Patents by Inventor Christopher E. Balcells

Christopher E. Balcells has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11313935
    Abstract: A method for calibrating a magnetometer of an electronic device can include detecting a change in a magnetism of the electronic device, collecting a first magnetic field data from the magnetometer at sampling frequency of at least 1 hertz, generating an elliptical calibration model based at least partially on the collected first magnetic field data, collecting a second magnetic field data from the magnetometer, and fitting the collected second magnetic field data to a sphere using the elliptical calibration model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Gunes Dervisoglu, Christopher D. Guichet, Adam S. Howell, Alexander J. Wiens, Christopher E. Balcells, Erik L. Wang, Jonathan M. Beard, Tang Y. Tan, Theodore Lao, Tyler S. Bushnell, Hung A. Pham
  • Publication number: 20210072335
    Abstract: A method for calibrating a magnetometer of an electronic device can include detecting a change in a magnetism of the electronic device, collecting a first magnetic field data from the magnetometer at sampling frequency of at least 1 hertz, generating an elliptical calibration model based at least partially on the collected first magnetic field data, collecting a second magnetic field data from the magnetometer, and fitting the collected second magnetic field data to a sphere using the elliptical calibration model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Inventors: Gunes Dervisoglu, Christopher D. Guichet, Adam S. Howell, Alexander J. Wiens, Christopher E. Balcells, Erik L. Wang, Jonathan M. Beard, Tang Y. Tan, Theodore Lao, Tyler S. Bushnell, Hung A. Pham
  • Patent number: 9752877
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an electronic compass. The electronic compass may include magnetic sensors. The magnetic sensors may include thin-film magnetic sensor elements such as giant magnetoresistance sensor elements. Magnetic flux concentrators may be used to guide magnetic fields through the sensor elements. To reduce offset in the electronic compass, the magnetic flux concentrators may be demagnetized by applying a current to a coil in the housing. The coil may be formed from loops of metal traces within a printed circuit or other loops of conductive paths. Magnetic flux concentrators may have ring shapes. A ring-shaped magnetic flux concentrator may be formed from multiple thin stacked layers of soft magnetic material separated by non-magnetic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Manoj K Bhattacharyya, Christopher E. Balcells, Jian Guo, Peter G. Hartwell
  • Publication number: 20160313122
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an electronic compass. The electronic compass may include magnetic sensors. The magnetic sensors may include thin-film magnetic sensor elements such as giant magnetoresistance sensor elements. Magnetic flux concentrators may be used to guide magnetic fields through the sensor elements. To reduce offset in the electronic compass, the magnetic flux concentrators may be demagnetized by applying a current to a coil in the housing. The coil may be formed from loops of metal traces within a printed circuit or other loops of conductive paths. Magnetic flux concentrators may have ring shapes. A ring-shaped magnetic flux concentrator may be formed from multiple thin stacked layers of soft magnetic material separated by non-magnetic material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Inventors: Manoj K Bhattacharyya, Christopher E. Balcells, Jian Guo, Peter G. Hartwell