Patents by Inventor Ulrich Barnhoefer
Ulrich Barnhoefer 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: 9330606Abstract: Automatic display brightness adjustments may be made by an electronic device based on ambient light sensor data. Proximity sensor data from a light-based proximity sensor, from nearby capacitive sensor electrodes in a touch screen, or from other proximity sensing components may be used to determine whether the ambient light sensor is being shadowed by a hand or other external object. Ambient light sensor data associated with blocked sensor conditions can be suppressed. A transient event filter may be used to remove spikes from ambient light sensor data. A display brightness baseline may be adaptively adjusted. Short changes in ambient light level may result in corresponding momentary adjustments to display brightness. Longer changes in ambient light level may be associated with persistent changes in the display brightness baseline.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2012Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Venu M. Duggineni, Clifford E. Russell
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Patent number: 9275607Abstract: An electronic device may include a display and display control circuitry. The display may be calibrated to compensate for changes in display temperature. Display calibration information may be obtained during manufacturing and may be stored in the electronic device. The display calibration information may include adjustment factors configured to adjust incoming pixel values to reduce temperature-related color shifts. During operation of the electronic device, display control circuitry may determine the temperature at different locations on the display. The display control circuitry may determine the temperature at a given display pixel using the temperatures at the different locations on the display. The display control circuitry may determine adjustment values based on the temperature at the display pixel. The display control circuitry may apply the adjustment values to incoming pixel values to obtain adapted pixel values, which may in turn be provided to the display pixel.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2012Date of Patent: March 1, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Marc Albrecht, Ulrich Barnhoefer, Gabriel Marcu, Sandro H. Pintz, Keith Cox
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Patent number: 8970468Abstract: An electronic device may include a display and display control circuitry. The display may be calibrated to compensate for changes in display temperature. Display calibration information may be obtained during manufacturing and may be stored in the electronic device. The display calibration information may include color-specific adjustment factors configured to adjust display colors and reduce temperature-related color shifts. During operation of the display, the display control circuitry may receive input pixel values for a display pixel. The display control circuitry may also receive display temperature information from a temperature sensor in the electronic device. The display control circuitry may determine adjustment factors based on a color associated with the input pixel values and the display temperature information. The display control circuitry may apply the adjustment factors to the input pixel values to obtain adapted pixel values. The adapted pixel values may be provided to the display pixel.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2012Date of Patent: March 3, 2015Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Marc Albrecht, Ulrich Barnhoefer, Gabriel Marcu, Sandro H. Pintz
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Patent number: 8866791Abstract: Improved approaches to provide user interaction with a portable electronic device operating to in a particular mode, such as an e-reader mode, are disclosed. In one embodiment, the portable electronic device is a multi-function portable electronic device that can be configured differently based on a particular mode being used. Based on the mode of operation or application being used, the user inputs to the device can be characterized differently. Advantageously, with mode-based configurations, the portable electronic device can operate to make use of user interface controls in an efficient manner. The mode-based configuration can save power, increase efficiency, and/or speed up operation of the device.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2010Date of Patent: October 21, 2014Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Brett Gregory Alten
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Publication number: 20140139571Abstract: An electronic device may include a display and display control circuitry. The display may be calibrated to compensate for changes in display temperature. Display calibration information may be obtained during manufacturing and may be stored in the electronic device. The display calibration information may include color-specific adjustment factors configured to adjust display colors and reduce temperature-related color shifts. During operation of the display, the display control circuitry may receive input pixel values for a display pixel. The display control circuitry may also receive display temperature information from a temperature sensor in the electronic device. The display control circuitry may determine adjustment factors based on a color associated with the input pixel values and the display temperature information. The display control circuitry may apply the adjustment factors to the input pixel values to obtain adapted pixel values. The adapted pixel values may be provided to the display pixel.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 21, 2012Publication date: May 22, 2014Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Marc Albrecht, Ulrich Barnhoefer, Gabriel Marcu, Sandro H. Pintz
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Publication number: 20140139570Abstract: An electronic device may include a display and display control circuitry. The display may be calibrated to compensate for changes in display temperature. Display calibration information may be obtained during manufacturing and may be stored in the electronic device. The display calibration information may include adjustment factors configured to adjust incoming pixel values to reduce temperature-related color shifts. During operation of the electronic device, display control circuitry may determine the temperature at different locations on the display. The display control circuitry may determine the temperature at a given display pixel using the temperatures at the different locations on the display. The display control circuitry may determine adjustment values based on the temperature at the display pixel. The display control circuitry may apply the adjustment values to incoming pixel values to obtain adapted pixel values, which may in turn be provided to the display pixel.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 21, 2012Publication date: May 22, 2014Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Marc Albrecht, Ulrich Barnhoefer, Gabriel Marcu, Sandro H. Pintz, Keith Cox
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Publication number: 20140043369Abstract: An electronic device may include a display and display control circuitry. The display may be calibrated to reduce color non-uniformity in the display. Display calibration information may be obtained during manufacturing and may be stored in the electronic device. The display calibration information may include color-specific, intensity-specific, location-specific correction factors. During operation of the display, display control circuitry may receive pixel data to be displayed by each pixel in the display. The pixel data may include color information and intensity information for each pixel. Based on the color information for each pixel, the intensity information for each pixel, and the location of each pixel in the display, the display control circuitry may determine a color-specific, intensity-specific, location-specific correction factor to apply to the pixel data for each pixel. Adapted pixel data may be supplied to each pixel in the display.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2012Publication date: February 13, 2014Inventors: Marc Albrecht, Ulrich Barnhoefer, Gabriel Marcu, Sandro H. Pintz
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Publication number: 20130328842Abstract: Automatic display brightness adjustments may be made by an electronic device based on ambient light sensor data. Proximity sensor data from a light-based proximity sensor, from nearby capacitive sensor electrodes in a touch screen, or from other proximity sensing components may be used to determine whether the ambient light sensor is being shadowed by a hand or other external object. Ambient light sensor data associated with blocked sensor conditions can be suppressed. A transient event filter may be used to remove spikes from ambient light sensor data. A display brightness baseline may be adaptively adjusted. Short changes in ambient light level may result in corresponding momentary adjustments to display brightness. Longer changes in ambient light level may be associated with persistent changes in the display brightness baseline.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2012Publication date: December 12, 2013Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Venu M. Duggineni, Clifford E. Russell
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Patent number: 8502768Abstract: A pulse-width modulated backlight control for a video display restarts the pulse-width modulated pulse train on occurrence of a video refresh pulse. In order to prevent an undesirable momentary increase in brightness in the event that the last pulse of the pre-refresh pulse train occurs too close to the first pulse of the post-refresh pulse train relative to the normal pulse interval, the width of the first pulse following refresh may be reduced from a first value determined by the desired brightness to a second value that bears the same proportion to the first value that the interval between the beginning of the previous pulse and the occurrence of the refresh pulse bore to the normal pulse interval. In that way, the duty cycle during the shortened pulse interval is the same as during a normal pulse interval, avoiding or minimizing perceptible increase in backlight brightness.Type: GrantFiled: June 19, 2012Date of Patent: August 6, 2013Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Wei Yao, Taesung Kim
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Publication number: 20120262506Abstract: A pulse-width modulated backlight control for a video display restarts the pulse-width modulated pulse train on occurrence of a video refresh pulse. In order to prevent an undesirable momentary increase in brightness in the event that the last pulse of the pre-refresh pulse train occurs too close to the first pulse of the post-refresh pulse train relative to the normal pulse interval, the width of the first pulse following refresh may be reduced from a first value determined by the desired brightness to a second value that bears the same proportion to the first value that the interval between the beginning of the previous pulse and the occurrence of the refresh pulse bore to the normal pulse interval. In that way, the duty cycle during the shortened pulse interval is the same as during a normal pulse interval, avoiding or minimizing perceptible increase in backlight brightness.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 19, 2012Publication date: October 18, 2012Applicant: APPLE INC.Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Wei Yao, Taesung Kim
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Patent number: 8217889Abstract: A pulse-width modulated backlight control for a video display restarts the pulse-width modulated pulse train on occurrence of a video refresh pulse. In order to prevent an undesirable momentary increase in brightness in the event that the last pulse of the pre-refresh pulse train occurs too close to the first pulse of the post-refresh pulse train relative to the normal pulse interval, the width of the first pulse following refresh may be reduced from a first value determined by the desired brightness to a second value that bears the same proportion to the first value that the interval between the beginning of the previous pulse and the occurrence of the refresh pulse bore to the normal pulse interval. In that way, the duty cycle during the shortened pulse interval is the same as during a normal pulse interval, avoiding or minimizing perceptible increase in backlight brightness.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2009Date of Patent: July 10, 2012Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Wei Yao, Taesung Kim
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Publication number: 20120019494Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus that can be used to operate a display device in an energy efficient manner. The energy efficient display device can effectively and efficiently compensate for changes in ambient light incident at a display screen of the display device using an internal ambient light sensor to provide control signals to a backlight driver.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 14, 2011Publication date: January 26, 2012Applicant: APPLE INC.Inventors: David W. Lum, Ulrich Barnhoefer, Nyok Khiam Lam, Paolo Sacchetto
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Publication number: 20110163976Abstract: Improved approaches to provide user interaction with a portable electronic device operating to in a particular mode, such as an e-reader mode, are disclosed. In one embodiment, the portable electronic device is a multi-function portable electronic device that can be configured differently based on a particular mode being used. Based on the mode of operation or application being used, the user inputs to the device can be characterized differently. Advantageously, with mode-based configurations, the portable electronic device can operate to make use of user interface controls in an efficient manner. The mode-based configuration can save power, increase efficiency, and/or speed up operation of the device.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2010Publication date: July 7, 2011Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Brett Gregory Alten
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Publication number: 20110163977Abstract: Improved ways to operate a portable electronic device in a mode-dependent manner are disclosed. In one embodiment, the portable electronic device is a multi-function portable electronic device that can be configured differently based on a particular mode being used. Advantageously, with mode-based configurations, the portable electronic device can operate efficiently and effectively in various different modes. The mode-based configurations can save power, increase efficiency, and/or speed up operation of the device.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2010Publication date: July 7, 2011Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Brett Gregory Alten
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Publication number: 20100117549Abstract: A pulse-width modulated backlight control for a video display restarts the pulse-width modulated pulse train on occurrence of a video refresh pulse. In order to prevent an undesirable momentary increase in brightness in the event that the last pulse of the pre-refresh pulse train occurs too close to the first pulse of the post-refresh pulse train relative to the normal pulse interval, the width of the first pulse following refresh may be reduced from a first value determined by the desired brightness to a second value that bears the same proportion to the first value that the interval between the beginning of the previous pulse and the occurrence of the refresh pulse bore to the normal pulse interval. In that way, the duty cycle during the shortened pulse interval is the same as during a normal pulse interval, avoiding or minimizing perceptible increase in backlight brightness.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2009Publication date: May 13, 2010Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Wei Yao, Taesung Kim