Portable electronic device having directional proximity sensors based on device orientation

• US 8,346,302 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2011
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Alameh, Rachid M, Dietrich, Aaron L
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rojas, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/283,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20120046906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.1
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/945 Proximity switches H03K17/96 takes precedence
• 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 2217/94042 Means for reducing energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• 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 portable electronic device having one or more proximity sensors. The portable electronic device comprises a housing, one or more signal emitters to direct source signal(s) based on the orientation of the housing, and one or more signal receivers to receive return signals corresponding to the source signal(s). The device may include multiple signal emitters and a sensor to identify an orientation of the housing. The appropriate signal emitter may be selected based on the orientation of the housing as identified by the sensor.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device having one or more proximity sensors, the portable electronic device comprising:

a housing;

at least one sensor supported by the housing, the at least one sensor to identify an orientation of the housing;

a first signal emitter supported by the housing, the first signal emitter to emit a first source signal in a first direction;

a second signal emitter supported by the housing, the second signal emitter to emit a second source signal in a second direction different from the first direction;

at least one signal receiver supported by the housing, the at least one signal receiver to receive first and second return signals corresponding to the first and second source signals, respectively; and

a processor supported by the housing, the processor to determine which of the first and second signal emitters to activate based on the orientation of the housing as identified by the at least one sensor.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one of an accelerometer, a touch sensor, an audio sensor, or a visible sensor.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a first side and a second side substantially opposite the first side.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein the orientation comprises:

a first orientation wherein the first side of the housing is directed upward, and the second side of the housing is directed downward; and

a second orientation wherein the second side of the housing is directed upward, and the first side of the housing is directed downward.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein the first side of the housing includes a user interface and the second side of the housing is devoid of any user interface.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein:

the housing comprises a third side and a fourth side substantially opposite the third side, the third and fourth sides being substantially orthogonal to the first and second sides;

the first signal emitter, the second signal emitter and the at least one signal receiver are located proximate to the third side of the housing; and

a third signal emitter, a fourth signal emitter and at least one other signal receiver are located proximate to the fourth side of the housing.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the orientation comprises:

a first orientation wherein the first and third signal emitters are directed upward but different directions, and the second and fourth signal emitters are directed downward but different directions; and

a second orientation wherein the second and fourth signal emitters are directed upward but different directions, and the first and third signal emitters are directed downward but different directions.

8. A portable electronic device having one or more proximity sensors, the portable electronic device comprising:

a housing;

at least one sensor supported by the housing, the at least one sensor to identify an orientation of the housing;

at least one signal emitter supported by the housing, the at least one signal emitter to emit a source signal;

a first signal receiver supported by the housing, the first signal receiver to receive a return signal corresponding to the source signal from a first direction;

a second signal receiver supported by the housing, the second signal receiver to receive the return signal corresponding to the source signal from a second direction different from the first direction; and

a processor supported by the housing, the processor to determine which of the first and second signal receivers to activate based on the orientation of the housing as identified by the at least one sensor.