Electronic devices with submersion detection circuitry

• US 9,367,100 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2014
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ganguly, Shameek P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thien F
• Application Number:
  US14/324,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20160004283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 257/722, 307/118
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0054 integral with a semiconducting diaphragm
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/182 with special features, e.g. for use in industrial environments; grounding or shielding against radio frequency interference [RFI] or electromagnetical interference [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206

Abstract

A portable electronic device may include submersion detection circuitry for detecting when the electronic device is submerged in water or other liquids. The submersion detection circuitry may include a barometric pressure sensor that gathers air pressure information. Control circuitry in the electronic device may monitor the air pressure sensor for sharp changes in air pressure indicating that the electronic device has been dropped or submerged in water. Various actions may be taken in response to determining that the electronic device is in water. If the electronic device is not intended to operate underwater, a power management unit may automatically power down electrical components in the electronic device in response to determining that the electronic device is in water. If the electronic device is intended to operate underwater, control circuitry may determine and track a water depth level at which the electronic device is submerged based on the air pressure information.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device having a housing, comprising:

at least one electrical component mounted in the housing;

an air pressure sensor in the housing that gathers air pressure information; and

control circuitry that determines whether the portable electronic device is in water based on the air pressure information and that automatically powers down the at least one electrical component in response to determining that the portable electronic device is in water.

2. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one electrical component is a display module.

3. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry comprises a power management unit.

4. The portable electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the air pressure sensor comprises a piezo-resistive pressure sensor.

5. The portable electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the air pressure sensor and the power management unit are mounted to a printed circuit board in the electronic device and wherein the printed circuit board comprises at least one metal trace that conveys the air pressure information from the air pressure sensor to the power management unit.

6. The portable electronic device defined in claim 3 further comprising a humidity sensor in the housing that gathers humidity information.

7. The portable electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the power management unit determines when to power up the at least one electrical component based on the humidity information.

8. A portable electronic device having a housing, comprising:

at least one electrical component mounted in the housing;

an air pressure sensor in the housing that gathers air pressure information; and

control circuitry that determines a depth parameter value based on the air pressure information and that powers down the at least one electrical component in response to determining that the depth parameter value is greater than a threshold, wherein the depth parameter value is selected from the group consisting of;

a depth at which the portable electronic device is submerged in water and a change in depth at which the portable electronic device is submerged in water.

9. The portable electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the at least one electrical component is a display module.

10. The portable electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the control circuitry comprises a power management unit.

11. The portable electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the air pressure sensor comprises a diaphragm-based pressure sensor.

12. The portable electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the air pressure sensor and the power management unit are mounted to a printed circuit board in the electronic device and wherein the printed circuit board comprises at least one metal trace that conveys the air pressure information from the air pressure sensor to the power management unit.

13. A method for operating a portable electronic device, comprising:

with control circuitry in the portable electronic device, gathering air pressure information from an air pressure sensor in the portable electronic device;

determining whether the portable electronic device is in water based on the air pressure information; and

in response to determining that the portable electronic device is in water, automatically powering down at least one electrical component in the portable electronic device.

14. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

in response to determining that the portable electronic device is in water, initiating a data backup operation.

15. The method defined in claim 13 wherein determining whether the portable electronic device is in water based on the air pressure information comprises comparing a rate of change in air pressure with a threshold rate.

16. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

with the control circuitry, gathering additional air pressure information from the air pressure sensor in the portable electronic device; and

determining whether the portable electronic device is removed from the water based on the additional air pressure information.

17. The method defined in claim 16 further comprising:

in response to determining that the portable electronic device is removed from the water, initiating a drying process in the portable electronic device, wherein initiating the drying process comprises heating up at least one additional electrical component in the portable electronic device.

18. The method defined in claim 17 further comprising:

with the control circuitry, gathering humidity information from a humidity sensor in the portable electronic device.

19. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising:

determining that the drying process is complete based on the humidity information; and

in response to determining that the drying process is complete, powering up the at least one electrical component.

20. The method defined in claim 13 wherein the control circuitry comprises a power management unit.