Patents by Inventor James E. Pedder

James E. Pedder 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: 12216285
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a display and a lens module through which the display is viewable. The lens module may include a tunable lens with an adjustable spherical power, cylindrical axis, and/or cylindrical power. To tune the tunable lens to compensate for a viewer's eyesight, the display may present at least one target. The optical power of the tunable lens may be set based on the point of gaze relative to the at least one target. Multiple targets with associated optical powers may be presented and the optical power of the tunable lens may be set depending on which target is aligned with the point of gaze. The display may present an image through a masking layer with a ring of pinhole pairs. The electronic device may include an input device that receives user input regarding a perceived image associated with the display and the masking layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: James E Pedder, Gareth D Hastings, Igor Stamenov, Matthew D Hollands
  • Publication number: 20250028093
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a lens module with a tunable lens. The tunable lens may include multiple adjustable fluid-filled bladders distributed around the periphery of the tunable lens. Fluid may be selectively added to and removed from each adjustable fluid-filled bladder to control a displacement of a lens element at a given position along the periphery. The fluid may be added to and removed from the adjustable fluid-filled bladders by fluid-controlling components. The fluid-controlling components may be positioned locally within a ring-shaped chassis portion and adjacent to a respective bladder or may be consolidated in an additional chassis portion and connected to the bladders using fluid channels through the ring-shaped chassis portion. The fluid-controlling components may include stepper motors with two subassemblies that each have a ring-shaped magnet between two coils.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2024
    Publication date: January 23, 2025
    Inventors: Richard J. Topliss, Matthew D. Hollands, James E. Pedder, Daniel J. Burbridge, Thomas M. Gregory
  • Publication number: 20250028094
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a lens module with a tunable lens. The tunable lens may include multiple adjustable fluid-filled bladders distributed around the periphery of the tunable lens. Fluid may be selectively added to and removed from each adjustable fluid-filled bladder to control a displacement of a lens element at a given position along the periphery. The fluid may be added to and removed from the adjustable fluid-filled bladders by fluid-controlling components. The fluid-controlling components may be positioned locally within a ring-shaped chassis portion and adjacent to a respective bladder or may be consolidated in an additional chassis portion and connected to the bladders using fluid channels through the ring-shaped chassis portion. The fluid-controlling components may include stepper motors with two subassemblies that each have a ring-shaped magnet between two coils.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2024
    Publication date: January 23, 2025
    Inventors: Richard J Topliss, Matthew D Hollands, James E Pedder, Daniel J Burbridge
  • Publication number: 20250020926
    Abstract: An electronic device may include an optical module with a display and a tunable lens. During operation, the electronic device may gather data and adjust the tunable lens based on the gathered data. The optical module may include a non-adjustable lens element with convex curvature in addition to the tunable lens. The optical module may include a Fresnel lens element in addition to the tunable lens. The optical module may include a catadioptric lens in addition to the tunable lens. The optical module may include a catadioptric lens that includes the tunable lens. The optical module may have a birdbath architecture that includes the tunable lens. The optical module may include a waveguide and the tunable lens may be an adjustable positive bias lens and/or an adjustable negative bias lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2024
    Publication date: January 16, 2025
    Inventors: James E. Pedder, Igor Stamenov, Arthur Y. Zhang
  • Publication number: 20250020910
    Abstract: An electronic device may include an optical module with a display and a tunable lens. During operation, the electronic device may gather data and adjust the tunable lens based on the gathered data. The optical module may include a non-adjustable lens element with convex curvature in addition to the tunable lens. The optical module may include a Fresnel lens element in addition to the tunable lens. The optical module may include a catadioptric lens in addition to the tunable lens. The optical module may include a catadioptric lens that includes the tunable lens. The optical module may have a birdbath architecture that includes the tunable lens. The optical module may include a waveguide and the tunable lens may be an adjustable positive bias lens and/or an adjustable negative bias lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2024
    Publication date: January 16, 2025
    Inventors: James E. Pedder, Igor Stamenov, Arthur Y. Zhang, Michael D. Simmonds, Pablo Benitez Gimenez, Ruben Mohedano Arroyo, Juan Carlos Minano Dominguez, Richard J. Topliss, Pablo Zamora Herranz
  • Publication number: 20250014292
    Abstract: A light system that may project virtual content onto surfaces of a room. The system may include one or more low-resolution light-emitting diode (LED) projectors for emitting light representing low-resolution virtual content, and a high-resolution LED projector for emitting light representing high-resolution virtual content. The high-resolution projector may be used to project a 2D image of augmented or virtual reality content being viewed by a person in a room using a device such as a headset or glasses onto a surface of the room so that other persons in the room can view a representation of what the person using the device is seeing. The low-resolution projector(s) may project low-resolution images onto other surfaces in the room, for example the walls and ceiling. The system may also be configured to emit diffuse light to illuminate a room when not emitting light representing virtual content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2024
    Publication date: January 9, 2025
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Michael D. Simmonds, James H. Foster, James E. Pedder, Richard J. Topliss, Thomas M. Gregory
  • Patent number: 12153229
    Abstract: A head-mounted device may include one or more adjustable lens elements. The adjustable lens element may include a transparent substrate, a collapsible wall that forms an enclosed perimeter on the transparent substrate, and a flexible membrane on the collapsible wall that together define an interior volume. The interior volume may be filled with a fluid. The adjustable lens element may include a lens shaping component that applies a force to the collapsible wall to adjust a height of the collapsible wall relative to the transparent substrate, which in turn may be used to adjust the shape of the flexible membrane and thus the lens power of the lens element. The collapsible wall may have bellows that allow the collapsible wall to fold on itself when compressed, thereby minimizing unintended lateral movement of the collapsible wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Richard J. Topliss, Igor Stamenov, Ran He, Yuan Li, Peng Lv, James E. Pedder
  • Publication number: 20240385448
    Abstract: A lens module in a head-mounted device may include a fluid-filled chamber, a semi-rigid lens element that at least partially defines the fluid-filled chamber, and at least one actuator configured to selectively bend the semi-rigid lens element. The semi-rigid lens element may become rigid along a first axis when the lens element is curved along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. Six actuators that are evenly distributed around the periphery of the semi-rigid lens element may be used to control the curvature of the semi-rigid lens element. The semi-rigid lens element may initially be planar or non-planar. For example, the semi-rigid lens element may initially have a spherically convex surface and a spherically concave surface. A tunable spherical lens may be incorporated into the lens module to offset a parasitic spherical lens power from the semi-rigid lens element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2024
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Inventors: James E. Pedder, Igor Stamenov, Cheng Chen, Enkhamgalan Dorjgotov, Graham B. Myhre, Victoria C. Chan, Xiaonan Wen, Peng Lv, Yuan Li, Yu Horie, Siddharth S. Hazra
  • Publication number: 20240369841
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a lens module with a tunable lens. The tunable lens may be operable in multiple modes such as a normal mode, a presbyopia-mitigation mode, a near-focus mode, and a negative power boost mode. During operation, the electronic device may gather data and adjust the tunable lens based on the gathered data. The tunable lens may be switched from the normal mode to the presbyopia-mitigation mode in response to determining that a nearby object is being viewed through the lens module. The tunable lens may be switched from the normal mode to the negative power boost mode in response to ambient light levels being low and/or eye fatigue levels being high. The tunable lens may switch between modes over a transition period. An output device may notify the user when the tunable lens changes modes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2024
    Publication date: November 7, 2024
    Inventors: Igor Stamenov, Gareth D Hastings, James E Pedder, Jason Chen, Matthew D. Hollands, Amrith V. Ram
  • Patent number: 12118675
    Abstract: A light system that may project virtual content onto surfaces of a room. The system may include one or more low-resolution light-emitting diode (LED) projectors for emitting light representing low-resolution virtual content, and a high-resolution LED projector for emitting light representing high-resolution virtual content. The high-resolution projector may be used to project a 2D image of augmented or virtual reality content being viewed by a person in a room using a device such as a headset or glasses onto a surface of the room so that other persons in the room can view a representation of what the person using the device is seeing. The low-resolution projector(s) may project low-resolution images onto other surfaces in the room, for example the walls and ceiling. The system may also be configured to emit diffuse light to illuminate a room when not emitting light representing virtual content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Michael D. Simmonds, James H. Foster, James E. Pedder, Richard J. Topliss, Thomas M. Gregory
  • Publication number: 20240310635
    Abstract: A hybrid display may include different display portions with different resolutions. The high resolution display portion may be positioned in a main viewing area for the viewer whereas the low resolution display portion may be positioned in a peripheral viewing area. The high resolution display portion may have a silicon backplane. The low resolution display portion may have a different type of backplane such as a thin-film transistor backplane. The different display portions may optionally share a common organic light-emitting diode layer such that light is emitted from the same plane across both display portions. The high resolution display portion may emit light through a transparent window in the low resolution display portion. A high resolution display may also be formed by separately forming a frontplane and a backplane. Conductive attachment structures such as indium bumps may be used to mechanically and electrically connect the backplane to the frontplane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2024
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Inventors: James E Pedder, Patrick B Bennett, Michael Slootsky, Graham B Myhre, Andrew Lin
  • Publication number: 20240302657
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a display and a lens module through which the display is viewable. The lens module may include a tunable lens with an adjustable spherical power, cylindrical axis, and/or cylindrical power. To tune the tunable lens to compensate for a viewer's eyesight, the display may present at least one target. The optical power of the tunable lens may be set based on the point of gaze relative to the at least one target. Multiple targets with associated optical powers may be presented and the optical power of the tunable lens may be set depending on which target is aligned with the point of gaze. The display may present an image through a masking layer with a ring of pinhole pairs. The electronic device may include an input device that receives user input regarding a perceived image associated with the display and the masking layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2024
    Publication date: September 12, 2024
    Inventors: James E. Pedder, Gareth D. Hastings, Igor Stamenov, Matthew D. Hollands
  • Publication number: 20240288612
    Abstract: A head-mounted device may have a display that displays content for a user. Head-mounted support structures in the device support the display on the head of the user. A lens module in the head-mounted device may include a transparent lens element, a positioner that extends around the periphery of the transparent lens element, and an actuator that selectively shifts the positioner in a first direction. Shifting the positioner in the first direction causes the transparent lens element to be biased in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction at multiple points around the periphery of the transparent lens elements. The positioner may be attached to guide structures that each have a respective angled slot. Each angled slot may receive a respective tab of the transparent lens element or a respective tab of a lens shaping element that is attached to the transparent lens element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2024
    Publication date: August 29, 2024
    Inventors: Richard J. Topliss, Thomas M. Gregory, Gregory L. Tice, Patrick R. Gill, James E. Pedder
  • Publication number: 20240280817
    Abstract: A head-mounted device may include a lens module with a least one adjustable lens. The head-mounted device may be wirelessly paired to an electronic device such as a cellular telephone, watch, laptop computer, etc. To correct for presbyopia, the optical power of adjustable lenses in a head-mounted device may be adjusted when the user is viewing a close object. To allow for intelligent adjustments of the adjustable lenses while minimizing power consumption in the head-mounted device, the head-mounted device may receive sensor data and/or focal point change instructions from a paired electronic device. The paired electronic device may detect a trigger, analyze the user's attention to the paired electronic device, and send focal point change instructions to the head-mounted device based on the obtained information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2024
    Publication date: August 22, 2024
    Inventors: James E. Pedder, Igor Stamenov, Matthew D. Hollands, Thomas M. Gregory
  • Publication number: 20240081134
    Abstract: A hybrid display may include different display portions with different resolutions. The high resolution display portion may be positioned in a main viewing area for the viewer whereas the low resolution display portion may be positioned in a peripheral viewing area. The high resolution display portion may have a silicon backplane. The low resolution display portion may have a different type of backplane such as a thin-film transistor backplane. The different display portions may optionally share a common organic light-emitting diode layer such that light is emitted from the same plane across both display portions. The high resolution display portion may emit light through a transparent window in the low resolution display portion. A high resolution display may also be formed by separately forming a frontplane and a backplane. Conductive attachment structures such as indium bumps may be used to mechanically and electrically connect the backplane to the frontplane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2023
    Publication date: March 7, 2024
    Inventors: James E Pedder, Patrick B Bennett, Michael Slootsky, Graham B Myhre, Andrew Lin, Cheuk Chi Lo, Guanjun Tan
  • Publication number: 20240027776
    Abstract: A lens module may include a first lens element, a lens shaping structure that is coupled to the first lens element, and a plurality of actuators that are configured to adjust a position of the lens shaping structure to adjust the first lens element. The lens module may also include a second lens element and a fluid-filled chamber between the first and second lens elements. To allow dynamic adjustments of the second lens element without requiring additional actuators, the second lens element may be a semi-rigid lens element. When the actuators adjust the curvature of the first lens element, the gauge pressure applied to the second lens element is changed. This causes a change in curvature of the second lens element. The actuators may therefore adjust the curvature of both the first and second lens elements even though none of the actuators are attached to the second lens element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2023
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Inventors: James E. Pedder, Igor Stamenov, Richard J. Topliss, Thomas M. Gregory, Michael D. Simmonds
  • Publication number: 20230324676
    Abstract: A lens module may include a transparent lens element, a lens shaping structure that is coupled to the transparent lens element, and a plurality of actuators that are configured to adjust a position of the lens shaping structure to adjust the transparent lens element. The lens shaping structure may include a plurality of extensions that are each coupled to a respective actuator. To ensure the lens shaping structure has desired curvature between the extensions, the lens shaping structure may have a portion in one or more segments between adjacent extensions that has a property with a different magnitude than an additional portion of the lens shaping structure. The portion between the adjacent extensions may have an increased or decreased rigidity relative to the additional portions. The portion between the adjacent extensions may have a different width, thickness, or Young's modulus compared to the additional portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Inventors: Igor Stamenov, Richard J. Topliss, Ran He, Peng Lv, Yuan Li, James E. Pedder, Thomas M. Gregory
  • Patent number: 11768376
    Abstract: An electronic device such as a head-mounted display or other display system may have a transparent display. The transparent display may be formed from a transparent display panel or a display device that provides images to a transparent optical coupler. A user may view real-world objects through the transparent display. Control circuitry can direct the transparent display to display computer-generated content over selected portions of the real-world objects. The head-mounted display may have adjustable components through which the user may view the real-world objects. The adjustable components may include an adjustable light modulator, an adjustable color filter, and an adjustable polarizer. The control circuitry may adjust these components based on information from a front-facing camera that captures images of the real-world objects, based on information from a gaze tracking camera, and based on other input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: James E. Pedder, James H. Foster, Julian Hoening, Julian Jaede
  • Publication number: 20230258944
    Abstract: A head-mounted device may have lenses. A user may view images through the lenses from eye boxes. The lenses may be tunable liquid lenses. Each lens may have a lens chamber. The lens chamber of the lens may have rigid and/or flexible walls that form optical lens surfaces. Actuators and/or pump and reservoir systems may deform the lens surfaces in response to control signals from a control circuit to tune the lens. Each liquid lens may have oil or other liquid in the lens chamber for that lens. Inorganic dielectric particles or other refractive-index-adjustment particles may be used to adjust the refractive index of the lens. The particles may be subwavelength in size.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventors: Sebastien Bolis, Arnaud Pouydebasque, Igor Stamenov, James E. Pedder, Nachiappan Chidambaram
  • Publication number: 20230222955
    Abstract: Display panel redundancy schemes and methods of operation are described. In an embodiment, and display panel includes an array of drivers (e.g. microdrivers), each of which including multiple portions to independently receive control and pixel bits. In an embodiment, each driver portion is to control a group of redundant emission elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2022
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: Kapil V. Sakariya, Tore Nauta, Hopil Bae, Henry C. Jen, James E. Pedder, Sunggu Kang, Shingo Hatanaka, Xiang Lu, Mahdi Farrokh Baroughi, Hasan Akyol, Saif Choudhary, Ion Bita