SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REDUCING THE NUMBER OF PORTS ASSOCIATED WITH A MOBILE DEVICE
First Claim
1. A mobile device comprising:
- a camera operable to sense both ambient light and a proximity associated with an object, the camera comprising;
a plurality of light sensors, the plurality of light sensors operable to turn off to save power;
a first light sensor in the plurality of light sensors operable to turn on when the other light sensors in the plurality of light sensors are turned off, and when the other light sensors in the plurality of light sensors are turned off, the first light sensor operable to receive a first light beam; and
a camera controller executing instructions to send a unique control signal to the first light sensor, the unique control signal comprising an identification associated with the first light sensor, and any one of an instruction to turn on or an instruction to turn off, and the camera controller executing instructions to detect a plurality of properties associated with the first light beam, the plurality of properties comprising a frequency associated with the first light beam, and an amplitude associated with the first light beam.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The technology presented here reduces the number of ports associated with the mobile device by combining a plurality of ports into a single multipurpose port. In one embodiment, the multipurpose port includes multiple sensors that detect various properties associated with a light beam, and a light guide that transmits the light beam between the environment outside and the multiple sensors inside the mobile device. In another embodiment, a multipurpose camera includes one or more pixels, different from the rest of the multipurpose camera pixels, where the one or more pixels receive a unique control signal. The unique control signal, sent by a processor coupled to the multipurpose camera, includes an instruction to perform an action different from the rest of the pixels, e.g., to turn on when the rest of the pixels are off. The active pixels can detect coarse properties of the light while saving mobile device battery life.
3 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A mobile device comprising:
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a camera operable to sense both ambient light and a proximity associated with an object, the camera comprising; a plurality of light sensors, the plurality of light sensors operable to turn off to save power; a first light sensor in the plurality of light sensors operable to turn on when the other light sensors in the plurality of light sensors are turned off, and when the other light sensors in the plurality of light sensors are turned off, the first light sensor operable to receive a first light beam; and a camera controller executing instructions to send a unique control signal to the first light sensor, the unique control signal comprising an identification associated with the first light sensor, and any one of an instruction to turn on or an instruction to turn off, and the camera controller executing instructions to detect a plurality of properties associated with the first light beam, the plurality of properties comprising a frequency associated with the first light beam, and an amplitude associated with the first light beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A mobile device comprising:
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a camera comprising a plurality of light sensors operable to record an image, at least one light sensor in the plurality of light sensors operable to receive a unique control signal comprising an instruction to perform an action different from a remainder of the plurality of light sensors, the action comprising any of receiving a beam of light and sending the beam of light; and a camera controller executing instructions to send the unique control signal to the at least one light sensor, and the camera controller executing instructions to detect a plurality of properties associated with the beam of light, the plurality of properties comprising a frequency associated with the beam of light, and an amplitude associated with the beam of light. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method to reduce a number of ports associated with a mobile device, the method comprising:
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providing a camera comprising a plurality of light sensors operable to record an image; configuring at least one light sensor in the plurality of light sensors to receive a unique control signal, the unique control signal comprising an instruction to perform an action different from a remainder of the plurality of light sensors, the action comprising any of receiving a beam of light and sending the beam of light; and configuring a processor to send the unique control signal to the at least one light sensor, and to detect a plurality of properties associated with the beam of light, the plurality of properties comprising a frequency associated with the beam of light, and an amplitude associated with the beam of light. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification