Circuit, transmission system and method for determining proximity of an object

• US 9,864,087 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2015
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Komulainen, Mikko S., Lahti, Saku
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoque, Farhana
• Application Number:
  US14/594,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20150234077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/08 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by objects or geological structures or by detecting devices with electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3838 Arrangements for reducing RF exposure to the user, e.g. by changing the shape of the transceiver while in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile

Abstract

A circuit includes a sensing circuit for a first antenna and a second antenna, the sensing circuit including an adjustable characteristic that is based on a proximity of an object to the first or second antenna used to transmit a transmit signal. An evaluation circuit is coupled to the sensing circuit. The evaluation circuit is configured to monitor the characteristic of the sensing circuit and to determine whether the characteristic fulfills a predetermined criterion.

Claims

1. A circuit, comprising:

a sensing circuit for a first antenna and a second antenna which concurrently participate in a communication, wherein the sensing circuit comprises an adjustable characteristic that is based on a proximity of an object to the first or second antenna used for transmission of a transmit signal, and wherein the sensing circuit comprises the first antenna or the second antenna;

an evaluation circuit coupled to the sensing circuit, the evaluation circuit being configured to monitor the characteristic of the sensing circuit and to determine whether the characteristic fulfills at least one of a predetermined set of criteria; and

a switching element configured to operatively couple the evaluation circuit to the first antenna during a first time interval and to operatively couple the evaluation circuit to the second antenna during a second time interval.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the switching circuit is configured to transmit selectively the adjustable characteristic from the first antenna and second antenna to the evaluation circuit.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the sensing circuit comprises the first antenna if the first antenna is used to transmit the signal or wherein the sensing circuit comprises the second antenna if the second antenna is used to transmit the signal.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the switching element alternatingly couples the evaluation circuit to the first antenna and to the second antenna.

5. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter configured to generate the transmit signal to be transmitted by the first antenna or by the second antenna.

6. The circuit of claim 5, wherein the transmitter is configured to reduce a power of the transmit signal if the characteristic fulfills the predetermined criterion.

7. The circuit of claim 5, further comprising a signal switching element configured to couple the transmitter to the first antenna or to the second antenna, wherein the evaluation circuit is coupled to the transmitter.

8. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the evaluation circuit generates a proximity signal indicating the presence of an object in a vicinity of the first antenna or the second antenna if the characteristic fulfills the predetermined criterion.

9. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the evaluation circuit monitors a capacitance between an element of the sensing circuit and a reference potential.

10. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the predetermined criterion corresponds to an acceptable absorption of electromagnetic energy by the object.

11. A circuit, comprising:

a sensing circuit for a first antenna and a second antenna, wherein the sensing circuit comprises an adjustable characteristic that is based on a proximity of an object to the first or second antenna used to transmit a transmit signal; and

an evaluation circuit coupled to the sensing circuit, the evaluation circuit being configured to monitor the characteristic of the sensing circuit and to determine whether the characteristic fulfills a predetermined criterion,

wherein the sensing circuit comprises a sensing electrode coupled to the evaluation circuit, the sensing electrode being arranged between the first antenna and the second antenna.

12. The circuit of claim 11, wherein the sensing electrode comprises an antenna configured to receive a first receive signal, wherein the antenna is separate from and different than the first antenna and the second antenna, and the first receive signal being different than the receive signals received by the first antenna and by the second antenna.

13. A circuit, comprising:

a sensing circuit configured to couple to a first antenna and a second antenna, wherein the sensing circuit comprises an adjustable characteristic that is based on a proximity of an object to the first or second antenna used to transmit a transmit signal when coupled thereto; and

an evaluation circuit coupled to the sensing circuit, wherein the evaluation circuit monitors the adjustable characteristic of the sensing circuit and determine whether the adjustable characteristic fulfills a predetermined criterion;

wherein the evaluation circuit determines whether the first antenna or the second antenna is to be used to transmit the transmit signal based on a previous state of an antenna configuration and a current state of the antenna configuration;

wherein the antenna configuration comprises the first antenna connected selectively to one of a transceiver and a receiver, and the second antenna connected selectively to the other one of the transceiver and the receiver.

14. The circuit of claim 13, further comprising:

a switching circuit electrically connected to the first antenna and the second antenna to transmit the adjustable characteristic from the first antenna and second antenna to the sensing circuit.

15. The circuit of claim 13, further comprising:

the transceiver configured to transmit the transmit signal to and receive a first receive signal from either the first antenna or the second antenna based on the adjustable characteristic, the previous state of the antenna configuration and the current state of the antenna configuration;

the receiver configured to receive a second receive signal from either the first antenna or the second antenna.

16. The circuit of claim 13, wherein a transceiver circuit is configured to reduce a power of the transmit signal if the adjustable characteristic fulfills the predetermined criterion.