Portable electronic device with dual, diagonal proximity sensors and mode switching functionality

• US 9,903,753 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Alameh, Rachid M, Cauwels, Patrick J, Steuer, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aziz, Adnan
• Application Number:
  US14/595,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20160202114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0233 Handheld
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0238 making use of sensor-related data, e.g. for identification of sensor or optical parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4228 arrangements with two or more detectors, e.g. for sensitivity compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/44 Electric circuits for command of an exposure part G03B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/0257 portable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An electronic device includes a housing and one or more processors. At least one proximity sensor component is operable with the one or more processors and includes an infrared signal receiver to receive an infrared emission from an object external to the housing. At least one proximity detector component is also operable with the one or more processors and includes a signal emitter and corresponding signal receiver. The one or more processors can actuate the at least one proximity detector component when the at least one proximity sensor component receives the infrared emission from the object.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

one or more processors;

at least one proximity sensor component operable with the one or more processors and comprising an infrared signal receiver to receive an infrared emission from an object external to the housing;

at least one proximity detector component operable with the one or more processors and comprising a signal emitter and corresponding signal receiver;

the one or more processors actuating the at least one proximity detector component when the at least one proximity sensor component receives the infrared emission from the object; and

the one or more processors operating the at least one proximity detector component at a first sampling rate when the object is farther from the housing, and at a second sampling rate when the object is closer to the housing, where the second sampling rate is higher than the first sampling rate.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, the one or more processors operating the at least one proximity detector component in a low power or sleep mode until the at least one proximity sensor component receives the infrared emission from the object.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, the one or more processors operating the at least one proximity detector component at the first sampling rate when the at least one proximity sensor component receives the infrared emission from the object and the object is farther than a predetermined threshold from the housing.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, the one or more processors determining, with one or more of the at least one proximity sensor component or the at least one proximity detector component, a distance of the object from the housing.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, the one or more processors further transitioning the first sampling rate to the second sampling rate as a function of a distance the object is from the housing.

6. The electronic device of claim 3, the one or more processors operating the at least one proximity detector component at a second sampling rate when the object is less than the predetermined threshold from the housing.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, the predetermined threshold less than about one foot.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, the at least one proximity detector component further receiving gesture input at the second sampling rate.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, the first sampling rate less than five Hertz.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, the second sampling rate greater than twenty Hertz.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, the one or more processors to receive user input to control one or more functions of the electronic device from reflected signals received by the at least one proximity detector component at the second sampling rate.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, the signal emitter comprising an infrared signal emitter.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, the infrared signal receiver to receive the infrared emission at a first wavelength, the corresponding signal receiver to receive reflected signals at a second wavelength.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, the second wavelength shorter than the first wavelength.

15. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:

determining, with at least one proximity sensor component comprising an infrared signal receiver to receive an infrared emission from an object external to a housing, a proximity of the object to the housing; and

in response to detecting the proximity of the object, actuating at least one proximity detector component comprising a signal emitter and corresponding signal receiver; and

operating the corresponding signal receiver at a first sampling rate when the object is a first distance from the housing and at a second sampling rate when the object is a second distance from the housing;

the second distance less than the first distance and the first sampling rate less than the second sampling rate.

16. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising determining a distance of the object to the housing.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting a sampling rate of the corresponding signal receiver as a function of the distance.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising operating one or more processors in a low power or sleep mode until the at least one proximity sensor component receives the infrared emission from the object.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising causing one or more of a user interface or display to enter a low power or sleep mode when the at least one proximity sensor component fails to detect the proximity of the object.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising causing the at least one proximity detector component to enter a low power or sleep mode when the at least one proximity sensor component fails to detect the proximity of the object.