According to a list of technology patents recently published by the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO), Apple has been granted a technology patent for the Apple Pencil. The patent indicates that the next-generation Apple Pencil will have a built-in optical sensor that samples surface color and texture.
In the patent, Apple outlines a color sensor system built into the Apple Pencil that samples the surface color of external objects and can also measure other aspects of an object’s appearance such as texture.
The next-generation Apple Pencil will be equipped with multiple color-sensitive light detectors, each of which can measure the corresponding color of light. The color sensor can also be set up with a light emitter for other uses in the patent description.
The inertial measurement unit can be used to measure the angular orientation between the stylus and an external object during color measurement. Texture can be measured using light shining on the surface of an external object at a swept angle. Measurements from the stylus, such as color sensor measurements, texture measurements, and associated angular orientation measurements, can be transmitted wirelessly to an external device.
