PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH OPERATIONAL INTERFACE CONTROLLED BY A PROXIMITY SENSOR

• US 20090117935A1
• Filed: 06/01/2006
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gredvall, Olov
• Application Number:
  US11/915,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20090117935A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus (1) and a method for controlling an operational interface of the portable electronic apparatus. The apparatus comprises a transmitter unit (10) including a transmitter (11); a receiver unit (20) including a receiver (21); and an operational interface. The transmitter and the receiver are arranged such that a signal transmitted by the transmitter (11) is received by the receiver (21) when at least the transmitter unit is facing towards and is positioned in proximity of an external surface (31, 44). The transmitter may be an LED, a cold cathode ray tube, or IR or UV transmitter. The receiver may be an optical sensor.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising

a transmitter unit;

a receiver unit;

an operational interface; and

an activation unit adapted to control the operational interface;

wherein

the transmitter unit and the receiver unit are arranged such that a signal transmitted by the transmitter unit is received by the receiver unit when the transmitter unit is facing towards and is positioned in proximity of an external surface;

the receiver unit is arranged to issue a detection indication in response to receiving the signal; and

the activation unit is responsive to the detection indication,

the transmitter unit comprises a signal generator arranged to generate a drive signal, such as a modulated drive signal, for generating the signal to be transmitted by the transmitter unit, wherein said drive signal is used for simultaneously and independently controlling the brightness of a light source and the frequency of an optical signal intended for the receiver unit, wherein a voltage of the drive signal is arranged to oscillate during a first time period and to be zero during a second time period.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the activation unit is adapted to at least inactivate a portion of the operational interface in response to the detection indication.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the drive signal has a predetermined duty cycle.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the combined first and second time periods have a repetition rate and the frequency of the drive signal during the first time period is higher than the repetition rate.

5. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the brightness of the light source is adjusted by controlling the relative length of the second time period in relation to the first time period.

6. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a transmitter of the transmitter unit is integrated with the operational interface.

7. The portable electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the transmitter is an optical transmitter.

8. The portable electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the optical transmitter is a backlight of the operational interface.

9. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a LED positioned in proximity to a receiver of the receiver unit.

10. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a transmitter of the transmitter unit and a receiver of the receiver unit are positioned on the same side of a housing of the portable electronic apparatus.

11. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the operational interface comprises a display including a backlight acting as the transmitter.

12. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the operational interface comprises a keypad including a backlight acting as the transmitter.

13. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the portable electronic apparatus is a portable or handheld mobile radio communication equipment, a mobile radio terminal, a mobile telephone, a pager, a communicator, an electronic organizer, or a smartphone.

14. A method for controlling an operational interface of a portable electronic device, comprising

generating and transmitting a drive signal, such as a modulated drive signal, for simultaneously and independently controlling the brightness of a light source and the frequency of an optical signal intended for a receiver unit, wherein the generation of the drive signal comprises oscillating said drive signal during a first time period and setting the drive signal to zero during a second time period,

determining whether the transmitted signal was received in the portable electronic device, and

controlling the operational interface if it was determined that the signal was received.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the step of determining further comprises inactivating at least a portion of the operational interface if it is determined that the signal was received, and not inactivate the device if it is determined that the signal was not received.