Electronic device with liquid contact sensors

• US 9,335,355 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Menzel, Brian C., Keeler, Kevin M., Huang, Jim Z., Mishkanian, Parviz
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tung X
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAWKINS, DOMINIC E
• Application Number:
  US13/787,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20140253150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 324/664, 340/604, 361/680
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/02 Measuring real or complex resistance, reactance, impedance, or other two-pole characteristics derived therefrom, e.g. time constant by measuring phase angle only G01R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202

Abstract

Electronic devices may be accidentally exposed to liquid during operation. To detect liquid intrusion events, an electronic device may be provided with one or more electronic liquid contact sensors. The liquid contact sensors may have electrodes. Control circuitry may make measurements across the electrodes such as resistance and capacitance measurements to detect the presence of liquid. Liquid contact sensor data may be maintained in a log within storage in the electronic device. The liquid contact sensor data can be used to display information for a user of the electronic device or can be loaded onto external equipment for analysis. Liquid contact sensor electrodes may be formed from metal traces on substrates such as printed circuits, from contacts in a connector, from contacts on an integrated circuit, or from other conductive electrode structures.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

an electronic device housing;

a liquid contact sensor mounted in the electronic device housing, wherein the liquid contact sensor has first and second electrodes and first and second resistors coupled in series between the second electrode and ground; and

control circuitry in the electronic device housing that is coupled to the electrodes, wherein the control circuitry is configured to monitor liquid exposure events with the liquid contact sensor in which moisture enters the electronic device housing, and wherein the control circuitry monitors the voltage across the first resistor.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

storage in which time-stamped liquid contact sensor data from the liquid contact sensor is stored.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the liquid contact sensor is one of a plurality of liquid contact sensors within the electronic device housing, the electronic device further comprising:

multiplexing circuitry in the control circuitry that is coupled to each of the plurality of liquid contact sensors.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a printed circuit, wherein the electrodes are formed on the printed circuit.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the electrodes include interdigitated fingers.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the printed circuit comprises a multilayer printed circuit, wherein the multilayer printed circuit has internal traces that extend to an edge of the printed circuit, and wherein the electrodes are formed from exposed edge portions of the internal traces on the edge of the printed circuit.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electrodes include metal traces formed from multiple layers of metal.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electrodes are separated by a gap, the liquid contact sensor further comprising a hydrophilic pad in the gap.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a printed circuit covered with at least one coating, wherein the coating has an opening, and wherein the electrodes overlap the opening.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the coating includes a solder mask layer and a hydrophobic layer on the solder mask layer.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a flexible printed circuit, wherein the electrodes comprise metal traces on the flexible printed circuit.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11, wherein the flexible printed circuit comprises a curved portion, and wherein the metal traces are formed on the curved portion.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a connector having contacts, wherein the electrodes are formed from a pair of the contacts.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electrodes comprise integrated circuit contacts that include solder.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic device housing has a connector port and wherein the liquid contact sensor is mounted adjacent to the connector port.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a printed circuit; and

an integrated circuit mounted to the printed circuit, wherein the liquid contact sensor is located adjacent to the integrated circuit on the printed circuit.

17. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the second resistor limits an amount of current that flows between the first and second electrodes when moisture contacts the first and second electrodes.

18. A method, comprising:

gathering liquid contact sensor measurement data with a plurality of liquid contact sensors in a portable electronic device;

storing the liquid contact sensor measurement data in storage in the portable electronic device;

based on the liquid contact sensor measurement data from the plurality of liquid contact sensors, determining a location in the portable electronic device that has been exposed to moisture; and

based on the determined location in the electronic device, deactivating at least one electronic component in the portable electronic device.

19. The method defined in claim 18 wherein the portable electronic device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of:

a portable computer, a cellular telephone, a media player, and a tablet computer, the method comprising;

providing the stored liquid contact sensor data from the portable electronic device to external equipment for analysis.

20. The method defined in claim 19 wherein the portable electronic device comprises a plurality of liquid contact sensors each of which has a respective pair of the liquid contact sensor electrodes and wherein gathering the liquid contact sensor data comprises using each of the plurality of liquid contact sensors to gather liquid contact sensor data.

21. The method defined in claim 18 wherein the liquid contact sensor measurement data comprises time-stamped liquid contact sensor measurement data that is periodically gathered, and wherein the periodically gathered time-stamped liquid contact sensor measurement data is stored in storage in the portable electronic device.

22. The method defined in claim 18, wherein the plurality of electronic liquid contact sensors comprises a first electronic liquid contact sensor having a first sensitivity to moisture mounted at a first location in the electronic device and a second electronic liquid contact sensor having a second sensitivity to moisture mounted at a second location in the electronic device.

23. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a display in the housing;

a plurality of electronic liquid contact sensors in the housing;

an external connector port mounted in the housing, wherein at least one of the plurality of electronic liquid contact sensors has electrodes that are integrated into the external connector port; and

control circuitry coupled to the plurality of electronic liquid contact sensors, wherein the control circuitry and the electronic liquid contact sensors are configured to monitor for liquid intruding into the housing.

24. The portable electronic device defined in claim 23 wherein the electronic liquid contact sensors each comprise electrodes and wherein at least some of the electrodes comprise metal traces on a printed circuit.

25. The portable electronic device defined in claim 23 wherein the electronic liquid contact sensors each comprise electrodes and wherein at least some of the electrodes comprise pins in the external connector port.

26. The portable electronic device defined in claim 23 further comprising:

a flexible printed circuit; and

electrodes for the electronic liquid contact sensors that are formed on the flexible printed circuit.

27. The portable electronic device defined in claim 23 wherein the electronic liquid contact sensors each comprise electrodes and wherein the electrodes are formed from exposed edge portions of metal traces embedded within a multilayer printed circuit.

28. The portable electronic device defined in claim 23 wherein the control circuitry is configured to display information on the display in response to detecting liquid.

29. The portable electronic device defined in claim 28 wherein the display comprises a cellular telephone touch screen display.

30. The portable electronic device defined in claim 23 wherein the electronic liquid contact sensors each comprise electrodes, wherein at least some of the electrodes comprise metal traces on a printed circuit, and wherein at least some of the metal traces are covered by a layer of encapsulant.

31. The method defined in claim 23, wherein the external connector port is configured to mate with a corresponding external connector.