ELECTRONIC SYSTEM AND PROXIMITY SENSING METHOD

• US 20180335853A1
• Filed: 05/09/2018
• Published: 11/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: CHIU, Wei-Cheng, KUO, Wei-Chih
• Granted Patent: US 10,459,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B11/26 takes precedence; rangefinders G01C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/06 in respect of space
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/00 Measuring force or stress, in general measuring force due to impact G01L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0383 Remote input, i.e. interface arrangements in which the signals generated by a pointing device are transmitted to a PC at a remote location, e.g. to a PC in a LAN
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/945 Proximity switches H03K17/96 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/96 Touch switches specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/94026 Automatic threshold calibration; e.g. threshold automatically adapts to ambient conditions or follows variation of input
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/94036 Multiple detection, i.e. where different switching signals are generated after operation of the user is detected at different time instants at different locations during the actuation movement by two or more sensors of the same or different kinds
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96035 by temperature detection, i.e. body heat

Abstract

An electronic system includes a hand-held controller and a computing application. The hand-held controller includes a proximity sensing circuit and a physical information sensing circuit. The proximity sensing circuit includes proximity sensors. The proximity sensors are configured to sense instant proximity values. The physical information sensing circuit is configured to sense a physical parameter. The computing application is executed by a processor. The computing application is configured to retrieve the instant proximity values and the physical parameter, to calculate maximum proximity values or minimum proximity values according to the instant proximity values and the physical parameter. The maximum proximity values or the minimum proximity values are utilized to update threshold proximity values of the proximity sensors in determining near status or far status.

Claims

1. An electronic system, comprising:

a hand-held controller comprising;

a proximity sensing circuit comprising a plurality of proximity sensors, the proximity sensors being configured to sense a plurality of instant proximity values; and

a physical information sensing circuit configured to sense a physical parameter;

a computing application, executed by a processor, configured to retrieve the instant proximity values and the physical parameter, to calculate a plurality of maximum proximity values or minimum proximity values according to the instant proximity values and the physical parameter, the maximum proximity values or the minimum proximity values being utilized to update a plurality of threshold proximity values of the proximity sensors in determining near status or far status.

2. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein each of the instant proximity values corresponds to a gap distance from each of the proximity sensors to an object.

3. The electronic system of claim 2, wherein the proximity sensors are configured to obtain finger positions while the hand-held controller is held by a hand.

4. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the computing application is configured to calculate the maximum proximity values by adding or multiplying a calibration value to the instant proximity values, the calibration value is calculated by the computing application in correlated to the physical parameter.

5. The electronic system of claim 4, wherein the physical information sensing circuit comprises a touch sensor, and the physical parameter comprises a percentage of touched area detected by the touch sensor, the calibration value is calculated by the computing application in positively correlated to the percentage of touched area.

6. The electronic system of claim 4, wherein the physical information sensing circuit comprises a pressure sensor or a temperature sensor, the physical parameter comprises a pressure reading of the pressure sensor or a temperature reading of the temperature sensor.

7. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the physical information sensing circuit comprises a plurality of physical information sensors, each of the physical information sensors are disposed corresponding to one of the proximity sensors, and the physical parameter comprises physical data respectively sensed by the physical information sensors, the computing application is configured to calculate the maximum proximity values by adding a plurality of calibration values respectively to the instant proximity values, the calibration values are calculated by the computing application in correlated to the physical data respectively.

8. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the computing application is configured to calculate the minimum proximity values by deducting or multiplying a calibration value to the instant proximity values, the calibration value is calculated by the computing application in correlated to the physical parameter.

9. The electronic system of claim 8, wherein the physical information sensing circuit comprises a touch sensor, a pressure sensor or a temperature sensor, and the physical parameter comprises a percentage of touched area detected by the touch sensor, a pressure reading of the pressure sensor or a temperature reading of the temperature sensor.

10. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the computing application is configured to update the threshold proximity values of the proximity sensors in response to that the maximum proximity values or minimum proximity values continuously remain at the same level for a persisting duration.

11. A proximity sensing method, comprising:

sensing a plurality of instant proximity values by a plurality of proximity sensors disposed on a hand-held controller;

sensing a physical parameter by a physical information sensing circuit disposed on the hand-held controller;

calculating a plurality of maximum proximity values or minimum proximity values according to the instant proximity values and the physical parameter; and

utilizing the maximum proximity values or the minimum proximity values to update a plurality of threshold proximity values of the proximity sensors in determining near status or far status.

12. The proximity sensing method of claim 11, wherein each of the instant proximity values corresponds to a gap distance from each of the proximity sensors to an object.

13. The proximity sensing method of claim 12, further comprising:

obtaining finger positions by the proximity sensors while the hand-held controller is held by a hand.

14. The proximity sensing method of claim 11, wherein the step of calculating the maximum proximity values comprises:

calculating a calibration value in correlated to the physical parameter; and

adding the calibration value to the instant proximity values for calculating the maximum proximity values.

15. The proximity sensing method of claim 14, wherein the physical information sensing circuit comprises a touch sensor, and the physical parameter comprises a percentage of touched area detected by the touch sensor, the calibration value is calculated in positively correlated to the percentage of touched area.

16. The proximity sensing method of claim 14, wherein the physical information sensing circuit comprises a pressure sensor or a temperature sensor, the physical parameter comprises a pressure reading of the pressure sensor or a temperature reading of the temperature sensor.

17. The proximity sensing method of claim 11, wherein the physical information sensing circuit comprises a plurality of physical information sensors, each of the physical information sensors are disposed corresponding to one of the proximity sensors, and the physical parameter comprises a plurality of physical data respectively sensed by the physical information sensors, the step of calculating the maximum proximity values or minimum proximity values comprises:

calculating a plurality of calibration values in correlated to the physical data respectively sensed by the physical information sensors; and

adding the calibration values respectively to the instant proximity values for calculating the maximum proximity values.

18. The proximity sensing method of claim 11, wherein the step of calculating the maximum proximity values or minimum proximity values comprises:

calculating a calibration value in correlated to the physical parameter; and

deducting the calibration value to the instant proximity values for calculating the minimum proximity values.

19. The proximity sensing method of claim 18, wherein the physical information sensing circuit comprises a touch sensor, a pressure sensor or a temperature sensor, and the physical parameter comprises a percentage of touched area detected by the touch sensor, a pressure reading of the pressure sensor or a temperature reading of the temperature sensor.

20. The proximity sensing method of claim 11, wherein the threshold proximity values of the proximity sensors are updated in response to that the maximum proximity values or minimum proximity values remain at the same level for a continuous duration.