Apple Inc.

Mengshu Huang

Stephen E Dey

Ahmet Fatih Cihan

Adrian Z Harb

Yuhao Pan

Mehmet Mutlu

Yuta Kuboyama

James Joseph Dudley

Paul Xiaopeng Wang

Tong Chen

Prashanth S Holenarsipur

Mark T Winkler

Chun-Hao Tung

Louis W Bokma

Benjamin R Blachnitzky

Massoud Badaye

Wesley William Zuber

Xingxing Cai

Jinghong Chen

Sudip Mondal

Kevin F Holz

Der-Song Lin

Patrick J Au

William Whitney

A method of estimating a velocity of an object using an SMI sensor. The method includes driving a light emitter of the SMI sensor with a chirped waveform. The chirped waveform includes a first chirp and a second chirp separated by a first time interval, and a third chirp separated from the second chirp by a second time interval. The method also includes deriving a frequency-based velocity from an output of the SMI sensor; generating a first comb of possible velocities in response to analyzing an output of the SMI sensor generated in response to the first chirp and the second chirp; generating a second comb of possible velocities in response to analyzing an output of the SMI sensor generated in response to the second chirp and the third chirp; and determining a velocity of the object using the first comb, the second comb, and the frequency-based velocity.

Vernier scan architecture for self-mixing interferometry phase measurements

An optical proximity sensor includes a first vertical cavity surface-emitting laser configured for self-mixing interferometry to determine distance to and/or velocity of an object. The optical proximity sensor also includes a second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser configured for self-mixing interferometry to determine whether any variation in a fixed distance has occurred. The optical proximity sensor leverages output from the second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser to calibrate output from the second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser to eliminate and/or mitigate environmental effects, such as temperature changes.

Optical interferometry proximity sensor with temperature variation compensation

A wearable electronic device including a housing that is worn by a user and a SMI sensor contained within the housing. The SMI sensor may include an emitter that outputs coherent light toward the skin of a user when the housing is worn by the user. The SMI sensor may also include a detector that detects a portion of the coherent light reflected towards the sensor and generates electrical signals that indicate displacements of the skin based on the portion of coherent light received at the detector. The housing may include a transmitter that is operatively coupled with the SMI sensor and is configured to transmit physiological data to a receiving device based on electrical signals output from the SMI sensor.

Wearable self-mixing interferometry device used to sense physiological conditions

A system may include one or more finger devices that gather input from a user's fingers. A finger device may include one or more self-mixing interferometric proximity sensors that measure a distance to the user's finger. The proximity sensor may measure changes in distance between the proximity sensor and a flexible membrane that rests against a side portion of the user's finger. The self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor may include a laser and a photodiode. In some arrangements, a single laser driver may drive the lasers of multiple self-mixing proximity sensors using time-multiplexing. The self-mixing proximity sensor may operate according to a duty cycle. Interpolation and stitching may be used to determine the total displacement of the user's finger including both the on periods and off periods of the self-mixing proximity sensor.

Finger devices with self-mixing interferometric proximity sensors

A system may include one or more finger devices that gather input from a user's fingers. The system may include control circuitry that sends control signals to an electronic device based on the input gathered with the finger devices. A finger device may include one or more proximity sensors that measure a distance to the user's finger. The proximity sensor may be a self-mixing optical proximity sensor having a laser and photodiode. The proximity sensor may have submicron resolution and may be configured to detect very small movements of the finger as finger pad is moved around by a thumb finger, by a surface, and/or by other finger movements. The proximity sensor may measure changes in distance between the proximity sensor and a flexible membrane that rests against a side portion of the user's finger.

Finger devices with proximity sensors

Self-mixing interferometry (SMI) sensors can be used for generation of content using an input device without requiring a touch-sensitive surface. In some examples, the SMI sensors can be used to detect characteristics of the input device including position, orientation, and/or motion of the input device and/or force applied by the input device (e.g., force applied by a stylus tip). In some examples, some or all of the characteristics of the input device can be used in processing to generate content, including textual character input and three-dimensional objects. In some examples, the generation of content can use information from one or more additional sensors for the input device and/or from additional devices in combination with the characteristics of the input device based on the SMI sensors for generation of content.

Input device with self-mixing interferometry sensors

A finger device may be worn on a user's finger and may serve as a controller for a head-mounted device or other electronic device. The finger device may have a housing having an upper housing portion that extends across a top of the finger and first and second side housing portions that extend down respective first and second sides of the finger. Displacement sensors in the side housing portions may measure movements of the sides of the finger as the finger contacts an external surface. To account for variations in skin compliance, the finger device and/or the electronic device may store calibration data that maps displacement values gathered by the displacement sensors to force values. The calibration data may be based on calibration measurements gathered while the user's finger wearing the finger device contacts a force sensor in an external electronic device.

Systems for calibrating finger devices

An electronic device is disclosed. In some examples, the electronic device comprises a rotatable mechanical input mechanism. In some examples, the electronic device comprises sense electrode positioned proximate to the mechanical input mechanism. In some examples, the electronic device comprises a capacitive sense circuit comprising drive circuity operatively coupled to the mechanical input mechanism and configured for driving a drive signal onto the mechanical input mechanism. In some examples, the electronic device comprises a capacitive sense circuit comprising sense circuitry operatively coupled to the sense electrode and configured to measure an amount of coupling between the rotatable mechanical input mechanism and the sense electrode. In some examples, the electronic device comprises a housing, wherein the sense electrode is included in a gasket for connecting a display to the housing.

Capacitive touch or proximity detection for crown

An apparatus is disclosed. In some examples, the apparatus comprises a cover substrate having a front surface, a first edge and a first cavity adjacent to the first edge. In some examples, the apparatus comprises a plurality of touch sensor electrodes disposed opposite the front surface of the cover substrate. In some examples, the apparatus comprises at least one touch sensor edge electrode disposed within the first cavity on a surface that is angled relative to the front surface of the cover substrate. In some examples, at least one touch sensor edge electrode is disposed on an outward facing curved surface of the first cavity. In some examples, the plurality of touch sensor electrodes are formed from a first conductive material and the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is formed from a second conductive material. In some examples, the first conductive material is transparent, and the second conductive material is non-transparent. In some examples, the second conductive material is formed on a black mask layer disposed around a perimeter of a bottom surface of the cover substrate.

Touch sensor pattern for edge input detection

A capacitive sensing system for determining mass displacement and direction is disclosed. In an embodiment, a capacitive sensing system for sensing mass displacement and direction comprises: a mass; a periodic drive electrode pattern formed on or attached to the mass; a sensing electrode array positioned relative to the periodic electrode pattern, the sensing electrode array operable to sense a capacitance in an overlapping area between the periodic drive electrode pattern and the sensing electrode array; and a capacitive sensing circuit coupled to at least the sensing electrode array, the capacitive sensing circuit operable to generate a periodic signal based on the sensed capacitance, to determine a phase shift in the periodic signal in response to the periodic drive electrode pattern moving relative to the sensing electrode array, and to determine, based on the phase shift, a displacement and direction of the mass on a movement axis.

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Mengshu Huang