Portable electronic device

• US 9,562,869 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2015
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensirion AG (Sensirion Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Sensirion AG (Sensirion Holding AG)
• Inventors: Mueller, Martin, Niederberger, Dominik, Boni, Dominic
• Primary Examiner(s): Osorio, Ricardo L
• Application Number:
  US14/620,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20150241370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G01N 25/66 by investigating dew-point
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/18 Telephone sets specially adapted for use in ships, mines, or other places exposed to adverse environment H04M1/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• 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

In a portable electronic device, an ambient temperature is sensed by means of a temperature sensor. In addition, it is assessed if the portable electronic device is exposed to condensation. A corresponding condensation indicator is provided. The condensation indicator is determined based on a dew point and based on sensed temperature values of the past or temperature derived from the past sensed temperature values.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising

a temperature sensor for sensing an ambient temperature,

a storage for providing past sensed temperature values and/or past temperature values derived from the past sensed temperature values,

a condensation assessment module for assessing if the portable electronic device is exposed to condensation, and for providing a condensation indicator in response to the assessment,

wherein the condensation assessment module is configured to determine a dew point, and is configured to set the condensation indicator subject to the determined dew point and subject to one or more of the past sensed temperature values or one or more of the past derived temperature values,

further comprising a compensator for compensating for a deviation of a value of the ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor from a real value of the ambient temperature, wherein the compensator is configured to determine a compensated temperature value for the ambient temperature at least dependent on the sensed temperature value and dependent on the condensation indicator.

2. A portable electronic device according to claim 1,

comprising a humidity sensor,

wherein the condensation assessment module is configured to determine the dew point at least dependent on a humidity value sensed by the humidity sensor and dependent on the sensed temperature value.

3. A portable electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the condensation assessment module is configured to determine an average or a weighted sensed temperature value based on two or more of the past sensed temperature values, and

wherein the condensation assessment module is configured to set the condensation indicator to a value indicating the presence of condensation if the determined dew point exceeds, or exceeds by at least a defined margin, or exceeds or is equal to the average or the weighted sensed temperature value.

4. A portable electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the condensation assessment module is configured to set the condensation indicator to a value indicating the presence of condensation if the determined dew point exceeds, or exceeds by at least a defined margin, or exceeds or is equal to one of

one or more of the past sensed temperature values,

one or more of the past derived temperature values if any.

5. A portable electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the condensation assessment module is configured to determine an average or a weighted derived temperature value based on two or more of the past derived temperature values, and

wherein the condensation assessment module is configured to set the condensation indicator to a value indicating the presence of condensation if the determined dew point exceeds, or exceeds by at least a defined margin, or exceeds or is equal to the average or the weighted derived temperature value.

6. A portable electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the condensation indicator is a binary indicator indicating either a presence of condensation or an absence of condensation.

7. A portable electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the compensator is configured to determine the compensated temperature value by applying a condensation compensation value to the sensed temperature value in case the condensation indicator indicates the presence of condensation.

8. A portable electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the compensator is configured to determine compensated temperature values by applying a condensation compensation function over time to the temperature values sensed by the temperature sensor in case the condensation indicator indicates the presence of condensation.

9. A portable electronic device according to claim 1,

comprising a humidity sensor,

wherein the condensation assessment module is configured to determine the dew point at least dependent on a humidity value sensed by the humidity sensor and dependent on the compensated temperature value.

10. A portable electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the storage is configured to provide past compensated temperature values as past derived temperature values, and

wherein the condensation assessment module is configured to set the condensation indicator to a value indicating the presence of condensation if the determined dew point exceeds, or exceeds by at least a defined margin, or exceeds or is equal to one or more of the past compensated temperature values.

11. A portable electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the storage is configured to provide past compensated temperature values as past derived temperature values,

wherein the condensation assessment module is configured to determine an average or a weighted compensated temperature value based on two or more of the past compensated temperature values, and

wherein the condensation assessment module is configured to set the condensation indicator to a value indicating the presence of condensation if the determined dew point exceeds, or exceeds by at least a defined margin, or exceeds or is equal to the average or weighted compensated temperature value.

12. A portable electronic device according to claim 11,

comprising a set of components radiating heat in response to the consumption of electrical energy,

wherein the thermal model is configured to determine a heat propagation as a function of time from at least one of the components of the set to the temperature sensor,

wherein the compensator is configured to determine the heat compensated temperature value dependent on the sensed temperature value, dependent on information related to electrical power consumed by at least one component of the set, and based on the thermal model.

13. A portable electronic device according to claim 11,

comprising at least one other temperature sensor for sensing a temperature inside the portable electronic device,

wherein the compensator is configured to determine the heat compensated temperature value in addition dependent on the one or more temperature values sensed by the at least one other temperature sensor.

14. A portable electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the compensator comprises a thermal model of the portable electronic device for modelling the impact of one or more heat sources and/or one or more heat sinks of the portable electronic device on the temperature values sensed by the temperature sensor,

wherein the compensator is configured to determine a heat compensated temperature value dependent on the sensed temperature value and by means of the thermal model, and

wherein the compensator is configured to determine the compensated temperature value by applying a condensation compensation value to the heat compensated temperature value in case the condensation indicator indicates the presence of condensation.

15. A portable electronic device according to claim 14,

wherein the compensator is configured to determine the compensated temperature values by applying a condensation compensation function to the heat compensated values in case the condensation indicator indicates the presence of condensation, in particular wherein the condensation compensation function is a filtering function.

16. A portable electronic device according to claim 14,

wherein the compensator is configured to adapt one or more parameters of the thermal model of the portable electronic device in case the condensation indicator indicates the presence of condensation.

17. A portable electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the compensator is configured to apply a different thermal model of the portable electronic device in case the condensation indicator indicates a presence of condensation.

18. A portable electronic device according to claim 1, comprising

a touchscreen, and

a touchscreen controller configured to one or more of

adapting a signal received from the touchscreen dependent on the condensation indicator, and in particular adapting the signal received from the touchscreen in case the condensation indicator indicates the presence of condensation,

adapting a sensitivity of the touch screen dependent on the condensation indicator, and in particular adapting the sensitivity of the touchscreen in case the condensation indicator indicates the presence of condensation.

19. A method for operating a portable electronic device, comprising

sensing an ambient temperature of the portable electronic device by means of a temperature sensor,

determining a dew point,

setting a condensation indicator subject to the determined dew point and subject to one or more of past sensed temperature values or to one or more of temperature values derived from the one or more past sensed temperature values, and

compensating for a deviation of a value of the ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor from a real value of the ambient temperature, using a compensator configured to determine a compensated temperature value for the ambient temperature at least dependent on the sensed temperature value and dependent on the condensation indicator.

20. A non-transitory computer program element for operating a portable electronic device, comprising computer program code means for implementing a method according to claim 19 when executed on a central processing unit of the portable electronic device.