TW201621515A - Electronic device and external force detection method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device and an external force detection method thereof are disclosed herein. The electronic device includes a case, a strain gauge and a control module. The strain gauge includes a baseboard and a metallic foil gauge. One side of the baseboard is connected to one side of the case. The metallic foil gauge is disposed on another side of the baseboard. The control module is configured to detect a resistance of the metallic foil gauge and to determine a straint amount of the case which is connected to the strain gauge according to a variation of the resistance.

Description

Electronic device and external force detecting method thereof

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to an electronic device that detects an external force using a strain gauge.

In recent years, with the rapid development of technology, light and thin have become the basic requirements of electronic devices, such as ultra-thin notebook computers, tablets or smart phones.

However, since the user frequently moves and uses the electronic device, it is inevitable that the electronic device is inadvertently affected by an external force, and over time, there is a great possibility that the electronic device is damaged.

In addition, since internal devices such as the casing of electronic devices have cost considerations, most designs still have reliability limitations, and their reliability usually does not take into account abnormal usage patterns (such as improper hand-held actions). Therefore, after a period of use, the casing is easily deformed and damaged, the internal circuit is easily short-circuited, or the internal sensor loses its function.

Therefore, how to enable the electronic device to effectively detect the external force and inform the user that the electronic device is being pressed by the external force, so that the user can immediately move the electronic device to the place where no external force is pressed, which is one of the current important research and development topics. It has also become an urgent target for improvement in related fields.

In order to solve the above problems, an aspect of the present invention is to provide an electronic device. The electronic device includes a casing, a first strain gauge, and a control module. The first strain gauge includes a first substrate and a first A metal sensitive grid. One side of the first substrate is connected to one side of the casing, and the first metal sensitive gate is disposed on the other side of the first substrate. The control module is configured to detect a first resistance value of the first metal sensitive gate, and determine a shape variable connected to the casing of the strain gauge according to a first variation of the first resistance value.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first strain gauge has a first strain gauge coefficient, and the control module is further configured to determine the first portion of the casing according to the first variation amount of the first resistance value and the first strain gauge coefficient A variable.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the metal sensitive gate includes a first end and a second end, and the control module further includes a first resistor, a second resistor, a third resistor, and a galvanometer. The first end of the second resistor is electrically connected to the first end of the first resistor, and the second end of the second resistor is electrically connected to the first end of the metal sensitive gate. The galvanometer is electrically connected between the second end of one of the first resistors and the second end of the second resistor. The first end of the third resistor is electrically connected to the second end of the first resistor, and the second end of the third resistor is electrically connected to the second end of the metal sensitive gate.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device further includes a second strain gauge, and the second strain gauge includes a second substrate and a second metal sensitive grid. The second substrate and the first insulating substrate are connected to the same side of the casing, and the second metal sensitive grid is disposed on the other side of the second substrate. The control module is further configured to detect a second resistance value of the second metal sensitive gate, and determine a second shape variable of the casing connected to the second strain gauge according to the second variation of the second resistance value, wherein The first shape variable and the second shape variable correspond to different positions of the casing.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device further includes a storage module. The storage module is electrically coupled to the control module, wherein when the first shape variable exceeds a first threshold, the control module is configured to record the first shape variable and the time point corresponding to the first shape variable in the storage mode group.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device further includes a warning module. The warning module is electrically coupled to the control module. When the first shape variable exceeds a second threshold, the warning module is configured to generate a warning message.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device further includes an uninterruptible power supply module. When the electronic device is powered off, the uninterruptible power supply module is configured to provide a power supply to the control module.

Another aspect of the present invention provides an external force detecting method suitable for an electronic device, wherein the electronic device includes a casing and a strain gauge connected to the casing. The external force detecting method comprises the steps of: detecting a resistance value of the strain gauge; and determining a shape variable connected to the casing of the strain gauge according to a variation of the resistance value.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the strain gauge has a strain gauge coefficient, and the step of determining the shape variable of the casing according to the amount of change in the resistance value further comprises: The shape variable of the casing is determined according to the amount of change in the resistance value and the strain gauge coefficient of the strain gauge.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the external force detecting method further comprises the steps of: recording the shape variable and a time point corresponding to one of the shape variables when the shape variable exceeds a first threshold; and when the shape variable exceeds a second threshold , generating a warning message.

In summary, the electronic device and the external force detecting method provided by the present invention can enable the user to know whether the electronic device is affected or pressed by an abnormal external force.

In order to make the disclosure more obvious, the description of the attached symbols is as follows:

100‧‧‧Electronic devices

101‧‧‧ display module

102‧‧‧Shell

104‧‧‧Strain gauge

106‧‧‧Control Module

108‧‧‧Power Module

110‧‧‧Storage module

112‧‧‧Warning module

202‧‧‧Substrate

204‧‧‧Metal sensitive grid

T1‧‧‧ first end

T2‧‧‧ second end

R1‧‧‧first resistance

R2‧‧‧second resistance

R3‧‧‧ third resistor

R4‧‧‧ resistance

302‧‧‧ galvanometer

400‧‧‧ External force detection method

S402, S404, S406, S408, S410, S412‧‧ steps

The above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention can be more clearly understood. The description of the drawings is as follows: FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a strain gauge according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 3 is a control module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; A schematic diagram of a circuit with a strain gauge; and FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an external force detecting method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention will be more fully described in the present specification by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. However, the present invention is implemented in many different forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth in this specification. The description of the embodiments is intended to be thorough and complete, and the scope of the present invention will be fully described by those of ordinary skill in the art. The same reference numbers are used herein to mean the same or similar elements.

The terms “first”, “second”, etc. used in this document are not specifically meant to refer to the order or order, nor are they used to limit the case, but merely to distinguish between components or operations described in the same technical terms. . The terms "module" and "component" as used in this document do not specifically mean relative size, nor are they intended to limit the case.

When an element is referred to as "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be either directly connected or coupled to the other element, or an additional element.

Referring to FIG. 1A, FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of an electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device 100 includes a display module 101, a casing 102, and a strain gauge 104, wherein the strain gauge 104 is connected. Further, the inside of the casing 102, and further, the strain gauge 104 is connected to the inner side of the casing 102 by an adhesive.

In the embodiment, the electronic device 100 is an example of a smart phone, but the electronic device 100 is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 can also be a tablet computer, a notebook computer, or a wearable device.

The internal structure of the electronic device 100 will be described more clearly with reference to FIG. 1B. FIG. 1B is a block diagram of the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device 100 includes a display module 101, a strain gauge 104, a control module 106, a power module 108, a storage module 110, and a warning module 112. The display module 101, the control module 106, the power module 108, The storage module 110 and the warning module 112 are electrically coupled to each other, and the control module 106 is electrically coupled to the strain gauge 104.

The display module 101 can be a touch display panel for providing a user with a display screen and detecting a touch input of the user.

The casing 102 is used to cover and protect internal circuits of the electronic device 100.

The strain gauge 104 has a strain gauge coefficient. As shown in FIG. 1A, the strain gauge 104 can be coupled to different positions on the casing 102 for detecting a deformation variable generated by external forces at different positions on the electronic device 100. Referring to FIG. 2 together to further illustrate the structure of the strain gauge 104, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the strain gauge 104 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The strain gauge 104 includes a substrate 202, a metal sensitive gate 204, and a first end T1. And the second end T2.

One side of the substrate 202 can be connected to the inner side of the casing 102, and the metal sensitive gate 204 is disposed on the other side of the substrate 202. The first end T1 and the second end T2 are electrically connected to both ends of the metal sensitive gate 204. It should be noted that when the position of the casing 102 to which the strain gauge 104 is connected is deformed by external force, the metal sensitive gate 204 is also deformed, so that the resistance value of the metal sensitive gate 204 is correspondingly changed.

Returning to FIG. 1B, the control module 106 is configured to detect the resistance value of the metal sensitive gate 204 of the strain gauge 104, and determine the shape variable of the casing 102 connected to the strain gauge 104 according to the amount of change in the resistance value. In more detail, the control module 106 is configured to determine a shape variable of the corresponding connection position of the casing 102 according to the amount of change in the resistance value of the metal sensitive gate 204 and the strain gauge coefficient of the strain gauge 104.

In some embodiments, the control module 106 includes a microcontroller, a central processing unit, or a control circuit.

Referring to FIG. 3 to illustrate how the control module 106 measures the resistance of the strain gauge 104, FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the control module 106 and the strain gauge 104 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The control module 106 is electrically connected to the strain gauge 104 and receives power from the power module 108.

The control module 106 further includes a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, and a galvanometer 302. The first end of the first resistor R1 is electrically connected to the first end of the second resistor R2 and the power module 108. The second end of the first resistor R1 is electrically connected to the first end of the third resistor R3 and one end of the galvanometer 302. The second end of the second resistor R2 is electrically connected to one end of the strain gauge 104 and the other end of the galvanometer 302. More precisely, the second end of the second resistor R2 is electrically connected to one end of the metal sensitive gate 204. And the other end of the galvanometer 302. The second end of the third resistor R3 is electrically connected to the other end of the strain gauge 104 and the power module 108. More precisely, the second end of the third resistor R3 is electrically connected to the other end of the metal sensitive gate 204 and And a power module 108.

It should be noted that since the resistance of the galvanometer 302 is almost zero, the galvanometer 302 can be regarded as a short circuit. Therefore, the first resistor R1, the second resistor R2, the third resistor R3, and the strain gauge 104 can be regarded as equivalent. A Wheatstone bridge can be used to measure an unknown resistance. In this embodiment, it is the resistance R4 of the strain gauge 104 (ie, the metal sensitive gate 204). For example, if the resistance values of the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 are the same, since the galvanometer 302 can be regarded as a short circuit, the current flowing through the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 is the same (current I1), assuming flow The current flowing through the galvanometer 302 (from the second end of the first resistor R1 to the second end of the second resistor R2) is I2, and (I1 - I2) × R3 = (I1 + I2) × R4 is obtained, The resistance of the strain gauge 104 is R4 = [(I1 - I2) / (I1 + I2)] × R4.

Subsequently, the relationship between the shape variable, the strain gauge coefficient and the resistance of the strain gauge 104 can be expressed by the following equation, that is, ε = ΔR / (Ro × GF), where ε is a shape variable, and ΔR is a change of the metal sensitive gate 204 Ro is the original resistance of the metal sensitive gate 204 (ie, the magnitude of the resistance that has not been deformed by the external force), and GF is the strain gauge coefficient of the strain gauge 104. With the above equation, the control module 106 can know the shape variable of the position where the strain gauge 104 is located.

Returning to FIG. 1B , the power module 108 is configured to provide power to the display module 101 , the control module 106 , the storage module 110 , and the warning module 112 . In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 also includes an uninterruptible power supply module (not shown). When the electronic device 100 is powered off, the uninterruptible power supply module is configured to provide power to the control module 106 and store Module 110 and warning module 112.

In some embodiments, the power module 108 and the uninterruptible power module can be the same or different modules. When the power module 108 and the uninterruptible power module are different modules, the power module 108 is further configured to charge the uninterruptible power module, so that when the electronic device 100 is in a shutdown state, the power is continuously discharged. The power module is configured to provide power to the control module 106, the storage module 110, and the warning module 112.

The storage module 110 is configured to provide a storage space to record the shape variable of the casing 102 and a time point corresponding to the deformation variable when the deformation of the casing 102 exceeds a first threshold. In addition, since the strain gauge 104 can be applied to different specific positions of the casing 102, the storage module 110 is further configured to prestore a shape variable of a specific position and an abnormal use manner corresponding to the deformation variable, such as a single point of the electronic device 100. If the pressure channel is too large, the single point hand-held support point of the electronic device 100 is excessively stressed, the electronic device 100 is subjected to excessive bending/distortion force, and the liquid crystal display module (LCM, such as the display module of FIG. 1A) of the electronic device 100 101 can be the LCD module) and the base is too strong, the position of the liquid crystal module is not appropriate, the liquid crystal module rotates too fast, the momentary closing force of the liquid crystal module and the base is too large or the battery assembly is too strong. .

The warning module 112 can be a buzzer or a light emitting diode (LED). When the shape variable of the casing 102 exceeds a second threshold, the warning module 112 is configured to generate a warning message to prompt the user to the electronic The device 100 is under abnormal external force.

In some embodiments, the shape variables at different locations on the chassis 102 correspond to different first and second thresholds, notably, the first threshold is typically less than the second threshold.

For a complete description of the complete process of detecting the external force of the electronic device 100, reference is made to FIG. 4, which is a flow chart of the external force detecting method 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In step S402, the control module 106 detects the resistance value of the strain gauge 104.

In step S404, the control module 106 determines a shape variable corresponding to the position on the casing 102 of the strain gauge 104 according to the amount of change in the resistance value and the strain gauge coefficient of the strain gauge 104.

In step S406, the control module 106 compares the shape variable with a corresponding first threshold. When the deformation amount is less than the first threshold, the external force detecting method 400 returns to step S402; on the other hand, when the deformation amount is greater than the first threshold, the external force detecting method 400 proceeds to step S408.

In step S408, the control module 106 records the shape variable and the time point corresponding to the shape variable in the storage module 110.

In step S410, the control module 106 compares the shape variable with a corresponding second threshold. When the deformation amount is less than the second threshold, the external force detecting method 400 returns to step S402; on the other hand, when the deformation amount is greater than the second threshold, the external force detecting method 400 proceeds to step S410.

In step S412, the warning module 112 generates a warning message to remind the user that the electronic device 100 is under the pressure of abnormal external force.

In summary, the electronic device 100 and the external force detecting method 400 provided in the present invention can let the user know whether the electronic device 100 is affected or pressed by an abnormal external force.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present case. Anyone skilled in the art can make various changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the case. Therefore, the scope of protection of this case is considered. The scope defined in the patent application is subject to change.

100‧‧‧Electronic devices

101‧‧‧ display module

102‧‧‧Shell

104‧‧‧Strain gauge

106‧‧‧Control Module

108‧‧‧Power Module

110‧‧‧Storage module

112‧‧‧Warning module

Claims (10)

An electronic device comprising: a casing; a first strain gauge comprising: a first substrate, one side of the first substrate is connected to one side of the casing; and a first metal sensitive grid And a control module configured to detect a first resistance value of the first metal sensitive gate, and determine a connection according to the first variation of the first resistance value a first shape variable of the casing of the first strain gauge. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first strain gauge has a first strain gauge coefficient, and the control module is further configured to use the first change amount of the first resistance value and the first The strain gauge coefficient determines the first shape variable of the casing. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the metal sensitive gate comprises a first end and a second end, and the control module further comprises: a first resistor; a second resistor, the second One of the first ends of the resistor is electrically connected to the first end of the first resistor, and the second end of the second resistor is electrically connected to the first end of the metal sensitive gate; a galvanometer electrically connected between the second end of one of the first resistors and the second end of the second resistor; and a third resistor, the first end of the third resistor The second end of the third resistor is electrically connected to the second end of the metal sensitive gate. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises: a second strain gauge comprising: a second substrate, the second substrate and the first substrate being connected to the same side of the casing And a second metal sensitive gate disposed on the other side of the second substrate; wherein the control module is further configured to detect a second resistance value of the second metal sensitive gate, Determining, according to the second variation of the second resistance value, a second shape variable of the casing connected to the second strain gauge, wherein the first shape variable and the second shape variable correspond to the casing different positions. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a storage module electrically coupled to the control module, wherein when the first shape variable exceeds a first threshold, the control module is used by the control module The recording of the first shape variable and a time point corresponding to the first shape variable is performed on the storage module. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: The warning module is electrically coupled to the control module. When the first shape variable exceeds a second threshold, the warning module is configured to generate a warning message. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: an uninterruptible power supply module, wherein the uninterruptible power supply module is configured to provide a power supply to the control module when the electronic device is powered off . An external force detecting method is applicable to an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a casing and a strain gauge connected to the casing, wherein the external force detecting method comprises: detecting one of the strain gauges a resistance value; and determining a shape variable of the casing connected to the strain gauge according to a variation of the resistance value. The external force detecting method of claim 8, wherein the strain gauge has a strain gauge coefficient, and the step of determining the shape variable of the casing according to the variation of the resistance value further comprises: according to the resistance value The amount of change and the strain gauge coefficient of the strain gauge determine the deformation of the casing. The method for detecting an external force according to Item 8 of the claim further includes: when the shape variable exceeds a first threshold, recording the shape variable and a time point corresponding to the one of the shape variables; and when the shape variable exceeds one At the second threshold, a warning message is generated.