Handheld electronic device with rear-facing flash

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12445706-B2
Application number	US-202217903926-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2022
Priority date	Jan 10, 2022
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

Abstract

A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including a front cover defining a front exterior surface of the portable electronic device and a rear cover defining a rear exterior surface of the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device may further include a rear-facing camera and a rear-facing flash including a light emitting component defining a plurality of illuminable regions. The light emitting component may be configured to illuminate a first subset of the plurality of illuminable regions to illuminate a first field of view and illuminate a second subset of the plurality of illuminable regions, the second subset different from the first subset, to illuminate a second field of view different from the first field of view.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable electronic device comprising:
an enclosure comprising:
a front cover defining a front exterior surface of the portable electronic device; and
a rear cover defining a rear exterior surface of the portable electronic device;

a first rear-facing camera having a first field of view;
a second rear-facing camera having a second field of view different from the first field of view; and
a rear-facing flash comprising a light emitting component defining a plurality of illuminable regions, the light emitting component configured to:
illuminate a first subset of the plurality of illuminable regions to illuminate the first field of view while capturing a first image with the first rear-facing camera; and
illuminate a second subset of the plurality of illuminable regions to illuminate the second field of view while capturing a second image with the second rear-facing camera, the second subset different from the first subset.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the portable electronic device further comprises:
a third rear-facing camera having a third field of view different from the first field of view and different from the second field of view; and

the light emitting component is configured to:
illuminate a third subset of the plurality of illuminable regions, the third subset different from the first subset and the second subset, to illuminate the third field of view while capturing a third image with the third rear-facing camera.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 2 , wherein:
the rear-facing flash comprises a flash lens positioned over the light emitting component;
the first subset of the plurality of illuminable regions is a first illuminable region positioned under a center of the flash lens;
the second subset of the plurality of illuminable regions is positioned about a periphery of the first illuminable region; and
the third subset of the plurality of illuminable regions is positioned about the periphery of the first illuminable region.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of illuminable regions comprises an array of illuminable regions arranged in a grid.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the rear-facing flash further comprises:
a flash lens; and
a flash window over the flash lens and defining:
an exterior side; and
an interior side having a plurality of ridges configured to produce a pattern visible from the exterior side of the flash window.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of ridges are concentric ridges.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 6 , wherein a ridge of the plurality of ridges is defined by a peak having a first side extending from the flash window at a first angle and a second side extending from the flash window at a second angle, the first angle and the second angle having a same magnitude and an opposite sign.

8. A mobile phone comprising:
a display;
an enclosure at least partially enclosing the display and comprising:
a housing component;
a front cover coupled to the housing component and positioned over the display; and
a rear cover coupled to the housing component;

a rear-facing camera having a field of view and configured to capture an image of a scene; and
a rear-facing flash configured to illuminate the scene and comprising:
a light emitting component;
a lens over the light emitting component and configured to project light emitted by the light emitting component to produce a flood of light corresponding to the field of view of the rear-facing camera; and
a flash window over the lens and defining:
an exterior side; and
an interior side having a series of concentric circular ridges, the series of concentric circular ridges including a ridge defined by a symmetrical peak extending from the interior side of the flash window.

9. The mobile phone of claim 8 , wherein the symmetrical peak has a first side extending from the interior side of the flash window at a first angle and a second side extending from the interior side of the flash window at a second angle, the first angle and the second angle having a same magnitude and an opposite sign.

10. The mobile phone of claim 9 , wherein:
the ridge is a first ridge;
the symmetrical peak is a first symmetrical peak; and
the series of concentric circular ridges further comprises a second ridge defined by a second symmetrical peak extending from the interior side of the flash window, the second symmetrical peak having a third side extending from the interior side of the flash window at a third angle equal to the first angle and a fourth side extending from the interior side of the flash window at a fourth angle equal to the second angle.

11. The mobile phone of claim 8 , wherein an air gap is defined between the flash window and the lens.

12. The mobile phone of claim 8 , wherein:
the mobile phone further comprises a flash body;
the flash window is defined by a transparent portion of the flash body; and
the flash body defines an opaque portion positioned below the transparent portion.

13. The mobile phone of claim 12 , wherein a portion of the opaque portion of the flash body is visible through the lens.

14. The mobile phone of claim 12 , wherein the transparent portion of the flash body and the opaque portion of the flash body are portions of a monolithic polymer structure.

15. A portable electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a front cover coupled to the housing and defining a front of the portable electronic device; and
a sensor array positioned along a rear of the portable electronic device, the sensor array comprising:
a camera configured to capture an image; and
a flash configured to produce a field of illumination, the flash comprising:
a flash body defining:
a wall portion; and
a window portion coupled to the wall portion;

a substrate coupled to the flash body;
a light emitting component positioned on the substrate and configured to emit light; and
a lens positioned below the window portion and above the light emitting component, the lens at least partially surrounded by the wall portion of the flash body and defining:
a flash-directing region configured to transmit, through the window portion, the light from the light emitting component to illuminate a field of view of the camera; and
a support region surrounding the flash-directing region and configured to transmit, through the window portion, light reflected by the wall portion of the flash body.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 15 , wherein:
the support region of the lens defines:
an outer surface facing the window portion of the flash body; and
an inner surface opposite the outer surface; and

a portion of at least one of the outer surface or the inner surface has a textured surface.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the textured surface has a different surface texture than a surface defined by the flash-directing region of the lens.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the window portion defines:
an exterior side; and
an interior side having a plurality of ridges configured to produce a pattern visible from the exterior side of the window portion, the plurality of ridges comprising a series of concentric circular ridges extending from the interior side of the window portion and defining a symmetrical peak.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 15 , wherein:
the window portion is defined by a tr

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hill Matthew D
• Firka Michael W
• Rath Nicholas D
• Fournier Douglas G
• Rao Matthew P
• Pope Benjamin J
• Bertin James A
• Hurrell David A
• Garcia Jonathan Gomez
• Coughenour Blake M
• Alaimo Angelo M
• Bataillou Jeremy D

Classifications

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• H04N23/55 Primary

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04M1/0264

  for a camera module assembly · CPC title

• H04M2201/38

  Displays · CPC title