Patents by Inventor Kenneth J. Vampola
Kenneth J. Vampola 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: 20230402472Abstract: An electronic device may include an ambient light sensor or other semiconductor sensor. The sensor may produce signals in response to light incident on the electronic device and therefore incident on the sensor. In some cases, components within the electronic device, such as infrared components, or external light sources may interfere with the operation of the sensor. Therefore, the sensor may include a filter that transmits at least a portion of visible light while blocking infrared light. Because light may be incident on the electronic device from a variety of angles, a diffuser in the sensor may scatter the light into a desired angular distribution. To ensure that infrared light is blocked regardless of the angle of the incident light, the filter may include both thin-film dielectric layers and metal layers. The metal layers may be interleaved with the thin-film dielectric layers.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 28, 2023Publication date: December 14, 2023Inventors: Ove Lyngnes, Paul J Gelsinger, Yijing Chen, Guocheng Shao, Louis W Baum, Kenneth J Vampola, Avery P Yuen
-
Publication number: 20230385591Abstract: An electronic device may be attached to an external item. The electronic device may include an optical identification sensor configured to sense a color-encoded tag in the external item when the item is attached to the device. The optical identification sensor may include a board layer, a protective filter layer, wall structures for supporting the protective filter layer on the board layer, a linear array of photodetectors disposed between the board layer and the protective filter layer, a field-of-view restriction filter interposed between the photodetectors and the protective filter layer, and a light source having multiple emitters for illuminating the color-encoded tag. The emitters may be activated sequentially to produce multiple images that are combined to reconstruct an accurate reading of the color-encoded tag, which can then be used to identify the type of external item currently attached to the electronic device.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2023Publication date: November 30, 2023Inventors: David D. Dashevsky, Brian S. Pearson, Dong Zheng, Eugene C. Cheung, Kenneth J. Vampola
-
Patent number: 11798460Abstract: An electronic device may have a display. The display may have light-emitting diode pixels or other pixels. Due to aging-induced degradation of the pixels, the output intensity and color of the pixels may vary over the lifetime of the display. Control circuitry in the device may use an ambient light sensor to measure ambient light and stray display light. The display light measurements may be used in monitoring aging effects so that the control circuitry can compensate for aging-induced pixel degradation. Display light measurements may be made over a sequence of image frames. The image frames in the sequence of frames may include white and black frames or frames of different colors interleaved with black frames. Different frame intensities may be used during measurements of stray display light to gather gamma curves for the display.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2019Date of Patent: October 24, 2023Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Zhuoran Dai, Shen Ren, Christopher M. Dodson, Kenneth J. Vampola, Mahdi Nezamabadi, Ates C. Dumlupinar
-
Patent number: 11763126Abstract: An electronic device may be attached to an external item. The electronic device may include an optical identification sensor configured to sense a color-encoded tag in the external item when the item is attached to the device. The optical identification sensor may include a board layer, a protective filter layer, wall structures for supporting the protective filter layer on the board layer, a linear array of photodetectors disposed between the board layer and the protective filter layer, a field-of-view restriction filter interposed between the photodetectors and the protective filter layer, and a light source having multiple emitters for illuminating the color-encoded tag. The emitters may be activated sequentially to produce multiple images that are combined to reconstruct an accurate reading of the color-encoded tag, which can then be used to identify the type of external item currently attached to the electronic device.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2021Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: David D. Dashevsky, Brian S. Pearson, Dong Zheng, Eugene C. Cheung, Kenneth J. Vampola
-
Patent number: 11740723Abstract: An electronic device may have a display with an array of pixels configured to display images for a user. The electronic device may have an ambient light sensor for gathering ambient light information. A set of the pixels may overlap the ambient light sensor so that ambient light measurements may be made on ambient light passing through the set of pixels. Control circuitry in the electronic device may control light transmission through the set of pixels so that different light transmission levels can be used in different ambient light conditions. Directional light measurements may be made by moving transparent pixels dynamically across the surface of the display overlapping the light sensor and/or by using pixelated light modulators to vary the angle of light rays measured by the ambient light sensor.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2019Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Kenneth J. Vampola, Joshua A. Spechler, Weili Chen, Christopher M. Dodson, Mahdi Nezamabadi
-
Patent number: 11665310Abstract: An electronic device has pixels that form an active area of a display for displaying images for a user. A layer of black ink or other opaque material may be formed on an inner surface of a display cover layer in an inactive area of the display that does not overlap pixels. The housing may have sidewalls such as a rear housing wall that faces away from the display. Ambient light sensor windows may be formed from tapered holes or other holes. The tapered holes may be formed in the opaque material on the display cover layer, may be formed in a rear housing wall or other hosing structure, or may be formed in other portions of the electronic device. Non-tapered holes may also form windows. Tapered holes may have sidewalls with portions that run parallel to their longitudinal axes and portions that are angled relative to their longitudinal axes.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2022Date of Patent: May 30, 2023Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Dawei Lu, Kenneth J. Vampola, Peter Jeziorek
-
Publication number: 20230074849Abstract: An electronic device may be attached to an external item. The electronic device may include an optical identification sensor configured to sense a color-encoded tag in the external item when the item is attached to the device. The optical identification sensor may include a board layer, a protective filter layer, wall structures for supporting the protective filter layer on the board layer, a linear array of photodetectors disposed between the board layer and the protective filter layer, a field-of-view restriction filter interposed between the photodetectors and the protective filter layer, and a light source having multiple emitters for illuminating the color-encoded tag. The emitters may be activated sequentially to produce multiple images that are combined to reconstruct an accurate reading of the color-encoded tag, which can then be used to identify the type of external item currently attached to the electronic device.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 8, 2021Publication date: March 9, 2023Inventors: David D. Dashevsky, Brian S. Pearson, Dong Zheng, Eugene C. Cheung, Kenneth J. Vampola
-
Patent number: 11513003Abstract: An electronic device may include sensors such as a visible-light image sensor for capturing images. The sensors may also include optical sensors that operate at other wavelengths. An infrared light sensor may be used to gather an infrared light spectrum of a target object. The infrared light sensor may have a beam steerer and other adjustable components such as adjustable lenses and adjustable polarizers. During operation, an infrared beam emitted by the infrared light sensor may be steered onto the target object using information from a captured visible-light image and/or other sensor data such as distance sensor data, orientation sensor data, three-dimensional image sensor data, and data from other sensors. Infrared spectra, visible-light camera images, and/or data from other sensors may be used in characterizing target objects so that notifications can be provided to a user and other actions taken.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2020Date of Patent: November 29, 2022Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Sheng Liu, Guocheng Shao, Kenneth J. Vampola
-
Publication number: 20220201240Abstract: An electronic device has pixels that form an active area of a display for displaying images for a user. A layer of black ink or other opaque material may be formed on an inner surface of a display cover layer in an inactive area of the display that does not overlap pixels. The housing may have sidewalls such as a rear housing wall that faces away from the display. Ambient light sensor windows may be formed from tapered holes or other holes. The tapered holes may be formed in the opaque material on the display cover layer, may be formed in a rear housing wall or other hosing structure, or may be formed in other portions of the electronic device. Non-tapered holes may also form windows. Tapered holes may have sidewalls with portions that run parallel to their longitudinal axes and portions that are angled relative to their longitudinal axes.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 9, 2022Publication date: June 23, 2022Inventors: Dawei Lu, Kenneth J. Vampola, Peter Jeziorek
-
Patent number: 11290677Abstract: An electronic device has pixels that form an active area of a display for displaying images for a user. A layer of black ink or other opaque material may be formed on an inner surface of a display cover layer in an inactive area of the display that does not overlap pixels. The housing may have sidewalls such as a rear housing wall that faces away from the display. Ambient light sensor windows may be formed from tapered holes or other holes. The tapered holes may be formed in the opaque material on the display cover layer, may be formed in a rear housing wall or other hosing structure, or may be formed in other portions of the electronic device. Non-tapered holes may also form windows. Tapered holes may have sidewalls with portions that run parallel to their longitudinal axes and portions that are angled relative to their longitudinal axes.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2019Date of Patent: March 29, 2022Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Dawei Lu, Kenneth J. Vampola, Peter Jeziorek
-
Publication number: 20210041291Abstract: An electronic device may include sensors such as a visible-light image sensor for capturing images. The sensors may also include optical sensors that operate at other wavelengths. An infrared light sensor may be used to gather an infrared light spectrum of a target object. The infrared light sensor may have a beam steerer and other adjustable components such as adjustable lenses and adjustable polarizers. During operation, an infrared beam emitted by the infrared light sensor may be steered onto the target object using information from a captured visible-light image and/or other sensor data such as distance sensor data, orientation sensor data, three-dimensional image sensor data, and data from other sensors. Infrared spectra, visible-light camera images, and/or data from other sensors may be used in characterizing target objects so that notifications can be provided to a user and other actions taken.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 7, 2020Publication date: February 11, 2021Inventors: Sheng Liu, Guocheng Shao, Kenneth J. Vampola
-
Publication number: 20210043130Abstract: An electronic device may have a display. The display may have light-emitting diode pixels or other pixels. Due to aging-induced degradation of the pixels, the output intensity and color of the pixels may vary over the lifetime of the display. Control circuitry in the device may use an ambient light sensor to measure ambient light and stray display light. The display light measurements may be used in monitoring aging effects so that the control circuitry can compensate for aging-induced pixel degradation. Display light measurements may be made over a sequence of image frames. The image frames in the sequence of frames may include white and black frames or frames of different colors interleaved with black frames. Different frame intensities may be used during measurements of stray display light to gather gamma curves for the display.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2019Publication date: February 11, 2021Inventors: Zhuoran Dai, Shen Ren, Christopher M. Dodson, Kenneth J. Vampola, Mahdi Nezamabadi, Ates C. Dumlupinar
-
Publication number: 20210004053Abstract: An electronic device may have a display with an array of pixels that display images for a user. The electronic device may have an ambient light sensor for gathering ambient light information. A subset of the pixels in the array of pixels may overlap the ambient light sensor so that ambient light passing through the subset of pixels may be measured. Each pixel may have an emission enable transistor coupled in series with a light-emitting diode. Control circuitry in the electronic device may disable the subset of pixels to reduce stray light during ambient light measurements while enabling remaining pixels in the array of pixels to display an image. Ambient light sensor circuitry may gather ambient light sensor measurements over one or more periods by using transfer transistors to transfer change from the photodetectors to charge storage capacitors formed from floating diffusions in a common substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 23, 2020Publication date: January 7, 2021Inventors: Guocheng Shao, Dong Zheng, Christopher M. Dodson, Kenneth J. Vampola, Koorosh Aflatooni
-
Publication number: 20200382739Abstract: An electronic device has pixels that form an active area of a display for displaying images for a user. A layer of black ink or other opaque material may be formed on an inner surface of a display cover layer in an inactive area of the display that does not overlap pixels. The housing may have sidewalls such as a rear housing wall that faces away from the display. Ambient light sensor windows may be formed from tapered holes or other holes. The tapered holes may be formed in the opaque material on the display cover layer, may be formed in a rear housing wall or other hosing structure, or may be formed in other portions of the electronic device. Non-tapered holes may also form windows. Tapered holes may have sidewalls with portions that run parallel to their longitudinal axes and portions that are angled relative to their longitudinal axes.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2019Publication date: December 3, 2020Inventors: Dawei Lu, Kenneth J. Vampola, Peter Jeziorek
-
Publication number: 20200348790Abstract: An electronic device may have a display with an array of pixels configured to display images for a user. The electronic device may have an ambient light sensor for gathering ambient light information. A set of the pixels may overlap the ambient light sensor so that ambient light measurements may be made on ambient light passing through the set of pixels. Control circuitry in the electronic device may control light transmission through the set of pixels so that different light transmission levels can be used in different ambient light conditions. Directional light measurements may be made by moving transparent pixels dynamically across the surface of the display overlapping the light sensor and/or by using pixelated light modulators to vary the angle of light rays measured by the ambient light sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2019Publication date: November 5, 2020Inventors: Kenneth J. Vampola, Joshua A. Spechler, Weili Chen, Christopher M. Dodson, Mahdi Nezamabadi
-
Publication number: 20200341512Abstract: An electronic device may have a display with an array of pixels that display images for a user. The electronic device may have an ambient light sensor for gathering ambient light information. A subset of the pixels in the array of pixels may overlap the ambient light sensor so that ambient light passing through the subset of pixels may be measured. Each pixel may have an emission enable transistor coupled in series with a light-emitting diode. Control circuitry in the electronic device may disable the subset of pixels to reduce stray light during ambient light measurements while enabling remaining pixels in the array of pixels to display an image. Ambient light sensor circuitry may gather ambient light sensor measurements over one or more periods by using transfer transistors to transfer change from the photodetectors to charge storage capacitors formed from floating diffusions in a common substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 29, 2019Publication date: October 29, 2020Inventors: Guocheng Shao, Dong Zheng, Christopher M. Dodson, Kenneth J. Vampola, Koorosh Aflatooni
-
Patent number: 10817018Abstract: An electronic device may have a display with an array of pixels that display images for a user. The electronic device may have an ambient light sensor for gathering ambient light information. A subset of the pixels in the array of pixels may overlap the ambient light sensor so that ambient light passing through the subset of pixels may be measured. Each pixel may have an emission enable transistor coupled in series with a light-emitting diode. Control circuitry in the electronic device may disable the subset of pixels to reduce stray light during ambient light measurements while enabling remaining pixels in the array of pixels to display an image. Ambient light sensor circuitry may gather ambient light sensor measurements over one or more periods by using transfer transistors to transfer change from the photodetectors to charge storage capacitors formed from floating diffusions in a common substrate.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 2019Date of Patent: October 27, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Guocheng Shao, Dong Zheng, Christopher M. Dodson, Kenneth J. Vampola, Koorosh Aflatooni
-
Patent number: 9040326Abstract: A III-nitride light emitting diode (LED) and method of fabricating the same, wherein at least one surface of a semipolar or nonpolar plane of a III-nitride layer of the LED is textured, thereby forming a textured surface in order to increase light extraction. The texturing may be performed by plasma assisted chemical etching, photolithography followed by etching, or nano-imprinting followed by etching.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2014Date of Patent: May 26, 2015Assignee: The Regents of the University of CaliforniaInventors: Hong Zhong, Anurag Tyagi, Kenneth J. Vampola, James S. Speck, Steven P. DenBaars, Shuji Nakamura
-
Publication number: 20140346542Abstract: A III-nitride light emitting diode (LED) and method of fabricating the same, wherein at least one surface of a semipolar or nonpolar plane of a III-nitride layer of the LED is textured, thereby forming a textured surface in order to increase light extraction. The texturing may be performed by plasma assisted chemical etching, photolithography followed by etching, or nano-imprinting followed by etching.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2014Publication date: November 27, 2014Applicant: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIAInventors: Hong Zhong, Anurag Tyagi, Kenneth J. Vampola, James S. Speck, Steven P. DenBaars, Shuji Nakamura
-
Patent number: 8835200Abstract: A III-nitride light emitting diode (LED) and method of fabricating the same, wherein at least one surface of a semipolar or nonpolar plane of a III-nitride layer of the LED is textured, thereby forming a textured surface in order to increase light extraction. The texturing may be performed by plasma assisted chemical etching, photolithography followed by etching, or nano-imprinting followed by etching.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2012Date of Patent: September 16, 2014Assignee: The Regents of the University of CaliforniaInventors: Hong Zhong, Anurag Tyagi, Kenneth J. Vampola, James S. Speck, Steven P. DenBaars, Shuji Nakamura