ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120212447A1
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, David, Chen, Yung-Tsung, Huang, Pei-Hao
• Granted Patent: US 9,035,902 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• 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

An electronic device includes a sensing unit, a charge-and-discharge circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit includes a control unit, a detecting unit, a determining unit, and an executing unit. The control unit provides a plurality of periodic pulses to the sensing unit and the charge-and-discharge circuit, such that they are charged and discharged periodically and output a sensing voltage. The sensing unit detects the sensing voltage, and determines a charging time according to the sensing voltage, wherein the charging time is a time at which the sensing voltage reaches a predetermined voltage. The determining unit determines whether to trigger an interrupt request according to the charging time. The executing unit performs a designated application when the interrupt request is received.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a sensing unit for sensing whether receiving a touch from an object;

a charge-and-discharge circuit coupled to the sensing unit, wherein the charge-and-discharge circuit and the sensing unit are charged and discharged periodically according to a plurality of periodic pulses and output a sensing voltage; and

a processing circuit coupled to the sensing unit and the charge-and-discharge circuit, comprising;

a control unit for providing the periodic pulses to the sensing unit and the charge-and-discharge circuit;

a detecting unit for detecting the sensing voltage and deciding a charging time according to the sensing voltage, wherein the charging time is a time at which the sensing voltage reaches a predetermined voltage;

a determining unit coupled to the detecting unit for deciding whether to trigger an interrupt request according to the charging time; and

an executing unit coupled to the determining unit for executing a specific application when the interrupt request is received.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the charge-and-discharge circuit comprises a charging capacitor.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit comprises a virtual capacitor, and when the sensing unit receives the touch from the object, the capacitance of the virtual capacitor changes.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the determining unit compares the charging time with a threshold, triggers the interrupt request when the charging time is greater than the threshold, and does not trigger the interrupt request when the charging time is not greater than the threshold.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a display panel and a touch panel, wherein the specific application is turning off the touch panel or backlight of the display panel.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a sound output device; and

a housing with a containing space to contain the sound output device;

wherein the sensing unit is a conductive layer disposed on a specific area of an inner surface of the housing, and the specific area is adjacent to the containing space.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a sound output device; and

a cover plate with a cavity forming a containing space to contain the sound output device;

wherein the sensing unit is a conductive layer and disposed on a specific area of an inner surface of the cover plate, and the specific area is adjacent to the cavity.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the specific area is covered by a layer of colored material.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is a metal sheet.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 is a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a PDA phone or a smart phone.

11. A method for controlling an electronic device comprising a sensing unit for sensing whether receiving a touch from an object, and a charge-and-discharge circuit the method comprising:

providing a plurality of periodic pulses to the sensing unit and the charge-and-discharge circuit;

periodically charging and discharging the charge-and-discharge circuit and the sensing circuit according to the periodic pulses, so as to output a sensing voltage;

detecting the sensing voltage and determining a charging time according to the sensing voltage, wherein the charging time is a time at which the sensing voltage reaches a predetermined voltage;

deciding whether to trigger an interrupt request according to the charging time; and

executing a specific application when the interrupt request is received.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of determining whether to trigger the interrupt request according to the charging time comprises:

comparing the charging time with a threshold;

triggering the interrupt request when the charging time is greater than the threshold; and

not triggering the interrupt request when the charging time is not greater than the threshold.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the specific application is turning off a touch panel or backlight of a display panel.