IP Library Granted Patent US 12,014,528
Granted Patent B2
US 12,014,528 · App. 17/248,212 · Granted Jun 18, 2024

Optical device

Inventor: William D. Houck (Santa Rosa, CA)
Assignee: VIAVI Solutions Inc.
G06V10/147G02B5/003G02B5/0278G06F3/14G06F18/214G06N5/04G06N20/00G06V40/172H04N23/57
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,014,528
App. No.
17/248,212
Granted
Jun 18, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

An optical device includes an optical sensor, one or more diffusive optical elements disposed on a surface of a display screen and configured to diffuse and to distribute a first portion of light associated with a subject across an array of sensor elements of the optical sensor, and one or more processors. The display screen includes one or more transmissive components that allow the first portion of light to pass through the display screen via the surface of the display screen, and one or more blocking components that prevent a second portion of light associated with the subject from passing through the display screen. The one or more processors are configured to obtain, from the optical sensor, sensor data associated with the first portion of light, process the sensor data to determine an image of the subject, and perform one or more actions based on the image of the subject.

Claims (60)

1. An optical device, comprising:

an optical sensor comprising an array of sensor elements; and

one or more diffusive optical elements disposed on a surface of a display screen and configured to diffuse and to distribute a first portion of light, reflected from a subject, across the array of sensor elements of the optical sensor,

wherein the display screen comprises one or more transmissive components that allow the first portion of light, reflected from the subject, to pass through the display screen via the surface of the display screen, and

wherein the display screen comprises one or more blocking components that prevent a second portion of light, reflected from the subject from passing through the display screen.

2. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more transmissive components include one or more pixel components of the display screen.

3. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more transmissive components include one or more window components of the display screen, and

wherein a window component, of the one or more window components, is positioned between a first pixel component of the display screen and a second pixel component of the display screen.

4. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more transmissive components include one or more gaps between pixel components of the display screen.

5. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more blocking components include one or more circuitry components of the display screen.

6. The optical device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more processors,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

obtain, from the optical sensor, sensor data associated with the first portion of light reflected from the subject;

process the sensor data to determine an image of the subject; and

perform one or more actions based on the image of the subject.

7. The optical device of claim 6 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to, when processing the sensor data to determine the image of the subject:

process the sensor data to identify a first set of sensor data, of the sensor data, associated with the first portion of light reflected from the subject;

process the sensor data to identify a second set of sensor data, of the sensor data, associated with light emitted by one or more pixel components of the display screen; and

process the first set of sensor data, and not the second set of sensor data, to determine the image of the subject.

8. The optical device of claim 6 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to, when processing the sensor data to determine the image of the subject:

determine calibration information associated with a circuitry architecture of the display screen;

cause an algorithm for constructing an image based on light diffused by the one or more diffusive optical elements to be optimized based on the calibration information; and

process, using the algorithm, the sensor data to determine the image of the subject.

9. The optical device of claim 6 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to, when processing the sensor data to determine the image of the subject:

process the sensor data using a machine learning model to determine the image of the subject.

10. The optical device of claim 6 , wherein the subject is a face of a user of the optical device, and

wherein the one or more processors are configured to, when performing the one or more actions:

process the image of the subject using facial recognition analysis.

11. The optical device of claim 6 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to, when performing the one or more actions:

cause display of the image of the subject on the display screen.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an optical device, cause the one or more processors to:

obtain, from an optical sensor of the optical device, sensor data associated with a portion of light that is reflected from a subject and that is diffused and distributed across an input surface of the optical sensor by one or more diffusive optical elements disposed on a surface of a display screen,

wherein the display screen comprises one or more transmissive components that allow the portion of light to pass through the display screen, and

wherein the display screen comprises one or more blocking components that prevent a different portion of light associated with the subject from passing through the display screen;

process the sensor data to determine an image of the subject; and

provide the image of the subject.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the optical device to provide the image of the subject, cause the optical device to:

cause display of the image of the subject on the display screen.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the optical device to provide the image of the subject, cause the optical device to:

send the image of the subject to another device to cause the other device to process the image of the subject using facial recognition analysis.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the optical device to process the sensor data to determine the image of the subject, cause the optical device to:

identify an algorithm for constructing an image based on light diffused by the one or more diffusive optical elements disposed on the surface of the display screen; and

process the sensor data using the algorithm to determine the image of the subject.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the optical device to process the sensor data to determine the image of the subject, cause the optical device to:

process the sensor data using a machine learning model to determine the image of the subject.

17. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by an optical device and from an optical sensor of the optical device, sensor data associated with a portion of light that is reflected from a subject, that is passed by a display screen, and that is diffused and distributed in a caustic pattern across an input surface of the optical sensor by one or more diffusive optical elements;

processing, by the optical device and based on the caustic pattern, the sensor data to determine an image of the subject; and

performing, by the optical device, one or more actions based on the image of the subject.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the display screen comprises one or more transmissive components that allow the portion of light to pass through the display screen and one or more blocking components that prevent a different portion of light associated with the subject from passing through the display screen.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein processing the sensor data to determine the image of the subject comprises at least one of:

processing the sensor data using an algorithm to determine the image of the subject,

wherein the algorithm is configured to construct an image based on the caustic pattern; or

processing the sensor data using a machine learning model to determine the image of the subject based on the caustic pattern.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein performing the one or more actions comprises at least one of:

causing display of the image of the subject on the display screen;

causing the image of the subject to be processed using a facial recognition analysis technique; or

causing a machine learning model to be retrained based on the image of subject, and

wherein the machine learning model is used to process the sensor data to determine the image of the subject.

Assignments (4)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL/FRAME 73189/0873 Recorded May 28, 2026
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: INERTIAL LABS, INC.; VIAVI SOLUTIONS INC.; VIAVI SOLUTIONS LICENSING LLC
Reel/Frame 075642/0381 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 14, 2025
From: VIAVI SOLUTIONS INC.; VIAVI SOLUTIONS LICENSING LLC; INERTIAL LABS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 073571/0137 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 21, 2025
From: INERTIAL LABS, INC.; VIAVI SOLUTIONS INC.; VIAVI SOLUTIONS LICENSING LLC
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 073189/0873 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 14, 2021
From: HOUCK, WILLIAM D.
To: VIAVI SOLUTIONS INC.
Reel/Frame 054926/0568 →
Continuity (1)
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