DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETECTING POSITION OF OBJECT

• US 20160123721A1
• Filed: 06/02/2015
• Published: 05/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Jung Woo, PARK, Joon Ah, SHIN, Jung Soon, LEE, Hong-Seok, JUNG, Tae Sung, CHO, Baek Hwan, HAN, Seung Hoon, PYUN, Kyoung Seok
• Granted Patent: US 10,012,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/002 for measuring two or more coordinates

Abstract

An electronic device for detecting a position of an object is disclosed, The electronic device includes an optical source configured to emit light to a detection area, a light concentrator configured to concentrate light reflected by a target object located in a detection area, a light receiver configured to receive through photodiodes the reflected light concentrated by the light concentrator and to output a light quantity pattern of the reflected light, and a processor configured to determine the position of the target object based on the light quantity pattern of the reflected light.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

an optical source configured to emit light to a detection area;

a light concentrator configured to concentrate light reflected by a target object located in the detection area;

a light receiver configured to receive through photodiodes the reflected light concentrated by the light concentrator and to output a light quantity pattern of the reflected light; and

a processor configured to determine a position of the target object based on the light quantity pattern of the reflected light.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a position of a photodiode with respect to the electronic device based on the light quantity pattern which indicates a maximum quantity of light detected among the photodiodes, and to determine the position of the target object with respect to the electronic device based on the position of the photodiode.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a distance between the light concentrator and the target object based on an incidence angle of the reflected light on the light concentrator.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the incidence angle of the reflected light on the light concentrator based on mapping information between the photodiodes and the incidence angle of the reflected light.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to determine, to be the incidence angle of the reflected light, an incidence angle mapped to a photodiode receiving a maximum quantity of the reflected light among the photodiodes.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the light concentrator comprises:

a first light concentrator configured to concentrate first reflected light of the light reflected by the target object; and

a second light concentrator configured to concentrate second reflected light of the light reflected by the target object, and

the light receiver comprises;

a first light receiver configured to receive the first reflected light concentrated by the first light concentrator; and

a second light receiver configured to receive the second reflected light concentrated by the second light concentrator.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a distance between the light concentrator and the target object based on an incidence angle of the first reflected light, an incidence angle of the second reflected light, and a distance between the first light concentrator and the second light concentrator.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to determine, to be a distance between the light concentrator and the target object, a height of a triangle having a distance between the first light concentrator and the second light concentrator as a base line, an incidence angle of the first reflected light as an exterior angle of the base line, and an incidence angle of the second reflected light as an interior angle of the base line.

9. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the position of the target object based on first mapping information comprising identification information of photodiodes comprised in the first light receiver and corresponding incidence angles of the first reflected light and second mapping information comprising identification information of photodiodes comprised in the second light receiver and corresponding incidence angels of the second reflected light.

10. An operating method of an electronic device, comprising:

emitting light to a detection area;

concentrating light reflected by a target object located in the detection area;

receiving through photodiodes the reflected light concentrated by a light concentrator and outputting a light quantity pattern of the reflected light; and

determining a position of the target object based on the light quantity pattern of the reflected light.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining of the position of the target object comprises determining a distance between the light concentrator and the target object based on an incidence angle of the reflected light on the light concentrator.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining of the position of the target object further comprises determining the incidence angle of the reflected light on the light concentrator based on mapping information between the photodiodes and the incidence angle of the reflected light on the light concentrator.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining of the distance between the light concentrator and the target object comprises determining, to be the incidence angle of the reflected light on the light concentrator, an incidence angle mapped to a photodiode receiving a maximum quantity of the reflected light among the photodiodes.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining of the position of the target object further comprises determining the distance between the light concentrator and the target object based on a distance between a first light concentrator and a second light concentrator comprised in the light concentrator.

15. A position measuring sensor, comprising:

a light concentrator configured to concentrate light reflected by a target object located in a detection area; and

a light receiver configured to receive the reflected light from the light concentrator through photodiodes,

wherein a position of the target object is determined based on a light quantity pattern which represents a pattern of a quantity of the reflected light received by each of the photodiodes.

16. The position measuring sensor of claim 15, wherein the photodiodes are disposed at respective positions mapped to various incidence angles of the reflected light with respect to the light concentrator.

17. The position measuring sensor of claim 15, wherein the photodiodes are disposed along concentric circles to form a circular formation.

18. The position measuring sensor of claim 15, wherein the photodiodes are disposed along lines having a single intersection point.

19. An electronic device comprising:

an optical source configured to emit light to a detection area;

a light receiver configured to receive light reflected from a target object located in the detection area and to output a light quantity pattern of the reflected light; and

a processor configured to determine a position of the target object based on the light quantity pattern of the reflected light output by the light receiver.

20. The electronic device of claim 19 further comprising a light concentrator configured to receive the light reflected from the target object located in the detection area and to concentrate the reflected light and to provide the reflected light to the light receiver.

21. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the light receiver comprises photodiodes and the photodiodes are configured to receive the light reflected from the target object located in the detection area and to output the light quantity pattern of the reflected light.