SKIN PROXIMITY AND TILT EFFECT SENSOR

• US 20160296172A1
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Published: 10/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: SHI, Justin, LAND, Brian R., KESTELLI, Nevzat Akin, ISIKMAN, Serhan O.
• Granted Patent: US 10,426,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0468 Built-in electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/14 Coupling media or elements to improve sensor contact with skin or tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6844 Monitoring or controlling distance between sensor and tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/721 using a separate sensor to detect motion or using motion information derived from signals other than the physiological signal to be measured
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick

Abstract

A portable electronic device include one or more electrodes for calculating distances and rotational angles between the device and the user is disclosed. Based on the calculated distances and rotational angles, a physical activity of the user can be determined. Additionally, the calculated distances and rotational angles can be used for compensation of optical artifacts in one or more signals detected by the device. User movement or physical activity can introduce optical artifacts, which can lead to erroneous determination of the one or more characteristics. The calculated distances and rotational angles can be used to reduce or remove the optical artifacts, leading to a more accurate determination of the one or more characteristics of the user.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a touch panel including a touch screen located on a first surface of the device;

one or more electrodes located on a second surface of the device, the second surface opposite the first surface;

sensing circuitry coupled to the one or more electrodes and configured to generate sense signals indicative of one or more distances between the one or more electrodes and a proximate object; and

logic coupled to the one or more electrodes, the logic configured to calculate the one or more distances.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more electrodes are configured such that the one or more electrodes are electrically isolated from one another and occupy substantially a full area of the second surface of the device.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a cover layer disposed on the surface of the device, wherein the cover layer is configured to allow capacitive coupling from the one or more electrodes to the proximate object.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an insulating layer; and

a shield disposed over the insulating layer, wherein the shield is configured to eliminate or reduce internal interference.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a drive circuitry configured to drive at least one of the one or more electrodes and form an electric field coupled to another electrode, wherein the sense circuitry is configured to generate sense signals including a change in capacitance between the at least one of the one or more electrodes and the another electrode.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the logic is further configured to:

calculate one or more angles based on the calculated one or more distances, and estimate a physical activity from the calculated one or more angles.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more sensors configured to generate first signals, wherein the logic further comprises adjusting the first signals based on the sensed signals.

12. The device of claim 10, further comprising:

one or more light emitters configured to generate light directed at the proximate object, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect the light generated from the one or more light emitters and passing through or reflected from the proximate object.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the one or more sensors and the one or more light emitters are located on the second surface of the device.

4. (canceled)

8-9. -9. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. A method of a device including one or more electrodes facing a proximate object, the method comprising:

detecting one or more capacitances coupled to the proximate object from the one or more electrodes;

generating sense signals indicative of one or more distances between the one or more electrodes and the proximate object;

calculating the one or more distances based on the sense signals;

calculating one or more angles based on the calculated one or more distances; and

estimating a physical activity from the calculated one or more angles.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

changing an operating state of at least one of a display or a touch panel of the device based on the estimated physical activity.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating light directed at the proximate object;

generating first signals from the light directed at the proximate object and passing through or reflected from the proximate object; and

adjusting the first signals based on the sensed signals.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

calculating one or more differences between at least two of the calculated one or more distances; and

determining a first rotation of the device about a first axis based on the calculated one or more differences.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

calculating another one or more differences between at least two of the calculated one or more distances;

determining a second rotation of the device about a second axis based on the calculated another one or more differences; and

determining a three-dimensional rotation of the device based on the first and second rotations.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

forming a contour map from the determined three-dimensional rotation of the device; and

determining a user activity from the formed contour map.

16-17. -17. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

21-25. -25. (canceled)