Apple Inc.

Parin Patel

Ronald Keryuan Huang

Patrick Steven Piemonte

Robert William Mayor

Rajarshi Paul

Alexei Elias Kosut

Jamie L Langlinais

Stephen J Hrinya

Mark A Yoshimoto

Paul M Thompson

Glen A Rhodes

Alan C Cooney

Keith Alan Cox

Manu Gulati

Richard Lawrence Baer

Scott P Mullins

Edwin W Foo

Daniel P Kumar

Puneet Mishra

Gang Ning

Michael F Jean

Adriane S Niehaus

Tristan R Hudson

Mohamad H Suleiman

Madhu Shrivastav

Scott A Myers

Michael Benjamin Wittenberg

Hung A Pham

Arman Hajati

Cyril De La Cropte De Chanterac

Thomas Charles Greening

Andrew Kenneth John McMahon

Darya Amin-Shahidi

Ehsan Khajeh

Andrew W Joyce

Jonathan Mark Audy

Stephen Theodore Schooley

Denis G Chen

Arash Akhavan Fomani

Ching Yu John Tam

Meng Chi Lee

Talbott Mead Houk

Karan S Jain

Venu Madhav Duggineni

Evaldo M Miranda, Jr

Shingo Yoneoka

Christopher J Young

Fabien S Faure

Supratik Datta

Santiago Alban

Ryan J Dunn

Derek Fujio Iwamoto

Hao Dong

Damien J Thivent

Ross D Arriens

Andrew C Chang

Jenna Dancy

Morgan T McClure

Damon Lee

Eng Eow Goh

Chi Kin Ho

Jonathan A Gordon

Matthew Thomas Metzler

Timothy C Wulff

Deepak Sharma

Raul A Perez

Eric M Innis

Michael S Weinstein

Matthew N Weege

Chengrui Zhang

Michael Sipper

Carl D Tappan

A case for an electronic device can include a case body including an exterior surface and an interior surface, the interior surface being positioned opposite the exterior surface. The case can additionally include a button body positioned at least partially within the case body between the exterior surface and the interior surface, the button body being movable inward and outward relative to the case body along an axis of button travel. The case can further include a biasing structure having a contact surface configured to contact the button body, the biasing structure configured to bias the button body toward the interior surface along the axis of button travel.

Computing device case

A software defined button includes a force sensor and a haptic output element. The button further includes an immutable logic core and a mutable logic core. The mutable logic core is configured to define one or more thresholds against which input received from the force sensor can be compared to determine whether a user input has been provided. The immutable logic core is configured to verify actual force input has been received when the mutable logic core signals that user input has been received. In response to receiving a verified force input, the haptic output element can be caused to be driven by one of the mutable or immutable logic cores to provide a haptic output to a user.

Secure integrated circuit for smart haptics

A power system for a battery powered device can include a first stage power converter, a charge injector, and a bypass switch. The first stage power converter can be configured to have an input coupled to a battery and operable to convert a battery voltage to a level higher than a main voltage bus of the battery powered device. The charge injector can include an input coupled to the output of the power converter and an output configured to be coupled to the main voltage bus. The bypass can include one or more bypass switches operable to selectively couple an output of the power converter to the main voltage bus, bypassing the charge injector. The charge injector may be selectively operable as a current source configured to draw power from an output of the power converter and the battery to reduce voltage dips of the main voltage bus.

Battery path impedance compensation

An accessory strobe device for a mobile device may operate to provide illumination at the same time as an internal built-in strobe (flash) of the mobile device. The accessory strobe device may receive a single, unidirectional signal from the mobile device that provides signals related to the timing of the internal strobe. The accessory strobe device may process the received signal to control its illumination using the timing and relative intensity levels of the internal strobe during metering and main (normal) flash operations associated with a camera on the mobile device. With the accessory strobe device operating using timing and relative intensity levels in a predetermined relationship with the timing and relative intensity levels of the internal strobe, the accessory strobe device may be used to complement the internal strobe during the metering and main (normal) flash operations for the camera.

Accessory strobe interface

A wireless power system may include an accessory configured to transfer or relay wireless power to a portable electronic device. The portable electronic device may include wireless charging circuitry and sensors configured to detect compatible accessories currently coupled with the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device performs wireless charging or related functions in accordance with the coupled accessories.

Wireless power system with communications

An electronic device may include a conductor sensing assembly for sensing movement of a conductor, for example, in order to provide an input assembly that may be operative to detect a user's manipulation of a distance between the conductor and a portion of the conductor sensing assembly for controlling a functionality of the device. The conductor sensing assembly may include an oscillator that may produce oscillations that decay at different rates dependent upon a variable distance between a component of the conductor sensing assembly and a conductor of the input assembly. As the decay rate may be dependent on or otherwise correlate with the magnitude of a distance between the oscillator and a conductor, detection of the decay rate of the oscillator may enable determination of a state of a button input assembly that includes a conductor operative to be movable by a user with respect to the oscillator.

Conductor sensing assemblies

Interface circuits that may utilize a limited number of pins to detect a presence of an accessory, determine whether the accessory can provide or receive power, communicate with the accessory regarding at least that transfer of power, and transfer power accordingly. One example may provide detection circuitry for a host that may detect the presence of a pull-down resistor on a data pin of an accessory. The pull-down may indicate that a power consuming accessory has been connected. This example may detect the presence of power on a power pin. The presence of the power on the power pin may indicate that a power providing accessory has been connected.

Interface circuitry for bidirectional power connector

Power supply topologies can leverage relatively smaller component sizes while meeting the power requirements of loads. In a first stage, a determination is made as to whether a high current limit is exceeded for a first duration, or whether an average current provided exceeds an average current limit, such that a power supply component (e.g., inductor) is thermally stressed. In either event, a clock frequency is reduced by a first factor. In a second stage, a determination is made as to whether an output voltage drops below a voltage threshold. If so, the clock frequency may be further reduced by a second factor.

Power supply power management

Portable electronic devices may be wirelessly charged while resting on a wireless charging surface of a wireless power transmitting device. The wireless power transmitting device may have an array of coils for transmitting wireless power. The portable electronic devices may have coils for receiving the transmitted wireless power. Magnetic sensors may be used in the portable electronic devices to sense magnetic fields produced by the wireless power transmitting device. The magnetic fields may be produced by permanent magnets, electromagnets that are separated from the coils, or coils in the array of coils. Sensors may also be used in the portable electronic devices and wireless power transmitting device such as sound sensors, light sensors, capacitive sensors, proximity sensors, and other sensors. These sensors may be used in measuring lateral position and orientation for the portable devices so that content may be displayed across multiple portable devices.

Coordination of device operation on wireless charging surface

Methods, circuits, and apparatus to distribute power among devices in an electronic system where a device may receive power from more than one source, may have a bidirectional power connector, or both. One example may resolve conflicts when an electronic device receives power from more than one source. In this example, the device may determine which source may provide the most power, and may select to receive power from the power source that may deliver the most power. Other examples may have a preference to receive power from a particular source or via a specific connector. Other examples may switch from receiving power over a first connector to providing power over the first connector, while others may receive and provide power over different connectors at the same time. Another may be connected to a battery, and may draw power from the battery or not depending on the type of battery.

Power distribution using bidirectional power connector

At a processor of a camera-equipped electronic device, a first data set generated at a sensor incorporated within a camera module is obtained, and a second data set generated at one or more sensors external to the camera module is obtained. Based on the first set and second data sets, a first set of control signals is transmitted to the camera module. At a disturbance rejection controller integrated within the camera module, a second set of control signals is generated, based on the first set of control signals and on a third set of data obtained from the sensor incorporated within the camera module. The second set of control signals is transmitted to an actuator, which causes a displacement of a camera lens.

Nested disturbance rejection controller integrated within camera module

In a portable camera device, a variable voltage regulator produces a power supply voltage of a VCM driver circuit that conducts the coil current of a VCM actuator as part of an optical image stabilization (OIS) mechanism. A processor signals the variable voltage regulator to increase the power supply voltage when the camera device transitions from still capture mode or preview mode to video capture mode, where the increase causes an increase in stroke of the VCM OIS actuator. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Camera voice coil motor driver circuit with variable power supply input voltage

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Parin Patel