Patents by Inventor Wei H. Yao

Wei H. Yao 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: 20200335040
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a display having multiple regions of pixels. Each pixel includes a diode that emits light based on an amount of current through the diode and a transistor that controls the amount of current flowing through the diode. The electronic device includes driver-integrated circuitry that reduces hysteresis in a first transistor of a first pixel of a region of pixels, settles a threshold voltage of the first transistor, applies a test voltage to the first transistor, and senses a current across the first transistor. The electronic device includes processing circuitry that determines a predetermined voltage based on the current and a predetermined current-voltage relationship determined at an initial temperature, determines a voltage difference between the test voltage and the predetermined voltage, and applies the predetermined voltage and the voltage difference to a second transistor of a second pixel of the region of pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Inventors: Hyunwoo Nho, Myungjoon Choi, Hyunsoo Kim, Mohammad Ali Jangda, Jie Won Ryu, Shiping Shen, Kingsuk Brahma, Chaohao Wang, Wei H. Yao, Alex H. Pai
  • Publication number: 20200335047
    Abstract: A display may have a pixel array such as a liquid crystal pixel array. The pixel array may be illuminated by a backlight unit that includes an array of light-emitting diodes. A backlight brightness selection circuit may select brightness values for the light-emitting diodes. The backlight brightness selection circuit may select the brightness values based on image data, based on brightness values used in previous image frames, based on device information, and/or based on sensor information. The backlight brightness selection circuit may select the backlight brightness levels to mitigate visible artifacts such as flickering and halo. The backlight levels selected by the backlight brightness selection may be modified by a power consumption compensation circuit. The power consumption compensation circuit may estimate the amount of power consumption required to operate the backlight using the target brightness levels and may modify the target brightness levels to meet maximum power consumption requirements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Inventors: Duane M. Petrovich, Sean C. Chang, Tobias Jung, Pierre-Yves Emelie, Marc Albrecht, Chen Zheng, Andrei E. Toma, Kevin W. Sliech, Mingxia Gu, Wei H. Yao
  • Publication number: 20200302871
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a display having an active array and a reference array. The active array includes a pixel and the reference array includes a reference pixel. The electronic device also includes processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the display. The processing circuitry is configured to instruct the active array to drive the pixel based at least in part on a set of degradation ratios and gamma tap points for each brightness setting of the display based at least in part on a reconstructed current-voltage curve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: Sheng Zhang, Chih-Wei Yeh, Yunhui Hou, Chaohao Wang, Wei H. Yao, Paolo Sacchetto, Derek K. Shaeffer, Henry C. Jen, Shingo Hatanaka, Hasan Akyol, Mahdi Farrokh Baroughi, Hopil Bae
  • Patent number: 10762836
    Abstract: An electronic display row drivers or column drivers that send reference currents or voltages to microdrivers to be used to drive micropixels to particular levels. The microdrivers, in turn, ship current to micropixels that display images based at least in part on the shipped current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hopil Bae, Wei H. Yao, Mohammad B. Vahid Far, Yafei Bi, Xiaofeng Wang, Thomas Charisoulis, Hasan Akyol, Henry C. Jen, Derek K. Shaeffer
  • Patent number: 10739882
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a display. The display may be formed by an array of light-emitting diodes mounted to the surface of a substrate. The substrate may be a silicon substrate. Circuitry may be located in spaces between the light-emitting diodes. Circuitry may also be located on the rear surface of the silicon substrate and may be coupled to the array of light-emitting diodes using through-silicon vias. The circuitry may include integrated circuits and other components that are attached to the substrate and may include transistors and other circuitry formed within the silicon substrate. Touch sensor electrodes, light sensors, and other components may be located in the spaces between the light-emitting diodes. The substrate may be formed from a transparent material that allows image light to reach a lens and image sensor mounted below the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wei Chen, Steven P. Hotelling, John Z. Zhong, William C. Athas, Wei H. Yao
  • Patent number: 10714011
    Abstract: A mobile electronic device includes a display having an active array and a reference array. The active array includes a pixel and the reference array includes a reference pixel. The mobile electronic device also includes processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the display. The processing circuitry is configured to instruct the active array to drive the pixel based at least in part on a current-voltage relationship of the pixel and a reference current-voltage relationship of the reference pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sheng Zhang, Chih-Wei Yeh, Yunhui Hou, Chaohao Wang, Wei H. Yao, Paolo Sacchetto, Derek K. Shaeffer, Henry C. Jen, Shingo Hatanaka, Hasan Akyol, Mahdi Farrokh Baroughi, Hopil Bae
  • Patent number: 10672320
    Abstract: A display device may include a processor that may receive image data, such that the image data may include gray level data and display brightness value (DBV) data for a first pixel of a display. The processor may then determine a gain compensation factor associated with the first pixel based on a correction spatial map, a brightness adaptation lookup table (LUT), the gray level data, and the DBV data. The processor may then determine an offset compensation factor associated with the first pixel based on the correction spatial map, the brightness adaptation lookup table (LUT), the gray level data, and the DBV data. The processor may generate compensated gray level data by applying the gain compensation factor and the offset compensation factor to the gray level data and transmit the compensated gray level data to pixel driving circuitry associated with the first pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hung Sheng Lin, Soojin Park, Bhadrinarayana L. Visweswaran, Chieh-Wei Chen, Anshi Liang, Marc Albrecht, Pierre-Yves Emelie, Sean C. Chang, Hyunwoo Nho, Mohammad Hajirostam, Myung-Je Cho, Shengkui Gao, Wei H. Yao, Yafei Bi
  • Patent number: 10650741
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a display having a reference array that includes a first pixel. The display also includes a first emission power supply coupled to the first pixel. The display further includes an active array having a second pixel. The display also includes a second emission power supply coupled to the second pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sheng Zhang, Chengrui Le, Hopil Bae, Mahdi Farrokh Baroughi, David W. Lum, Adam Adjiwibawa, Chaohao Wang, Paolo Sacchetto, Wei H. Yao, Enkhamgalan Dorjgotov, Michael Slootsky, Giovanni Carbone, Derek K. Shaeffer, Henry C. Jen, Shingo Hatanaka, Hasan Akyol
  • Patent number: 10643549
    Abstract: A display may have a pixel array such as a liquid crystal pixel array. The pixel array may be illuminated by a backlight unit that includes an array of light-emitting diodes. A backlight brightness selection circuit may select brightness values for the light-emitting diodes. The backlight brightness selection circuit may select the brightness values based on image data, based on brightness values used in previous image frames, based on device information, and/or based on sensor information. The backlight brightness selection circuit may select the backlight brightness levels to mitigate visible artifacts such as flickering and halo. The backlight levels selected by the backlight brightness selection may be modified by a power consumption compensation circuit. The power consumption compensation circuit may estimate the amount of power consumption required to operate the backlight using the target brightness levels and may modify the target brightness levels to meet maximum power consumption requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Tobias Jung, Marc Albrecht, Duane M. Petrovich, Sean C. Chang, David S. Zalatimo, Pierre-Yves Emelie, Manev Luthra, Chengrui Le, Lingyu Hong, Wei H. Yao
  • Patent number: 10643511
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a flexible display such as an organic light-emitting diode display. A strain sensing resistor may be formed on a bent tail portion of the flexible display to gather strain measurements. Resistance measurement circuitry in a display driver integrated circuit may make resistance measurements on the strain sensing resistor and a temperature compensation resistor to measure strain. A crack detection line may be formed from an elongated pair of traces that are coupled at their ends to form a loop. The crack detection line may run along a peripheral edge of the flexible display. Crack detection circuitry may monitor the resistance of the crack detection line to detect cracks. The crack detection circuitry may include switches that adjust the length of the crack detection line and thereby allow resistances to be measured for different segments of the line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Rui Zhang, Mohammad Hajirostam, Hung Sheng Lin, Mohammad B. Vahid Far, Sang Y. Youn, Zhen Zhang, Prashant Mandlik, Sun-Il Chang, Jie Won Ryu, Shengkui Gao, Hyunwoo Nho, Wei H. Yao, Yafei Bi, Yun Wang
  • Patent number: 10636355
    Abstract: An electronic device includes processors that generate image data. The electronic device also includes an electronic display that displays the image data over a first frame duration by programming a first row of display pixels with the image data. The electronic display also displays the image data over the first frame duration by causing the first row of display pixels to emit light for an emission duration that is based at least in part on a first luminance of the image data. The electronic display further displays the image data over the first frame duration by resetting the first row of pixels at least two times before an end of the first frame duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hung Sheng Lin, Mohammad Ali Jangda, Injae Hwang, Rui Zhang, Shengkui Gao, Hyunwoo Nho, Wei H. Yao, Mohammad Hajirostam
  • Patent number: 10573209
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a display panel with pixels arranged in at least one row and at least one column. The electronic device also includes a sensing channel coupled to the at least one column. The sensing channel indirectly calculates a threshold voltage of the plurality of pixels based on an application of a first current level and a second current level to a data line of a first column of the at least one column of the pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yafei Bi, Xiaofeng Wang, Haifeng Li, Mohammad B. Vahid Far, Hopil Bae, Hung Shen Lin, Hyunwoo Nho, Wei H. Yao
  • Patent number: 10571744
    Abstract: A display may have a pixel array such as a liquid crystal pixel array. The pixel array may be illuminated by a backlight unit that includes an array of light-emitting diodes. A backlight brightness selection circuit may select brightness values for the light-emitting diodes. The backlight brightness selection circuit may select the brightness values based on image data, based on brightness values used in previous image frames, based on device information, and/or based on sensor information. The backlight brightness selection circuit may select the backlight brightness levels to mitigate visible artifacts such as flickering and halo. The backlight levels selected by the backlight brightness selection may be modified by a power consumption compensation circuit. The power consumption compensation circuit may estimate the amount of power consumption required to operate the backlight using the target brightness levels and may modify the target brightness levels to meet maximum power consumption requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sean C. Chang, Tobias Jung, Marc Albrecht, Abdeslam Hafidi, Jun Qi, Duane M. Petrovich, Mingxia Gu, Xiang Fang, Pierre-Yves Emelie, Wei H Yao
  • Patent number: 10529053
    Abstract: A display device may include a display having a pixels and a processor. The processor may receive image data, determine a digital offset value for a pixel based on a location of the pixel, such that the digital offset value compensates for one or more non-uniformity properties of the pixel. The processor may determine a scale factor associated with the pixel based on at least two of a luminance setting for the display, a driving mode of the display, and a gray level value for the pixel. The processor may then generate correction image data by applying the scale factor to the digital offset value, generate compensated image data based on the correction image data and the image data, and provide the compensated image data to the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Shengkui Gao, Hung Sheng Lin, Hyunsoo Kim, Hyunwoo Nho, Katherine W. Song, Mohammad Hajirostam, Myung-Je Cho, Rui Zhang, Sang Y. Youn, Wei H. Yao, Yafei Bi
  • Publication number: 20200005716
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods that may reduce a reduction in visual artifacts related to hysteresis of a light emitting diode (LED) electronic display. In one example, an electronic device may include a controller. The controller is may provide a signal to a pixel of a display of the electronic device while at least a portion of the display is turned off. The signal may include a first current and a second current. The first current may be designed to increase an ambient temperature corresponding to the pixel. The second current may be generated as part of an active panel conditioning operation. By applying the first current and the second current, hysteresis settling times from the pixel may improve, therefore improving speeds of sensing and compensation operations of the electronic device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventors: Junhua Tan, Kingsuk Brahma, Jie Won Ryu, Shengkui Gao, Shiping Shen, Majid Gharghi, Hyunwoo Nho, Injae Hwang, Kavinaath Murugan, Sun-Il Chang, Chin Wei Lin, Hyunsoo Kim, Rui Zhang, Jesse Aaron Richmond, Yun Wang, Hung Sheng Lin, Alex H. Pai, Chaohao Wang, Wei H. Yao
  • Patent number: 10522084
    Abstract: A display device may include a display having a plurality of pixels. The display device may also include a replica pixel circuit having a switching device configured to output a first current based on a received voltage, a light-emitting diode (LED) configured to illuminate to a first gray level based on the first current output by the switching device, and current mirror circuitry configured to generate a second current that mirrors the first current. In addition, the replica pixel circuit may include a current source configured to output a reference current based on a voltage value that corresponds to the received voltage, comparator circuitry configured to determine a difference between the second current and the reference current, and voltage adjustment circuitry configured to adjust a source voltage output provided to the plurality of pixels based on the difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sheng Zhang, Chaohao Wang, Paolo Sacchetto, Paul S. Drzaic, Wei Chen, Wei H. Yao
  • Patent number: 10504453
    Abstract: A display may have a pixel array such as a liquid crystal pixel array. The pixel array may be illuminated by a backlight unit that includes an array of light-emitting diodes. A backlight brightness selection circuit may select brightness values for the light-emitting diodes. The backlight brightness selection circuit may select the brightness values based on image data, based on brightness values used in previous image frames, based on device information, and/or based on sensor information. The backlight brightness selection circuit may select the backlight brightness levels to mitigate visible artifacts such as flickering and halo. The backlight levels selected by the backlight brightness selection may be modified by a power consumption compensation circuit. The power consumption compensation circuit may estimate the amount of power consumption required to operate the backlight using the target brightness levels and may modify the target brightness levels to meet maximum power consumption requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Tobias Jung, Marc Albrecht, Duane M. Petrovich, Sean C. Chang, David S. Zalatimo, Pierre-Yves Emelie, Manev Luthra, Chengrui Le, Lingyu Hong, Wei H. Yao
  • Patent number: 10460642
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices are provided to reduce noise present in sensing circuits used for calibrating light emitting diodes (e.g., organic light emitting diodes) in electronic display devices. Such a system may include a display that renders image data using self-emissive pixels. Values on the pixels may be sensed using a current source that outputs a current and a comparator that receives the current. The comparator changes states when a voltage signal output by the capacitor crosses a first threshold voltage or a second threshold voltage. A controller receives a first time when the comparator component changes states based on the voltage signal, receives a second time when the comparator component changes states based on the voltage signal, determines a current value based on the first time and the second time, and calibrates a pixel based on the current value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hung Sheng Lin, Jiayi Jin, Wei H. Yao, Hyunwoo Nho, Guangmao Xing, Weijun Yao, Xiaofeng Wang, Yafei Bi, Haifeng Li
  • Patent number: 10417971
    Abstract: An electronic device includes processors that generate image data. The electronic device also includes an electronic display that displays the image data over a first frame duration by programming a first row of display pixels with the image data. The electronic display also displays the image data over the first frame duration by causing the first row of display pixels to emit light for an emission duration that is based at least in part on a first luminance of the image data. The electronic display further displays the image data over the first frame duration by resetting the first row of pixels before an end of the first frame duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hung Sheng Lin, Mohammad Ali Jangda, Injae Hwang, Rui Zhang, Shengkui Gao, Hyunwoo Nho, Wei H. Yao, Mohammad Hajirostam
  • Publication number: 20190279552
    Abstract: A display device may include a plurality of pixels that may display image data on a display. The display device may also include a circuit that may receive pixel data including a gray level for at least one pixel of the plurality of pixels. The circuit may then receive an emission clock signal using a clock circuit based on the pixel data, such that the emission clock signal may cause the at least one pixel to receive a current for an amount of time based on the gray level. The circuit may then gate off the clock circuit after the amount of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventors: Derek K. Shaeffer, Hopil Bae, Yafei Bi, Wei H. Yao, Xiaofeng Wang