公开(公告)号：US20220003543A1

公开(公告)日：2022-01-06

申请号：US17476913

申请日：2021-09-16

Applicant: Apple Inc.

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

IPC: G01C3/08 ,  G02B5/20 ,  G03B11/00 ,  G03B13/20 ,  G01S17/08 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G02B7/02 ,  G01S17/04

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：US11201669B2

公开(公告)日：2021-12-14

申请号：US16914872

申请日：2020-06-29

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Omid Momtahan ,  Tong Chen

IPC: H04B10/112 ,  H04B10/50 ,  G02B26/08 ,  H04B10/079 ,  G02B26/10 ,  H04B10/69

Abstract: A directional free-space optical communication system includes a source device including a laser diode and an endpoint device including a photodiode. The endpoint device and the source device also include an adjustable optics subsystem that increases both angular and positional offset tolerance between the source device and the endpoint device.

公开(公告)号：US11150332B1

公开(公告)日：2021-10-19

申请号：US16917891

申请日：2020-06-30

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Tong Chen ,  Dong Zheng ,  Mark T. Winkler ,  Stephen N. Sweet ,  Tsu-Hui Lin ,  Wenrui Cai

IPC: G01S7/497 ,  H04B10/40 ,  G01K13/00 ,  G01S17/08 ,  G06F3/044

Abstract: An optical sensing system includes a transmitter side and a receiver side, and is configured to be positioned below a display of an electronic device. The transmitter side includes a light emitter, a temperature sensor, and a photodiode. The receiver side includes a photodiode and a temperature sensor. The optical sensing system includes an application-specific integrated circuit that leverages the temperature sensors, the photodiodes, and one or more signal filters such as a high-pass filter to perform multiple field calibrations of the optical sensing system, thereby improving accuracy and precision thereof.

公开(公告)号：US11029442B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-08

申请号：US16351843

申请日：2019-03-13

Applicant: Apple Inc.

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

IPC: G01V8/10 ,  G01V8/12 ,  H04R1/02 ,  H04R29/00 ,  G06F3/041

Abstract: An electronic device may have optical sensors. Control circuitry may use sensor measurements in controlling adjustable components and taking other actions. The optical sensors may be self-mixing sensors such as incoherent self-mixing sensors. One or more sensors may be used in gathering sensor measurements. In configurations in which an electronic device contain multiple self-mixing sensors, multi-wavelength measurements can be gathered using incoherent light sources in the sensors that operate a set of different wavelengths. The light source of each incoherent self-mixing sensor may be a superluminescent light-emitting diode, a resonant cavity light-emitting diode, or other amplified or non-amplified spontaneous emission source. Optical systems such as lenses in a housing for an electronic device may be aligned with the self-mixing sensors. Self-mixing sensors may serve as proximity sensors, sensors for detecting touch input, sensors for measuring spectrums associated with targets of unknown materials, displacement sensors, or other sensors.

公开(公告)号：US10824275B2

公开(公告)日：2020-11-03

申请号：US16141888

申请日：2018-09-25

Applicant: Apple Inc.

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

IPC: G06F3/042 ,  G02B6/42

Abstract: Disclosed herein are structures, devices, and systems for detecting touch and force inputs at multiple sensing locations on a surface of an electronic device using waveguide-based interferometry. A laser light source, such as a VCSEL, inserts light into a waveguide positioned adjacent to the sensing locations, and an input at a sensing location alters the inserted light in the waveguide allowing for determination of the input's touch or force at the sensing location. Wavelength modulation of the inserted light allows isolation in frequency of the signals from each sensing location. Optical phase locking can be used to lock an absolute distance beat frequency corresponding to a stationary reference point in the waveguide.

公开(公告)号：US20200097124A1

公开(公告)日：2020-03-26

申请号：US16141888

申请日：2018-09-25

Applicant: Apple Inc.

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

IPC: G06F3/042 ,  G02B6/42

Abstract: Disclosed herein are structures, devices, and systems for detecting touch and force inputs at multiple sensing locations on a surface of an electronic device using waveguide-based interferometry. A laser light source, such as a VCSEL, inserts light into a waveguide positioned adjacent to the sensing locations, and an input at a sensing location alters the inserted light in the waveguide allowing for determination of the input's touch or force at the sensing location. Wavelength modulation of the inserted light allows isolation in frequency of the signals from each sensing location. Optical phase locking can be used to lock an absolute distance beat frequency corresponding to a stationary reference point in the waveguide.

公开(公告)号：US20190372667A1

公开(公告)日：2019-12-05

申请号：US16399925

申请日：2019-04-30

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Omid Momtahan ,  Tong Chen

IPC: H04B10/112 ,  H04B10/50 ,  H04B10/69 ,  H04B10/079 ,  G02B26/10 ,  G02B26/08

Abstract: A directional free-space optical communication system includes a source device including a laser diode and an endpoint device including a photodiode. The endpoint device and the source device also include an adjustable optics subsystem that increases both angular and positional offset tolerance between the source device and the endpoint device.

公开(公告)号：US20190317639A1

公开(公告)日：2019-10-17

申请号：US16383036

申请日：2019-04-12

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 ,  H01S5/183 ,  G01P3/36 ,  G01S17/50

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：US12154480B2

公开(公告)日：2024-11-26

申请号：US18184592

申请日：2023-03-15

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Jenny Hu ,  Chaohao Wang ,  Christopher E Glazowski ,  Clint M Perlaki ,  David R Manly ,  Feng Wen ,  Graeme M Williams ,  Hei Kam ,  Hyun H Boo ,  Kevin J Choboter ,  Kyounghwan Kim ,  Lu Yan ,  Mahesh B Chappalli ,  Mark T Winkler ,  Na Zhu ,  Peter F Holland ,  Tong Chen ,  Warren S Rieutort-Louis ,  Wenrui Cai ,  Ximeng Guan ,  Yingying Tang ,  Yuchi Che

IPC: G09G3/3233 ,  G06F3/042 ,  G09G3/20 ,  G09G3/34 ,  G06F3/041

Abstract: A light emitter that operates through a display may cause display artifacts, even when the light emitter operates using non-visible wavelengths. Display artifacts caused by a light emitter that operates through a display may be referred to as emitter artifacts. To mitigate emitter artifacts, operating conditions for a display frame may be used to determine an optimal firing time for the light emitter during that display frame. The operating conditions used to determine the optimal firing time may include emitter operating conditions, display content statistics, display brightness, temperature, and refresh rate. Operating conditions from one or more previous frames may be stored in a frame buffer and may be used to help determine the optimal firing time for the light emitter during a display frame. Pixel values for the display may be modified to mitigate emitter artifacts.

公开(公告)号：US20240363088A1

公开(公告)日：2024-10-31

申请号：US18611276

申请日：2024-03-20

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Tong Chen ,  Wenrui Cai ,  Jenny Hu ,  Clint M Perlaki

IPC: G09G5/10

CPC classification number: G09G5/10 ,  G09G2310/08 ,  G09G2360/144 ,  G09G2360/145

Abstract: A light emitter that operates through a display may cause display artifacts, even when the light emitter operates using non-visible wavelengths. To determine whether the light emitter has caused these artifacts, a display light sensor under the display may measure backside light leakage from the display. Based on the measured backside light leakage, the display light sensor or control circuitry may determine whether artifacts in the display exceed a predetermined acceptable artifact range. If the artifacts exceed this range, the artifacts may be mitigated. To mitigate the artifacts, the light emitter and/or the display may be adjusted. For example, the timing and/or dosage of the light emitter, the acceptable artifact range, and/or the timing of display content may be adjusted. In this way, the display light sensor may be used to form a closed-loop system to determine whether artifacts are present in the display and to mitigate those artifacts.