Method and apparatus for detecting free fall of electronic device
First Claim
1. A method of detecting a free fall of an electronic device, comprising:
- (a) sensing a falling acceleration of the electronic device using an acceleration sensor;
(b) determining whether the sensed falling acceleration is less than a predetermined threshold;
(c) if the sensed falling acceleration is less than the predetermined threshold, determining whether the falling acceleration is a statistical constant, which has a statistical significance, and is maintained for a predetermined time; and
(d) if the falling acceleration is the statistical constant and maintained for the predetermined time, determining that the electronic device falls freely.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for detecting a free fall of an electronic device. The method includes: sensing a falling acceleration of the electronic device using an acceleration sensor; determining whether the sensed falling acceleration is less than a predetermined threshold; when the sensed falling acceleration is less than the predetermined threshold, determining whether the falling acceleration is a statistical constant, which has a statistical significance, and is maintained for a predetermined time; and when the falling acceleration is a statistical constant and maintained for a predetermined time, determining that the electronic device falls freely. Accordingly, it is possible to exactly detect a free fall of an electronic device, irrespective of an error of the acceleration of gravity generated when a falling acceleration of the electronic device is measured, due to ambient conditions, e.g., a temperature change and a rotation acceleration generated when the electronic device rotates.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method of detecting a free fall of an electronic device, comprising:
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(a) sensing a falling acceleration of the electronic device using an acceleration sensor;
(b) determining whether the sensed falling acceleration is less than a predetermined threshold;
(c) if the sensed falling acceleration is less than the predetermined threshold, determining whether the falling acceleration is a statistical constant, which has a statistical significance, and is maintained for a predetermined time; and
(d) if the falling acceleration is the statistical constant and maintained for the predetermined time, determining that the electronic device falls freely. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for detecting a free fall of an electronic device, comprising:
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an acceleration sensor which senses a falling acceleration of the electronic device;
an acceleration comparator which determines whether the falling acceleration is less than a predetermined threshold;
an acceleration change determining unit which determines whether the falling acceleration is a statistical constant, which has a statistical significance, and is maintained for a predetermined time, according to the result of a first determination result transmitted from the acceleration comparator; and
a free fall determining unit which determines that the electronic device falls freely according to the result of a second determination result transmitted from the acceleration change determining unit. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification