LIGHT RESTRICTION DESIGNS IN OPTICAL SENSING APPLICATIONS HAVING SHARED WINDOWS

• US 20180228414A1
• Filed: 01/18/2018
• Published: 08/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: SHAO, Guocheng, CHARBONNEAU-LEFORT, Mathieu, BLOCK, Ueyn L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,918,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0233 Special features of optical sensors or probes classified in A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0411 using focussing or collimating elements, i.e. lenses or mirrors; Aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0488 with spectral filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2207/123 Optical louvre elements, e.g. for directional light blocking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/22 Absorbing filters G02B5/201 - G02B5/208 take precedence

Abstract

This relates to an electronic device configured for optical sensing having shared windows and including light restriction designs. The light restriction designs can include one or more of optical layers, optical films, lenses, and window systems configured to reduce or eliminate crosstalk between optical components. A plurality of accepting sections and a plurality of blocking sections can be employed to selectively allow light having an angle of incidence within one or more acceptance viewing angles and block light with angles of incidence outside of the acceptance viewing angles. In some examples, the light restriction designs can include variations in optical and structural properties can allow the light restriction designs to have spatially varying acceptance angles. Variations in structural properties can include, but are not limited to, differences in widths, heights, and/or tilts of the accepting sections and/or blocking sections.

Claims

1. An optical layer comprising:

an optical film including a plurality of regions, each region configured to allow light having an angle of incidence within a plurality of viewing angles to pass through, the plurality of viewing angles of each region different from the plurality of viewing angles of other regions,

wherein each region is further configured to prevent light having an angle of incidence outside of the plurality of viewing angles from passing through.

2. The optical layer of claim 1, further comprising:

a Fresnel lens, wherein the Fresnel lens and the optical film are a continuous layer.

3. The optical layer of claim 2, further comprising:

an opaque mask, wherein the Fresnel lens, the opaque mask, and the optical film are a continuous layer.

4. The optical layer of claim 1, further comprising:

a Fresnel lens disposed on the optical film.

5. The optical layer of claim 1, wherein the optical film includes:

a plurality of accepting sections, each accepting section configured to allow the light to pass through, wherein each of the plurality of accepting sections has the same width as other of the plurality of accepting sections; and

a plurality of blocking sections, each block section configured to prevent light having an angle of incidence outside of the plurality of viewing angles from passing through.

6. The optical layer of claim 1, wherein the optical film includes:

a plurality of accepting sections, each accepting section configured to allow the light to pass through; and

a plurality of blocking sections, each block section configured to prevent light having an angle of incidence outside of the plurality of viewing angles from passing through, wherein at least two of the plurality of blocking sections have different heights.

7. The optical layer of claim 6, wherein the heights of the plurality of blocking sections vary gradually.

8. The optical layer of claim 1, wherein the optical film includes:

a plurality of accepting sections, each accepting section configured to allow the light to pass through; and

a plurality of blocking sections, each block section configured to prevent light having an angle of incidence outside of the plurality of viewing angles from passing through, wherein at least two of the plurality of blocking sections have different tilts.

9. The optical layer of claim 1, further comprising:

a section configured to accept light having optical properties different from the optical film, wherein the section and the optical film are a continuous layer.

10. The optical layer of claim 9, wherein the section includes an infrared transparent material.

11. The optical layer of claim 1, wherein at least two of the regions are configured to allow light having different wavelengths to pass through.

12. The optical layer of claim 11, wherein one region is configured to allow visible light to pass through, and another region is configured to allow infrared light to pass through.

13. The optical layer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of regions are further configured to:

allow light from a first direction having an angle of incidence within a plurality of first viewing angles to pass through,

prevent light from the first direction having an angle of incidence outside of the plurality of first viewing angles from passing through,

allow light from a second direction, different from the first direction, having an angle of incidence within a plurality of second viewing angles, different from the first viewing angles, to pass through, and

prevent light from the second direction having an angle of incidence outside of the plurality of second viewing angles from passing through.

14. The optical layer of claim 13, wherein the optical film includes:

a plurality of accepting sections, each accepting section configured to allow the light to pass through, wherein each acceptance section includes an angled edge; and

a plurality of blocking sections, each block section configured to prevent the light having an angle of incidence outside of the plurality of first and second viewing angles from passing through.

15. The optical layer of claim 13, further comprising:

a Fresnel lens, wherein the Fresnel lens and the optical film are a continuous layer.

16. A device comprising:

one or more light emitters configured to emit light;

one or more light sensors configured to detect at a least a portion of the emitted light;

one or more windows configured to allow light from the one or more light emitters, the one or more light sensors, or both to pass through,

at least one window including an emitter region, a reception region, and a boundary region; and

an optical layer disposed on the one or more windows, the optical layer comprising;

an optical film including a plurality of regions, each region configured to allow light having an angle of incidence within a plurality of viewing angles to pass through, the plurality of viewing angles of each region different from the plurality of viewing angles of other regions,

wherein each region is further configured to prevent light having an angle of incidence outside of the plurality of viewing angles from passing through,

wherein the optical layer covers a portion of the reception region of the at least one window.

17. The device of claim 16, further comprising:

an isolation located between at least one of the one or more light emitters and at least one of the one or more light sensors,

wherein the isolation is further located in the boundary region of the at least one window,

wherein the optical film covers the boundary region of the at least one window.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of accepting sections includes at least one first accepting section and at least one second accepting section, the first accepting section configured with one or more first acceptance angles and the second accepting section configured with one or more second acceptance angles, the one or more second acceptance angles including at least one wider viewing angle than the one or more first acceptance angles, and the at least first accepting section located closer to at least one of the one or more light emitters than the at least second accepting section.

19. A method for determining one or more physiological information of a user, the method comprising:

emitting light from one or more light emitters;

transmitting the emitted light through one or more windows;

allowing at least a portion of the emitted light to transmit through an optical layer including;

allowing a portion of the emitted light having an angle of incidence within first viewing angles at a first region of the optical layer,

allowing a portion of the emitted light having an angle of incidence within second viewing angles, different from the first viewing angles, at a second region, different from the first region, of the optical layer, and

blocking a portion of the emitted light having an angle of incidence outside of the first and second viewing angles;

detecting the allowed portion of the emitted light by one or more light sensors; and

determining the one or more physiological information from the detected allowed portion of the emitted light.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the allowance of at least the portion of the emitted light further comprises:

allowing a portion of the emitted light from a first direction and having the angle of incidence within the first viewing angles at the first region of the optical layer; and

allowing a portion of the emitted light from a second direction, different from the first direction, having the angle of incidence within the second viewing angles at the second region of the optical layer.