PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH INTEGRATED TEMPERATURE SENSOR

• US 20140355649A1
• Filed: 05/29/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensirion AG (Sensirion Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Sensirion AG (Sensirion Holding AG)
• Inventors: Niederberger, Dominik, Boni, Dominic, Sacchetti, Andrea
• Granted Patent: US 9,671,296 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 374/152
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/0365 the undesired influence being measured using a separate sensor, which produces an influence related signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/20 Compensating for effects of temperature changes other than those to be measured, e.g. changes in ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/42 Circuits effecting compensation of thermal inertia; Circuits for predicting the stationary value of a temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions

Abstract

There is provided a portable electronic device with one or more integrated temperature sensors (12) for measuring an ambient temperature, a compensator (25,26) for reducing the difference between a sensor output (Ts) and the ambient temperature (Ta) with the compensator (25,26) switching depending on environmental and/or handling conditions between a plurality of compensation modes selected dependent on measurements of one or more other integrated and/or external sensors.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising one or more integrated temperature sensors for measuring an ambient temperature, a compensator for reducing the difference between a sensor output (Ts) and the ambient temperature (Ta), wherein the compensator switches depending on environmental and/or handling conditions between a plurality of compensation modes selected dependent on measurements of one or more other integrated and/or external sensors.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the environmental and/or handling conditions comprise a change of the device location in and out of a user'"'"'s pocket.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the compensator is a heat compensator compensating for internal heat flows to and from the temperature sensor and/or a dynamic compensator compensating for the response function of the temperature sensor.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein compensation modes are based on different compensation filters and/or different sensor response functions.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the environmental and/or handling conditions comprise sun light incidence, wind, and grip modes.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the other integrated and/or external sensors comprise light sensors, resistive, capacitive, pressure, microphones, position, acceleration, and orientation sensors, or time and location.

7. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, being selected from a group comprising:

a mobile phone,

a handheld computer,

an electronic reader,

a tablet computer,

a game controller,

a pointing device,

a photo or a video camera,

a digital music player,

a wrist watch,

a key fob,

a head set,

a picture frame

and a computer peripheral.

10. The device according to claim 2, wherein the compensator is a heat compensator compensating for internal heat flows to and from the temperature sensor and/or a dynamic compensator compensating for the response function of the temperature sensor.

8. A method for compensating a temperature sensor integrated into a portable electronic device comprising the steps of measuring a temperature using one or more integrated temperature sensors, and compensating the temperature measurement by switching depending on an environmental and/or handling conditions between a plurality of compensation modes and using measurements of one or more other integrated and/or external sensors to select a compensation mode.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the compensation modes include a mode for compensating the measurement during a period where the device is stored in a user'"'"'s pocket.