Electronic devices having electrically adjustable optical shutters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12189258-B2
Application number	US-202318331304-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2023
Priority date	Sep 13, 2017
Publication date	Jan 7, 2025
Grant date	Jan 7, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device has an electrically adjustable shutter. The shutter may be placed in a transparent state or a nontransparent state. The shutter may overlap a portion of a display, may overlap a liquid contact indictor or a structure with text in a device, or may overlap an optical component such as an optical proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, visible light-emitting diode or laser, infrared light-emitting diode or laser, visible light image sensor, or infrared light image sensor. Control circuitry in the electronic device may place the shutter in an opaque state to hide an overlapped component from view or may place the shutter in a transparent state to allow the overlapped component to transmit or receive light. The adjustable shutter may exhibit changes in its transmission spectrum in different modes of operation and may be used as a camera filter or neutral density filter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head-worn device, comprising:
a housing;
an optical component configured to operate through a portion of the housing; and
an electrically adjustable shutter that is separate from and overlaps the optical component, wherein the electrically adjustable shutter is configured to be adjusted between a transparent state and a non-transparent state, the electrically adjustable shutter is configured to exhibit haze in the non-transparent state, and the optical component is configured to operate through the electrically adjustable shutter.

2. The head-worn device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically adjustable shutter is configured to be opaque in the non-transparent state.

3. The head-worn device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically adjustable shutter comprises an adjustable spectral filter.

4. The head-worn device of claim 3 , wherein the adjustable spectral filter is configured to filter an adjustable amount of infrared light.

5. The head-worn device of claim 1 , wherein the optical component comprises a sensor that is configured to receive light through the portion of the housing.

6. The head-worn device of claim 1 , wherein the optical component comprises a light-emitting component that is configured to emit light through the portion of the housing.

7. The head-worn device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically adjustable shutter has an electrically adjustable color.

8. The head-worn device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a display in the housing at a front of the housing, wherein the optical component is in the housing at an opposing rear of the housing.

9. The head-worn device of claim 1 , wherein the electrically adjustable shutter comprises an ultraviolet light blocking layer.

10. A wearable electronic device, comprising:
a display;
a transparent member;
an electrically adjustable shutter that overlaps the transparent member, wherein the electrically adjustable shutter is adjustable between a first mode and a second mode, the electrically adjustable shutter is configured to have a first light transmission in the first mode and a second light transmission in the second mode that is less than the first light transmission, and wherein the electrically adjustable shutter comprises an ultraviolet light blocking layer; and
an optical component configured to operate through the electrically adjustable shutter.

11. The wearable electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the electrically adjustable shutter comprises an electrochromic component.

12. The wearable electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the electrically adjustable shutter comprises an adjustable spectral filter.

13. The wearable electronic device of claim 10 , further comprising:
an eyeglasses housing, wherein the display and the transparent member are formed in the eyeglasses housing.

14. The wearable electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the electrically adjustable shutter has a first haze in the first mode and a second haze that is different from the first haze in the second mode.

15. The wearable electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the electrically adjustable shutter is transparent in the first mode and opaque in the second mode.

16. A wearable electronic device, comprising:
a housing having a front and a rear;
a display coupled to the housing at the front;
an electrically adjustable shutter coupled to the housing at the rear, wherein the electrically adjustable shutter overlaps the display, and the electrically adjustable shutter is adjustable between a transparent mode and an opaque mode; and
an optical component in the housing, wherein the optical component is configured to operate through the electrically adjustable shutter.

17. The wearable electronic device of claim 16 , wherein exterior objects are visible through the display and the electrically adjustable shutter when the electrically adjustable shutter is in the transparent mode.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Firka Michael W
• Fletcher Ashley E
• Pope Benjamin J
• Hooton Lee E
• Myers Scott A
• Bustle Benjamin Shane
• Young Garam
• Coughenour Blake M

Classifications

• G09G2300/023

  Display panel composed of stacked panels · CPC title

• G09G3/348

  based on the deformation of a fluid drop, e.g. electrowetting · CPC title

• G02B26/005

  based on electrowetting · CPC title

• G02F1/13306

  Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells (G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence) · CPC title

• G09G2360/144

  the light being ambient light · CPC title