Ambient Light Sensors with Infrared Compensation
    31.
    发明申请
    Ambient Light Sensors with Infrared Compensation 有权
    环境光传感器与红外补偿

    公开(公告)号:US20140132578A1

    公开(公告)日:2014-05-15

    申请号:US13678349

    申请日:2012-11-15

    Applicant: APPLE INC.

    Inventor: Dong Zheng

    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display with a brightness that is adjusted based on ambient light data from one or more ambient light sensors. An ambient light sensor may include at least one silicon-based photosensor. The silicon-based photosensor may generate a corresponding raw sensor reading. Processing circuitry associated with the ambient light sensor may analyze the raw sensor reading to determine the type of light source that is present by comparing measurements from at least two different photosensors, by determining the color temperature of the light source, and/or by determining the modulation frequency of the light source. A compensation factor may then be selected by referring to a lookup table. The processing circuitry may compute a compensated sensor reading based on the raw sensor reading and the selected compensation factor. The brightness of the display may be adjusted based on the compensated sensor reading computed in this way.

    Abstract translation: 电子设备可以具有基于来自一个或多个环境光传感器的环境光数据调整的亮度的显示器。 环境光传感器可以包括至少一个硅基光电传感器。 硅基光电传感器可以产生相应的原始传感器读数。 与环境光传感器相关联的处理电路可以分析原始传感器读数以通过比较来自至少两个不同光电传感器的测量来确定所存在的光源的类型,通过确定光源的色温,和/或通过确定 光源的调制频率。 然后可以通过参考查找表来选择补偿因子。 处理电路可以基于原始传感器读数和所选择的补偿因子来计算补偿的传感器读数。 可以基于以这种方式计算的补偿传感器读数来调整显示器的亮度。

    OPTICAL SENSORS HAVING AN ABSENCE OF GUARD STRUCTURES BETWEEN ADJACENT PHOTODIODES

    公开(公告)号:US20250109970A1

    公开(公告)日:2025-04-03

    申请号:US18671832

    申请日:2024-05-22

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device includes a shared epitaxial structure, an array of photodiodes formed in the shared epitaxial structure, and a readout circuit. The array of photodiodes is disposed between a first axis and a second axis, with the second axis orthogonal to the first axis. The array of photodiodes has an absence of guard structures between adjacent photodiodes. The readout circuit is electrically connected to the array of photodiodes and operable to read out values for different photodiodes or different subsets of photodiodes in the array of photodiodes.

    Electronic Devices With Electromagnetic Interference Correction

    公开(公告)号:US20250102553A1

    公开(公告)日:2025-03-27

    申请号:US18745101

    申请日:2024-06-17

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may have a sensor and may have a radio-frequency signal transmitter. The sensor may be vulnerable to electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the radio-frequency (RF) signals. Therefore, circuitry in the device may determine whether measurements from the sensor have been impacted by EMI. To make this determination, a digital filter may be used. In particular, the digital filter may be a digital persistence filter that generates a signal if the sensor measurement is high for a time that corresponds with the known emission time of the RF signals. Alternatively, the digital filter may receive the sensor measurements in the digital domain and compare the sensor measurements to time-delayed sensor measurements to determine whether the sensor measurements have been impacted by EMI. Control circuitry may discard any of the sensor measurements, or measurements from one or more other sensors, in response to the sensor measurements being impacted by EMI.

    Electronic Devices With Ambient Flicker Detection

    公开(公告)号:US20250067595A1

    公开(公告)日:2025-02-27

    申请号:US18613515

    申请日:2024-03-22

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may have a sensor to measure ambient flicker. The sensor may be a sigma-delta converter. The flicker may be calculated based on the voltage output of the sigma-delta converter and the number of times the sigma-delta converter is triggered during a predetermined period, thereby reducing the voltage output. In particular, a fast Fourier transform (FFT) may be used on these values to determine the flicker. If desired, filtering and/or non-uniform sampling may be incorporated to avoid aliasing. Additionally or alternatively, a Lomb-Scargle spectral analysis may be used to prevent the attenuation of the measured flicker signals. As an alternative to using a sigma-delta converter to determine ambient flicker, a folding capacitive transimpedance amplifier (C-TIA) circuit or a circuit with an analog to digital converter and digital filter may be used to measure the ambient flicker.

    Electronic devices with optical identification sensor

    公开(公告)号:US12033018B2

    公开(公告)日:2024-07-09

    申请号:US18446228

    申请日:2023-08-08

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    CPC classification number: G06K19/07762 G06K7/12 G09F3/005 G06K2007/10485

    Abstract: An electronic device may be attached to an external item. The electronic device may include an optical identification sensor configured to sense a color-encoded tag in the external item when the item is attached to the device. The optical identification sensor may include a board layer, a protective filter layer, wall structures for supporting the protective filter layer on the board layer, a linear array of photodetectors disposed between the board layer and the protective filter layer, a field-of-view restriction filter interposed between the photodetectors and the protective filter layer, and a light source having multiple emitters for illuminating the color-encoded tag. The emitters may be activated sequentially to produce multiple images that are combined to reconstruct an accurate reading of the color-encoded tag, which can then be used to identify the type of external item currently attached to the electronic device.

    Electronic devices with ambient light sensor radio-frequency interference correction

    公开(公告)号:US11953374B2

    公开(公告)日:2024-04-09

    申请号:US18162393

    申请日:2023-01-31

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may have an ambient light sensor for gathering ambient light measurements. The ambient light sensor may include multiple channels for measuring different wavelengths of ambient light. An additional, modified, channel may be formed in the ambient light sensor to measure radio-frequency signals that may interfere with the ambient light measurements due to electromagnetic interference. Alternatively, circuitry separate from the ambient light sensor, such as an antenna, may measure the radio-frequency signals. If the radio-frequency signals exceed a threshold, the ambient light sensor measurements taken in the presence of the radio-frequency signals may be discarded or corrected. If the radio-frequency signals do not exceed a threshold, the ambient light sensor measurements may be kept. Therefore, the ambient light measurements that are kept and relied upon by the electronic device may be free from electromagnetic interference.

    Electronic devices with optical identification sensor

    公开(公告)号:US11763126B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-09-19

    申请号:US17469673

    申请日:2021-09-08

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    CPC classification number: G06K19/07762 G06K7/12 G09F3/005 G06K2007/10485

    Abstract: An electronic device may be attached to an external item. The electronic device may include an optical identification sensor configured to sense a color-encoded tag in the external item when the item is attached to the device. The optical identification sensor may include a board layer, a protective filter layer, wall structures for supporting the protective filter layer on the board layer, a linear array of photodetectors disposed between the board layer and the protective filter layer, a field-of-view restriction filter interposed between the photodetectors and the protective filter layer, and a light source having multiple emitters for illuminating the color-encoded tag. The emitters may be activated sequentially to produce multiple images that are combined to reconstruct an accurate reading of the color-encoded tag, which can then be used to identify the type of external item currently attached to the electronic device.

    Reconfigurable Time of Flight Proximity Sensor with Near-Field and Far-Field Measurement Capabilities

    公开(公告)号:US20230258785A1

    公开(公告)日:2023-08-17

    申请号:US18163063

    申请日:2023-02-01

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    CPC classification number: G01S7/4876 G01S7/4863 G01S7/4873 G01S17/88

    Abstract: An electronic device may include a proximity sensor under a cover layer. The proximity sensor may include a light-emitter, such as an infrared light source, and a light-detector, such as an array of single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). The SPADs may measure light that has reflected from an external object. However, some of the light may be reflected by the cover layer, creating cross-talk. To distinguish between the cross-talk and signals from the external object, processing circuitry may histogram measurements from the SPADs. In particular, the processing circuitry may histogram near-field and/or far-field measurements into different histograms. The measurements may be weighted and/or gated prior to histogramming. In this way, cross-talk may be distinguished from the near-field and far-field signals.

    Electronic Devices With Optical Identification Sensor

    公开(公告)号:US20230074849A1

    公开(公告)日:2023-03-09

    申请号:US17469673

    申请日:2021-09-08

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may be attached to an external item. The electronic device may include an optical identification sensor configured to sense a color-encoded tag in the external item when the item is attached to the device. The optical identification sensor may include a board layer, a protective filter layer, wall structures for supporting the protective filter layer on the board layer, a linear array of photodetectors disposed between the board layer and the protective filter layer, a field-of-view restriction filter interposed between the photodetectors and the protective filter layer, and a light source having multiple emitters for illuminating the color-encoded tag. The emitters may be activated sequentially to produce multiple images that are combined to reconstruct an accurate reading of the color-encoded tag, which can then be used to identify the type of external item currently attached to the electronic device.

    Electronic Devices With Ambient Light Sensors and Emissive Displays

    公开(公告)号:US20200341512A1

    公开(公告)日:2020-10-29

    申请号:US16398093

    申请日:2019-04-29

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display with an array of pixels that display images for a user. The electronic device may have an ambient light sensor for gathering ambient light information. A subset of the pixels in the array of pixels may overlap the ambient light sensor so that ambient light passing through the subset of pixels may be measured. Each pixel may have an emission enable transistor coupled in series with a light-emitting diode. Control circuitry in the electronic device may disable the subset of pixels to reduce stray light during ambient light measurements while enabling remaining pixels in the array of pixels to display an image. Ambient light sensor circuitry may gather ambient light sensor measurements over one or more periods by using transfer transistors to transfer change from the photodetectors to charge storage capacitors formed from floating diffusions in a common substrate.

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