PORTABLE DEVICE WITH PROXIMITY SENSORS

• US 20110175626A1
• Filed: 03/26/2009
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ATLab, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ATLab, Inc.
• Inventors: Kim, Yong-Hwan, Hong, Jae-Surk, Joung, Chul-Yong, Lee, Bang-Won, Chung, Jin-Woo, Jung, Duck-Young, Shin, Young-Ho, Lee, Sang-Jin
• Application Number:
  US13/122,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20110175626A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A portable device with a proximity sensor is provided. The portable device with a proximity sensor of the present invention includes a shielding plate for shielding impedance applied in a direction opposite to the direction that the proximity sensor detects the proximity such that the proximity sensor is not affected by a change in the surrounding environment and can detect the proximity at the same sensitivity at all times. Moreover, when the portable device is placed upside down on a conductive surface that causes low impedance, a proximity sensor placed adjacent to the conductive surface is deactivated to prevent malfunction.

Claims

1. A portable device with a proximity sensor, comprising:

upper and lower cases;

at least one printed circuit board placed between the upper and lower cases and including a controller;

at least one first proximity sensor placed between the upper case and the at least one printed circuit board and configured to detect impedance;

at least one second proximity sensor placed between the lower case and the at least one printed circuit board and configured to detect impedance; and

at least one shielding means placed between the at least one first proximity sensor and the at least one second proximity sensor such that impedance applied through the lower case is prevented from being applied to the first proximity sensor and impedance applied through the upper case is prevented from being applied to the second proximity sensor.

2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the at least one shielding means is a conductive plate electrically connected to a ground voltage.

3. The portable device of claim 2, further comprising an insulating plate having a low dielectric constant and placed between the at least one shielding means and the at least one printed circuit board.

4. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the at least one shielding means is an insulating plate having a low dielectric constant.

5. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the at least one shielding means forms an empty space of a predetermined distance between the first and second proximity sensors.

6. The portable device of claim 1, wherein, when the printed circuit board is a multi-layered printed circuit board, the at least one shielding means is implemented as one layer of the multi-layered printed circuit board.

7. The portable device of claim 1, wherein, when there are provided a plurality of printed circuit boards, the at least one shielding means is placed between the plurality of printed circuit boards.

8. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the at least one shielding means is placed between the at least one printed circuit board, and the first and second proximity sensors, respectively.

9. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the controller compares impedance values detected by the first and second proximity sensors for a predetermined period of time, deactivates the first proximity sensor when the impedance value detected by the first proximity sensor is smaller than the impedance value detected by the second proximity sensor, and deactivates the second proximity sensor when the impedance value detected by the first proximity sensor is equal to or greater than the impedance value detected by the second proximity sensor.

10. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the controller compares changes in impedance values measured by the first and second proximity sensors a plurality of times for a predetermined period of time, deactivates the second proximity sensor when the change in impedance values detected by the first proximity sensor is greater than the change in impedance values detected by the second proximity sensor, and deactivates the first proximity sensor when the change in impedance values detected by the first proximity sensor is equal to or smaller than the change in impedance values detected by the second proximity sensor.

11. The portable device of claim 1, wherein, when the first proximity sensors and the second proximity sensors are provided in plural, the controller deactivates the plurality of second proximity sensors when all of the plurality of first proximity sensors detect proximity within a predetermined period of time, and deactivates the plurality of first proximity sensors when all of the plurality of second proximity sensors detect proximity within a predetermined period of time.

12. The portable device of claim 1, wherein, when the first proximity sensors and the second proximity sensors are provided in plural, the controller deactivates the plurality of first proximity sensors when the sum of impedances detected by the plurality of first proximity sensors is smaller than a first reference impedance value, and deactivates the plurality of second proximity sensors when the sum of impedances detected by the plurality of second proximity sensors is smaller than a second reference impedance value.

13. The portable device of claim 12, wherein the first and second reference impedance values are the sum of average impedance values previously detected by the plurality of first proximity sensors a plurality of times and the sum of average impedance values previously detected by the plurality of second proximity sensors a plurality of times, respectively.

14. The portable device of claim 1, wherein, when the first proximity sensors and the second proximity sensors are provided in plural, the controller deactivates the plurality of first proximity sensors when a difference in impedance detected by the plurality of first proximity sensors is equal to or smaller than a first reference impedance value, and deactivates the plurality of second proximity sensors when a difference in impedance detected by the plurality of second proximity sensors is equal to or smaller than a second reference impedance value.

15. The portable device of claim 14, wherein the first and second reference impedance values are the difference of average impedance values previously detected by the plurality of first proximity sensors a plurality of times and the difference of average impedance values previously detected by the plurality of second proximity sensors a plurality of times, respectively.

16. The portable device of claim 1, wherein, when the first proximity sensors and the second proximity sensors are provided in plural, the plurality of first proximity sensors and the plurality of second proximity sensors are arranged in the form of a matrix, respectively.

17. The portable device of claim 16, wherein the controller determines an approach direction of a user according to the order that the plurality of first and second proximity sensors detect proximity of the user.

18. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the first and second proximity sensors are used as touch sensors during deactivation.

19. A portable device with a proximity sensor, comprising:

upper and lower cases;

at least one printed circuit board placed between the upper and lower cases and including a controller;

a plurality of proximity sensors placed between the upper case and the at least one printed circuit board and configured to detect impedance; and

at least one shielding means placed between the plurality of proximity sensors and the at least one printed circuit board such that impedance applied through the lower case is prevented from being applied to the plurality of proximity sensors.

20. The portable device of claim 19, wherein the at least one shielding means is a conductive plate electrically connected to a ground voltage.

21. The portable device of claim 20, further comprising an insulating plate having a low dielectric constant and placed between the at least one shielding means and the at least one printed circuit board.

22. The portable device of claim 19, wherein the at least one shielding means is an insulating plate having a low dielectric constant.

23. The portable device of claim 19, wherein the at least one shielding means forms an empty space of a predetermined distance between the plurality of proximity sensors and the at least one printed circuit board.

24. The portable device of claim 19, wherein, when the printed circuit board is a multi-layered printed circuit board, the at least one shielding means is implemented as one layer of the multi-layered printed circuit board.

25. The portable device of claim 19, wherein, when there are provided a plurality of printed circuit boards, the at least one shielding means is placed between the plurality of printed circuit boards.

26. The portable device of claim 19, wherein the controller deactivates the plurality of proximity sensors when all of the plurality of proximity sensors detect proximity within a predetermined period of time.

27. The portable device of claim 19, wherein the controller deactivates the plurality of proximity sensors when the sum of impedances detected by the plurality of proximity sensors is smaller than a reference impedance value.

28. The portable device of claim 27, wherein the reference impedance value is the sum of average impedance values previously detected by the plurality of proximity sensors a plurality of times.

29. The portable device of claim 19, wherein the controller deactivates the plurality of proximity sensors when a difference in impedance detected by the plurality of proximity sensors is equal to or greater than a reference impedance value.

30. The portable device of claim 29, wherein the reference impedance value is the difference of average impedance values previously detected by the plurality of proximity sensors a plurality of times.

31. The portable device of claim 19, wherein the plurality of proximity sensors are arranged in the form of a matrix.

32. The portable device of claim 31, wherein the controller determines an approach direction of a user according to the order that the plurality of proximity sensors detect proximity of the user.

33. The portable device of claim 19, wherein the plurality of proximity sensors are used as touch sensors during deactivation.