# US 11,116,059 B2 · Proximity sensor operating method and proximity sensor applying the method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,116,059 B2 - Document ID: US11116059B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/862,577 - Filed: 2020-04-30 - Published: 2020-11-19 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2019-04-30 - Assignees: Sensortek Technology Corp. - Applicants: SensorTek technology Corp. - Inventors: Meng-Yong Lin; Ming-Huang Liu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11116059B2 ## CPC - H05B 47/115: by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings - H05B 47/17: Operational modes, e.g. switching from manual to automatic mode or prohibiting specific operations - Y02B 20/40: Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract Disclosed is a proximity sensor operating method used in a proximity sensor comprising a light-emitting device. The method comprises: in a standby mode, when an output of the proximity sensor is a first sensing state, driving a driving current of the light-emitting device to comprise a first driving current; when the proximity sensor is triggered, a check mode is entered, the proximity sensor still outputs the first sensing state, and the driving current is switched to comprise a second driving current larger than the first driving current; and in the check mode, when the length of time/number of times of triggering the proximity sensor is larger than or equal to a threshold length/number, the output of the proximity sensor switches to the second sensing state, and returning to the standby mode in which the driving current comprises the first driving current. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A proximity sensor operating method, applied for a proximity sensor comprising a light-emitting device and a processing circuit, the proximity sensor operating method comprising a standby mode and a check mode, wherein: when the proximity sensor is in the standby mode and an output of the proximity sensor is a first sensing state, the processing circuit drives a driving current of the light-emitting device to comprise a first driving current; when the proximity sensor is triggered, the proximity sensor enters the check mode and still outputs the first sensing state, and the processing circuit switches the driving current to comprise a second driving current larger than the first driving current; and when the proximity sensor is in the check mode, and a length of time or number of times of triggering the proximity sensor is larger than or equal to a threshold length or number, the output of the proximity sensor switches from the first sensing state to the second sensing state, and the proximity sensor returns to the standby mode such that the processing circuit drives the driving current to comprise the first driving current. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 1, wherein: the proximity sensor further comprises an optical sensor configured to generate an optical sensing signal according to received light, and the proximity sensor uses a first gain value or a second gain value to process the optical sensing signal to generate a sensing result; and the first gain value is larger than the second gain value, when the driving current is the first driving current, the proximity sensor uses the first gain value to process the optical sensing signal, when the driving current is the second driving current, the proximity sensor uses the second gain value to process the optical sensing signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 2, wherein the second driving current is P times the first driving current, and the first gain value is Q times the second gain value, P>1 and Q>1. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 1, further comprising: in the check mode, if the proximity sensor is no longer triggered before the length of time or number of times of triggering the proximity sensor is larger than or equal to the threshold length or number, the output of the proximity sensor is maintained at the first sensing state, and returning to the standby mode such that the driving current comprises the first driving current. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 1, wherein the first sensing state is a near state and the second sensing state is a far state; wherein the proximity sensor is triggered if the proximity sensor determines a value of the optical sensing signal is smaller than a first sensing threshold value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor further comprises an optical sensor configured to generate an optical sensing signal according to received light, wherein the first sensing state is a far state and the second sensing state is a near state; wherein the proximity sensor is triggered if a value of the optical sensing signal is larger than a second sensing threshold value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 1, wherein the driving current is the first driving current in the standby mode. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 1, wherein the driving current comprises the first driving current and the second driving current and is periodically the second driving current, in the standby mode. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 8, wherein the driving current is the second driving current once every 0.5˜5 seconds. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 8, wherein, in the standby mode, the proximity sensor is triggered when the driving current is the second driving current, and the proximity sensor is not triggered when the driving current is the first driving current. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 1, wherein the driving current is the second driving current in the check mode. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 1, wherein the driving current is alternately the first driving current and the second driving current in the check mode. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor further comprises an optical sensor configured to generate an optical sensing signal according to received light, wherein the first sensing state is one of a near state and a far state, and the second sensing state is the other one of the near state and the far state; wherein the proximity sensor is triggered when an output of the proximity sensor is the near state and a value of the optical sensing signal is smaller than a first sensing threshold value; wherein the proximity sensor is triggered when the output of the proximity sensor is the far state and the value of the optical sensing signal is larger than a second sensing threshold value. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 13, wherein the first sensing threshold value is smaller than or equal to the second sensing threshold value. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor further comprises an optical sensor configured to generate an optical sensing signal according to received light, wherein the first sensing state is one of a near state and a far state, and the second sensing state is the other one of the near state and the far state; wherein the proximity sensor is triggered when the driving current is the first driving current, an output of the proximity sensor is the near state and a value of the optical sensing signal is smaller than a first sensing threshold value; wherein the proximity sensor is triggered when the driving current is the first driving current, the output of the proximity sensor is the far state and the value of the optical sensing signal is larger than a second sensing threshold value; wherein the proximity sensor is triggered when the driving current is the second driving current, the output of the proximity sensor is the near state and a value of the optical sensing signal is smaller than a third sensing threshold value; wherein the proximity sensor is triggered when the driving current is the second driving current, the output of the proximity sensor is the far state and the value of the optical sensing signal is larger than a fourth sensing threshold value. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 15, wherein the first sensing threshold value is smaller than or equal to the second sensing threshold value, the third sensing threshold value is smaller than or equal to the fourth sensing threshold value. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The proximity sensor operating method of claim 15, wherein the first sensing threshold value is larger than or equal to the third sensing threshold value, the second sensing threshold value is smaller than or equal to the fourth sensing threshold value. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A proximity sensor, configured to perform the proximity sensor operating method of claim 1, comprising: a light-emitting device, configured to receive at least one driving current to emit light; an optical sensor, configured to receive light to generate an optical sensing signal.