Electronic device and antenna output power control method for electronic device

Abstract

An electronic device according to various embodiments includes: a housing; an antenna disposed within the housing or formed at a portion of the housing; a grip sensor that detects contact or approaching of an external object; and a processor operably connected to the antenna and the grip sensor, where the processor may be configured to: identify a first sensing value of the grip sensor; if the identified first sensing value is less than or equal to a first reference value, determining that the output power of the antenna is a first intensity; if a second sensing value of the grip sensor identified after identifying the first sensing value is greater than the first reference value and less than or equal to a second reference value greater than the first reference value, identifying whether the electronic device is in use or not in use based on whether there is a user input to the electronic device; and if the electronic device is not in use, determining that the output power of the antenna is the first intensity or a second intensity less than the first intensity based on a third reference value and a third sensing value of the grip sensor identified after identifying the second sensing value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, for example, to an electronic device capable of transmitting or receiving a wireless signal via at least one antenna and an antenna output power control method of the electronic device. Background Art

[0002] An electronic device that a user can carry, such as a laptop personal computer (laptop PC), a tablet PC, etc., can access a network using wireless communication technology. For example, the electronic device may include various types of wireless communication functions, such as wireless LAN (or Wi-Fi), cellular mobile communication (e.g., LTE, 5G), Bluetooth, etc., and may include at least one antenna for wireless communication.

[0003] The electromagnetic waves output from the antenna of the electronic device may adversely affect the human body. For example, when the human body is exposed to the low frequency (1Hz-100kHz) of the antenna, the induced current in the human body may stimulate the nerves. When the human body is exposed to the high frequency (100kHz-10GHz or higher), a thermal effect that increases the temperature of the human body may occur. The thermal effect caused by the high frequency can be quantitatively expressed as the specific absorption rate (SAR) of electromagnetic waves, and the electronic device may need to be designed to meet the SAR standard. Regarding SAR, due to the high output of the electromagnetic wave (or Tx power) of the antenna, the degree of harm affecting the human body increases, and therefore, when the electronic device is in contact with the human body, the output power of the antenna may need to be adjusted to meet the SAR standard. However, when the electronic device reduces the output power of the antenna to meet the SAR standard, the transmission performance of the wireless signal may deteriorate, and therefore the performance of wireless communication and the satisfaction of the SAR standard may be in a trade-off relationship (or trade-off). Summary of the invention

[0004] Technical issues

[0005] In order to meet the SAR standard and optimize the performance of wireless communication, the electronic device can be configured so that the output power of the antenna is reduced only when the human body is in contact with the electronic device, which is called transmission power back-off (Tx power back-off) control. In this case, in order to determine whether the human body is in contact, a grip sensor can be used.

[0006] The electronic device may use the sensing value of the grip sensor, may determine that the human body is in contact when the sensing value reaches a predetermined reference value, and may perform a transmission power backoff operation. However, even in a case where the grip sensor of the electronic device is in contact with an object other than the human body, such as when the electronic device is placed on a table and used, the sensing value of the grip sensor may have a predetermined level of variation. Therefore, although the human body is not actually in contact, a transmission power backoff operation may be performed, which may serve as a limitation to wireless communication.

[0007] Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electronic device and an antenna output power control method of the electronic device, which can meet the SAR standard and optimize the performance of wireless communication by determining whether a human body is in contact.

[0008] Solution to the problem

[0009] According to various embodiments, the electronic device may include: a shell, an antenna arranged in the shell or formed in a part of the shell, a grip sensor configured to sense a contact or approaching external object, and a processor operably connected to the antenna and the grip sensor, wherein the processor may be configured to: identify a first sensing value of the grip sensor; in a case where the identified first sensing value is less than or equal to a first reference value, determine the output power of the antenna to be a first intensity; in a case where a second sensing value of the grip sensor identified after identifying the first sensing value is greater than the first reference value and less than or equal to a second reference value greater than the first reference value, identify whether the electronic device is in use or in an unused state based on whether a user input is provided to the electronic device; and, in a case where the electronic device is in an unused state, determine the output power of the antenna to be the first intensity or a second intensity lower than the first intensity based on a third reference value and the third sensing value of the grip sensor identified after identifying the second sensing value.

[0010] According to various embodiments, a method for controlling the output power of an antenna of an electronic device may include: an operation of identifying a first sensing value sensed by a holding sensor; an operation of determining the output power of the antenna of the electronic device to be a first intensity when the identified first sensing value is less than or equal to a first reference value; an operation of identifying whether the electronic device is in use or not based on whether user input is provided to the electronic device and when a second sensing value of the holding sensor identified after identifying the first sensing value is greater than the first reference value and less than or equal to a second reference value greater than the first reference value; and, when the electronic device is not in use, an operation of determining the output power of the antenna to be the first intensity or a second intensity lower than the first intensity based on a third reference value and the third sensing value of the holding sensor identified after identifying the second sensing value.

[0011] Advantageous Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to various embodiments, an electronic device and an antenna output power control method of the electronic device may determine whether to perform an antenna output power backoff operation based on a sensed value of a grip sensor and a usage status of the user's electronic device to meet SAR standards and optimize performance of wireless communication. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment according to various embodiments.

[0014] Figure 2a , Figure 2b , Figure 2c and Figure 2d is a diagram illustrating a structure of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0015] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0016] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an antenna output control method of an electronic device according to a comparative example.

[0017] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a SAR testing method of an electronic device.

[0018] Figure 6 is a table listing Cap difference values ​​measured for each object by the electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0019] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating Cap difference values ​​and reference values ​​according to various embodiments.

[0020] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an antenna output control method of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0021] Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an antenna output control method of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0022] Fig.10 is a table listing average output power measured for each frequency band by an electronic device according to various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Figure 1 An exemplary electronic device 100 is described. The electronic device 100 may provide a variety of different functions. In addition, the electronic device 100 may include an antenna module 197. The antenna module 197 may communicate with a network by using electromagnetic signals. Electromagnetic signals may cause burns to a human body depending on the transmission intensity.

[0024] Therefore, it is important to limit SAR. However, limiting SAR may cause the communication between the electronic device 100 and the network to deteriorate. Therefore, when the human body is in contact with the electronic device, it is necessary to reduce the strength of the electromagnetic signal (backoff operation).

[0025] The grip sensor may indicate when the body is in contact with the electronic device. However, other objects (besides the human body) may also cause the grip sensor output. Therefore, some embodiments may perform a fallback operation based on the output of the grip sensor and a determination of whether the electronic device 100 is in use.

[0026] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100 according to various embodiments. Figure 1 , the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 may communicate with the electronic device 102 via the first network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or communicate with at least one of the electronic device 104 or the server 108 via the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 via the server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may include a processor 120, a memory 130, an input module 150, a sound output module 155, a display module 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177, a connection terminal 178, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module 190, a user identification module (SIM) 196, or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, at least one of the above components (e.g., the connection terminal 178) may be omitted from the electronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added to the electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the above-described components (eg, sensor module 176, camera module 180, or antenna module 197) may be implemented as a single integrated component (eg, display module 160) 11.

[0027] The processor 120 may run, for example, software (e.g., program 140) to control at least one other component (e.g., hardware component or software component) of the electronic device 101 connected to the processor 120, and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or calculation, the processor 120 may store a command or data received from another component (e.g., sensor module 176 or communication module 190) in the volatile memory 132, process the command or data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store the resultant data in the non-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)) or an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that is operationally independent or combined with the main processor 121. For example, when the electronic device 101 includes a main processor 121 and an auxiliary processor 123, the auxiliary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or adapted to be dedicated to a specific function. The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented separately from the main processor 121, or as part of the main processor 121.

[0028] When the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, the auxiliary processor 123 (rather than the main processor 121) may control at least some of the functions or states related to at least one component among the components of the electronic device 1011 (e.g., the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190), or when the main processor 121 is in an active state (e.g., running an application), the auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of the functions or states related to at least one component among the components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190) together with the main processor 121. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., a camera module 180 or a communication module 190) that is functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a neural processing unit) may include a hardware structure dedicated to artificial intelligence model processing. The artificial intelligence model may be generated by machine learning. For example, such learning may be performed by the electronic device 101 where the artificial intelligence is executed or via a separate server (e.g., server 108). The learning algorithm may include, but is not limited to, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, for example. The artificial intelligence model may include multiple artificial neural network layers. The artificial neural network may be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), or a deep Q network or a combination of two or more thereof, but is not limited thereto. Additionally or optionally, the artificial intelligence model may include a software structure in addition to a hardware structure.

[0029] The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176). The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., the program 140) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory 130 may include a volatile memory 132 or a nonvolatile memory 134.

[0030] The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130 , and may include, for example, an operating system (OS) 142 , middleware 144 , or applications 146 .

[0031] The input module 150 may receive commands or data to be used by other components (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101 from outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101. The input module 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus).

[0032] The sound output module 155 can output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device 101. The sound output module 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as playing multimedia or playing records. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. Depending on the embodiment, the receiver can be implemented as a separate part from the speaker, or as part of the speaker.

[0033] The display module 160 may visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., a user). The display device 160 may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector, and a control circuit for controlling a corresponding one of the display, the holographic device, and the projector. According to an embodiment, the display module 160 may include a touch sensor adapted to detect a touch or a pressure sensor adapted to measure the strength of a force caused by a touch.

[0034] The audio module 170 may convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtain sound via the input module 150, or output sound via the sound output module 155 or an earphone of an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly connected to the electronic device 101.

[0035] The sensor module 176 may detect an operating state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state (e.g., a state of a user) outside the electronic device 101, and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illumination sensor.

[0036] The interface 177 may support one or more specific protocols to be used to connect the electronic device 101 directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

[0037] The connection end 178 may include a connector, wherein the electronic device 101 can be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102) via the connector. According to an embodiment, the connection end 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0038] The haptic module 179 may convert the electrical signal into mechanical stimulation (eg, vibration or motion) or electrical stimulation that can be recognized by the user via his sense of touch or kinesthetic sense. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulator.

[0039] The camera module 180 may capture still images or moving images. According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, an image signal processor, or a flash.

[0040] The power management module 188 may manage power supply to the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0041] The battery 189 may power at least one component of the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0042] The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102, electronic device 104, or server 108), and perform communication via the established communication channel. The communication module 190 may include one or more communication processors capable of operating independently from the processor 120 (e.g., an application processor (AP)) and supporting direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module 192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules can communicate with an external electronic device via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Direct, or Infrared Data Association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a traditional cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or a wide area network (WAN))). These various types of communication modules can be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or these various types of communication modules can be implemented as multiple components separated from each other (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module 192 can identify and authenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) using user information (e.g., an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)) stored in the user identification module 196.

[0043] The wireless communication module 192 can support 5G networks after 4G networks and next-generation communication technologies (e.g., new radio (NR) access technology). NR access technology can support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), or ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC). The wireless communication module 192 can support high-frequency bands (e.g., millimeter wave bands) to achieve, for example, high data transmission rates. The wireless communication module 192 can support various technologies for ensuring performance on high-frequency bands, such as, for example, beamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output (massive MIMO), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, or massive antennas. The wireless communication module 192 can support various requirements specified in the electronic device 101, an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 104), or a network system (e.g., a second network 199). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 192 may support a peak data rate for implementing eMBB (e.g., 20 Gbps or greater), loss coverage for implementing mMTC (e.g., 164 dB or less), or U-plane delay for implementing URLLC (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for each of the downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less round trip).

[0044] The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to or from the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include an antenna including a radiating element formed of a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication scheme used in a communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module 190 (e.g., the wireless communication module 192). A signal or power may then be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiating element may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module 197.

[0045] According to various embodiments, the antenna module 197 may form a millimeter wave antenna module. According to an embodiment, the millimeter wave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas), wherein the RFIC is disposed on a first surface (e.g., bottom surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the first surface and capable of supporting a specified high frequency band (e.g., millimeter wave band), and the plurality of antennas are disposed on a second surface (e.g., top surface or side surface) of the printed circuit board, or adjacent to the second surface and capable of transmitting or receiving signals of the specified high frequency band.

[0046] At least some of the above components may be connected to each other via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purpose input output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)) and communicatively transmit signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween.

[0047] According to an embodiment, a command or data may be sent or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 via the server 108 connected to the second network 199. Each of the electronic device 102 or the electronic device 104 may be a device of the same type as the electronic device 101, or a device of a different type from the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, all or some operations to be executed in the electronic device 101 may be executed in one or more of the external electronic device 102, the external electronic device 104, or the server 108. For example, if the electronic device 101 should automatically execute a function or service or should execute a function or service in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to execute at least part of the function or service instead of executing the function or service, or the electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to execute at least part of the function or service in addition to executing the function or service. The one or more external electronic devices receiving the request may execute at least part of the function or service requested, or execute another function or another service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 may provide the result as at least a partial reply to the request in the case of further processing the result or in the case of not further processing the result. To this end, cloud computing technology, distributed computing technology, mobile edge computing (MEC) technology or client-server computing technology, for example, may be used. The electronic device 101 may use, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing to provide ultra-low latency services. In another embodiment, the external electronic device 104 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server 108 may be an intelligent server using machine learning and / or neural networks. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 104 or the server 108 may be included in the second network 199. The electronic device 101 may be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart homes, smart cities, smart cars or health care) based on 5G communication technology or IoT-related technologies.

[0048] The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one of various types of electronic devices. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a household appliance. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device is not limited to those electronic devices described above.

[0049] It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features set forth herein to specific embodiments, but include various changes, equivalent forms or alternative forms for corresponding embodiments. For the description of the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It will be understood that the nouns in the singular form corresponding to the term may include one or more things unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of the phrases such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C" and "at least one of A, B or C" may include any one or all possible combinations of the items listed together with the corresponding one of the multiple phrases. As used herein, terms such as "1st" and "2nd" or "first" and "second" may be used to simply distinguish the corresponding component from another component, and do not limit the component in other aspects (e.g., importance or order). It will be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being “combined with another element (e.g., the second element)”, “combined to another element (e.g., the second element)”, “connected with another element (e.g., the second element)”, or “connected to another element (e.g., the second element)” when the terms “operably” or “communicatively” are used or when the terms “operably” or “communicatively” are not used, it means that the element may be directly (e.g., wired) connected to the other element, wirelessly connected to the other element, or connected to the other element via a third element.

[0050] As used in connection with various embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "module" may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with other terms (e.g., "logic," "logic block," "portion," or "circuit"). A module may be a single integrated component adapted to perform one or more functions or a minimum unit or portion of the single integrated component. For example, depending on the embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0051] The various embodiments described herein may be implemented as software (e.g., program 140) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory 138) that can be read by a machine (e.g., electronic device 101). For example, under the control of a processor, a processor (e.g., processor 120) of the machine (e.g., electronic device 101) may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium and execute the at least one instruction with or without the use of one or more other components. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction called. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code that can be run by an interpreter. A machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Among them, the term "non-transitory" only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but the term does not distinguish between data being semi-permanently stored in a storage medium and data being temporarily stored in a storage medium.

[0052] According to an embodiment, the method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be published in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be published online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play StoreTM), or may be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). If published online, at least part of the computer program product may be temporarily generated, or at least part of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored in a machine-readable storage medium (such as a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a memory of a forwarding server).

[0053] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., module or program) in the above-mentioned components may include a single entity or multiple entities, and some entities in the multiple entities may be separately arranged in different components. According to various embodiments, one or more components in the above-mentioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform the one or more functions of each component in the multiple components in the same or similar manner as the corresponding one component in the multiple components before integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program or another component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly or in a heuristic manner, or one or more operations in the operations may be run or omitted in different orders, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0054] The electronic device 200 may be disposed in the housing. In addition, the antennas 233 and 234 may be disposed close to the housing to better propagate electromagnetic signals. However, if the user's body is close to the antenna, the electromagnetic signal with a sufficiently high intensity may cause burns to the user.

[0055] Figure 2a , Figure 2b , Figure 2c and Figure 2d is a diagram illustrating a structure of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0056] Figure 2a , Figure 2b and Figure 2c A structure of a laptop personal computer (laptop PC) as an example of an electronic device is described.

[0057] refer to Figure 2a , the electronic device 200 may include a display housing 210 (or a first housing) and a main body housing 230 (or a second housing). The display housing 210 may include a display 212, and may be rotatably coupled to the main body housing 230 in a direction in which the display 212 is exposed to the outside in an open state and is hidden inside in a closed state.

[0058] Various components such as a processor, a memory, a radio frequency front end (RFFE) module, and a battery may be provided inside the main body housing 230, and at least some of the components may be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) and may be electrically connected to each other. Among the components included in the main body housing 230, a keyboard 231 and a touch pad 232 may be exposed at the upper end of the main body housing 230 to receive user input.

[0059] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 200 may include various types of wireless communication functions, such as wireless LAN (or Wi-Fi), cellular mobile communication (e.g., LTE, 5G), Bluetooth, etc., and may include at least one antenna 233 and an antenna 234 for the wireless communication function. The electronic device 200 may include an antenna for each communication scheme, and at least some of the antennas may transmit or receive signals of various communication schemes.

[0060] According to various embodiments, at least one antenna 233 and antenna 234 may be disposed in a side portion of the main body housing 230. For example, in the main body housing 230 of the electronic device 200, the palm rest portion, which is two spaces beside the touch pad 232, may be allowed to be disposed in a large area, and thus may be the most effective space for the antenna 233 and antenna 234 to be disposed. The antenna 233 and antenna 234 may be disposed inside the main body housing 230, or may be formed in at least a portion of the side and / or bottom side, and may transmit or receive wireless signals. For example, the area of ​​the main body housing 230 where the antenna 233 and antenna 234 are disposed may be made of a non-metallic material.

[0061] Figure 2b and Figure 2c 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main body housing 230 of the electronic device 200 in an inverted state. As shown in the figure, from the top to the bottom (from Figure 2b and Figure 2c From bottom to top in the figure), the C-shaped plastic cover and C-shaped metal cover 241 connected to each other, the keyboard bracket 247, the antenna FPCB 242, the antenna receiving part 243 (ANT carrier), the speaker module 244, the D plastic cover 245 and the D metal cover 246 are stacked and connected to each other.

[0062] The antenna 233 and the antenna 234 may be disposed inside the main body housing 230 and may be accommodated by the antenna receiving portion. The antenna receiving portion may be formed of a non-metal material so that electromagnetic waves of the antenna 233 and the antenna 234 can pass through. According to an embodiment, at least a portion of the antenna 233 and the antenna 234 may be exposed to the outside of the main body housing 230 so as to transmit electromagnetic waves. The antenna 233 and the antenna 234 may be electrically connected to the antenna FPCB.

[0063] According to the SAR regulation, in the case where the antenna 233 and the antenna 234 are set within a predetermined distance (e.g., 150 mm) from the bottom of the electronic device 200, the housing may need to be tested. The electronic device 200 can be configured to be thin for easy carrying, and the antenna 233 and the antenna 234 can be set within a distance from the bottom side based on the SAR regulation. Therefore, the electronic device 200 may need to be designed to meet the SAR standard. For example, the electronic device 200 may use a grip sensor to sense whether a human body is in contact or close, and when the human body is in contact with or close to the antenna 233 and the antenna 234, a fallback operation of reducing the output power of the antenna 233 and the antenna 234 may be performed. However, in the case where the electronic device 200 reduces the output power of the antenna 233 and the antenna 234 to meet the SAR standard, the transmission performance of the wireless signal may deteriorate, and therefore, the performance of wireless communication and the satisfaction of the SAR standard may be in a trade-off relationship (or trade-off).

[0064] According to various embodiments, based on multiple reference values ​​based on sensing values ​​measured in various scenarios and the usage status of the electronic device 200, the electronic device 200 can identify whether a human body is in contact or approach according to the SAR standard, and can perform a fallback operation for the antenna 233 and the antenna 234 only when a human body is actually in contact or approach.

[0065] Figure 2d The structure of a tablet PC is shown as an example of the electronic device.

[0066] Reference Figure 2d , the electronic device 250 may include a display 210 exposed through the front side of the housing. According to various embodiments, at least a portion of the display 210 may be flexible, bendable, or foldable. For example, Figure 2dThe display 210 is shown in an unfolded state, and the display 210 can be divided into a first area 211 and a second area 212 based on a center line 213, and can be folded based on the center line 213. When the electronic device 250 is fully folded, the display 210 can be hidden inside. The electronic device 250 may include a first housing covering the first area 211 of the display 210 and a second housing covering the second area 212 of the display 210, and the first housing and the second housing may be rotatably coupled. The display 210 may be a touch screen that can sense a user's touch input.

[0067] The electronic device 250 may be fixed in a state of at least partial folding. For example, in a state where the first housing is placed on the floor, the second housing is tilted at a predetermined angle, and thus the electronic device 250 may be used in the form of a laptop PC. In this case, an application screen is displayed in the second area 212 of the display 210, and a keyboard screen may be displayed in the first area 211 to receive user input.

[0068] According to various embodiments, the antenna 230 may be disposed on a side of the first housing or the second housing. For example, the area of ​​the first housing or the second housing in which the antenna 230 is disposed may be made of a non-metal material so as to be able to transmit electromagnetic waves of the antenna 230. According to another embodiment, at least a portion of the antenna 230 may be exposed to the outside of the housing. Although a laptop PC ( Figure 2a , Figure 2b and Figure 2c ) and foldable tablet PC( Figure 2d ), but the electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, an electronic device including an antenna having various types of wireless communication functions such as wireless LAN (or Wi-Fi), cellular mobile communication (e.g., LTE, 5G), Bluetooth, etc. may be the electronic device of the present disclosure.

[0069] Generally speaking, when the user's body does not touch the electronic device, the antennas 230, 233, 234 may transmit electromagnetic waves with a higher intensity. However, when the user's body touches the electronic device 200, the electronic device may perform a back-off operation. The grip sensor may indicate whether the user's body is close to the electronic device 200.

[0070] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0071] Reference Figure 3According to various embodiments, the electronic device 300 may include a processor 310, a memory 320, an antenna 330, a grip sensor 340, a display 350, a keyboard 360, and a touch pad 370. Although some of the components shown in the figure may be omitted or replaced, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The electronic device 300 may also include Figure 1 at least a portion of the components and / or functions of the electronic device 101 and may include Figure 2a to Figure 2c The structure of the electronic device 200 or Figure 2d The structure of the electronic device 250.

[0072] The electronic device 300 according to various embodiments may be a laptop personal computer (laptop PC), and is not limited thereto. For example, the electronic device 300 is a device such as a tablet PC, a smart phone, etc., which includes an antenna having various types of wireless communication functions such as wireless LAN (or Wi-Fi), cellular mobile communication (e.g., LTE, 5G), Bluetooth, etc., and may be a device that needs to meet the specific absorption rate (SAR) standard.

[0073] According to various embodiments, the display 350 may display an image provided from the processor 310. For example, although the display 350 may be implemented as any one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) display, or an electronic paper display, it is not limited thereto. The display 350 may include Figure 1 At least a portion of the configuration and / or function of the display module 160.

[0074] According to various embodiments, the keyboard 360 may include various keys, and a plurality of keys may be provided in the form of, for example, a QWERTY key arrangement. The keyboard 360 may transmit key input information to the processor 310 based on a user input to each key.

[0075] According to various embodiments, the touch panel 370 may detect a user touch input. For example, the touch panel 370 as a capacitive touch panel may sense a position touched by a user based on a change in capacitance, and may transmit it as an input signal to the processor 310. The touch panel 370 may include a wheel area, and may include at least one hard key corresponding to a mouse input key.

[0076] The electronic device 300 may include a display housing (or a first housing) and a main housing (or a second housing). Figure 2a The display housing 210 may include a display 350 and may be connected to a main housing (eg, Figure 2a The main body housing 230 of the main body housing is rotatably connected. Various components such as a processor 310, a memory 320, a radio frequency front end (RFFE) module, and a battery may be provided inside the main body housing, and at least some of the components may be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) and may be electrically connected to each other. A keyboard 360 and a touch pad 370 may be exposed at the upper end of the main body housing to receive user input.

[0077] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 300 may include at least one antenna 330. The antenna 330 may change an electrical signal into an electromagnetic wave and may transmit the electromagnetic wave (Tx), or may change the electromagnetic wave into an electrical signal (Rx). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 300 may include four antennas 330 for supporting 5G mobile communications. In the case where the electronic device 300 includes a plurality of antennas, each antenna may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other and may be disposed in, for example, a palm rest area corresponding to a side of the touch pad 370 of the main body housing. The antenna 330 may include Figure 1 at least a portion of the configuration and / or functionality of antenna module 197 .

[0078] According to various embodiments, the grip sensor 340 may sense whether a human body is in contact or approaching. For example, based on a capacitance change sensed via the recognition pad, the grip sensor 340 may sense whether a human body is in contact or approaching. The recognition pad may be connected to the ground of the PCB, and when a human body or an external object is in contact with the recognition pad, a capacitance change may occur due to the contact.

[0079] According to various embodiments, the grip sensor 340 may include an integrated structure connected to at least a portion of one or more antennas 330. For example, the pattern of the antenna 330 may be designed to serve as an identification pad of the grip sensor 340, and when the user's body contacts or approaches the antenna 330, the grip sensor 340 may sense the contact or approach. According to an embodiment, at least a portion of the antenna pattern may be connected to the grip sensor 340 and the communication module (or RFFE module), an RF blocking inductor as a low pass filter (LPF) may be provided in the path to the grip sensor 340, and a DC blocking capacitor as a high pass filter (HPF) may be provided in the path to the communication module. Therefore, the high frequency signal of the antenna 330 may not be input to the grip sensor 340, and the antenna 330 may serve as a transmitter for wireless communication, and may also serve as an identification pad for grip sensing. According to an embodiment, the grip sensor 340 may provide a signal having a frequency lower than that of the wireless signal output from the antenna 330, and may detect a change in dielectric constant caused thereby, and may sense a human body in contact.

[0080] According to various embodiments, the memory 320 may include a well-known volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. The memory 320 may store various instructions that can be executed in the processor 310. The instructions may include control commands that can be recognized by the processor 310, such as arithmetic and logical operations, data transfer, input and output, etc. The memory 320 may include Figure 1 The memory 130 may store at least a portion of the configuration and / or functionality of Figure 1 at least a portion of procedure 140 .

[0081] According to various embodiments, the processor 310 may be a component capable of performing operations and data processing associated with control and / or communication of each component of the electronic device 300, and may include Figure 1 The processor 310 may be operably, electrically and / or functionally connected to internal components of the electronic device 300, such as a display 350, a keyboard 360, a touchpad 370, an antenna 330, a grip sensor 340, a memory 320, etc.

[0082] According to some embodiments, when the first sensing value from the grip sensor is lower than (or equal to) the first reference value, the processor 310 determines that the electronic device 300 is not in contact with or close to the user's body. Therefore, the processor 310 causes the antenna 330 to output power at a first intensity. The first reference value may be a value lower than the sensing value observed empirically when the electronic device 300 is known to be separated from the human body by a predetermined distance (or a threshold value lower than it).

[0083] When the first sensing value exceeds the first reference value and the second sensing value from the grip sensor 340 exceeds the second reference value, the processor 310 can determine that the electronic device 300 is in contact with the human body. Therefore, the processor 310 causes the antenna 330 to output power at a second intensity lower than the first power. The second reference value can be a value lower than the sensing value observed empirically when the electronic device 300 is known to be in contact with the human body (or a threshold value lower than it).

[0084] When the second sensing value is between the first reference value and the second reference value, the processor determines whether the electronic device 300 is in use. When the electronic device 300 is in use, the power output from the antenna is maintained at the first power. When the electronic device 300 is not in use, the output power of the amplifier is determined based on the third sensing value and the third reference value.

[0085] According to various embodiments, although the operations and data processing functions that the processor 310 can implement in the electronic device 300 are not limited, the present disclosure will describe various embodiments of determining whether a human body is in contact based on the sensed value of the grip sensor 340 and controlling the back-off function for the antenna 330. The operations of the processor 310 described below can be performed by implementing instructions stored in the memory 320.

[0086] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 300 may perform a back-off operation that reduces the output power of the antenna 330 according to the SAR standard. The thermal effect caused by the high frequency output from the antenna 330 may be quantitatively expressed as the specific absorption rate (SAR) of electromagnetic waves, and the electronic device 300 may need to be designed to meet the SAR standard. Regarding SAR, since the output amount of electromagnetic waves (or Tx power) of the antenna 330 is high, the degree of harm affecting the human body increases, and therefore, in the case where the antenna 330 is in contact with the human body, the electronic device 300 may perform a back-off operation for the antenna 330 to meet the SAR standard.

[0087] Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described in which the electronic device 300 determines whether to perform an output power backoff operation for the antenna 330 based on a comparison between a sensed value of the grip sensor 340 and various reference values ​​and a usage state of the user's electronic device 300, so as to meet the SAR standard and optimize the performance of wireless communication. The sensed value of the grip sensor 340 described below may be digital data corresponding to a difference (or proportional to) between a capacitance value measured by the electronic device 300 in a state where no adjacent object exists and a currently measured capacitance value.

[0088] According to various embodiments, the processor 310 may control the antenna 330 to have a maximum output (eg, a first intensity) when no contact or approaching human body is sensed. In this case, the grip sensor 340 may periodically sense whether a human body or an external object is in contact or approaching.

[0089] According to various embodiments, the processor 310 may recognize a first sensing value of the grip sensor 340. The first sensing value may be a sensing value of the grip sensor 340 measured in a state where a backoff operation for the antenna 330 is not triggered.

[0090] According to various embodiments, in a case where the first sensing value is less than or equal to the first reference value, the processor 310 may maintain (or determine) the first intensity (e.g., maximum output) as the output power of the antenna 330. According to various embodiments, determining the first intensity (e.g., maximum output) as the output power of the antenna 330 may include maintaining the first intensity (e.g., maximum output) as the output power of the antenna 330, or changing the output power of the antenna 330 to the first intensity (e.g., maximum output). Here, the first reference value may be determined according to the SAR standard, and may be a value lower than the sensing value measured in a state where the antenna 330 is spaced a predetermined distance from the human body. In addition, the first reference value may be a value lower than the sensing value that can be sensed in a state where an object other than the human body (e.g., a table) is in contact with the antenna 330. Determining the first intensity (e.g., maximum output) as the output power of the antenna 330 may include maintaining the first intensity (e.g., maximum output) as the output power of the antenna 330, or changing the output power of the antenna 330 to the first intensity (e.g., maximum output). Here, the first reference value may be determined according to the SAR standard, and may be a value lower than the sensing value measured in a state where the antenna 330 is spaced a predetermined distance from the human body. In addition, the first reference value may be a value lower than the sensing value that can be sensed in a state where an object other than the human body (e.g., a table) is in contact with the antenna 330. Figure 6 Examples associated with a sensed value measured in a state where a human body is in contact with or close to the antenna 330 and a sensed value measured in a state where an external object other than the human body is in contact with the antenna 330 are described.

[0091] According to various embodiments, the processor 310 may continuously identify the sensing value of the grip sensor 340 after sensing the first sensing value, and in the case where the second sensing value measured subsequently increases to be higher than the first reference value, the second sensing value may be compared with the second reference value. Here, the second reference value may be a value greater than the first reference value. The second reference value may be determined according to the SAR standard and may be configured as a value lower than the sensing value sensed in a state where the human body is in contact with the antenna 330.

[0092] According to various embodiments, according to the SAR rules, the grip sensor 340 of the electronic device 300 can recognize a human body even when it is close to the human body before contact, and therefore, the sensing parameter value of the grip sensor 340 can be configured. In this case, even when the antenna 330 is in contact with an external object (e.g., a table) having a lower dielectric constant than that of the human body, a change in the sensing value may occur. For example, when the electronic device 300 is placed on the table, the antenna 330 and the table may be in contact. In this case, the sensing value sensed by the grip sensor 340 may be lower than the case of human body contact, but may also be at a level similar to the sensing value sensed when the human body is within a predetermined distance close to the antenna 330. Therefore, the range between the first reference value and the second reference value may be a range in which both the human body or the external object can be sensed, and hereinafter, the range may be defined as a human-object mixed sensing range.

[0093] When the sensing value of the holding sensor 340 falls within the human-object mixed sensing range, the electronic device 300 can identify whether the human body is in contact with or close to the antenna 330, or can identify whether an external object other than the human body (for example, a table) is in contact with or close to the antenna 330 according to the following method.

[0094] According to various embodiments, in the case where the second sensing value is greater than the first reference value and less than or equal to the second reference value, the processor 310 may identify whether the electronic device 300 is in a use state or an unuse state. For example, the use state may be a state in which a user uses the electronic device 300 via an input device, and the unuse state may be a state in which a user input provided separately (such as viewing content via the display 350) does not exist.

[0095] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 300 may determine that the electronic device 300 is in use when a user input is provided to at least one of the keyboard 360 or the touch pad 370. For example, when a user input is provided via the keyboard 360 and / or the touch pad 370 after triggering an operation of sensing a human body due to a sensing value of the grip sensor 340 exceeding a first reference value, the electronic device 300 may be determined to be in use.

[0096] According to various embodiments, when the electronic device 300 is in a use state, the processor 310 may maintain the first intensity (e.g., maximum output) as the output power of the antenna 330. The use state is a state in which a user provides input to the keyboard 360 or the touch pad 370 by hand, and therefore, from the perspective of the use scenario, it is recognized as a case in which the electronic device 300 is placed on an external object such as a table for use. In this case, the user's body is not close to the antenna 330, and the increase in the sensing value of the grip sensor 340 is caused by contact with an external object, and therefore it is determined that the electromagnetic wave from the antenna 330 does not affect the human body. In this case, although the sensing value of the grip sensor falls within the human-object mixed sensing area, it is determined that the antenna 330 is not in contact with or close to the human body, and therefore a fallback operation for the antenna 330 may not be performed. In addition, in the use state, it may also be more important to maintain the quality of wireless communication to maintain the user experience.

[0097] According to various embodiments, when the electronic device 300 is in an unused state, the processor 310 may determine whether to maintain the first intensity as the output power of the antenna 330 or change to a second intensity lower than the first intensity based on the third reference value and the third sensing value of the grip sensor 340 identified after identifying the second sensing value. Here, reducing the output power of the antenna 330 to the second intensity may be a fallback operation for the antenna 330.

[0098] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 300 may adjust the gain of a power amplifier (PAM) of an RF front-end module connected to the antenna 330, and may adjust the output power of the antenna 330 to a first strength or a second strength. According to another embodiment, the electronic device 300 may control at least a portion of the RF front-end module or the antenna 330 to operate based on a fixed value stored in a non-volatile (NV) area.

[0099] According to various embodiments, the processor 310 may be configured to compare the difference between the third sensing value and the first sensing value with a third reference value. In the case where the first sensing value increases to be higher than the first reference value, the processor 310 may record the first sensing value. After a predetermined n seconds have passed, the third sensing value may be identified from the record. The processor 310 may calculate the difference between the third sensing value (Sn) and the recorded first sensing value (S0), and may identify whether the calculated difference is greater than the third reference value. The third reference value may be a value greater than the first reference value and less than the second reference value.

[0100] According to various embodiments, in a case where the difference between the third sensing value (Sn) and the recorded first sensing value (S0) is greater than the third reference value, the processor 310 may determine that the human body is in contact with or close to the antenna 330. Conversely, in a case where the difference between the third sensing value (Sn) and the recorded first sensing value (S0) is less than or equal to the third reference value, the processor 310 may determine that an object other than the human body is in contact, and may reduce the output strength of the antenna 330 to the second strength.

[0101] As described above, even in an unused state where there is no user input to the input device, the electronic device 300 can compare the third reference value with the difference between the third sensing value (Sn) and the recorded first sensing value (S0), and can determine whether the object in contact with or close to the antenna 330 is a human body or an object other than a human body.

[0102] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an antenna output control method of an electronic device according to a comparative example.

[0103] The method shown can be used to refer to Figure 3 and Figures 5 to 10 The various embodiments described are comparative examples, but not conventional techniques.

[0104] exist Figure 4In the embodiment of the present invention, when the sensed value from the grip sensor exceeds the reference value at 420, the processor 310 determines that the electronic device is in contact with the human body at 430, and performs a fallback operation 440. If the reference value at 420 is the first reference value, the power may be reduced unnecessarily. On the other hand, if the reference value at 420 is the second reference value, the power may not be reduced when the device is actually in contact with the human body.

[0105] Reference Figure 4 In operation 410, an electronic device (eg, Figure 3 The processor 310 of the embodiment can identify the grip sensor (e.g., Figure 3 According to an embodiment, the grip sensor may sense the capacitance value (or the change of the capacitance value) in real time or periodically, or may sense the capacitance value (or the change of the capacitance value) via an antenna (e.g. Figure 3 The sensing value of the grip sensor described below may be digital data corresponding to the difference between the capacitance value measured by the electronic device in the absence of an adjacent object and the capacitance value currently measured (or proportional thereto).

[0106] In operation 420, the electronic device may identify whether the sensed value of the grip sensor identified increases to be higher than a configured reference value (threshold value). Here, the reference value is a value determined based on the SAR standard, and may correspond to a sensed value (or a change in the sensed value) sensed in a state where the electronic device is spaced apart from the human body by a predetermined distance (e.g., 7 mm), or may be a value lower than the value. The reference value may be determined to be different for each model of the electronic device, and may be determined based on SAR experimental results in each manufacturing process associated with the electronic device.

[0107] In a case where it is identified that the sensed value of the grip sensor is less than or equal to the reference value, the electronic device may determine the output power of the antenna to be a first intensity (eg, maximum output).

[0108] In a case where the recognized sensing value of the grip sensor is greater than the reference value, the electronic device may determine in operation 430 that the contacting or approaching object is a human body.

[0109] In operation 440, in the case of human contact or proximity, the electronic device may perform a fallback operation for the antenna. For example, the electronic device may determine that the output power of the antenna is a second intensity lower than the first intensity. To this end, the electronic device may adjust the gain of a power amplifier (PAM) of an RF front-end module connected to the antenna, or may control at least a portion of the RF front-end module or the antenna to operate based on a fixed value stored in a non-volatile (NV) area.

[0110] Figure 4 The comparative example described in compares the sensing value of the grip sensor with a single reference value and determines whether the human body is in contact (or approaching). In this case, when the sensing value falls within the human-object mixed sensing range, it is not identified whether the object in contact (or approaching) is a human body or an external object other than the human body. Therefore, even if the human body is not actually in contact with the antenna, fallback is performed, and thus performance limitations may occur, thereby failing to achieve high-performance wireless communication.

[0111] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a SAR testing method of an electronic device.

[0112] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 500 (eg, Figure 3 The electronic device 300 may include at least one antenna 530 (eg, Figure 3 The antenna 330 of the main body housing 520 is provided in the side portion. For example, the antenna 530 (eg, Figure 2a The antenna 233 and the antenna 234) may be disposed in the main housing 520 (eg, Figure 2a A touch panel (eg, Figure 2a in each palm rest area next to the touch pad 232).

[0113] The electronic device 500 (e.g., a laptop PC) can be generally used in a state where the bottom side of the main body housing 520 is in contact with any place, rather than being used in a state of floating in the air. Under the assumption of such a usage scenario, from the perspective of usability, the SAR test can be performed on the electronic device 500 for electromagnetic waves on the bottom side of the main body housing 520.

[0114] When a human body approaches within a predetermined distance from the antenna 530, and when the human body is in full contact with the antenna 530, the electromagnetic waves output from the antenna 530 may affect the human body. Therefore, the SAR test rule may require the holding sensor to identify the human body from the time point when the human body approaches and begins to be within the predetermined distance at which the human body may be affected. According to the rule, the sensing parameter value of the holding sensor can be configured under the interval condition of the predetermined distance, which is opposite to the contact condition (or 0mm).

[0115] Reference Figure 5 SAR testing may be performed on the electronic device 500 under each of the human body contact condition and the human body proximity condition. The phantom 590 used when performing the SAR testing may be an object having an appearance of a size similar to that of a human anatomical structure, and having a relative permittivity (ε), conductivity (σ), and / or density (ρ) of the human anatomical structure.

[0116] The human body contact condition is an experiment performed by assuming that the antenna 530 set in the side of the electronic device 500 is in contact with the human body, and the grip sensor can determine whether the human body is in contact. In this case, the antenna 530 and the model 590 can be set in a state of contact with each other (or a distance of 0 mm apart), and the antenna 530 can output a signal with a fallback output power (or second intensity) opposite to the maximum output (or first intensity). In this case, the fallback output power of the electronic device 500 can be determined according to the SAR standard so that the amount of electromagnetic waves absorbed by the human body is greater than or equal to a predetermined level. According to the experimental results, the fallback output power may be different for each product.

[0117] The human body approach condition is an experiment performed by assuming that the antenna 530 is not in contact with the human body but is close to the human body within a predetermined distance. Even in the case where an object having a dielectric constant approaches within a predetermined distance, a capacitance change may occur, which is contrary to contact, and the grip sensor can determine the approach of the human body. This condition may correspond to the condition used in the test, which is opposite to the condition used when the electronic device 500 is actually used.

[0118] During the experimental process, mainly, under the condition of maximum output of the antenna 530, a distance (e.g., 7 mm) that meets the SAR standard can be identified. In order to enable the grip sensor to sense the human body within the corresponding distance, the sensing parameters of the grip sensor can be adjusted. Here, the sensing parameter can be a reference value corresponding to the capacitance value, and can include various control values ​​used in the processor or integrated circuit (IC) of the grip sensor. The experiment under the condition of human body approach measures the distance that meets the SAR standard (i.e., the distance at which the human body is affected when the antenna 530 is operated based on maximum output) and adjusts the sensing parameters to be suitable for the measured distance, and the grip sensor can be enabled to sense the approach of the human body in the measured distance.

[0119] Figure 6 is a table listing Cap difference values ​​measured for each object by the electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0120] like Figure 5 As shown, according to SAR regulations, electronic devices (e.g. Figure 3 The electronic device 300) is provided with a grip sensor (eg, Figure 3 The grip sensor 340 of the present invention can recognize a human body even when the human body approaches before contact (for example, the human body approaches within a predetermined distance), and thus the sensing parameter value of the grip sensor can be configured. In this case, when the electronic device is placed on a table having a dielectric constant lower than that of the human body, grip can be recognized.

[0121] Figure 6The sensing values ​​of the grip sensor measured when the grip sensor is in contact with or close to various objects are shown. The measured value (difference) may be digital data corresponding to (or proportional to) the capacitance, and may indicate a difference from an initial value.

[0122] Reference Figure 6 , when the user's human body (e.g., knee) approaches within the separation distance (e.g., 7 mm) that meets the SAR standard, the sensing value may be 890.3. When the human body approaches closer than the separation distance from the holding sensor, the sensing value may increase higher. Therefore, the reference value for triggering the backoff operation for the antenna may be configured based on the sensing value (890.3) measured when the human body is within the separation distance. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may configure the sensing reference value to a value lower than 890.3, so that when the sensing value of the holding sensor is higher than the sensing reference value, the electronic device may recognize that the human body is in contact or proximity, and when the sensing value is less than or equal to the sensing reference value, the electronic device may recognize that the human body is not approaching.

[0123] According to various embodiments, when the electronic device is placed on a table, that is, when the grip sensor is in contact with an object other than a human body, the measured sensing value may be higher than a reference value configured based on a separation distance of 7 mm. Figure 6 , when the electronic device is placed on a metal table, a rubber mat, a glass table, an acrylic table, and a wooden table, the measured sensing value of the grip sensor can be in the range of 898.2 to 1950.8, and can be higher than the reference value (a value lower than 890.3).

[0124] As described above, in a state where the electronic device is placed on a table, the grip sensor may recognize this as a human body being in contact or approaching, and the electronic device may perform a back-off operation. In this case, although the human body is not actually in contact with the antenna, the output power of the antenna may be configured to a low value, and therefore, the best communication performance may not be provided.

[0125] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating sensing values ​​and reference values ​​of a grip sensor according to various embodiments.

[0126] According to various embodiments, an electronic device (eg, Figure 3 The electronic device 300 may include a grip sensor (eg, Figure 3 The sensed value of the grip sensor 340 is compared with various reference values, and the type of the adjacent object (e.g., a human body or other object such as a table, etc.) can be determined based on the comparison result. According to an embodiment, in order to prevent deviation from the SAR standard, each reference value can be configured to be a lower value than the value measured in the actual experimental data.

[0127] Reference Figure 6 , in the case where the grip sensor of the electronic device is in contact with an external object, the minimum value of the sensing value (or Cap difference) sensed by the grip sensor may be 898.2 corresponding to the case of a wooden table. Based on the above experimental data, a value lower than the sensing value that may be sensed when an external object is in contact may be configured as a first reference value. In the following, a description is provided by using a sensing value of 500 obtained by the grip sensor as the first reference value.

[0128] Reference Figure 7 , a range in which the sensing value of the grip sensor is less than or equal to the first reference value 500 may be determined as a sensing unavailable range in which the grip sensor does not sense an external object.

[0129] Reference Figure 6 , in the case where the user holds the main body housing of the electronic device and the hand is in direct contact with the antenna, the sensing value may be 31201.5, and in the case where the electronic device is placed on the user's knees, the sensing value may be 2906.3. As described above, in the case where the electronic device is in contact with the human body, a backoff operation for the antenna is required, and therefore this may be determined as a human body sensing range. According to various embodiments, a value lower than the sensing value sensed when the human body is in contact may be configured as a second reference value. In the following, a description is provided by using a second reference value 2500, which is lower than the sensing value 2906.3 corresponding to the case where the electronic device is placed on the user's knees.

[0130] Reference Figure 7 , a range between 500 and 2000 (which is a part of the range from the first reference value (e.g., 500) to the second range value (e.g., 2500)) can be defined as a human-object hybrid sensing range, in which both a human body or an external object (e.g., a table) can be sensed. For example, a sensing value (e.g., 890.3) measured when the antenna is spaced a predetermined distance (e.g., 7 mm) from the user's knee (which requires an antenna back-off operation) can fall within the human-object hybrid sensing range, and a sensing value (e.g., 898.2 to 1950.8) measured when the electronic device is placed on a table (which does not require an antenna back-off operation) can also fall within the human-object hybrid sensing range.

[0131] As described above, in the case where the sensing value of the grip sensor falls within the human-object mixed sensing range, it is difficult to determine the situation as one of the human body approaching or the external object contacting (or approaching). Therefore, the electronic device according to various embodiments can determine either the human body approaching or the external object contacting (or approaching) via an algorithm using multiple reference values.

[0132] Figure 8is a flowchart illustrating an antenna output control method of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0133] When the first sensing value of the grip sensor is less than the first reference value at 820, the power of the antenna is maintained. When the first sensing value exceeds the first reference value at 820 and the second sensing value exceeds the second reference value at 830, the electronic device is recognized as being in contact with the human body at 840, and a back-off operation is performed at 860.

[0134] If the first sensing value exceeds the first reference value at 820 and the second sensing value is not greater than the second reference value at 830, whether to perform the fallback operation at 860 is based on determining whether an object other than a human body is in contact with the electronic device. If the result of 850 is "no", the object is identified as a human body at 840, and a fallback operation is performed. If the result of 850 is "yes", the fallback operation is not performed.

[0135] The operations shown in the figures may be performed by an electronic device (e.g., Figure 3 The electronic device 300) is executed, and the description of the technical features described above will be omitted.

[0136] According to various embodiments, in operation 810, an electronic device (eg, Figure 3 The processor 310 of the holding sensor may identify the sensing value of the holding sensor. According to an embodiment, the holding sensor may sense the capacitance value (or the change of the capacitance value) in real time or periodically, or may sense the capacitance value when a wireless signal is output via an antenna. The sensing value of the holding sensor may be digital data corresponding to the difference between the capacitance value measured by the electronic device in a state where there is no adjacent object and the capacitance value currently measured (or proportional thereto).

[0137] According to various embodiments, in operation 820, the electronic device may identify whether the sensing value of the identified grip sensor increases to be higher than a configured first reference value (threshold). Here, the reference value may be a value determined based on experimental results according to the SAR standard, and may be determined for each electronic device model, or may be determined based on SAR experimental results during the manufacturing process of each electronic device. The first reference value may be a value lower than a sensing value sensed by the grip sensor in a state where the antennas of the electronic device are spaced a predetermined distance (e.g., 7 mm) apart and a sensing value sensed in a state where the antennas of the electronic device are in contact with an external object (e.g., a table). Alternatively, the first reference value may be a value lower than the first reference value that has been referenced. Figure 7 The value of the lowest value of the human-object mixed sensing range described. For example, refer to Figure 5, the first reference value can be determined as a sensing value of 500, which is lower than the sensing value 890.3 obtained when the electronic device is 7 mm apart from the human body and the sensing value range from 898.2 to 1950.8 obtained when the electronic device is in contact with the table. In the case where the sensing value of the grip sensor exceeds the first reference value, the operation of sensing the human body can be triggered.

[0138] According to various embodiments, in operation 830, even in the case where the sensing value of the grip sensor exceeds the first reference value, the electronic device may continuously identify the sensing value of the grip sensor, and may identify whether the sensing value of the grip sensor increases to be higher than the second reference value. Here, the second reference value may be a value greater than the first reference value. For example, the reference value may be a value lower than the sensing value measured when the antenna of the electronic device is in contact with the human body. Alternatively, the second reference value may be a value higher than the first reference value. Figure 7 The value of the highest value of the human-object mixed sensing range described. For example, refer to Figure 5 , the second reference value can be determined as 2500, which is lower than the sensing value 2906.3 obtained when the electronic device is in contact with the human body.

[0139] According to various embodiments, when the sensing value of the grip sensor increases above the second reference value, the electronic device may determine that the electronic device is in contact with the human body in operation 840. In this case, in operation 860, the electronic device may perform a back-off operation for the antenna.

[0140] According to various embodiments, in the case where the sensing value of the grip sensor falls within the range between the first reference value and the second reference value, the sensing value may belong to the human-object hybrid sensing range. For example, the sensing value (e.g., 890.3) measured when the antenna is spaced apart from the user's knee by a predetermined distance (e.g., 7 mm) (which requires an antenna backoff operation) may fall within the human-object hybrid sensing range, and the sensing value (e.g., 898.2 to 1950.8) measured when the electronic device is placed on a table (which does not require an antenna backoff operation) may also fall within the human-object hybrid sensing range.

[0141] According to various embodiments, in a case where the sensing value of the grip sensor is less than or equal to the second reference value, the electronic device may identify whether an object other than a human body is in contact with the antenna in operation 850. According to various embodiments, in a case where a user input is provided to an input device such as a keyboard and / or a touch pad prepared in the electronic device, the electronic device may determine that the electronic device is in use.

[0142] If the recognition result shows that the electronic device is in proximity, the electronic device may determine that the electronic device is in contact with the human body in operation 840. In this case, in operation 860, the electronic device may perform a back-off operation for the antenna.

[0143] According to various embodiments, when the sensing value of the grip sensor is less than or equal to the second reference value and the electronic device is in contact with the external object, the electronic device may initialize the capacitance difference value in operation 870. Therefore, the sensing value measured thereafter may be determined as a change in the initialization capacitance value.

[0144] In the case where the electronic device is in a state of floating in the air, this means that the user holds the electronic device with a hand. In the case where the user holds the area of ​​the antenna set in the side of the electronic device with a hand, the sensing value of the holding sensor can be higher than the second reference value, and thus the electronic device can recognize human body contact and can perform the antenna retraction operation. On the contrary, in the case where the user holds the area outside the antenna with a hand, the sensing value of the holding sensor can be lower than the first reference value, and thus the electronic device can maintain the maximum output of the antenna because the human body is not affected.

[0145] In the case where the sensing value of the grip sensor is greater than the first reference value and less than or equal to the second reference value, that is, in the case where the sensing value falls within the human-object mixed sensing range, it is determined that the electronic device is placed in a place opposite to floating in the air. Therefore, in the state where the sensing value of the grip sensor is greater than the first reference value and less than or equal to the second reference value, in the case where a user input is provided to an input device such as a keyboard and / or a touch pad, the electronic device can recognize that the electronic device is placed on a table and can maintain the maximum output of the antenna.

[0146] Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an antenna output control method of an electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0147] When the first sensing value of the grip sensor is less than the first reference value at 920, the power of the antenna is maintained. When the first sensing value exceeds the first reference value at 920 and the second sensing value exceeds the second reference value at 930, the electronic device is recognized as being in contact with the human body at 940, and a back-off operation is performed at 950.

[0148] If the first sensing value exceeds the first reference value at 920 and the second sensing value is not greater than the second reference value at 930 , whether to perform the fallback operation of 950 is based on whether the electronic device is in use during 960 and the sensing value and the third reference value.

[0149] The operations shown in the figures may be performed by an electronic device (e.g., Figure 3The electronic device 300) is executed, and the description of the technical features described above will be omitted.

[0150] According to various embodiments, in operation 910, an electronic device (eg, Figure 3 The processor 310) can identify the sensing value of the grip sensor.

[0151] According to various embodiments, in operation 920, the electronic device may identify whether the sensing value of the identified grip sensor increases to be higher than the configured first reference value (threshold value). Here, the reference value may be a value determined based on an experimental result according to a SAR standard, and may be determined for each electronic device model, or may be determined based on a SAR experimental result during a manufacturing process of each electronic device. In the event that the sensing value of the grip sensor exceeds the first reference value, an operation of sensing a human body may be triggered. The electronic device may record the initial sensing value of the grip sensor identified when the human body sensing operation is triggered, and the recorded initial sensing value S0 may be a value greater than but close to the first reference value.

[0152] According to various embodiments, in operation 930, even in the case where the sensing value of the grip sensor exceeds the first reference value, the electronic device may continuously identify the sensing value of the grip sensor, and may identify whether the sensing value of the grip sensor increases to be higher than the second reference value. Here, the second reference value may be a value greater than the first reference value. For example, the reference value may be a value lower than the sensing value measured when the antenna of the electronic device is in contact with the human body. Alternatively, the second reference value may be a value higher than the first reference value. Figure 7 The value describing the highest value of the human-object hybrid sensing range.

[0153] According to various embodiments, when the sensing value of the grip sensor increases above the second reference value, the electronic device may determine that the antenna is in contact with or close to the human body in operation 940. In this case, in operation 950, the electronic device may perform a backoff operation for the antenna.

[0154] According to various embodiments, in the case where the sensing value of the grip sensor falls within the range between the first reference value and the second reference value, the sensing value may belong to the human-object hybrid sensing range. For example, the sensing value (e.g., 890.3) measured when the antenna is spaced apart from the user's knee by a predetermined distance (e.g., 7 mm) (which requires antenna backoff operation) may fall within the human-object hybrid sensing range, and the sensing value (e.g., 898.2 to 1950.8) measured when the electronic device is placed on a table (which does not require antenna backoff operation (or can be operated based on maximum output)) may also fall within the human-object hybrid sensing range.

[0155] According to various embodiments, in a case where the sensing value of the grip sensor is less than or equal to the second reference value, in operation 960, the electronic device may identify whether the electronic device is in use or not. According to various embodiments, in a case where a user input is provided to an input device (such as a keyboard and / or a touch pad prepared in the electronic device), the electronic device may determine that the electronic device is in use. For example, in a case where a user input is provided via a keyboard and / or a touch pad after an operation of sensing a human body is triggered due to the sensing value of the grip sensor exceeding the first reference value, the electronic device may be determined to be in use.

[0156] According to various embodiments, in a case where the electronic device is in a use state, the electronic device may determine that an external object (eg, a table) is in contact with the antenna in operation 990. In operation 995, the electronic device may initialize a capacitance difference.

[0157] According to various embodiments, in a case where the electronic device is in an unused state, in operation 970 , the electronic device may identify a sensing value (Sn) of the grip sensor after a predetermined n seconds (for example, 10 seconds) has passed.

[0158] According to various embodiments, the predetermined n seconds (eg, 10 seconds) may include a time delay in a program (eg, Figure 1 140) and / or a time configured in a memory, or by using a program stored in an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 The program 140) analyzes the sensing value (Sn) of the grip sensor that changes over time and configures the time.

[0159] According to various embodiments, in operation 980, the electronic device may obtain a difference between a sensing value (Sn) obtained after n seconds and a recorded initial sensing value (S0), and may identify whether the calculated difference is higher than a third reference value. The third reference value may be a value greater than the first reference value and less than the second reference value.

[0160] According to various embodiments, if the difference between the sensing value (Sn) obtained after n seconds and the recorded initial sensing value (S0) is higher than the third reference value, the electronic device may determine that the antenna is close to or in contact with the human body in operation 940. In this case, in operation 950, the electronic device may perform a back-off operation for the antenna.

[0161] According to various embodiments, in operation 990, if the difference between the sensed value (Sn) sensed after n seconds and the recorded initial sensed value (S0) is less than or equal to the third reference value, the electronic device can determine that the antenna is in contact with an external object (e.g., a table). Therefore, by comparing the difference between the sensed value (Sn) obtained n seconds after sensing the initial sensed value (S0) and the recorded initial sensed value (S0) with the third reference value, the electronic device can identify whether the object in contact with or close to the antenna is a human body or an object other than a human body even in an unused state where a user input is not provided to the input device.

[0162] In operation 995 , the electronic device may initialize the capacitance difference.

[0163] Fig.10 is a table listing output power measured by an electronic device for each frequency band according to various embodiments.

[0164] According to various embodiments, an electronic device (eg, Figure 3 The electronic device 300) can support cellular wireless communication, for example, LTE and / or 5G NR wireless communication. Fig.10 is a table listing the total radiated power measured when using each of the comparative techniques and the present disclosure to control antenna back-off operation in LTE and 5G NR wireless communications.

[0165] Reference Fig.10 The total radiated power of the present disclosure is measured to be approximately 4.8dB to 5.3dB higher than the comparative technology in B1, B3, B7, B8, B20, B28, B38 and B40 which are LTE bands, and is measured to be approximately 4.6dB to 5.4dB higher than the comparative technology in n1, n3, n8, n20, n28, n38 and n78 which are 5G NR bands.

[0166] The comparison technique may determine that a human body is approaching within the human-object mixed sensing range of the sensing value of the grip sensor, and may perform an antenna backoff operation. However, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, unlike the comparison technique, in the human-object mixed sensing range of the sensing value of the grip sensor, an approaching human body and an object other than a human body that is in contact (or approaching) can be distinguished, and thus the frequency of performing antenna backoff is reduced and a relatively high antenna output efficiency can be provided.

[0167] According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include a shell, an antenna disposed in the shell or formed in a part of the shell, a grip sensor configured to sense a contacting or approaching external object, and a processor operably connected to the antenna and the grip sensor, wherein the processor may be configured to: identify a first sensing value of the grip sensor; determine an output power of the antenna to be a first intensity when the identified first sensing value is less than or equal to a first reference value; identify whether the electronic device is in use or not based on whether user input is provided to the electronic device when a second sensing value of the grip sensor identified after identifying the first sensing value is greater than the first reference value and less than or equal to a second reference value greater than the first reference value; and, when the electronic device is not in use, determine the output power of the antenna to be the first intensity or a second intensity lower than the first intensity based on a third reference value and a third sensing value of the grip sensor identified after identifying the second sensing value.

[0168] According to various embodiments, the processor may be configured to determine that the human body is in contact with or close to the antenna when the identified second sensing value is greater than the second reference value.

[0169] According to various embodiments, the electronic device may further include at least one of a keyboard or a touchpad, and the processor may be configured to determine that the electronic device is in use when a user input is provided to at least one of the keyboard or the touchpad.

[0170] According to various embodiments, the processor may be configured to: when the electronic device is in use, maintain the first strength as the output power of the antenna.

[0171] According to various embodiments, the processor may be configured to compare a difference between the third sensing value and the first sensing value with a third reference value.

[0172] According to various embodiments, the processor can be configured to: determine that the human body is in contact with or close to the antenna when the difference between the third sensing value and the first sensing value is greater than a third reference value, and determine that the external object is in contact with or close to the antenna when the difference is less than or equal to the third reference value.

[0173] According to various embodiments, the first reference value is a value lower than a sensing value measured when the antenna is separated from the human body by a predetermined distance, the second reference value is a value lower than a sensing value measured when the antenna is in contact with the human body, and the first reference value and the second reference value are determined based on a specific absorption rate (SAR) standard.

[0174] According to various embodiments, the shell may include a first shell and a second shell, the first shell includes a display, the second shell includes at least one of a keyboard or a touchpad and is rotatably connected to the first shell, and the antenna is arranged in at least a portion of a side of the second shell.

[0175] According to various embodiments, the processor may be configured to adjust the gain of the power amplifier so as to reduce the output power of the antenna to a second intensity.

[0176] According to various embodiments, the electronic device may be a laptop personal computer (PC).

[0177] According to various embodiments, the antenna may be configured to output a signal for a cellular radio communication including at least one of Long Term Evolution (LTE) or 5G New Radio (NR).

[0178] According to various embodiments, a method for controlling the output power of an antenna of an electronic device may include: an operation of identifying a first sensing value sensed by a holding sensor; an operation of determining the output power of the antenna of the electronic device to be a first intensity when the identified first sensing value is less than or equal to a first reference value; an operation of identifying whether the electronic device is in use or in an unused state based on whether user input is provided to the electronic device when a second sensing value of the holding sensor identified after identifying the first sensing value is greater than the first reference value and less than or equal to a second reference value greater than the first reference value; and, when the electronic device is in an unused state, an operation of determining the output power of the antenna to be a first intensity or a second intensity lower than the first intensity based on a third reference value and a third sensing value of the holding sensor identified after identifying the second sensing value.

[0179] According to various embodiments, the method may further include, if the identified second sensing value is greater than a second reference value, determining that a human body is in contact with or close to the antenna.

[0180] According to various embodiments, the operation of identifying whether the electronic device is in use or in non-use may include determining that the electronic device is in use when a user input is provided to at least one of a keyboard or a touch pad of the electronic device.

[0181] According to various embodiments, the method may further include: in a case where the electronic device is in use, maintaining the first strength as an operation of the output power of the antenna.

[0182] According to various embodiments, the operation of determining the output power of the antenna as the first intensity or the second intensity based on the third sensed value and the third reference value may include an operation of comparing a difference between the third sensed value and the first sensed value with the third reference value.

[0183] According to various embodiments, the operation of determining the output power of the antenna as the first intensity or the second intensity based on the third sensing value and the third reference value may include: when the difference between the third sensing value and the first sensing value is greater than the third reference value, determining that a human body is in contact with or close to the antenna, or when the difference is less than or equal to the third reference value, determining that an external object is in contact with or close to the antenna.

[0184] According to various embodiments, the first reference value may be a value lower than a sensing value measured when the antenna is separated from the human body by a predetermined distance, the second reference value may be a value lower than a sensing value measured when the antenna is in contact with the human body, and the first reference value and the second reference value may be determined based on a specific absorption rate (SAR) standard.

[0185] According to various embodiments, the electronic device may include a first shell and a second shell, the first shell including a display, the second shell including at least one of a keyboard or a touchpad and being rotatably connected to the first shell, and the antenna may be disposed in at least a portion of a side of the second shell.

[0186] According to various embodiments, the method may further include an operation of adjusting a gain of the power amplifier to reduce the output power of the antenna to a second intensity.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: case; an antenna, disposed in the housing or formed in a portion of the housing; a grip sensor configured to sense a contacting or approaching external object; as well as a processor operably connected to the antenna and the grip sensor, Wherein, the processor is configured as follows: When a first sensing value from the holding sensor is less than or equal to a first reference value, determining the output power of the antenna as a first intensity; determining whether the electronic device is in use when a second sensing value from the grip sensor received after the first sensing value is between the first reference value and a second reference value, the second reference value being higher than the first sensing value; as well as When the electronic device is not in the use state, the output power of the antenna is determined to be the first intensity or a second intensity lower than the first intensity based on a third reference value and a third sensing value of the grip sensor received after the second sensing value.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is configured to determine that a human body is in contact with or close to the antenna when the second sensing value is greater than the second reference value.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a keyboard or a touch pad, in, The processor is configured to determine that the electronic device is in the use state when a user input is provided to at least one of the keyboard or the touch pad.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is configured to maintain the first strength as the output power of the antenna when the electronic device is in the use state.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is configured to compare a difference between the third sensing value and the first sensing value with the third reference value.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein: The processor is configured as follows: When the difference between the third sensing value and the first sensing value is greater than the third reference value, determining that the human body is in contact with or close to the antenna; as well as When the difference is less than or equal to the third reference value, it is determined that the external object is in contact with or close to the antenna.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The first reference value is a value lower than a sensing value measured in a state where the antenna is spaced apart from a human body by a predetermined distance, and The second reference value is a value lower than a sensing value measured when the antenna is in contact with a human body.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The housing comprises: A first housing includes a display; and a second housing including at least one of a keyboard or a touch pad and rotatably coupled to the first housing, Wherein, the antenna is arranged in at least a portion of a side portion of the second shell.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The processor adjusts a gain of a power amplifier to output power from the antenna at the first intensity and the second intensity.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The electronic device includes a laptop personal computer (PC).

11. A method for controlling the output power of an antenna of an electronic device, the method comprising: When a first sensing value from the grip sensor is less than or equal to a first reference value, determining the output power of the antenna of the electronic device to be at a first intensity; determining whether the electronic device is in use when a second sensing value from the grip sensor received after the first sensing value is between the first reference value and a second reference value, the second reference value being higher than the first sensing value; as well as When the electronic device is not in use, the output power of the antenna is determined to be the first intensity or a second intensity lower than the first intensity based on a third reference value and a third sensing value of the grip sensor received after the second sensing value.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: When the second sensing value is greater than the second reference value, it is determined that the human body is in contact with or close to the antenna.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein: Determining whether the electronic device is in the use state or not in the use state includes: When a user input is provided to at least one of a keyboard or a touch pad of the electronic device, it is determined that the electronic device is in use.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein: Determining the output power of the antenna to be the first intensity or the second intensity based on the third sensed value and the third reference value includes: A difference between the third sensing value and the first sensing value is compared with the third reference value.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: The gain of the power amplifier is adjusted to reduce the output power of the antenna to the second intensity.

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