Patents by Inventor Alejandro Lara-Ascorra
Alejandro Lara-Ascorra 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).
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Patent number: 11798462Abstract: Light emitting diode display panels with an open loop amplifier resulting in better brightness accuracy and matching between multiple light emitting diode strings.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2021Date of Patent: October 24, 2023Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Mohammad J. Navabi-Shirazi, Ming Gu, Alejandro Lara Ascorra, James E. Brown
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Publication number: 20220130327Abstract: Light emitting diode display panels with an open loop amplifier resulting in better brightness accuracy and matching between multiple light emitting diode strings.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 21, 2021Publication date: April 28, 2022Inventors: Mohammad J. Navabi-Shirazi, Ming Gu, Alejandro Lara Ascorra, James E. Brown
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Publication number: 20220061135Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to electronic devices having a display. The display includes a channel of light emitting diodes (LEDs) having controllable brightness levels and control circuitry coupled to the channel of LEDs. The control circuitry provides a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal having a duty cycle to control the brightness levels. An adaptive headroom control circuitry is configured to sense a headroom voltage signal for the channel of LEDs and apply a first time period for blanking the headroom voltage signal during the first time period that is associated with a settling time for the headroom voltage signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 23, 2021Publication date: February 24, 2022Inventors: Ming Gu, Yanhui Xie, Jingdong Chen, Asif Hussain, Behzad Mohtashemi, Mohammad Jafar Navabi-Shirazi, Linda A. Kamas, Alejandro Lara Ascorra
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Patent number: 10957500Abstract: Systems and methods for selective keyboard backlighting with reduced driver circuitry are provided. In one example embodiment, a method includes, inter alia, simultaneously controlling, with a control signal, an output of a first light emitting element that illuminates only one key of a plurality of keys of a keyboard and an output of a second light emitting element that illuminates only one key of the plurality of keys, and maintaining, with a current mirror circuit, uniformity between the output of the first light emitting element and the output of the second light emitting element.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 2016Date of Patent: March 23, 2021Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Alejandro Lara Ascorra, Qian Zhang, Thai Q. La
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Patent number: 10728969Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to control circuitry for light-emitting diodes. The control circuitry may operate a light-emitting diode using a multi-peak pulse-width-modulation signal. The control circuitry may include a multi-stage driver having a relatively larger driver stage for providing a direct current through a light-emitting diode and a relatively smaller driver stage configured to cooperate with a pulse-width-modulation controller to pulse-width-modulate a current through the light-emitting diode.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2019Date of Patent: July 28, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Mohammad J. Navabi-Shirazi, Alejandro Lara Ascorra, Asif Hussain, Ji Yeoul Ryoo, Jingdong Chen, Jun Qi, Manisha P. Pandya, Yanhui Xie
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Publication number: 20190215924Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to control circuitry for light-emitting diodes. The control circuitry may operate a light-emitting diode using a multi-peak pulse-width-modulation signal. The control circuitry may include a multi-stage driver having a relatively larger driver stage for providing a direct current through a light-emitting diode and a relatively smaller driver stage configured to cooperate with a pulse-width-modulation controller to pulse-width-modulate a current through the light-emitting diode.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2019Publication date: July 11, 2019Inventors: Mohammad J. Navabi-Shirazi, Alejandro Lara Ascorra, Asif Hussain, Ji Yeoul Ryoo, Jingdong Chen, Jun Qi, Manisha P. Pandya, Yanhui Xie
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Patent number: 10237936Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to control circuitry for light-emitting diodes. The control circuitry may operate a light-emitting diode using a multi-peak pulse-width-modulation signal. The control circuitry may include a multi-stage driver having a relatively larger driver stage for providing a direct current through a light-emitting diode and a relatively smaller driver stage configured to cooperate with a pulse-width-modulation controller to pulse-width-modulate a current through the light-emitting diode.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2017Date of Patent: March 19, 2019Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Mohammad J. Navabi-Shirazi, Alejandro Lara Ascorra, Asif Hussain, Ji Yeoul Ryoo, Jingdong Chen, Jun Qi, Manisha P. Pandya, Yanhui Xie
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Publication number: 20190059136Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to control circuitry for light-emitting diodes. The control circuitry may operate a light-emitting diode using a multi-peak pulse-width-modulation signal. The control circuitry may include a multi-stage driver having a relatively larger driver stage for providing a direct current through a light-emitting diode and a relatively smaller driver stage configured to cooperate with a pulse-width-modulation controller to pulse-width-modulate a current through the light-emitting diode.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2017Publication date: February 21, 2019Inventors: Mohammad J. NAVABI-SHIRAZI, Alejandro Lara ASCORRA, Asif HUSSAIN, Ji Yeoul RYOO, Jingdong CHEN, Jun QI, Manisha P. PANDYA, Yanhui XIE
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Publication number: 20180019081Abstract: Systems and methods for selective keyboard backlighting with reduced driver circuitry are provided. In one example embodiment, a method includes, inter alia, simultaneously controlling, with a control signal, an output of a first light emitting element that illuminates only one key of a plurality of keys of a keyboard and an output of a second light emitting element that illuminates only one key of the plurality of keys, and maintaining, with a current mirror circuit, uniformity between the output of the first light emitting element and the output of the second light emitting element.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 15, 2016Publication date: January 18, 2018Inventors: Alejandro Lara Ascorra, Qian Zhang, Thai Q. La
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Publication number: 20150334799Abstract: This application relates to a dynamic lighting circuit for a keyboard of a computing device. The lighting circuit described herein includes several light emitting diode (LED) drivers having multiple channels for controlling multiple LEDs. The lighting circuit also includes an electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM) for storing configuration data for the LED drivers. Each LED is configured to individually illuminate a single key of the keyboard, allowing the lighting circuit to modify the brightness of each key without affecting the brightness of other keys. In this way, more lighting schemes are available for the keyboard, while also providing a thinner mechanical design for the keyboard. Lighting schemes can include illuminating a group or groups of keys at a different brightness level than other keys that are not contained in the group. Additionally, lighting schemes can include animations executed by varying the brightness levels of keys over a period of time.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 15, 2014Publication date: November 19, 2015Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Alejandro Lara ASCORRA, Adam I. PAPAMARCOS, Asif HUSSAIN, Mohammad J. NAVABI-SHIRAZI, Keith J. HENDREN, Thai Q. LA
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Patent number: 9013113Abstract: One embodiment of a display backlight driver integrated circuit can be configured for operation in at least two different ways. A first method transfers data from an EEPROM to hardware registers prior to regular operation. A second method also transfers data from an EEPROM to registers. However, hardware registers can be overwritten with data accepted from a control bus, prior to regular operation. A keyboard driver IC can detect the presence or absence of a cable to an LED. If the cable is absent, the driver IC will not supply power for the LED. One embodiment of a keyboard and display backlight control system can be configured to allow substantially independent operation.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2012Date of Patent: April 21, 2015Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Alejandro Lara Ascorra, Eric G. Smith, Steven J. Sfarzo
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Patent number: 8933643Abstract: One embodiment of a display backlight driver integrated circuit can be configured for operation in at least two different ways. A first method transfers data from an EEPROM to hardware registers prior to regular operation. A second method also transfers data from an EEPROM to registers. However, hardware registers can be overwritten with data accepted from a control bus, prior to regular operation. A keyboard driver IC can detect the presence or absence of a cable to an LED. If the cable is absent, the driver IC will not supply power for the LED. One embodiment of a keyboard and display backlight control system can be configured to allow substantially independent operation.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2012Date of Patent: January 13, 2015Inventors: Alejandro Lara Ascorra, Shimon Elkayam, Asif Hussain, Brad Lee Patton, Steven J. Sfarzo, Eric G. Smith
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Patent number: 8928246Abstract: One embodiment of a display backlight driver integrated circuit can be configured for operation in at least two different ways. A first method transfers data from an EEPROM to hardware registers prior to regular operation. A second method also transfers data from an EEPROM to registers. However, hardware registers can be overwritten with data accepted from a control bus, prior to regular operation. A keyboard driver IC can detect the presence or absence of a cable to an LED. If the cable is absent, the driver IC will not supply power for the LED. One embodiment of a keyboard and display backlight control system can be configured to allow substantially independent operation.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2012Date of Patent: January 6, 2015Inventors: Alejandro Lara Ascorra, Brad Lee Patton, Shimon Elkayam
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Patent number: 8681458Abstract: In one embodiment, and electro-static discharge detector is formed with a plurality of channels and is configured to detect a positive electro-static discharge and a negative electro-static discharge.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2007Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, LLCInventors: Stephen Paul Robb, David M. Heminger, Alejandro Lara-Ascorra
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Publication number: 20130278170Abstract: One embodiment of a display backlight driver integrated circuit can be configured for operation in at least two different ways. A first method transfers data from an EEPROM to hardware registers prior to regular operation. A second method also transfers data from an EEPROM to registers. However, hardware registers can be overwritten with data accepted from a control bus, prior to regular operation. A keyboard driver IC can detect the presence or absence of a cable to an LED. If the cable is absent, the driver IC will not supply power for the LED. One embodiment of a keyboard and display backlight control system can be configured to allow substantially independent operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2012Publication date: October 24, 2013Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Alejandro Lara ASCORRA, Brad Lee Patton, Shimon Elkayam
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Publication number: 20130278171Abstract: One embodiment of a display backlight driver integrated circuit can be configured for operation in at least two different ways. A first method transfers data from an EEPROM to hardware registers prior to regular operation. A second method also transfers data from an EEPROM to registers. However, hardware registers can be overwritten with data accepted from a control bus, prior to regular operation. A keyboard driver IC can detect the presence or absence of a cable to an LED. If the cable is absent, the driver IC will not supply power for the LED. One embodiment of a keyboard and display backlight control system can be configured to allow substantially independent operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2012Publication date: October 24, 2013Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Alejandro Lara Ascorra, Shimon Elkayam, Asif Hussain, Brad Lee Patton, Steven J. Sfarzo, Eric G. Smith
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Publication number: 20130278175Abstract: One embodiment of a display backlight driver integrated circuit can be configured for operation in at least two different ways. A first method transfers data from an EEPROM to hardware registers prior to regular operation. A second method also transfers data from an EEPROM to registers. However, hardware registers can be overwritten with data accepted from a control bus, prior to regular operation. A keyboard driver IC can detect the presence or absence of a cable to an LED. If the cable is absent, the driver IC will not supply power for the LED. One embodiment of a keyboard and display backlight control system can be configured to allow substantially independent operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2012Publication date: October 24, 2013Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Alejandro Lara Ascorra, Eric G. Smith, Steven J. Sfarzo
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Patent number: 7583034Abstract: In one embodiment, a vertical N-channel transistor is coupled in a high side configuration to control a current through an LED. A control circuit operates the vertical N-channel transistor to control a value of the current.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2006Date of Patent: September 1, 2009Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries, L.L.C.Inventors: Alejandro Lara-Ascorra, Stephen P. Robb, Alan R. Ball
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Publication number: 20090052100Abstract: In one embodiment, and electro-static discharge detector is formed with a plurality of channels and is configured to detect a positive electro-static discharge and a negative electro-static discharge.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 23, 2007Publication date: February 26, 2009Inventors: Stephen Paul Robb, David M. Heminger, Alejandro Lara-Ascorra
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Publication number: 20080074364Abstract: In one embodiment, a vertical N-channel transistor is coupled in a high side configuration to control a current through an LED.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2006Publication date: March 27, 2008Inventors: Alejandro Lara-Ascorra, Stephen P. Robb, Alan R. Ball