Drop countermeasures for electronic device

• US 9,432,492 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Peterson, Carl R., Wodrich, Justin R., Gibbs, Kevin D., Smith, Samuel G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): POINT, RUFUS C
• Application Number:
  US13/794,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20140253284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/067 using only wound springs
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 2230/0023 protective
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/0066 Calibration arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/486 delivered by photo-electric detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/488 delivered by variable reluctance detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• 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

An electronic device comprises a housing, a motion sensor configured to sense motion of the housing, and a processor configured to determine an impact geometry based on the motion. A countermeasure system comprises an actuator coupled to an actuated member. The actuated member is operable by the actuator to modify the impact geometry, so that impact energy is redirected away from an impact sensitive component of the electronic device to an energy absorbing component of the electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a motion sensor configured to sense motion of the housing;

a processor configured to determine a drop event; and

a countermeasure system aligned with an unstable inertial axis of the electronic device, the countermeasure system comprising an actuator coupled to a mass, wherein the mass is operable by the actuator to adjust an attitude of the electronic device to avoid impact with an impact sensitive component of the electronic device in response to determining the drop event.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a proximity detector configured to sense a proximity of a surface external to the electronic device, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a predicted attitude of the electronic device at impact based on the proximity of the surface external to the electronic device.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein:

the proximity detector comprises a camera; and

the processor is further configured to determine the proximity of the surface external to the electronic device based on image data from the camera.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein:

the motion sensor comprises an accelerometer; and

the processor is configured to determine the predicted attitude based on acceleration of the housing with respect to the surface external to the electronic device.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the countermeasure system is configured to adjust the attitude of the electronic device by repeated operation of the actuator to impart angular momentum in different directions about the unstable inertial axis during tumbling motion of the electronic device.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the motion of the housing corresponds to a rotational velocity of the housing.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the actuator is a rotational actuator configured to rotate the mass.

8. A method comprising:

sensing motion of a housing of an electronic device indicative of a drop event; and

in response to sensing the motion indicative of the drop event, actuating a mass aligned with an unstable inertial axis of the electronic device to modify an attitude of the electronic device to reduce a likelihood of impact with an impact sensitive component of the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sensing a proximity of a surface external to the housing based on the proximity of the surface external to the housing, predicting an impact attitude of the electronic device; and

the operation of actuating the mass to modify the attitude of the electronic device includes modifying the attitude to reduce a likelihood that the device will land with the predicted impact attitude.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein sensing the proximity of the surface external to the housing comprises processing image data from a camera to determine the proximity of the surface external to the housing.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein actuating the mass comprises repeatedly actuating the mass to impart angular momentum in different directions about the unstable inertial axis during tumbling motion of the electronic device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein actuating the mass includes pulsing the mass with an actuator.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein pulsing the mass with the actuator includes pulsing the mass in a first direction and in a second direction that is different from the first direction.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein actuating the mass comprises rotating the mass with a rotational actuator.

15. An electronic device comprising:

a processor configured to detect a drop event; and

a mass configured to be rotated by an actuator about an axis that is aligned with an unstable inertial axis of the electronic device to cause the electronic device to move from a current attitude towards a preferred attitude less likely to result in damage to an impact sensitive component of the electronic device than the current attitude;

wherein the processor is configured to cause the mass to be rotated by the actuator in response to the drop event.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, further comprising a motion sensor, wherein the processor is further configured to detect the drop event based on information from the motion sensor.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, further comprising a proximity detector, wherein the processor is further configured to detect the drop event based on information from the proximity detector.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the actuator comprises a motor.

19. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the actuator and the mass are components of a vibration system.

20. The electronic device of claim 16, further comprising a display surface having a length axis and a width axis shorter than the length axis, wherein the mass is substantially parallel with the width axis.