Apple is planning to introduce a thinner iPhone 17 model referred to in rumors as the iPhone 17 Air. In order for Face ID to function in such a slimmer model, the Optical Module supporting Face ID had to be reduced if not reinvented. Evidently this is an important invention considering that 39 Apple engineers were listed on this patent application. While Apple designers have been known at times to be listed  as a group for a particular design, I've never seen this for a utility patent before, just to emphasize the importance of this invention.

Below is just a sampling of the engineer types that are behind this important invention:

• Scott Smith: Alternative Imaging and Depth HW Architecture Lead
• Igor Raginski: Physicist and Optical Design Engineer
• Shujun Tang: Senior Finite Element Analyst
• Caihua (Lucy) Chen: Senior Optical Engineer
• Xiaoyin Zhu: Optical Engineer
• April Schricker: Module Lead
• Andrea Manavella: Depth Hardware Engineering Manager
• Hazel McInnes: Camera Hardware Engineer
• Lorenzo Ferrari: Module Integration Lead
• Austin Seol: Camera Design

Apple notes in their patent application. published this week by the U.S. Patent Office, that in designing an optical module, which is packaged in an electronic device (such as an iPhone), the device includes a transmitter and a receiver. It is important to eliminate or at least mitigate several problems associated with the current structure and the operation of the optical module and the electronic device.

More specifically, as described in more detail in Apple's patent application, it is important to: (i) reduce the height of the optical module in order to reduce the size of the electronic device (e.g., a handheld device), (ii) manage the electric charge distribution to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI) generated during the operation of the optical module in conjunction with the operation of the electronic device, and (iii) minimize the amount of and the impact of stray light radiation that reaches at least one of the receiver and integrated circuits (ICs) of the optical module.

Typically, an axis that determines the thickness of the electronic device that comprises the optical module, is approximately orthogonal to the axes of light emitted from and detected by the optical module. As such, in some cases, the height of the optical module may determine the thickness of the electronic device. Therefore, it is important to reduce the height of the optical module, e.g., for reducing the size and the power consumption of the electronic device.

Apple kept this new optical module design under wraps until now. Yesterday's published patent was made up of three provisional patents filed in 2023, bypassing any public notice of the invention. It was officially filed for in September 2024 as a single patent that was published Thursday. The three provisional patents include: US 63581684 20230911; US 63581687 20230911; and US 63581686 20230911.