1300. The battery 1314 may include one or more power storage units coupled together to provide an internal power supply. The battery 1314 may be operatively coupled to power management circuitry configured to provide appropriate voltage and power levels for various components or groups of components within the electronic device 1300. The battery 1314 may be configured via power management circuitry to receive power from an external power source, such as an ac power outlet. The battery 1314 may store the received power so that the electronic device 1300 may operate without connection to an external power source for an extended period of time, which may range from several hours to several days.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 1300 includes one or more input devices 1318. The input device 1318 is a device configured to receive input from a user or an environment. For example, input device 1318 may include a push button, touch activated button, capacitive touch sensor, touch screen (e.g., touch sensitive display or force sensitive display), capacitive touch button, dial, crown, and so forth. In some embodiments, the input device 1318 may provide dedicated or primary functions including, for example, a power button, a volume button, a home button, a scroll wheel, and a camera button.

Device 1300 may also include one or more sensors 1320, such as force sensors, capacitive sensors, accelerometers, barometers, gyroscopes, proximity sensors, light sensors, and so forth. The sensor 1320 is operatively coupled to the processing circuitry. In some embodiments, the sensor 1320 may detect a deformation and/or a change in configuration of the electronic device and be operatively coupled to processing circuitry that controls the display based on the sensor signal. In some implementations, the output from the sensor 1320 is used to reconfigure the display output to correspond to the orientation or folded/unfolded configuration or state of the device. Exemplary sensors 1320 for this purpose include accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and other similar types of position/orientation sensing devices. Further, the sensors 1320 may include a microphone, an acoustic sensor, a light sensor (including ambient light, Infrared (IR) light, Ultraviolet (UV) light, an optical facial recognition sensor, a depth measurement sensor (e.g., a time-of-flight sensor), a health monitoring sensor (e.g., an Electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, a heart rate sensor, a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor, a pulse oximeter, a biometric sensor (e.g., a fingerprint sensor), or other types of sensing devices.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 1300 includes one or more output devices 1304 configured to provide output to a user. The output device 1304 may include a display 1308 that presents visual information generated by the processor 1306. The output device 1304 may also include one or more speakers to provide audio output. Output devices 1304 may also include one or more haptic devices configured to generate haptic or tactile outputs along an outer surface of device 1300.

Display 1308 may provide graphical output. The display 1308 may include a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, an LED backlit LCD display, an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display, an active layer organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display, an organic Electroluminescent (EL) display, an electrophoretic ink display, and so forth. If the display 1308 is a liquid crystal display or an electrophoretic ink display, the display 1308 may also include a backlight component that may be controlled to provide variable display brightness levels. If the display 1308 is an organic light emitting diode or organic electroluminescent type display, the brightness of the display 1308 can be controlled by modifying the electrical signals provided to the display elements. Further, information regarding the configuration and/or orientation of the electronic device may be used to control the output of the display, as described with respect to input device 1318. In some cases, the display is integrated with touch sensors and/or force sensors to detect touches and/or forces applied along an exterior surface of the device 1300, and/or may be referred to as a touch-sensitive display.

The electronic device 1300 may also include a communication port 1312 configured to transmit and/or receive signals or electrical communications from an external device or a separate device. The communication port 1312 may be configured to couple to an external device via a cable, adapter, or other type of electrical connector. In some embodiments, the communication port 1312 may be used to couple the electronic device 1300 to a host computer.

The electronic device 1300 may also include at least one accessory 1316, such as a camera, a flash for a camera, or other such devices. The camera may be part of a camera assembly that may be connected to other portions of the electronic device 1300, such as the control circuitry 1310.

As used herein, the terms "about," "approximately," "substantially," "similar," and the like are used to explain relatively small variations, such as +/-10%, +/-5%, +/-2%, or +/-1% variations. Further, the term "about" with respect to endpoints of a range can be used to indicate +/-10%, +/-5%, +/-2%, or +/-1% variation of the endpoint value. Further, disclosure of ranges wherein at least one endpoint is described as "about" a particular value includes disclosure of ranges wherein the endpoint is equal to the particular value.

As used herein, the phrase "at least one of," following the use of the term "and" or "to separate a series of any of the items in a list, is intended to modify the list as a whole and not every member of the list. The phrase "at least one of" does not require the selection of at least one of each of the items listed; rather, the phrase allows the meaning of at least one of any one item and/or at least one of any combination of items and/or at least one of each item to be included. For example, the phrases "at least one of A, B and C" or "at least one of A, B or C" each refer to a only, B only, or C only; A. any combination of B and C; and/or A, B and one or more of each of C. Similarly, it should be understood that the order of elements presented with respect to the conjunctive list or disjunctive list provided herein should not be construed as limiting the disclosure to only the order provided.

The following discussion applies to the electronic devices described herein to the extent that such devices may be used to obtain personally identifiable information data. It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be explicitly stated to the user.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.