Sensor for detecting presence of material

• US 10,191,528 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2016
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Shedletsky, Anna-Katrina
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US15/217,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20160334851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 345156, 345169, 345173, 600300, 600390, 600479
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3243 Power saving in microcontroller unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3246 by software initiated power-off
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A device having one or more sensors configured to detect a material covering the device, and logic configured to detect one or more characteristics of the material and change an operating state of the device based on the detected one or more characteristics. In some examples, the one or more sensors can be ambient light sensors (ALS), proximity sensors and/or cameras. In some examples, the device can change the operating state of a processor, a touch panel and/or a display. In some examples, the device can detect a direction of coverage of the material, a color of the material and/or a usage state of the device. In some examples, the device can change its operating state based on a pattern of the one or more characteristics and/or information in addition to the one or more characteristics. In some examples, the device can receive the information from an external device.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

one or more sensors configured to detect a material covering the device; and

logic coupled to the one or more sensors, the logic configured to;

detect one or more characteristics of the material covering the device, wherein the material has a first characteristic if the material is covering a first portion of the device from a first direction, and has a second characteristic if the material is covering the first portion of the device from a second direction different from the first direction, and

change an operating state of the device based on the detected one or more characteristics, wherein changing the operating state comprises;

in accordance with the material having the first characteristic, the device entering a first operating state, and

in accordance with the material having the second characteristic, the device entering a second operating state different from the first operating state.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more ambient light sensors (ALS).

3. The device of claim 2, wherein detecting the one or more characteristics comprises detecting one or more wavelengths of light transmitted by the material to the one or more ALS.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more proximity sensors.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more cameras.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a processor, wherein changing the operating state of the device comprises changing an operating state of the processor.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein:

detecting the one or more characteristics comprises detecting that the material is covering at least a portion of the device, and

changing the operating state comprises putting the processor in a low-power state.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising a touch panel, wherein changing the operating state of the device comprises changing an operating state of the touch panel.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein:

detecting the one or more characteristics comprises detecting that the material is covering at least a portion of the touch panel, and

changing the operating state comprises turning off at least the portion of the touch panel.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a display, wherein changing the operating state of the device comprises changing an operating state of the display.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein:

detecting the one or more characteristics comprises detecting that the material is covering at least a portion of the display, and

changing the operating state comprises reducing a brightness of at least the portion of the display.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein:

detecting the one or more characteristics comprises detecting that the material is covering at least a portion of the display, and

changing the operating state comprises turning off at least the portion of the display.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein detecting the one or more characteristics comprises detecting a color of the material.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the logic is further configured to determine a usage state of the device based on the one or more characteristics.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the logic is further configured to detect a pattern of the one or more characteristics, and

changing the operating state of the device comprises changing the operating state of the device based on the pattern.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein changing the operating state of the device comprises changing the operating state of the device based on information in addition to the one or more characteristics.

17. The device of claim 16, further comprising a communication interface coupled to the logic, the communication interface configured to receive the information from an external device.

18. A device comprising:

one or more sensors configured to detect a material covering the device;

a communication interface coupled to the one or more sensors, the communication interface configured to send one or more outputs from the one or more sensors to an external device, and receive one or more characteristics of the material from the external device, wherein the material has a first characteristic if the material is covering a first portion of the device from a first direction, and has a second characteristic if the material is covering the first portion of the device from a second direction different from the first direction; and

logic coupled to the communication interface, the logic configured to change an operating state of the device based on the one or more characteristics, wherein changing the operating state comprises;

in accordance with the material having the first characteristic, the device entering a first operating state, and

in accordance with the material having the second characteristic, the device entering a second operating state different from the first operating state.

19. A method comprising:

detecting one or more characteristics of a material covering a device, wherein the material has a first characteristic if the material is covering a first portion of the device from a first direction, and has a second characteristic if the material is covering the first portion of the device from a second direction different from the first direction; and

changing an operating state of the device based on the detected one or more characteristics, wherein changing the operating state comprises;

in accordance with the material having the first characteristic, the device entering a first operating state, and

in accordance with the material having the second characteristic, the device entering a second operating state different from the first operating state.

20. A method comprising:

sending, to a second device, one or more outputs from one or more sensors configured to detect a material covering a first device;

receiving, from the second device, one or more characteristics of the material, wherein the material has a first characteristic if the material is covering a first portion of the device from a first direction, and has a second characteristic if the material is covering the first portion of the device from a second direction different from the first direction; and

changing an operating state of the first device based on the one or more characteristics, wherein changing the operating state comprises;

in accordance with the material having the first characteristic, the device entering a first operating state, and

in accordance with the material having the second characteristic, the device entering a second operating state different from the first operating state.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which when executed by a device, cause the device to perform a method comprising:

detecting one or more characteristics of a material covering the device, wherein the material has a first characteristic if the material is covering a first portion of the device from a first direction, and has a second characteristic if the material is covering the first portion of the device from a second direction different from the first direction; and

changing an operating state of the device based on the detected one or more characteristics, wherein changing the operating state comprises;

in accordance with the material having the first characteristic, the device entering a first operating state, and

in accordance with the material having the second characteristic, the device entering a second operating state different from the first operating state.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which when executed by a first device, cause the device to perform a method comprising:

sending, to a second device, one or more outputs from one or more sensors configured to detect a material covering the first device;

receiving, from the second device, one or more characteristics of the material, wherein the material has a first characteristic if the material is covering a first portion of the device from a first direction, and has a second characteristic if the material is covering the first portion of the device from a second direction different from the first direction; and

changing an operating state of the first device based on the one or more characteristics, wherein changing the operating state comprises;

in accordance with the material having the first characteristic, the device entering a first operating state, and

in accordance with the material having the second characteristic, the device entering a second operating state different from the first operating state.