Patents by Inventor Wei-Liang Hsu

Wei-Liang Hsu 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: 11885959
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a display system with a pixel array and a catadioptric lens. The display system may include a linear polarizer through which image light from the pixel array passes and a first quarter wave plate through which the light passes after passing through the polarizer. The lens may include a partial mirror, a second quarter wave plate, and a reflective polarizer. A third quarter wave plate may be formed between the linear polarizer and the pixel array to mitigate ghost images. Control circuitry may predict potential ghost images based on the geometry of the lens and data from an image frame. Tone mapping circuitry may adjust contrast of the image frame within a region overlapping the predicted ghost image. The control circuitry may adjust luminance of the image frame outside of the region overlapping the predicted ghost image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wei-Liang Hsu, Sheng Zhang, Mark F. Flynn, Yury A. Petrov, Chaohao Wang
  • Publication number: 20230418377
    Abstract: A head-mounted device may have catadioptric lenses that each include a partial mirror, a quarter wave plate, and a polarizer. An optical system in the head-mounted device may have an infrared light-emitting device and an infrared light-sensing device. The optical system may illuminate a user's eyes in eye boxes and may gather measurements from the illuminated eye boxes for eye tracking and other functions. The optical system may operate through the catadioptric lenses. To enhance optical system performance, the polarizers may be wire grid polarizers that are formed from conductive lines that exhibit enhanced infrared transmission and/or the quarter wave plates may be formed from cholesteric liquid crystal layers that serve as quarter wave plates at visible wavelengths and that do not serve as quarter wave plates at infrared wavelengths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2023
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Yokoyama, John N. Border, Naoto Matsuyuki, Serhan O. Isikman, Wei-Liang Hsu
  • 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: 11809619
    Abstract: A head-mounted device may have catadioptric lenses that each include a partial mirror, a quarter wave plate, and a polarizer. An optical system in the head-mounted device may have an infrared light-emitting device and an infrared light-sensing device. The optical system may illuminate a user's eyes in eye boxes and may gather measurements from the illuminated eye boxes for eye tracking and other functions. The optical system may operate through the catadioptric lenses. To enhance optical system performance, the polarizers may be wire grid polarizers that are formed from conductive lines that exhibit enhanced infrared transmission and/or the quarter wave plates may be formed from cholesteric liquid crystal layers that serve as quarter wave plates at visible wavelengths and that do not serve as quarter wave plates at infrared wavelengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Yokoyama, John N. Border, Naoto Matsuyuki, Serhan O. Isikman, Wei-Liang Hsu
  • Publication number: 20230333390
    Abstract: A head-mounted display may include a display system and an optical system that are supported by a housing. The optical system may be a catadioptric optical system having one or more lens elements. In one example, the optical system includes a single lens element and a retarder that is coated on a curved surface of the lens element. The retarder may be coated on an aspheric concave surface of the lens element. In another example the retarder may be coated on an aspheric convex surface of the lens element. One or more components of the optical system may be formed using a direct printing technique. This may allow for one or more adhesive layers and one or more hard coatings to be omitted from the optical system. A lens element may be directly printed on the display system to improve alignment between the optical system and the display system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Ran He, Zuoqian Wang, Brent J. Bollman, Francois R. Jacob, Guanjun Tan, John N. Border, Serhan O. Isikman, Wei-Liang Hsu, Di Liu
  • Patent number: 11778856
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a support structure that supports a display and lenses. Each lens may be a reflective lens such as a catadioptric lens that receives polarized image light from the display and provides a corresponding image to an eye box. The display may be an emissive display with pixels that include light-emitting diodes. The light-emitting diodes may be overlapped by a light recycling layer such as a reflective polarizer or cholesteric liquid crystal layer. The light recycling layer recycles emitted light to enhance display efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Aleksandr N. Polyakov, Aditi G. Kanhere, Brandon E. Clarke, Cheng Chen, John N. Border, Nan Zhu, Rui Liu, Wei-Liang Hsu
  • Patent number: 11719936
    Abstract: A head-mounted display may include a display system and an optical system that are supported by a housing. The optical system may be a catadioptric optical system having one or more lens elements. In one example, the optical system includes a single lens element and a retarder that is coated on a curved surface of the lens element. The retarder may be coated on an aspheric concave surface of the lens element. In another example the retarder may be coated on an aspheric convex surface of the lens element. One or more components of the optical system may be formed using a direct printing technique. This may allow for one or more adhesive layers and one or more hard coatings to be omitted from the optical system. A lens element may be directly printed on the display system to improve alignment between the optical system and the display system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ran He, Zuoqian Wang, Brent J. Bollman, Francois R. Jacob, Guanjun Tan, John N. Border, Serhan O. Isikman, Wei-Liang Hsu, Di Liu
  • Publication number: 20230178526
    Abstract: Display structures and methods of manufacture of display structure including a display panel with a curved three-dimensional film contour are described. In an embodiment, a display panel includes display area with a main body area and a plurality of petals extending from the main body area. The petals are folded into a curved three-dimensional (3D) film contour, and are separated by corresponding trenches between petals. The trenches may be filled with various seam hiding materials to visually obscure the trenches.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Publication date: June 8, 2023
    Inventors: Xia Li, Tore Nauta, Gilbert Huppert, Dongwoo Shin, Hjalmar Edzer Ayco Huitema, Ruize Xu, Wei Lin, Nathan K. Gupta, Kian Kerman, Elmar Gehlen, Jin Yan, Se Hyun Ahn, Young Cheol Yang, Arnoldus Alvin Barlian, Ran He, Francois R. Jacob, Brent J. Bollman, Wei-Liang Hsu, Di Liu, Jonathan P. Mar
  • Publication number: 20210294105
    Abstract: A head-mounted display may include a display system and an optical system that are supported by a housing. The optical system may be a catadioptric optical system having one or more lens elements. In one example, the optical system includes a single lens element and a retarder that is coated on a curved surface of the lens element. The retarder may be coated on an aspheric concave surface of the lens element. In another example the retarder may be coated on an aspheric convex surface of the lens element. One or more components of the optical system may be formed using a direct printing technique. This may allow for one or more adhesive layers and one or more hard coatings to be omitted from the optical system. A lens element may be directly printed on the display system to improve alignment between the optical system and the display system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Inventors: Ran He, Zuoqian Wang, Brent J. Bollman, Francois R. Jacob, Guanjun Tan, John N. Border, Serhan O. Isikman, Wei-Liang Hsu, Di Liu
  • Patent number: 10901128
    Abstract: Compound dichroic polarizers (CDPs) include multiple component dichroic polarizers based on different dichroic dyes and oriented to have different eigenpolarization directions. The component dichroic polarizers can be fixed to each other or to a substrate such as an eyeglass lens. Selection of eigenpolarization orientation and spectrum in a CDP permits color encoding of different SOPs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: The Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona
    Inventors: Stanley Pau, Russell Chipman, Wei-Liang Hsu
  • Publication number: 20200365831
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a support structure that supports a display and lenses. Each lens may be a reflective lens such as a catadioptric lens that receives polarized image light from the display and provides a corresponding image to an eye box. The display may be an emissive display with pixels that include light-emitting diodes. The light-emitting diodes may be overlapped by a light recycling layer such as a reflective polarizer or cholesteric liquid crystal layer. The light recycling layer recycles emitted light to enhance display efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Inventors: Aleksandr N. Polyakov, Aditi G. Kanhere, Brandon E. Clarke, Cheng Chen, John N. Border, Nan Zhu, Rui Liu, Wei-Liang Hsu
  • Patent number: 10718889
    Abstract: Exemplary thin-film optical devices have first and second layer groups disposed as a layer stack on a substrate. The first layer group comprises a first PPN layer, a first LCP layer, and a first barrier layer all superposed. The second layer group is superposed relative to the first layer group, and includes a second PPN layer, a second LCP layer, and a second barrier layer all superposed. The first and second layer groups cooperate to polarize multiple wavelengths of an incident light flux in a broadband and/or wide-angle manner Each of the layer groups has an alignment layer, a respective liquid-crystal polymer layer, and a barrier layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: The Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona
    Inventors: Stanley Pau, Wei-Liang Hsu
  • Patent number: 10677641
    Abstract: An examination method comprises: generating a received audio signal according to sound generated from rotation of the fan by an audio receiving device; performing Fourier transform on the received audio signal to obtain a reference frequency domain signal; recognizing a plurality of characteristic bands according to the reference frequency domain signal; adjusting the received audio signal according to the characteristic bands respectively to form a plurality of casting audio signals corresponding to frequency components in the characteristic bands respectively; playing the casting signals sequentially by an audio casting device; and recognizing at least one key band among the characteristic bands according to the transmission rate of the hard drive upon playing the casting signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignees: INVENTEC (PUDONG) TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION, INVENTEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yu-Hsien Huang, Tung-Lin Tsai, Wei-Liang Hsu
  • Publication number: 20200025990
    Abstract: Exemplary thin-film optical devices have first and second layer groups disposed as a layer stack on a substrate. The first layer group comprises a first PPN layer, a first LCP layer, and a first barrier layer all superposed. The second layer group is superposed relative to the first layer group, and includes a second PPN layer, a second LCP layer, and a second barrier layer all superposed. The first and second layer groups cooperate to polarize multiple wavelengths of an incident light flux in a broadband and/or wide-angle manner Each of the layer groups has an alignment layer, a respective liquid-crystal polymer layer, and a barrier layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Applicant: The Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona
    Inventors: Stanley Pau, Wei-Liang Hsu
  • Publication number: 20190154496
    Abstract: An examination method comprises: generating a received audio signal according to sound generated from rotation of the fan by an audio receiving device; performing Fourier transform on the received audio signal to obtain a reference frequency domain signal; recognizing a plurality of characteristic bands according to the reference frequency domain signal; adjusting the received audio signal according to the characteristic bands respectively to form a plurality of casting audio signals corresponding to frequency components in the characteristic bands respectively; playing the casting signals sequentially by an audio casting device; and recognizing at least one key band among the characteristic bands according to the transmission rate of the hard drive upon playing the casting signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2018
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Applicants: INVENTEC (PUDONG) TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION, INVENTEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yu-Hsien HUANG, Tung-Lin TSAI, Wei-Liang HSU
  • Patent number: 10254453
    Abstract: Exemplary thin-film optical devices have first and second layer groups disposed as a layer stack on a substrate. The first layer group comprises a first PPN layer, a first LCP layer, and a first barrier layer all superposed. The second layer group is superposed relative to the first layer group, and includes a second PPN layer, a second LCP layer, and a second barrier layer all superposed. The first and second layer groups cooperate to polarize multiple wavelengths of an incident light flux in a broadband and/or wide-angle manner. Each of the layer groups has an alignment layer, a respective liquid-crystal polymer layer, and a barrier layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona
    Inventors: Stanley Pau, Wei-Liang Hsu
  • Publication number: 20180188429
    Abstract: Compound dichroic polarizers (CDPs) include multiple component dichroic polarizers based on different dichroic dyes and oriented to have different eigenpolarization directions. The component dichroic polarizers can be fixed to each other or to a substrate such as an eyeglass lens. Selection of eigenpolarization orientation and spectrum in a CDP permits color encoding of different SOPs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Publication date: July 5, 2018
    Applicant: The Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona
    Inventors: Stanley Pau, Russell Chipman, Wei-Liang Hsu
  • Patent number: 9671538
    Abstract: A linear photopolymerizable polymer (LPP) layer is situated to align liquid crystal molecules in a cholesteric liquid crystal polymer (Ch-LCP) layer situated at or on the LPP layers. The Ch-LCP layer includes a patterned area and an unpatterned area. The patterned area and the un-patterned area have different optical properties. The Ch-LCP layer can be tuned to transmit light of a desired frequency and handedness. Single and multiple-layered LPP/Ch-LCP and/or LPP/LCP structures can be provided as patterned polarizers, patterned retarders and other devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona
    Inventors: Stanley Pau, Wei-Liang Hsu
  • Publication number: 20160170110
    Abstract: Exemplary thin-film optical devices have first and second layer groups disposed as a layer stack on a substrate. The first layer group comprises a first PPN layer, a first LCP layer, and a first barrier layer all superposed. The second layer group is superposed relative to the first layer group, and includes a second PPN layer, a second LCP layer, and a second barrier layer all superposed. The first and second layer groups cooperate to polarize multiple wavelengths of an incident light flux in a broadband and/or wide-angle manner. Each of the layer groups has an alignment layer, a respective liquid-crystal polymer layer, and a barrier layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2015
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Applicant: The Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona
    Inventors: Stanley Pau, Wei-Liang Hsu
  • Publication number: 20150301249
    Abstract: A linear photopolymerizable polymer (LPP) layer is situated to align liquid crystal molecules in a cholesteric liquid crystal polymer (Ch-LCP) layer situated at or on the LPP layers. The Ch-LCP layer includes a patterned area and an unpatterned area. The patterned area and the un-patterned area have different optical properties. The Ch-LCP layer can be tuned to transmit light of a desired frequency and handedness. Single and multiple-layered LPP/Ch-LCP and/or LPP/LCP structures can be provided as patterned polarizers, patterned retarders and other devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2013
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Inventors: Stanley Pau, Wei-Liang Hsu