Method and apparatus for operating sensor of electronic device

• US 10,222,269 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Mi-Ra, Yun, Yong-Sang, Kwak, Myung-Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Byrne, Harry W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Begum, Sultana
• Application Number:
  US15/079,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20160299010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/24 by varying capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/00 Details of thermometers not specially adapted for particular types of thermometer circuits for reducing thermal inertia G01K7/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/94026 Automatic threshold calibration; e.g. threshold automatically adapts to ambient conditions or follows variation of input
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

An electronic device and method are provided for sensing a touch or hovering event, where sensor variations due to environmental temperatures are minimized. The method includes operations for measuring a temperature of a portion of an electronic device, setting a sensing state reference level of a grip sensor according to the measured temperature, and determining a sensing state of an external object for the electronic device according to a result of a comparison between an output level from the grip sensor and the sensing state reference level of the grip sensor.

Claims

1. A method for operating an electronic device, the method comprising:

measuring a temperature of a portion of the electronic device;

setting a sensing state reference level of a sensor according to the measured temperature; and

determining a sensing state of an external object for the electronic device according to a result of a comparison between an output level from the sensor and the sensing state reference level of the sensor,

wherein the sensing state of the external object is determined to be either a contacting state or a hovering state based on the result of the comparison between the output level from the sensor and the sensing state reference level of the sensor, the sensing state reference level being based on the measured temperature.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring of the temperature comprises:

receiving external temperature information based on a position of the electronic device; and

using the received temperature information to measure the temperature.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing state reference level is a preset value differentiated for each temperature section of a plurality of temperature sections.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the sensing state reference level is set as a slope linearly increasing or decreasing across each temperature section of the plurality of temperature sections.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein each temperature section of the plurality of temperature sections has a different interval.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing state reference level includes at least one of a reference level corresponding to a state where the external object is not in proximity to the electronic device, a reference level corresponding to a state where the external object is in contact with the electronic device, or a reference level corresponding to a state where the external object is in a hovering position with respect to the electronic device.

7. An electronic device, the device comprising:

a conductive pattern;

a first sensor configured to sense a capacitive component of the conductive pattern;

a second sensor configured to measure a temperature of a portion of the electronic device; and

at least one processor configured to;

receive temperature information from the second sensor or temperature information based on a position of the electronic device to set a sensing state reference level of the first sensor, and

determine a sensing state of an external object for the electronic device according to a result of a comparison between an output level from the first sensor and the sensing state reference level of the first sensor,

wherein the sensing state of the external object is determined to be either a contacting state or a hovering state based on the result of the comparison between the output level from the sensor and the sensing state reference level of the sensor, the sensing state reference level being based on the temperature information.

8. The electronic device of claim 7,

wherein the second sensor is disposed around the first sensor or the conductive pattern, and

wherein the second sensor is spaced apart from a heating part of the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the conductive pattern includes at least a portion of an antenna pattern.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising:

a communication unit electrically connected with the antenna pattern, configured to control signal communication through the antenna pattern; and

a low pass filter between the antenna pattern and the first sensor, configured to block transfer of a signal from the communication unit to the first sensor.