Abstract:
An electronic device may be provided with light sensors. The electronic device may have an electronic device housing in which a display is mounted. The display may have a transparent layer such as a transparent display cover layer, a thin-film transistor layer, or a color filter layer. An opaque masking layer such as a layer of black ink may be used to cover an inner surface of the transparent layer in an inactive area of the display. Sensor window openings may be formed in the black ink layer. A layer of ink may be formed in each sensor window opening. Each layer of ink may have a diffuse reflectivity that is matched to that of the black ink. A diffuser layer such as a polymer coating layer with light-scattering particles may be coated on the inner surface of the layer of ink in a sensor window opening.
Abstract:
An electronic device may be provided with light sensors. The electronic device may have an electronic device housing in which a display is mounted. The display may have a transparent layer such as a transparent display cover layer, a thin-film transistor layer, or a color filter layer. An opaque masking layer such as a layer of black ink may be used to cover an inner surface of the transparent layer in an inactive area of the display. Sensor window openings may be formed in the black ink layer. A layer of ink may be formed in each sensor window opening. Each layer of ink may have a diffuse reflectivity that is matched to that of the black ink. A diffuser layer such as a polymer coating layer with light-scattering particles may be coated on the inner surface of the layer of ink in a sensor window opening.
Abstract:
An electronic device may be provided with light sensors. The electronic device may have an electronic device housing in which a display is mounted. The display may have a transparent layer such as a transparent display cover layer, a thin-film transistor layer, or a color filter layer. An opaque masking layer such as a layer of black ink may be used to cover an inner surface of the transparent layer in an inactive area of the display. Sensor window openings may be formed in the black ink layer. A layer of ink may be formed in each sensor window opening. Each layer of ink may have a diffuse reflectivity that is matched to that of the black ink. A diffuser layer such as a polymer coating layer with light-scattering particles may be coated on the inner surface of the layer of ink in a sensor window opening.
Abstract:
Aspects of the subject technology relate to particulate matter sensors for electronic devices. A particulate matter sensor may include three lasers, three total-internal-reflection lenses, and three detectors for detecting changes in the operation of the three lasers due to the principles of self-mixing interferometry. The three total-internal-reflection lenses may use internally reflective surfaces to tilt the three beams into three corresponding directions that form an orthogonal basis in the three dimensional space, so that a gas flow speed can be determined while maintaining a small, modular form factor for implementation of the sensor in portable electronic devices.
Abstract:
An electronic device display may have an active area with an array of pixels and an inactive area. A light-transmitting window may be formed in the inactive area. A light-sensing component such as an ambient light sensor may be mounted within the housing in alignment with the window. Opaque masking material may be provided on one or more layers of the display in the inactive area and may have an opening for the window. Backlight structures in the display may generate backlight illumination for pixels in the active area. Stray portions of the backlight illumination may be blocked using a stray light absorption layer on one of the layers of the display such as a layer other than the layer on which the opaque masking material is formed. The stray light absorption layer may have an opening aligned with the window.
Abstract:
A concealing structure to at least partially conceal a sensor, light emitter or other component by at least partially preventing reflection of external light by an underlying structure. In some examples, this function is performed by a two-component masking assembly, the masking assembly including a linear polarizer to cause linear polarization of light which passes from the exterior of the device to an underlying component, and a wave plate to shift the axis of any reflected polarized light. In many cases, a high density optical fluid will further be included within the masking assembly to minimize reflections from the other components of the assembly.
Abstract:
An optical proximity sensor includes a first vertical cavity surface-emitting laser configured for self-mixing interferometry to determine distance to and/or velocity of an object. The optical proximity sensor also includes a second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser configured for self-mixing interferometry to determine whether any variation in a fixed distance has occurred. The optical proximity sensor leverages output from the second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser to calibrate output from the second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser to eliminate and/or mitigate environmental effects, such as temperature changes.
Abstract:
An optoelectronic device may include a first set of distributed Bragg reflective (DBR) layers, a second set of DBR layers, a gain region, and an enclosure layer between the gain region and the second set of DBR layers. In some cases, the enclosure layer defines a non-limiting mode oxide aperture. The optoelectronic device may also include a high contrast grating (HCG) mirror element disposed on a side of the second set of DBR layers. In some cases, the HCG mirror element has a first reflection coefficient that is greater than a second reflection coefficient of the second set of DBR layers. Another optoelectronic device may include a photonic crystal (PhC) mirror layer and a gain region disposed between the PhC mirror layer and a set of DBR layers.
Abstract:
An optical proximity sensor includes a first vertical cavity surface-emitting laser configured for self-mixing interferometry to determine distance to and/or velocity of an object. The optical proximity sensor also includes a second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser configured for self-mixing interferometry to determine whether any variation in a fixed distance has occurred. The optical proximity sensor leverages output from the second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser to calibrate output from the second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser to eliminate and/or mitigate environmental effects, such as temperature changes.
Abstract:
An optical proximity sensor includes a first vertical cavity surface-emitting laser configured for self-mixing interferometry to determine distance to and/or velocity of an object. The optical proximity sensor also includes a second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser configured for self-mixing interferometry to determine whether any variation in a fixed distance has occurred. The optical proximity sensor leverages output from the second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser to calibrate output from the second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser to eliminate and/or mitigate environmental effects, such as temperature changes.