Sensor module and device including the same

• US 10,048,764 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kang, Hwa-Yong, Yoon, Young-Kwon, Kim, Moon-Soo, Kim, Tae-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Nur, Abdullahi
• Application Number:
  US14/698,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20150324003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/22 for measuring depth
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/42 using electric radiation detectors optical or mechanical part G01J1/04; by comparison with a reference light or electric value G01J1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/10 Detecting, e.g. by using light barriers by reflection from the object G01S17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0277 for a printed circuit board assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A sensor module is provided. The sensor module includes three or more sensors and includes a substrate having the three or more sensors arranged thereon.

Claims

1. A sensor module comprising:

three or more sensors; and

a substrate having the three or more sensors arranged thereon,

wherein the substrate, on which the three or more sensors are arranged, is disposed on one side of a central area of an upper end of a mobile device.

2. The sensor module of claim 1, wherein the three or more sensors are arranged along a periphery of a digital block mounted to the substrate to interwork with the digital block.

3. The sensor module of claim 2, wherein the three or more sensors are mounted on a front surface of the mobile device.

4. The sensor module of claim 2,

wherein the three or more sensors comprise a gesture sensor, a depth sensor, and an ambient light/a proximity sensor, and

wherein the depth sensor comprises two sensors that are spaced apart from each other and the ambient light/proximity sensor shares one sensor.

5. The sensor module of claim 4, wherein one or a plurality of sensors of the three or more sensors further comprise an optical element.

6. The sensor module of claim 5, wherein the optical element comprises a lens.

7. The sensor module of claim 6,

wherein the lens comprises one of a normal lens and a wide-angle lens, and

wherein the lens is mounted to one of the gesture sensor and the depth sensor.

8. The sensor module of claim 1,

wherein the three or more sensors include a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor, a fourth sensor, and a fifth sensor,

wherein the first sensor comprises an ambient light sensor (ALS),

wherein the second sensor comprises a proximity sensor (PS) sensor,

wherein the third sensor comprises a Global Motion Detection (GMD) sensor,

wherein the fourth sensor comprises a face detection (FD) sensor, and

wherein the fifth sensor comprises a depth sensor.

9. A mobile device comprising:

a front surface area including a substrate; and

three or more sensors arranged on the substrate,

wherein each of the three or more sensors is spaced apart from one another,

wherein the three or more sensors are mounted to the front surface area, and

wherein the substrate, on which the three or more sensors are arranged, is disposed on one side of a central area of an upper end of the mobile device.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the substrate, on which the three or more sensors are arranged, is disposed on one side of a receiver disposed at a central portion of an upper end of the front surface area.

11. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the three or more sensors share a digital block provided on the substrate.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the three or more sensors are arranged along a periphery of the digital block and interlock with the digital block.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the three or more sensors comprise a gesture sensor, a depth sensor, and an ambient light/proximity sensor.

14. A method of driving sensors of a sensor module manufactured by arranging first to fourth sensors on a substrate, the method comprising:

recognizing, by the sensor module, a face/gesture of a user; and

driving, by the sensor module, only the first sensor of the first to fourth sensors, when the face/gesture of the user is recognized, such that the second sensor, the third sensor and the fourth sensor are in a sleep mode.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, when an ambient light/proximity of the user is recognized, the fourth sensor is driven and the remaining first to third sensors are in a sleep mode.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, when a depth is measured, the second and third sensors are driven and the remaining first and fourth sensors are in a sleep mode.

17. The method of claim 14,

wherein, when the face/gesture of the user is recognized and an ambient light/proximity is recognized, the first and fourth sensors are driven and the second and third sensors are in a sleep mode,

wherein, when the face/gesture of the user is recognized and a depth is measured, the first to third sensors are driven and the fourth sensor is in a sleep mode,

wherein, when the ambient light/proximity is recognized and the depth is measured, the second to fourth sensors are driven and the first sensor is in a sleep mode, and

wherein, when the face/gesture of the user is recognized, when the depth is measured, and when the ambient light/proximity is recognized, the first to fourth sensors are driven.