Portable electronic device and method of measuring drop impact at the portable electronic device

• US 8,061,182 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2009
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lahaie, Denis, Paleczny, Todd Robert, Weber, Arnett
• Primary Examiner(s): NOORI, MAX H
• Application Number:
  US12/488,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20100319434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 73 1201- 1214
• US Class Current: 73/12.06
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0891 with indication of predetermined acceleration values G01P15/135 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/042 due to external shock or vibration
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/185 Improving the rigidity of the casing or resistance to shocks
• 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

Abstract

A method of measuring drop impact at an electronic device includes detecting a fall based on signals from drop detection sensor of the electronic device, receiving an output from a piezoelectric sensor in response to detecting the fall, and storing drop data based on the output from the piezoelectric sensor in a memory at the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method of measuring drop impact at an electronic device comprising a display having a touch-sensitive overlay, the method comprising:

when a touch event on the touch-sensitive overlay of the display is detected, applying a force from a piezoelectric sensor to the display to provide tactile feedback;

when a fall is detected based on signals from a drop detection sensor of the electronic device

receiving an output from the piezoelectric sensor; and

storing drop data, based on the output from the piezoelectric sensor, in a memory at the electronic device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving an output comprises measuring a voltage across the piezoelectric sensor.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein storing drop data comprises storing the measured voltage.

4. The method according to claim 2, comprising repeating measuring voltage across the piezoelectric sensor at a regular interval of time to provide repeat measurements.

5. The method according to claim 4, comprising extrapolating to estimate an amplitude at impact based on the repeat measurements and a frequency and damping coefficient of the piezoelectric sensor.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein storing drop data comprises storing the estimate of the amplitude in memory.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein applying a force comprises applying a force from a plurality of piezoelectric sensors, receiving an output comprises receiving an output from each of the piezoelectric sensors, and storing drop data comprises storing drop data based on output from each of the piezoelectric sensors.

8. The method according to claim 5, comprising repeating receiving the output from the piezoelectric sensor at a regular interval for a period of time after detecting an end of the fall.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising polling the drop detection sensor at a regular interval prior to detecting the fall.

10. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing;

an input device;

a display having a touch-sensitive overlay exposed by the housing;

a piezoelectric sensor disposed between a base in the housing and the display to provide tactile feedback by applying a force to the display when a touch event on the touch-sensitive overlay is detected;

a drop detection sensor housed within the housing; and

a memory and a processor operably connected to the memory, the input device, the display, the piezoelectric sensor, and the drop detection sensor to execute a program stored in the memory to detect a fall based on signals from the drop detection sensor of the electronic device, receive an output from the piezoelectric sensor when the fall is detected, and store drop data, based on the output from the piezoelectric sensor, in the memory at the electronic device.

11. The portable electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the drop detection sensor comprises an accelerometer.

12. The portable electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the piezoelectric sensor comprises a piezo disk actuator.

13. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the piezo disk actuator comprises a piezoelectric disk adhered to a metal substrate to apply voltage or current to the piezoelectric disk to cause bending of the piezo disk actuator and thereby apply the force to the display when the touch event on the touch-sensitive overlay is detected.

14. The portable electronic device according to claim 10, comprising a plurality of piezoelectric sensors disposed in the housing and operably coupled to the processor to measure output from each of the piezoelectric sensors, and storing the measured output from each of the piezoelectric sensors in the memory.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 10, comprising a microprocessor connected to the piezoelectric sensor, wherein the processor is operably coupled to the piezoelectric sensor via the microprocessor.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein executable by a processor in an electronic device comprising a display having a touch-sensitive overlay to cause the electronic device to apply a force from a piezoelectric sensor to the display to provide tactile feedback when a touch event on the touch-sensitive overlay of the display is detected, to detect a fall based on signals from a drop detection sensor of the electronic device, receive an output from the piezoelectric sensor when the fall is detected, and store drop data, based on the output from the piezoelectric sensor, in a memory at the electronic device.