Light sensor beneath a dual-mode display

US9767728B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Essential Products, Inc. · US

Inventors

• David John Evans, V · Palo Alto, US
• Xinrui Jiang · San Jose, US
• Andrew E. Rubin · Los Altos, US
• Matthew Hershenson · Los Altos, US
• Xiaoyu Miao · Sunnyvale, US
• Joseph Anthony Tate · San Jose, US
• Jason Sean Gagne-Keats · Cupertino, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 27, 2016
• Grant date: Sep 19, 2017
• Expiry date: Oct 27, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G09G2360/144
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

The technology disclosed here integrates a light sensor with a dual-mode display, thus increasing the size of the dual-mode display. The light sensor can be a camera, an ambient sensor, a proximity sensor, etc. The light sensor is placed beneath the dual-mode display and can detect incoming light while the dual-mode display is displaying a display image. The dual-mode display and the light sensor can operate at the same time. For example, a camera placed beneath the dual-mode display can record an image of the environment, while at the same time the dual-mode display is showing the display image. Further, multiple light sensors can be placed at various locations beneath the dual-mode display.