CN116699716A

CN116699716A - Proximity detection method and electronic device

Info

Publication number: CN116699716A
Application number: CN202210188731.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李辰龙; 孙建明
Original assignee: Honor Device Co Ltd
Current assignee: Honor Device Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-02-28
Filing date: 2022-02-28
Publication date: 2023-09-05

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a method for proximity detection and electronic equipment, wherein the method comprises the steps of obtaining integral values of signal intensity of an infrared light detector in a second period and a third period of a proximity detection period; outputting proximity detection data determined according to the integral value in the second period and the integral value in the third period if the proximity detection period is determined not to be interfered by the flicker light source according to the deviation data; the deviation data includes a deviation between an integrated value obtained in the proximity detection period and an integrated value of the infrared light detector signal intensity outside the proximity detection period, and/or a deviation between integrated values obtained in the proximity detection period; and if the proximity detection period is determined to be interfered by the flicker light source according to the deviation data, determining the proximity detection data as abnormal data. In the scheme, the proximity light sensor judges whether the corresponding proximity detection period is interfered or not through the deviation data before outputting the proximity detection data, so that the anti-interference capability of the proximity light sensor is improved.

Description

Proximity detection method and electronic device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of proximity detection technologies, and in particular, to a method and an electronic device for proximity detection.

Background

Most electronic devices are currently equipped with a Proximity Sensor (PS) for detecting whether an object is approaching in a specific direction, for example, a Proximity Sensor installed below a cell phone screen can detect whether an object is approaching the cell phone screen.

The proximity sensor may be classified into an infrared reflection type, a capacitance type, an ultrasonic ranging type, etc., wherein the infrared reflection type is the main type. The infrared reflection type proximity sensor may be called a proximity light sensor, and its working principle is that an infrared light source, such as an infrared LED, emits infrared light, and an infrared-Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) receives the reflected infrared light by an infrared light detector, and determines whether an object is approaching according to the intensity of the reflected infrared light. Wherein the proximity light sensor typically uses an emission light source with a wavelength of mainly 940nm, but of course, light sources with a wavelength around 1000nm or longer are also possible.

In practical application, the detection result of the proximity light sensor is easily interfered by an ambient light source, especially a flicker light source in the environment, and the accuracy is low.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a method for proximity detection and electronic equipment, which are used for improving the anti-interference capability of a proximity light sensor.

In order to achieve the above object, the present application provides the following technical solutions:

the first aspect of the present application provides a method for proximity detection, applied to an electronic device, including:

acquiring an integral value of the signal intensity of the infrared light detector in a second period of a proximity detection period and an integral value of the signal intensity of the infrared light detector in a third period of the proximity detection period, wherein the second period is before the third period, and the switch states of the infrared light source in the second period and the third period are different;

for example, the infrared light source is turned on in the second period and turned off in the third period;

outputting proximity detection data determined from the integrated value in the second period and the integrated value in the third period if it is determined from deviation data that the proximity detection period is not disturbed by the blinking light source, the deviation data including a deviation between the integrated value obtained in the proximity detection period and the integrated value of the infrared light detector signal intensity outside the proximity detection period, and/or a deviation between the integrated values obtained in the proximity detection period;

and if the proximity detection period is determined to be interfered by the flicker light source according to the deviation data, determining the proximity detection data as abnormal data.

The beneficial effects of this embodiment lie in:

the proximity light sensor judges whether the corresponding proximity detection period is interfered or not according to the deviation data before outputting the proximity detection data, so that the anti-interference capability of the proximity light sensor is improved.

In some alternative embodiments, the integrated value obtained outside the proximity detection period includes an integrated value of the infrared light detector signal intensity during a first period prior to the proximity detection period, the switching states of the infrared light source during the first period and the third period being the same.

In some alternative embodiments, the deviation data includes an absolute value of a difference between the integrated value over the first period and the integrated value over the third period.

In some alternative embodiments, the determining that the proximity detection period is not disturbed by the scintillation light source based on the deviation data includes:

if the deviation data is not greater than a preset first abnormal threshold value, determining that the proximity detection period is not interfered by the flicker light source;

the determining that the proximity detection period is interfered by the flicker light source according to the deviation data includes:

the judging whether the proximity detection period is interfered by the flicker light source according to the deviation data comprises the following steps:

And if the deviation data is larger than the first abnormal threshold value, determining that the proximity detection period is interfered by the flicker light source.

The specific implementation of the above embodiment may be referred to the flow shown in fig. 5a in embodiment one.

The embodiment has the following beneficial effects:

the proximity light sensor obtains a first integral value when the infrared light source is closed before proximity detection, and the interference or non-interference of the scintillation light source in the proximity detection period is determined by comparing the first integral value with the integral value in the proximity detection process, so that the proximity detection data obtained in the proximity detection period in which the output of the proximity light sensor is interfered by the scintillation light source is avoided, and the anti-interference capability of the proximity light sensor is improved.

In some alternative embodiments, the integrated value obtained outside the proximity detection period includes an integrated value of the infrared light detector signal intensity in a fourth period after the proximity detection period, the switch states of the infrared light source in the fourth period and the third period being the same.

In some alternative embodiments, the deviation data includes an absolute value of a difference between the integrated value during the third period and the integrated value during the fourth period.

if the deviation data is not greater than a preset second abnormal threshold value, determining that the proximity detection period is not interfered by the flicker light source;

and if the deviation data is larger than the second abnormal threshold value, determining that the proximity detection period is interfered by the flicker light source.

In some alternative embodiments, the proximity detection data is a difference between an integrated value during the second period and an integrated value during the third period.

The specific implementation of the above embodiment may be referred to the flow shown in fig. 8 in embodiment two.

The beneficial effects of this embodiment lie in:

after the approach light sensor finishes the approach detection once, a fourth integral value is obtained when the infrared light source is turned off, and whether the approach detection period is interfered by the flicker light source is judged by comparing the fourth integral value with the integral value in the approach detection process, so that the approach detection data obtained in the approach detection period, in which the output of the approach light sensor is interfered by the flicker light source, is avoided, and the anti-interference capability of the approach light sensor is improved.

In some optional embodiments, the integrated values in the second period include a plurality of segmented integrated values obtained by integrating a plurality of times in the second period, and the integrated values in the third period include a plurality of segmented integrated values obtained by integrating a plurality of times in the third period.

In some alternative embodiments, the deviation data includes: standard deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values of the second period and standard deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values of the third period.

if the standard deviation of the plurality of segment integral values in the second period and the standard deviation of the plurality of segment integral values in the third period are not greater than a preset third abnormal threshold value, determining that the proximity detection period is not interfered by the flicker light source;

and if the standard deviation of the plurality of segment integral values in the second period is greater than the third abnormal threshold, or the standard deviation of the plurality of segment integral values in the third period is greater than the third abnormal threshold, determining that the proximity detection period is interfered by the flicker light source.

The specific implementation of the above embodiment may be referred to the flow shown in fig. 10 in embodiment three.

The beneficial effects of this embodiment lie in:

in this embodiment, the proximity sensor determines that the proximity detection period is interfered by the flicker light source or is not interfered by the flicker light source according to the integrated value obtained in the proximity detection period, so as to improve the timeliness of the judgment result and avoid inconsistent situations between the judgment result and the actual proximity detection process.

In some alternative embodiments, the proximity detection data is a difference between a first cumulative value and a second cumulative value, the first cumulative value being a sum of a plurality of segment integrated values during the second period, the second cumulative value being a sum of a plurality of segment integrated values during the third period.

In some optional embodiments, after determining that the proximity detection data is abnormal data, the method further includes:

and deleting the proximity detection data.

The embodiment has the advantages that abnormal proximity detection data is deleted in time, so that the abnormal proximity detection data can be prevented from being reported to the upper layer system by mistake, and the upper layer system is prevented from executing abnormal operation according to the abnormal proximity detection data, for example, screen extinction when a user normally looks at a screen is prevented.

In some alternative embodiments, a preset delay time is provided between the second period and the third period.

The embodiment has the advantages that the accuracy of the obtained integration result can be affected if the light sensor is used for continuously performing multiple times of integration under the influence of the performance of devices in the circuit, and the accuracy of the integration result can be improved by delaying for a period of time before each integration.

A second aspect of the application provides an electronic device comprising a proximity light sensor;

the proximity light sensor is configured to execute preset computer instructions, and is specifically configured to implement the method for proximity detection provided in any one of the first aspects of the present application. In the scheme, the proximity light sensor judges whether the corresponding proximity detection period is interfered or not through the deviation data before outputting the proximity detection data, so that the anti-interference capability of the proximity light sensor is improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an operating principle of a proximity light sensor without interference according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2a is a schematic diagram of a usage scenario of an electronic device with a flicker light source according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2b is a schematic diagram of another use scenario of an electronic device with a flicker light source according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2c is a schematic diagram illustrating the interference of a flicker light source to a proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2d is a schematic diagram illustrating interference of another flicker light source with a proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3a is a schematic diagram of a proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3b is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a proximity sensor;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the intensity of an electrical signal generated by an infrared detector with a scintillation light source according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5a is a flowchart of a proximity detection method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5b is a schematic diagram of a register state of a proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the intensity of an electrical signal generated by an infrared detector with a flicker light source according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the intensity of an electrical signal generated by an infrared detector with a flicker light source according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of another approach detection method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the intensity of an electrical signal generated by an infrared detector with a flicker light source according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of another approach detection method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of the intensity of an electrical signal generated by an infrared light detector when a flicker light source is present in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. The terminology used in the following examples is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. As used in the specification of the application and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," "the," and "the" are intended to include, for example, "one or more" such forms of expression, unless the context clearly indicates to the contrary. It should also be understood that in embodiments of the present application, "one or more" means one, two, or more than two; "and/or", describes an association relationship of the association object, indicating that three relationships may exist; for example, a and/or B may represent: a alone, a and B together, and B alone, wherein A, B may be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the context-dependent object is an "or" relationship.

The sensor is close to a light sensor, and is widely applied to various electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers and the like. The proximity light sensor can obtain proximity detection data reflecting the distance between an object and the electronic equipment by emitting infrared light and detecting the intensity of the reflected infrared light, and the application in the electronic equipment can determine whether the object is close to the electronic equipment according to the proximity detection data.

In order to better understand the embodiments of the present application, the working principle of the proximity light sensor is described below in conjunction with a typical application scenario of the proximity light sensor in a mobile phone, that is, a mobile phone voice call scenario.

The proximity light sensor may include an infrared light source and an infrared light detector. The infrared Light source may be a Light-Emitting Diode (LED) capable of Emitting infrared Light, or may be an infrared Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL), and the working band of the infrared Light source may be about 940nm, or may be about 1100nm, or about 1300nm, or other bands, and the embodiment does not limit the infrared Light source used for the proximity Light sensor and the working band of the infrared Light source, so long as the proximity or the distance of an external object is determined by an optical method.

The infrared light detector may be a Photo-Diode (PD) that can detect infrared light. The photodiode generates an electrical signal when illuminated, and the intensity of the electrical signal is proportional to the intensity of illumination, that is, the intensity of the electrical signal output by the photodiode can reflect the intensity of illumination received by the photodiode.

The proximity light sensor may have various structures and forms, and the specific structure and form of the proximity light sensor are not limited in this embodiment. For example, the infrared light source and the infrared light detector may be integrated together inside the proximity light sensor, or may be combined into the proximity light sensor based on a separate structure.

As an example, an independent infrared light source may be hung on an infrared light detector, and the infrared light detector and the hung infrared light source cooperate to realize a function of detecting the distance or the proximity of an object, so that the infrared light detector and the hung infrared light source may also be regarded as a proximity light sensor.

Referring to fig. 1, a schematic diagram of an operating principle of a proximity light sensor without interference is provided in an embodiment of the present application, a user may place a mobile phone close to a face for voice call when receiving a call, the mobile phone may detect whether the user places the mobile phone close to the face by using the proximity light sensor, turn off a screen when the mobile phone is close to the face, and turn on the screen when the mobile phone is not close to the face, so that the time of turning on the screen is shortened, and the power consumption of the mobile phone is reduced.

As shown in (1) of fig. 1, when the user looks at the screen of the mobile phone, the user's face is far from the screen of the mobile phone. At this time, an infrared light source located below the glass cover plate of the mobile phone screen near the light sensor is turned on and off at a specific frequency, so that infrared light is periodically emitted outwards. For example, the infrared light source is turned on for a period of time T0 to T1 and emits infrared light, and is turned off for a period of time T1 to T2. Wherein the duration of T0 to T1 and the duration of T1 to T2 are equal.

When the infrared light source is turned on, the proximity light sensor calculates the integral of the intensity of the infrared light detector electric signal over time, for example, the integral over the period from T0 to T1, the obtained calculation result is recorded as an integral value 1, when the infrared light source is turned off, the proximity light sensor calculates the integral of the intensity of the infrared light detector electric signal over time, for example, the integral over the period from T1 to T2, the obtained calculation result is recorded as an integral value 2, and the difference (or the absolute value of the difference) between the integral value 1 and the integral value 2 can be used as proximity detection data detected by the proximity light sensor. The process of controlling the on and off of the infrared light source and calculating a proximity detection data may be regarded as a proximity detection process of the proximity light sensor, and the action performed by the proximity light sensor during the time period T0 to T2 may be regarded as a proximity detection process in this embodiment.

In the present application, the period of time T0 to T2 shown in (1) of fig. 1 may be defined as a proximity detection period required for the proximity sensor to perform proximity detection, that is, the proximity sensor may perform proximity detection once in one proximity detection period, and obtain proximity detection data. The duration K of the proximity detection period is related to the performance of the proximity sensor, and may be typically several hundred microseconds (us), although it may be of other orders of magnitude, and the specific value of K is not limited in this embodiment.

The face of the user is far away from the mobile phone screen within the period from T0 to T2, the intensity of infrared light reflected to the infrared light detector is very low, the intensity of an electric signal generated by the infrared light detector within the period from T0 to T1 is very low, and the intensity of the electric signal of the detector is close to the intensity of the electric signal of the detector when the infrared light source is closed within the period from T1 to T2, so that the difference value between the integral value 1 and the integral value 2 is smaller than a set approach threshold value, the mobile phone determines that no object approaches the screen through the comparison result, and the screen is lightened, so that the user can view the content on the screen and normally operate the mobile phone.

The approach threshold is understood to be the proximity detection data detected by the proximity light sensor when an object approaches a certain distance to the screen without interference. In addition, if the proximity detection data obtained by the proximity light sensor is equal to or greater than the proximity threshold value, the distance between the screen and the object may be considered to be equal to or less than the specific distance, and if the proximity detection data is equal to or less than the proximity threshold value, the distance between the screen and the object may be considered to be greater than the specific distance.

For example, the proximity detection data obtained by the proximity light sensor when the distance between the object and the screen is 3 mm may be used as the proximity threshold. In proximity detection, if the proximity detection data is greater than or equal to the proximity threshold, the distance between the screen and the object may be considered to be less than or equal to 3 mm, and if the proximity detection data is less than the proximity threshold, the distance between the screen and the object may be considered to be greater than 3 mm.

As shown in fig. 1 (2), when the user's mobile phone receives a call from another mobile phone, the user places the mobile phone close to the face to make a voice call. During a call, the infrared light source may also periodically emit infrared light outward, e.g., the infrared light source may be turned on for a period of time T3 to T4 and turned off for a period of time T4 to T5. The duration of T3 to T4 is equal to the duration of T4 to T5.

Similarly, the proximity light sensor calculates the integral of the intensity of the detector electrical signal with respect to time when the infrared light source is turned on, the calculation result is denoted as an integral value 3, and the integral of the intensity of the detector electrical signal with respect to time when the infrared light source is turned off, the calculation result is denoted as an integral value 4. The difference value (or the absolute value of the difference value) of the integrated value 3 and the integrated value 4 may be used as another proximity detection data detected by the proximity photosensor.

The user attaches the mobile phone to the face within the period from T3 to T5, when the infrared light source is turned on within the period from T3 to T4, the intensity of the infrared light reflected to the infrared light detector is very high, the infrared light detector correspondingly generates high-intensity electric signals, and when the infrared light source is turned off within the period from T4 to T5, the infrared light detector cannot receive the reflected infrared light, so that the intensity of the electric signals of the detector is very low, the difference value between the integral value 3 when the infrared light source is turned on and the integral value 4 when the infrared light source is turned off is larger than a near threshold value, the mobile phone determines that the face of the user is attached to the screen according to the comparison result, and then the screen is extinguished.

In practical applications, the difference between the above-described integrated values 1 and 2, and the difference between the integrated values 3 and 4 may be represented in the form of digital signals or analog signals.

As an example, after the integrating circuit outputs the integrated value 3 and the integrated value 4 (or the integrated value 1 and the integrated value 2) in the form of an analog signal, the analog-to-digital converter converts the integrated value 3 and the integrated value 4 (or the integrated value 1 and the integrated value 2) into the form of a digital signal, and then, differences are obtained for the two to obtain a difference in the form of a digital signal.

As another example, the difference between the integrated value 3 and the integrated value 4 (or the integrated value 1 and the integrated value 2) in the form of an analog signal output from the integrating circuit may be directly obtained, where the analog signal may be a voltage signal or a current signal.

The scene shown in fig. 1 is only one use scene of the proximity light sensor, and in other use scenes, the proximity light sensor can also detect the proximity or the distance of other objects besides the human face. For example, in an anti-false touch scenario, the proximity light sensor can detect whether the screen is close to clothing cloth, so as to determine whether the mobile phone is held by hand or placed in a pocket; when the mobile phone is placed indoors, the proximity light sensor can detect whether the desktop is close to the screen, so that whether the mobile phone is placed on the front side or is reversely buckled on the desktop (or the surface of other objects) is judged.

In addition, the above-mentioned scenario is an example of an application scenario of the proximity light sensor, and in other application scenarios, the electronic device may perform other specific operations according to whether an object is in proximity to the screen, for example, may lock the touch screen to prevent false triggering, and may not dim the screen back light when an object is in proximity, and the like, and is not limited to the extinction screen in the above-mentioned example.

In summary, the proximity light sensor may control the periodic on and off of the infrared light source, calculate the integral value of the intensity of the detector electrical signal versus time when the infrared light source is on, and output the difference between the integral value of the infrared light source and the integral value of the infrared light source when the infrared light source is off as proximity detection data, where the upper system (e.g., the processor of the electronic device, or the sensor control module, i.e., the sensor rhub) may determine whether the object is approaching by determining whether the proximity detection data is greater than a set proximity threshold.

The proximity light sensor is susceptible to interference from various light sources in the environment, and particularly from flickering light sources in the environment. When the proximity light sensor is interfered by the flicker light source in the environment, the output proximity detection data cannot accurately reflect the proximity condition of the object, so that misjudgment of the electronic equipment is caused, abnormal phenomenon of the electronic equipment occurs, and bad use experience and trouble are caused for a user.

Taking a mobile phone as an example, in many daily use scenarios, a proximity light sensor of the mobile phone is interfered by a flickering light source in the environment.

As an example, please refer to fig. 2a, which is a schematic diagram of a usage scenario in which a flicker light source is present. When a user moves under the shade of the tree with alternate brightness and views the scene of the mobile phone screen in daytime, the sunlight generally contains light waves with the same wavelength as the infrared light source, for example, the wavelength of the infrared light source is about 940nm, and the sunlight also contains light waves of 940nm, so that light waves near 940nm in the sunlight can be detected by the proximity light sensor.

The intensity change frequency of sunlight is low, namely the intensity cannot be changed rapidly along with time, but when the moving speed of a user under tree shade is high or the bright and dark areas under tree shade are very close, the sunlight irradiated to the mobile phone can flash at the frequency close to the detection period, so that the alternation of the bright and dark areas can be regarded as a flash light source, the mobile phone is positioned in a shadow area and can be regarded as a flash light source to emit light, and the mobile phone is positioned in a light spot and can be regarded as a flash light source to emit light.

As another example, please refer to fig. 2b, which is a schematic diagram of another usage scenario in which a flicker light source is present. The indoor lighting lamp usually flashes according to a certain frequency, wherein the reason for causing the flashing of the lighting lamp can be the actual switching frequency of a driver of the lamp, fluctuation of voltage or current caused by interference of various factors on a power supply driving the lamp, the lighting characteristic of the lamp or the inherent frequency of alternating current driving the lamp, and the like. As shown in fig. 2b, when the user views the mobile phone screen indoors, the lighting fixture having the above-mentioned blinking feature indoors can be regarded as a blinking light source. The frequency of such a scintillating light source may be tens of Hz, tens of KHz or higher.

The flicker according to the present application may refer to the light source alternating between a bright state and a dark state, or may refer to the light source alternating between a high brightness state and one or more low brightness states.

For example, the interference of the blinking light source may cause the handset to have the following abnormal phenomena:

when a user views a mobile phone screen in an environment with a flicker light source, the proximity light sensor is interfered by the flicker light source to generate wrong proximity detection data, and an upper system misjudges that the user closes the screen to the face based on the wrong proximity detection data, so that the screen is controlled to be extinguished, and the user cannot view the screen; or, the proximity light sensor may be disturbed to intermittently generate wrong proximity detection data, so that an upper system intermittently misjudges that a user is close to the face, and the corresponding mobile phone screen is intermittently turned on and off to present a random flashing state.

In particular, since most of the electronic devices currently use the structures such as the full-face screen and the hole-digging screen widely for improving the screen ratio, the proximity light sensor has to be installed below the glass cover plate of the screen, in order to overcome the attenuation of the glass cover plate, the OLED screen and the like to the transmitted infrared light, manufacturers of the electronic devices need to greatly improve the gain and the sensitivity of the infrared light detector of the proximity light sensor, which leads to the proximity light sensor being more easily interfered by the flickering light source in the environment.

The interference of the scintillation light source with the detection result of the proximity photosensor is described below in connection with one example. Fig. 2c is a schematic diagram showing interference of the scintillation light source to the proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.

In this example, the screen of the electronic device is not in close proximity to other objects. Specifically, the usage scenario of the electronic device in this example may be the scenario shown in fig. 1 (1), that is, the scenario in which the user holds the mobile phone and views the screen of the mobile phone.

Fig. 2c (1) shows the intensity of the infrared light emitted from the infrared light source near the light sensor and reflected by the object and then irradiated to the infrared light detector, and it can be seen that the infrared light source is turned off during the period of T1 to T2, and therefore, it can be considered that no infrared light is emitted from the infrared light source and reflected to the infrared light detector, the intensity of the reflected infrared light can be regarded as 0, and the infrared light source is turned on and emits the infrared light during the period of T0 to T1, but since the object is far from the near light sensor, the intensity of the infrared light reaching the infrared light detector after being reflected by the object is also low, and is close to the intensity of the infrared light reflected when the infrared light source is turned off.

Fig. 2c (2) shows the light intensity of the scintillation light source received by the infrared light detector, the scintillation light source starts to emit light before time T0, and the scintillation light source is quickly darkened after time T1 and remains until after time T2. In combination with the scene moving under the shade, the time period of the flickering light source emitting light can be considered as the time period of the user's mobile phone being located in the light spot, and the time period of the flickering light source darkening can be considered as the time period of the user's mobile phone being located in the shadow area.

Since the infrared light detector has high sensitivity and gain, both the infrared light reflected from the object and the visible light emitted from the scintillation light source can cause the infrared light detector to generate an electrical signal, that is, the intensity of the electrical signal generated by the infrared light detector when the scintillation light source is present depends on the sum of the intensity of the visible light irradiated to the infrared light detector by the scintillation light source and the intensity of the infrared light reflected from the object.

Therefore, referring to (3) of fig. 2c, the intensity of the infrared light reflected by the far object is weak in the period from T0 to T1, but the scintillation light source is illuminated at this time, the intensity of the visible light irradiated to the infrared light detector by the scintillation light source is high, so that the intensity of the detector electrical signal is high in the period from T0 to T1, and the integral value 1 obtained by integrating the intensity of the detector electrical signal in this period is large.

In the period from T1 to T2, the intensity of the infrared light reflected from the object is weak, and the flicker light source is darker for most of the time, so that the intensity of the detector electric signal is weaker for most of the time, and the integrated value 2 obtained by integrating the intensity of the detector electric signal for this time is smaller.

In summary, if the blinking light source in the environment turns from bright to dark during the process of performing the proximity detection once by the proximity sensor, the proximity detection data (i.e., the difference obtained by subtracting the integral value 2 from the integral value 1) output by the proximity sensor is still large in spite of the absence of the object proximity screen, and thus the upper system misjudges that the object is in proximity to the screen and extinguishes the screen of the electronic device (or performs other operations when the object is in proximity).

Fig. 2d is a schematic diagram showing interference of another flicker light source to the proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2d (1) shows the intensity of the infrared light emitted from the infrared light source near the light sensor and reflected by the object and then irradiated to the infrared light detector, and it can be seen that the infrared light source is turned off during the period of T1 to T2, and thus it can be considered that no infrared light is emitted from the infrared light source and reflected to the infrared light detector, the intensity of the reflected infrared light can be regarded as 0, and the infrared light source is turned on and emits infrared light during the period of T0 to T1, but since the object is far from the near light sensor, the intensity of the infrared light reaching the infrared light detector after being reflected by the object is also low, and is close to the intensity of the infrared light reflected when the infrared light source is turned off.

Fig. 2d (2) shows the light intensity of the scintillation light source received by the infrared light detector, and in fig. 2d, the scintillation light source is first in a dark state, becomes bright after time T1 and remains until after time T2. In combination with the scene moving under the shade, the time period of the flickering light source emitting light can be considered as the time period of the user's mobile phone being located in the light spot, and the time period of the flickering light source darkening can be considered as the time period of the user's mobile phone being located in the shadow area.

The interference of the blinking light source shown in fig. 2d (2) is that the integrated value 2 obtained when the infrared light source is turned off is instead larger than the integrated value 1 obtained when the infrared light source is turned on, so that the proximity detection data (i.e., the difference obtained by subtracting the integrated value 2 from the integrated value 1) output by the proximity sensor is smaller than 0 and naturally smaller than the aforementioned proximity threshold. The electronic device determines that the object is far from the display screen based on the proximity detection data, and then illuminates the display screen.

As can be seen from fig. 2c and fig. 2d, when a user views the content of the display screen of the electronic device in an environment with a blinking light source, the proximity detection data output by the proximity light sensor may repeatedly change between being greater than the proximity threshold and being less than the proximity threshold due to the interference of the blinking light source, and accordingly, the electronic device may have a phenomenon of blinking (i.e. the display screen is extinguished for a while and is lit for a while), resulting in poor use experience.

In order to reduce the interference of the flickering light source on the proximity light sensor in the environment, the embodiment of the application provides a method for proximity detection and a corresponding proximity light sensor.

Fig. 3a is a schematic structural diagram of a proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.

The proximity light sensor includes an infrared light source, an infrared light detector, a driving circuit, a Signal Front End (SFE), an Analog-to-digital converter (Analog-Digital Converter, ADC), and a controller. The infrared light source is connected with the driving circuit, the infrared light detector is connected with the signal front end, the signal front end is connected with the analog-to-digital converter, and the driving circuit and the analog-to-digital converter are connected with the controller and controlled by the controller.

As previously mentioned, the proximity light sensor may also employ an external infrared light source. Fig. 3b is a schematic structural diagram of another proximity sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.

In the proximity light sensor shown in fig. 3b, the interior of the proximity light sensor comprises an infrared light detector, an SFE, an ADC and a controller, and an infrared light source and a driving circuit are externally hung outside the proximity light sensor. The anode of the infrared light source can be connected with the driving circuit, the cathode of the infrared light source is connected with the controller through a signal wire, and the controller controls the opening and closing of the infrared light source by controlling the connection or disconnection of the cathode of the infrared light source.

The infrared light source receives the driving voltage provided by the driving circuit and emits infrared light under the action of the driving voltage. The driving voltage output by the driving circuit is controlled by the controller. In connection with the example of fig. 2c, the controller may control the driving circuit to output a high voltage, for example, a driving voltage of 5V, for driving the infrared light source to emit light for a period of T0 to T1, and then the controller may control the driving circuit to output a low voltage, for example, a driving circuit to output a voltage of 0V for a period of T1 to T2, for driving the infrared light source not to emit light for a period of T1 to T2.

In other embodiments, the controller can also control the on or off of the infrared light source by controlling the on or off of the current of the infrared light source cathode. The embodiment is not limited to a specific control method.

The infrared light emitted by the infrared light source is emitted by the object to reach the infrared light detector, and the infrared light detector generates an electric signal based on the received light signal (which may include infrared light and part of visible light). The electrical signal may be a voltage generated by the infrared light detector corresponding to the light intensity under the irradiation of infrared light and part of visible light, or may also be a current signal or a voltage signal generated by other manners, and the specific working manner of the infrared light detector is not limited in this embodiment.

The signal front-end may comprise one or more integrating circuits with which the signal front-end is able to integrate the electrical signal generated by the infrared light detector over time. The integrating circuit may have various specific structures, and the structure of the integrating circuit is not limited in this embodiment.

As an example, the signal front-end may comprise an integrating circuit, shown in fig. 3a, which is formed by an amplifier, a capacitor and a switch S1, the specific connection being shown, wherein the switch S1 is controlled by a controller, and the controller may control the period of integration of the signal front-end by controlling the on and off of S1, for example, by controlling the on and off of S1, and may integrate the intensity of the electrical signal for the period T0 to T1 shown in fig. 2c and integrate the intensity of the electrical signal for the period T1 to T2.

The analog-to-digital converter is used for converting the analog signal output after the front end integration of the signal into a digital signal.

The controller is used for controlling the driving circuit, the signal front end and the analog-to-digital converter to work, and outputting the proximity detection data to the upper layer system.

The approach detection method provided by the embodiment of the application is described below with reference to the structure of the approach light sensor.

Example 1

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the intensity of an electrical signal generated by an infrared light detector when a flicker light source is interfered according to an embodiment of the present application.

In this embodiment, before the controller starts the proximity detection process, the infrared light source is controlled to be turned off for a period of time, which may be generally consistent with the time that the infrared light source is turned off during the proximity detection process. Taking (1) of fig. 4 as an example, the controller controls the infrared light source to be turned off for a period of time before the time T0, specifically, controls the infrared light source to be turned off in a period of time Ta to T0.

Under the control of the controller, the front end of the signal integrates the intensity of the detector electric signal in the time period when the infrared light source is closed before the proximity detection process, and the obtained calculation result is recorded as an integral value X.

Or if the infrared light source is in a closed state within a period of time corresponding to the integral value X, the controller can directly control the front end of the signal to integrate, and after the integral value X is obtained, the controller controls the infrared light source to be turned on again.

In some embodiments, the parameters of the circuit elements in the integrating circuit when the integrated value X is obtained and the parameters of the circuit elements in the integrating circuit when the integrated value 2 is obtained may be the same or may be different but satisfy a specific proportional relationship.

When there is a blinking light source as shown in (2) of fig. 4, the blinking light source is bright in the period Ta to T1, and the blinking light source is dark for most of the time in the period T1 to T2, and the infrared light detector receives light of higher intensity in the period Ta to T0 than in the period T1 to T2. In the embodiment of the application, the bright flash light source can refer to the situation that the flash light source emits stronger light, and the dark flash light source can comprise the situation that the flash light source does not emit light, or the light emitted by the flash light source is weaker, and the like.

Accordingly, as shown in (3) of fig. 4, the intensity of the electric signal generated by the infrared light detector in the Ta to T0 period is larger than the intensity of the electric signal generated by the infrared light detector in the T1 to T2 period, and accordingly, the integrated value X obtained by integration in the Ta to T0 period and the integrated value 2 obtained in the T1 to T2 period have a large deviation, that is, the absolute value of the difference between the integrated value 2 and the integrated value X is larger than a preset abnormality threshold.

In contrast, referring to (1) of fig. 1, if the disturbance by the flicker light source is not received, the intensity of the detector electric signal in the Ta to T0 period and the intensity of the pinching detector electric signal in the T1 to T2 period are substantially identical, and therefore the deviation of the integrated value X and the integrated value 2 is small and not greater than the set abnormality threshold.

It should be noted that, the approach detection method provided in this embodiment may be effective under the interference of multiple scintillation light sources, and is not limited to the scintillation light sources shown in fig. 4 (2).

In most everyday use scenarios, there is a large gap between the frequency of the flickering light source flickering and the frequency of the infrared light source switch, which may be 3kHz, for example, while in most everyday use scenarios the frequency of the flickering light source may not exceed 1kHz. In addition, the flicker phase of the flicker light source and the infrared light source switch often have a large difference.

Therefore, the state of the flicker light source before the infrared light source is turned on is generally inconsistent with the state of the flicker light source after the infrared light source is turned on for a period of time and turned off again. That is, in general, if the blinking light source does not emit light in the period corresponding to the integrated value X, the blinking light source emits light in the period corresponding to the integrated value 2, and if the blinking light source emits light in the period corresponding to the integrated value X, the blinking light source does not emit light in the period corresponding to the integrated value 2.

In either case, the absolute value of the difference between the integrated value X and the integrated value 2 is larger than the set abnormality threshold, so that the proximity sensor can determine whether the proximity detection process is disturbed by the blinking light source in the environment according to whether the absolute value of the difference between the integrated value X and the integrated value 2 is larger than the abnormality threshold.

The proximity sensor may obtain the integrated value X shown in fig. 4 as follows:

in this case, the proximity sensor may store an integrated value when the infrared light source is turned off during the previous proximity detection, and the integrated value is regarded as an integrated value X used for determining whether the infrared light source is interfered by the blinking light source during the current proximity detection.

The beneficial effects of the above-mentioned acquisition mode lie in:

by multiplexing the integral value when the infrared light source is turned off in the previous approach detection process, the approach light sensor does not need to turn off the infrared light source before the approach detection is carried out, so that whether the approach detection is interfered by the flicker light source or not is judged more quickly.

In another way, if the proximity sensor determines that proximity detection is needed when the proximity sensor performs proximity detection once at intervals, the proximity sensor turns off the infrared light source for a period of time, integrates the front end of the signal of the proximity sensor during the period of time to obtain an integrated value X, and then the proximity sensor starts to perform the proximity detection process again.

From the example of fig. 4, the approach detection method shown in fig. 5a can be derived:

In some embodiments, the controller of the proximity light sensor may control the various devices in the proximity light sensor by executing pre-configured instructions such that the proximity light sensor implements the various steps in the method.

S101, a first integrated value of the signal intensity of the infrared light detector in a first period, a second integrated value in a second period, and a third integrated value in a third period are acquired.

Wherein the first period precedes the second period, the second period precedes the third period, and the durations of the first period, the second period, and the third period may be equal.

And in the first period and the third period, the infrared light source is closed, and in the second period, the infrared light source is opened.

In some alternative embodiments, the infrared light source may be turned on during the first period and the third period, and turned off during the second period.

In combination with the foregoing example, the first period may be a Ta to T0 period shown in fig. 4, the second period may be a T0 to T1 period shown in fig. 4, the third period may be a T1 to T2 period shown in fig. 4, the first integrated value may be an integrated value X shown in fig. 4, the second integrated value may be an integrated value 1 shown in fig. 4, and the third integrated value may be an integrated value 2 shown in fig. 4.

S102, judging whether the absolute value of the difference value between the first integral value and the third integral value is larger than a preset abnormal threshold value.

If the absolute value of the difference between the first integral value and the third integral value is not greater than the abnormal threshold, it is determined that the current approach detection process is not interfered by the flicker light source, and the approach detection data obtained by the current approach detection is not abnormal data, and step S103 is executed. If the absolute value of the difference between the first integral value and the third integral value is greater than the abnormal threshold, it is determined that the current approach detection process is interfered by the blinking light source, and the approach detection data obtained by the current approach detection is abnormal data, and step S104 is performed.

In practical applications, registers may be integrated near the inside of the light sensor. The proximity light sensor may be connected to a processor (e.g., a System on Chip, soC) of the electronic device, and the processor may issue a serial peripheral interface (Serial Peripheral Interface, SPI) protocol command, or a two-wire serial bus (Inter-Integrated Circuit, I2C) protocol command, or a universal asynchronous receiver Transmitter (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter, UART) protocol command to the controller, where the abnormal threshold is carried, and after the controller receives the commands, the controller writes the abnormal threshold carried therein into a register to implement step S102.

Alternatively, the abnormality threshold may be a value close to a default value in the optical sensor.

The processor may obtain the abnormal threshold from the server after networking, or a technician may preset the abnormal threshold in the memory of the electronic device when the electronic device leaves the factory, so that the processor may read the preset abnormal threshold from the memory of the electronic device.

In the subsequent embodiments, the abnormal threshold value can be obtained in the same manner by the proximity light sensor, which is not described in detail.

S103, proximity detection data is output, the proximity detection data being a difference between the second integrated value and the third integrated value.

In combination with the foregoing example, the proximity detection data may be a difference value of the integrated value 1 and the integrated value 2.

S104, determining the proximity detection data as abnormal data.

In practical applications, the proximity sensor may set an anomaly flag bit for marking whether the proximity detection data is anomaly data, and if it is determined that the proximity detection data is anomaly data, the anomaly flag bit is set to 1, and if it is determined that the proximity detection data is not anomaly data, the anomaly flag bit is set to 0.

The above labeling method is only an example of a method for distinguishing abnormal data, and other manners of distinguishing abnormal data from normal data may be adopted in other alternative embodiments, and the embodiment does not limit the specific distinguishing manner.

Taking fig. 5b as an example, the controller may write the proximity detection data into a register, and the processor of the electronic device may read the proximity detection data from the register. In this embodiment, the controller may designate a specific bit in the register in advance as the abnormality flag bit. After the controller judges whether the proximity detection data obtained by the present proximity detection is abnormal data or not through the step S102, if the proximity detection data is abnormal data, the controller sets an abnormal mark bit in a register to be 1, and when the processor reads the proximity detection data, the proximity detection data can be found to be abnormal data through the abnormal mark bit; if the proximity detection data is not abnormal data, the controller sets an abnormality flag bit in the register to 0, and when the processor reads the proximity detection data, the proximity detection data is found not to be abnormal data by the abnormality flag bit.

In some alternative embodiments, when the proximity sensor completes one time of proximity detection and determines that the obtained proximity detection data is abnormal data, the proximity detection data may be deleted, and then the proximity detection data that is not abnormal data obtained before the one time of proximity detection is output; alternatively, the proximity sensor may perform the second proximity detection after deleting the abnormal data obtained this time, and output the proximity detection data of the second proximity detection after determining that the proximity detection data obtained by the second proximity detection is not the abnormal data.

The beneficial effect of deleting the abnormal proximity detection data is that:

deleting the abnormal proximity detection data in time can prevent the abnormal proximity detection data from being wrongly reported to the upper layer system, and prevent the upper layer system from executing abnormal operation according to the abnormal proximity detection data, such as preventing screen extinction when a user normally looks at the screen.

Or when the proximity detection data obtained by the proximity light sensor is abnormal data, the proximity light sensor reports a preset special value, for example, 0 or other specific judgment value, to the upper system, and after the upper system finds that the data obtained by the current proximity detection is abnormal data through the special value, the upper system can adopt historical proximity detection data or directly and forcedly report a preset state, and report an object away from a screen, so that peripheral interference is resisted.

The embodiment has the following beneficial effects:

the proximity light sensor obtains a first integral value when the infrared light source is closed before proximity detection, and judges whether the proximity detection process is interfered by the scintillation light source or not by comparing the first integral value with the integral value in the proximity detection process, so that the proximity light sensor is prevented from outputting proximity detection data interfered by the scintillation light source, and the anti-interference capability of the proximity light sensor is improved.

Example two

In this embodiment, after the approach detection is finished, the controller controls the infrared light source to be turned off for a period of time, the signal front end integrates the intensity of the electric signal of the detector in the period of time, the obtained result is recorded as an integral value Y, and the controller judges whether the approach detection process is interfered by the scintillation light source or not by comparing the integral value Y with an integral value 2 obtained when the infrared light source is turned off in the approach detection process.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the intensity of an electrical signal generated by an infrared light detector when a flicker light source is interfered according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in (1) of fig. 6, the proximity light sensor starts proximity detection at time T0, the controller turns on the infrared light source in a period T0 to T1, the signal front end integrates the intensity of the electric signal of the infrared light detector in a period T0 to T1 to obtain an integrated value 1, and the controller turns off the infrared light source in a period T1 to T2, and the signal front end integrates the intensity of the electric signal of the infrared light detector in a period T1 to T2 to obtain an integrated value 2.

After the integral value 2 is obtained, the infrared light source is kept in a closed state, and the signal front end integrates the intensity of the electric signal of the infrared light detector within a period of time after T2 to obtain a corresponding integral value. Illustratively, in (1) of fig. 6, the signal front end integrates the intensities of the electrical signals in the period T2 to Tb to obtain an integrated value Y.

The length of the T2 to Tb period may be equal to the length of the T1 to T2 period. The parameters of the circuit elements in the integrating circuit when the integrated value Y is obtained and the parameters of the circuit elements in the integrating circuit when the integrated value 2 is obtained may be the same or may be different but satisfy a specific proportional relationship.

As shown in fig. 6 (2), the proximity sensor is disturbed by a flicker light source in the environment when performing proximity detection, and the flicker light source emits light in a period from T0 to T1 and darkens at a certain point in a period from T1 to T2.

The flicker light source is in a dark state continuously after the time T2, and the infrared light source is in an off state continuously after the time T1 in a period from T1 to T2. Therefore, as shown in fig. 3, after time T1, when the blinking light source is on, the intensity of the detector electrical signal is high, and when the blinking light source is off, the intensity of the detector electrical signal is significantly reduced.

Due to the above-described variation in the intensity of the electric signal, the integrated value 2 is significantly larger than the integrated value Y, and the absolute value of the difference between the integrated value 2 and the integrated value Y is larger than the abnormality threshold.

In contrast, if the proximity detection is performed in the period from T0 to T2 without interference from the flicker light source, the intensity of the illumination received by the infrared light detector after the time T1 is relatively constant, and the intensity of the detector electrical signal is also relatively constant, and in this case, the difference between the integrated value 2 and the integrated value Y is small and is not greater than the abnormality threshold.

Wherein, since the above judgment is realized based on the absolute value of the difference between the integrated value 2 and the integrated value Y, even if the blinking light source is first dark and then bright in the period T0 to Tb, the final judgment result is not affected.

In summary, in this embodiment, after the approach detection process is completed once, the approach light sensor may determine whether the absolute value of the difference between the integral value Y and the integral value 2 is greater than the preset abnormal threshold, if the absolute value of the difference between the integral value Y and the integral value 2 is greater than the abnormal threshold, the approach detection is considered to be interfered by the flicker light source, and if the absolute value of the difference between the integral value Y and the integral value 2 is not greater than the abnormal threshold, the approach detection is considered to be not interfered by the flicker light source.

Note that, in this embodiment, the period of time in which the integrated value 1 is obtained near the photosensor, the period of time in which the integrated value 2 is obtained, and the period of time in which the integrated value Y is obtained may be discontinuous, that is, after the integrated value 1 is obtained near the photosensor, the integration of the intensity of the detector electric signal may be restarted for a while, and similarly, after the integrated value 2 is obtained, the integration of the intensity of the detector electric signal may be restarted for a while.

As an example, referring to fig. 7, after time T1, the infrared light source is kept off, the signal front end integrates the intensity of the detector electrical signal again after time delay T1 to obtain an integrated value 2, then the signal front end waits for time delay T2, and after time delay T2 ends, the signal front end continues to integrate the intensity of the detector electrical signal to obtain an integrated value Y.

The delay t1 and the delay t2 may be equal or unequal. The delay time can be set according to actual conditions, and can also be dynamically changed according to requirements, and the embodiment is not limited to this.

In some embodiments, to ensure that the difference between the integrated value Y and the integrated value 2 can accurately reflect the situation that the approach detection process is disturbed, both the delay t1 and the delay t2 may be limited to not more than 50 milliseconds (ms), so as to avoid erroneous judgment caused by excessively long delay.

Setting a certain delay time before each integration has the following beneficial effects:

the accuracy of the integration result obtained by successive integration of the light sensor multiple times may be affected by the performance of the devices in the circuit, and may be improved by delaying the time before each integration.

From the examples of fig. 6 and 7, a proximity detection method as shown in fig. 8 can be derived:

S201, a second integrated value of the signal intensity of the infrared light detector in the second period, a third integrated value in the third period, and a fourth integrated value in the fourth period are acquired.

Wherein the second period precedes the third period, the third period precedes the fourth period, and the durations of the second period, the third period, and the fourth period may be equal.

In the second period, the infrared light source is turned on, in the third period and the fourth period, the infrared light source is turned off,

in some alternative embodiments, the infrared light source may be turned off during the second period, and turned on during the third and fourth periods.

In combination with the foregoing example, the second period may be the period T0 to T1 shown in fig. 6, the third period may be the period T1 to T2 shown in fig. 6, the fourth period may be the period T2 to Tb shown in fig. 6, the second integrated value may be the integrated value 1 shown in fig. 6, the third integrated value may be the integrated value 2 shown in fig. 6, and the fourth integrated value may be the integrated value Y shown in fig. 6.

S202, it is determined whether the absolute value of the difference between the third integrated value and the fourth integrated value is greater than a preset abnormality threshold.

If the absolute value of the difference between the third integrated value and the fourth integrated value is not greater than the abnormality threshold, it is determined that the approach detection process is not interfered by the blinking light source, and step S203 is performed. If the absolute value of the difference between the third integrated value and the fourth integrated value is greater than the abnormality threshold, it is determined that the approach detection process is interfered by the blinking light source, and step S204 is performed.

S203, proximity detection data is output, the proximity detection data being a difference value between the second integrated value and the third integrated value.

S204, determining the proximity detection data as abnormal data.

The embodiment has the following beneficial effects:

after the approach light sensor finishes the approach detection once, a fourth integral value is obtained when the infrared light source is closed, and whether the approach detection process is interfered by the flicker light source is judged by comparing the fourth integral value with the integral value in the approach detection process, so that the approach light sensor is prevented from outputting the approach detection data interfered by the flicker light source, and the anti-interference capability of the approach light sensor is improved.

Further, the present embodiment helps the proximity photosensor to identify the interference of the flickering light source in some special cases.

If the blinking light source is on for a longer time and the blinking light source is off for a shorter time in the period in which the integrated value 2 is obtained (for example, the period T1 to T2 of fig. 6), the integrated value X obtained before the integrated value 2 and the proximity detection (for example, before the time T0 of fig. 6) is smaller, and the deviation of the integrated value 2 from the integrated value Y obtained after the proximity detection (for example, after the time T2 of fig. 6) is larger. Under the above circumstances, the approach detection method provided by the embodiment can accurately identify the interference of the scintillation light source, and further improve the anti-interference capability of the approach light sensor.

Example III

In the process of proximity detection, the proximity light sensor can respectively perform multiple integration within the time period when the infrared light source is turned on, and respectively perform multiple integration within the time period when the infrared light source is turned off, if no interference of the flicker light source exists in the process of proximity detection, the multiple integrated values obtained by the multiple integration when the infrared light source is turned on should be basically consistent, and the multiple integrated values obtained by the multiple integration when the infrared light source is turned off should also be basically consistent.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the intensity of an electrical signal generated by an infrared light detector when a flicker light source is interfered according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 9 (1), the proximity sensor performs proximity detection once in a period T0 to T2, wherein the infrared light source is turned on in a period T0 to T1 and turned off in a period T1 to T2.

The proximity detection process has the interference of the blinking light source as shown in (2) of fig. 9, wherein the blinking light source is bright in a period from T0 to T1, darkens after the time T1 and continues until the end of the present proximity detection, that is, continues until after the time T2.

In the present approach detection process, as shown in (3) of fig. 9, the approach light sensor performs three integration in a period from T0 to T1 when the infrared light source is turned on to obtain a corresponding integrated value a, an integrated value B, and an integrated value C, and performs three integration in a period when the infrared light source is turned off to obtain a corresponding integrated value D, an integrated value E, and an integrated value F. The duration of each integration of the light sensor is equal when the infrared light source is started, namely the duration corresponding to the integrated values A, B and C is equal, and the duration of each integration of the light sensor is equal when the infrared light source is closed, namely the duration corresponding to the integrated values D, E and F is equal.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned integration times are only examples, and in practical applications, the proximity light sensor may determine the integration times when the infrared light source is turned on and the integration times when the infrared light source is turned off according to practical situations, and the integration times when the infrared light source is turned on and the integration times when the infrared light source is turned off may be the same or different.

The period of time in which the plurality of integrated values are obtained near the photosensor may be continuous or discontinuous. Taking fig. 9 as an example, the proximity photosensor waits for a period of time to start the second integration after obtaining the integrated value a, obtains the integrated value B, then starts the third integration after waiting for a period of time, obtains the integrated value C, and so on.

As can be seen from fig. 9 (3), when the proximity detection process is disturbed by the blinking light source shown in fig. 9 (2), the infrared light source is kept on for a period of T0 to T1, and the blinking light source continues to be on, so the intensity of the detector electrical signal is substantially unchanged, and the integrated values a, B, and C obtained by integrating multiple times during this period are substantially identical.

In the period from T1 to T2, the infrared light source keeps the off state, the scintillation light source darkens after a period of illumination, which results in that the intensity of the detector electrical signal when the scintillation light source illuminates is obviously higher than the intensity of the detector electrical signal when the scintillation light source is dark in the period from T1 to T2, and correspondingly, the integral value D obtained by integrating the proximity light sensor for a plurality of times in the period from T1 to T2 is greatly different from the integral value E obtained by obtaining the integral value D when the scintillation light source is bright and the integral value E obtained by obtaining the integral value E when the scintillation light source is dark in the period from T1 to T2, that is, the deviation between the integral values D, E and F is overlarge, so that the proximity light sensor can determine that the proximity detection process is interfered by the scintillation light source.

The proximity sensor may evaluate whether the deviation between the plurality of integrated values is excessive or not by using various methods, and the embodiment is not limited to a specific evaluation method.

As one example, the proximity light sensor may calculate a variance or standard deviation of a plurality of integrated values, compare the calculation result with a preset abnormality threshold, and consider that the deviation between the integrated values is excessively large if the variance or standard deviation of the plurality of integrated values is greater than the abnormality threshold.

Taking (3) of fig. 9 as an example, the proximity photosensor may calculate variances of the integrated values a, B, and C, and if the variances are greater than the abnormality threshold, the integrated values a, B, and C are considered to be excessively large, and if the variances are less than the abnormality threshold, the integrated values a, B, and C are considered to be relatively small, and similarly, the proximity photosensor may calculate variances of the integrated values D, E, and F, and if the variances are greater than the abnormality threshold, the integrated values D, E, and F are considered to be excessively large, and if the variances are less than the abnormality threshold, the integrated values D, E, and F are considered to be relatively small.

As another example, the proximity light sensor may calculate the difference value of any two of the plurality of integrated values one by one, and consider that the deviation of the plurality of integrated values is excessively large if the absolute value of the difference value of any two of the integrated values is greater than a preset abnormality threshold.

Taking (3) of fig. 9 as an example, the proximity photosensor calculates the difference values of the integrated values a and B, the difference values of the integrated values B and C, and the difference values of the integrated values a and C, respectively, all of which have absolute values smaller than the abnormality threshold, so the proximity photosensor determines that the deviation of the integrated values a, B, and C is smaller. Similarly, the proximity photosensor calculates the difference value of the integrated values D and E, the difference value of the integrated values E and F, and the difference value of the integrated values D and F, respectively, and finds that the absolute value of the difference value of the integrated values D and E, and the absolute value of the difference value of the integrated values D and F are both larger than the abnormality threshold, so the proximity photosensor determines that the deviation of the integrated values D, E, and F is larger.

According to the example shown in fig. 9, a proximity detection method as shown in fig. 10 can be obtained:

S301, a plurality of segment integrated values of the signal intensity of the infrared light detector in the second period, and a plurality of segment integrated values in the third period are acquired.

Wherein the second period precedes the third period, the lengths of the second period and the third period may be equal. The infrared light source close to the light sensor is started in the second period, and the infrared light source close to the light sensor is closed in the third period.

The plurality of segment integrated values in the second period are obtained by integrating the proximity photosensor a plurality of times in the second period, respectively, and the plurality of segment integrated values in the second period may be integrated values a, B, and C shown in fig. 9, for example.

The plurality of segment integrated values in the third period are obtained by integrating the proximity photosensor a plurality of times in the third period, respectively, and the plurality of segment integrated values in the third period may be integrated values D, E, and F shown in fig. 9, for example.

S302, it is determined whether the deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values in the second period is excessive and whether the deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values in the third period is excessive.

If the deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values in the second period is smaller and the deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values in the third period is smaller, step S303 is executed; if the deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values is too large in the second period or the deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values is too large in the third period, step S304 is performed.

Referring to the foregoing example, the embodiment of step S302 may be to determine whether the variance or standard deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values in the second period is greater than the abnormality threshold value, and determine whether the variance or standard deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values in the third period is greater than the abnormality threshold value.

And if the variance or standard deviation of the plurality of sectional integral values in the second period is not greater than the abnormal threshold value, the deviation of the plurality of sectional integral values in the second period is considered to be smaller.

Similarly, if the variance or standard deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values in the third period is greater than the abnormality threshold, the deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values in the third period is considered to be too large, and if the variance or standard deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values in the third period is not greater than the abnormality threshold, the deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values in the third period is considered to be smaller.

The embodiment of step S302 may also be to determine whether the difference between every two segment integrated values in the second period is greater than an abnormality threshold value, and determine whether the difference between every two segment integrated values in the third period is greater than an abnormality threshold value.

If the difference value of any two sectional integral values in the second period is larger than the abnormal threshold value, the deviation of the sectional integral values in the second period is considered to be too large, and if the difference value of every two sectional integral values in the second period is not larger than the abnormal threshold value, the deviation of the sectional integral values in the second period is considered to be smaller.

Similarly, if the difference value of any two sectional integral values in the third period is larger than the abnormal threshold value, the deviation of the sectional integral values in the third period is considered to be too large, and if the difference value of every two sectional integral values in the third period is not larger than the abnormal threshold value, the deviation of the sectional integral values in the third period is considered to be smaller.

S303, outputting proximity detection data, wherein the proximity detection data is a difference value between a first accumulated value and a second accumulated value, the first accumulated value is a sum of a plurality of sectional integral values in a second period, and the second accumulated value is a sum of a plurality of sectional integral values in a third period.

Taking (3) of fig. 9 as an example, the first integrated value may be the sum of integrated values a, B, and C, and the second integrated value may be the sum of integrated values D, E, and F.

S304, determining the proximity detection data as abnormal data.

In this embodiment, the proximity detection data may be a difference between a first integrated value and a second integrated value, where the first integrated value is a sum of a plurality of integrated values obtained when the infrared light source is turned on, and the second integrated value is a sum of a plurality of integrated values obtained when the infrared light source is turned off.

The embodiment has the following beneficial effects:

in this embodiment, the proximity sensor determines whether the proximity detection process is interfered by the flicker light source according to the integrated value obtained in the proximity detection process, so as to improve the timeliness of the determination result and avoid inconsistent situations between the determination result and the actual proximity detection process.

The anomaly threshold values used in the first to third embodiments may be the same or different.

For example, the anomaly threshold value in the first embodiment may be a first anomaly threshold value, the anomaly threshold value in the second embodiment may be a second anomaly threshold value, the anomaly threshold value in the third embodiment may be a third anomaly threshold value, and the first anomaly threshold value, the second anomaly threshold value, and the third anomaly threshold value are different from each other.

In some alternative embodiments, the proximity sensor may perform proximity detection in combination with any one or more of the above embodiments one through three.

As an example, the approach light sensor may perform the methods of embodiments one through three simultaneously.

In connection with the examples of fig. 4, 6 and 9, the proximity sensor keeps the infrared light source off before starting a proximity detection, for example, in fig. 4, keeps the infrared light source off for a period of Ta to T0, and integrates once when the infrared light source is off, to obtain an integrated value X as shown in fig. 4, and then the proximity sensor starts the proximity detection.

In the proximity detection process, the proximity light sensor turns on the infrared light source in the period of T0 to T1, and the proximity light sensor performs integration in the manner of embodiment three for the period of time in which the infrared light source is turned on, respectively, to obtain a plurality of integrated values, for example, integrated values a, B and C of fig. 9, and then turns off the infrared light source in the period of T1 to T2, and the proximity light sensor performs integration in the manner of embodiment three for the period of time in which the infrared light source is turned off, respectively, to obtain a plurality of integrated values, for example, integrated values D, E and F of fig. 9, and at the same time, integrates the intensity of the detector electric signal for the period of time in the entire period of time T1 to T2, close to the light sensor, to obtain integrated value 2.

After time T2, the proximity light sensor keeps the infrared light source off, for example, in fig. 6, for a period of time T2 to Tb, and then integrates the intensity of the detector electrical signal for that period to obtain an integrated value Y.

Finally, the proximity photosensor respectively determines whether the absolute value of the difference between the integrated value X and the integrated value 2 is greater than a first abnormality threshold, determines whether the absolute value of the difference between the integrated value Y and the integrated value 2 is greater than a second abnormality threshold, determines whether the deviation of the integrated values a, B, and C is excessive, and determines whether the deviation of the integrated values D, E, and F is excessive.

If the result of any one or more of the above-mentioned judgments is yes, the approach photosensor determines that the approach detection process is interfered by the scintillation light source, and if the result of each of the above-mentioned judgments is no, the approach photosensor determines that the approach detection process is not interfered by the scintillation light source.

The approach detection method provided by the combination of the first embodiment and the third embodiment has the beneficial effects that the anti-interference capability of the approach light sensor can be further improved, and the approach light sensor can also find the interference of the scintillation light source even if the scintillation frequency of the scintillation light source is similar to the switching frequency of the infrared light source.

Taking fig. 11 as an example, a schematic diagram of the intensity of an electrical signal generated by an infrared light detector when the infrared light detector is interfered by a flicker light source with the same frequency is provided in this embodiment.

As shown in (2) of fig. 11, the proximity sensor is disturbed by the blinking light source when performing the proximity detection once in the period T0 to T2, and the blinking frequency of the blinking light source and the frequency of the infrared light source switch are substantially identical.

In this case, as shown in (3) of fig. 11, the integrated value X integrated before the approach detection and the integrated value 2 obtained during the approach detection substantially agree, that is, the absolute value of the difference between the integrated value X and the integrated value 2 is smaller than the corresponding first abnormality threshold.

According to the method provided in the second embodiment, by adding a period of turning off the infrared light source after the approach detection, the corresponding integrated value Y can be obtained, and as can be seen from (3) of fig. 11, the time in which the blinking light source is on is longer in the period corresponding to the integrated value Y, and the time in which the blinking light source is on is shorter in the period corresponding to the integrated value 2, so that the absolute value of the difference between the integrated value 2 and the integrated value Y may be larger than the corresponding second abnormal threshold, whereby the approach light sensor can find that the approach detection is disturbed by the blinking light source.

Even if the absolute value of the difference between the integrated value 2 and the integrated value Y is not greater than the second abnormality threshold, referring to the third embodiment, the proximity photosensor can still find that the deviation of the integrated values a, B, and C obtained by the sectional integration when the infrared light source is turned on is too large, and further find that the proximity detection is disturbed by the blinking light source.

The application of the approach detection method provided by the application in a practical scene is described below with reference to specific examples.

Taking the scenario shown in fig. 2a as an example, in sunny days, the user walks under the shade of the tree, and opens the news application of the mobile phone to browse news, and during this period, the proximity sensor of the mobile phone performs multiple proximity detection according to the proximity detection method described in the first embodiment.

It is assumed that during a certain approach detection period, the user is located in a bright area under the tree shade during the second period, i.e. the period when the infrared light source is turned on, and the user is located in a dark area under the tree shade during the third period, i.e. the period when the infrared light source is turned off.

It will be appreciated that in this case, the light irradiated to the detector in the second period is stronger, the intensity of the electrical signal output from the detector is higher, the light irradiated to the detector in the third period is weaker, and the intensity of the electrical signal output from the detector is lower.

Therefore, for this approach detection process, the second integrated value output from the signal front end in the second period is larger, and the third integrated value output from the signal front end in the third period is smaller, resulting in an absolute value of the difference between the second integrated value and the third integrated value being larger than the approach threshold.

If the proximity sensor directly reports the proximity detection data obtained in the proximity detection process, the upper layer system can judge that an object is close to the screen according to the proximity detection data, so that the mobile phone screen is suddenly extinguished when a user browses news.

In this example, the proximity sensor controls the infrared light source to be turned off and obtain a corresponding first integral value for a first period of time before a second period of time before this time of the proximity detection process, and the user is always in a bright area under the shade of the tree for the first period of time and the second period of time.

Therefore, the light irradiated to the detector in the first period is obviously stronger than the light irradiated to the detector in the third period, the first integral value obtained in the first period is obviously larger than the third integral value obtained in the third period, and the proximity light sensor judges that the absolute value of the difference value between the first integral value and the third integral value is larger than the abnormal threshold value, so that the obtained proximity detection data is determined to be abnormal data interfered by the flickering light source, the abnormal data is not reported to an upper system, and the phenomenon that the mobile phone is turned off due to the fact that an object is mistakenly close to the screen is avoided.

The embodiment of the application also provides electronic equipment, which comprises the proximity light sensor.

The proximity sensor is configured to execute computer instructions configured in advance to implement the proximity detection method provided by any embodiment of the present application.

Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" or the like means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the application. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," and the like in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments" unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless expressly specified otherwise.

The plurality of the embodiments of the present application is greater than or equal to two. It should be noted that, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first," "second," and the like are used for distinguishing between the descriptions and not necessarily for indicating or implying a relative importance, or alternatively, for indicating or implying a sequential order.

Claims

1. A method of proximity detection, for use in an electronic device, comprising:

outputting proximity detection data according to the integrated value in the second period and the integrated value in the third period if it is determined that the proximity detection period is not disturbed by the blinking light source according to deviation data including a deviation between the integrated value obtained in the proximity detection period and the integrated value of the infrared light detector signal intensity outside the proximity detection period and/or a deviation between the integrated values obtained in the proximity detection period;

And if the proximity detection period is determined to be interfered by the flicker light source according to the deviation data, determining that the proximity detection data is abnormal data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the integration value obtained outside the proximity detection period comprises an integration value of infrared light detector signal intensity during a first period prior to the proximity detection period, the switching states of infrared light sources during the first period and the third period being the same.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the deviation data includes an absolute value of a difference between an integrated value in the first period and an integrated value in the third period.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said determining that said proximity detection period is not disturbed by a flickering light source based on deviation data comprises:

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the integration value obtained outside the proximity detection period includes an integration value of infrared light detector signal intensity during a fourth period after the proximity detection period, the switching states of infrared light sources during the fourth period and the third period being the same.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the deviation data includes an absolute value of a difference value of an integrated value in the third period and an integrated value in the fourth period.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said determining that the proximity detection period is not disturbed by the flickering light source based on the deviation data comprises:

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the proximity detection data is a difference between an integrated value in the second period and an integrated value in the third period.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the integration values over the second period of time comprise a plurality of segment integration values obtained by integrating a plurality of times over the second period of time, and wherein the integration values over the third period of time comprise a plurality of segment integration values obtained by integrating a plurality of times over the third period of time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the deviation data comprises: standard deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values of the second period and standard deviation of the plurality of segment integrated values of the third period.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said determining that the proximity detection period is not disturbed by the flickering light source based on the deviation data comprises:

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the proximity detection data is a difference between a first cumulative value and a second cumulative value, the first cumulative value being a sum of a plurality of segment integral values during the second period, the second cumulative value being a sum of a plurality of segment integral values during the third period.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein after determining that the proximity detection data is abnormal data, further comprising:

and deleting the proximity detection data.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein a preset delay time is provided between the second period and the third period.

15. An electronic device comprising a proximity light sensor;

the proximity light sensor is configured to execute preset computer instructions, in particular for implementing a method of proximity detection according to any one of claims 1 to 14.