Pressure-sensing system for a wearable electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11614716-B2
Application number	US-202016890694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2020
Priority date	Sep 23, 2019
Publication date	Mar 28, 2023
Grant date	Mar 28, 2023

Abstract

Embodiments include a wearable electronic device including a housing having an internal wall separating an internal chamber from an external chamber, an outer shell defining a port that connects the external chamber to an external environment, a membrane positioned at an opening in the internal wall and configured to equalize a pressure within the internal chamber with a pressure of the external environment, a first pressure-sensing device positioned in the internal chamber and configured to produce a first output, a second pressure-sensing device positioned in the external chamber and configured to produce a second output, and a processing unit configured to estimate the pressure of the external environment using the second output in accordance with a determination an accuracy condition satisfies a criteria and estimate the pressure of the external environment using the first output in accordance with a determination the accuracy condition does not satisfy the criteria.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable electronic device comprising:
a housing comprising:
an internal wall separating a first internal chamber from a second internal chamber; and
an outer shell defining an audio port that connects the second internal chamber to an external environment;

a membrane positioned at an opening defined in the internal wall and configured to equalize a first pressure within the first internal chamber with respect to a second pressure of the external environment;
a first pressure-sensing device positioned in the first internal chamber and configured to produce a first output;
a second pressure-sensing device positioned in the second internal chamber and configured to produce a second output; and
a processing unit operatively coupled to the first and second pressure-sensing devices, the processing unit configured to:
in accordance with a determination that an accuracy condition satisfies a criteria, determine an estimated pressure of the external environment using the second output; and
in accordance with a determination that the accuracy condition does not satisfy the criteria, determine the estimated pressure of the external environment using the first output.

2. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to determine the accuracy condition based on a comparison between the first output and the second output.

3. The wearable electronic device of claim 2 , wherein:
the criteria is a threshold;
the accuracy condition is a moisture level that is based on a difference between the first output and the second output;
the accuracy condition satisfies the criteria when the processing unit determines that the second pressure-sensing device is not wet; and
the processing unit is configured to determine that the second pressure-sensing device is not wet at least partially in response to the moisture level not exceeding the threshold.

4. The wearable electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the processing unit is configured to initiate a water ejection procedure in response to determining that the second pressure-sensing device is wet.

5. The wearable electronic device of claim 2 , wherein:
the criteria is a threshold;
in response to the processing unit determining that the accuracy condition exceeds the threshold, determine the estimated pressure using the first output; and
in response to the processing unit determining that the accuracy condition does not exceed the threshold, determine the estimated pressure using the second output.

6. The wearable electronic device of claim 2 , wherein:
the criteria is a threshold;
the accuracy condition is based on a difference between the first output and the second output; and
in response to the processing unit determining that the difference exceeds the threshold, using the first output to determine a calibration offset for the second pressure-sensing device.

7. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the accuracy condition is a moisture level of the second pressure-sensing device; and
the criteria is not satisfied when the moisture level indicates that the second pressure-sensing device is wet.

8. The wearable electronic device of claim 7 , wherein in response to determining the estimated pressure using the first output, determining the estimated pressure using the second output after a duration has lapsed.

9. The wearable electronic device of claim 7 , wherein:
in response to determining the estimated pressure using the first output, monitoring the second output; and
in accordance with the second output indicating that the second pressure-sensing device is dry, determining the estimated pressure using the second output.

10. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the accuracy condition satisfies the criteria when a user input is provided to the wearable electronic device.

11. The wearable electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the user input includes a selection of a water-based user activity.

12. An electronic device comprising:
a housing defining a first internal chamber and a second internal chamber, the second internal chamber coupled to an external environment by a port;
an air-permeable membrane configured to equalize a first pressure of the first internal chamber with a second pressure of the external environment;
a first pressure-sensing device positioned in the first internal chamber and configured to produce a first output;
a second pressure-sensing device positioned in the second internal chamber and configured to produce a second output; and
a processing unit operatively coupled to the first and second pressure-sensing devices, the processing unit configured to:
determine an estimated pressure of the external environment using the second output;
detect a change in a monitored condition of the second pressure-sensing device; and
in accordance with a determination that the change exceeds a threshold, determine the estimated pressure of the external environment using the first output.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein:
in accordance with a determination that the change does not exceed the threshold, continue to determine the estimated pressure using the second output.

14. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein:
the monitored condition is a moisture level of the second pressure-sensing device; and
the change in the moisture level exceeding the threshold indicates that the second pressure-sensing device is wet.

15. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein:
in response to the change in the monitored condition exceeding the threshold, the processing unit is configured to initiate a calibration procedure.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the processing unit is configured to determine the change in the monitored condition based on a comparison between the first output and the second output.

17. A method for operating a wearable electronic device, the method comprising:
receiving a first output from an internal pressure-sensing device located inside a sealed internal chamber of the wearable electronic device;
receiving a second output from an external pressure-sensing device located outside the sealed internal chamber of the wearable electronic device;
comparing the second output to the first output;
determining an accuracy condition based on the comparison of the second output to the first output; and
in response to the accuracy condition satisfying a criteria, determining an estimated pressure using the second output.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein:
the accuracy condition does not satisfy the criteria when a moisture level indicates that the external pressure-sensing device is wet; and
in response to the accuracy condition not satisfying the criteria, determining the estimated pressure using the first output.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
in response to a determination that the external pressure-sensing device is wet, performing a water ejection procedure to remove water from the external pressure-sensing device; and
after the water ejection procedure is complete, determining the estimated pressure using the second output.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein:
the accuracy condition is based on a difference between the first output and the second output; and
in response to a determination that the accuracy condition exceeds a threshold, performing a calibration procedure to adjust a calibration offset of the external pressure-sensing device.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Liang Jiahui
• Bushnell Tyler S
• Tang Sherry
• Yang Shannon

Classifications

• G04G17/08

  Housings · CPC title

• G04G17/02

  Component assemblies · CPC title

• G01L27/007

  Malfunction diagnosis, i.e. diagnosing a sensor defect · CPC title

• H04R1/04 Primary

  Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor (in electric hearing aids H04R25/00) · CPC title

• G04G21/02 Primary

  Detectors of external physical values, e.g. temperature · CPC title