Mobile device with temperature sensing capability and method of operating same
The present invention relates to electronic devices such as mobile devices, and methods of operating such devices. In one embodiment of the invention, the electronic device includes first and second temperature sensors positioned at different respective locations on the electronic device and at least one processing device. The first and second temperature sensors respectively output first and second signals indicative of the respective temperatures experienced at those respective sensors. The at least one processing device (i) receives the first and second signals respectively from the first and second temperature sensors respectively and generates based thereon an indication of a difference or a relationship between the first and second temperatures, and (ii) determines an operational context of the electronic device based at least in part upon the difference. In an additional embodiment, other sensor information from one or more other sensors is taken into account in determining the operational context.
1. An electronic device comprising:
a plurality of group sensors positioned at a first location, a second location, and a third location, wherein each group sensors includes at least one temperature sensing device at or proximate to the exterior surface of the electronic device;
an operational amplifier, coupled to the plurality of group sensors, that generates an output signal based on distribution of temperature at the first location, the second location, and the third location;
a memory device that stores a look-up table having expected thermal difference values corresponding to a plurality of different operation modes of the electronic device, wherein expected thermal difference values in the look-up table indicate different temperature differentials that correspond to an expected measurement based on at least two of the plurality of group sensors; and
at least one processing device that receives the output signals from the operational amplifier and determines, based at least in part on a current operation mode of the electronic device included in the plurality of different operation modes, an operational context of the electronic device based at least upon the output signal and at least one of the expected thermal difference values stored in the look-up table that corresponds to the current operation mode.
2. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising an additional sensing device that senses a characteristic other than a temperature and that provides an additional signal indicative of the sensed characteristic, and wherein the at least one processing device determines the operational context of the electronic device additionally based at least in part upon the additional signal.
3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the additional sensing device includes a touch sensor and the sensed characteristic is whether the touch sensor is being touched.
4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the touch sensor is a side touch sensor positioned along a side edge of the electronic device, wherein the electronic device further includes an accelerometer and a visible light sensor, and wherein the at least one processing device determines the operational context additionally based at least in part upon signals received from the accelerometer and the visible light sensor.
5. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the exterior surface of the electronic device has a front surface portion, a rear surface portion, and a side edge portion extending between the front and rear surface portions, wherein the first and second locations are respectively at or proximate to the front and rear surface portions, and wherein the touch sensor is arranged along the side edge portion.
6. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the additional sensing device includes one of a tilt sensor, a vibration sensor, an accelerometer, gyroscope, and a gravitometer.
7. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the additional sensing device includes one or more of a visible light sensor, an infrared light sensor, a camera, and an electrical/ground isolation sensor.
8. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of additional sensing devices, each of which senses a respective characteristic other than a temperature, and each of which provides a respective signal indicative of the sensed respective characteristic, and wherein the at least one processing device determines the operational context of the electronic device additionally based at least in part upon the respective signals.
9. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more additional temperature sensing devices each of which provides a respective additional signal indicative of a respective additional temperature experienced at the respective additional temperature sensing device.
10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein at least one processing device receives each respective additional signal and determines one or more additional temperature differences among the plurality of group sensors and additional temperature sensing devices.
11. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of group sensors, and one or more additional temperature sensing devices are connected in series with one another to form a series-connected temperature sensing circuit, and wherein the at least one processing device determines the difference based upon an aggregation of all of the signals provided by the plurality of group sensors and one or more additional temperature sensing devices.
12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of group sensors output either voltages or currents reflective of temperatures experienced by those respective temperature sensing devices, and wherein the plurality of group sensors are either coupled in series with one another or coupled in parallel with one another.
13. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device includes a wireless transceiver, the wireless transceiver operational to receive data from a remote sensor, and
wherein the processing device determines the operational context of the electronic device based at least in part upon the remote sensor data.
14. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the operational context is determined to be either (a) presence of the electronic device within a pocket, or (b) presence of the electronic device within a purse.
15. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is a mobile device that includes a wireless transceiver, at least one input device, and at least one output device, all of which are coupled to the at least one processing device.
16. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein each respective expected thermal difference value in the lookup table is associated with:
a first respective value in the lookup table that represents a respective operation mode of the plurality of different operation modes, and
a second respective value in the lookup table that represents a respective operational context of a plurality of operational contexts.
17. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processing device that determines the operational context of the electronic device:
compares the output signal and the at least one of the expected thermal difference values stored in the look-up table to determine the operational context of the electronic device.