公开(公告)号：US20230273572A1

公开(公告)日：2023-08-31

申请号：US18143405

申请日：2023-05-04

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Prashanth S. Holenarsipur ,  Mark T. Winkler ,  Mehmet Mutlu ,  David D. Dashevsky

IPC: G04G21/08 ,  G01D5/34

CPC classification number: G04G21/08 ,  G01D5/34

Abstract: 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.

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：US11409365B2

公开(公告)日：2022-08-09

申请号：US16934988

申请日：2020-07-21

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Mehmet Mutlu ,  Ahmet Fatih Cihan ,  Mark T. Winkler ,  Tong Chen

IPC: G06F3/01 ,  G01S17/50

Abstract: A wearable device includes a device housing configured to be worn on a first surface of a user, a set of one or more SMI sensors, and a processor. The set of one or more SMI sensors is mounted within the device housing and configured to emit a set of one or more beams of electromagnetic radiation, with each beam emitted in a different direction extending away from the first surface. The set of one or more SMI sensors is also configured to generate a set of one or more SMI signals containing information about a relationship between the device housing and a second surface. The processor is configured to extract the relationship between the device housing and the second surface from digitized samples of the set of one or more SMI signals.

公开(公告)号：US11366246B2

公开(公告)日：2022-06-21

申请号：US16537086

申请日：2019-08-09

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Michael K. McCord ,  Mehmet Mutlu ,  Ryan J. Linderman

IPC: G01V8/12 ,  F21V5/04 ,  F21V3/02 ,  F21V17/10 ,  G01S7/481

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US20220011902A1

公开(公告)日：2022-01-13

申请号：US17482265

申请日：2021-09-22

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Mark T. Winkler ,  Mehmet Mutlu ,  Omid Momtahan ,  Tong Chen ,  Wenrui Cai ,  Chau H. Nguyen ,  Giovanni Gozzini ,  Michael K. McCord ,  Orit A. Shamir ,  Prashanth S. Holenarsipur

IPC: G06F3/042 ,  G01B9/02 ,  G01S17/50 ,  G01P3/36 ,  H01S5/183 ,  G01B11/16

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US20210405594A1

公开(公告)日：2021-12-30

申请号：US17472386

申请日：2021-09-10

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Prashanth S. Holenarsipur ,  Mark T. Winkler ,  Mehmet Mutlu ,  David D. Dashevsky

IPC: G04G21/08 ,  G01D5/34

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US20210364273A1

公开(公告)日：2021-11-25

申请号：US17393278

申请日：2021-08-03

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Mehmet Mutlu ,  Miaolei Yan

IPC: G01B9/02 ,  G01N15/06 ,  G01N15/10 ,  G01S7/4912 ,  G01S17/58

Abstract: A portable electronic device is operable in a particulate matter concentration mode where the portable electronic device uses a self-mixing interferometry sensor to emit a beam of coherent light from an optical resonant cavity, receive a reflection or backscatter of the beam into the optical resonant cavity, produce a self-mixing signal resulting from a reflection or backscatter of the beam of coherent light, and determine a particle velocity and/or particulate matter concentration using the self-mixing signal. The portable electronic device is also operable in an absolute distance mode where the portable electronic device determines whether or not an absolute distance determined using the self-mixing signal is outside or within a particulate sensing volume associated with the beam of coherent light. If not, the portable electronic device may determine a contamination and/or obstruction is present that may result in inaccurate particle velocity and/or particulate matter concentration determination.

公开(公告)号：US20210080248A1

公开(公告)日：2021-03-18

申请号：US16945573

申请日：2020-07-31

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Ahmet Fatih Cihan ,  Mehmet Mutlu

IPC: G01B9/02 ,  G01S17/58 ,  G01P5/26

Abstract: A device includes a first component, a second component having a reconfigurable distance from the first component, an optical element, an SMI sensor, and a processor. The optical element has a fixed relationship with respect to the first component, and has a known optical thickness between a first surface and a second surface of the optical element. The SMI sensor has a fixed relationship with respect to the second component, and has an electromagnetic radiation emission axis that intersects the first and second surfaces of the optical element. The processor is configured to identify disturbances in an SMI signal generated by the SMI sensor, relate the disturbances to the known optical thickness of the optical element, and to determine a distance between the first and second components using the SMI signal and the relationship of the disturbances to the known optical thickness of the optical element.

公开(公告)号：US20200370886A1

公开(公告)日：2020-11-26

申请号：US16418875

申请日：2019-05-21

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Tong Chen ,  Mehmet Mutlu ,  Mark T. Winkler

IPC: G01C3/08 ,  G02B5/20 ,  G03B11/00 ,  G02B7/02 ,  G03B13/20 ,  G01S17/08 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/02

Abstract: An optical sensing system can be integrated into a camera module. In particular, an optical element of an optical sensing system can be disposed entirely or partly within a barrel of a camera module. The optical element can be oriented toward a reflective surface, such as an infrared cut filter, such that an optical path is defined between free space and the optical element via at least one reflection off the reflective surface.

公开(公告)号：US20200209133A1

公开(公告)日：2020-07-02

申请号：US16725951

申请日：2019-12-23

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Miaolei YAN ,  Gregory B. Arndt ,  Mehmet Mutlu

IPC: G01N15/06

Abstract: A portable communication device includes one or more optical detectors to generate an analog signal in response to a change in an intra-cavity or an emitted optical power of a light source due to light backscattered from a particle and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The particle is illuminated via a light source. The ASIC includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit, a digital delay circuit, a particle detector module and a processor. The ADC converts the analog signal to a digital signal. The digital delay circuit can store the digital signal for a predetermined or dynamically variable time interval. The particle detector module can analyze the digital signal and can generate an enable signal upon detecting a particle signature in the digital signal. The processor is coupled to the digital delay circuit and can start processing the digital signal in response to the enable signal.