ENVIRONMENT DETECTION FOR MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20140066124A1
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Novet, Isaac
• Granted Patent: US 8,744,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are disclosed related to managing characteristics of a mobile device based upon capacitive detection of materials proximate the mobile device. One such method includes receiving a first capacitive sensor measurement with a first capacitive sensor of the mobile device. The method further includes determining a value indicative of a material adjacent to the mobile device based on a correspondence between the first capacitive sensor measurement and stored values corresponding to different materials. The method further includes sending instructions to adjust a characteristic of the mobile device based on the determined value indicative of the material adjacent to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of managing characteristics of a mobile device based upon capacitive detection of materials proximate the mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a first capacitive sensor measurement with a first capacitive sensor of the mobile device, wherein the first capacitive sensor measurement is a measurement of surface charge on the capacitive sensor;

determining a type of material adjacent to the mobile device based on the first capacitive sensor measurement and stored values corresponding to types of materials having different dielectric constants; and

sending instructions to adjust a characteristic of the mobile device based on the determined type of material adjacent to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

taking a measurement with a second capacitive sensor of the mobile device; and

determining a spatial relationship between the mobile device and the material adjacent to the mobile device based on the measurements taken from the first and second capacitive sensors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determined spatial relationship comprises a manner in which a hand grips the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein sending instructions to adjust the characteristic comprises sending instructions to adjust a radio frequency (RF) communication characteristic based on the determined type of material adjacent to the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein sending instructions to adjust the characteristic of the mobile device comprises adjusting a transmit power of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein sending instructions to adjust the characteristic of the mobile device comprises adjusting a tuning of an antenna.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein sending instructions to adjust the characteristic of the mobile device comprises transmitting information related to the first capacitive sensor measurement to a networked metadata database, wherein the information related to the first capacitive sensor measurement comprises (1) the first capacitive sensor measurement and/or a calculated dielectric constant based on the first capacitive sensor measurement, and (2) location data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein sending instructions to adjust the characteristic of the mobile device comprises recording the first capacitive sensor measurement and the type of material adjacent to the mobile device in a measured material library over time to account for changes in the stored values corresponding to different materials having different dielectric constants.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein sending instructions to adjust the characteristic of the mobile device comprises adjusting a user interface output.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the type of material adjacent to the mobile device comprises determining whether the material is conductive or not conductive.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein when the mobile device is in motion relative to the material adjacent to the mobile device, the method further comprises:

determining a change in measurement over a time period by the first capacitive sensor caused at least in part by the relative movement of the mobile device; and

determining the type of material adjacent to the mobile device based on the change in measurement by the first capacitive sensor and a change in distance between the mobile device relative to the material adjacent to the mobile device over the same time period.

12. The method of claim 11,

wherein the change in distance is determined based on a first acceleration measurement measured at a first time and a second acceleration measurement measured at a second time by an accelerometer of the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a variability over time in measurement by the first capacitive sensor caused by the material adjacent to the mobile device, wherein the variability over time comprises a standard deviation across a plurality of stored capacitive measurements measured using the first capacitive sensor; and

determining whether the material is human based on the variability.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring a case or housing, or a change thereof, with the first capacitive sensor; and

calibrating the first capacitive sensor based on the measurement.

15. A system configured to sense an environment of a mobile device comprising:

a first capacitive sensor configured to provide a measurement related to a material adjacent to the mobile device, wherein the measurement is a measurement of surface charge on the capacitive sensor;

a memory configured to store one or more values corresponding to types of materials having different dielectric constants; and

one or more processors configured to;

receive the measurement;

determine a a type of material adjacent to the mobile device based on the measurement and the one or more values corresponding to materials having different dielectric constants;

modify a state of the mobile device based on the determined type of material adjacent to the mobile device.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a second capacitive sensor of the mobile device,

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine a spatial relationship between the mobile device and the material adjacent to the mobile device based on measurements received from the first and second capacitive sensors.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the determined spatial relationship comprises a manner in which a hand grips the mobile device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are configured to modify the state by modifying a radio frequency (RF) communication characteristic based on the determined type of material adjacent to the mobile device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are configured to adjust a transmit power of the mobile device based on the determined type of material adjacent to the mobile device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are configured to adjust a tuning of an antenna based on the determined type of material adjacent to the mobile device.

21. The system of claim 18, further comprising a transmitter, configured to transmit information related to the measurement, based on the determined type of material adjacent to the mobile device.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are configured to perform one or more of the following:

record an updated correspondence between the measurement and the determined type of material;

adjust a user interface output; and

log data based on the determined type of material adjacent to the mobile device.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more values corresponding to types of materials having different dielectric constants comprises a plurality of dielectric constants and/or predicted characteristics of the types of materials having different dielectric constants.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein the type of material adjacent to the mobile device corresponds to whether the material is conductive or not conductive.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein, when the mobile device is in motion relative to the material, the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a change in measurement over a time period by the first capacitive sensor caused at least in part by the relative movement of the mobile device; and

determine the type of material adjacent to the mobile device based on the change in measurement by the first capacitive sensor and a change in distance between the mobile device relative to the material adjacent to the mobile device over the same time period.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the change in distance is determined based on a first acceleration measurement measured at a first time and a second acceleration measurement measured at a second time by an accelerometer of the mobile device.

27. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a variability over time in measurement by the first capacitive sensor caused by the material adjacent to the mobile device, wherein the variability over time comprises a standard deviation across a plurality of stored capacitive measurements measured using the first capacitive sensor; and

determine whether the material is human based on the variability in measurement.

28. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the received measurement corresponds to a case or housing of the mobile device, and

the one or more processors are further configured to calibrate the first capacitive sensor based on the received measurement or a change thereof.

29. An apparatus for sensing an environment of a mobile device comprising:

means for receiving a measurement related to a material adjacent to the mobile device from a capacitive sensor, wherein the measurement is a measurement of surface charge on the capacitive sensor;

means for determining a type of material adjacent to the mobile device based on the measurement and stored values corresponding to types of materials having different dielectric constants; and

means for modifying an aspect of the mobile device based on the determined type of material adjacent to the mobile device.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus to:

take a measurement with a first capacitive sensor of a mobile device, wherein the measurement is a measurement of surface charge on the first capacitive sensor;

look up a corresponding type of material of a material adjacent to the mobile device based on the measurement and one or more values corresponding to types of materials having different dielectric constants; and

modify a state of the mobile device based on the determined type of material.