Borderless Display With Light-Bending Structures

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with a display mounted in a housing. The display may have an array of display pixels that provide image light to a user. The array of display pixels may form an active display structure with a rectangular shape. The rectangular active display structure may be surrounded by an inactive border region. Optical structures such as a sheet of glass or another optical member may have portions that are configured to bend light from the display pixels along the periphery of the active display structure. The optical member may have an area that is larger than the area of the active display structure, so that the presence of the optical member may serve to enlarge the apparent size of the display. Solidified liquid polymer may be used to support the optical structures and may be interposed between the optical structures and the active display structures.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electronic device comprising:
 a housing having sidewalls;   a display layer comprising an array of pixels that form an active area and comprising an inactive border region that surrounds the active area; and   a transparent optical member that forms an outermost surface of the electronic device, wherein the transparent optical member has an inner surface with convex portions and an opposing outer surface, and wherein the convex portions overlap the sidewalls of the housing and the display layer.   
     
     
         2 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the convex portions of the transparent optical member are configured to guide light emitted by the display layer to a portion of the outer surface of the transparent optical member that overlaps the inactive border region of the display layer. 
     
     
         3 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the housing has a rear surface and sidewalls that extend from the rear surface in a given direction. 
     
     
         4 . The electronic device defined in  claim 3  wherein the convex portion of the transparent optical member overlap the sidewalls of the housing and the display layer in the given direction. 
     
     
         5 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the active area of the display layer has a first width and wherein the convex portions of the transparent optical member are configured to redirect images produced by the display layer to have a second width that is greater than the first width. 
     
     
         6 . The electronic device defined in  claim 5  wherein a portion of the second width extends over at least a portion of the sidewalls of the housing. 
     
     
         7 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the array of pixels comprises an array of organic light-emitting diode pixels. 
     
     
         8 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  further comprising:
 a transparent layer interposed between the active area and the transparent optical member, wherein the inactive border region of the display layer, at least one of the sidewalls of the housing, one of the convex portions of the transparent optical member, and the transparent layer all overlap. 
 
     
     
         9 . The electronic device defined in  claim 8  wherein the transparent layer is a layer of optically clear adhesive that adheres the organic light-emitting diode display layer to the inner surface of the transparent display cover layer. 
     
     
         10 . The electronic device defined in  claim 9  wherein the optically clear adhesive extends from a first one of the sidewalls to a second one of the sidewalls. 
     
     
         11 . The electronic device defined in  claim 8  wherein the transparent optical member has a first index of refraction, and wherein the transparent layer has a second index of refraction that is less than the first index of refraction. 
     
     
         12 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the array of pixels has a first width and a first height, the convex portions redirect the image to have an apparent second width that is greater than the first width, and the convex portions redirect the image to have an apparent second height that is greater than the first height. 
     
     
         13 . The electronic device defined in  claim 12  wherein the apparent second height and the apparent second width extend at least partially over the sidewalls. 
     
     
         14 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the opposing outer surface comprises a planar surface that the sidewalls and the display cover layer. 
     
     
         15 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  wherein the opposing outer surface comprises a convex surface that the sidewalls and the display cover layer. 
     
     
         16 . The electronic device defined in  claim 1  further comprising:
 a touch sensor in the housing, wherein the touch sensor is interposed between the transparent optical member and the display layer. 
 
     
     
         17 . The electronic device defined in  claim 16  wherein the touch sensor is coupled to the inner surface of the transparent optical member. 
     
     
         18 . The electronic device defined in  claim 16  wherein the touch sensor is separated from the transparent optical member by a gap. 
     
     
         19 . An electronic device comprising:
 a housing;   a display layer in the housing having an array of pixels configured to produce an image, wherein the array of pixels has a first width; and   a transparent optical member that overlaps the display layer, wherein the transparent optical member has a surface that faces the display layer with convex portions that redirect the image to have an apparent second width that is greater than the first width.   
     
     
         20 . An electronic device comprising:
 a housing having sidewalls;   a display layer comprising an array of pixels that form an active area and comprising an inactive border region that surrounds the active area; and   a transparent optical member comprising an inner surface with convex portions and an opposing outer surface, wherein the convex portions overlap the sidewalls of the housing and the display layer.