Patents by Inventor Keenan Molner

Keenan Molner 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).

  • Publication number: 20240061252
    Abstract: To accommodate variations in the interpupillary distances associated with different users, a head-mounted device may have left-eye and right-eye optical modules that move with respect to each other. Each optical module may have a display that creates an image and a corresponding lens that provides the image to an associated eye box for viewing by a user. The optical modules each include a lens barrel to which the display and lens of that optical module are mounted and a head-mounted optical module illumination system. The illumination system may have light-emitting devices such as light-emitting diodes that extend along some or all of a peripheral edge of the display. The light-emitting diodes may be mounted on a flexible printed circuit with a tail that extends a lens barrel opening. A stiffener for the flexible printed circuit may have openings that receive the light-emitting diodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Inventors: Marinus Meursing, Keenan Molner, Chengyi Yang, Florian R. Fournier, Ivan S. Maric, Jason C. Sauers
  • Patent number: 11861941
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for using polarized light (e.g., infrared (IR) light) to improve eye-related functions such as iris recognition. An eye camera system includes one or more IR cameras that capture images of the user's eyes that are processed to perform iris recognition, gaze tracking, or other functions. At least one polarizing element may be located in the path of the light which is used to capture images of the user's eye. The user's eye may be illuminated by IR light emitted by one or more LEDs. At least one of the LEDs may be an LED with a polarizing filter. Instead or in addition, at least one polarizer may be located at the eye camera sensor, in the eye camera optics, or as or in an additional optical element located on the light path between the eye camera and the user's eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Keenan Molner, Qiong Huang, Branko Petljanski, Edward A. Valko, Tom Sengelaub, Martin Haller, Andrei Nikiforov, Hua Gao, Emanuele Mandelli
  • Patent number: 11828944
    Abstract: To accommodate variations in the interpupillary distances associated with different users, a head-mounted device may have left-eye and right-eye optical modules that move with respect to each other. Each optical module may have a display that creates an image and a corresponding lens that provides the image to an associated eye box for viewing by a user. The optical modules each include a lens barrel to which the display and lens of that optical module are mounted and a head-mounted optical module illumination system. The illumination system may have light-emitting devices such as light-emitting diodes that extend along some or all of a peripheral edge of the display. The light-emitting diodes may be mounted on a flexible printed circuit with a tail that extends a lens barrel opening. A stiffener for the flexible printed circuit may have openings that receive the light-emitting diodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Marinus Meursing, Keenan Molner, Chengyi Yang, Florian R. Fournier, Ivan S. Maric, Jason C. Sauers
  • Publication number: 20230358920
    Abstract: A head-mounted device may have optical modules that present images to a user's left and right eyes. Each optical module may have a lens support structure that supports a display and a fixed lens. Vision correction lenses may be removably coupled to the fixed lenses to help customize the head-mounted device to the vision of a particular user. A user may view images on the displays through the removable and fixed lenses from eye boxes. The optical modules may include infrared light sources that supply infrared light to the eye boxes and infrared light sensors such as infrared cameras for gaze tracking and authentication. The lenses may have optical surfaces covered with coating that enhance optical performance and may have edge surfaces that are provided with structures to help reduce stray light reflections. The lenses may be configured to pass visible and infrared light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2023
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Inventors: Nikhil D. Kalyankar, Avery P. Yuen, Elson Y. Liu, James R. Wilson, Ove Lyngnes, Peter J. Guest, Keenan Molner, Ryan Springer, William W. Sprague, Brandon E. Clarke, Wei-Liang Hsu, Mehmet Mutlu, Victoria C. Chan
  • Patent number: 11326763
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for fabricating light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that include polarizing or wavefront-altering optical components are described in which additional optical components are added to the LED package to filter or modify the polarization of the emitted photons. Packaged LEDs that include polarizing or wavefront-altering optical components are also described. The packaged LEDs may emit infrared light that is polarized or otherwise altered by the optical components added during the fabrication process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Keenan Molner, Qiong Huang, Emanuele Mandelli, Edward A. Valko, Martin Haller, Tom Sengelaub