Google Inc.

Apple Inc.

Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC

Aptina Imaging Corporation

Leland Stanford Junior University

Chung Chun Wan

Jamyuen Ko

Xiangli Li

Xiaofeng Fan

Boyd Fowler

Choon Ping Chng

Ping Tong Chu

Gennadiy A Agranov

Roman Lewkow

Anup K Sharma

Jaroslav Hynecek

Suk Hwan Lim

Szepo Robert Hung

Blaise Hilary Aguera-Arcas

Hirofumi Komori

Xia Zhao

Philip H Li

Terry L Gilton

Chiajen Lee

Nishant P Patil

Subhasish Mitra

H-s Philip Wong

An extended-reality device worn by a user may be configured to automatically perform the authentication necessary to unlock a user's device for use. The authentication may include using sensors on the extended-reality device to verify a user's identity. The authentication may further include capturing an image of the user's environment to detect a candidate device to be unlocked. After detecting the candidate device, the extended reality device may be configured to broadcast a signal to cause the candidate device to display a visual code if the candidate device is registered to the user. The extended-reality device may then capture one or more images of the visual code to determine an identity of the device. Using this identity, the extended reality device may then be configured to automatically unlock the device for use.

System and method for automatically unlocking electronic devices

A wearable device can include a first sensor configured to sense first data, a second sensor configured to sense second data, an energy utilization of the first sensor being less than an energy utilization of the second sensor, and a processor configured to perform a comparison between the first data and a threshold value, if the comparison passes the threshold value, cause the second sensor to sense the second data and process the second data, and if the comparison fails the threshold value, cause the second sensor not to sense the second data.

Energy reduction in always-on intelligent sensing for wearable devices

A device () includes a display () itself including pixel groups. A bottom and sides of each of the pixel groups are covered with non-reflective material. The pixel groups are electrically coupled together with transparent conductive interconnections. A camera () is located beneath the display and the camera is configured to sense light that passes through the display.

Device comprising a display and a camera on the same optical axis

This document describes a mirror-based microelectromechanical system (MEMS) for optical image stabilization in image-capture systems. The mirror-based MEMS includes a MEMS platform that can rotate about a pitch axis and/or a yaw axis. MEMS rotors drive rotational motion of the MEMS platform. One or more piezo films, flexibly connected to the stationary platform, extend over the MEMS rotors. The piezo films have a resistance value that varies when the piezo films are deformed by the MEMS rotors. The piezo films form a bridge circuit across the MEMS platform, which produces an output voltage that varies with the resistance values. A MEMS mirror, coupled to the MEMS platform, reflects light rays to an image sensor. A microcontroller receives pitch and yaw information from the image sensor. The microcontroller accesses the output voltage and determines how much to move the MEMS platform to compensate for the pitch and yaw of the camera.

Mirror-based microelectromechanical system for optical image stabilization

An apparatus includes a camera, a primary display panel including a pixel array and an aperture adjacent the pixel array, an auxiliary display, and an optical assembly including a reflecting optical element and an actuator coupled to the reflecting optical element. The actuator is configured to switch the reflecting optical element between a first arrangement and a second arrangement. The first arrangement defines an optical path from the aperture to the camera and the second arrangement defines an optical path from the aperture to the auxiliary display.

Full-screen display with sub-display camera

Example virtual-reality head-mounted devices having reduced numbers of cameras, and methods of operating the same are disclosed herein. A disclosed example method includes providing a virtual-reality (VR) head-mounted display (V-HMD) having an imaging sensor, the imaging sensor including color-sensing pixels, and infrared (IR) sensing pixels amongst the color-sensing pixels; capturing, using the imaging sensor, an image having a color portion and an IR portion; forming an IR image from at least some of the IR portion from the image; performing a first tracking based on the IR image; forming a color image by replacing the at least some of the removed IR portion with color data determined from the color portion of the image and the location of the removed IR-sensing pixels in the image; and performing a second tracking based on the color image.

Virtual reality head-mounted devices having reduced numbers of cameras, and methods of operating the same

Apparatuses and methods for charge transfer in image sensors are disclosed. One example of an image sensor pixel may include a first charge storage node and a second charge storage node. A transfer circuit may be coupled between the first and second charge storage nodes, and the transfer circuit may have a first region proximate the first charge storage node and configured to have a first potential. The transfer circuit may also have a second region proximate the second charge storage node configured to have a second, higher potential. An input node may be configured to control the first and second potentials based on a transfer signal provided to the input node.

Methods for transferring charge in an image sensor

An apparatus is described. The apparatus includes a camera comprising a beam splitter to impose different optical paths for visible light and infra red light received by the camera. The camera also includes an infra red light detector to detect the infra red light and a visible light detector to detect the visible light, wherein, the different optical paths include an optical path having more than one internal reflection within the beam splitter.

Multi functional camera with multiple reflection beam splitter

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for color imaging. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining, by an image sensor that includes pixels for detecting a first color and pixels for detecting a second color, a first image of a scene while the image sensor is in a first position, moving the image sensor to a second position, wherein, in the second position, a particular pixel for detecting the first color is located where a particular pixel for detecting the second color was previously located when the image sensor was in the first position, obtaining, by the image sensor, a second image of the scene while the image sensor is in the second position, generating a composite image based on the first image and the second image, and providing the composite image for output.

Color imaging system

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, that determine whether to illuminate a scene with electromagnetic radiation at a first wavelength or electromagnetic radiation at a second wavelength. An illuminator that is configured to selectively emit electromagnetic radiation at the first wavelength and at the second wavelength is triggered to emit electromagnetic radiation at the first wavelength instead of the second wavelength. A first voltage is applied to a first electrically active filter. A third voltage is applied to a second electrically active filter. A first image is obtained from a first sensor that senses electromagnetic radiation that passes through the first filter. A second image is obtained from a second sensor that senses electromagnetic radiation that passes through the second filter. A depth map is generated from the first image and the second image.

Dual-band stereo depth sensing system

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for depth imaging. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining, by an image sensor that includes infrared pixels and color pixels, a first image of a scene while the image sensor is in a first position, moving the image sensor to a second position, wherein, in the second position, a particular infrared pixel is located where a particular color pixel was previously located when the image sensor was in the first position, obtaining, by the image sensor, a second image of the scene while the image sensor is in the second position, generating a composite image based on the first image and the second image, and determining an estimated distance to an object within the scene based on the composite image.

Compact color and depth imaging system

An apparatus is described. The apparatus includes a smart image sensor having a memory and a processor that are locally integrated with an image sensor. The memory is to store first program code to be executed by the processor. The memory is coupled to the image sensor and the processor. The memory is to store second program code to be executed by the processor. The first program code is to cause the smart image sensor to perform an analysis on one or more images captured by the image sensor. The analysis identifies a region of interest within the one or more images with machine learning from previously captured images. The second program code is to cause the smart image sensor to change an image sensing and/or optical parameter in response to the analysis of the one or more images performed by the execution of the first program code.

Smart image sensor having integrated memory and processor

Implementations of the subject matter described herein include an actuator for adjusting focus in a camera. The actuator can include a carrier module that slides within a central opening of a housing and that carries a lens assembly of the camera. A magnet is located on a first lateral side of the carrier module. A wire coil is located on or along a first lateral side of the housing and faces the magnet on the first lateral side of the carrier module. A driver circuit is located on or along a second lateral side of the housing opposite the first lateral side of the housing. A connector component extends from a first region proximate the first lateral side of the housing to a second region proximate the second lateral side of the housing, the connector component including a conductor that electrically couples the driver circuit to the wire coil.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Chung Chun Wan