- Patent Title: Electronic devices having electrically adjustable optical shutters
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Application No.: US17119878Application Date: 2020-12-11
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Publication No.: US11460746B2Publication Date: 2022-10-04
- Inventor: Michael W. Firka , Ashley E. Fletcher , Benjamin J. Pope , Lee E. Hooton , Scott A. Myers , Benjamin Shane Bustle , Garam Young , Blake M. Coughenour
- Applicant: Apple Inc.
- Applicant Address: US CA Cupertino
- Assignee: Apple Inc.
- Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
- Current Assignee Address: US CA Cupertino
- Agency: Treyz Law Group, P.C.
- Agent G. Victor Treyz; David K. Cole
- Main IPC: G02F1/137
- IPC: G02F1/137 ; G02B26/00 ; G09G3/36 ; G09G3/34 ; G02F1/133

Abstract:
An electronic device has an electrically adjustable shutter. The shutter may be placed in a transparent state or a nontransparent state. The shutter may overlap a portion of a display, may overlap a liquid contact indictor or a structure with text in a device, or may overlap an optical component such as an optical proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, visible light-emitting diode or laser, infrared light-emitting diode or laser, visible light image sensor, or infrared light image sensor. Control circuitry in the electronic device may place the shutter in an opaque state to hide an overlapped component from view or may place the shutter in a transparent state to allow the overlapped component to transmit or receive light. The adjustable shutter may exhibit changes in its transmission spectrum in different modes of operation and may be used as a camera filter or neutral density filter.
Public/Granted literature
- US20210096417A1 Electronic Devices Having Electrically Adjustable Optical Shutters Public/Granted day:2021-04-01
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