Patents Assigned to Apple
  • Publication number: 20210344889
    Abstract: A direct retinal projector system that provides dynamic focusing for virtual reality (VR) and/or augmented reality (AR) is described. A direct retinal projector system scans images, pixel by pixel, directly onto the subject's retinas. This allows individual pixels to be optically affected dynamically as the images are scanned to the subject's retinas. Dynamic focusing components and techniques are described that may be used in a direct retinal projector system to dynamically and correctly focus each pixel in VR images as the images are being scanned to a subject's eyes. This allows objects, surfaces, etc. that are intended to appear at different distances in a scene to be projected to the subject's eyes at the correct depths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Alexander Shpunt
  • Publication number: 20210343180
    Abstract: A configuration for a breathing sequence may be defined using a hardware element of a user device. A user interface of the user device may be used to begin the breathing sequence. During the breathing sequence, a fluctuating progress indicator user interface element may fluctuate at a cyclic rate. Such fluctuation may include repeated growing and repeated shrinking of the fluctuating progress indicator user interface element. During the breathing sequence, heart rate data may be collected and used to present heart rate information at a conclusion of the breathing sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jay Kriz Blahnik, Erno H. Klaassen, Julie A. Arney, Alan C. Dye, Gary I. Butcher, Kevin M. Lynch, Nader E. Bagherzadeh, Gracee Agrawal, Stephen J. Waydo, Christopher J. Brouse
  • Publication number: 20210341889
    Abstract: Modifications made by multiple controller devices to an environment model describing a shared automated environment can be coordinated. One of the controller devices can be designated as a coordinator, and any controller device other than the coordinator can send an update request to the coordinator. The coordinator can determine whether to accept or reject the requested modification and can report its determination to the requesting controller device. If the coordinator accepts the request, the coordinator can instigate operations to update the environment model across all controller devices of all users. If the coordinator rejects the request, the environment model is not updated. The controller device that made the request can update its local copy of the environment model and roll back the update if the request is rejected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew C. Lucas, Anush G. Nadathur, Nathan E. Carroll
  • Patent number: 11163096
    Abstract: Compact lens systems that may be used in small form factor cameras. The lens system may include a master lens with two or more lens elements arranged along an optical axis and having refractive power, and an optical actuator located on the object side of the master lens that may provide autofocus (AF) and/or optical image stabilization (OIS) functionality for the camera. An aperture stop for the camera may be included in the optical actuator, for example between a substrate and a flexible optical element of the optical actuator. Including the aperture stop in the optical actuator rather than in the lens stack may allow the optical actuator to be smaller in the X-Y dimensions (perpendicular to the optical (Z) axis) than it would be in a similar camera with the aperture stop located in the lens stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Christian Thomas Fuller, Iain A. McAllister, Yoshikazu Shinohara
  • Patent number: 11164911
    Abstract: A display may have an array of pixels formed from organic light-emitting diodes and thin-film transistor circuitry. The organic light-emitting diodes may be interposed between a substrate (30) and a cover layer (70). The organic light-emitting diodes may be white light-emitting diodes (26) that emit white light that is filtered through a color filter array (76) to produce colored light. The color filter array may be located above or below the array of light-emitting diodes. A microcavity may be formed between the substrate (30) and each light-emitting diode (26). The microcavity may be formed from an anode (36) in the light-emitting diode and first (86) and second layers (78) with different refractive indices. The low-refractive-index layer may be formed from a color filter in the color filter array. Light from the light-emitting diode may resonate within the microcavity beneath each light-emitting diode before exiting the display as colored light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Chun-Yang Lu, Rui Liu, Lun Tsai
  • Patent number: 11163157
    Abstract: A vehicle may have a light-field head-up display that produces a light-field output allowing a viewer in the vehicle to observe three-dimensional content. An array of light-field display units and corresponding lenses may be used to direct the light-field output towards the viewer. The head-up display may have a transmissive display such as a liquid crystal display or other display with an array of backlit pixels. The pixels may have subpixels of different colors and may have elongated shapes extending along a given dimension. Lenticular lenses in the transmissive display that overlap the pixels may extend along the given dimension. A directional backlight may be used to adjust the direction of the light-field output produced by a light-field display unit. The directional backlight may be adjusted to alternately provide light-field output to the left and right eyes of a viewer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Graham B. Myhre, Hyungryul J. Choi
  • Patent number: 11166106
    Abstract: A hearable has an audio amplifier circuit coupled to a speaker as a load. The amplifier circuit has current source drive, which attenuates electromagnetically coupled noise of the speaker. In other instances, the amplifier circuit has a first amplifier mode and a second amplifier mode, wherein in the first amplifier mode the amplifier circuit becomes configured to drive the speaker as a voltage source, and in the second amplifier mode the amplifier circuit becomes configured to drive the speaker as a current source. Control logic varies the amplifier circuit between i) the first amplifier mode for larger amplitudes of the audio signal, and ii) the second amplifier mode for smaller amplitudes of the audio signal. Other aspects are also described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Michael B. Nussbaum, Roderick B. Hogan, Todd K. Moyer
  • Patent number: 11165989
    Abstract: Techniques are presented for managing for visual prominence of participants in a video conference, including conferences where participants communicate visually, such as with sign language. According to these techniques, a visual prominence indication of a participant in a video conference may be estimated, a video stream of the participant may be encoded, and the encoded video stream may be transmitted along with an indication of the estimated visual prominence to a receiving device in the video conference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Johnny Trenh, Hsi-Jung Wu, Sarah K. Herrlinger, Xiaoxia Sun, Ian J. Baird, Dazhong Zhang, Xiaosong Zhou, Christopher M. Garrido
  • Patent number: 11166215
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to techniques for a wireless device to detect and operate in an elevator or elevator-like conditions. The wireless device may establish a cellular link with a cellular base station. One or more conditions associated with being in an elevator may be detected. The wireless device may determine to operate in an elevator mode based at least in part on detecting the one or more conditions associated with being in an elevator. The wireless device may operate in the elevator mode. One or more conditions associated with exiting an elevator may be detected. The wireless device may determine to operate in a normal mode based at least in part on detecting the one or more conditions associated with exiting an elevator. The wireless device may operate in the normal mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Xiao Nie, Ruirui Zong, Yaoqi Yan, Tao Xie, Shangfeng Li, Yu Sun, Ye Dai, Ying Zhang
  • Patent number: 11165389
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a transceiver with mixer circuitry that up-converts or down-converts signals based on a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) signal. The transceiver circuitry may include first, second, third, and fourth VCOs. Each VCO may include a VCO core that receives a control voltage and an inductor coupled to the VCO core. Fixed linear capacitors may be coupled between the VCO cores. A switching network may be coupled between the VCOs. Control circuitry may place the VCO circuitry in one of four different operating modes and may switch between the operating modes to selectively control current direction in each of the inductors. The VCO circuitry may generate the VCO signal within a respective frequency range in each of the operating modes. The VCO circuitry may exhibit a relatively wide frequency range across all of the operating modes while introducing minimal phase noise to the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Abbas Komijani, Hongrui Wang, Sohrab Emami-Neyestanak
  • Patent number: 11165416
    Abstract: A system and method for efficient on-chip monitoring of clock signals post-silicon. An electronic circuit includes a post-silicon and on-die signal monitor and a first signal generator that sends a first signal with a first signal period to the signal monitor. The signal monitor selects a first sampling signal with a first sampling period such that a ratio of the first sampling period to the first signal period is greater than one and is a non-integer. The signal monitor selects a reference voltage level for indicating when the first signal is asserted. When the first sampling period has elapsed, the signal monitor samples the first signal to generate a voltage level, and upon completing sampling, determines a duty cycle of the generated voltage levels, which indicates a duty cycle of the first signal. Using a similar approach, the signal monitor is also capable of determining skew between two signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Khaled M. Alashmouny, Dennis M. Fischette, Jr., Charles L. Wang, Samed Maltabas, Yikun Chang
  • Patent number: 11163981
    Abstract: A facial recognition authentication process operating on a device may capture an image of a user using a camera on the device. The facial recognition authentication process may include operating a full face facial recognition authentication process on the captured image or operating a partial face facial recognition authentication process on the captured image. The process may determine which process to operate (either full face or partial face) based on an assessment of an amount of occlusion in the captured image. The partial face facial recognition authentication process may be operated when there is at least some occlusion of selected features (e.g., nose and/or mouth) on the user's face in the captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua M. Susskind, Walter A. Talbott, Shih-Yu Sun, Feng Tang
  • Patent number: 11164541
    Abstract: An electronic device may include an electronic display to display images during frames based on image data. The electronic display may be divided into multiple regions each having multiple pixels. The electronic device may also include a display pipeline to process the image data and output the processed image data to the electronic display. The display pipeline may also determine a history update corresponding to an estimated burn-in aging effect of the pixels based on usage. A first portion of the history update corresponding to pixels in a first region may be determined during a first frame and a second portion of the history update corresponding to pixels in a second region may be determined during a second frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter F. Holland, Mahesh B. Chappalli
  • Patent number: 11163417
    Abstract: A computer system concurrently displays, in an augmented reality environment, a representation of at least a portion of a field of view of one or more cameras that includes a respective physical object, which is updated as contents of the field of view change; and a respective virtual user interface object, at a respective location in the virtual user interface determined based on the location of the respective physical object in the field of view. While detecting an input at a location that corresponds to the displayed respective virtual user interface object, in response to detecting movement of the input relative to the respective physical object in the field of view of the one or more cameras, the system adjusts an appearance of the respective virtual user interface object in accordance with a magnitude of movement of the input relative to the respective physical object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Mark K. Hauenstein, Joseph A. Malia, Julian K. Missig, Matthaeus Krenn, Jeffrey T. Bernstein
  • Patent number: 11163399
    Abstract: A touch panel configured to compensate for negative pixel effect is disclosed. The panel can be configured to increase a capacitive sense signal, indicative of a touching or hovering object, in order to compensate for an increase in negative capacitance when the object is poorly grounded. To perform the compensation, the panel can be configured to have split sense lines so as to increase the number of electric fringe fields forming the sense signal, thereby providing a sense signal that is substantially stronger than the negative capacitance signal. Each sense line can be split into two or more strips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Marduke Yousefpor, Martin Paul Grunthaner
  • Patent number: D934801
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jody Akana, Molly Anderson, Bartley K. Andre, Shota Aoyagi, Anthony Michael Ashcroft, Marine C. Bataille, Jeremy Bataillou, Markus Diebel, M. Evans Hankey, Julian Hoenig, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Julian Jaede, Duncan Robert Kerr, Peter Russell-Clarke, Benjamin Andrew Shaffer, Mikael Silvanto, Sung-Ho Tan, Clement Tissandier, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico Zörkendörfer
  • Patent number: D934903
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alan C. Dye, Aurelio Guzmán, Jonathan P. Ive, Christopher Wilson, Eric Lance Wilson
  • Patent number: D934905
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Freddy Anzures, Gary Butcher, Joseph Chan, Imran Chaudhri, Alan C. Dye, Jonathan P. Ive, Giancarlo Yerkes
  • Patent number: D934914
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jody Akana, Christopher Daryl Soli
  • Patent number: D934915
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christian Xavier Dalonzo, Aurelio Guzmán, Christopher I. Wilson