Proximity Sensor with Separate Near-Field and Far-Field Measurement Capability

• US 20170090608A1
• Filed: 09/22/2016
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Vieta, William Matthew, Bijamov, Alex
• Application Number:
  US15/273,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20170090608A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

An electronic device that includes a proximity sensor may be provided. The proximity sensor may be a time-of-flight-based proximity sensor that is capable of separately outputting near-field measurements and far-field measurements. The near-field and far-field measurements may be placed in separate bins according to their time-of-flight values. The discrimination between near-field and far-field results may allow the electronic device to filter out false positive events where the presence of smudge or other surface contaminants can otherwise produce skewed readings and also to filter out false negative events where the presence of a user with dark hair or skin can otherwise produce misleading sensor results.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a proximity sensor that provides near-field measurement results and far-field measurement results;

processing circuitry that receives the near-field measurement results and the far-field measurement results from the proximity sensor; and

a display, wherein the processing circuitry selectively enables and disables the display based on the received near-field measurement results and the far-field measurement results.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor outputs time-of-flight information.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor outputs a first distance value for the near-field measurement results and a second distance value for the far-field measurement results.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3, wherein the proximity sensor further outputs a first intensity value for the near-field measurement results and a second intensity value for the far-field measurement results.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor includes circuitry for grouping the near-field measurement results and the far-field measurement results into separate bins.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to filter out the near-field measurement results.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry monitors the near-field measurement results to determine when dark objects make physical contact with the display.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry monitors the near-field measurement results to determine when smudge is deposited on the display.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry disables the display in response to detecting sudden changes in the far-field measurement results.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the near-field measurement results capture information relating to objects within a predetermined distance from an external surface of the display, and wherein the far-field measurement results capture information relating to objects beyond the predetermined distance from the external surface of the display.

11. A method for operating an electronic device, comprising:

emitting light from a proximity sensor;

receiving light at the proximity sensor;

outputting near-field data based on the received light at the proximity sensor; and

outputting far-field data based on the received light at the proximity sensor.

12. The method defined in claim 11, wherein outputting the far-field data comprises outputting measurement results for objects detected only beyond a predetermined distance from an external surface of the electronic device.

13. The method defined in claim 12, wherein outputting the near-field data comprises outputting measurement results for objects detected only within the predetermined distance from the external surface of the electronic device.

14. The method defined in claim 12, wherein outputting the near-field data comprises outputting measurement results for contaminants deposited on the external surface of the electronic device.

15. The method defined in claim 12, wherein the electronic device has a touch screen display that is enabled during normal mode, the method further comprising:

in response to detecting that the measurement results satisfy a trigger condition, configuring the electronic device in a close proximity mode by disabling the touch screen display.

16. The method defined in claim 15, further comprising:

while the electronic device is operating in the close proximity mode, reconfiguring the electronic device in the normal mode by enabling the touch screen display in response to detecting that the measurement results satisfy a release condition.

17. The method defined in claim 16, wherein the trigger and release conditions are different and provide hysteresis.

18. The method defined in claim 11, further comprising:

filtering out the near-field data.

19. The method defined in claim 11, further comprising:

monitoring for changes in the near-field data that exceed a predetermined threshold.

20. A sensor, comprising:

an emitter that emits light;

a detector that receives corresponding reflected light;

a first output on which only near-field information is provided; and

a second output on which only far-field information is provided.

21. The sensor defined in claim 20, wherein the near-field and far-field information contains time-of-flight information.