Method and device for preventing inadvertently touch of electronic device

• US 10,075,161 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2014
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Inventors: Shu, Chia-Jen
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dominique, Emmanuel R
• Application Number:
  US14/151,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20150084436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/03 Avoiding erroneous switching
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/07 UV or IR detection, e.g. of human body
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/94036 Multiple detection, i.e. where different switching signals are generated after operation of the user is detected at different time instants at different locations during the actuation movement by two or more sensors of the same or different kinds
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96058 Fail-safe touch switches, where switching takes place only after repeated touch
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960705 Safety of capacitive touch and proximity switches, e.g. increasing reliability, fail-safe

Abstract

A method and a device for preventing inadvertently touch of an electronic device are provided, the method includes: receiving an operating motion by a button switch; determining whether the button switch is triggered by receiving the operating motion; determining whether a human body is closing to the button switch; if the human body is closing to the button switch and the button switch is triggered, sending a button switch signal corresponding to the button switch to the electronic device to perform a function corresponding to the button switch.

Claims

1. A method for preventing inadvertently touch of an electronic device, the electronic device having a physical button switch, and the method comprising:

determining whether the physical button switch is triggered by an operation motion being received;

determining whether a first human body is closing to the physical button switch;

if the first human body is closing to the physical button switch and the physical button switch is triggered, sending a physical button switch signal corresponding to the physical button switch to the electronic device to perform a function corresponding to the physical button switch; and

if the first human body is not closing to the physical button switch when the physical button switch is triggered, not sending, by a sensing module, the physical button switch signal corresponding to the physical button switch to the electronic device,

wherein the electronic device comprises the sensing module, and the step of determining whether the first human body is closing to the physical button switch comprises;

sensing whether the first human body is entering a first range by the sensing module, and generating a first sensing value in response to that the first human body entering the first range is sensed, wherein the first range is a spatial range which covers a physical surface of the physical button switch, wherein the first sensing value is indicative of the closeness of the first human body to the physical button switch; and

determining that the first human body is closing to the physical button switch if the first sensing value is greater than a first threshold value.

2. The method for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

if the physical button switch is not triggered by the operation motion, not sending, by the sensing module, the physical button switch signal corresponding to the physical button switch to the electronic device.

3. The method for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sensing module comprises a sensing unit and a logic unit, and if the first human body is closing to the physical button switch and the physical button switch is triggered, sending the physical button switch signal corresponding to the physical button switch to the electronic device comprises:

generating a first enable signal by the sensing unit;

generating a second enable signal by the physical button switch; and

generating the physical button switch signal according to the first enable signal and the second enable signal by the logic unit, and sending the physical button switch signal to the electronic device.

4. The method for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device of claim 3, wherein the logic unit comprises an AND gate.

5. The method for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a touch screen, and the method further comprises:

sensing whether a second human body is entering a second range by the sensing module, and generating a second sensing value in response to that the second human body entering the second range is sensed, wherein the second range is another spatial range which at least covers a physical part of the electronic device, wherein the second sensing value is indicative of the closeness of the second human body to the physical part of the electronic device; and

if the second sensing value is greater than a second threshold value, sending a screen turn-off signal and/or a touch function disable signal to the electronic device to turn off a screen display of the touch screen and/or to disable a touch function.

6. The method for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sensing module comprises a proximity sensor, and a proximity sensing antenna of the proximity sensor is disposed adjacent to the physical button switch.

7. The method for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sensing module comprises a sensing material layer, and the sensing material layer is disposed on the physical surface of the physical button switch.

8. A device for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device, comprising:

a physical button switch configured to receive an operating motion and to be triggered by the operating motion; and

a sensing module coupled to the physical button switch, and configured to determine whether a first human body is closing to the physical button switch,

wherein if the first human body is closing to the physical button switch and the physical button switch is triggered by the operating motion, the sensing module sends a physical button switch signal corresponding to the physical button switch to the electronic device to perform a function corresponding to the physical button switch,

wherein if the first human body is not closing to the physical button switch when the physical button switch is triggered, the sensing module does not send the physical button switch signal corresponding to the physical button switch to the electronic device,

wherein the sensing module senses whether the first human body is entering a first range, and generates a first sensing value in response to that the first human body entering the first range is sensed, wherein the first range is a spatial range which covers a physical surface of the physical button switch, wherein the first sensing value is indicative of the closeness of the first human body to the physical button switch,

wherein if the first sensing value is greater than a first threshold value, the sensing module determines that the first human body is closing to the physical button switch.

9. The device for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device of claim 8, wherein if the physical button switch is not triggered by the operating motion, the sensing module does not send the physical button switch signal corresponding to the physical button switch to the electronic device.

10. The device for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device of claim 8, wherein the sensing module comprises a sensing unit and logic unit,

wherein the sensing unit generates a first enable signal,

wherein the physical button switch generates a second enable signal,

wherein the logic unit generates the physical button switch signal according to the first enable signal and the second enable signal, and sends the physical button switch signal to the electronic device.

11. The device for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device of claim 10, wherein the logic unit comprises an AND gate.

12. The device for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device of claim 8, wherein the electronic device comprises a touch screen,

wherein the sensing module senses whether a second human body is entering a second range, and generates a second sensing value in response to that the second human body entering the second range is sensed, wherein the second range is another spatial range which at least covers a physical part of the electronic device, wherein the second sensing value is indicative of the closeness of the second human body to the physical part of the electronic device,

wherein if the second sensing value is greater than a second threshold value, the sensing module sends a screen turn-off signal and/or a touch function disable signal to the electronic device to turn off a screen display of the touch screen and/or to disable a touch function.

13. The device for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device of claim 8, wherein the sensing module comprises a proximity sensor, and a proximity sensing antenna of the proximity sensor is disposed adjacent to the physical button switch.

14. The device for preventing inadvertently touch of the electronic device of claim 8, wherein the sensing module comprises a sensing material layer, and the sensing material layer is disposed on the physical surface of the physical button switch.