KR20210112245A - Proximity detection sensor arrangements, devices, and method - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a proximity detection sensor arrangement and a method and device thereof. According to some embodiments, the sensor arrangement of an electronic device comprises: a first circuit layer including a proximity pad and a first reference pad; and a second circuit layer including a second reference pad and a temperature pad. The first circuit layer may be between the second circuit layer and a user-facing surface of the electronic device, and the first reference pad may be electronically coupled to the second reference pad, and the first reference pad may be between the temperature pad and the user-facing surface.

Description

Proximity detection sensor arrangement, device and method {PROXIMITY DETECTION SENSOR ARRANGEMENTS, DEVICES, AND METHOD}

Cross-Reference to Priority Application

This application claims the benefit and priority of PCT/CN2020/077623 entitled "Proximity Detection Sensor Array, Apparatus and Method", filed March 3, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. .

Some personal electronic devices, such as smartphones, may include sensors configured to detect a user's proximity (and respond, for example, by transitioning from a "sleep" state to a "ready" state). Some of these sensors are capacitive sensors, which use capacitive coupling to detect changes in the dielectric constant of the material around the sensor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, like reference numbers refer to like structural elements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the drawings of the accompanying drawings.
1 is a side cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device including a sensor arrangement according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
2 is a block diagram of an exemplary proximity detection system using the sensor arrangement of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments.
3A and 3B are flowcharts of a baseline update and proximity detection method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
4A and 4B are top views of layers in an example of the sensor arrangement of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments.
5A and 5B are top views of layers in another example of the sensor arrangement of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments.
6 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device that may include a sensor arrangement and/or may perform a proximity detection method according to any embodiment disclosed herein.

Disclosed herein are proximity detection sensor arrangements as well as related methods and apparatus. In some embodiments, a sensor arrangement of an electronic device may include a first circuit layer including a proximity pad and a first reference pad, and a second circuit layer including a second reference pad and a thermal pad. The first circuit layer may be between the second circuit layer and the user-facing surface of the electronic device, the first reference pad may be electrically coupled to the second reference pad, and the first reference pad may be electrically coupled to the thermal pad and the user-facing surface of the electronic device. It may be between facing surfaces.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout, and embodiments in which they may be practiced are shown by way of illustration. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the following detailed description should not be taken in a limiting sense.

In a manner that is most helpful in understanding the claimed subject matter, various acts may be described as multiple separate acts or acts in turn. However, the order of description should not be construed to imply that such operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations may not be performed in a display order. The described operations may be performed in a different order than the described embodiments. Various additional operations may be performed and/or described operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.

For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase “A and/or B” means (A), (B) or (A and B). For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase “A, B and/or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C) or ( A, B and C). The phrase “A or B” means (A), (B) or (A and B). The drawings are not necessarily to scale. Although many of the drawings show a straight structure with flat walls and right-angled corners, this is merely for ease of illustration and actual devices formed using these techniques exhibit rounded corners, surface roughness, and other features.

The description uses the phrases “in an embodiment” or “in embodiments,” each of which may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Also, the terms “comprising,” “containing,” “having,” and the like, used in connection with embodiments of the present disclosure are synonymous. When used to describe a range of dimensions, the phrase "between X and Y" refers to a range that includes X and Y. For convenience, the phrase “ FIG. 4 ” may be used to refer to the drawing collection of FIGS. 4A and 4B , and the phrase “ FIG. 5” may be used to refer to the drawing collection of FIGS. 5A and 5B .

1 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of an electronic device 115 including a sensor arrangement 100 according to various embodiments. Electronic device 115 may be any suitable device, such as a wearable device or a handheld device. In some embodiments, the electronic device 115 may include, for example, a headphone or a pair of headphones (eg, with or without a strap between the headphones), a pair of glasses or a wristband.

The sensor arrangement 100 may include proximity and temperature sensing capabilities to improve proximity detection performance in the electronic device 115 compared to a conventional electronic device. In particular, the sensor arrangement 100 may include a proximity sensor 103 and a temperature sensor 107 . The proximity sensor 103 may include a proximity pad 102 and a fiducial pad 106 , the proximity pad 102 being between the fiducial pad 106 and the user-facing surface 105 of the electronic device 115 . is in Proximity sensor 103 may be a capacitive proximity sensor, wherein proximity pad 102 and reference pad 106 function as capacitive plates; The instantaneous capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 may reflect the dielectric composition of the material (eg, air and/or the user's body) proximate to the proximity pad 102 , and thus the instantaneous capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 . The change in capacity may be used to detect whether the user is in proximity to the electronic device 115 . In particular, as described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 , the instantaneous capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 may be compared to a proximity baseline, and the proximity sensor from a proximity baseline exceeding a threshold value. Variations in the instantaneous capacitance of 103 may result in a determination of whether the user is close to or no longer in proximity to the electronic device 115 .

As previously described, the sensor arrangement 100 may also include a temperature sensor 107 . The temperature sensor 107 may include a temperature pad 108 and a reference pad 104 . Like proximity sensor 103 , temperature sensor 107 may also be a capacitor (with temperature pad 108 and reference pad 104 serving as a capacitive plate), but on a user-facing surface 105 . with respect to the orientation of the temperature sensor 107 is different from the orientation of the proximity sensor 103; That is, in the temperature sensor 107 , the reference pad 104 may be between the temperature pad 108 and the user-facing surface 105 . Accordingly, the reference pad 104 may act to “shield” the thermal pad 108 from changes in dielectric composition proximate the user-facing surface 105 . In some embodiments, the fiducial pad 104 and the fiducial pad 106 may be electrically coupled (eg, shorted) together, and in some such embodiments, the fiducial pad 104 and the fiducial pad 106 are It may be coupled to the ground of the electronic device 115 .

In some embodiments, elements of sensor arrangement 100 may be distributed between different layers of printed circuitry (eg, flexible printed circuitry). For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , proximity pad 102 and reference pad 104 may be included in a single common printed circuit layer 110 , while reference pad 106 and thermal pad 108 . ) may be included in different common printed circuit layers 112 . The printed circuit layer 110 may be between the printed circuit layer 112 and the user-facing surface 105 , and in some embodiments, the printed circuit layer 110 may be adjacent the printed circuit layer 112 . (allowing the sensor arrangement 100 to require only two layers of printed circuitry). Other distributions of the elements of the sensor arrangement 100 between the printed circuit layers may be used; In some embodiments, the elements of sensor arrangement 100 may be distributed over no more than three printed circuit layers. In the printed circuit layer, proximity pad 102 , reference pad 104 , reference pad 106 , and thermal pad 108 are each spaced apart conductive material (eg, copper) spaced from each other by one or more dielectric materials. or other metals). Proximity pad 102 , fiducial pad 104 , fiducial pad 106 and thermal pad 108 may have any desired shape, many examples of which are described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 . do.

The sensor arrangement 100 may be communicatively coupled to circuitry configured to measure and use the capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 and the temperature sensor 107 to determine whether a user is in proximity to the electronic device 115 . have. For example, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary proximity detection system 150 including the sensor arrangement 100 and controller 120 of FIG. 1 , in accordance with various embodiments. In some embodiments, proximity detection system 150 may be included in electronic device 115 , while in other embodiments controller 120 may be separate from electronic device 115 (eg, electronic device 115 and wireless communication state).

To determine whether a user is proximate to sensor arrangement 100 , controller 120 may indicate a capacitance of proximity sensor 103 (eg, a capacitance of proximity sensor 103 , or a proximity associated therewith). It can also receive the signal output from the sensor 103 ) and compare its capacitance to a baseline value (eg, stored in the memory of the controller 120 ). If the capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 deviates from the proximity baseline value by an amount greater than the threshold, a determination may be made that the user is proximate or not proximate to the sensor arrangement 100 . For example, if the capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 is greater than a proximity baseline value by an amount greater than a “high” threshold, the controller 120 may determine that the user is in proximity to the sensor array 100 . (for example, to create an indicator). If the capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 is less than the proximity baseline value by an amount greater than the “low” threshold, the controller 120 may determine that the user is not in proximity to the sensor array 100 (eg, For example, to create an indicator). This particular example is merely illustrative, and controller 120 may implement any desired threshold analysis (eg, including hysteresis thresholds, etc.) or other analysis.

While using the electronic device 115 , a change in temperature of the sensor array 100 may affect the instantaneous capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 . For example, when the user is proximate to the user-facing surface 105 of the electronic device 115 , body heat from the user may increase the temperature of the sensor array 100 and the capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 . may lead to an increase in Then, as the user moves away from the user-facing surface 105 (eg, when the electronic device 115 includes a headphone and the user removes the headphone), this change in local dielectric composition changes with proximity. Although this may result in a decrease in the capacitance of the sensor 103 , this decrease may be less than the increase in capacitance caused by an increase in the temperature of the sensor arrangement 100 . Subsequent cooling of the sensor arrangement 100 and the resulting decrease in the capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 may occur relatively slowly. Thus, unless the effect of temperature is addressed, the controller 120 "mistakes" a user (eg, removes headphones) who is no longer in proximity to the electronic device 115 until the sensor array 100 is sufficiently cooled. You can "miss".

In the sensor arrangement 100 , the orientation of the temperature sensor 107 (including the reference pad 104 between the temperature pad 108 and the user-facing surface 105 ) is such that the capacitance of the temperature sensor 107 is the proximity sensor. (103) may be relatively less sensitive to the dielectric composition at the user-facing surface 105, and thus the capacitance of the temperature sensor 107 may be relatively insensitive to the proximity of the user. can mean However, the temperature sensor 107 may be in the same temperature environment as the proximity sensor 103 , and thus may experience a similar change in capacitance as a function of the temperature of the sensor arrangement 100 . As a result, the controller 120 converts the capacitance of the temperature sensor 107 (eg, a signal output from the temperature sensor 107 indicative of or related to the capacitance of the temperature sensor 107 ) to the sensor arrangement 100 . ) can be used as an indicator of the temperature to compensate for the temperature-related effect on the capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 .

Controller 120 may use data from temperature sensor 107 in any of a number of ways to improve the ability of controller 120 to accurately detect a user's proximity. For example, in some embodiments, a change in the output of the temperature sensor 107 may be used to trigger an adjustment of the proximity baseline used in the proximity detection threshold analysis. 3A and 3B are flow diagrams of methods 200 and 250 that may be implemented by the controller 120 for proximity detection. Although operation of methods 200 and 250 may be illustrated with reference to specific embodiments of sensor arrangement 100 disclosed herein, methods 200 and 250 may be used with any suitable sensor arrangement. Although the operations are illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B , respectively, once and in a specific order, the operations may be rearranged and/or repeated as needed. In some embodiments, controller 120 may perform methods 200 and 250 in parallel.

Starting with method 200 of FIG. 3A , at 202 , a current temperature value may be stored as a baseline temperature value. For example, the controller 120 may store the capacitance reading of the temperature sensor 107 as a baseline temperature value.

At 204 , it may be determined whether the current temperature value (which may have changed since 202 ) deviates from the baseline temperature value by an amount greater than a temperature threshold. For example, the controller 120 may receive an updated reading of the capacitance of the temperature sensor 107 and compare it to a baseline temperature value to determine whether the difference exceeds an associated threshold. The temperature threshold used at 204 may be, for example, an absolute quantity (eg, corresponding to a particular fixed temperature frequency) or a percentage quantity. Also, the use of the singular phrase “temperature threshold” is merely for economic illustration, and the comparison performed at 204 can be compared to multiple thresholds (eg, a “high” threshold and baseline for temperature increases above a baseline temperature value). different “low” thresholds for temperature decrease below the temperature value). If it is determined at 204 that the current temperature does not deviate from the baseline temperature value by an amount greater than the temperature threshold, the method may return to 204 and repeat the comparison with the new current temperature value. In some embodiments, this check of the current temperature value may occur periodically at a configurable period (eg, less frequent check when lower power consumption is desired).

If at 204 it is determined that the current temperature deviates from the baseline temperature value by an amount greater than the temperature threshold, then the method 200 may proceed to 206 , where the user proximity status has been determined as to whether the user was previously in proximity (e.g., For example, whether the value of the state variable user_prox_state is equal to 1) or whether the user was previously determined to be in a non-proximity state (e.g., the value of the state variable user_prox_state equals 0) is to be determined. can For example, the controller 120 may read a state variable or other stored indicator in memory to determine whether or not the user was determined to be proximate to the sensor array 100 in the most recent evaluation.

If it is determined at 206 that the user was previously determined to be proximate, then the method 200 may proceed to 208 , where the proximity baseline is the proximity used to determine whether or not the user is proximate at the current proximity sensor capacitance value. It may also be set equal to a value obtained by subtracting the sensor capacitance threshold. For example, the controller 120 may receive a reading of the capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 and a predetermined proximity sensor capacitance threshold from that reading to generate a new baseline for further analysis. can be deducted. The predetermined proximity sensor capacitance threshold may be stored in the memory of the controller 120 and may be determined empirically during calibration of the system 150 . The method 200 may then proceed to 202 and begin again.

Returning to 206 , if it is determined at 206 that the user was previously determined not to be in proximity, the method 200 proceeds to 214 , where the proximity baseline may be set equal to the current proximity sensor capacitance value. For example, the controller 120 may receive a reading of the capacitance of the proximity sensor 103 and store the reading as a new baseline for further analysis. The method 200 may then proceed to 202 and begin again.

Proceeding to method 250 of FIG. 3B , at 216 , the proximity sensor capacitance threshold at which the current proximity sensor capacitance value minus the proximity baseline (established via method 200 of FIG. 3A ) is higher. It may be determined whether it is greater than a value. For example, controller 120 may receive a reading of the capacitance of proximity sensor 103 , and may subtract a proximity baseline generated by method 200 of FIG. 3A from that reading and ; The controller 120 may then determine whether the resulting value is greater than a higher proximity sensor capacitance threshold (used to avoid abrupt changes in detection state due to random fluctuations). The higher proximity sensor capacitance threshold may be stored in the memory of the controller 120 and may be determined empirically during calibration of the system 150 .

If it is determined at 216 that the current proximity sensor capacitance value minus the proximity baseline is greater than a higher proximity sensor capacitance threshold, then the method 250 may proceed to 218 and the user proximity state determines that the user is in proximity. (eg, the controller 120 may change the value of the state variable user_prox_state to 1. The method 250 may then return to 218 and start again.

If it is determined at 216 that the current proximity sensor capacitance value minus the proximity baseline is not greater than a higher proximity sensor capacitance threshold, then the method 250 may proceed to 220 and the user proximity status is determined by the user. It may reflect that it is determined not to be close (eg, the controller 120 may change the value of the state variable user_prox_state to 0).

The method 250 then determines whether the proximity baseline (established via method 200 in FIG. 3A ) minus the current proximity sensor capacitance value is greater than or equal to a lower proximity sensor capacitance threshold. You can proceed to 210 where you can. For example, controller 120 may receive a reading of the capacitance of proximity sensor 103 , and may subtract that reading from a proximity baseline; The controller 120 may then determine whether the resulting value is above a lower proximity sensor capacitance threshold (used to avoid abrupt changes in detection state due to random fluctuations). The lower proximity sensor capacitance threshold may be stored in the memory of the controller 120 and may be determined empirically during calibration of the system 150 .

If it is determined at 210 that the proximity baseline minus the current proximity sensor capacitance value is not greater than a lower proximity sensor capacitance threshold, the method 250 may proceed to 216 and resume. If it is determined at 210 that the proximity baseline minus the current proximity sensor capacitance value is greater than a lower proximity sensor capacitance threshold, then the method 250 may proceed to 222 , where the proximity baseline is the current proximity sensor capacitance It can be updated to be equal to the value. The method 250 may then proceed to 216 and begin again.

The method 200 may then determine whether the current proximity sensor capacitance value (which may change after 214) minus the proximity baseline (determined at 214) is greater than a higher proximity sensor capacitance threshold. You can proceed to 216. For example, controller 120 may receive a reading of the capacitance of proximity sensor 103 , and may subtract a proximity baseline generated at 214 from that reading; The controller 120 may then determine whether the resulting value is greater than a higher proximity sensor capacitance threshold (used to avoid abrupt changes in detection state due to random fluctuations). The higher proximity sensor capacitance threshold may be stored in the memory of the controller 120 and may be determined empirically during calibration of the system 150 .

As previously described, the proximity pad 102 , the reference pad 104 , the reference pad 106 , and the thermal pad 108 of the sensor arrangement 100 may have any desired shape. For example, FIGS. 4A and 4B are top views of printed circuit layers 110 and 112 , respectively, in the example sensor arrangement 100 of FIG. 1 , in accordance with various embodiments. 4 , the sensor arrangement 100 has a footprint shaped like an elliptical ring; This embodiment is particularly useful in headphones (eg, where the ring-shaped footprint can be sized to match the ear) or in a pair of glasses (eg, where the ring-shaped footprint matches the area around the eye). may be particularly suitable for use). Proximity pad 102 may occupy a large portion of the elliptical ring footprint in printed circuit layer 110 , with reference pad 104 shaped as a wedge between portions of proximity pad 102 . In the printed circuit layer 112 , the reference pad 106 may occupy a large portion of the elliptical ring footprint, and the dielectric material 114 is formed in a generally wedge shape between portions of the reference pad 106 and a thermal pad ( 108 is disposed within a wedge of dielectric material 114 . The temperature pad 108 may be entirely within the shadow of the reference pad 104 . 4 and 5 , the conductive elements sharing the printed circuit layer are formed by at least a small amount of intervening dielectric material where appropriate (eg, to avoid shorting the proximity pad 102 and the reference pad 104 ). can be separated from each other.

5A and 5B are top views of printed circuit layers 110 and 112, respectively, in another example of the sensor arrangement 100 of FIG. 1 , in accordance with various embodiments. 5, the sensor arrangement 100 has a generally rectangular footprint; Such embodiments may be particularly suitable for use on wristbands, chest straps, patches, or garments. In the printed circuit layer 110 , the proximity pad may occupy a large portion of a rectangular footprint and may itself have a rectangular shape, whereas the reference pad 104 may have a smaller rectangular shape. In the printed circuit layer 112 , the reference pad 106 may occupy a large portion of the rectangular footprint and may be next to the rectangular portion of the dielectric material 114 ; The thermal pad 108 may be disposed within a rectangle of the dielectric material 114 . As in the embodiment of FIG. 4 , the temperature pad 108 of FIG. 5 may be completely within the shadow of the reference pad 104 .

The sensor arrangement 100 disclosed herein may be incorporated into any suitable electronic component. For example, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device 1800 that may include a sensor arrangement and/or may perform a proximity detection method according to any embodiment disclosed herein. Although a number of components are illustrated in FIG. 6 as being included in the electronic device 1800, any one or more of these components may be omitted or duplicated as appropriate for the application. In some embodiments, some or all of the components included in the electronic device 1800 may be attached to one or more motherboards. In some embodiments, some or all of these components are fabricated on a single system-on-a-chip (SoC) die.

Further, in various embodiments, the electronic device 1800 may not include one or more of the components illustrated in FIG. 6 , but the electronic device 1800 may include interface circuitry for coupling to one or more components. can For example, the electronic device 1800 may not include the display device 1806 , but may include a display device interface circuit (eg, a connector and a driver circuit) to which the display device 1806 may be coupled. In another group of examples, the electronic device 1800 does not include an audio input device 1824 or an audio output device 1808 , and an audio input to which the audio input device 1824 or the audio output device 1808 may be coupled. or output device interface circuitry (eg, connectors and support circuitry).

The electronic device 1800 may include a processing device 1802 (eg, one or more processing devices). As used herein, the term "processing device" or "processor" refers to any device that processes electronic data from registers and/or memory to convert electronic data into other electronic data that may be stored in registers and/or memory. may refer to a device or part of a device. In some embodiments, the processing device 1802 may be configured to perform some or all of the proximity detection methods disclosed herein. The processing unit 1802 may include one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), cryptographic processors (special processors that execute cryptographic algorithms in hardware). , a server processor, or any other suitable processing device. The electronic device 1800 may include a memory 1804, which itself is a volatile memory (eg, dynamic random access memory (DRAM)), a non-volatile memory (eg, ROM (eg, ROM) read-only memory), flash memory, solid state memory and/or one or more memory devices such as hard drives. In some embodiments, memory 1804 may include a memory that shares a die with processing device 1802 . This memory may be used as a cache memory and may include an embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM) or a spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM).

In some embodiments, the electronic device 1800 may include a communication chip 1812 (eg, one or more communication chips). For example, the communication chip 1812 may be configured to manage wireless communication for data transmission with the electronic device 1800 . The term “wireless” and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communication channels, etc. that are capable of communicating data through the use of modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. This term does not mean that the associated device does not include any wiring, although this may not be the case in some embodiments.

The communication chip 1812 includes Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 family), IEEE 802.16 standards (eg, IEEE 802.16-2005 modifications), Long-Term Evolution (LTE) projects and all modifications, updates and/or revisions (eg, Any of a number of wireless standards or protocols including, but not limited to, the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standards, including, for example, the Advanced LTE project, the ultra mobile broadband (UMB) project (also referred to as "3GPP2"), etc.) of can be implemented. An IEEE 802.16 compliant broadband radio access (BWA) network is commonly referred to as a WiMAX network, an acronym for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, a certification mark for products that have passed conformance and interoperability tests against the IEEE 802.16 standard. The communication chip 1812 is for Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved HSPA (E-HSPA) or LTE networks. can operate accordingly. The communication chip 1812 may operate according to Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), or Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). The communication chip 1812 includes Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) and derivatives thereof, as well as 3G, 4G, 5G Or more, it may operate according to any other wireless protocol specified. The communication chip 1812 may operate according to other wireless protocols in other embodiments. The electronic device 1800 may include an antenna 1822 for facilitating wireless communications and/or for receiving other wireless communications (eg, AM or FM radio transmissions).

In some embodiments, the communications chip 1812 may manage wired communications, such as electrical, optical, or any other suitable communications protocol (eg, Ethernet). As described above, the communication chip 1812 may include multiple communication chips. For example, the first communication chip 1812 may be dedicated to short-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and the second communication chip 1812 may be a global positioning system (GPS), EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, It may be dedicated to long-distance wireless communication such as LTE, EV-DO, and the like. In some embodiments, the first communication chip 1812 may be dedicated to wireless communication, and the second communication chip 1812 may be dedicated to wired communication.

The electronic device 1800 may include a battery/power circuit 1814 . The battery/power circuit 1814 may provide one or more energy storage devices (eg, batteries or capacitors) and/or components of the electronic device 1800 to a separate energy source (eg, AC) from the electronic device 1800 . line power supply).

The electronic device 1800 may include a display device 1806 (or a corresponding interface circuit as described above). Display device 1806 may include any visual indicator, such as a head-up display, computer monitor, projector, touchscreen display, liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diode display, or flat panel display.

The electronic device 1800 may include an audio output device 1808 (or a corresponding interface circuit as described above). Audio output device 1808 may include any device that produces an audible indicator, such as a speaker, headset, or earbuds.

The electronic device 1800 may include an audio input device 1824 (or corresponding interface circuitry as described above). Audio input device 1824 may include any device that generates a signal representative of sound, such as a microphone, microphone array, or digital instrument (eg, an instrument having an instrument digital interface (MIDI) output).

The electronic device 1800 may include a GPS device 1818 (or corresponding interface circuitry as described above). The GPS device 1818 may communicate with a satellite based system and may receive the location of the electronic device 1800 as is known in the art.

The electronic device 1800 may include another output device 1810 (or a corresponding interface circuit as described above). Examples of other output devices 1810 may include audio codecs, video codecs, printers, wired or wireless transmitters for providing information to other devices, or additional storage devices.

The electronic device 1800 may include another input device 1820 (or a corresponding interface circuit as described above). Examples of other input devices 1820 include an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, image capture device, keyboard, cursor control device, such as a mouse, stylus, touchpad, barcode reader, Quick Response (QR) code reader, any sensor or It may include a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader. In some embodiments, other input devices 1820 may include any of the sensor arrangements 100 disclosed herein.

Electronic device 1800 may be a handheld or mobile electronic device (eg, a cell phone, smartphone, mobile Internet device, music player, tablet computer, laptop computer, netbook computer, ultrabook computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), ultra mobile personal computer, etc.), desktop electronic device, server device or other network computing component, printer, scanner, monitor, set-top box, entertainment control unit, vehicle control unit, digital camera, digital video recorder or wearable electronic device. It can have a form factor. In some embodiments, the electronic device 1800 may be any other electronic device that processes data.

The following paragraphs provide various examples of embodiments disclosed herein.

Example 1 is an electronic device comprising a sensor arrangement, comprising a first circuit layer comprising a proximity pad and a first reference pad, and a second circuit layer comprising a second reference pad and a thermal pad, the first circuit The layer is between the second circuit layer and the user-facing surface of the electronic device, the first reference pad electrically coupled to the second reference pad, and the first reference pad between the thermal pad and the user-facing surface.

Example 2 includes the subject matter of Example 1, and further specifies that the first reference pad and the second reference pad are electrically coupled to ground.

Example 3 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1 and 2, and further specifies that the electronic device is a wearable electronic device.

Example 4 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-3, further specifying that the electronic device includes a headphone and the sensor arrangement is included in the headphone.

Example 5 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-4, further specifying that the first circuit layer and the second circuit layer are flexible printed circuit layers.

Example 6 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-5, and further specifies that the sensor arrangement includes the flexible printed circuit.

Example 7 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-6, further specifying that the proximity pad and the second fiducial pad together are part of a capacitive proximity sensor.

Example 8 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-7;

Further comprising a controller electrically coupled to the sensor arrangement.

Example 9 includes the subject matter of Example 8, and further specifies that the controller generates a signal indicating whether the user has been proximate to the electronic device based on the signal generated by the sensor arrangement.

Example 10 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 8 and 9, and adds that the sensor arrangement is to generate a proximity capacitance value using the proximity pad and the sensor arrangement is to generate a temperature capacitance value using the temperature pad specified as

Example 11 includes the subject matter of Example 10, further specifying that the controller adjust the baseline proximity capacitance value used to determine whether the user has been proximate to the electronic device based on the temperature capacitance value.

Example 12 includes the subject matter of Example 11, wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value based on the temperature capacitance value comprises adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value in response to a change in the temperature capacitance value further specify.

Example 13 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 11 and 12, wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value approximates the baseline proximity capacitance value from the proximity capacitance value when the user is indicated to be proximate to the electronic device. It further specifies that it includes setting equal to the value minus the capacitance threshold.

Example 14 includes the subject matter of Example 13, wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value comprises setting the baseline proximity capacitance value equal to the proximity capacitance value when the user is indicated not to be in proximity to the electronic device. It further specifies what is included.

Example 15 is an electronic device comprising a sensor arrangement, comprising a proximity pad, a first reference pad, a second reference pad and a temperature pad, wherein the proximity pad is between a user-facing surface of the electronic device and the second reference pad; , the first reference pad is between the user-facing surface and the temperature pad, and the sensor array is contained in less than four circuit layers.

Example 16 includes the subject matter of Example 15, and further specifies that the proximity pad and the first reference pad are included in a single circuit layer.

Example 17 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 15 and 16, and further specifies that the second reference pad and the temperature pad are included in a single circuit layer.

Example 18 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 15-17, and further specifies that the first fiducial pad and the second fiducial pad are electrically coupled.

Example 19 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 15-18, and further specifies that the first reference pad and the second reference pad are electrically coupled to ground.

Example 20 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 15-19, and further specifies that the electronic device is a wearable electronic device.

Example 21 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 15-20, further specifying that the electronic device includes a headphone and the sensor arrangement is included in the headphone.

Example 22 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 15-20, and further specifies that the sensor arrangement comprises a flexible printed circuit.

Example 23 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 15-22, and further specifies that the proximity pad and the second reference pad together are part of a capacitive proximity sensor.

Example 24 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 15-23,

Further comprising a controller electrically coupled to the sensor arrangement.

Example 25 includes the subject matter of Example 24, and further specifies that the controller generates a signal indicating whether the user has been proximate to the electronic device based on the signal generated by the sensor arrangement.

Example 26 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 24 and 25, and adds that the sensor arrangement is to generate a proximity capacitance value using the proximity pad and the sensor arrangement is to generate a temperature capacitance value using the temperature pad specified as

Example 27 includes the subject matter of Example 26, further specifying that the controller adjust the baseline proximity capacitance value used to determine whether the user has been proximate to the electronic device based on the temperature capacitance value.

Example 28 includes the subject matter of Example 27, wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value based on the temperature capacitance value comprises adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value in response to a change in the temperature capacitance value further specify.

Example 29 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 27 and 28, wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value approximates the baseline proximity capacitance value from the proximity capacitance value when the user is indicated to be proximate to the electronic device. It further specifies that it includes setting equal to the value minus the capacitance threshold.

Example 30 includes the subject matter of Example 29, wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value comprises setting the baseline proximity capacitance value equal to the proximity capacitance value when the user is indicated not to be proximate to the electronic device. It further specifies what is included.

Example 31 is a method of detecting proximity for an electronic device, comprising: adjusting a baseline proximity capacitance value based at least in part on temperature data; and determining whether the user is proximate to the electronic device, wherein determining whether the user is proximate to the electronic device comprises a threshold value based at least in part on the proximity capacitance value and the baseline proximity capacitance value performing the comparison.

Example 32 includes the subject matter of Example 31, wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value based at least in part on the temperature data comprises: identifying a temperature change; and in response to identifying the temperature change, adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value.

Example 33 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 31 and 32, and further specifies that adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value is based at least in part on the indicator of whether the user is currently proximate to the electronic device. .

Example 34 includes the subject matter of Example 33, wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value comprises: if the indicator indicates that the user is currently in proximity to the electronic device, the baseline proximity capacitance value is approximated from the proximity capacitance value. It further specifies that also includes the step of setting equal to the value minus the capacitance threshold.

Example 35 includes the subject matter of any one of Examples 33 and 34, wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value closes the baseline proximity capacitance value when the indicator indicates that the user is not currently in proximity to the electronic device. It is further specified that also includes the step of setting equal to the capacitance value.

Claims (20)

is an electronic device,
a sensor arrangement, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises:
a first circuit layer comprising a proximity pad and a first reference pad, and
a second circuit layer comprising a second reference pad and a thermal pad;
the first circuit layer is between the second circuit layer and a user-facing surface of the electronic device, the first reference pad electrically coupled to the second reference pad, the first reference pad being the thermal pad and the user-facing surface, the electronic device. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first reference pad and the second reference pad are electrically coupled to ground. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is a wearable electronic device. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises a headphone, and the sensor arrangement comprises a headphone. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first circuit layer and the second circuit layer are flexible printed circuit layers. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor arrangement comprises a flexible printed circuit. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the proximity pad and the second reference pad together are part of a capacitive proximity sensor. is an electronic device,
a sensor arrangement, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises:
proximity pad,
a first reference pad;
a second reference pad, and
comprising a temperature pad;
wherein the proximity pad is between a user-facing surface of the electronic device and the second reference pad, the first reference pad is between the user-facing surface and the temperature pad, and the sensor arrangement is less than four circuits. An electronic device contained in a layer. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the proximity pad and the first reference pad are included in a single circuit layer. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the second reference pad and the thermal pad are included in a single circuit layer. 9. The method of claim 8,
and a controller electrically coupled to the sensor arrangement. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the controller generates a signal indicating whether a user is close to the electronic device based on a signal generated by the sensor arrangement. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the sensor arrangement generates a proximity capacitance value using the proximity pad and the sensor arrangement generates a temperature capacitance value using the temperature pad. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the controller adjusts a baseline proximity capacitance value used to determine whether a user has been proximate to the electronic device based on the temperature capacitance value. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value based on the temperature capacitance value comprises adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value in response to a change in the temperature capacitance value. . 15. The method of claim 14, wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value comprises, when a user is indicated to be proximate to the electronic device, the baseline proximity capacitance value from the proximity capacitance value to a proximity capacitance threshold. and setting equal to a value minus . The method of claim 16 , wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value comprises: setting the baseline proximity capacitance value equal to the proximity capacitance value when the user is indicated not to be close to the electronic device An electronic device comprising: A method for detecting proximity to an electronic device,
adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value based at least in part on the temperature data; and
determining whether a user is proximate to the electronic device, wherein determining whether the user is proximate to the electronic device is based at least in part on a proximity capacitance value and the baseline proximity capacitance value to perform a threshold comparison. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value based at least in part on temperature data comprises:
identifying a temperature change; and
in response to identifying the temperature change, adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value. The method of claim 18 , wherein adjusting the baseline proximity capacitance value is based, at least in part, on an indicator of whether a user is currently in proximity to the electronic device.

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