PATENTLY APPLE,CELEBRATING APPLE´S SPIRIT OF INNOVATIONPATENTLY APPLE,

Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent that relates primarily to an iPhone with a sophisticated camera and lighting system designed to intelligently adapt both image capture and scene illumination.

The Camera System

An iPhone includes multiple lens systems (e.g., wide-angle, telephoto, ultra-wide), or a single lens with digital zoom, to offer variable fields of view (FOV).

It can combine outputs from different lenses to create composite images at intermediate optical zoom levels—like blending wide-angle and telephoto data for sharper zoom transitions.

The resulting FOV may form a pyramidal shape projecting outward from the lens, covering different object distances in the scene.

Intelligent Illumination System 

An LED-based light source module is embedded or attached, made up of individually controllable illumination elements.

A controller dynamically adjusts:

Which LEDs are turned on

How much current (and thus light) each one receives

The illumination pattern to match the composite camera FOV

It compensates for:

Distance to objects (near/far objects may need different lighting)

Scene geometry (e.g., edge lighting for wide-angle shots)

Ambient light, object reflectivity, and camera settings (like zoom level or autofocus data)

Key Goals

Deliver even illumination across the entire scene, even to the corners of wide or zoomed-in shots.

Optimize lighting for various compositions—whether you’re in wide-angle mode or zoomed far into a subject.

Use power more efficiently by strategically distributing current to the light array, especially in situations with limited power budgets.

In essence, this patent describes a context-aware camera + lighting system that adapts not only how it captures images but also how it illuminates the world—smarter lighting for smarter photography.

Low-Light Portrait Mode: Studio Lighting in Your Pocket

Imagine you’re at a candlelit dinner or taking a nighttime street portrait. Your phone knows you’re using portrait mode with moderate zoom, so it dynamically:

Combines the telephoto + wide-angle lenses for sharper details and creamy depth of field.

Uses the LED illumination array to shape the light — subtly boosting brightness on your face, while avoiding flat lighting that washes out skin tones.

The corners of the scene get just enough fill light to preserve ambiance without turning the background into a dark blur.

The result? A naturally lit, cinematic portrait — without blinding flashes or harsh highlights.

AR Scanning: Real-World Precision in Dim Spaces

Now you’re scanning a room for an AR home design app in the evening. 

The camera system:

Fuses ultra-wide and wide-angle views into a broad pyramid-shaped FOV for spatial mapping.

Dynamically adjusts the light pattern of the LED array — increasing brightness toward distant walls, while dimming near-field areas to reduce overexposure.

Balances output based on object reflectivity (matte walls vs. shiny floors), using just enough power from each LED to conserve battery.

The scan captures edges crisply, recognizes objects more accurately, and builds a depth map that’s clean and artifact-free — even in low light.

All this happens automatically in the background — your phone becomes an intelligent lighting director and depth sensor.

The image below illustrate how Apple’s intelligent camera system and adaptive illumination work in harmony to elevate portrait photography and AR scanning, especially in low-light conditions.

Apple lists Paul Hubel, Chief Scientist, Camera Technology as the primary inventor. Others include:

Angelo Alaimo: Senior Manager, Camera & Depth Hardware

Bosheng Zhang; Prototype Engineer

Paul Hubel : Chief Scientist, Camera Technology

Information Take Patently Apple´s https://www.patentlyapple.com/2025/07/apple-wins-a-patent-for-a-sophisticated-camera-lighting-system-designed-to-intelligently-adapt-both-image-capture-scene-i.html

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