Method and apparatus for detecting free fall of electronic device
First Claim
1. A method of detecting a free fall of an electronic device, comprising:
- (a) sensing a falling acceleration of the electronic device using an acceleration sensor;
(b) determining whether the sensed falling acceleration is less than a predetermined threshold;
(c) if the sensed falling acceleration is less than the predetermined threshold, determining whether the falling acceleration is a statistical constant, which has a statistical significance, and is maintained for a predetermined time; and
(d) if the falling acceleration is the statistical constant and maintained for the predetermined time, determining that the electronic device falls freely.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for detecting a free fall of an electronic device. The method includes: sensing a falling acceleration of the electronic device using an acceleration sensor; determining whether the sensed falling acceleration is less than a predetermined threshold; when the sensed falling acceleration is less than the predetermined threshold, determining whether the falling acceleration is a statistical constant, which has a statistical significance, and is maintained for a predetermined time; and when the falling acceleration is a statistical constant and maintained for a predetermined time, determining that the electronic device falls freely. Accordingly, it is possible to exactly detect a free fall of an electronic device, irrespective of an error of the acceleration of gravity generated when a falling acceleration of the electronic device is measured, due to ambient conditions, e.g., a temperature change and a rotation acceleration generated when the electronic device rotates.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method of detecting a free fall of an electronic device, comprising:
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(a) sensing a falling acceleration of the electronic device using an acceleration sensor; (b) determining whether the sensed falling acceleration is less than a predetermined threshold; (c) if the sensed falling acceleration is less than the predetermined threshold, determining whether the falling acceleration is a statistical constant, which has a statistical significance, and is maintained for a predetermined time; and (d) if the falling acceleration is the statistical constant and maintained for the predetermined time, determining that the electronic device falls freely. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for detecting a free fall of an electronic device, comprising:
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an acceleration sensor which senses a falling acceleration of the electronic device; an acceleration comparator which determines whether the falling acceleration is less than a predetermined threshold; an acceleration change determining unit which determines whether the falling acceleration is a statistical constant, which has a statistical significance, and is maintained for a predetermined time, according to the result of a first determination result transmitted from the acceleration comparator; and a free fall determining unit which determines that the electronic device falls freely if a second determination result indicates that the falling acceleration is the statistical constant and is maintained for the predetermined time, wherein said second result is transmitted from the acceleration change determining unit. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification