U.S. patent application number 14/103909 was filed with the patent office on 2015-03-12 for electronic device and method for detecting presence.
This patent application is currently assigned to MOTOROLA MOBILITY LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is MOTOROLA MOBILITY LLC. Invention is credited to Rachid Mohsen Alameh, Patrick J. Cauwels, Jun Jiang, Kenneth A. Paitl.
Application Number | 20150069242 14/103909 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52624592 |
Filed Date | 2015-03-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150069242 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Alameh; Rachid Mohsen ; et
al. |
March 12, 2015 |
Electronic Device and Method for Detecting Presence
Abstract
An electronic device for detecting presence includes a housing,
an infrared ("IR") sensor disposed in the housing, and a waveguide
included in the housing. The waveguide is configured to collect
heat or IR signal emitted by a person from outside of the housing
and guide the collected IR signal to the IR sensor. The IR sensor
is configured to receive the IR signal via the waveguide and
generate a signal in response thereto.
Inventors: |
Alameh; Rachid Mohsen;
(Crystal Lake, IL) ; Cauwels; Patrick J.; (South
Beloit, IL) ; Jiang; Jun; (Lake Zurich, IL) ;
Paitl; Kenneth A.; (West Dundee, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MOTOROLA MOBILITY LLC |
Libertyville |
IL |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
MOTOROLA MOBILITY LLC
Libertyville
IL
|
Family ID: |
52624592 |
Appl. No.: |
14/103909 |
Filed: |
December 12, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61876691 |
Sep 11, 2013 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
250/338.3 ;
250/338.1; 250/342 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01J 5/34 20130101; G01V
8/10 20130101; G01J 5/025 20130101; G01S 17/04 20200101; G01S 17/50
20130101; G01J 1/42 20130101; H04M 1/026 20130101; G01J 5/0818
20130101; G01J 5/12 20130101; G01J 1/0407 20130101; H04M 1/72519
20130101; H04M 2250/12 20130101; G06F 3/017 20130101; G01J 5/0025
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
250/338.3 ;
250/338.1; 250/342 |
International
Class: |
G01V 8/10 20060101
G01V008/10; G01J 1/04 20060101 G01J001/04 |
Claims
1. An electronic device comprising: a housing; an infrared ("IR")
sensor disposed in the housing; a waveguide included in the housing
and configured to: collect IR signal emitted by a person from
outside of the housing; and guide the collected IR signal to the IR
sensor; wherein the IR sensor is configured to: receive the IR
signal via the waveguide; and generate a signal in response
thereto.
2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a
processor communicatively linked to the IR sensor and configured to
carry out a function in response to the generated signal.
3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the function is
selected from the group consisting of answering a call, dismissing
a call, silencing a ringer, sending a call to voicemail, turning on
a screen, waking up the electronic device, viewing the time,
scrolling a screen, scrolling through photos, panning a map,
performing power optimization to turn the device on or off,
switching audio mode, setting audio level, steering audio toward
the person's location, steering camera toward the person's
location, altering device functionality based on distance between
the person and the device, and magnifying a view.
4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is
disposed at a top portion of the housing.
5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is
disposed at a bottom portion of the housing.
6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is
disposed between a top portion and a bottom portion of the
housing.
7. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a second
waveguide stacked on the waveguide, the second waveguide configured
to: collect IR signal emitted by the person from outside of the
housing; and guide the collected IR signal to the IR sensor.
8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein: the waveguide
comprises a plurality of branches; each branch having an opening
disposed along a perimeter of the housing; and each branch being
oriented in a different direction than the other branches.
9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is
configured to guide IR signals having a wavelength that ranges
between about 5 to about 100 micrometers.
10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the waveguide is
formed of a high-density polyethylene material.
11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the IR sensor
comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of a
thermopile sensor and a pyroelectric sensor.
12. An electronic device comprising: a housing; an infrared ("IR")
sensor disposed in the housing; a waveguide included in the housing
and is configured as a ring that extends around a perimeter of the
electronic device; wherein the waveguide is configured to: collect
IR signal emitted by a person from outside of the housing; and
guide the collected IR signal to the IR sensor; wherein the IR
sensor is configured to: receive the IR signal via the waveguide;
and generate a signal in response thereto.
13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the IR sensor is
disposed in the path of the waveguide.
14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the IR sensor is
optically coupled to the waveguide.
15. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the waveguide is
configured to guide IR signals having a wavelength that ranges
between about 5 to about 100 micrometers.
16. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the waveguide is
formed of a high-density polyethylene material.
17. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the IR sensor
comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of a
thermopile sensor and a pyroelectric sensor.
18. A method in an electronic device comprising a housing, an
infrared ("IR") sensor disposed in the housing, and a waveguide
included in the housing, the method comprising: receiving, via the
waveguide, an IR signal emitted by a person from outside of the
housing; guiding, by the waveguide, the received IR signal to the
IR sensor; generating, by the IR sensor, a signal based on the
received IR signal; and detecting the presence of the person based
on the generated signal.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: initiating a
notification if the presence of the person is detected.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the initiating of the
notification comprises at least one step selected from the group
consisting of displaying a notification on a display unit of the
device, emitting a notification sound from the device, and
vibrating the device.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein the detecting of the presence
of the person comprises: determining a distance between the person
and the device based on the generated signal.
22. The method of claim 21, further comprising: adjusting a
notification volume based on the determined distance between the
person and the device.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the adjusted notification
volume does not exceed an initial notification volume.
24. The method of claim 21, further comprising: changing a type of
notification based on the determined distance between the person
and the device.
25. The method of claim 21, further comprising: repeating the
initiated notification based on the determined distance between the
person and the device.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of the filing
date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/976,691, filed Sep. 11,
2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated by
reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to electronic devices and
methods for detecting presence, more particularly, to electronic
devices and methods for detecting presence using an infrared sensor
and a waveguide.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Mobile devices such as cellular telephones, smart phones,
and other handheld or portable electronic devices such as personal
digital assistants ("PDAs"), headsets, MP3 players, etc. have
become popular and ubiquitous. As more and more features have been
added to mobile devices, there has been an increasing desire to
equip these mobile devices with input/output mechanisms that
accommodate numerous user commands and/or react to numerous user
behaviors. It is of increasing interest that mobile devices be
capable of detecting the presence of, and determining with some
accuracy the position of, physical objects located outside of the
mobile devices and, more particularly, the presence and location of
human beings (or portions of their bodies, such as their heads or
hands) who are using the mobile devices or otherwise are located
nearby the mobile devices. By virtue of such capabilities, the
mobile devices are able to adjust their behavior in a variety of
manners that are appropriate given the presence (or absence) and
location of the human beings and/or other physical objects.
[0004] While remote sensing devices such as infrared (or, more
accurately, near-infrared) transceivers have been employed in the
past in some mobile devices to allow for the detection of the
presence and/or location of human beings and/or physical objects
even based on their movement, such sensing devices have been
limited in various respects. In particular, some such near-infrared
transceivers in some such mobile devices are only able to detect
the movement of a human being/physical object within a certain
distance from the given transceiver, but not able to detect the
continuous presence of the human being/physical object after the
human being/physical object stops moving or vice versa. Also, some
such transceivers in some such mobile devices are undesirably
complicated, require large numbers of components in order to
operate, or require optical elements that attenuate the received
infrared signals, which in turn renders such devices unduly
expensive and inefficient.
DRAWINGS
[0005] While the appended claims set forth the features of the
present techniques with particularity, these techniques may be best
understood from the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a cross-section view an electronic device, which
is depicted as a mobile device in the drawing, according to an
embodiment.
[0007] FIG. 2 shows example components of the electronic device of
FIG. 1.
[0008] FIGS. 3A-3D show various embodiments of an electronic
device.
[0009] FIGS. 4A and 4B show detection coverage area of the
electronic device of FIG. 1.
[0010] FIGS. 5 and 6 show steps that may be carried out according
to various embodiments.
DESCRIPTION
[0011] The present disclosure sets forth an electronic device for
detecting presence using an infrared sensor and a waveguide.
[0012] In an embodiment, an electronic device includes a housing,
an infrared ("IR") sensor disposed in the housing, and a waveguide
included in the housing. The waveguide is configured collect heat
or IR signal emitted by a person from outside of the housing and
guide the collected IR signal to the IR sensor. The IR sensor is
configured to receive the IR signal via the waveguide and generate
a signal in response thereto.
[0013] In another embodiment, an electronic device includes a
housing, an IR sensor disposed in the housing, and a waveguide
included in the housing and is configured as a ring that extends
around a perimeter of the electronic device. The waveguide is
configured collect heat or IR signal emitted by a person from
outside of the housing and guide the collected IR signal to the IR
sensor. The IR sensor is configured to receive the IR signal via
the waveguide and generate a signal in response thereto.
[0014] In one embodiment, the IR sensor may be disposed or located
in a path of the waveguide.
[0015] In another embodiment, the IR sensor may be optically
coupled to the waveguide.
[0016] The electronic device may further include a processor
communicatively linked to the IR sensor and configured to carry out
a function in response to the generated signal. The function to be
carried out by the processor may be selected from the group
consisting of answering a call, dismissing a call, silencing a
ringer, sending a call to voicemail, turning on a screen, waking up
the electronic device, viewing the time, scrolling a screen,
scrolling through photos, panning a map, alerting of messages,
switching audio mode, setting audio level, steering audio toward
the person's location, steering camera toward the person's
location, altering functionality based on distance between the
person and the device, and magnifying a view.
[0017] In an embodiment, the waveguide may be disposed at a top
portion of the housing.
[0018] In another embodiment, the waveguide may be disposed at a
bottom portion of the housing.
[0019] In yet another embodiment, the waveguide may be disposed
between a top portion and a bottom portion of the housing.
[0020] In still another embodiment, the electronic device may
further include a second waveguide stacked on the waveguide. The
second waveguide is configured to collect IR signal emitted by the
person from outside of the housing and guide the collected IR
signal to the IR sensor.
[0021] In another embodiment, the waveguide may include a plurality
of branches. Each branch may have an opening disposed along a
perimeter of the housing, and each branch may be oriented in a
different direction than the other branches.
[0022] The waveguide may be configured to guide IR signals having a
wavelength that ranges between about 5 to about 100
micrometers.
[0023] The waveguide may be formed of a high-density polyethylene
material.
[0024] The IR sensor may be a sensor selected from the group
consisting of a thermopile sensor and a pyroelectric sensor.
[0025] In yet another embodiment, an electronic device includes a
housing, an IR sensor disposed in the housing, and a waveguide
included in the housing. The waveguide receives heat or IR signal
emitted by a person from outside of the housing. The waveguide then
guides the received IR signal to the IR sensor. The IR sensor
generates a signal based on the received IR signal. The device then
detects the presence of the person based on the generated
signal.
[0026] The device may further initiate a notification if the
presence of the person is detected. The device may initiate the
notification by displaying a notification on a display unit of the
device, emitting a notification sound from the device, or vibrating
the device.
[0027] To detect the presence of the person, the device may
determine a distance between the person and the device based on the
generated signal.
[0028] Based on the determined distance, the device may adjust a
notification volume. The device may control the adjusted
notification volume so that it does not exceed an initial
notification volume.
[0029] In another embodiment, based on the determined distance, the
device may change a type of notification.
[0030] In still another embodiment, the device may repeat the
initiated notification based on the determined distance between the
person and the device.
[0031] FIG. 1 is a cross-section view of an electronic device 100,
which is depicted as a mobile device in the drawing, according to
an embodiment. The electronic device 100 includes a housing 110, an
IR sensor 120, and a waveguide 130. The IR sensor 120 is located in
a single location in the housing 110. The waveguide 130 may be
disposed at a top portion of the housing 110, at a bottom portion
of the housing 110, or between the top portion and the bottom
portion of the housing 110.
[0032] In the present embodiment, the IR sensor 120 is an IR
receiver, and the device 100 does not include an IR transmitter for
presence detection. Instead, the IR transmitter is a person near
the device, who emits body heat or IR signal having a wavelength of
about 10 microns. To collect the heat or IR signal emitted by the
person, the waveguide 130 may be configured to collect IR signals
having a wavelength that ranges between about 5 to about 100
micrometers and guide such collected IR signals to the IR sensor
120. In an embodiment, the waveguide 130 may be formed of a
high-density polyethylene material.
[0033] To detect the heat emitted by the person, the first IR
sensor 120 may be a passive heat sensor (e.g., a thermopile
sensor), or a heat motion sensor (e.g., a pyroelectric sensor), or
other passive heat sensor known in the art. In an embodiment, the
first IR sensor 120 is a thermopile sensor configured to detect
emitted heat or IR signals having a wavelength that ranges between
about 5 microns to 100 micrometer. This embodiment would allow the
device 100 to distinguish between heat wave emitted by a person
from heat wave emitted by other objects (e.g., other electronic
devices).
[0034] As shown in FIG. 1, the waveguide 130 is configured as a
ring that extends around a perimeter of the housing 110. The IR
sensor 120 is located in the path of the waveguide 130. The
waveguide 130 may include various openings along the perimeter of
the housing 110 to collect heat or IR signals generated by the
person.
[0035] In another embodiment, the IR sensor 120 is not disposed or
located in the path of the waveguide 130. Instead, the IR sensor
120 is located anywhere within the housing 110 and is optically
coupled to the waveguide 130 to detect the IR signal collected by
the waveguide 130.
[0036] The waveguide 130 may offer gain in collecting more heat or
IR signals and directing the collected IR signals toward the IR
sensor 120. To help guide IR signal or heat wave propagation, the
waveguide 130 may include internal reflectors or integrated
structures. To help couple waves into the waveguide 130, an outer
surface of the waveguide 130 may be non-polished and the internal
surface may have saw tooth structures 132 to guide the signal. Each
angle in the saw tooth structures 132 is about 45 degrees. When the
saw tooth structures 132 receive heat wave emitted by a person, the
saw tooth structures 132 bounce or reflect the heat wave in a
different direction (at about 90 degrees) to guide the heat waves
into the waveguide 130.
[0037] FIG. 2 shows example components of the electronic devices
100 of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
As shown in FIG. 2, the internal components 200 include one or more
wireless transceivers 202, a processor 204 (e.g., a microprocessor,
microcomputer, application-specific integrated circuit, etc.), a
memory portion 206, one or more output devices 208, and one or more
input devices 210. The internal components 200 can further include
a component interface 212 to provide a direct connection to
auxiliary components or accessories for additional or enhanced
functionality. The internal components 200 may also include a power
supply 214, such as a battery, for providing power to the other
internal components while enabling the mobile device to be
portable. Further, the internal components 200 additionally include
one or more sensors 228. All of the internal components 200 can be
coupled to one another, and in communication with one another, by
way of one or more internal communication links 232 (e.g., an
internal bus).
[0038] Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the wireless
transceivers 202 particularly include a cellular transceiver 203
and a Wi-Fi transceiver 205. More particularly, the cellular
transceiver 203 is configured to conduct cellular communications,
such as 3G, 4G, 4G-LTE, vis-a-vis cell towers (not shown), albeit
in other embodiments, the cellular transceiver 203 can be
configured to utilize any of a variety of other cellular-based
communication technologies such as analog communications (using
AMPS), digital communications (using CDMA, TDMA, GSM, iDEN, GPRS,
EDGE, etc.), and/or next generation communications (using UMTS,
WCDMA, LTE, IEEE 802.16, etc.) or variants thereof.
[0039] By contrast, the Wi-Fi transceiver 205 is a wireless local
area network (WLAN) transceiver 205 configured to conduct Wi-Fi
communications in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, or n)
standard with access points. In other embodiments, the Wi-Fi
transceiver 205 can instead (or in addition) conduct other types of
communications commonly understood as being encompassed within
Wi-Fi communications such as some types of peer-to-peer (e.g.,
Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer) communications. Further, in other embodiments,
the Wi-Fi transceiver 205 can be replaced or supplemented with one
or more other wireless transceivers configured for non-cellular
wireless communications including, for example, wireless
transceivers employing ad hoc communication technologies such as
HomeRF (radio frequency), Home Node B (3G femtocell), Bluetooth
and/or other wireless communication technologies such as infrared
technology.
[0040] Although in the present embodiment the device 100 has two of
the wireless transceivers 202 (that is, the transceivers 203 and
205), the present disclosure is intended to encompass numerous
embodiments in which any arbitrary number of wireless transceivers
employing any arbitrary number of communication technologies are
present. By virtue of the use of the wireless transceivers 202, the
device 100 is capable of communicating with any of a variety of
other devices or systems (not shown) including, for example, other
mobile devices, web servers, cell towers, access points, other
remote devices, etc. Depending upon the embodiment or circumstance,
wireless communication between the device 100 and any arbitrary
number of other devices or systems can be achieved.
[0041] Operation of the wireless transceivers 202 in conjunction
with others of the internal components 200 of the device 100 can
take a variety of forms. For example, operation of the wireless
transceivers 202 can proceed in a manner in which, upon reception
of wireless signals, the internal components 200 detect
communication signals and the transceivers 202 demodulate the
communication signals to recover incoming information, such as
voice and/or data, transmitted by the wireless signals. After
receiving the incoming information from the transceivers 202, the
processor 204 formats the incoming information for the one or more
output devices 208. Likewise, for transmission of wireless signals,
the processor 204 formats outgoing information, which can but need
not be activated by the input devices 210, and conveys the outgoing
information to one or more of the wireless transceivers 202 for
modulation so as to provide modulated communication signals to be
transmitted.
[0042] Depending upon the embodiment, the input and output devices
208, 210 of the internal components 200 can include a variety of
visual, audio and/or mechanical outputs. For example, the output
device(s) 208 can include one or more visual output devices 216
such as a liquid crystal display and/or light emitting diode
indicator, one or more audio output devices 218 such as a speaker,
alarm, and/or buzzer, and/or one or more mechanical output devices
220 such as a vibrating mechanism. The visual output devices 216
among other things can also include a video screen. Likewise, by
example, the input device(s) 210 can include one or more visual
input devices 222 such as an optical sensor (for example, a camera
lens and photosensor), one or more audio input devices 224 such as
a microphone (or further for example a microphone of a Bluetooth
headset), and/or one or more mechanical input devices 226 such as a
flip sensor, keyboard, keypad, selection button, navigation
cluster, touch pad, capacitive sensor, motion sensor, and/or
switch. Operations that can actuate one or more of the input
devices 210 can include not only the physical pressing/actuation of
buttons or other actuators, but can also include, for example,
opening the mobile device, unlocking the device, moving the device
to actuate a motion, moving the device to actuate a location
positioning system, and operating the device.
[0043] As mentioned above, the internal components 200 also can
include one or more of various types of sensors 228 as well as a
sensor hub to manage one or more functions of the sensors. The
sensors 228 may include, for example, proximity sensors (e.g., a
light detecting sensor, an ultrasound transceiver or an infrared
transceiver), touch sensors, altitude sensors, and one or more
location circuits/components that can include, for example, a
Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, a triangulation receiver,
an accelerometer, a tilt sensor, a gyroscope, or any other
information collecting device that can identify a current location
or user-device interface (carry mode) of the device 100. Although
the sensors 228 for the purposes of FIG. 2 are considered to be
distinct from the input devices 210, in other embodiments it is
possible that one or more of the input devices can also be
considered to constitute one or more of the sensors (and
vice-versa). Additionally, although in the present embodiment the
input devices 210 are shown to be distinct from the output devices
208, it should be recognized that in some embodiments one or more
devices serve both as input device(s) and output device(s). In
particular, in the present embodiment in which the device 100
includes a touch screen display, the touch screen display can be
considered to constitute both a visual output device and a
mechanical input device (by contrast, keys or buttons are merely
mechanical input devices).
[0044] The memory portion 206 of the internal components 200 can
encompass one or more memory devices of any of a variety of forms
(e.g., read-only memory, random access memory, static random access
memory, dynamic random access memory, etc.), and can be used by the
processor 204 to store and retrieve data. In some embodiments, the
memory portion 206 can be integrated with the processor 204 in a
single device (e.g., a processing device including memory or
processor-in-memory (PIM)), albeit such a single device will still
typically have distinct portions/sections that perform the
different processing and memory functions and that can be
considered separate devices. In some alternate embodiments, the
memory portion 206 of the device 100 can be supplemented or
replaced by other memory portion(s) located elsewhere apart from
the mobile device and, in such embodiments, the mobile device can
be in communication with or access such other memory device(s) by
way of any of various communications techniques, for example,
wireless communications afforded by the wireless transceivers 202,
or connections via the component interface 212.
[0045] The data that is stored by the memory portion 206 can
include, but need not be limited to, operating systems, programs
(applications), modules, and informational data. Each operating
system includes executable code that controls basic functions of
the device 100, such as interaction among the various components
included among the internal components 200, communication with
external devices via the wireless transceivers 202 and/or the
component interface 212, and storage and retrieval of programs and
data, to and from the memory portion 206. As for programs, each
program includes executable code that utilizes an operating system
to provide more specific functionality, such as file system service
and handling of protected and unprotected data stored in the memory
portion 206. Such programs can include, among other things,
programming for enabling the device 100 to perform a process such
as the process for presence detection and discussed further below.
Finally, with respect to informational data, this is non-executable
code or information that can be referenced and/or manipulated by an
operating system or program for performing functions of the device
100.
[0046] FIGS. 3A-3D show various configurations of waveguides in an
electronic device, according to various embodiments. While the
waveguide 130 in FIG. 1 is configured as a ring that extends around
a perimeter of the housing 110, the present disclosure is not
limited thereto. The waveguide may be configured to have a variety
of other shapes, e.g., as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D. The embodiments
shown in FIGS. 3A-3D are layers of waveguides that are stacked
depth-wise on a top region, a bottom region, or between the top and
bottom regions in the housing of the electronic devices. The
waveguides receive heat waves or IR signals from the outside edges
or openings of the devices as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, through
compound parabolic concentrators ("CPCs"), via bumps as shown in
FIG. 3D.
[0047] FIG. 3A illustrates a cross section of an electronic device
102. The device 102 includes the housing 110, the IR sensor 120,
and a waveguide 330. In the present embodiment, the waveguide 330
includes a plurality of branches 331, with each branch 331
extending from a center portion of the housing 110 to a corner of
the housing 110. Each branch 331 also includes an opening 340,
which is disposed proximate to and oriented toward each corner of
the housing 110. As shown in FIG. 3A, each branch 331 of the
waveguide 330 is oriented in a different direction than the other
branches. The waveguide 330 receives heat wave or IR signal emitted
by a person via the opening 340, and the branch 331 corresponding
to the opening 340 guides the received IR signal toward the IR
sensor 120. In an embodiment, the waveguide 330 is a compound
parabolic concentrator. In other embodiments, each corner of the
housing 110 may have an opening or a plurality of openings formed
thereon so that the openings 340 of the waveguide 330 have a line
of sight to outside of the housing 110, which would allow the
waveguide 330 to collect IR signals emitted by the person. Although
FIG. 3A shows that the IR sensor 120 is located at the center of
the housing 110, the IR sensor 120 may be located anywhere within
the path of the waveguide 330. In another embodiment, the IR sensor
120 is not located within the path of the waveguide 330 but is
rather optically coupled to the waveguide 330.
[0048] FIG. 3B illustrates a cross-section view of an electronic
device 104. The device 104 includes the housing 110, the IR sensor
120, and a waveguide 332. The waveguide 332 includes a plurality of
branches 333, with each branch 333 extending from a center portion
of the housing 110 to a side of the housing 110. Each branch 333,
which may be CPCs, also includes an opening 342, which is disposed
proximate to each side of the housing 110. Each branch 333 of the
waveguide 332 is oriented in a different direction than the other
branches. The waveguide 330 receives heat or IR signal emitted by a
person via the opening 342, and the branch 333 corresponding to the
opening 340 guides the received IR signal toward the IR sensor 120.
In various embodiments, each side of the housing 110 may have an
opening or a plurality of openings formed thereon so that the
openings 342 of the waveguide 332 have a line of sight to outside
of the housing 110. Although FIG. 3B shows that the IR sensor 120
is located at the center of the housing 110, the IR sensor 120 may
be located anywhere within the path of the waveguide 332. In
another embodiment, the IR sensor 120 is not located within the
path of the waveguide 332 but is rather optically coupled to the
waveguide 332.
[0049] FIG. 3C illustrates a cross-section of an electronic device
106. The device 106 includes the housing 110, the IR sensor 120,
and a waveguide 334. The waveguide 334 includes a plurality of
branches 335, with each branch 335 extending from a center portion
of the housing 110 to a side of the housing 110. Each branch 335,
which may be CPCs, also includes an opening 344, which is disposed
proximate to each side of the housing 110. The configuration of
waveguide 334 in FIG. 3C is similar to the configuration of
waveguide 332 in FIG. 3B. The center portion of the waveguide 334
is of a substantially oval shape, while the center portion of the
waveguide 332 is of a substantially rectangular shape. Although
FIG. 3C shows that the IR sensor 120 is located at the center of
the housing 110, the IR sensor 120 may be located anywhere within
the path of the waveguide 334. In another embodiment, the IR sensor
120 is not located within the path of the waveguide 334 but is
rather optically coupled to the waveguide 334.
[0050] FIG. 3D illustrates a cross section of an electronic device
108. The device 108 includes a housing (not shown), the IR sensor
120, and a waveguide 336. The waveguide 336 includes a ring that
extends around a perimeter of the housing and a plurality of
branches extending from a center portion of the housing. The
waveguide 336 may include bumps 348 along the ring and at the end
of each branch. As shown in FIG. 3D, the waveguide 336 includes
heat block materials 346. The housing may include openings
corresponding to the the bumps 348. In this embodiment, the bumps
348 replace the CPCs as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C. The bumps 348 may be
Fresnel lenses or magnifying lenses, which are heat wave collecting
lenses. Based on the location of the bumps 348, a detection
coverage area of the device 108 includes the perimeter of the
device 108 and an area above the top surface of the housing. Thus,
the device 108 may be used to detect the presence of a person from
above the device 108 (e.g., a person hovering over the device 108).
Furthermore, the device 108 may be used to perform the IR proximity
function, where the device 108 deactivates a touch screen of the
device 600 when a person's face approaches the bumps 348.
[0051] In another embodiment, the electronic device 108 may include
a plurality of waveguides, which are stacked on top of each other.
For example, the electronic device 108 may include two waveguides:
a first waveguide having a ring-shape that extends around a
perimeter of the housing, and a second waveguide having a plurality
of branches extending from a center portion of the housing. Both
the first and second waveguides have openings disposed along the
perimeter of the housing. Both waveguides are configured to collect
IR signal emitted by the person from outside of the housing and
guide the collected IR signal to the IR sensor 120. In this
embodiment, the IR sensor 120 is located in the paths of the first
and second waveguides. In another embodiment, the IR sensor 120 is
not located within the path of the first and second waveguides but
is rather optically coupled to the first and second waveguides.
[0052] FIGS. 4A and 4B show detection coverage area of an
electronic device, according to various embodiments. FIGS. 4A and
4B show the detection area of the electronic device of FIG. 1 as
well as other topologies (e.g., FIGS. 3A-3D). For example, FIG. 4A
illustrates a horizontal-plane detection coverage area 410 of the
device 100. Because the waveguide 130 of the device 100 is disposed
along the perimeter of the housing 110, the waveguide 130 collects
heat or IR signals emitted by a person from any direction with
respect to the device 100. Thus, the device 100 may have a
horizontal-plane detection coverage area 410 that spans 360 degrees
around the device 100. FIG. 4B illustrates an elevation detection
coverage area of the device 100, which is represented by an angle
420. The angle 420 may be about 20 degrees to about 45 degrees. The
elevation detection coverage area may be used to detect a person
walking by a table on which the device 100 is placed.
[0053] In another embodiment, the detection coverage area of an
electronic device may further include an area below a top surface
of the housing (e.g., the electronic device 108 of FIG. 3D), or an
area below a bottom surface of the housing. In this embodiment, the
device not only has a horizontal-plane detection area and an
elevation detection coverage area, the device would also have a top
detection coverage area and a bottom detection coverage area.
Accordingly, in three-dimensional space, the detection coverage
area of the device may resemble a spheroid, with the device
disposed at the center of the spheroid. Accordingly, heat or IR
signals emitted from a person may enter the device at any direction
and is guided via the waveguide toward the IR sensor. In other
words, the device may detect heat or IR signals in any orientation,
including being flipped upside down.
[0054] FIG. 5 illustrates a procedure 500 that may be carried out
by an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 100 of FIG. 1),
according to an embodiment. The electronic device 100 includes the
housing 100, the IR sensor 120 disposed in in the housing, and the
waveguide 130 included in the housing 100. At step 502, the
waveguide 130 receives heat or IR signal emitted by a person from
outside of the housing 100. At step 504, the waveguide 130 guides
the received IR signal to the IR sensor 120. Then at step 506, the
IR sensor 120 generates a signal based on the received IR signal
collected by the waveguide 130. The device 100 may further include
a processor (e.g., the processor 204 of FIG. 2) to analyze the
generated signal to detect the presence of the person at step
508.
[0055] If the presence of the person is detected at step 508, the
device 100 may further initiate a notification at step 510. The
device 100 may initiate the notification by displaying a
notification on a display unit of the device, emitting a
notification sound, or vibrating the device 100.
[0056] FIG. 6 illustrates a procedure 600 that may be carried out
by an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 100 of FIG. 1),
according to another embodiment. At step 602, the waveguide 130
receives heat or IR signal emitted by a person from outside of the
housing 100. The waveguide 130 then guides the received IR signal
to the IR sensor 120. At step 604, the IR sensor 120 generates a
signal based on the received IR signal collected by the waveguide
130. The processor of the device 100 then analyzes the generated
signal to detect the presence of the person at step 606. If the
presence of the person is detected at step 606, the device 100 may
further initiate a notification at step 608.
[0057] When detecting the presence of the person at step 608, the
device 100 may determine the position or distance of the person
with respect to the device 100. At step 610, the device 100 may
determine the position or direction of the person with respect to
the device 100. Using the determined direction or position
information, the device 100 may orient its display screen so that
the screen is easily readable by the person (e.g., orient the
display screen so text or other display elements are displayed
right-side up from the person's viewing perspective). At step 612,
the device 100 may determine the distance and/or a change in the
distance between the person and the device 100.
[0058] If the initiated notification at step 608 is an emission of
notification sound, then at step 614, based on the determined
position or distance of the person with respect to the device 100,
the device 100 may adjust the notification sound volume. As the
person approaches the device 100 (i.e., the distance decreases),
the device 100 may control the adjusted notification volume so that
it does not exceed an initial notification volume.
[0059] Optionally, at step 616, based on the determined position or
distance of the person with respect to the device 100, the device
100 may change a type of notification based on the determined
position or distance between the person and the device 100. For
instance, the device 100 may emit a notification sound when the
person is first detected. When the person is within a predetermined
distance of the device 100 (e.g., the person is close enough to the
device to view the display screen), the device 100 may stop
emitting the notification sound and change the notification to a
display notification.
[0060] In other embodiments, based on the determined position or
distance of the person with respect to the device, the device 100
may repeat the initiated notification.
[0061] It can be seen from the foregoing that an electronic device
and methods for detecting presence using an IR sensor and a
waveguide have been provided. In view of the many possible
embodiments to which the principles of the present discussion may
be applied, it should be recognized that the embodiments described
herein with respect to the drawing figures are meant to be
illustrative only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of
the claims. Therefore, the techniques as described herein
contemplate all such embodiments as may come within the scope of
the following claims and equivalents thereof.
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