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).

  • Patent number: 9330606
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Venu M. Duggineni, Clifford E. Russell
  • Patent number: 9275607
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Marc Albrecht, Ulrich Barnhoefer, Gabriel Marcu, Sandro H. Pintz, Keith Cox
  • Patent number: 8970468
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Marc Albrecht, Ulrich Barnhoefer, Gabriel Marcu, Sandro H. Pintz
  • Patent number: 8866791
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Brett Gregory Alten
  • Publication number: 20140139571
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Marc Albrecht, Ulrich Barnhoefer, Gabriel Marcu, Sandro H. Pintz
  • Publication number: 20140139570
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Marc Albrecht, Ulrich Barnhoefer, Gabriel Marcu, Sandro H. Pintz, Keith Cox
  • Publication number: 20140043369
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2012
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Inventors: Marc Albrecht, Ulrich Barnhoefer, Gabriel Marcu, Sandro H. Pintz
  • Publication number: 20130328842
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Venu M. Duggineni, Clifford E. Russell
  • Patent number: 8502768
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Wei Yao, Taesung Kim
  • Publication number: 20120262506
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Wei Yao, Taesung Kim
  • Patent number: 8217889
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Wei Yao, Taesung Kim
  • Publication number: 20120019494
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: David W. Lum, Ulrich Barnhoefer, Nyok Khiam Lam, Paolo Sacchetto
  • Publication number: 20110163976
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Brett Gregory Alten
  • Publication number: 20110163977
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Brett Gregory Alten
  • Publication number: 20100117549
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ulrich Barnhoefer, Wei Yao, Taesung Kim