Optical proximity sensor with digital calibration circuit and digital calibration method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11009996-B2
Application number	US-201916710011-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2019
Priority date	Sep 18, 2019
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

An optical proximity sensor with a digital calibration circuit and a digital calibration method are provided. In a test mode, a test light emitted by a light transmitter is reflected by a cover of an electronic device to form a first reflected analog signal to a light receiver. A digital calibration circuit counts the first number of pulse waves of a first reflected digital signal. In a calibration mode, a light is emitted to a detected object through the cover and then is reflected by the detected object to form a second reflected analog signal to the light receiver. When the digital calibration circuit counts the number of pulse waves of a second reflected digital signal up to the first number, the digital calibration circuit clears the first number and then recounts the number of pulse waves of the second reflected digital signal to obtain the second number.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical proximity sensor, which is disposed in an electronic device including a cover disposed between the optical proximity sensor and a detected object, the optical proximity sensor comprising:
a light sensor circuit including a light transmitter and a light receiver, wherein in a calibration mode, a test light emitted by the light transmitter is reflected by the cover to form a first reflected analog signal to the light receiver in a test mode, and a light emitted by the light transmitter is reflected to the detected object by the cover and then is reflected by the detected object to form a second reflected analog signal to the light receiver;
an analog-digital converter circuit connected to the light receiver, and configured to convert the first reflected analog signal into a first reflected digital signal in the test mode and convert the second reflected analog signal into a second reflected digital signal in the calibration mode; and
a digital calibration circuit connected to the analog-digital converter circuit and configured to, in the test mode, count a first number of pulse waves of the first reflected digital signal in the test mode, and in the calibration mode, when the digital calibration circuit counts the number of pulse waves of the second reflected digital signal up to the first number, the digital calibration circuit clears the first number and then recounts the number of pulse waves of the second reflected digital signal to obtain a second number.

2. The optical proximity sensor of claim 1 , wherein the analog-digital converter circuit includes a comparator having a first input terminal connected to a capacitor and a second input terminal connected to a reference voltage source;
wherein a current of the first reflected analog signal charges the capacitor to have a first capacitor voltage, and the comparator compares the first capacitor voltage with a reference voltage of the reference voltage source to output the first reflected digital signal; and
wherein a current of the second reflected analog signal charges the capacitor to have a second capacitor voltage, and the comparator compares the second capacitor voltage with the reference voltage to output the second reflected digital signal.

3. The optical proximity sensor of claim 2 , wherein the digital calibration circuit further includes a switch component, a first terminal of the switch component is connected to the first input terminal, a second terminal of the switch component is grounded, and a control terminal of the switch component is connected to an output terminal of the comparator.

4. The optical proximity sensor of claim 1 , wherein the analog-digital converter circuit converts a leakage current analog signal of the optical proximity sensor into a leakage current digital signal, and the digital calibration circuit counts a third number of pulse waves of the leakage current digital signal, in a leakage current detection mode; and
wherein in the calibration mode, when the digital calibration circuit counts the number of pulse waves of the second reflected digital signal up to the first number and the third number, the digital calibration circuit clears the first number and the third number and then recounts the number of pulse waves of the second reflected digital signal to obtain the second number.

5. The optical proximity sensor of claim 4 , wherein the analog-digital converter circuit includes a comparator having a first input terminal connected to a capacitor and a second input terminal connected to a reference voltage source;
wherein a current of the leakage current analog signal flows to the capacitor to charge the capacitor to have a leakage current capacitor voltage, and the comparator compares the leakage current capacitor voltage with a reference voltage of the reference voltage source to output the leakage current digital signal.

6. The optical proximity sensor of claim 5 , wherein the digital calibration circuit further includes a switch component, a first terminal of the switch component is connected to the first input terminal, a second terminal of the switch component is grounded, and a control terminal of the switch component is connected to an output terminal of the comparator.

7. A digital calibration method of an optical proximity sensor, wherein the optical proximity sensor is disposed in an electronic device including a cover disposed between the optical proximity sensor and a detected object, the digital calibration method comprising the following steps:
emitting, in a test mode, a test light to the cover by a light transmitter of a light sensor circuit, and reflecting the test light to form a first reflected analog signal to a light receiver of the light sensor circuit by the cover;
converting the first reflected analog signal into a first reflected digital signal by an analog-digital converter circuit in the test mode;
counting a first number of pulse waves of the first reflected digital signal by a digital calibration circuit in the test mode;
emitting a light to the cover by the light transmitter, then reflecting the light to the detected object through the cover, and then reflecting the light to form a second reflected analog signal to the light receiver by the detected object, in a calibration mode;
converting the second reflected analog signal into a second reflected digital signal by the analog-digital converter circuit in the calibration mode;
start counting the number of pulse waves of the second reflected digital signal by the digital calibration circuit in the calibration mode; and
clearing, in the calibration mode, the first number and then recounting the number of pulse waves of the second reflected digital signal to obtain a second number, when counting the number of pulse waves of the second reflected digital signal up to the first number by the digital calibration circuit.

8. The digital calibration method of claim 7 , further comprising steps of:
charging a capacitor to have a first capacitor voltage by a current of the first reflected analog signal;
comparing the first capacitor voltage with a reference voltage of a reference voltage source to output the first reflected digital signal by a comparator of the analog-digital converter circuit;
charging the capacitor to have a second capacitor voltage by a current of the second reflected analog signal; and
comparing the second capacitor voltage with the reference voltage to output the second reflected digital signal by the comparator.

9. The digital calibration method of claim 8 , further comprising steps of:
turning on a switch component by the first reflected digital signal to reduce a voltage of an input terminal of the comparator to zero from the first capacitor voltage; and
turning on the switch component by the second reflected digital signal to reduce a voltage of the input terminal of the comparator to zero from the second capacitor voltage.

10. The digital calibration method of claim 7 , further comprising steps of:
converting a leakage current analog signal of the optical proximity sensor into a leakage current digital signal by the analog-digital converter circuit in a leakage current detection mode;
counting a third number of the leakage current digital signal by the digital calibration circuit in the leakage current detection mode; and
clearing, in the calibration mode, the first number and the third number and then recounting the number of pulse waves of the second reflected digital signal to obtain the second number, when counting the number of pulse waves of the second reflected digital signal up to the first number and the third number by the digital calibration circuit.

Assignees

• Anpec Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Chen jing-min

Classifications

• G01D5/36

  Forming the light into pulses · CPC title

• G01D18/00 Primary

  Testing or calibrating apparatus or arrangements provided for in groups G01D1/00 - G01D15/00 · CPC title

• G06F3/0421

  by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen · CPC title

• G06F3/0304

  Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means (constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042) · CPC title

• H03K17/941

  using an optical detector (H03K17/968 takes precedence) · CPC title