Method and apparatus for proximity sensing in a portable electronic device
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An electronic device comprising:
- an audio user interface having a gain control input;
a graphical user interface;
a sensor having a sensor output indicating proximity of the sensor to a human body part; and
a control circuit having an input connected to the sensor output and a control output connected to the gain control input of the audio user interface, the control circuit setting a signal level on the control output selectively in response to a signal level on the control circuit input;
the control circuit further configured to perform the acts of;
setting a mode of operation of the electronic device, wherein the act of setting the mode of operation comprises determining whether the device is in a close mode or a far mode; and
exchanging information with a user through at least one user interface of the audio user interface and the graphical user interface, the at least one user interface selected based on the determined mode of use, wherein the act of exchanging information with the user comprises providing a plurality of menu choices to the user through the graphical user interface when the determined mode of use is the far mode and providing the plurality of menu choices to the user through the audio user interface when the determined mode of use is the close mode.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A portable electronic device that automatically detects its mode of use and alters a characteristic of its user interface to match the mode of use. A mobile telephone is described as an example of a portable electronic device. The telephone is equipped with a proximity sensor that may indicate whether the telephone is held close or far from the user'"'"'s face. Based on the proximity to the user'"'"'s face, gains in the audio interface are adjusted. The gain is reduced when the device is held close to a user'"'"'s face and increased when the device is moved away from the user'"'"'s face. This approach is well suited for use in connection with portable devices that use voice command interfaces.
114 Citations
36 Claims
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1. An electronic device comprising:
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an audio user interface having a gain control input; a graphical user interface; a sensor having a sensor output indicating proximity of the sensor to a human body part; and a control circuit having an input connected to the sensor output and a control output connected to the gain control input of the audio user interface, the control circuit setting a signal level on the control output selectively in response to a signal level on the control circuit input; the control circuit further configured to perform the acts of; setting a mode of operation of the electronic device, wherein the act of setting the mode of operation comprises determining whether the device is in a close mode or a far mode; and exchanging information with a user through at least one user interface of the audio user interface and the graphical user interface, the at least one user interface selected based on the determined mode of use, wherein the act of exchanging information with the user comprises providing a plurality of menu choices to the user through the graphical user interface when the determined mode of use is the far mode and providing the plurality of menu choices to the user through the audio user interface when the determined mode of use is the close mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An electronic device, comprising:
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a housing; an audio user interface mounted in the housing, the audio user interface having a gain control input; a graphical user interface; a sensor mounted in the housing, the sensor having a sensor output representative of a mode of use of the electronic device; and a control circuit having an input connected to the sensor output and a control output connected to the gain control input of the audio user interface, the control circuit setting a signal level on the control output selectively in response to a signal level on the control circuit input; the control circuit further configured to perform the acts of; setting a mode of use of the electronic device, wherein the act of setting the mode of use comprises determining whether the device is in a close mode or a far mode; exchanging information with a user through at least one user interface of the audio user interface and the graphical user interface, the at least one user interface selected based on the determined mode of use, wherein the act of exchanging information with the user comprises receiving user commands through the graphical user interface when the determined mode of use is the far mode and receiving the user commands through the audio user interface when the determined mode of use is the close mode. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of operating an electronic device having a plurality of user interfaces comprising at least a graphical user interface and an audio user interface, the method comprising acts of:
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detecting the proximity of the device to a human body part; automatically adjusting at least one operating characteristic of a user interface in the electronic device based on the detected proximity to a human body part; determining a mode of use of the electronic device from the detected proximity, wherein the act of determining the mode of use comprises determining whether the device is in a close mode or a far mode; and exchanging information with a user through at least one of the plurality of user interfaces selected based on the determined mode of use, wherein the act of exchanging information with the user comprises receiving from the user commands through the graphical user interface when the determined mode of use is the far mode and receiving from the user the commands through the audio user interface when the determined mode of use is the close mode. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of operating an electronic device having a plurality of user interfaces comprising at least a graphical user interface and an audio user interface, the method comprising the acts of:
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measuring at least one value relating to a use environment of the device; determining a mode of use of the electronic device from the at least one measured value, wherein the act of determining the mode of use comprises determining whether the device is in a close mode or a far mode; and exchanging information with a user through at least one of the plurality of user interfaces selected based on the determined mode of use, wherein the act of exchanging information with the user comprises providing first information to the user through the graphical user interface when the determined mode of use is the far mode and providing the first information to the user through the audio user interface when the determined mode of use is the close mode. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification