# US 2014/0152632 A1 · Solar Cell Ambient Light Sensors For Electronic Devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0152632 A1 - Document ID: US20140152632A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/693,249 - Filed: 2012-12-04 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-04 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Anna-Katrina Shedletsky; Erik G. de Jong; Fletcher R. Rothkopf; Anthony S. Montevirgen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140152632A1 ## CPC - G09G 5/10: Intensity circuits - G01J 1/0247: {using a charging unit} - G01J 1/32: adapted for automatic variation of the measured or reference value (regulation of light intensity G05D25/00) - G01J 1/4204: {with determination of ambient light (solar light G01J2001/4266)} - G02F 1/13306: {Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells (G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence)} - H04N 5/58: in dependence upon ambient light - H04N 21/42202: {environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes} - H10K 59/13: comprising photosensors that control luminance - H10K 59/60: OLEDs integrated with inorganic light-sensitive elements, e.g. with inorganic solar cells or inorganic photodiodes - G02F 1/13324: {Circuits comprising solar cells} - G09G 2360/144: the light being ambient light - G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00) - G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N) - G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H10K: ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES ## Abstract An electronic device is provided with a display and a solar cell ambient light sensor that receives light through a portion of the display. The solar cell ambient light sensor may include one or more thin-film photovoltaic cells. A voltage that accumulates within the thin-film photovoltaic cell in response to ambient light is sampled and converted into ambient light data. The device includes control circuitry that modifies the intensity of display light generated by the display based on the ambient light data from the photovoltaic cell. The solar cell ambient light sensor is attached to a transparent cover layer, a color filter layer, or any other layer of the display. When the accumulated voltage is not being sampled for ambient light measurements, the voltage may be used to provide charge to a battery in the device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device, comprising: a display; an ambient light sensor attached to a portion of the display, wherein the ambient light sensor comprises at least one thin-film photovoltaic cell; a flexible printed circuit having a first end that is attached to the at least one thin-film photovoltaic cell; and control circuitry, wherein the flexible printed circuit has an opposing second end that is attached to the control circuitry. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is coupled to the display and wherein the control circuitry is configured to receive ambient light data from the ambient light sensor and to control the display using the ambient light data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electronic device defined in claim 2, further comprising a battery coupled to the ambient light sensor, wherein a voltage that accumulates on the at least one thin-film photovoltaic cell charges the battery. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The electronic device defined in claim 2, further comprising a housing, wherein a voltage that accumulates on the at least one thin-film photovoltaic cell is sampled by the control circuitry to generate the ambient light data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the portion of the display comprises an active portion of the display that includes active display pixels and wherein the ambient light sensor receives light that passes through the active portion of the display. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the display includes an active area that generates display light for the display, wherein the display further includes a peripheral inactive area that surrounds the active area, and wherein the portion of the display comprises a portion of the inactive area of the display. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one thin-film photovoltaic cell includes a substrate selected from the group consisting of: an amorphous silicon substrate, a cadmium telluride substrate, or a copper indium gallium deselenide substrate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the ambient light sensor has a thickness and wherein the thickness is less than ten microns. ### Claim 9 An electronic device, comprising: a display having a plurality of display layers; and a solar cell ambient light sensor attached to a selected one of the plurality of display layers, wherein the solar cell ambient light sensor receives ambient light through the selected one of the display layers. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The electronic device defined in claim 9, further comprising masking material on the selected one of the plurality of display layers, wherein the solar cell ambient light sensor receives the ambient light through the masking material. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the selected one of the plurality of display layers comprises a transparent cover layer. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the selected one of the plurality of display layers comprises a color filter layer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the masking material blocks a portion of the ambient light from reaching the solar cell ambient light sensor and allows an additional portion of the ambient light to pass through the masking material onto the solar cell ambient light sensor. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the portion of the ambient light has a characteristic set of wavelengths and wherein the additional portion of the ambient light has an additional characteristic set of wavelengths that is different from characteristic set of wavelengths of the portion of the ambient light. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The electronic device defined in claim 14, further comprising at least one additional solar cell ambient light sensor. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the at least one additional solar cell ambient light sensor is configured to receive light having the additional characteristic set of wavelengths. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the at least one additional solar cell ambient light sensor is configured to receive light having a further additional characteristic set of wavelengths that is different from the additional characteristic set of wavelengths. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the at least one additional solar cell ambient light sensor is attached to the selected one of the plurality of display layers. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the at least one additional solar cell ambient light sensor is attached to an additional selected one of the plurality of display layers that is different from the selected one of the plurality of display layers. ### Claim 20 An electronic device, comprising: a display having an active area that emits display light and an inactive area; and a photovoltaic light sensor attached to an interior surface of the display, wherein the photovoltaic light sensor receives light through the display and wherein the photovoltaic light sensor extends along the interior surface of the display in the entire active area of the display. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The electronic device defined in claim 20, further comprising control circuitry that operates the display and the photovoltaic light sensor. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The electronic device defined in claim 20 wherein the photovoltaic light sensor comprises a segmented photovoltaic light sensor and wherein each segment of the photovoltaic light sensor samples ambient light that passes through a corresponding region of the active area of the display. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The electronic device defined in claim 22 wherein each segment of the photovoltaic light sensor is configured to sample light of a different set of wavelengths. ### Claim 24 (depends on 20) The electronic device defined in claim 20 wherein the display comprises an organic light-emitting diode display. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The electronic device defined in claim 24 wherein the organic light-emitting diode display comprises a bottom-emission organic light-emitting diode display. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) The electronic device defined in claim 24 wherein the organic light-emitting diode display comprises a top-emission organic light-emitting diode display. ### Claim 27 (depends on 20) The electronic device defined in claim 20 wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display.