Electronic device coatings for reflecting mid-spectrum visible light

    公开(公告)号:US11739425B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-08-29

    申请号:US16932621

    申请日:2020-07-17

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may include conductive structures having a visible-light-reflecting coating. The coating may include a seed layer, transition layers, a neutral-color base layer, and an uppermost layer that forms a single-layer interference film. The neutral-color base layer may be opaque to visible light. The interference film may include silicon and may have an absorption coefficient between 0 and 1. The interference film may include, for example, CrSiN or CrSiCN. The composition of the interference film, the thickness of the interference film, and/or the composition of the base layer may be selected to provide the coating with a desired color near the middle of the visible spectrum (e.g., at green wavelengths). The color may be relatively stable even if the thickness of the coating varies across its area.

    Systems with adjustable windows
    4.
    发明授权

    公开(公告)号:US11498397B2

    公开(公告)日:2022-11-15

    申请号:US16815898

    申请日:2020-03-11

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: A system such as a vehicle may have adjustable structures such as adjustable windows. Adjustable windows may have adjustable layers such as adjustable tint layers, adjustable reflectivity layers, and adjustable haze layers. Adjustable window layers may be incorporated into a window with one or more transparent structural layers such as a pair of glass window layers. Adjustable components such as adjustable reflectivity layers, adjustable haze layers, and adjustable tint layers may be interposed between the pair of glass window layers. Fixed partially reflective mirrors, fixed tint layers, and/or fixed haze layers may be used in place of adjustable tint, haze, and reflectivity layers and/or may be incorporated into windows in addition to adjustable tint, haze, and reflectivity layers.

    Visible-Light-Reflecting Coatings for Electronic Devices

    公开(公告)号:US20210286112A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-09-16

    申请号:US17176992

    申请日:2021-02-16

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: An electronic device may include conductive structures having a visible-light-reflecting coating. The coating may include a seed layer, transition layers, a neutral-color base layer, and an uppermost layer that forms a single-layer interference film. The neutral-color base layer may be opaque to visible light. The interference film may include silicon and may have an absorption coefficient between 0 and 1. The interference film may include, for example, CrSiCN or CrSiC. The composition of the interference film, the thickness of the interference film, and/or the composition of the base layer may be selected to provide the coating with a desired color in the visible spectrum (e.g., at blue or purple wavelengths). The color may be relatively stable even if the thickness of the coating varies across its area.

    Systems with dynamic pixelated windows

    公开(公告)号:US11002066B2

    公开(公告)日:2021-05-11

    申请号:US16403395

    申请日:2019-05-03

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: A system such as a vehicle system or building system may have an enclosing structure such as a wall that surrounds an interior region and separates the interior region from an exterior region. An occupant of the system may be located in the interior region. An adjustable window in the enclosing structure may be located between the interior and exterior regions. Control circuitry in the system may use an exterior sensor system in the exterior region to capture an image of the environment surrounding the system, to locate external objects such as light sources, and to make other measurements. User input can be gathered from the occupant of the system and the location of the occupant and inanimate objects in the interior region can be gathered using an interior sensor system. The control circuitry can adjust the window based on the gathered information.

    Systems with synchronized windows

    公开(公告)号:US10852573B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-12-01

    申请号:US16682221

    申请日:2019-11-13

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: A system such as a vehicle may have window that exhibit adjustable transparency. The windows may include liquid crystal devices and polymer dispersed liquid crystal devices that exhibit adjustable amounts of light transmission and haze. An optical property of a window such as window transparency may be modulated using an alternating-current modulation waveform. Modulation of the transparency of the window may be synchronized with modulated light output from a light source. The light source may be located inside the vehicle or may be located outside of the vehicle. By synchronizing the modulation of the transparency of the window with the light source output, privacy may be enhanced or glare may be reduced.

    Windows with invisible patterned conductive layers

    公开(公告)号:US10453580B1

    公开(公告)日:2019-10-22

    申请号:US15631348

    申请日:2017-06-23

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Abstract: A system such as a vehicle may have windows. A window may have rigid clear layers such as layers of glass or rigid polymer. A polymer layer may be interposed between the rigid clear layers to form a laminated window structure. A conductive layer such as a silver layer or other metal layer in the window may be configured to block infrared light. The conductive layer may be patterned to form signal paths, a radio-transparent region, and other structures in a window. The conductive layer may be formed as a coating on a rigid clear window layer or may be formed on other window structures. The conductive layer may be patterned by removing conductive material from areas of the conductive layer. An insulating layer that visually matches the conductive layer may be formed in these areas without overlapping the conductive area.

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