IP Library Granted Patent US 10,984,752
Granted Patent B2
US 10,984,752 · App. 16/584,807 · Granted Apr 20, 2021

Display with localized brightness adjustment capabilities

Inventors: Koorosh Aflatooni (Los Altos Hills, CA); Minhyuk Choi (San Jose, CA); Mohammad Ali Jangda (Cupertino, CA); Sang Y. Youn (Cupertino, CA); Yafei Bi (Los Altos Hills, CA); Jean-Pierre Guillou (Los Gatos, CA); Wei Y. Yao (Palo Alto, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
G09G5/10G06K9/0004G06K9/00013G09G2320/0626G09G2360/144G09G2360/148
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,984,752
App. No.
16/584,807
Granted
Apr 20, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electronic device may have a display with an array of pixels. The device may have an array of components such as an array of light sensors for capturing fingerprints of a user through an array of corresponding transparent windows in the display. A capacitive touch sensor, proximity sensor, force sensor, or other sensor may be used by control circuitry in the device to monitor for the presence of a user's finger over the array of light sensors. In response, the control circuitry can direct the display to illuminate a subset of the pixels, thereby illuminating the user's finger and causing reflected light from the finger to illuminate the array of light sensors for a fingerprint capture operation. The display may have display driver circuitry that facilitates the momentary illumination of the subset of pixels with uniform flash data while image data is displayed in other portions of the display.

Claims (24)

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a plurality of pixels configured to generate light; and

a sensor configured to sense an object by measuring the light generated from the plurality of pixels that reflects off the object and traverses through a transparent region among the plurality of pixels.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality pixels comprises an array of display pixels.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is at least partially covered by the plurality of pixels.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is further configured to capture a fingerprint illuminated by the light generated from the plurality of pixels.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the transparent region comprises a transparent window located between an adjacent pair of pixels in the plurality of pixels.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises an optical sensor.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a camera.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels is configured to display flash data to illuminate the object.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels is configured to display uniform data to illuminate the object.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixels is configured to display uniform flash data to illuminate the object.

11. An electronic device, comprising:

a plurality of light emitting elements; and

a sensor configured to detect a foreign object by illuminating the foreign object using the plurality of light emitting elements and by measuring the corresponding illumination via an opening in the plurality of light emitting elements.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of light emitting elements comprises an array of display pixels.

13. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the foreign object comprises a fingerprint.

14. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the sensor comprises a light-based sensor.

15. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the sensor is formed under the plurality of light emitting elements.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a display having pixels configured to illuminate an external object; and

a sensor configured to measure the illumination of the external object due to the pixels in the display, wherein the display at least partially covers the sensor and includes a transparent portion between at least two of the pixels via which light can travel through to the sensor.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the sensor is formed under the display.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the external object illuminated by the display comprises a fingerprint.

Continuity (4)
Continuation 16222492 · Dec 17, 2018
Continuation 15257448 · Sep 6, 2016
Provisional Application 62267537 · Dec 15, 2015
Related Publication 20200035202A1 · Jan 30, 2020
Cited By (2)
US 12,361,860 US 12,416,724