Using ambient light sensor to augment proximity sensor output

• US 7,957,762 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Herz, Scott M., Yepez, Roberto G., Westerman, Wayne C., Hotelling, Steven P.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, SIMON
• Application Number:
  US11/620,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20080167834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,612 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455/550.1, 455/566, 455/66.1, 455/67.11, 455/90.1, 455/456.1, 455/575.1, 340/686.6
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods to sense proximity of an object and operate a proximity sensor of a portable device. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving an ambient light sensor (ALS) output, and altering, based on the ALS output, an effect of a proximity sensor output on control of a proximity determination. The ALS sensor and the proximity sensor may be located adjacent to an earpiece of a portable device. In some cases, the proximity determination may be a proximity of an object to the proximity sensor, and altering the effect may include changing the proximity of the object from a proximity greater than a first threshold to a proximity less than the first threshold. Other apparatuses and methods and data processing systems and machine readable media are also described.

Claims

1. A method of sensing proximity, the method comprising:

receiving a first intensity level output from a proximity sensor;

determining an estimated distance value between the proximity sensor and a surface of an object based on the received first intensity level output from the proximity sensor;

receiving a second intensity level output from an ambient light sensor (ALS);

determining, based on the second intensity level output from the ambient light sensor that the estimated distance value between the proximity sensor and the surface of the object is incorrect;

changing, by a data processing system, the estimated distance value using the second intensity level output from the ambient light sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second intensity level output corresponds to a visible light level of ambient light received by an ALS sensor adjacent to a proximity sensor that provides the first intensity level output, and the ALS sensor and the proximity sensor are located adjacent to an earpiece of a portable device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the estimated distance value comprises changing the proximity of the object from a proximity greater than a first threshold to a proximity less than the first threshold.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first intensity level output is one of a power level and a rate of change of a power level of emitted IR light reflected by the surface of the object and received by the proximity sensor, and the second intensity level output is one of a power level and a rate of change of ambient light received by the ALS.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second intensity level output is a change in ALS intensity level and the change causes the estimated distance value change.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the rate of change of second intensity level output exceeding the threshold occurs simultaneously with the rate of change of first intensity level output.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising one of:

turning off a backlight of a display, automatically, based on the estimated distance value change, and disabling processing of inputs received at an input device, automatically based on the first intensity level output.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first intensity level output is a power level that exceeds a first threshold but does not exceed a second threshold, the second threshold determining a proximity of an object, wherein the second intensity level output is a rate of decrease of ambient light less than a third threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first intensity level output of the proximity sensor output occurs simultaneously with the rate of change of the second intensity level output.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein a portion of the second intensity level output is light emitted by a display and reflected by the object into the ALS, and the portion is a value subtracted from the second intensity level output prior to basing the changing on the second intensity level output.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an accelerometer output; and

wherein changing further comprises changing, automatically based on the accelerometer output, the effect of the first intensity level output on the estimated distance value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the accelerometer output comprises strong movement recorded by an accelerometer.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a blob detect output; and

wherein changing further comprises changing, automatically based on the blob detect output, the effect of the first intensity level output on the estimated distance value.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving blob detection output further comprises:

receiving a plurality of simultaneous capacitive input detections to a plurality of input locations of an input device; and

wherein changing further comprises changing, automatically based on the capacitive detection inputs, the effect of the first intensity level output on the estimated distance value.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the blob detection comprises an irregular location pattern or shape of the plurality of input detections.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a far-field recognition output; and

wherein changing further comprises changing, automatically based on the far-field recognition output, the effect of the first intensity level output on the estimated distance value.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing a setting of one of a display of the portable device and an input device of the portable device, automatically based on the estimated distance value change.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein changing a setting further comprises one of:

turning off a backlight of a display and disabling processing of inputs received at an input device.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a low IR reflective object at a greater proximity than the estimated distance of the object, the second intensity level output is based on an actual proximity of the object to the ALS, and changing comprises changing the estimated distance value to be the actual proximity of the object.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein generating comprises generating a plurality of estimated distances that decrease over a period of time;

wherein the object is moving towards the proximity sensor over the period of time;

wherein receiving comprises receiving a plurality of second intensity level outputs that decrease over the period of time; and

wherein the actual proximity of the object is closer than the corresponding estimated distance over the period of time.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

generating a second estimated distance from a second first intensity level output of the proximity sensor detection of a second, high IR reflective object;

receiving a second intensity level output based on a second actual proximity of the second object to the ALS, wherein the second actual proximity is the same as the second estimated distance;

not changing, in response to the second intensity level output, the second estimated distance.

22. A non-transitory machine readable medium containing executable program instructions which when executed cause a method of operating a data processing system, the method comprising:

receiving a first intensity level output from a proximity sensor;

determining an estimated distance value between the proximity sensor and a surface of an object based on the received first intensity level output from the proximity sensor;

receiving a second intensity level output from an ambient light sensor;

determining, based on the second intensity level output from the ambient light sensor that the estimated distance value between the proximity sensor and the surface of the object is incorrect;

changing, by a data processing system, the estimated distance value using the second intensity level output from the ambient light sensor.

23. A portable data processing device comprising:

a means for receiving a first intensity level output from a proximity sensor;

a means for determining an estimated distance value between the proximity sensor and a surface of an object based on the received first intensity level output from the proximity sensor;

a means for receiving a second intensity level output from an ambient light sensor;

a means for determining, based on the second intensity level output from the ambient light sensor that the estimated distance value between the proximity sensor and the surface of the object is incorrect;

a means for changing, by a data processing system, the estimated distance value using the second intensity level output from the ambient light sensor.

24. A portable data processing device comprising:

hardware logic for;

receiving a first intensity level output from a proximity sensor;

determining an estimated distance value between the proximity sensor and a surface of an object based on the received first intensity level output from the proximity sensor;

receiving a second intensity level output from an ambient light sensor;

determining, based on the second intensity level output from the ambient light sensor that the estimated distance value between the proximity sensor and the surface of the object is incorrect;

changing, by a data processing system, the estimated distance value using the second intensity level output from the ambient light sensor.