公开(公告)号：US11755107B1

公开(公告)日：2023-09-12

申请号：US17021945

申请日：2020-09-15

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Ahmet Fatih Cihan ,  Stephen E. Dey ,  Adrian Z. Harb ,  Mengshu Huang ,  Yuhao Pan ,  Paul X. Wang

IPC: G06F3/01 ,  G06F3/033 ,  H03K17/96

CPC classification number: G06F3/014 ,  G06F3/033 ,  H03K17/9622 ,  G06F2203/0331

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US11614806B1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-28

申请号：US17319010

申请日：2021-05-12

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Ahmet Fatih Cihan ,  Adrian Z. Harb ,  Mengshu Huang ,  Stephen Eric Dey ,  Yuhao Pan ,  Mehmet Mutlu ,  Tong Chen

IPC: G06F3/0354 ,  G06F3/04883 ,  G06F3/041 ,  G06F3/03 ,  G06F3/043 ,  G06F3/046

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US20200026352A1

公开(公告)日：2020-01-23

申请号：US16395806

申请日：2019-04-26

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Paul X. Wang ,  Nicolai Georg ,  Benjamin R. Blachnitzky ,  Alhad A. Palkar ,  Minhazul Islam ,  Alex J. Lehmann ,  Madeleine S. Cordier ,  Joon-Sup Han ,  Hongcheng Sun ,  Sang E. Lee ,  Kevin Z. Lo ,  Lilli Ing-Marie Jonsson ,  Luis Deliz Centeno ,  Yuhao Pan ,  Stephen E. Dey ,  Paul N. DuMontelle ,  Jonathan C. Atler ,  Tianjia Sun ,  Jian Li ,  Chang Zhang

IPC: G06F3/01 ,  G06F3/0488 ,  G06F3/0482 ,  G06F3/044 ,  G06T19/00

Abstract: A system may include finger devices. A touch sensor may be mounted in a finger device housing to gather input from an external object as the object moves along an exterior surface of the housing. The touch sensor may include capacitive sensor electrodes. Sensors such as force sensors, ultrasonic sensors, inertial measurement units, optical sensors, and other components may be used in gathering finger input from a user. Finger input from a user may be used to manipulate virtual objects in a mixed reality or virtual reality environment while a haptic output device in a finger device provides associated haptic output. A user may interact with real-world objects while computer-generated content is overlaid over some or all of the objects. Object rotations and other movements may be converted into input for a mixed reality or virtual reality system using force measurements or other sensors measurements made with the finger devices.

公开(公告)号：US20240398053A1

公开(公告)日：2024-12-05

申请号：US18639878

申请日：2024-04-18

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Ryan M David ,  Benjamin A Shaffer ,  Benjamin A Stevenson ,  Evan A Cernokus ,  Robert V Tang ,  Dustin A Hatfield ,  Erin M Bosch ,  Yuhao Pan ,  Venkata Narayana Murthy Arelekatti ,  Katherine E Christensen ,  Paul J Biestek ,  Alexander Siegel ,  Megan Grant ,  Zachary M Hammond ,  Lindsey J Scenna ,  Alyssa B Abood ,  Thanh T Tran ,  Zilan Chen ,  Michael Wu

IPC: A41D20/00 ,  G06F1/16

Abstract: A head-mounted device may have a head-mounted housing containing rear-facing displays that display images for a user when the head-mounted housing is worn by the user. The head-mounted housing may be coupled to the user's head using a headband. The headband may include a first headband portion and a second headband portion that extends from the first headband portion at a fixed angle. Stiffeners may be included in the first and second headband portions. The stiffeners may be formed from braided cords and may be embedded in the first and second headband portions to allow the headband to conform to a user's head when worn. Other stiffeners may be mounted to a surface of the headband to maintain an angle between the first and second headband portions. The ends of the headband may have curved corners, and may appear seamless to the naked eye.

公开(公告)号：US11992337B2

公开(公告)日：2024-05-28

申请号：US17891406

申请日：2022-08-19

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Ahmet Fatih Cihan ,  Adrian Z. Harb ,  Mehmet Mutlu ,  Mengshu Huang ,  Stephen E. Dey ,  Yuhao Pan

IPC: A61B5/00 ,  A61B5/24 ,  G06F1/16 ,  H01S5/183

CPC classification number: A61B5/4884 ,  A61B5/24 ,  A61B5/441 ,  G06F1/163 ,  H01S5/183

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US11422638B2

公开(公告)日：2022-08-23

申请号：US16883390

申请日：2020-05-26

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Mehmet Mutlu ,  Yuhao Pan ,  Stephen E. Dey

IPC: G06F3/01 ,  G06F3/03 ,  G01P13/00 ,  G01L1/24 ,  A63F13/211

Abstract: An input device includes an enclosure defining a three-dimensional input space and one or more self-mixing interferometry sensors coupled to the enclosure and configured to produce a self-mixing interferometry signal resulting from reflection of backscatter of emitted light by a body part in the three-dimensional input space. In various examples, movement of the body part may be determined using the self-mixing interferometry signal, which may in turn be used to determine an input. In some examples, a body part displacement or a body part speed and an absolute distance to the body part may be determined using the self-mixing interferometry signal and used to determine an input. In a number of examples, multiple self-mixing interferometry sensors may be used and the movement may be determined by analyzing differences between the respective produced self-mixing interferometry signals.

公开(公告)号：US11940293B2

公开(公告)日：2024-03-26

申请号：US17465594

申请日：2021-09-02

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Mengshu Huang ,  Ahmet Fatih Cihan ,  Adrian Z. Harb ,  Stephen E. Dey ,  Yuhao Pan ,  Mehmet Mutlu

IPC: G01C3/08 ,  G01B9/02 ,  G01B9/02097 ,  G06F3/01 ,  G06F3/03

CPC classification number: G01C3/08 ,  G01B9/02092 ,  G06F3/014 ,  G06F3/016 ,  G01B9/02097 ,  G06F3/017 ,  G06F3/03 ,  G06F2203/0331

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US20220413626A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-29

申请号：US17901765

申请日：2022-09-01

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Erin M. Bosch ,  Stephen E. Dey ,  Jeffrey A. Griffis ,  Alex J. Lehmann ,  Yuhao Pan ,  Paul X. Wang

IPC: G06F3/033

Abstract: 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. Sensors in the side housing portions may measure movements of the sides of the finger as the finger contacts an external surface. To ensure that the sensors are appropriately positioned relative to the sides of the finger, the housing may include one or more adjustable structures such as an elastomeric band, a drawstring, a ratchet mechanism, a scissor mechanism, and/or other adjustable structures for adjusting the position of the first and second side housing portions and associated sensors relative to the upper housing portion.

公开(公告)号：US20220386955A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-08

申请号：US17891406

申请日：2022-08-19

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Ahmet Fatih Cihan ,  Adrian Z. Harb ,  Mehmet Mutlu ,  Mengshu Huang ,  Stephen E. Dey ,  Yuhao Pan

IPC: A61B5/00 ,  G06F1/16 ,  A61B5/24

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US20210085245A1

公开(公告)日：2021-03-25

申请号：US16581695

申请日：2019-09-24

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Ahmet Fatih Cihan ,  Adrian Z. Harb ,  Mehmet Mutlu ,  Mengshu Huang ,  Stephen E. Dey ,  Yuhao Pan

IPC: A61B5/00 ,  G06F1/16 ,  A61B5/04

Abstract: 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.