Finger devices with self-mixing interferometric proximity sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11940293-B2
Application number	US-202117465594-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2021
Priority date	Sep 2, 2021
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

A system may include one or more finger devices that gather input from a user's fingers. A finger device may include one or more self-mixing interferometric proximity sensors that measure a distance to the user's finger. The proximity sensor may measure changes in distance between the proximity sensor and a flexible membrane that rests against a side portion of the user's finger. The self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor may include a laser and a photodiode. In some arrangements, a single laser driver may drive the lasers of multiple self-mixing proximity sensors using time-multiplexing. The self-mixing proximity sensor may operate according to a duty cycle. Interpolation and stitching may be used to determine the total displacement of the user's finger including both the on periods and off periods of the self-mixing proximity sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A finger device configured to be worn on a finger of a user, comprising:
a housing configured to be coupled to the finger;
a self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor coupled to the housing that measures changes in a distance between the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor and a side of the finger; and
control circuitry configured to determine a force of a touch input by the finger using the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to operate the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor according to a duty cycle where the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor alternates between an on state in which the changes in the distance are measured and an off state in which the changes in the distance are not measured and wherein the control circuitry is configured to use interpolation to estimate changes in the distance between the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor and the side of the finger during the off states.

2. The finger device defined in claim 1 , wherein the housing is configured to be coupled to the finger without covering a lower finger pad surface of the finger and wherein determining the force of the touch input by the finger comprises determining the force of the touch input by the lower finger pad surface.

3. The finger device defined in claim 1 , wherein the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor comprises a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

4. The finger device defined in claim 3 , wherein the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor comprises a photodiode and wherein the control circuitry includes a drive circuit configured to modulate the vertical cavity surface emitting laser and includes a sense circuit configured to use the photodiode to measure corresponding self-mixing fluctuations in output light intensity from the vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

5. The finger device defined in claim 1 , further comprising a flexible membrane that conforms to the side of the finger.

6. The finger device defined in claim 5 , wherein the flexible membrane comprises silicone.

7. The finger device defined in claim 5 , wherein the flexible membrane comprises a flexible layer that is coupled to a reflective layer and wherein the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor comprises a light source that directs light towards the reflective layer.

8. The finger device defined in claim 5 , wherein the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor comprises a light source and a transparent cap formed over the light source and wherein the transparent cap is interposed between the light source and the flexible membrane.

9. The finger device defined in claim 8 , wherein the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor comprises a lens formed on the transparent cap.

10. The finger device defined in claim 5 , further comprising a substrate, wherein the flexible membrane has a first portion that is parallel to the substrate, and wherein, when no force is applied by the finger to the flexible membrane, the flexible membrane has three bends between the first portion and the substrate.

11. The finger device defined in claim 1 , wherein the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor comprises a vertical cavity surface emitting laser and a photodiode, wherein the control circuitry includes sensing circuitry that is configured to determine the changes in the distance between the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor and the side of the finger, and wherein the sensing circuitry comprises:
a transimpedance amplifier coupled to the photodiode;
an analog-to-digital converter coupled to an output of the transimpedance amplifier;
demodulation and offset circuitry coupled to an output of the analog-to-digital converter, wherein the demodulation and offset circuitry outputs an I signal and a Q signal; and
processing circuitry configured to determine displacement based on the I signal and the Q signal.

12. The finger device defined in claim 11 , wherein the demodulation and offset circuitry includes offset generation circuitry that is configured to output a stored offset value.

13. The finger device defined in claim 11 , wherein the sensing circuitry further comprises:
amplitude analysis circuitry that is configured to adjust the vertical cavity surface emitting laser based on a ratio between amplitudes of the I signal and the Q signal.

14. A finger device configured to be worn on a finger of a user, comprising:
a housing configured to be coupled to the finger;
a self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor module coupled to the housing, wherein the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor module comprises a substrate, a self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor on the substrate, a rigid structure, and at least one flexible sidewall that couples the rigid structure to the substrate; and
control circuitry configured to determine a force of a touch input by the finger using the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor.

15. The finger device defined in claim 14 , wherein the housing is configured to be coupled to the finger without covering a lower finger pad surface of the finger and wherein determining the force of the touch input by the finger comprises determining the force of the touch input by the lower finger pad surface.

16. The finger device defined in claim 14 , wherein the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor comprises a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

17. The finger device defined in claim 16 , wherein the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor comprises a photodiode and wherein the control circuitry includes a drive circuit configured to modulate the vertical cavity surface emitting laser and includes a sense circuit configured to use the photodiode to measure corresponding self-mixing fluctuations in output light intensity from the vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

18. A finger device configured to be worn on a finger of a user, comprising:
a housing configured to be coupled to the finger;
a self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor coupled to the housing that measures changes in a distance between the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor and a side of the finger, wherein the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor comprises a vertical cavity surface emitting laser and a photodiode; and
control circuitry configured to determine a force of a touch input by the finger using the self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to obtain an I signal and a Q signal using output from the photodiode and wherein the vertical cavity surface emitting laser is updated based on a ratio between amplitudes of the I signal and the Q signal.

19. The finger device defined in claim 18 , wherein the housing is configured to be coupled to the finger without covering a lower finger pad surface of the finger and wherein determining the force of the touch input by the finger comprises determining the force of the touch input by the lower finger pad surface.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Huang Mengshu
• Cihan Ahmet Fatih
• Harb Adrian Z
• Dey Stephen E
• Pan Yuhao
• Mutlu Mehmet

Classifications

• G01C3/08 Primary

  Use of electric radiation detectors · CPC title

• G01B9/02092

  Self-mixing interferometers, i.e. feedback of light from object into laser cavity · CPC title

• G06F3/014

  Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• G01B9/02097

  Self-interferometers · CPC title