Photoelectric detection device and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a photoelectric detection device and electronic equipment, and relates to the technical field of electronic products. The photoelectric detection device comprises a light-transmitting mounting shell and a PN junction, and the mounting shell is a sphere; the mounting shell is filled with first conductive liquid, insulating liquid and second conductive liquid, the density of the first conductive liquid is smaller than that of the insulating liquid, the density of the insulating liquid is smaller than that of the second conductive liquid, and the PN junction is suspended in the mounting shell; the PN junction comprises a P region, a junction region and an N region which are stacked in sequence, the P region is immersed in the first conductive liquid, the N region is immersed in the second conductive liquid, and the junction region is located in the insulating liquid so as to separate the junction region from the first conductive liquid and the second conductive liquid respectively; the mounting shell comprises a first electric connection part and a second electric connection part which extend into the mounting shell, and the distance between the first electric connection part and the second electric connection part is larger than the thickness of a layer where the insulating liquid is located.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic products, and in particular to a photoelectric detection device and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] In the related art, the screen brightness of an electronic device is usually determined by the intensity of the ambient light, and the ambient light is measured by the photoelectric sensor inside the electronic device. However, since the photoelectric sensor is usually fixed at a specific position in the electronic device, and the user cannot ensure that the photosensitive surface of the photoelectric sensor is always facing the light source when using the electronic device, when the photosensitive surface of the photoelectric sensor is facing the light source, its detection result is relatively accurate. When the photosensitive surface of the photoelectric sensor deviates from or faces away from the light source, the ambient light intensity output by the photoelectric sensor is usually lower than the actual ambient light intensity of the electronic device. At this time, the screen brightness output by the electronic device is usually too dark relative to the screen brightness expected by the user, resulting in a poor user experience. It can be seen that in the related art, the photoelectric sensors in electronic devices are prone to poor detection results in some scenarios. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present application provides a photoelectric detection device and an electronic device to improve the accuracy of photoelectric sensors in detecting ambient light intensity.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present application provides a photoelectric detection device, comprising a light-transmitting mounting shell and a PN junction, wherein the mounting shell is a sphere;

[0005] The installation shell is filled with a first conductive liquid, an insulating liquid, and a second conductive liquid, wherein the density of the first conductive liquid is less than the density of the insulating liquid, and the density of the insulating liquid is less than the density of the second conductive liquid, and the PN junction is suspended in the installation shell;

[0006] The PN junction comprises a P region, a junction region and an N region which are sequentially stacked, the P region is immersed in the first conductive liquid, the N region is immersed in the second conductive liquid, and the junction region is located in the insulating liquid to separate the junction region from the first conductive liquid and the second conductive liquid respectively;

[0007] The mounting shell comprises a first electrical connection portion and a second electrical connection portion respectively extending into the mounting shell, and a distance between the first electrical connection portion and the second electrical connection portion is greater than a thickness of a layer where the insulating liquid is located.

[0008] In a second aspect, the present application provides an electronic device, comprising the photoelectric detection device described in the first aspect, wherein the photoelectric detection device is fixedly installed in the electronic device, a light-transmitting area is provided on the outer surface of the electronic device, and the mounting shell is opposite to the light-transmitting area.

[0009] In the embodiment of the present application, since the density of the first conductive liquid is less than the density of the insulating liquid, and the density of the insulating liquid is less than the density of the second conductive liquid, the first conductive liquid can be always suspended in the uppermost layer of the liquid inside the mounting shell. Since the P region of the PN junction is immersed in the first conductive liquid and the N region 123 is immersed in the second conductive liquid, during the movement of the photoelectric detection device, the P region of the PN junction is always facing upwards. In this way, when the external ambient light passes through the mounting shell and irradiates the P region of the PN junction, the P region can generate a photocurrent when irradiated by the light. In this way, the magnitude of the photocurrent generated in the PN junction can be detected by the first electrical connection portion 111 and the second electrical connection portion to determine the intensity of the ambient light, so as to realize the process of detecting the light intensity of the ambient light. In this process, since the external light source is usually located above the electronic device, by making the P region of the PN junction always facing upwards, the probability of the P region 121 of the photoelectric detection device deviating from or facing away from the light source can be reduced, thereby facilitating the improvement of the accuracy of the photoelectric detection device in detecting the intensity of the ambient light. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of the electronic device at the photoelectric sensor in an embodiment of the present application;

[0011] Figure 2 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the connection between the photoelectric sensor and the circuit board in the embodiment of the present application;

[0012] Figure 3 This is the second structural diagram of the connection between the photoelectric sensor and the circuit board in the embodiment of the present application;

[0013] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of three usage states of electronic equipment;

[0014] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the circuit design between the AP and the photoelectric sensor in an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] Figure 6 It is a flow chart of an ambient light detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments in the present application belong to the scope of protection of this application.

[0017] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here, and the objects distinguished by "first", "second", etc. are generally of one type, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims represents at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship.

[0018] In the following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present application is described in detail through specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0019] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the embodiment of the present application provides a photoelectric detection device, including a photoelectric sensor 100, the photoelectric sensor 100 includes a light-transmitting mounting shell 110 and a PN junction 120, the mounting shell 110 is a sphere;

[0020] The installation shell 110 is filled with a first conductive liquid 130, an insulating liquid 140 and a second conductive liquid 150, wherein the density of the first conductive liquid 130 is less than the density of the insulating liquid 140, and the density of the insulating liquid 140 is less than the density of the second conductive liquid 150, and the PN junction 120 is suspended in the installation shell 110;

[0021] The PN junction 120 includes a P region 121, a junction region 122, and an N region 123 which are stacked in sequence, the P region 121 is immersed in the first conductive liquid 130, the N region 123 is immersed in the second conductive liquid 150, and the junction region 122 is located in the insulating liquid 140 to separate the junction region 122 from the first conductive liquid 130 and the second conductive liquid 150 respectively;

[0022] The mounting shell 110 includes a first electrical connection portion 111 and a second electrical connection portion 112 respectively extending into the mounting shell 110 , and a distance between the first electrical connection portion 111 and the second electrical connection portion 112 is greater than a thickness of a layer where the insulating liquid 140 is located.

[0023] The principle of ambient light detection by the above-mentioned photoelectric sensor 100 may include: external light of the electronic device may sequentially pass through the shell wall of the mounting shell 110 to illuminate the P region 121 of the PN junction 120 inside the mounting shell 110, and the P region 121 of the PN junction 120 may generate a photocurrent when illuminated by light. In this way, the intensity of the ambient light may be determined by the intensity of the photocurrent output by the photoelectric sensor 100, so as to realize the process of detecting the light intensity of the ambient light.

[0024] The PN junction 120 is formed by forming a P-type semiconductor and an N-type semiconductor on the same semiconductor substrate through processes such as epitaxy, dopant diffusion or ion implantation. The boundary or interface between the two semiconductor materials is called a PN junction 120. The P-type semiconductor forms a P region 121, and the N-type semiconductor forms an N region 123. The junction region 122 refers to the boundary or interface between the P-type semiconductor and the N-type semiconductor.

[0025] Among them, the PN junction 120 can convert the optical signal into an electrical signal through the photoelectric effect. The PN junction 120 is mainly composed of a P-type semiconductor and an N-type semiconductor, forming a depletion region, in which the P-type region is rich in positive charges, namely holes. The N-type region is rich in negative charges, namely electrons. When light is irradiated onto the PN junction 120, the photon energy can excite the electron-hole pairs in the PN junction 120. If the energy of the photon is greater than the band gap energy of the material, an effective photoelectric effect will be generated, and the excited electrons and holes will move to the N region 123 and the P region 121 respectively under the action of the built-in electric field to form photogenerated carriers. These photogenerated carriers are separated under the action of the built-in electric field to form a photocurrent, and the magnitude of the photocurrent is proportional to the light intensity.

[0026] The first conductive liquid 130, the insulating liquid 140, and the second conductive liquid 150 may together fill the internal space of the installation shell 110. Since the density of the first conductive liquid 130 is less than that of the insulating liquid 140, and the density of the insulating liquid 140 is less than that of the second conductive liquid 150, under the action of gravity, the first conductive liquid 130, the insulating liquid 140, and the second conductive liquid 150 may be layered in the installation shell 110, with the second conductive liquid 150 being located at the bottom layer, the insulating liquid 140 being located at the middle layer, and the first conductive liquid 130 being located at the top layer.

[0027] The first conductive liquid 130 and the second conductive liquid 150 may be various liquids with conductive properties, and correspondingly, the insulating liquid 140 may be various liquids without conductive properties. For example, since the density of water is less than the density of brominated vegetable oil and less than the density of metal liquid, water and metal liquid (such as mercury) are conductive, brominated vegetable oil is insulating, and the density of brominated vegetable oil is greater than that of water, therefore, in some embodiments of the present application, the first conductive liquid 130 may be water, the insulating liquid 140 may be brominated vegetable oil, and the second conductive liquid 150 may be a metal liquid, wherein the metal liquid may be mercury, and the density of water (H2O) at room temperature (25°C) is approximately 1.00 grams per cubic centimeter (g / cm 3 ), temperature affects the density of water. For example, at 4°C, the density of water is close to its maximum value, which is about 0.99997 g / cm 3 The density of brominated vegetable oil is about 1.33 g / cm 3 ; The density of mercury is about 13.59g / cm 3 In addition, in some other embodiments of the present application, the first conductive liquid 130 may be salt water, the insulating liquid 140 may be dichloromethane, and the second conductive liquid 150 may be a zinc chloride solution, wherein the density of the salt water may vary according to the concentration of the salt. Taking the common seawater salinity (about 3.5%) as an example, its density is usually between 1.02 and 1.03 g / cm 3 The density of dichloromethane is about 1.325 g / cm 3 The density of zinc chloride solution is usually 2.0g / cm 3 In some other embodiments of the present application, the first conductive liquid 130 may be dilute hydrochloric acid, the insulating liquid 140 may be fluorinated oil, and the second conductive liquid 150 may be concentrated zinc sulfate solution. The density of dilute hydrochloric acid is generally 1.19 g / cm 3 The fluorinated oil can be low-density fluorinated oil, and the density of the low-density fluorinated oil can be adjusted to 1.5g / cm 3 The density of concentrated zinc sulfate solution can be adjusted to 1.8g / cm 3 .

[0028] The first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112 may be various types of electrical connection parts, for example, contacts or conductive parts. In some embodiments of the present application, the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112 may be two contacts in the mounting shell 110, and the two contacts extend from the inner wall of the mounting shell 110 to the outer wall of the mounting shell 110, respectively. Of the P region 121 and the N region 123 of the PN junction 120, one may be electrically connected to the first electrical connection part 111 through the first conductive liquid 130, and the other may be electrically connected to the second electrical connection part 112 through the second conductive liquid 150. Alternatively, of the P region 121 and the N region 123 of the PN junction 120, one may be electrically connected to the first electrical connection part 111 through the second conductive liquid 150, and the other may be electrically connected to the second electrical connection part 112 through the first conductive liquid 130. In this way, the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112 can serve as two external connection terminals of the photoelectric sensor 100, and the external circuit board 200 can be electrically connected to the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112 respectively to form a detection circuit, thereby realizing the detection process of ambient light.

[0029] The PN junction 120 can be arranged at the center of the mounting shell 110. Since the mounting shell 110 is a sphere, in the process of the relative position of the liquid in the mounting shell 110 and the mounting shell 110 changing, the distance between the P region 121 of the photoelectric sensor 100 and the surface of the mounting shell 110 remains unchanged, so that the attenuation degree of the external light in the process of incident from the surface of the mounting shell 110 to the P region 121 is basically the same, so that the calibration work in the ambient light detection process can be further reduced to further simplify the ambient light detection process.

[0030] In this embodiment, since the density of the first conductive liquid 130 is less than the density of the insulating liquid 140, and the density of the insulating liquid 140 is less than the density of the second conductive liquid 150, the first conductive liquid 130 can always be suspended in the uppermost layer of the liquid inside the mounting shell 110. Since the P region 121 of the PN junction 120 is immersed in the first conductive liquid 130, and the N region 123 is immersed in the second conductive liquid 150, during the movement of the photoelectric detection device, the P region 121 of the PN junction 120 is always facing upward, so that when the external ambient light passes through the mounting shell 110 and irradiates the P region 121 of the PN junction 120, the P region 121 can generate a photocurrent when irradiated by the light, so that the size of the photocurrent generated in the PN junction 120 can be detected by the first electrical connection portion 111 and the second electrical connection portion 112 to determine the intensity of the ambient light, thereby realizing the process of detecting the light intensity of the ambient light. In this process, since the external light source is usually located above the electronic device, by making the P region 121 of the PN junction 120 always face upward, the probability of the P region 121 of the photoelectric detection device deviating from or facing away from the light source 400 can be reduced, thereby facilitating the improvement of the accuracy of the photoelectric detection device in detecting the intensity of ambient light. In addition, since the distance between the first electrical connection portion 111 and the second electrical connection portion 112 is greater than the thickness of the layer where the insulating liquid 140 is located, the first electrical connection portion 111 and the second electrical connection portion 112 can be distributed on both sides of the layer where the insulating liquid 140 is located.

[0031] Optionally, the photoelectric detection device further includes a circuit board 200, and the first electrical connection portion 111 and the second electrical connection portion 112 are electrically connected to the circuit board 200 respectively;

[0032] When the mounting shell 110 is in the first position, the P region 121 is electrically connected to the first electrical connection portion 111 through the first conductive liquid 130 , and the N region 123 is electrically connected to the second electrical connection portion 112 through the second conductive liquid 150 , so as to form a first detection circuit.

[0033] The first position may include: the first electrical connection portion 111 and the second electrical connection portion 112 are respectively located at all positions on both sides of the insulating liquid 140 .

[0034] When the electronic device is in use, the user can adjust the position and posture of the electronic device according to the needs. When the position and posture of the electronic device change, the relative position between the liquid in the mounting shell 110 and the mounting shell 110 will also change accordingly, so as to ensure that the P area 121 is always facing the vertical upward direction. The positions of the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112 in the mounting shell 110 remain unchanged. Therefore, when the position and posture of the electronic device change, the relative position between the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112 and the liquid in the mounting shell 110 will also change accordingly. For example, see Figure 2 , assuming that Figure 2 In the state shown, the first electrical connection part 111 contacts the first conductive liquid 130, and the second electrical connection part 112 contacts the second conductive liquid 150. At this time, the P region 121 of the photoelectric sensor 100 faces the display screen 500. If the electronic device is rotated 180°, the first electrical connection part 111 will change to contact the second conductive liquid 150, and the second electrical connection part 112 will change to contact the first conductive liquid 130. At this time, the P region 121 of the photoelectric sensor 100 faces the back of the electronic device.

[0035] See also Figure 2 When the mounting shell 110 is in the first position, the first electrical connection portion 111 contacts the first conductive liquid 130, and the second electrical connection portion 112 contacts the second conductive liquid 150. At this time, the P region 121 of the PN junction 120 can be electrically connected to the circuit board 200 through the first conductive liquid 130 and the first electrical connection portion 111 in sequence. The N region 123 of the PN junction 120 can be electrically connected to the circuit board 200 through the second conductive liquid 150 and the second electrical connection portion 112 in sequence. The connection relationship between the PN junction 120 and the circuit board 200 is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, it can be seen that at this time, the PN junction 120 can be connected with the circuit board 200 to form a closed loop, which is the first detection loop mentioned above. In this way, the circuit board 200 can detect the photocurrent generated by the photoelectric sensor 100 through the first detection loop, and convert the magnitude of the photocurrent into the intensity of the ambient light to realize the detection process of the ambient light, wherein the conversion relationship between the photocurrent and the ambient light can be the same as the conversion relationship of the photoelectric sensor 100 in the related art, for example, the mapping relationship between the photocurrent and the ambient light can be established in advance, so that after the magnitude of the photocurrent is detected, the magnitude of the ambient light corresponding to the photocurrent can be determined based on the mapping relationship.

[0036] It can be understood that the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112 can be located on two opposite sides of the insulating liquid 140, and the insulating liquid 140 can achieve relative isolation between the first conductive liquid 130 and the second conductive liquid 150, so as to avoid the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112 being relatively conductive through the liquid in the mounting shell 110, thereby causing a short circuit problem.

[0037] In this embodiment, when the mounting shell 110 is in the first position, the P region 121 is electrically connected to the first electrical connection portion 111 through the first conductive liquid 130, and the N region 123 is electrically connected to the second electrical connection portion 112 through the second conductive liquid 150. In this way, when in the first position, it can be ensured that the PN junction 120 can be connected to the circuit board 200 to form a detection circuit to realize the detection process of ambient light.

[0038] Optionally, the mounting shell 110 further includes a third electrical connection portion 113 and a fourth electrical connection portion 114 respectively extending into the mounting shell 110, and the first electrical connection portion 111, the third electrical connection portion 113, the second electrical connection portion 112 and the fourth electrical connection portion 114 are sequentially arranged at intervals along the same circumference of the surface of the mounting shell 110;

[0039] Among the first electrical connection portion 111, the third electrical connection portion 113, the second electrical connection portion 112 and the fourth electrical connection portion 114, the distance between any two adjacent electrical connection portions is greater than the thickness of the layer where the insulating liquid 140 is located;

[0040] The third electrical connection portion 113 and the fourth electrical connection portion 114 are electrically connected to the circuit board 200 , respectively.

[0041] The third electrical connection portion 113 and the fourth electrical connection portion 114 may be various types of electrical connection portions, for example, contacts or conductive members. In some embodiments of the present application, the third electrical connection portion 113 and the fourth electrical connection portion 114 may be two contacts in the mounting shell 110, and the two contacts extend from the inner wall of the mounting shell 110 to the outer wall of the mounting shell 110, respectively, and the third electrical connection portion 113 and the fourth electrical connection portion 114 may be electrically connected to the circuit board 200 through wires or traces, respectively.

[0042] It is understandable that the first electrical connection part 111, the second electrical connection part 112, the third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114 are located at different positions in the mounting shell 110. The third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114 are located at two opposite sides of the insulating liquid 140, and the insulating liquid 140 can achieve relative isolation between the first conductive liquid 130 and the second conductive liquid 150, so as to avoid the third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114 being relatively conductive through the liquid in the mounting shell 110, thereby causing a short circuit problem.

[0043] For the sake of distinction, in some embodiments of the present application, the closed loop formed by the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the first electrical connection part 111, the second electrical connection part 112 and the circuit board 200 may be referred to as a first detection loop. The closed loop formed by the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the third electrical connection part 113, the fourth electrical connection part 114 and the circuit board 200 may be referred to as a second detection loop, and the first detection loop is relatively independent of the second detection loop.

[0044] Specifically, since the relative position of the liquid in the mounting shell 110 and the mounting shell 110 changes, the first electrical connection part 111 and / or the second electrical connection part 112 may be in contact with the insulating liquid 140. When the first electrical connection part 111 and / or the second electrical connection part 112 are in contact with the insulating liquid 140, the connection part in contact with the insulating liquid 140 will not be able to contact the first conductive liquid 130 or the second conductive liquid 150, thereby causing the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the first electrical connection part 111, the second electrical connection part 112 and the circuit board 200 to be unable to form a closed loop. At this time, the photoelectric sensor 100 cannot perform ambient light detection based on the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112. Based on this, the embodiment of the present application further sets a third electrical connection part 113 and a fourth electrical connection part 114 in the mounting shell 110. In this way, when the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the first electrical connection part 111, the second electrical connection part 112 and the circuit board 200 cannot form a closed loop, the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the third electrical connection part 113, the fourth electrical connection part 114 and the circuit board 200 can form a closed loop. At this time, the photoelectric sensor 100 can perform ambient light detection based on the third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114 to realize the ambient light detection process of the photoelectric sensor 100.

[0045] In this embodiment, by making the mounting shell 110 also include a third electrical connection portion 113 and a fourth electrical connection portion 114 extending into the mounting shell 110 respectively, when the photoelectric sensor 100 is unable to perform ambient light detection based on the first electrical connection portion 111 and the second electrical connection portion 112, ambient light detection can be performed based on the third electrical connection portion 113 and the fourth electrical connection portion 114, thereby avoiding the state where the photoelectric sensor 100 is unable to perform ambient light detection, thereby improving the detection effect of the photoelectric sensor 100.

[0046] Optionally, when the mounting shell 110 is in the second position, the P region 121 is electrically connected to the third electrical connection part 113 through the first conductive liquid 130, and the N region 123 is electrically connected to the fourth electrical connection part 114 through the second conductive liquid 150 to form a second detection circuit, and at least one of the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112 is in contact with the insulating liquid 140.

[0047] The second position may include: the mounting shell 110 moves to a position where at least one of the first electrical connection portion 111 and the second electrical connection portion 112 contacts the insulating liquid 140 .

[0048] In this embodiment, since the photoelectric sensor 100 cannot perform ambient light detection based on the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112 when the mounting shell 110 is in the second position, the P region 121 is electrically connected to the third electrical connection part 113 through the first conductive liquid 130, and the N region 123 is electrically connected to the fourth electrical connection part 114 through the second conductive liquid 150 to form a second detection circuit. In this way, when the photoelectric sensor 100 cannot perform ambient light detection based on the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112, a process of performing ambient light detection based on the third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114 can be achieved.

[0049] Optionally, the first electrical connection portion 111 and the second electrical connection portion 112 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the spherical center of the mounting shell 110 , and the third electrical connection portion 113 and the fourth electrical connection portion 114 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the spherical center of the mounting shell 110 .

[0050] In some embodiments of the present application, the first electrical connection part 111, the second electrical connection part 112, the third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114 can be located in the same circular cross-section of the mounting shell 110, and the first electrical connection part 111, the second electrical connection part 112, the third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114 divide the circular cross-section into two equal points, that is, the first electrical connection part 111, the second electrical connection part 112, the third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114 form four equal points of the circular cross-section, wherein the circular cross-section can be any cross-section passing through the center of the mounting shell 110.

[0051] In this embodiment, the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112 are symmetrically arranged about the spherical center of the mounting shell 110, so that when the first electrical connection part 111 contacts the insulating liquid 140, the second electrical connection part 112 also contacts the insulating liquid 140, thereby avoiding the situation where one of the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112 contacts the insulating liquid 140 and the other contacts the conductive liquid, that is, reducing the number of states in which the photoelectric sensor 100 cannot perform ambient light detection based on the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112. In addition, by symmetrically arranging the third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114 about the spherical center of the mounting shell 110, it is helpful to simplify the structure of the photoelectric sensor 100 and facilitate the manufacture of the photoelectric sensor 100.

[0052] Optionally, the photoelectric detection device further includes a switch element 300 , and the third electrical connection portion 113 is electrically connected to the circuit board 200 via the switch element 300 .

[0053] The switch element 300 may include an input terminal, an output terminal and a control terminal, wherein one of the input terminal and the output terminal is electrically connected to the third electrical connection portion 113, the other is electrically connected to the circuit board 200, and the control terminal is electrically connected to the circuit board 200. The circuit board 200 may control the switch element 300 to be turned on or off by sending a control signal to the control terminal of the switch element 300. When the switch element 300 is turned on, the input terminal is connected to the output terminal; when the switch element 300 is turned off, the input terminal is disconnected from the output terminal.

[0054] In this embodiment, the photoelectric detection device also includes a switch element 300, and the third electrical connection part 113 is electrically connected to the circuit board 200 through the switch element 300. In this way, when it is determined that the mounting shell 110 is in the first position, since the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the first electrical connection part 111, the second electrical connection part 112 and the circuit board 200 can form a closed loop at this time, there is no need to form a closed loop through the third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114, so the switch element 300 can be controlled to be disconnected to avoid the problem of power consumption caused by simultaneously conducting two repeated circuits. At the same time, when it is determined that the mounting shell 110 is in the second position, since the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the first electrical connection part 111, the second electrical connection part 112 and the circuit board 200 cannot form a closed loop at this time, the switch element 300 is controlled to be turned on. At this time, the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the third electrical connection part 113, the fourth electrical connection part 114, the switch element 300 and the circuit board 200 can form a closed loop. In this way, when the photoelectric sensor 100 cannot perform ambient light detection based on the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112, the ambient light detection can be performed based on the third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114, thereby avoiding the state where the photoelectric sensor 100 cannot perform ambient light detection, so as to improve the detection effect of the photoelectric sensor 100.

[0055] Optionally, the photoelectric detection device further includes a posture sensor 800 , which is electrically connected to the circuit board 200 , and the circuit board 200 is used to control the switch element 300 to be turned on or off according to the detection result of the posture sensor 800 .

[0056] Among them, when the above-mentioned photoelectric detection device is applied to an electronic device, the above-mentioned posture sensor 800 can reuse the posture detection element in the electronic device, that is, the posture sensor 800 is used to detect the posture of the electronic device. In specific implementation, the posture of the electronic device corresponding to the second position of the mounting shell 110 can be predetermined. The posture of the electronic device corresponding to the second position is referred to as the posture corresponding to the second position below. For example, in some embodiments of the present application, the posture corresponding to the second position is: the electronic device is perpendicular to the ground, or the angle between the electronic device and the ground is 80°, etc. It can be understood that the postures of the electronic device except the posture corresponding to the second position are all the postures of the electronic device corresponding to the above-mentioned first position.

[0057] The following uses the posture corresponding to the second position: the electronic device is perpendicular to the ground as an example to further explain the structure of the electronic device and the ambient light detection principle provided in the embodiment of the present application:

[0058] See also Figure 5 The circuit board 200 may be an application processor (AP) in an electronic device, and the electronic device may further include an analog to digital converter (ADC) 900 and an active front end (AFE) 1000. The photoelectric sensor 100 is electrically connected to the AP through the AFE 1000 and the ADC 900 in sequence, and the photoelectric sensor 100 is also electrically connected to the AP through the switch 300, the AFE 1000, and the ADC 900 in sequence, the AP is electrically connected to the control end of the switch 300, and the posture sensor 800 is electrically connected to the AP.

[0059] See also Figure 6 , Figure 6 The following is a flow chart of an ambient light detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

[0060] Acquire detection data of the posture sensor 800 in real time;

[0061] Determining whether the electronic device is perpendicular to the ground according to the detection data of the attitude sensor 800;

[0062] If the electronic device is vertical to the ground, the switch element 300 is controlled to be turned on, and the AP collects the photocurrent of the photoelectric sensor 100 based on the circuit formed by the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the third electrical connection part 113, the fourth electrical connection part 114 and the circuit board 200;

[0063] If the electronic device is not perpendicular to the ground, the switch element 300 is controlled to be disconnected, and the AP collects the photocurrent of the photoelectric sensor 100 based on the circuit formed by the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the first electrical connection part 111, the first electrical connection part 111 and the circuit board 200.

[0064] In this embodiment, when the circuit board 200 determines that the mounting shell 110 is in the first position based on the detection result of the posture sensor 800, since the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the first electrical connection part 111, the second electrical connection part 112 and the circuit board 200 can form a closed loop at this time, there is no need to form a closed loop through the third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114, so the switch element 300 can be controlled to disconnect to avoid the problem of power consumption caused by simultaneously conducting two repeated circuits. At the same time, when the circuit board 200 determines that the mounting shell 110 is in the second position based on the detection result of the posture sensor 800, since the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the first electrical connection part 111, the second electrical connection part 112 and the circuit board 200 cannot form a closed loop at this time, the switch element 300 is controlled to be turned on. At this time, the PN junction 120, the first conductive liquid 130, the second conductive liquid 150, the third electrical connection part 113, the fourth electrical connection part 114, the switch element 300 and the circuit board 200 can form a closed loop. In this way, when the photoelectric sensor 100 cannot perform ambient light detection based on the first electrical connection part 111 and the second electrical connection part 112, the ambient light detection can be performed based on the third electrical connection part 113 and the fourth electrical connection part 114, thereby avoiding the state where the photoelectric sensor 100 cannot perform ambient light detection, so as to improve the detection effect of the photoelectric sensor 100.

[0065] Optionally, the density of the PN junction 120 is equal to the density of the insulating liquid 140 .

[0066] In other embodiments of the present application, the density of the PN junction 120 may also be approximately equal to the density of the insulating liquid 140, that is: 第一导电液 <ρ 绝缘液体 ≈ρ PN <ρ 第二导电液 , where ρ 第一导电液 is the density of the first conductive liquid 130, ρ 绝缘液体 is the density of the insulating liquid 140, ρ PN is the density of the PN junction 120, ρ 第二导电液 is the density of the second conductive liquid 150 .

[0067] In this embodiment, by making the density of the PN junction 120 equal to the density of the insulating liquid 140 , it is beneficial to ensure that the PN junction 120 is always suspended between the first conductive liquid 130 and the second conductive liquid 150 , and the junction region 122 is located in the insulating liquid 140 .

[0068] See also Figure 1An embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device, which includes the photoelectric detection device described in the above embodiment, and the photoelectric detection device is fixedly installed in the electronic device. The outer surface of the electronic device is provided with a light-transmitting area 700, and the mounting shell 110 is opposite to the light-transmitting area 700.

[0069] The electronic device may refer to various electronic devices having the photoelectric sensor 100 , for example, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a smart wearable device, etc.

[0070] The principle of the above-mentioned photoelectric sensor 100 for ambient light detection may include: the external light of the electronic device can sequentially pass through the light-transmitting area 700 and the shell wall of the mounting shell 110 to irradiate the P region 121 of the PN junction 120 inside the mounting shell 110, and the P region 121 of the PN junction 120 can generate a photocurrent when irradiated by light, so that the circuit board 200 can determine the intensity of the ambient light by the intensity of the photocurrent output by the photoelectric sensor 100, so as to realize the process of detecting the light intensity of the ambient light. Among them, the circuit board 200 can also adjust the brightness of the display screen 500 of the electronic device according to the detected light intensity of the ambient light. Specifically, the brightness of the display screen 500 can be positively correlated with the light intensity of the ambient light.

[0071] The circuit board 200 may be any control circuit board 200 in an electronic device, for example, a main board, or other circuit boards 200 .

[0072] The light-transmissive mounting shell 110 may be a sealed mounting shell 110 made of various light-transmissive and insulating materials. For example, the material of the mounting shell 110 may include at least one of the following: polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), etc. The shape of the mounting shell 110 may be set as required, for example, a sphere, an ellipsoid, etc.

[0073] The light-transmitting area 700 on the outer surface of the electronic device can be specifically set at the top area of ​​the electronic device, wherein the top area can include the top frame area of ​​the electronic device and the area adjacent to the top frame. In this way, the light emitted by the external light source of the electronic device can easily penetrate the light-transmitting area 700 and enter the photoelectric sensor 100, so that the photoelectric sensor 100 can detect the light intensity of the ambient light.

[0074] It is understandable that, when using the electronic device, the user may change the posture of the electronic device as needed. When the posture of the electronic device changes, the mounting shell 110 may move with the posture change of the electronic device, but under the action of gravity, the liquid in the mounting shell 110 will not move with the movement of the mounting shell 110. For example, when the electronic device is rotated from the front side facing up to the back side facing up, the electronic device rotates 180° during this process, and the mounting shell 110 will also rotate 180° in the same direction with the electronic device, but under the action of gravity, the first conductive liquid 130, the insulating liquid 140, and the second conductive liquid 150 in the mounting shell 110 will not rotate during this process, but the second conductive liquid 150 is always located at the bottom layer, the insulating liquid 140 is located in the middle layer, and the first conductive liquid 130 is located at the top layer, that is, when the front side of the electronic device is facing up, under the action of gravity, the first conductive liquid 130 is located at the top layer and faces the front of the electronic device; under the action of gravity, the second conductive liquid 150 is located at the bottom layer and faces the back of the electronic device. Accordingly, when the back of the electronic device faces upward, under the action of gravity, the first conductive liquid 130 is located at the top layer and faces the back of the electronic device; under the action of gravity, the second conductive liquid 150 is located at the bottom layer and faces the front of the electronic device.

[0075] For example, when the electronic device is rotated from the front side facing upward to the top frame facing upward, during this process, the electronic device rotates 90°, and the mounting shell 110 will also rotate 90° in the same direction as the electronic device. However, under the action of gravity, during this process, the first conductive liquid 130, the insulating liquid 140, and the second conductive liquid 150 in the mounting shell 110 will not rotate, but the second conductive liquid 150 will always be located at the bottom layer, the insulating liquid 140 will be located in the middle layer, and the first conductive liquid 130 will be located at the top layer, that is, when the front side of the electronic device is facing upward, under the action of gravity, the first conductive liquid 130 will be located at the top layer and facing the front of the electronic device; under the action of gravity, the second conductive liquid 150 will be located at the bottom layer and facing the back of the electronic device. Correspondingly, when the top frame of the electronic device is facing upward, under the action of gravity, the first conductive liquid 130 is located at the top layer and faces the top frame of the electronic device; under the action of gravity, the second conductive liquid 150 is located at the bottom layer, and the second conductive liquid 150 is: the first conductive liquid 130, the insulating liquid 140 and the second conductive liquid 150, the layer farthest from the top frame of the electronic device.

[0076] In this embodiment, a light-transmitting area 700 is provided on the outer surface of the electronic device, and a light-transmitting mounting shell 110 is arranged opposite to the light-transmitting area 700, and a PN junction 120 is suspended in the mounting shell 110. In this way, external light can sequentially pass through the light-transmitting area 700 and the mounting shell 110 to illuminate the PN junction 120, and the PN junction 120 can generate a photocurrent when illuminated by the light. In this way, the circuit board 200 can determine the intensity of the ambient light by the intensity of the photocurrent output by the photoelectric sensor 100, so as to realize the process of detecting the light intensity of the ambient light.

[0077] Optionally, the light-transmitting region 700 includes at least one of the following: a first light-transmitting sub-region 710 , a second light-transmitting sub-region 720 , and a third light-transmitting sub-region 730 ;

[0078] The first light-transmitting sub-region 710 is located in the border region of the electronic device, the second light-transmitting sub-region 720 is located on the surface of the electronic device on the side facing away from the display screen 500, and the third light-transmitting sub-region 730 is located on the surface where the display screen 500 is located. The third light-transmitting sub-region 730 may be a region in the display screen 500. Specifically, since the display screen 500 of the electronic device generally has a light-transmitting function, the third light-transmitting sub-region 730 may be a region in the display screen 500 that is opposite to the mounting shell 110.

[0079] It can be understood that the above-mentioned light-transmitting area 700 includes one of the first light-transmitting sub-region 710, the second light-transmitting sub-region 720 and the third light-transmitting sub-region 730, or any two of them, or includes all three at the same time, and can be specifically set according to the actual needs of the product.

[0080] See also Figure 1 In some embodiments of the present application, the third light-transmitting sub-region 730, the first light-transmitting sub-region 710 and the second light-transmitting sub-region 720 are sequentially connected to form a light-transmitting region 700 with a U-shaped cross section. Figure 4 (a)- Figure 4 (c) are the three main scenarios of the positional relationship between the electronic device and the light source 400 when the user is using the electronic device. Figure 4 (a) shows a scene in which the display screen 500 of the electronic device faces the light source 400, so the light can mainly enter the photoelectric sensor 100 through the third light-transmitting sub-region 730. Figure 4 (b) shows a scene in which the back of the electronic device faces the light source 400, so the light can mainly enter the photoelectric sensor 100 through the second light-transmitting sub-region 720. Figure 4In the scenario shown in (c), the top frame of the electronic device is facing the light source 400 , so the light can be mainly incident on the photosensor 100 through the first light-transmitting sub-region 710 .

[0081] The frame area may include the area where the four frames of the electronic device are located, and the first light-transmitting sub-area 710 may be located in the top frame area of ​​the electronic device. The second light-transmitting sub-area 720 may be located on the back of the electronic device, and the first light-transmitting sub-area 710 may be connected to the second light-transmitting sub-area 720.

[0082] In some embodiments of the present application, when the housing 600 of the electronic device covers the back and sides of the electronic device at the same time, the first light-transmitting sub-region 710 and the second light-transmitting sub-region 720 may be regions in the housing 600, wherein the material of the first light-transmitting sub-region 710 and the second light-transmitting sub-region 720 in the housing 600 may be a light-transmitting material to form the first light-transmitting sub-region 710 and the second light-transmitting sub-region 720, and the light-transmitting material may be various types of light-transmitting materials, for example, may include at least one of the following: polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), etc.

[0083] In other embodiments of the present application, when the housing 600 of the electronic device only covers the back side of the electronic device, and the electronic device includes a separate frame structure, the first light-transmitting sub-region 710 is a region in the frame structure, and the second light-transmitting sub-region 720 may be a region in the housing 600. The frame structure may be various types of frame structures, such as a metal frame, a glass frame, a plastic frame, etc. When the frame structure is a metal frame, the first light-transmitting sub-region 710 of the metal frame may be hollowed out, and a light-transmitting material may be filled in the hollowed-out region to form the first light-transmitting sub-region 710.

[0084] In this embodiment, the first light-transmitting sub-region 710 is located in the frame region of the electronic device, the second light-transmitting sub-region 720 is located on the surface of the electronic device facing away from the display screen 500, and the third light-transmitting sub-region 730 is located on the surface where the display screen 500 is located. In this way, when the top frame of the electronic device faces the light source 400, external light can be incident on the photoelectric sensor 100 mainly through the first light-transmitting sub-region 710, when the back of the electronic device faces the light source 400, external light can be incident on the photoelectric sensor 100 mainly through the second light-transmitting sub-region 720, and when the display screen 500 of the electronic device faces the light source 400, external light can be incident on the photoelectric sensor 100 mainly through the third light-transmitting sub-region 730, that is, light can be incident on the photoelectric sensor 100 through different surfaces of the electronic device, which is beneficial to increase the detection range of the photoelectric sensor 100.

[0085] Optionally, the light-transmitting region 700 includes the first light-transmitting sub-region 710, the second light-transmitting sub-region 720 and the third light-transmitting sub-region 730, and the visible light transmittance of the first light-transmitting sub-region 710, the visible light transmittance of the second light-transmitting sub-region 720 and the visible light transmittance of the third light-transmitting sub-region 730 are equal.

[0086] The above-mentioned visible light transmittance refers to the transmittance of visible light, and the transmittance refers to the ratio of the radiant energy projected and transmitted through the object to the total radiant energy projected onto the object in the process of the incident light flux leaving from the illuminated surface or the medium incident surface to the other side.

[0087] In some embodiments of the present application, the types or proportions of materials in the first light-transmitting sub-region 710 and the second light-transmitting sub-region 720 can be changed to make the visible light transmittance of the first light-transmitting sub-region 710, the visible light transmittance of the second light-transmitting sub-region 720, and the visible light transmittance of the third light-transmitting sub-region 730 equal.

[0088] In this embodiment, by making the visible light transmittance of the first transparent sub-region 710, the visible light transmittance of the second transparent sub-region 720 and the visible light transmittance of the third transparent sub-region 730 equal, it can be ensured that the attenuation of light irradiated into the photoelectric sensor 100 from different angles is the same. In this way, during the ambient light detection process, there is no need to perform complex multi-angle light calibration work, and ambient light detection can be performed based on light irradiated from various angles, thereby simplifying the ambient light detection process.

[0089] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the purpose of the present application and the scope of protection of the claims, all of which are within the protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A photoelectric detection device, characterized in that: It includes a light-transmitting mounting shell and a PN junction, wherein the mounting shell is a sphere; The installation shell is filled with a first conductive liquid, an insulating liquid, and a second conductive liquid, wherein the density of the first conductive liquid is less than the density of the insulating liquid, and the density of the insulating liquid is less than the density of the second conductive liquid, and the PN junction is suspended in the installation shell; The PN junction comprises a P region, a junction region and an N region which are sequentially stacked, the P region is immersed in the first conductive liquid, the N region is immersed in the second conductive liquid, and the junction region is located in the insulating liquid to separate the junction region from the first conductive liquid and the second conductive liquid respectively; The mounting shell comprises a first electrical connection portion and a second electrical connection portion respectively extending into the mounting shell, and a distance between the first electrical connection portion and the second electrical connection portion is greater than a thickness of a layer where the insulating liquid is located.

2. The photoelectric detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The photoelectric detection device further includes a circuit board, and the first electrical connection portion and the second electrical connection portion are electrically connected to the circuit board respectively; When the mounting shell is in the first position, the P region is electrically connected to the first electrical connection portion through the first conductive liquid, and the N region is electrically connected to the second electrical connection portion through the second conductive liquid to form a first detection circuit.

3. The photoelectric detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The mounting shell further comprises a third electrical connection portion and a fourth electrical connection portion respectively extending into the mounting shell, wherein the first electrical connection portion, the third electrical connection portion, the second electrical connection portion and the fourth electrical connection portion are sequentially arranged at intervals along the same circumference of the surface of the mounting shell; Among the first electrical connection portion, the third electrical connection portion, the second electrical connection portion and the fourth electrical connection portion, a distance between any two adjacent electrical connection portions is greater than a thickness of a layer where the insulating liquid is located; The third electrical connection portion and the fourth electrical connection portion are electrically connected to the circuit board, respectively.

4. The photoelectric detection device according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the mounting shell is in the second position, the P region is electrically connected to the third electrical connection part through the first conductive liquid, and the N region is electrically connected to the fourth electrical connection part through the second conductive liquid to form a second detection circuit, and at least one of the first electrical connection part and the second electrical connection part is in contact with the insulating liquid.

5. The photoelectric detection device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first electrical connection portion and the second electrical connection portion are symmetrically arranged with respect to the spherical center of the mounting shell, and the third electrical connection portion and the fourth electrical connection portion are symmetrically arranged with respect to the spherical center of the mounting shell.

6. The photoelectric detection device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The photoelectric detection device further includes a switch component, and the third electrical connection portion is electrically connected to the circuit board through the switch component.

7. The photoelectric detection device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The photoelectric detection device further includes a posture sensor, which is electrically connected to the circuit board, and the circuit board is used to control the switch element to be turned on or off according to the detection result of the posture sensor.

8. The photoelectric detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The density of the PN junction is equal to the density of the insulating liquid.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: The photoelectric detection device comprises the photoelectric detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the photoelectric detection device is fixedly installed in the electronic device, a light-transmitting area is provided on the outer surface of the electronic device, and the mounting shell is opposite to the light-transmitting area.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The light-transmitting region includes at least one of the following: a first light-transmitting sub-region, a second light-transmitting sub-region, and a third light-transmitting sub-region; The first light-transmitting sub-region is located in the frame region of the electronic device, the second light-transmitting sub-region is located on the surface of the electronic device facing away from the display screen, and the third light-transmitting sub-region is located on the surface where the display screen is located.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The light-transmitting region includes the first light-transmitting sub-region, the second light-transmitting sub-region and the third light-transmitting sub-region, and the visible light transmittance of the first light-transmitting sub-region, the visible light transmittance of the second light-transmitting sub-region and the visible light transmittance of the third light-transmitting sub-region are equal.

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