Optical system and method to mimic zero-border display

Abstract

A system and methods to extending the overall display area for a device. At or near the borders of a device, pixel pitch between adjacent pixels may be increased such that overall pixel placement may be provided closer to a border of a display of a device. In one embodiment, pixel drive circuitry may be located in the spacing between adjacent pixels. Additionally, various optical systems and techniques may be utilized to provide an appearance of a lack of a border around the display such as decreasing the size of border pixels, overdriving the border pixels, or utilizing a light pipe on a surface above the border pixels.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cellular telephone, comprising:
 a housing having a front face with a plurality of edges that surround the front face;   a display comprising an array of pixels that forms an active area of the display, wherein the active area has a first width that extends between first and second edges of the plurality of edges and a first height that extends between third and fourth edges of the plurality of edges; and   a transparent cover structure that overlaps the display, wherein the transparent cover structure redirects light from the array of pixels and wherein the redirected light has an effective viewable area with a second width that is larger than the first width.   
     
     
         2 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 1  wherein the effective viewable area has a second height that is larger than the first height. 
     
     
         3 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 2  wherein the active area has edges that are spaced apart from the plurality of edges by first distances and wherein the effective viewable area has edges that are spaced apart from the plurality of edges by second distances that are less than the respective first distances. 
     
     
         4 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 3  wherein the transparent cover structure that has a first planar portion and a second portion that is bent out of the plane. 
     
     
         5 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 4  wherein the transparent cover structure has first and second opposing surfaces, the first surface receiving light from the array of pixels and the second surface outputting the effective viewable area. 
     
     
         6 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 3  wherein the array of pixels comprises first and second sets of pixels, wherein the pixels of the first set of pixels are separated by a first distance, and wherein the pixels of second set of pixels are separated by a second distance that is greater than the first distance. 
     
     
         7 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 6  wherein the display further comprises a plurality of drive circuitry elements that provide control signals to the array of pixels and wherein the plurality of drive circuitry elements are interspersed with the pixels of the second set of pixels. 
     
     
         8 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 3  wherein the display further comprises:
 a passive area that includes no light generating elements, wherein the passive area surrounds the array of pixels. 
 
     
     
         9 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 1  wherein the housing wherein the display is formed at the front face, the cellular telephone further comprising:
 a speaker at the front face; and 
 a camera at the front face. 
 
     
     
         10 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 9  wherein the housing has a plurality of sidewalls that extend from the front face, the cellular telephone further comprising:
 a button on one of the sidewalls of the plurality of sidewalls. 
 
     
     
         11 . A cellular telephone comprising:
 a housing having a front face, upper and lower peripheral edges of the front face, and first and second side peripheral edges that extend from the lower peripheral edge to the upper peripheral edge;   a display comprising an array of pixels that forms an active area of the display, wherein the active area is separated from the first and second side peripheral edges by a first distance and is separated from the upper and lower peripheral edges by a second distance; and   a light-redirecting structure that overlaps the display and redirects light emitted by the array of pixels to form an effective display area, wherein the effective display area is separated from the first and second side peripheral edges by a third distance that is smaller than the first distance and is separated from the upper and lower peripheral edges by a fourth distance that is smaller than the second distance.   
     
     
         12 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 11  wherein the light-redirecting structure overlaps the entire array of pixels. 
     
     
         13 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 12  wherein the array of pixels comprises a first set of pixels and a second set of pixels that surrounds the first set of pixels, and wherein the light-redirecting structure has a planar portion that overlaps the first set of pixels and an angled portion that overlaps the second set of pixels. 
     
     
         14 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 13  wherein the display further comprises:
 a passive area that includes no light generating elements. 
 
     
     
         15 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 14  wherein the second set of pixels is interposed between the first set of pixels and the passive area. 
     
     
         16 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 14  wherein the light-redirecting structure has a portion that extends from the angled portion and that overlaps the passive area. 
     
     
         17 . A cellular telephone comprising:
 a display comprising an array of pixels that forms an active area of the display, wherein the active area has a first height and a first width; and   a light-redirecting structure that overlaps the display, wherein the light-redirecting structure has first and second opposing surfaces, the first surface receives light from the array of pixels and the second surface outputs the light, and the outputted light has an effective area with a second height that is greater than the first height and a second width that is greater than the first width.   
     
     
         18 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 17  further comprising:
 a housing having a front face and sidewalls that extend from the front face, wherein the display is formed at the front face; 
 a speaker formed at the front face; 
 a camera formed at the front face; and 
 a button on one of the sidewalls. 
 
     
     
         19 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 18  wherein the light-redirecting structure comprises a light pipe. 
     
     
         20 . The cellular telephone defined in  claim 18  wherein the array of pixels comprises a first set of pixels and a second set of pixels that surrounds the first set of pixels, wherein the pixels of the first set of pixels are separated by a first distance, and wherein the pixels of the second set of pixels are separated by a second distance that is greater than the first distance.