Electrically adaptive mechanical connection for electronic devices

• US 7,729,128 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leininger, Kristen M., Hanidu, Ganiyu A., Phillips, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui; Hung S
• Application Number:
  US11/239,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20070072640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 361/814, 361/755, 361/715, 361/816, 361/818, 361/800, 174/51, 174/35.R, 455/575
• US Class Current: 361/814
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts

Abstract

An electronic device, like a mobile telephone, has a first section and a second section. The first section and second section are coupled together by a mechanical connection, for example a hinge, swivel or sliding connector. Electronic components in the first section are coupled to electronic components in the second section by conductors capable of transferring power between the first and second sections. A current detector is capable of detecting currents, like surface currents, while a controller is responsive to the current detector. A plurality of reactive elements, like capacitors for example, are coupled to a plurality of switches such that the controller may selectively couple any of the plurality of reactive elements to the conductors by actuating a corresponding switch. When the current detector detects a current in excess of a predetermined threshold, the controller alters the complex impedance between the first and second sections by actuating one or more of the switches, thereby coupling one or more of the reactive elements to the conductors.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a. at least a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are joined by a mechanical connector at a connection;

b. a circuit having a middle node disposed in close proximity with the mechanical connector, the circuit electrically coupling components disposed within the first portion to components disposed within the second portion;

c. a selectively variable frequency dependent circuit that is selectively connectable to the middle node;

d. a surface current detection circuit; and

e. a controller, wherein when the surface current detection circuit determines that a surface current exceeds a predetermined threshold, the controller connects the selectively variable frequency dependent circuit to the middle node.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein when the controller connects the selectively variable frequency dependent circuit to the middle node, and the surface current detection circuit detects a decrease in the surface current, the controller selectively decreases a complex impedance of the selectively variable frequency dependent circuit.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the selectively variable frequency dependent circuit comprises a plurality of capacitors and a plurality of switches, wherein each of the plurality of capacitors is coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of switches in a capacitor-switch arrangement, such that the controller may couple any of the plurality of capacitors to the middle node by actuating a switch in a selected capacitor-switch arrangement.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the circuit comprises at least one conductor loop coupled to the middle node, further wherein the plurality of capacitors are disposed along the circuit such that when any switch in a selected capacitor-switch arrangement is actuated, a corresponding capacitor in the selected capacitor-switch arrangement is connected to the middle node in parallel with the at least one conductor loop.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the circuit is disposed upon a conductive substrate, wherein the middle node comprises an electrical conductor disposed upon the conductive substrate.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein when the controller actuates the switch in the selected capacitor-switch arrangement, a change occurs in a complex impedance between the components disposed within the first portion and the components disposed within second portion.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein when the controller connects the selectively variable frequency dependent circuit to the middle node, and the surface current detection circuit detects an increase in the surface current, the controller selectively increases a complex impedance of the selectively variable frequency dependent circuit.

8. A radiotelephone, comprising:

a. a first section and a second section, wherein the first section and the second section are joined by a separating mechanism;

b. an electrical circuit having conductors, which transfer current between the first section and the second section, the conductors passing about the separating mechanism;

c. a plurality of complex impedance elements coupled to the conductors;

d. a plurality of switches coupled to the plurality of complex impedance elements;

e. a current sensor capable of detecting surface currents on at least one of the first section and the second section; and

f. a controller, responsive to the current sensor, capable of actuating any of the plurality of switches.

9. The radiotelephone of claim 8, wherein when the current sensor detects a surface current in excess of a predetermined threshold, the controller actuates at least a first of the plurality of switches.

10. The radiotelephone of claim 9, wherein when the controller actuates the at least a first of the plurality of switches, and the current sensor detects a change by at least a predetermined amount in the surface current, the controller executes an operation selected from the group consisting of actuating at least a second of the plurality of switches and deactuating the at least a first of the plurality of switches.

11. The radiotelephone of claim 9, wherein when the controller actuates the at least one of the plurality of switches, and the current sensor capable of detecting surface currents detects an decrease in the surface current, the controller actuates at least a second of the plurality of switches.

12. The radiotelephone of claim 11, wherein the separating mechanism is selected from the group consisting of sliding connections, rotating connections and hinged connections.

13. The radiotelephone of claim 11, wherein the separating mechanism comprises a hinge, further wherein the radiotelephone is selectively configurable between at least a first mechanical configuration having the first section and the second section aligned in a first orientation, and a second mechanical configuration having the first section and the second section aligned in a second orientation.

14. The radiotelephone of claim 13, wherein the conductors are disposed upon a conductive circuit substrate, such that the conductors form at least one loop.

15. The radiotelephone of claim 14, wherein the at least one loop is disposed about the hinge.

16. The radiotelephone of claim 15, wherein the plurality complex impedance elements comprise a plurality of reactive elements selected from the group consisting of capacitors, inductors and combinations thereof, and a plurality of switches, wherein each of the plurality of reactive elements is coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of switches in a reactive element-switch arrangement, such that when the any of the plurality of switches are actuated, the plurality of reactive elements are electrically coupled in parallel with the loop.

17. A clam-shell style radiotelephone, comprising:

a. a top section and a bottom section;

b. a hinge mechanically coupling the top section to the bottom section;

c. a flexible substrate electrically coupling an electrical circuit disposed in the top section with an electrical circuit disposed in the bottom section, wherein the flexible substrate includes at least one conductor passing about the hinge;

d. a plurality of capacitors that are selectively connectable to the at least one conductor;

e. a current detector disposed within at least one of the top section and the bottom section; and

f. a controller coupled to the current detector;

wherein when the current detector detects a current in excess of a predetermined threshold, the controller selectively couples any of the plurality of capacitors to the at least one conductor.

18. The radiotelephone of claim 17, wherein the at least one conductor passing about the hinge comprises a loop, further wherein when any of the plurality of capacitors are connected to the at least one conductor by the controller, a complex impedance between the electrical circuit disposed in the top section and the electrical circuit disposed in the bottom section changes.

19. The radiotelephone of claim 18, wherein at least one of the top section and the bottom section includes a surface at least partially covered with a conductive material, wherein the current detector inductively senses surface currents on the surface at least partially covered with a conductive material.

20. The radiotelephone of claim 19, wherein the clam-shell style radiotelephone is selectively configurable between at least a first configuration having the top section and the bottom section aligned in a first orientation, and a second configuration having the top section and the bottom section aligned in a second orientation.