Apparatus and a method for metal detection involving a mobile terminal with a display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10191177-B2
Application number	US-201114357567-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2011
Priority date	Nov 11, 2011
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus comprising at least one first signal loop configured to receive a first signal; at least one second signal loop magnetically coupled with the first signal loop configured to generate a second signal; a signal processor configured to monitor the second signal and determine the presence of at least one metal object dependent on the second signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one first signal loop configured to receive a first signal;
at least one second signal loop magnetically coupled with the at least one first signal loop configured to generate a second signal based on induction when the at least one first signal loop receives the first signal and is magnetically coupled with the at least one second signal loop; and
a signal processor configured to monitor the second signal and determine a presence of at least one metal object dependent on induction interference of the at least one metal object on the second signal when the at least one first signal loop is magnetically coupled with the at least one second signal loop.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one first signal loop comprises a conductive material adjacent to and at least partially surrounding an apparatus display.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one second signal loop comprises a conductive material adjacent to and at least partially surrounding an apparatus display.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least one first signal loop and the at least one second signal loop are formed from a part of the other of the at least one second signal loop and the at least one first signal loop respectively.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first signal comprises at least one of:
an amplitude modulated signal;
a frequency modulated signal; and
an interrupted wave modulated signal.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first signal comprises a swept signal having a first frequency range.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second signal comprises a resonance profile signal and the resonance profile signal comprises at least one of:
at least one resonance frequency;
at least one associated resonance frequency amplitude; and
at least one associated resonance frequency quality factor.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the signal processor is configured to determine a difference between a reference resonance profile signal and the resonance profile signal to determine the presence of at least one metallic object.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising a memory configured to store the reference resonance profile signal.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising a memory configured to include at least one memorized resonance profile signal associated with an identified metal; wherein the signal processor is configured to determine the at least one metallic object is the identified metal when the resonance profile signal at least partially matches the at least one memorized resonance profile signal.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal processor is further configured to determine dependent on the second signal at least one of:
a composition of metals in the object;
a location of the metal object; and
an orientation of the metal object.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one second signal loop comprises at least two second signal loops, each of the at least two second signal loops located or orientated differently to each other, such that the the signal processor is configured to determine a motion of the at least one metal object dependent on the second signal from each of the at least two second signal loops.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to control the apparatus dependent on determining the presence of the at least one metal object.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising a user interface output wherein the controller is configured to control the user interface output dependent on the determining at least one of the presence of the at least one metal object, a relative motion of the at least one metal object, and a proximity of the at least one metal object.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the user interface output comprises at least one of:
a display configured to change dependent on the determining the presence of the at least one metal object;
a speaker configured to output a tone dependent on the determining the presence of the at least one metal object;
a light configured to output a light dependent on the determining the presence of the at least one metal object; and
a vibra configured to vibrate dependent on the determining the presence of the at least one metal object.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising a transceiver wherein the controller is configured to control the transceiver dependent on determining the presence of the at least one metal object.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to enable an associated application to start a metal detection feature via the user interface.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the metal detection feature is configured to be activated via at least one of a trigger event, a timer, and a sensor output.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17 , further comprising an integrated hands free speaker (IHF) including an audio subsystem, wherein the IHF is configured to generate at least one audible tone.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the at least one audible tone is dependent on at least one resonance frequency and quality factor (Q factor) associated with the at least one metal object.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the user interface output includes at least one of a textual, pictorial, and an icon depiction of a detected metal.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal processor is further configured to process a change in resonant frequency and quality factor (Q-factor) based on the presence of the at least one metal object as a form of user interface input.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal processor is further configured to retrieve at least one memorized signal, wherein the at least one memorized signal comprises a quality factor (Q-factor) and resonance frequency associated with a known metal.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal processor is further configured to cause a change for an acoustic signal based on at least one of a type of metal detected, a change in quality factor (Q-factor), and a change in resonance frequency.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal processor is further configured to receive a detected magnetic field at the at least one second signal loop, wherein the detected magnetic field is created by the at least one metal object interfering with a generated magnetic field and has a different resonant frequency and quality factor (Q-factor).

26. A method comprising:
receiving a first signal in at least one first signal loop;
generating a second signal in at least one second signal loop magnetically coupled with the first signal loop based on induction when the at least one first signal loop receives the first signal and is magnetically coupled with the at least one second signal loop; and
determining a presence of at least one metal object dependent on induction interference of the at least one metal object on the second signal when the at least one first signal loop is magnetically cou

Assignees

• Greuet Jean Baptiste
• Lars Cieslak
• Ozcan Koray
• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Greuet Jean-Baptiste
• Lars Cieslak
• Ozcan Koray

Classifications

• G01N27/72

  by investigating magnetic variables · CPC title

• G01V3/101 Primary

  by measuring the impedance of the search coil; by measuring features of a resonant circuit comprising the search coil (measuring impedance or characteristics derived therefrom G01R27/00, e.g. quality factor G01R27/26) · CPC title

• G01R33/028

  Electrodynamic magnetometers · CPC title

• G01V3/15

  specially adapted for use during transport, e.g. by a person, vehicle or boat · CPC title

• H04M1/21

  Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads · CPC title