Application using a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD)
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics (Research & Development) Limited
InventorDavid Patrick Baxter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electronic device may include a housing having a mousing surface, and a navigation device carried by the housing and comprising a proximity detector. The proximity detector may include a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) configured to detect movement of an activator adjacent the mousing surface. For example, the proximity detector may detect movement along three axes.
Claims30
A navigation device comprising:
- a housing having a transparent window on an external surface thereof, said transparent window defining a mousing surface;
- a proximity detector carried internally by said housing and comprising an array of single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) configured to detect three-dimensional movement of an adjacent activator relative to said mousing surface;
- an illumination source carried internally by said housing and configured to transmit illumination through said transparent window and to be reflected by the activator through said transparent window and to said array of SPADs;
- and
- a controller configured to calculate a phase change between transmitted illumination and illumination received following reflection from the activator, and to determine a range of the activator to said housing based upon operating said illumination source with a plurality of different modulation frequencies.
An electronic device comprising:
- a housing having a transparent window on an external surface thereof, said transparent window defining a mousing surface;
- a navigation device carried internally by said housing and comprising a proximity detector comprising at least one single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) configured to detect three-dimensional movement of an activator relative to said mousing surface;
- an illumination source carried internally by said housing and configured to transmit illumination through said transparent window and to be reflected by the activator through said transparent window and to said at least one SPAD;
- and
- a controller configured to compare transmitted illumination and illumination received following reflection from the activator, and to determine a range of the activator to said housing based upon operating said illumination source with a plurality of different modulation frequencies.
A method of making a navigation device comprising:
- forming a housing having a transparent window on an external surface thereof, the transparent window defining a mousing surface;
- forming a proximity detector to be carried internally by the housing and comprising at least one single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) to detect three-dimensional movement of an adjacent activator relative to the mousing surface;
- coupling an illumination source to be carried internally by the housing and to transmit illumination through the transparent window and to be reflected by the activator through the transparent window and to the at least one SPAD;
- and
- coupling a controller to compare transmitted illumination and the illumination received following reflection from the activator, and to determine a range of the activator to the housing based upon operating the illumination source with a plurality of different modulation frequencies.
A method for operating an electronic device comprising a housing having a transparent window on an external surface thereof, the transparent window defining a mousing surface, a navigation device carried internally by the housing and comprising a proximity detector comprising at least one single photon avalanche diode (SPAD), and an illumination source carried internally by the housing, the method comprising:
- operating the proximity detector to detect three-dimensional movement of an activator relative to the mousing surface;
- operating the illumination source to transmit illumination through the transparent window and to be reflected by the activator through the transparent window and to the at least one SPAD;
- and
- comparing transmitted illumination and illumination received following reflection from the activator, and determining a range of the activator to the housing based upon operating the illumination source with a plurality of different modulation frequencies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.