Patents by Inventor Weijun Yao

Weijun 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).

  • Patent number: 10437385
    Abstract: Electrode configurations for reducing wobble error for a stylus translating on a surface over and between electrodes of a touch sensor panel are disclosed. In some examples, electrodes associated with a more linear signal profile are correlated with lower wobble error. In some examples, electrodes can have projections which can interleave with projections of adjacent electrodes. In some configurations, projections of adjacent electrodes can be interleaved in one-dimension; in other configurations, projections of adjacent electrodes can be interleaved in two-dimensions. In some configurations, the width and length of one or more projections in an electrode can be selected based on a desired signal profile for that electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kanke Gao, Wei Hsin Yao, Yingxuan Li, Weijun Yao
  • Patent number: 10386962
    Abstract: A touch screen is disclosed. The touch screen comprises a first touch node electrode associated with a first display pixel, the first display pixel coupled to a first gate line. The touch screen also comprises a second touch node electrode associated with a second display pixel, the second display pixel coupled to a second gate line. The touch screen also comprises a voltage source coupled to a first gate line routing and a second gate line routing, wherein the first gate line is coupled to the first gate line routing, and the second gate line is coupled to the second gate line routing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jiayi Jin, Ruo-Gu Huang, Wei Hsin Yao, Weijun Yao
  • Publication number: 20190221177
    Abstract: A display may have curved edges such as rounded corners. Pixels in the display may be controlled so that the active area of the display has the desired curved edge shape. In order to maximize the apparent smoothness of the curved edge, the display may include circuitry that dims some of the pixels based on their location relative to a spline for the curved edge. The display circuitry may include a multiplication circuit that receives image data as a first input and dimming factors from a gain table as a second input. The image data may include a brightness level for each pixel in the array of pixels. The multiplication circuit may multiply the brightness level for each pixel by its respective dimming factor. This modified image data may then be supplied to the imaging pixels using display driver circuitry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Inventors: Jiayi Jin, Myung-Je Cho, Paolo Sacchetto, Weijun Yao
  • Patent number: 10283062
    Abstract: A display may have curved edges such as rounded corners. Pixels in the display may be controlled so that the active area of the display has the desired curved edge shape. In order to maximize the apparent smoothness of the curved edge, the display may include circuitry that dims some of the pixels based on their location relative to a spline for the curved edge. The display circuitry may include a multiplication circuit that receives image data as a first input and dimming factors from a gain table as a second input. The image data may include a brightness level for each pixel in the array of pixels. The multiplication circuit may multiply the brightness level for each pixel by its respective dimming factor. This modified image data may then be supplied to the imaging pixels using display driver circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jiayi Jin, Myung-Je Cho, Paolo Sacchetto, Weijun Yao
  • Patent number: 10277119
    Abstract: A charge pump that can be configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode is disclosed. The charge pump can comprise a charging capacitor coupled to a first node and configured to transfer a first DC voltage to the first node. The charge pump can also comprise a first output node and a second output node coupled to the first node. During the first mode, the first output node can be configured to output a second DC voltage based on the first DC voltage, and the second output node can be configured to output a third DC voltage based on the first DC voltage. During the second mode, the first output node can be configured to output the second DC voltage, and the second output node can be configured to output an AC voltage, the AC voltage being offset by the third DC voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Weijun Yao, David A. Stronks, Hopil Bae, Kingsuk Brahma, Wei Hsin Yao, Yafei Bi, Yingxuan Li
  • Publication number: 20190087051
    Abstract: A self-capacitive touch sensor panel configured to have a portion of both the touch and display functionality integrated into a common layer is provided. The touch sensor panel includes a layer with circuit elements that can switchably operate as both touch circuitry and display circuitry such that during a touch mode of the device the circuit elements operate as touch circuitry and during a display mode of the device the circuit elements operate as display circuitry. The touch mode and display mode can be time multiplexed. By integrating the touch hardware and display hardware into common layers, savings in power, weight and thickness of the device can be realized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Publication date: March 21, 2019
    Inventors: Weijun YAO, Wei Hsin YAO, Yingxuan LI, Bingrui YANG, Marduke YOUSEFPOR, Abbas JAMSHIDI-ROUDBARI, Ahmad AL-DAHLE
  • Publication number: 20190057633
    Abstract: A method of adjusting a test gray voltages applied to a component of an electronic display during a test frame between image frames, wherein the adjustment is based at least in part on the control signal to the component during a prior image frame. The method may reduce hysteresis effects on the extraction of sensed currents of the component during the test frame, which may increase the accuracy and/or consistency of determined parameters evaluated from the sensed currents. The determined parameters may include temperature and/or aging of the component. The determined parameters may be used to adjust control signals for the component and other components in a region near the component during the next image frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Publication date: February 21, 2019
    Inventors: Yongjun Li, Jiayi Jin, Maofeng Yang, Jun Li, Weijun Yao, Derek K. Shaeffer, Baris Cagdaser
  • Patent number: 10209813
    Abstract: A self-capacitive touch sensor panel configured to have a portion of both the touch and display functionality integrated into a common layer is provided. The touch sensor panel includes a layer with circuit elements that can switchably operate as both touch circuitry and display circuitry such that during a touch mode of the device the circuit elements operate as touch circuitry and during a display mode of the device the circuit elements operate as display circuitry. The touch mode and display mode can be time multiplexed. By integrating the touch hardware and display hardware into common layers, savings in power, weight and thickness of the device can be realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Weijun Yao, Wei Hsin Yao, Yingxuan Li, Bingrui Yang, Marduke Yousefpor, Abbas Jamshidi-Roudbari, Ahmad Al-Dahle
  • Publication number: 20190027114
    Abstract: In situations with reduced image changes, display panels, such as the ones disclosed herein, may reduce their power consumption by performing self-refresh cycles, in which they may display locally stored data in the display panel instead of retrieving it from an image buffer. Methods and circuitry for management of the self-refresh cycle may reduce jitter, luminance errors, and/or flickers that may be caused by untimely self-refresh cycles that may occur as a result of latency in the image buffer. In some implementations, the display panel may have a dedicated low latency input that notifies an arrival of an incoming image. In some implementations, the self-refresh cycles of the panel may be managed by a host or a buffer that is responsible for sending the images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Yue Jack Chu, Christopher P. Tann, Arthur L. Spence, Brad W. Simeral, Yafei Bi, Jiayi Jin, Ruo-Gu Huang, Haifeng Li, Weijun Yao, Chaohao Wang
  • Patent number: 10134349
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to electronic devices with displays. A display may include an array of display pixels and control circuitry for operating the display. In some scenarios, interference signals from other components of the electronic device or additional external devices can couple to the control circuitry for the display and cause distortions in displayed data. Display frames may be displayed by an electronic device display with a varying phase. The varying phase display frames may each include a distortion pattern that also varies from frame to frame due to the varying phase. The varying distortion patterns may average out or visibly cancel when viewed by a user such that no visible artifact of the interference signal is seen by the user. The varying phase can be actively tuned to the interference signal if desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Rui Zhang, Guangmao Xing, Paolo Sacchetto, Marc Joseph Devincentis, Anshi Liang, Weijun Yao, Sang Y. Youn, Hyunwoo Nho
  • Publication number: 20180308413
    Abstract: A display may have curved edges such as rounded corners. Pixels in the display may be controlled so that the active area of the display has the desired curved edge shape. In order to maximize the apparent smoothness of the curved edge, the display may include circuitry that dims some of the pixels based on their location relative to a spline for the curved edge. The display circuitry may include a multiplication circuit that receives image data as a first input and dimming factors from a gain table as a second input. The image data may include a brightness level for each pixel in the array of pixels. The multiplication circuit may multiply the brightness level for each pixel by its respective dimming factor. This modified image data may then be supplied to the imaging pixels using display driver circuitry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2017
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Inventors: Jiayi Jin, Myung-Je Cho, Paolo Sacchetto, Weijun Yao
  • Publication number: 20180275824
    Abstract: A touch sensor panel is disclosed. In some examples, the touch sensor panel comprises a plurality of touch node electrodes. In some examples, the touch sensor panel comprises a touch controller configured to drive and sense the plurality of touch node electrodes in a fully bootstrapped configuration to obtain a fully bootstrapped touch image, drive and sense the plurality of touch node electrodes in a second configuration, different from the fully bootstrapped configuration, to obtain a second touch image, the second touch image including an effect of water on the touch sensor panel, and determine a final touch image based on the fully bootstrapped touch image and the second touch image, the final touch image not including the effect of the water on the touch sensor panel. In some examples, the second configuration comprises a mutual capacitance configuration. In some examples, the second configuration comprises a partially bootstrapped configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Inventors: Yingxuan LI, Weijun YAO, Vivek PANT, Martin Paul GRUNTHANER, Marduke YOUSEFPOR, Sumant RANGANATHAN
  • Patent number: 10043469
    Abstract: Systems and method of performing touch and force sensing in an electronic device. The device includes a cover and an array of touch-sensor electrodes disposed below the cover. The first array of electrodes may be configured to sense a touch on the cover using a capacitive sensing scheme. The device also includes a force-sensor drive electrode disposed below the first array of electrodes and a force-sensor sense electrode disposed below the force-sensor drive electrode. The force-sensor drive and sense electrode may be configured to sense a force on the cover. The device also includes a shared drive circuit having an output that is operatively coupled to the array of touch-sensor electrodes and the force-sensor drive electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ahmad Al-Dahle, Yingxuan Li, Marduke Yousefpor, Weijun Yao
  • Patent number: 10008172
    Abstract: Devices and methods for reducing or eliminating image artifacts are provided. By way of example, a display panel includes a pixels including pixel electrodes configured to receive an image data signal, and common electrodes (VCOMs) configured to receive a common voltage signal. The display panel includes a source driver, which includes a first digital to analog converter (DAC) configured to generate a gamma voltage signal to provide a first adjustment to the image data signal, and a second DAC configured to generate an error correction voltage signal to provide a second adjustment to the image data signal. The second adjustment is configured to adjust the image data signal to compensate for an operational characteristic difference between row pixels and column pixels of the display panel. The source driver includes an output buffer to supply the image data signal to the pixel electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Yingxuan Li, Weijun Yao, Wei H. Yao, Kingsuk Brahma, Hyunwoo Nho
  • Publication number: 20180158386
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to electronic devices with displays. A display may include an array of display pixels and control circuitry for operating the display. In some scenarios, interference signals from other components of the electronic device or additional external devices can couple to the control circuitry for the display and cause distortions in displayed data. Display frames may be displayed by an electronic device display with a varying phase. The varying phase display frames may each include a distortion pattern that also varies from frame to frame due to the varying phase. The varying distortion patterns may average out or visibly cancel when viewed by a user such that no visible artifact of the interference signal is seen by the user. The varying phase can be actively tuned to the interference signal if desired.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Inventors: Rui ZHANG, Guangmao XING, Paolo SACCHETTO, Marc Joseph DEVINCENTIS, Anshi LIANG, Weijun YAO, Sang Y. YOUN, Hyunwoo NHO
  • Patent number: 9965108
    Abstract: A touch controller. The touch controller can include first sense circuitry configured to be coupled to a first electrode on a touch sensor panel, the first sense circuitry configured to sense a first self-capacitance associated with the first electrode, and a first mutual capacitance associated with the first electrode. In some examples, the first sense circuitry can be configured to sense the first self-capacitance and the first mutual capacitance simultaneously. In some examples, the touch controller can further include a first mixer and a second mixer coupled to the first sense circuitry, the first mixer configured to demodulate a first output from the first sense circuitry to extract information about the first self-capacitance from the first output, the second mixer configured to demodulate the first output from the first sense circuitry to extract information about the first mutual capacitance from the first output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yingxuan Li, Weijun Yao, Hyunwoo Henry Nho, Wei Hsin Yao
  • Patent number: 9933879
    Abstract: A touch sensor panel configured to switch between a mutual capacitance touch sensing architecture and a self-capacitance touch sensing architecture is provided. The touch sensor panel includes circuitry that can switch the configuration of touch electrodes to act as either drive lines in a mutual capacitance configuration or as sense electrodes in a self-capacitance configuration. The touch sensor panel also includes circuitry that can switch the configuration of touch electrodes to act as either sense lines in a mutual capacitance configuration or as sense electrode in a self-capacitance configuration. By splitting a self-capacitance touch mode into a drive line self-capacitive mode and sense line self-capacitive mode, the touch sensor panel is able to reuse components thus requiring less space, weight and power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Weijun Yao, Kingsuk Brahma, Taif A. Syed
  • Publication number: 20180090074
    Abstract: Electronic devices, storage medium containing instructions, and methods pertain to determining a target boosted threshold voltage level based at least in part on a target emission threshold voltage level. Using the determined target boosted threshold voltage level, a light emitting diode (LED)-controlling transistor is submitted to voltage stress to boost a threshold voltage of the transistor to the target boosted threshold voltage level during a first portion of a refresh period between first and second emission periods. During a second portion of the refresh period, the voltage stress is de-asserted to settle the threshold voltage to a target emission threshold voltage level for the second emission period. After the voltage is settled, the LED-controlling transistor is driven based at least in part on the target emission threshold voltage level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: Jiayi Jin, Paolo Sacchetto, Maofeng Yang, Weijun Yao
  • Publication number: 20180062508
    Abstract: A charge pump that can be configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode is disclosed. The charge pump can comprise a charging capacitor coupled to a first node and configured to transfer a first DC voltage to the first node. The charge pump can also comprise a first output node and a second output node coupled to the first node. During the first mode, the first output node can be configured to output a second DC voltage based on the first DC voltage, and the second output node can be configured to output a third DC voltage based on the first DC voltage. During the second mode, the first output node can be configured to output the second DC voltage, and the second output node can be configured to output an AC voltage, the AC voltage being offset by the third DC voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventors: Weijun YAO, David A. STRONKS, Hopil BAE, Kingsuk BRAHMA, Wei Hsin YAO, Yafei BI, Yingxuan LI
  • Publication number: 20180025694
    Abstract: Systems and method of performing touch and force sensing in an electronic device. The device includes a cover and an array of touch-sensor electrodes disposed below the cover. The first array of electrodes may be configured to sense a touch on the cover using a capacitive sensing scheme. The device also includes a force-sensor drive electrode disposed below the first array of electrodes and a force-sensor sense electrode disposed below the force-sensor drive electrode. The force-sensor drive and sense electrode may be configured to sense a force on the cover. The device also includes a shared drive circuit having an output that is operatively coupled to the array of touch-sensor electrodes and the force-sensor drive electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Inventors: Ahmad Al-Dahle, Yingxuan Li, Marduke Yousefpor, Weijun Yao