Electronic device including bag detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12523472-B2
Application number	US-202318484978-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2023
Priority date	Jan 7, 2021
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a device configured to detect whether the device is in a bag or outside of the bag. The device determines whether the device is in or outside of the bag based on distance measurements generated by at least one proximity sensor and motion measurements generated by at least one motion sensor. By using both distance measurements and motion measurements, the device is able to detect whether the device is in the bag or outside of the bag with high accuracy and robustness.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A device, comprising:
a motion sensor configured to generate motion measurements; a plurality of proximity sensors configured to generate distance measurements, the plurality of proximity sensor being positioned on different sides of the device; and a controller configured to:
determine a motion state of the device based on the motion measurements, the motion state indicating the device is being inserted into a bag or taken out of the bag;
determine whether the device is in a covered state or a non-covered state based on the distance measurements, the covered state indicating the device is covered by an object, the non-covered state indicating the device is not covered by the object;
determine the device is in a state selected from an in-bag state and an out-of-bag state, the in-bag state indicating the device is in the bag, the out-of-bag state indicating the device is outside of the bag, the device being determined to be in the in-bag state in case the motion state indicates the device is being inserted into the bag and the device is in the covered state, the device being determined to be in the out-of-bag state in case the motion state indicates the device is being taken out of the bag or the device is not in the non-covered state; and
adjust a power state of the device based on whether the device is in the in-bag state or the out-of-bag state.

2 . The device of claim 1 wherein the controller determines the device is in the covered state in case the distance measurement generated by each of the plurality of proximity sensors is less than a determined threshold.

3 . The device of claim 1 wherein the controller adjusts the power state of the device by instructing an operating system of the device to change the power state of the device.

4 . The device of claim 1 wherein the power state includes at least one of a working state, a low power state, a sleep state, a hibernate state, a soft off state, or a mechanical off state.

5 . The device of claim 1 wherein the motion sensor is an accelerometer, and the motion measurements are acceleration measurements.

6 . The device of claim 1 wherein the motion sensor includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope, and the motion measurements includes acceleration measurements and angular velocity measurements.

7 . The device of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to determine that the device is in motion based on the motion measurements, the plurality of proximity sensors generate the distance measurements in response to the device being determined to be in motion.

8 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a system on chip (SoC), the controller being included in the SoC.

9 . The device of claim 1 wherein
the plurality of proximity sensors includes a first proximity sensor, a second proximity sensor, a third proximity sensor, a fourth proximity sensor, a fifth proximity sensor, and a sixth proximity sensor positioned on different sides of the device, and
the controller determines the device is in the covered state in case
(1) the distance measurement generated by the first proximity sensor is less than a first determined threshold, or the distance measurement generated by the second proximity sensor is less than a second determined threshold; and
(2) the distance measurement generated by the third proximity sensor is less than a third determined threshold, and the distance measurement generated by the fourth proximity sensor is less than a fourth determined threshold; and
(3) the distance measurement generated by the fifth proximity sensor is less than a fifth determined threshold, and the distance measurement generated by the sixth proximity sensor is less than a sixth determined threshold.

10 . The device of claim 1 wherein the controller determines the motion state using machine learning.

11 . The device of claim 1 wherein the covered state is a first probability value of the device being covered by an object, and the first probability value is determined with a first probability function.

12 . The device of claim 11 wherein the motion state is a second probability value of the device being inserted into the bag or taken out of the bag, and the second probability value is determined with a second probability function that is inverse to the first probability function.

13 . The device of claim 11 wherein the first probability function is linear or curved.

14 . The device of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to determine probability values for the distance measurements, respectively, and set the covered state as a multiplication of the probability values.

15 . The device of claim 1 wherein controller is configured to determine probability values for the distance measurements, respectively, and set the covered state as one of the probability values.

16 . The device of claim 1 wherein controller is configured to determine probability values for the distance measurements, respectively, and set the covered state as an average of the probability values.

17 . A device, comprising:
a motion sensor configured to generate motion measurements; a plurality of proximity sensors configured to generate distance measurements, each of the plurality of proximity sensors positioned at a respective side of the device; and a controller configured to:
determine a motion state of the device based on the motion measurements, the motion state indicating that the device is being inserted into a bag;
determine a covered state of the device based on the distance measurements, the covered state indicating the device is covered by an object;
determine, in response to the motion state and the covered state being determined, the device is in an in-bag state indicating the device is in the bag; and
adjust a power state of the device based on the determined state of the device.

18 . The device of claim 17 wherein the controller determines the motion state using machine learning.

19 . The device of claim 17 wherein
the covered state is a first probability value of the device being covered by an object, and the first probability value is determined with a first probability function, and
the motion state is a second probability value of the device being inserted into the bag, and the second probability value is determined with a second probability function that is inverse to the first probability function.

20 . A system, comprising:
an electronic device; proximity sensors coupled to the electronic device and configured to generate distance measurements; and a motion sensor coupled to the electronic device and configured to:
generate motion measurements;
determine a motion state of the device based on the motion measurements, the motion state indicating the device is being inserted into a bag or taken out of the bag;
determine whether the device is in a covered state or a non-covered state based on the distance measurements, the covered state indicating the device is covered by an object, the non-covered state indicating the device is not covered by an object;
determine the device is in a state selected from an in-bag state and an out-of-bag state, the in-bag state indicating the device is in the bag, the out-of-bag state indicating the device is outside of the bag, the device being determined to be in the in-bag state in case the motion state indicates the device is being inserted into the bag and the device is in the covered state, the device being determined to be in the out

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Srl

Inventors

• Rivolta Stefano Paolo
• Rizzardini Federico
• Bracco Lorenzo
• Mura Roberto

Classifications

• H03K17/945

  Proximity switches (H03K17/96 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01B7/003

  for measuring position, not involving coordinate determination (coordinate measuring G01B7/004) · CPC title

• H03K2217/941

  using an optical detector · CPC title

• H03K17/941

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

• G01S17/87

  Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves · CPC title