Sensor fusion

• US 8,624,695 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Cretella, Michael A. Jr., Duggineni, Venu Madhav, Eng, Michael Man-Cheung, Huang, Ronald Keryuan, Moore, Christopher, Mullens, Christopher T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Musleh, Mohamad
• Application Number:
  US13/620,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 335/219, 335/285, 335302-306, 335205-207, 439/38, 439/218, 439/217, 439/39, 243/03, 361/807, 361/679.01, 361/600, 206/45.2, 206/45.23, 206/45.24, 206/305, 206/320, 206/764, 206/765, 345/111
• US Class Current: 335/219
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1634 Integrated protective display lid, e.g. for touch-sensitive display in handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/00 Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units program control for peripheral devices G06F13/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/32 having magnetic fastener

Abstract

Accurate and reliable techniques for determining a current status of an accessory device in relation to an electronic device are described.

Claims

1. A consumer electronic product, comprising:

an electronic device, comprising;

a processor, a display assembly comprising a top protective cover, a magnetometer configured to detect a magnetic field and to provide a first detection signal, and a mechanism for determining a current spatial orientation of the electronic device with respect to an inertial reference frame; and

a flexible flap pivotally coupled to a first side of the electronic device at a first end of the flexible flap, the flexible flap comprising a magnetic element disposed proximate a second end of the flexible flap, the second end opposite the first end,

wherein the processor is in communication with the magnetometer and the mechanism, and configured to evaluate the first detection signal for a stationary magnetic field component and a dynamic magnetic field component and using the evaluation of the first detection signal in combination with the current orientation of the electronic device to provide a current position of the external magnetic element with respect to the electronic device, and wherein the processor is further configured to alter an operating state of the electronic device in accordance with the provided current position of the magnetic element.

2. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the first end of the flexible flap comprises a hinge detachably coupled to the electronic device, the hinge comprising a plurality of magnetic elements which couple the hinge to the first side of the electronic device.

3. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to place the electronic device in a first operating state when the first detection signal is consistent with a presence of the plurality of magnets of the hinge and is configured to place the electronic device in a second operating state when the first detection signal is not consistent with the presence of the plurality of magnets.

4. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the magnetometer is a compass.

5. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the second end of the flexible flap comprises a plurality of magnets configured to magnetically couple the second end of the flexible flap to a portion of the electronic device proximate to a second side of the electronic device, the second side opposite the first side of the electronic device.

6. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 5, wherein the electronic device further comprises a Hall Effect (HFX) sensor, the HFX sensor disposed within the electronic device such that when the flexible flap is magnetically coupled to the second end, the magnetic element is proximate to the HFX sensor, and wherein the processor is configured to corroborate the determined current position of the magnetic element by comparing information received by the HFX sensor to the determined current position of the magnetic element.

7. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the mechanism comprises a gyroscope.

8. In a consumer electronic product comprising an electronic device, a method performed by a processor in the electronic device comprising:

detecting a spatial orientation of the electronic device with respect to an inertial reference frame by a gyroscope;

detecting a first magnetic field by a magnetometer;

receiving both a first signal from the gyroscope and a second signal from the magnetometer at the processor;

evaluating the detected magnetic field for a stationary magnetic field component and a dynamic magnetic field component;

using the evaluation of the magnetic field in combination with the detected spatial orientation to determine a current pivot angle of a flexible flap having at least one magnetic element with respect to the electronic device at the processor; and

changing an operating state of the electronic device in accordance with the current pivot angle of the flexible flap.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the spatial orientation detected by the gyroscope is refined by an accelerometer, the first signal comprising the refined spatial orientation of the electronic device.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the determining the pivot angle further comprises comparing the detected magnetic field and spatial orientation to a dynamic magnetic field model stored on the electronic device.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

activating a multi-touch circuit of a display of the electronic device to detect whether a pattern of capacitive elements disposed on a first surface of the flexible flap is proximate to the display; and

corroborating the current pivot angle of the flexible flap when the capacitive elements of the flexible flap are detected by the multi-touch circuit of the display.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein when the flexible flap is not determined to be covering the display of the electronic device the operating is configured such that the display of visual content is enabled.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the evaluation of the stationary and dynamic magnetic field component comprises determining whether an error is present in the determined pivot angle that is being caused because of movement of the flexible flap relative to the magnetometer.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing comprising a front portion having an opening;

a display and an outer protective layer overlaying the display and disposed within the opening, the outer protective layer having a front surface and a back surface;

a processor disposed within the housing and coupled to the display; and

a magnetometer disposed within the housing coupled to the processor and configured to detect in real time through the outer protective layer a magnetic field that varies in accordance with an angular position with respect to the magnetometer of a magnet disposed within a flap that is magnetically attached to the electronic device,

wherein the processor alters an operating state of the electronic device in accordance with the angular position of the magnet.

15. The electronic device as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

a magnetic element beneath the back surface of the outer protective cover that provides a magnetic field at the front surface configured to magnetically attach the flap to the front surface of the outer protective layer in a closed configuration.

16. The electronic device as recited in claim 15, wherein the magnetic field at the front surface is a fixed magnetic field.

17. The electronic device as recited in claim 14 wherein a portion of the display that is viewable is related to the angular position of the magnet.

18. The electronic device as recited in claim 17, wherein the processor limits presentation of visual content by the display to the viewable portion.

19. The electronic device as recited in claim 14, wherein a first magnetic offset at the magnetometer is associated with the magnetic attachment between the electronic device and the flap.

20. The electronic device as recited in claim 19, the processor causing the electronic device to operate in a flap attached mode in accordance with the first magnetic offset at the magnetometer.