IP Library Granted Patent US 12,445,706
Granted Patent B2
US 12,445,706 · App. 17/903,926 · Granted Oct 14, 2025

Handheld electronic device with rear-facing flash

Inventors: Matthew D. Hill (Mountain View, CA); Michael W. Firka (Santa Clara, CA); Nicholas D. Rath (Cupertino, CA); Douglas G. Fournier (San Jose, CA); Matthew P. Rao (Massapequa Park, NY); Benjamin J. Pope (Woodside, CA); James A. Bertin (Saratoga, CA); David A. Hurrell (San Mateo, CA); Jonathan Gomez Garcia (Cupertino, CA); Blake M. Coughenour (Sunnyvale, CA); Angelo M. Alaimo (Sunnyvale, CA); Jeremy D. Bataillou (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: APPLE INC.
H04N23/56H04M1/0264H04N23/51H04N23/55H04N23/90H04M2201/38
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,445,706
App. No.
17/903,926
Granted
Oct 14, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including a front cover defining a front exterior surface of the portable electronic device and a rear cover defining a rear exterior surface of the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device may further include a rear-facing camera and a rear-facing flash including a light emitting component defining a plurality of illuminable regions. The light emitting component may be configured to illuminate a first subset of the plurality of illuminable regions to illuminate a first field of view and illuminate a second subset of the plurality of illuminable regions, the second subset different from the first subset, to illuminate a second field of view different from the first field of view.

Claims (79)

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

an enclosure comprising:

a front cover defining a front exterior surface of the portable electronic device; and

a rear cover defining a rear exterior surface of the portable electronic device;

a first rear-facing camera having a first field of view;

a second rear-facing camera having a second field of view different from the first field of view; and

a rear-facing flash comprising a light emitting component defining a plurality of illuminable regions, the light emitting component configured to:

illuminate a first subset of the plurality of illuminable regions to illuminate the first field of view while capturing a first image with the first rear-facing camera; and

illuminate a second subset of the plurality of illuminable regions to illuminate the second field of view while capturing a second image with the second rear-facing camera, the second subset different from the first subset.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:

the portable electronic device further comprises:

a third rear-facing camera having a third field of view different from the first field of view and different from the second field of view; and

the light emitting component is configured to:

illuminate a third subset of the plurality of illuminable regions, the third subset different from the first subset and the second subset, to illuminate the third field of view while capturing a third image with the third rear-facing camera.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 2 , wherein:

the rear-facing flash comprises a flash lens positioned over the light emitting component;

the first subset of the plurality of illuminable regions is a first illuminable region positioned under a center of the flash lens;

the second subset of the plurality of illuminable regions is positioned about a periphery of the first illuminable region; and

the third subset of the plurality of illuminable regions is positioned about the periphery of the first illuminable region.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of illuminable regions comprises an array of illuminable regions arranged in a grid.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the rear-facing flash further comprises:

a flash lens; and

a flash window over the flash lens and defining:

an exterior side; and

an interior side having a plurality of ridges configured to produce a pattern visible from the exterior side of the flash window.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of ridges are concentric ridges.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 6 , wherein a ridge of the plurality of ridges is defined by a peak having a first side extending from the flash window at a first angle and a second side extending from the flash window at a second angle, the first angle and the second angle having a same magnitude and an opposite sign.

8. A mobile phone comprising:

a display;

an enclosure at least partially enclosing the display and comprising:

a housing component;

a front cover coupled to the housing component and positioned over the display; and

a rear cover coupled to the housing component;

a rear-facing camera having a field of view and configured to capture an image of a scene; and

a rear-facing flash configured to illuminate the scene and comprising:

a light emitting component;

a lens over the light emitting component and configured to project light emitted by the light emitting component to produce a flood of light corresponding to the field of view of the rear-facing camera; and

a flash window over the lens and defining:

an exterior side; and

an interior side having a series of concentric circular ridges, the series of concentric circular ridges including a ridge defined by a symmetrical peak extending from the interior side of the flash window.

9. The mobile phone of claim 8 , wherein the symmetrical peak has a first side extending from the interior side of the flash window at a first angle and a second side extending from the interior side of the flash window at a second angle, the first angle and the second angle having a same magnitude and an opposite sign.

10. The mobile phone of claim 9 , wherein:

the ridge is a first ridge;

the symmetrical peak is a first symmetrical peak; and

the series of concentric circular ridges further comprises a second ridge defined by a second symmetrical peak extending from the interior side of the flash window, the second symmetrical peak having a third side extending from the interior side of the flash window at a third angle equal to the first angle and a fourth side extending from the interior side of the flash window at a fourth angle equal to the second angle.

11. The mobile phone of claim 8 , wherein an air gap is defined between the flash window and the lens.

12. The mobile phone of claim 8 , wherein:

the mobile phone further comprises a flash body;

the flash window is defined by a transparent portion of the flash body; and

the flash body defines an opaque portion positioned below the transparent portion.

13. The mobile phone of claim 12 , wherein a portion of the opaque portion of the flash body is visible through the lens.

14. The mobile phone of claim 12 , wherein the transparent portion of the flash body and the opaque portion of the flash body are portions of a monolithic polymer structure.

15. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a front cover coupled to the housing and defining a front of the portable electronic device; and

a sensor array positioned along a rear of the portable electronic device, the sensor array comprising:

a camera configured to capture an image; and

a flash configured to produce a field of illumination, the flash comprising:

a flash body defining:

a wall portion; and

a window portion coupled to the wall portion;

a substrate coupled to the flash body;

a light emitting component positioned on the substrate and configured to emit light; and

a lens positioned below the window portion and above the light emitting component, the lens at least partially surrounded by the wall portion of the flash body and defining:

a flash-directing region configured to transmit, through the window portion, the light from the light emitting component to illuminate a field of view of the camera; and

a support region surrounding the flash-directing region and configured to transmit, through the window portion, light reflected by the wall portion of the flash body.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 15 , wherein:

the support region of the lens defines:

an outer surface facing the window portion of the flash body; and

an inner surface opposite the outer surface; and

a portion of at least one of the outer surface or the inner surface has a textured surface.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the textured surface has a different surface texture than a surface defined by the flash-directing region of the lens.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the window portion defines:

an exterior side; and

an interior side having a plurality of ridges configured to produce a pattern visible from the exterior side of the window portion, the plurality of ridges comprising a series of concentric circular ridges extending from the interior side of the window portion and defining a symmetrical peak.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 15 , wherein:

the window portion is defined by a transparent portion of the flash body; and

the wall portion of the flash body defines an opaque portion.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the light reflected by the flash body is reflected by the opaque portion of the wall portion.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 15, 2022
From: HURRELL, DAVID A.; COUGHENOUR, BLAKE M.; ALAIMO, ANGELO M.; POPE, BENJAMIN J.; BERTIN, JAMES A.; HILL, MATTHEW D.; RAO, MATTHEW P.; FIRKA, MICHAEL W.; FOURNIER, DOUGLAS G.; RATH, NICHOLAS D.; BATAILLOU, JEREMY D.; GARCIA, JONATHAN GOMEZ
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 061783/0155 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63298182 · Jan 10, 2022
Related Publication 20230239558A1 · Jul 27, 2023
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Cited By (1)
US 12,706,996