Methods and devices for detecting a hand

• US 9,363,350 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2012
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Rizkallah, Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tung X
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, THANG XUAN
• Application Number:
  US13/542,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20140009172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 324/654, 324/445, 324/76.75, 324/207.15, 324/239, 324/144, 455/411, 455/517, 455/574, 455/556.1, 455/41.1, 345173-174
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• 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

Methods and devices for detecting a hand in proximity to an electronic device are described. The electronic device includes a near field communications (NFC) antenna. In one aspect, the method includes: monitoring an induced voltage at the NFC antenna; and determining whether a hand is in proximity to the electronic device based on the induced voltage.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a hand in proximity to an electronic device, the electronic device including a near field communications (NFC) antenna and an infrared sensor that emits infrared light, the method comprising:

monitoring an induced voltage at the NFC antenna, the NFC antenna provided in an NFC subsystem configured to communicate wirelessly according to an NFC protocol, the NFC protocol operating with a working distance of 4 cm or less;

determining whether the hand is in proximity to the electronic device based on the induced voltage;

receiving a reflection of the emitted infrared light;

determining whether a head is in proximity to the electronic device based on the reflection; and

selecting a power output state from a plurality of possible power output states provided by the electronic device, the selection based on both the determination of whether the head is in proximity to the electronic device and the determination of whether the hand is in proximity to the electronic device.

2. The method claim 1, wherein the NFC antenna generates an electro-magnetic carrier field, and wherein determining comprises:

detecting that a variation in the induced voltage is above a pre-determined threshold, wherein said variation is based on a change in load condition within the electro-magnetic carrier field due to the hand in proximity to the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the NFC antenna is located near a rear side of the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes an orientation sensor, and wherein the method further comprises:

prior to determining that the hand is in proximity to the electronic device, obtaining orientation data from the orientation sensor, and wherein the determination of whether the hand is in proximity to the electronic device is made based on the induced voltage and the orientation data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes a mobile antenna, and wherein the method further comprises:

adjusting a power output of the mobile antenna to a first power output state if it is determined that the hand and the head are in proximity to the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said adjusting is performed by one or more tunable capacitors for impedance matching of the mobile antenna to maximize the power output.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

adjusting the power output of the mobile antenna to a second power output state if it is determined that the head is in proximity to the electronic device and the hand is not in proximity to the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

adjusting the power output of the mobile antenna to a third power output state if it determined that the hand and the head are not in proximity to the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

adjusting the power output of the mobile antenna to a fourth power output state if it is determined the hand is in proximity to the electronic device and the head is not in proximity to the electronic device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the infrared sensor is positioned on the electronic device to emit infrared light from a front side of the electronic device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of possible power output states provided by the electronic device include a power output state to be used when both a head and a hand are detected and a different power output state to be used when a hand is detected but a head is not detected.

12. An electronic device comprising:

a memory;

a near field communications (NFC) subsystem including an NFC antenna, the NFC subsystem configured for communicating wirelessly according to an NFC protocol, the NFC protocol operating with a working distance of 4 cm or less;

an infrared sensor that emits infrared light;

a processor coupled with the memory and the NFC antenna, the processor being configured to detect a hand in proximity to the electronic device by;

monitoring an induced voltage at the NFC antenna; and

determining that the hand is in proximity to the electronic device based on the induced voltage,

the processor further configured to;

receive a signal indicating a reflection of the emitted infrared light;

determine whether a head is in proximity to the electronic device based on the reflection; and

select a power output state from a plurality of possible power output states provided by the electronic device, the selection based on both the determination of whether the head is in proximity to the electronic device and the determination of whether the hand is in proximity to the electronic device.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to generate an electro-magnetic carrier field using the NFC antenna, and determining that a hand is in proximity to the electronic device comprises:

detecting that a variation in the induced voltage is above a pre-determined threshold, wherein said variation is based on a change in load condition within the electro-magnetic carrier field due to the hand in proximity to the electronic device.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the NFC antenna is located near a rear side of the electronic device.

15. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising an orientation sensor coupled to the processor, the processor being further configured to:

prior to determining that the hand is in proximity to the electronic device, obtain orientation data from the orientation sensor, and wherein the determination of whether the hand is in proximity to the electronic device is made based on the induced voltage and the orientation data.

16. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising a mobile antenna, the processor being further configured to:

adjust the power output of the mobile antenna to a first power output state if it determined that the hand and the head are in proximity to the electronic device.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, further comprising, one or more tunable capacitors coupled to the mobile antenna and to other components of a communication subsystem, and wherein adjusting the power output comprises adjusting the tunable capacitors.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, the processor being further configured to:

adjust the power output of the mobile antenna to a second power output state if it is determined that the head is in proximity to the electronic device and the hand is not in proximity to the electronic device.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for detecting a hand in proximity to an electronic device, the computer executable instructions including instructions for:

monitoring an induced voltage at a near field communications (NFC) antenna, the NFC antenna provided in an NFC subsystem configured to communicate wirelessly according to an NFC protocol, the NFC protocol operating with a working distance of 4 cm or less; and

determining that the hand is in proximity to the electronic device based on the induced voltage,

receiving a signal indicating a reflection of the emitted infrared light emitted by an infrared sensor;

determining whether a head is in proximity to the electronic device based on the reflection;

selecting a power output state from a plurality of possible power output states provided by the electronic device, the selection based on both the determination of whether the head is in proximity to the electronic device and the determination of whether the hand is in proximity to the electronic device.