Method for determining flooded state and electronic device thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9484736-B2
Application number	US-201414251986-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2014
Priority date	Apr 15, 2013
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

Provided is an operating method of an electronic device including a first processor, a humidity sensor, a second processor controlling the humidity sensor, and a battery, wherein the second processor and the battery are waterproofed. The method may include: detecting a power supply event from the battery; supplying a power from the battery to the second processor controlling the humidity sensor and not supplying the power to the first processor; determining, by the second processor, a humidity of the electronic device by using the humidity sensor; and when the humidity of the electronic device is greater than a first reference humidity, cutting off power supply from the battery and when the humidity of the electronic device is less than the first reference humidity, supplying the power to the first processor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:
stopping, by a second processor, power supply from a battery to a first processor which performs operations of the electronic device;
detecting, by the second processor, an event for supplying power to the first processor based on a user request after the electronic device is flooded;
determining, by the second processor, a humidity of the electronic device using a humidity sensor; and
supplying, by the second processor, the power from the battery to the first processor based on the humidity of the electronic device when the humidity has not reached a predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the supplying of the power from the battery to the first processor comprises:
supplying, when the humidity of the electronic device is less than a first reference humidity, the power from the battery to the first processor.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
continuously stopping, by the second processor, the power supplied from the battery to the first processor when the humidity of the electronic device is greater than the first reference humidity.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
storing, by the first processor, data including time when it is determined that the humidity of the electronic device is less than the first reference humidity.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stopping the power supplied from the battery to the first processor comprises:
determining, by the second processor, the humidity of the electronic device using the humidity sensor while the first processor performs an operation based on power supplied from the battery; and
stopping, by the second processor, the power supplied from the battery to the first processor when the humidity of the electronic device is greater than a second reference humidity.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the stopping the power supplied from the battery to the first processor further comprises:
storing, by the first processor, information including time when it is determined that the humidity of the electronic device is greater than the second reference humidity.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the information further includes state information of the electronic device,
wherein the state information comprises at least one of visual data of the electronic device, illumination amount data around the electronic device, impact amount data applied to the electronic device, vibration amount data of the electronic device corresponding to the impact amount data, acceleration amount data of the electronic device corresponding to the impact amount data, tilt amount data of the electronic device, rotational inertia amount data of the electronic device, and running application program list data of the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second processor and the battery are waterproofed.

9. An electronic device comprising:
a battery;
a humidity sensor;
a first processor configured to perform operations of the electronic device based on power supply from the battery; and
a second processor configured to control the battery and the humidity sensor,
wherein the second processor is further configured to:
stop the power supply from the battery to the first processor,
detect an event for supplying power to the first processor based on a user request after the electronic device is flooded;
determine a humidity of the electronic device using the humidity sensor, and
supply power from the battery to the first processor based on the humidity of the electronic device when the humidity has not reached a predetermined threshold.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the second processor is further configured to:
supply, when the humidity of the electronic device is less than a first reference humidity, the power from the battery to the first processor.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the second processor is further configured to:
continuously stop the power supplied from the battery to the first processor when the humidity of the electronic device is greater than the first reference humidity.

12. The device of claim 10 , wherein the first processor is further configured to:
store data including time when it is determined that the humidity of the electronic device is less than the first reference humidity.

13. The device of claim 9 , wherein the second processor is further configured to:
determine the humidity of the electronic device using the humidity sensor while the first processor performs an operation based on the power supplied from the battery, and
stop the power supplied from the battery to the first processor when the humidity of the electronic device is greater than a second reference humidity.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the first processor is further configured to:
store information including time when it is determined that the humidity of the electronic device is greater than the second reference humidity.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the information further includes state information of the electronic device,
wherein the state information comprises at least one of visual data of the electronic device, illumination amount data around the electronic device, impact amount data applied to the electronic device, vibration amount data of the electronic device corresponding to the impact amount data, acceleration amount data of the electronic device corresponding to the impact amount data, tilt amount data of the electronic device, rotational inertia amount data of the electronic device, and running application program list data of the electronic device.

16. The device of claim 9 , wherein the second processor and the battery are waterproofed.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hong Hyun-Ju
• Choi Seung-Ki

Classifications

• H02H5/083 Primary

  responsive to the entry or leakage of a liquid into an electrical appliance (moisture alarm G08B21/20) · CPC title

• G05D22/02 Primary

  characterised by the use of electric means · CPC title