Method for detecting a proximity of objects and electronic device supporting the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12095493-B2
Application number	US-202117422624-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2021
Priority date	Jul 1, 2020
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method of detecting whether an external object is in proximity to an electronic device and an electronic device supporting the same. An electronic device according to an embodiment may include: a wireless communication circuit; an antenna electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit and configured to be fed with power from the wireless communication circuit at a first point; a voltage detector including circuitry configured to detect a peak voltage applied to the antenna; and a processor electrically connected to the voltage detector and the wireless communication circuit. The processor may be configured to: determine whether an external object is within a specified proximity to the electronic device based on the peak voltage detected by the voltage detector; and control the magnitude of power applied to the antenna via the wireless communication circuit based on a determination that the external object is within the specified proximity to the electronic device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a wireless communication circuit;
an antenna electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit and configured to be fed with power from the wireless communication circuit at a first point;
a voltage detector including circuitry configured to detect a peak voltage applied to the antenna;
memory storing instructions; and
a processor, comprising processing circuitry, electrically connected to the voltage detector and the wireless communication circuit, configured to:
determine whether an external object is within a specified proximity to the electronic device based on data about the peak voltage detected by the voltage detector and data about a phase change of a voltage applied to the antenna; and
control a magnitude of power applied to the antenna via the wireless communication circuit based on a determination that the external object is within the specified proximity to the electronic device,
wherein the voltage detector is disposed between the antenna and an ADC (analog-to-digital converter),
wherein the voltage detector is configured to provide the data about the detected peak voltage and the data about the phase change of the voltage detected by the voltage detector to the ADC, and
wherein the ADC is configured to convert the provided data about peak voltage and the data about the phase change of the voltage detected by the voltage detector to a digital signal and provide the digital signal to the processor.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to:
reduce the magnitude of power applied to the antenna via the wireless communication circuit based on the determination that the object is in proximity to the electronic device.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein thea memory is electrically connected to the processor and stores a predetermined peak voltage range corresponding to the magnitude of the power applied to the antenna.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to:
compare the data about the peak voltage detected by the voltage detector with the predetermined peak voltage range stored in the memory; and
determine whether the external object is within the specified proximity with respect to the electronic device.

5. The electronic device of claim 3 , further comprising:
a coupler electrically connected to the antenna and the wireless communication circuit,
wherein the coupler is configured to feedback a power value applied thereto to the wireless communication circuit.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the wireless communication circuit comprises a power detection circuit configured to detect the power value applied to the coupler.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the stores a predetermined power value applied to the coupler and corresponding to the magnitude of the power applied to the antenna.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to:
receive the power value of the coupler detected from the wireless communication circuit via the power detection circuit; and
determine whether the magnitude of the power applied to the antenna has been adjusted by comparing the received power value of the coupler and a predetermined power value of the coupler stored in the memory.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is electrically connected to a ground at a second point different from the first point.

10. TheAn electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a switch circuit which comprises a plurality of field effect transistor (FET) switches connected in series,
wherein the voltage detector is electrically connected to at least one FET switch among the plurality of FET switches, and
the voltage detector is configured to detect the peak voltage applied to the switch circuit based on a voltage applied to the at least one FET switch.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the voltage detector is electrically connected to at least two FET switches among the plurality of FET switches, and
the voltage detector is configured to detect the peak voltage applied to the switch circuit and the phase change of the voltage applied to the switch circuit based on a voltage applied to the at least two FET switches,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor ( 500 ), cause the electronic device to:
determine whether the external object is within the specified proximity to the electronic device based on the data about the peak voltage applied to the switch circuit and detected via the voltage detector and the data about the phase change of the voltage applied to the switch circuit.

12. A method of detecting whether an external object is within a specified proximity to an electronic device, the method comprising:
detecting a peak voltage applied to an antenna via a voltage detector;
determining whether the external object is within the specified proximity to the electronic device based on data about the detected peak voltage and data about a phase change of a voltage detected by the voltage detector;
adjusting a magnitude of power applied to the antenna via a wireless communication circuit electrically connected to the antenna based on a determination that the external object is within the specified proximity to the electronic device, and
wherein the voltage detector is disposed between the antenna and an ADC (analog-to-digital converter),
wherein the voltage detector provides the data about the detected peak voltage and the data about the phase change of the voltage detected by the voltage detector to the ADC,
wherein the ADC converts the provided data about the peak voltage and the data about the phase change of the voltage detected by the voltage detector to a digital signal and provide the digital signal to the processor.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting of the magnitude of the power applied to the antenna comprises:
reducing the magnitude of the power applied to the antenna based on determining that the external object is within the specified proximity to the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the determining of whether the external object is within the specified proximity to the electronic device comprises:
comparing the data about the peak voltage detected via the voltage detector and a predetermined peak voltage range stored in the memory corresponding to the magnitude of the power applied to the antenna.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the determining of whether the external object is within the specified proximity to the electronic device comprises:
determining that the external object is within the specified proximity to the electronic device based on determining that the data about the peak voltage detected via the voltage detector is out of the predetermined peak voltage range.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yang Dongil
• Yoo Jonghun
• Kim Woonyun
• Na Hyoseok
• Lee Hanyeop

Classifications

• H04W52/18

  TPC being performed according to specific parameters · CPC title

• H04B2001/0416

  having gain or transmission power control · CPC title

• H04B17/101

  for measurement of specific parameters of the transmitter or components thereof · CPC title

• H04B17/102

  Power radiated at antenna · CPC title

• H04W52/283

  Power depending on the position of the mobile · CPC title