Apple Inc.

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.

Prashanth S Holenarsipur

Serhan O Isikman

Richard A Ruh

Colin M Ely

Anant Rai

Mehmet Mutlu

Mark T Winkler

Fletcher R Rothkopf

Anna-Katrina Shedletsky

Maegan K Spencer

David D Dashevsky

Yuta Kuboyama

Giovanni Gozzini

Milind S Bhagavat

Tong Chen

Omid Momtahan

Michael K McCord

Baboo V Gowreesunker

Alex M Lee

David Glen Havskjold

Wenrui Cai

Chau H Nguyen

Orit A Shamir

Jairam Manjunathaiah

Paisith P Boonsom

William N Pickeral

Erik G De Jong

Zhihai Wang

Nicole Dorene Kerness

Dong Zheng

Stephen N Sweet

Xingxing Cai

Wayne Carl Westerman

Albert M Bergemont

Tyler S Bushnell

Brian Richards Land

Arkadii V Samoilov

Benjamin J Kallman

Ryan C Perkins

William C Lukens

Albert Wang

Osamu Yabe

Praveesh Chandran

Xianwei Zhao

Louis W Bokma

Daniel J Hiemstra

Tingjun Xu

Jorge L Rivera Espinoza

Zaki Moustafa

Kishore N Renjan

Manoj Vadeentavida

Mengshu Huang

Ove Lyngnes

Bilal Mohamed Ibrahim Kani

Christopher M Dodson

Kyusang Kim

Po-Chieh Hung

Eugene C Cheung

Pierpaolo Lupo

Tianbo Sun

Xiaoyang Zhang

Akio Yamakawa

Xi Chen

Takahiro Atsuta

Yoshimitsu Ohara

Karen M Freer

Chiung-C Lo

James Patrick Long

Vinodh Babu

An optical system includes a housing defining a cylindrical lens array. A first light source is located in the housing and positioned to emit a first wavelength of light into a first field of illumination impinging on the cylindrical lens array. A second light source is located in the housing and positioned to emit a second wavelength of light into a second field of illumination impinging on the cylindrical lens array. The cylindrical lens array alters the first field of illumination and the second field of illumination and increases an overlap between the first field of illumination and the second field of illumination. A detector is located in the housing and positioned to receive a first redirected portion of the first wavelength of light and a second redirected portion of the second wavelength of light.

Wavelength mixing for optical systems

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 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 watch can include a watch body and a band for securing the watch to the user. The watch body can detect an identification of the band or combination of band portions, which can serve as an input to initiate actions performed by the watch body. For example, a type, model, color, size, or other characteristic of a band can be determined and used to select a corresponding action performed by the watch body. Identification of the band can be performed by components of the watch body that also serve other purposes. The watch body can respond to the identification of a particular band by performing particular functions, such as changing an aspect of a user interface or altering settings of the watch body.

Identification of watch bands

Optical packages and methods of fabrication are described. In an embodiment, a controller chip is embedded along with optical components, including a photodetector (PD) and one or more emitters, in a single package.

Embedded packaging concepts for integration of ASICs and optical components

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

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

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an optical encoder for an electronic device. The optical encoder comprises an elongated shaft having an encoding pattern made up of axial markings and radial markings. The encoding pattern may be disposed around a circumference of the elongated shaft. The optical encoder also includes an optical sensor. In embodiments, the optical sensor includes an emitter and a photodiode array. The emitter causes light to shine on the encoding pattern. The encoding pattern reflects the light back to the photodiode array and the photodiode array determines movement of the shaft based on the reflected light.

Optical encoder for detecting crown movement

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an optical encoder for an electronic device. The optical encoder includes a spindle and an encoded pattern disposed around a circumference of the spindle. The encoded pattern may include one or more surface features that create a direction-dependent reflective region.

Optical encoder with direction-dependent optical properties comprising a spindle having an array of surface features defining a concave contour along a first direction and a convex contour along a second direction

Disclosed herein is an electronic device having a proximity sensor for determining whether an object, such as a user's finger, is in proximity to or in contact with an input mechanism of the electronic device.

Proximity detection for an input mechanism of an electronic device

A wearable device is disclosed. The wearable device can comprise a housing; a crown; a proximity sensor; and a processor. The crown can be configured to receive input from a user. The proximity sensor can be configured to generate a field of view encompassing a first area adjacent to the housing and further configured to generate an output signal corresponding to whether an object is present within the field of view. The processor can be configured to determine, based on the output signal, whether the input corresponds to an intentional input or an unintentional input.

System and method for unintentional input rejection

An electronic device may be provided with a display mounted in a housing. The display may have an array of pixels configured to display images. A display cover layer may overlap the array of pixels. A light sensor such as a color ambient light sensor may be mounted in the electronic device and may receive ambient light through an ambient light sensor window region in the display cover layer or other portion of the electronic device. A diffuser may be located between the display cover layer and the ambient light sensor. The diffuser may have a substrate such as a glass substrate. A lens layer may be supported by the substrate. The lens layer may be formed from a layer of ultraviolet-light-curable polymer in which an array of lenses has been formed. An infrared-light-blocking-and-visible-light-transmitting filter may be used to reduce infrared light reaching the ambient light sensor.

Electronic devices having ambient light sensors with lens diffusers

A submersible electronic device such as a waterproof cellular telephone may be provided with an image sensor. The image sensor may capture images of underwater objects. Control circuitry in the submersible electronic device may adjust image contrast and color balance based on information from sensors and other information. The electronic device may have an ambient light sensor. The ambient light sensor may be a color ambient light sensor and may be used in measuring ambient lighting conditions above water and underwater. A depth sensor may be used in measuring the depth of the image sensor and other components of the electronic device underwater. Information on the depth of the image sensor, information on the distance of an underwater object to the image sensor, and angular orientation information for the electronic device and image sensor may be used in color balancing an image.

Submersible electronic devices with imaging capabilities

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Prashanth S Holenarsipur