Ams Ag

Texas Instruments Corporation

Ams International Ag

David Mehrl

Kerry Glover

Greg Stoltz

Yu Albert Wang

Michael Richard Douglass

Tom Dunn

James N Malina

Kun Cindy Pan

Andrew B Sontheimer

Franz Schrank

Stephen Wesley Marshall

Eugene G Dierschke

Josef Kriebernegg

Harald Etschmaier

Mark Henry Strumpell

Thomas Bodner

Benjamin Lowell Lee

Dan Jacobs

Christian Mautner

Gregor Toschkoff

George Kelly

James Lawrence Archibald, Ii

Troy Chesler

Rand Derek Carr

Sean Donnelly

Yu Wang

James Lawrence Ii Archibald

A method is proposed for controlling a display parameter of a mobile device. The mobile device comprises a display and a first imaging unit. The method comprising the step of positioning and orienting the display with respect to a reference plane located at a reference position, such that the first imaging unit faces towards the reference plane. Then a first image is generated by means of the first imaging unit, wherein the first image depends on ambient light incident on the first imaging unit and emitted from at least one ambient light source. A first light level is calculated from the first image, wherein the first light level is indicative of a first fraction of the incident ambient light which illuminates the reference plane by means of specular reflection of the incident ambient light at the display. Finally, the display parameter is adjusted depending on the first light level.

Method for controlling a display parameter of a mobile device and computer program product

An assembly line in-situ calibration arrangement, optical sensor arrangement and a method for calibration of an optical sensor arrangement are presented. A calibration arrangement comprises a calibration head comprising at least one calibrated light source located behind an aperture in a housing and being electrically connected to a power terminal. A power source is connected to the power terminal, the power source comprising a switching unit electrically connected to the at least one light source. An interface unit is connected to the switching unit by means of an interface connection, wherein the interface unit is arranged to control the switching unit. A control unit is connected to the interface unit, wherein the control unit is arranged to drive the interface unit such that the at least one light source is switched to emit a calibration pulse sequence to be received by the optical sensor arrangement to be placed with respect of the aperture. The calibration pulse sequence is arranged to initiate a calibration mode of operation of the optical sensor arrangement.

Calibration arrangement, optical sensor arrangement, and method for assembly line in-situ calibration of an optical device comprising an optical sensor

An optical package is proposed comprising a carrier, an optoelectronic component, an aspheric lens, and a reflective layer. The carrier comprises electrical interconnections and the optoelectric component is arranged for emitting and/or detecting electromagnetic radiation in a specified wavelength range. Furthermore, the optoelectric component is mounted on the carrier or integrated into the carrier and electrically connected to the electric interconnections. The aspheric lens has an upper surface, a lateral surface, and a bottom surface and the bottom surface is arranged on or near the optoelectric component. The aspheric lens comprises a material which is at least transparent in the specified wavelength range. The reflective layer comprises a reflective material, wherein the reflective layer at least partly covers the lateral surface of the aspheric lens, and wherein the reflective material is at least partly reflective in the specified wavelength range.

Optical package and method of producing an optical package

An optical sensor device comprises a first and a second optical sensor arrangement. In the first optical sensor arrangement at least one optical sensor structure measures the incidence angle of incoming light that is approximately on the main beam axis of a light source. The second optical sensor arrangement comprises at least one optical sensor structure with at least one optical sensor, at least two metal layers and opaque walls optically isolating the optical sensor. An evaluation circuit provides an output signal of the second optical sensor arrangement under the condition that the incidence angle measured by the first optical sensor arrangement lies within a set interval.

Optical sensor device

An optical driver arrangement () comprises a comparator () and a pulse generator (). The comparator () comprises a first input () for receiving a sensed output signal (S) derived from a sensor signal (S) generated by a light sensor (), a second input () for receiving a reference signal (S) and a comparator output () for providing a comparator signal (S). The pulse generator () comprises a control input () coupled to the comparator output () and a generator output () for providing a driver signal (S) to a light source (). The driver signal (S) comprises a series of at least one pulse and a parameter of the driver signal (S) is controlled by the comparator signal (S).

Optical driver arrangement and method for generating a driver signal

A method for passive optical motion detection uses an optical sensor arrangement comprising an optical sensor having at least one signal channel. The optical sensor arrangement is initialized for repeated signal acquisition and an initial frame comprising a tuple of sensor data is collected from the at least one signal channel. The initial frame is set as a previous frame. A loop of motion detection is entered and the following steps are repeated. First, a current frame comprising another tuple of sensor data is collected from the at least one signal channel. Then, a motion parameter is computed from a motion metric depending on the current and previous frames. The so computed motion parameter is compared with a threshold value. A motion event parameter is set depending on the comparison of the motion parameter with the threshold value. The current frame is set as previous frame so that the loop can start all over again.

Method, optical sensor arrangement and computer program product for passive optical motion detection

An optical proximity sensor arrangement comprises a semiconductor substrate () with a main surface (). A first integrated circuit () comprises at least one light sensitive component (). The first integrated circuit is arranged on the substrate at or near the main surface. A second integrated circuit () comprises at least one light emitting component (), and is arranged on the substrate at or near the main surface. A light barrier () is arranged between the first and second integrated circuits. The light barrier being designed to block light to be emitted by the at least one light emitting component from directly reaching the at least one light sensitive component. A multilayer mask () is arranged on or near the first integrated circuit and comprising a stack () of a first layer () of first elongated light blocking slats () and at least one second layer () of second elongated light blocking slats (). The light blocking slats are arranged in the mask to block light, incident on the mask from a first region of incidence (), and to pass light, incident on the mask from a second region of incidence (), from reaching the at least one light sensitive component.

Optical proximity sensor arrangement and method for producing an optical proximity sensor arrangement

The arrangement comprises a filter region () filtering electromagnetic radiation and a shielding component () inhibiting propagation of electromagnetic radiation. The filter region comprises a central filter region () and a separate peripheral filter region (). The shielding component comprises an aperture (). The aperture is arranged above the central filter region. The central filter region and the peripheral filter region are optimized for different angles of incidence (&#x3b1;, &#x3b2;) and provided for measurements by individual sensor regions ().

Arrangement of an aperture and a filter region for a filter sensor device and filter sensor device

Color light sensors are used to sense colored light and a full spectrum light in order to generate at least three color channel signals and a clear channel signal. An infrared component IR is calculated by summing up the color channel signals with individual weighting factors and subtracting a weighted clear channel signal.

Light sensor system for correcting or equalizing color signals by removing infrared componet from color signals and method for processing light sensor signals

A sensor arrangement comprises at least a first, a second, and a third light sensor. A three-dimensional framework comprises at least a first, a second, and a third connection means which are connected to the at least first, second, and third light sensor, respectively. The first, the second, and the third connection means are configured to align the at least first, second, and third light sensor along a first, second, and third face of a polyhedron-like volume, respectively, such that the sensor arrangement encloses the polyhedron-like volume. The invention also relates to a method for operating the sensor arrangement.

Polyhedral sensor arrangement and method for operating a polyhedral sensor arrangement

An optical sensor arrangement comprises an optical barrier which is placed between a light-emitting device and a photodetector. Herein the light-emitting device and the photodetector are arranged on a first plane and are covered by a cover. The photodetector exhibits an active zone. The optical barrier exhibits an extent along a first principal axis, which is pointing parallel to the line connecting the centers of the light-emitting device and the photodetector. Herein the extent is greater than a dimension of the active zone. The optical barrier is designed to block light emitted by the light-emitting device that otherwise would be reflected by the cover by means of specular reflection and would reach the photodetector. The optical barrier is designed to pass light emitted by the light-emitting device and scattered on or above an outer surface of the cover.

Optical sensor arrangement with optical barrier for passing light emitted by light emitting device and scattered on or above an outer surface of cover

An optical sensor arrangement () comprises at least two light sensors () for providing at least two sensor signals (S, S), and an evaluation circuit () that comprises an input () coupled to the at least two light sensors () and is designed to evaluate the at least two sensor signals (S, S) for gesture detection in an adaptive manner using previous values of the at least two sensor signals (S, S).

Optical sensor arrangement and method for gesture detection

A proximity sensor arrangement comprises an optical barrier being placed between a light emitting device and a photo-detector. The light emitting device, the photo-detector and the optical barrier are covered by a cover. The optical barrier is being designed to block light emitted from the light emitting device to the photo-detector and reflected by the cover by means of specular reflection. Furthermore, the optical barrier is being designed to pass the light emitted from the light emitting device to the photo-detector via the cover and scattered on or above a first surface of the cover facing away from the light emitting device and the photo-detector.

Proximity sensor arrangement having an optical barrier to pass light to a photo detector via a cover

An optical proximity sensor often emits light, and detects the photons in the returned light signal. Because light can be reflected and scattered by cover glass and ink layer printed on the cover glass, optical crosstalk is a concern for the optical proximity sensors. In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides an optical proximity sensor including a linear polarizer to cover the photo detector, or a polarizer to cover the light emitting device, or two polarizers to cover both the photo detector and the light emitting device. The polarizer blocks the s-polarized light and only allows the p-polarized light to pass through. Because the scattered light is predominated by the s-polarization, the optical crosstalk may be reduced.

System and method for using a linear polarizer to reduce optical crosstalk for optical proximity sensors

A dispersive element is disclosed which is designed to receive incident light () and disperse the incident light () into multiple spatially separated wavelengths of light. The dispersive body (DB) comprises a collimation cavity (COLL) to collimate the incident light (), at least two optical interfaces (PRIS) to receive and disperse the collimated light () and a collection cavity (CLCT) to collect the dispersed light () from the at least two dispersive interfaces (opop) and to focus the collected light ().

Growing community of inventors

Plano, TX, United States of America

David Mehrl