Apple Inc.

Mark T Winkler

Tong Chen

Mehmet Mutlu

Wenrui Cai

Omid Momtahan

Orit A Shamir

Prashanth S Holenarsipur

Michael K McCord

Ahmet Fatih Cihan

Giovanni Gozzini

Chau H Nguyen

Tsu-Hui Lin

Xiao Xiang

Warren S Rieutort-Louis

David D Dashevsky

Dong Zheng

Yuchi Che

Graeme M Williams

Yun Yu Wang

Rui Liu

Matthew S Rogers

Peter F Holland

Naoto Matsuyuki

Richard T Chen

Mahesh B Chappalli

Stephen E Dey

Xianwei Zhao

Richard Yeh

Yingying Tang

Meng-Huan Ho

Jenny Hu

Tingjun Xu

Benjamin R Blachnitzky

Christopher Edward Glazowski

Miaolei Yan

James Joseph Dudley

Mengshu Huang

Fan Gui

Stephen N Sweet

Michael K Brown

Wesley Scott Smith

Chaohao Wang

Adrian Z Harb

Ran Tu

Kyounghwan Kim

Hei Kam

Ruonan Yang

Feng Wen

Ximeng Guan

Clint M Perlaki

David R Manly

Hyun H Boo

Kevin J Choboter

Lu Yan

Na Zhu

A optical communication system including a source device and an endpoint device. The source device include an array of laser diodes and is configured to drive the laser diodes to project a sequence of patterns into the field of view of the source device to define a set of serially-projected codes, each of which isolated to one respective angular division of the field of view of the source device. The endpoint device receives a serially-projected code from the source device which varies based which angular division of the field of view of the source device is occupied by the endpoint device.

Optical communication system for position-finding of a portable electronic device in free space

A sensor system includes a self-mixing interferometry sensor; a drive circuit configured to apply a modulated drive signal to an input of the self-mixing interferometry sensor; a mixer circuit configured to mix a modulated output of the self-mixing interferometry sensor with a local oscillator signal that is orthogonal to the modulated drive signal over a period of time; an integrator circuit configured to integrate an output of the mixer circuit over the period of time; and a processor configured to determine, using an output of the integrator circuit, at least one of a round-trip propagation time of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the self-mixing interferometry sensor and reflected back into the self-mixing interferometry sensor by an object or medium, or a velocity of the object or medium.

Self-interferometry based sensor systems capable of generating depth maps or velocity maps

Disclosed herein are electronic devices having touch input surfaces. A user's touch input or press on the touch input surface is detected using a set of lasers, such as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) that emit beams of light toward the touch input surface. The user's touch causes changes in the self-mixing interference within the VCSEL of the emitted light with reflected light, such as from the touch input surface. Deflection and movement (e.g., drag motion) of the user's touch is determined from detected changes in the VCSELs' operation due to the self-mixing interference.

Self-mixing interference based sensors for characterizing touch input

A light emitter that operates through a display may cause display artifacts, even when the light emitter operates using non-visible wavelengths. Display artifacts caused by a light emitter that operates through a display may be referred to as emitter artifacts. To mitigate emitter artifacts, operating conditions for a display frame may be used to determine an optimal firing time for the light emitter during that display frame. The operating conditions used to determine the optimal firing time may include emitter operating conditions, display content statistics, display brightness, temperature, and refresh rate. Operating conditions from one or more previous frames may be stored in a frame buffer and may be used to help determine the optimal firing time for the light emitter during a display frame. Pixel values for the display may be modified to mitigate emitter artifacts.

Mitigating artifacts caused by an under-display light emitter

A watch body includes a housing at least partially defining an interior of the watch body. A retaining feature is formed in or extends from the housing. A watch crown is retained by the retaining feature and is operable to be rotated by a user. The watch crown has a surface facing the housing. The watch crown is entirely external to the interior of the watch body. An electromagnetic radiation source is disposed within the housing and is operable to emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation toward the surface. A sensor is disposed within the housing and is operable to characterize a movement of the watch crown based at least in part on a portion of the beam of electromagnetic radiation that impinges on the surface and is redirected by the surface.

Sensors for characterizing movement of a watch crown

A wearable device includes a device housing configured to be worn on a first surface of a user, a set of one or more SMI sensors, and a processor. The set of one or more SMI sensors is mounted within the device housing and configured to emit a set of one or more beams of electromagnetic radiation, with each beam emitted in a different direction extending away from the first surface. The set of one or more SMI sensors is also configured to generate a set of one or more SMI signals containing information about a relationship between the device housing and a second surface. The processor is configured to extract the relationship between the device housing and the second surface from digitized samples of the set of one or more SMI signals.

Self-mixing interferometry-based input device

An optical sensing system can be integrated into a camera module. In particular, an optical element of an optical sensing system can be disposed entirely or partly within a barrel of a camera module. The optical element can be oriented toward a reflective surface, such as an infrared cut filter, such that an optical path is defined between free space and the optical element via at least one reflection off the reflective surface.

Optical proximity sensor integrated into a camera module for an electronic device

A device includes an electronic display, a cover through which the electronic display projects an image, and an array of SMI sensors. The array of SMI sensors is positioned on a same side of the cover as the electronic display. Each SMI sensor is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation toward a respective portion of: an interior surface of the cover, or a surface of a component of the device attached to the cover; and generate a respective SMI output including information indicative of vibration of the respective portion of the cover or the component. The device also includes circuitry configured to characterize a vibratory waveform impinging on the device. The vibratory waveform is characterized using at least two of the SMI outputs.

Self-mixing interferometry sensors used to sense vibration of a structural or housing component defining an exterior surface of a device

An electronic device includes an electromagnetic radiation source having an axis, a set of optics disposed about the axis, a reflector disposed about the axis non-symmetrically, and a controller configured to operate the electromagnetic radiation source while controlling a beam steering orientation (e.g., rotation) of the reflector. The reflector is disposed to reflect electromagnetic radiation emitted by the electromagnetic radiation source. The set of optics is disposed to shape electromagnetic radiation emitted by the electromagnetic radiation source and direct electromagnetic radiation received from the reflector into a panoramic field of view about the axis.

Optical tracking system

An electronic watch includes a housing, a user-operable watch crown mounted to the housing, an electromagnetic radiation source emitting a beam of electromagnetic radiation toward a watch crown surface, and a sensor. The beam of electromagnetic radiation depends on a coherent mixing of electromagnetic radiation within a resonant cavity of the electromagnetic radiation source. The coherent mixing includes a mixing of a first amount of electromagnetic radiation generated by the electromagnetic radiation source and a second amount of electromagnetic radiation redirected into the resonant cavity by the watch crown surface. The sensor measures a first parameter of the beam of electromagnetic radiation and determines, using the measurement of the first parameter, a value of a second parameter characterizing movement of the watch crown. The second parameter may include a direction of rotation or speed of rotation of the watch crown, or other parameters.

Coherent mixing interference based sensors for characterizing movement of a watch crown

In some embodiments, a display stack includes a set of light-emitting elements, and a display backplane that includes a set of conductors and is electrically coupled to the set of light-emitting elements. A conductor in the set of conductors has a length, and a curved edge extending along at least a portion of the length. In some embodiments, a display stack includes a set of light-emitting elements; a set of transistors, electrically coupled to the set of light-emitting elements; and a set of conductors, electrically coupled to the set of transistors. The set of transistors may be electrically coupled to the set of conductors at a set of conductive pads. A plurality of conductive pads in the set of conductive pads is coupled to a single conductor in the set of conductors. The single conductor approaches different conductive pads in the plurality of conductive pads at different angles.

Display stack topologies for under-display optical transceivers

Configurations for display stacks of an electronic device and methods for mitigating crosstalk are disclosed. The display stack may include a transceiver module, which may be located under or behind the display. The transceiver module may include a transmitter module, which may provide polarized light from the transmitter that may suppress module crosstalk. The transceiver module also may include a receiver module, which may include polarization control elements and an analyzer for differentiating between a target signal and a crosstalk signal. The polarization control on both the transmitter module and receiver module sides may suppress the crosstalk signals, which may be due to the reflections between and within the elements of the display stack and resulting from positioning the transceiver module behind the display.

Behind display polarized optical transceiver

Self-mixing interferometry-based gesture input system including a wearable or handheld device

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Mark T Winkler