Apple Inc.

Michael K McCord

Mehmet Mutlu

Robert Y Cao

Simon R Lancaster-Larocque

Tong Chen

Giovanni Gozzini

Ryan J Linderman

Tyler S Bushnell

Trevor J Ness

Mark T Winkler

James G Horiuchi

Prashanth S Holenarsipur

Omid Momtahan

Wenrui Cai

Chau H Nguyen

Orit A Shamir

Scott A Myers

Michael Benjamin Wittenberg

Lucy Elizabeth Browning

Martin Paul Grunthaner

Sora Kim

Yaser Shanjani

Rui Jin

Henric Larsson

Stacy H Mo

Brian Michael King

Ehsan Khajeh

Xianwei Zhao

Brandon S Smith

Tingjun Xu

Ran Xu

Stephen K Pomes

Brian N Lerner

Optical component integrity monitoring circuitry monitors an optical component integrity sensing path in an optical component. If a rise in resistance of the sensing path is detected, the circuitry prevents the optical component from emitting light. The optical component may have a light-emitting device that emits light through an optical element. The sensing path may have a first path that is used to detect damage to the optical element and a second path that is coupled to a package covering the optical element and light-emitting device. The first path may have a segment formed from a metal trace on the optical element and a segment formed from a wire bond, providing mechanical compliance to tolerate strains expected in the use case. The second path ensures that the package is present to constrain movement of the optical element and its wires within a safe envelope defined by the package interior.

Enclosure detection for reliable optical failsafe

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

Acoustic optical integrity detection system architectures and methods can be used to detect optical integrity of an optical component by detecting a discontinuity on and/or in the optical component (e.g., on the optical surface and/or within the bulk of the optical component). In some examples, integrity detection can be used to ensure safety compliance of an optical system, optionally including a laser. Acoustic integrity detection can utilize transducers (e.g., piezoelectric transducers) to transmit ultrasonic waves along an optical surface and/or through the thickness of an optical component. A discontinuity of the optical surface can interact with the transmitted wave causing attenuation, redirection and/or reflection of at least a portion of the transmitted wave. Portions of the transmitted wave energy after interaction with the discontinuity can be measured to determine discontinuity location, type, and/or severity.

Methodology and application of acoustic detection of optical integrity

A button assembly for an electronic device is disclosed. The button assembly integrates a biometric sensor below a top surface of the button. The button assembly is positioned relative to a secondary display of an electronic device. The secondary display can be positioned relative to a keyboard, such as above a top row of keys of the keyboard.

Input devices incorporating biometric sensors

A biometric button assembly may be disposed in an opening of an enclosure of an electronic device. The biometric button assembly may include an input member that forms an exterior surface of the button housing and is configured to receive inputs, for example from a user of the electronic device. The biometric button assembly may further include a biometric sensor for detecting the received inputs and transmitting a signal to a processor of the electronic device. The signal may correspond to a biometric characteristic, such as a fingerprint. A flexible conduit may transmit the signal to the processor. A portion of the flexible conduit and a seal may be positioned between the button assembly and the enclosure that prevents contaminants from entering the button housing and the enclosure.

Electronic device having sealed button biometric sensing system

First and second parts of an optical component may be spatially separated and not electrically connected. A passive side may contain an optical element. An active side may contain a light-emitting device. To detect damage to the optical element, passive side circuitry that is associated with the optical element may monitor a fail-safe resistor on the optical element for changes in resistance. The circuitry may use a passive side near-field communications antenna to transmit information such as information on the fail-safe resistor to active side circuitry that is associated with the light-emitting device using near-field communications. The active side circuitry can receive the transmitted information using an active side near-field communications antenna and can adjust the light-emitting device accordingly. The active side circuitry can also monitor the active side near-field communications antenna to detect when the passive side and active side antennas have been moved apart.

Electronic devices having failsafe mechanisms with near field communications

An optical module includes a beam-tilting light source enclosure. The enclosure is coupled to a substrate that includes a light emitter connected thereto. The enclosure has a geometry such that the enclosure has a first surface configured to couple substantially flat to the substrate and a second surface tilted with respect to the first surface and configured to couple substantially flat to a component of an electronic device through which the light is to project. The enclosure is optically transmissive and covers the light source when coupled to the substrate. In this way, the enclosure may be assembled and used in the electronic device by coupling the first surface to the substrate and coupling the second surface to the component.

Beam-tilting light source enclosures

Beam-tilting light source enclosures comprising a flat optical surface, of which emitted light travels through, is oriented transverse to a substrate

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Michael K McCord