Sensing assembly for mobile device

A mobile device including an infrared sensing assembly by which a determination as to a location of an external object can be made, the mobile device comprising:

• at least one photoreceiver;
• a plurality of phototransmitters, wherein the respective phototransmitters are actuated to emit respective infrared light portions during respective successive time windows;
• a pyramid-type structure having a central surface and a plurality of outer surfaces extending away from the central surface, wherein each outer surface is inclined relative to the central surface;
• and
• a processing device coupled to each one of the at least one photoreceiver and the plurality of phototransmitters,
• wherein the processing device makes the determination of the location of the external object based upon a plurality of signals provided at least indirectly to the processing device from the at least one photoreceiver,
• wherein each respective signal is indicative of a respective reflected light portion received by the at least one photoreceiver during a respective one of the time windows during which was emitted a respective one of the infrared light portions,
• wherein each respective phototransmitter is either oriented in a manner corresponding to a respective orientation of a respective one of the outer surfaces with which the respective phototransmitter is associated, or is actuated to emit the respective infrared light portion for reflection or refraction toward the respective one of the outer surfaces, so that the respective emitted infrared light portions are respectively transmitted away from the mobile device as respective transmitted infrared light portions in respective pluralities of directions about respective central axes that are normal relative to the respective ones of the outer surfaces with which the respective phototransmitters are associated, the central axes being in different directions angularly offset from and about an additional axis extending normally outward from the central surface, and
• wherein the reflected light portions received by the at least one photoreceiver include the infrared light portions originating at the phototransmitters.

A method of determining a location of an external object relative to a mobile device, the method comprising:

• (a) providing a pyramid-type structure as part of the mobile device, the pyramid-type structure having a central surface and a plurality of outer surfaces extending away from the central surface and being inclined in relation thereto;
• (b) actuating a plurality of infrared phototransmitters within a plurality of sequential time windows, respectively, so that respective amounts of infrared light are directed outward away from the mobile device, wherein each phototransmitter is positioned to emit the respective amount of infrared light about a respective central axis of transmission that is normal to the respective one of the outer surfaces with which the respective phototransmitter is associated, and each central axis of transmission is angularly offset from an additional axis extending normally outward from the central surface and is oriented in a different direction about the additional axis with respect to the others of the central axes of transmission;
• (c) receiving by way of at least one infrared photoreceiver a plurality of reflected light portions during the plurality of sequential time windows, respectively, wherein each respective one of the reflected light portions includes the respective amount of the infrared light that was directed outward away from the mobile device as a result of the actuating of a respective one of the infrared phototransmitters during the respective sequential time window, and wherein the reflected light portions received by the at least one infrared photoreceiver include the infrared light amounts originating at each of the phototransmitters;
• and
• (d) determining the location of the external object based upon signals from the at least one infrared photoreceiver indicative of the received reflected light portions.