PROXIMITY SENSOR ARRANGEMENT HAVING A COLD MIRROR IN A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20120129580A1
• Filed: 11/19/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Tam, Ching Yu John
• Granted Patent: US 8,996,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4813 Housing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

A radiation passing layer has a top surface and a bottom surface below which a proximity sensor is positioned. A visible light opaque layer covers the bottom surface of the radiation passing layer except for an opening therein that allows radiation from the emitter to pass, and scattered radiation to pass to the detector. A radiation shield is between the emitter and the detector, and extends to the bottom of the radiation passing layer. A cold mirror is between the shield and the bottom surface of the radiation passing layer, covering the opening in the opaque layer. A radiation absorber being a separate piece and a different material than the shield provides a radiation seal between the top surface of the shield and the bottom surface of the cold mirror. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a radiation passing layer having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a proximity sensor having a radiation emitter and a radiation detector, both positioned below the radiation passing layer;

a visibly opaque layer covering the bottom surface of the radiation passing layer except for an opening that allows radiation from the emitter to pass, and scattered radiation to pass to the detector;

a radiation shield positioned between the emitter and the detector, and extending to the bottom surface of the radiation passing layer; and

a cold mirror positioned between the shield and the bottom surface of the radiation passing layer, covering said opening in the visibly opaque layer; and

a radiation absorber being a separate piece and of a different material than the shield and positioned to provide a radiation seal between a top surface of the shield and a bottom surface of the cold mirror.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the absorber comprises a film or sheet that is separate from but that has been joined to the bottom surface of the cold mirror and/or the top surface of the shield.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the film or sheet is of a different material than the shield.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein the film or sheet has greater infrared absorption characteristics than that of the radiation shield.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the film or sheet is one of a polyester film and a plastic sheet.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the absorber is formed as a mask that has two holes formed therein directly above the emitter and the detector, respectively.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the absorber has the following characteristics in an infrared band 700 nm to 1100 nm:

transmittance less than 5% and reflectance less than 10%.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the cold mirror comprises a piece of visible light reflective substrate to which an infrared transparent coating has been applied, wherein the piece has been bonded to the radiation passing layer.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a wireless telephony handset housing having an infrared light passing cover whose top face is part of an exterior face of the housing and whose bottom face is inside the housing;

a proximity sensor having an infrared emitter and an infrared detector both positioned below the bottom face of the cover, inside the housing;

a visible light opaque layer covering the bottom surface of the cover except for an opening that allows infrared radiation from the emitter to pass, and scattered infrared radiation to pass to the detector;

an internal frame member positioned between the emitter and the detector, the frame member to block infrared radiation between the emitter and the detector;

a cold mirror positioned between the internal frame member and the bottom surface of the cover, covering said opening in the opaque layer; and

an infrared absorber formed between a top surface of the frame member and a bottom surface of the cold mirror.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the internal frame member extends continuously upward and joins the bottom surface of the cold mirror through the infrared absorber.

11. The device of claim 9 further comprising an earpiece speaker and a microphone both inside the housing, a top face to bottom face acoustic aperture formed in the cover and acoustically coupled to the earpiece speaker, and wherein the proximity sensor is positioned closer to the aperture than the microphone.

12. The device of claim 9 wherein the cover is flat, the frame member has a T-shape, and the absorber conforms to a top of the T-shape.

13. The device of claim 9 wherein the absorber comprises a film or sheet that is separate from but that has been joined to a) on one face, the bottom surface of the cold mirror, and/or b) on an opposite face, the top surface of the frame member.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the film or sheet is one of a polyester film and a plastic sheet that has been bonded to the cold mirror via an adhesive containing an index-matching material.

15. The device of claim 13 wherein the film or sheet has greater infrared absorption characteristics than that of the frame member.

16. The device of claim 9 wherein the absorber is formed as a mask that has two holes formed therein directly above the emitter and the detector, respectively.

17. The electronic device of claim 9 wherein the absorber has the following characteristics in an infrared band 700 nm to 1100 nm:

transmittance less than 5% and reflectance less than 10%.

18. The electronic device of claim 9 further comprising a touch screen whose top face is part of the exterior face of the housing, and whose bottom face is inside the housing.

19. The electronic device of claim 18 wherein the infrared light passing cover forms part of and is an outer protective layer of the touch screen as well as a structural layer of the housing.

20. The electronic device of claim 9 wherein the visible light opaque layer is white and is in contact with a bottom face of the light passing cover, the opening is a single opening over both of the emitter and the detector, and the cold mirror covers the single opening to give a uniform appearance to the exterior face of the housing.

21. The electronic device 20 wherein the absorber is in contact with the bottom surface of the cold mirror and has two holes formed therein aligned with the emitter and the detector, respectively.

22. An electronic device comprising:

means for housing electronic components;

means for physically protecting the electronic components while passing radiation therethrough;

means for transmitting said radiation out of the housing means;

means for receiving said radiation that has been scattered outside of the housing means;

means for blocking stray radiation from impinging on the receiving means; and

means for taking up stray radiation so as to prevent it from impinging on the receiving means.

23. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, comprising:

applying an infrared absorber to a cold mirror, wherein the cold mirror covers an opening in a visible light opaque layer that has been applied to a cover, the absorber having the following characteristics in an infrared band 700 nm to 1100 nm, namely transmittance less than 5% and reflectance less than 10%; and

then

positioning the cover into an exterior housing of a mobile device and fixing the cover in place while the absorber is in contact with a top surface of an internal frame member in the housing that lies between an infrared emitter and an infrared detector of a proximity sensor in the housing, the opening being aligned with a radiation passage for the emitter and the detector.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising aligning the cold mirror with the opening in the opaque layer and then bonding the cold mirror, as aligned, to a surface of the cover, before positioning the cover into the housing of the mobile device.