Electronic device comprising a magnetometer

Abstract

An electronic device wherein the electronic device comprises:-a housing wherein the spatial extent of the housing is characterized by defining an orthogonal set of dimensions of a reference coordinate system and the housing comprises at least a user interaction portion in a user interaction plane at a reference height above a base portion of the housing; -a first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) defining a first magnetometer plane, wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) is surrounded by the housing; wherein the first plurality of magnetometers is arranged in a first magnetometer mounting area of the housing, and wherein an upper boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area is provided by the user interaction portion, and the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area is separated from the plurality of side walls of the shell by a plurality of corresponding distances in the length direction and / or the width direction.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of European Patent Application EP 22 307 016.0, filed on Dec. 22, 2022, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device configured to obtain a user interaction from a user-carrying device, wherein the user-carrying device includes at least one magnetic object. The present disclosure also relates to an associated system, method, computer program element, and computer-readable medium. Background Art

[0003] In the technical field of determining and / or tracking the position of a device held or worn by a user (i.e., a user-carrying device), providing multiple magnetometers allows measuring a magnetic field associated with a magnetic object arranged in or coupled to the user-carrying device. The user-carrying device using this technology can be electronically passive and / or electrically passive. More specifically, electrically passive means that the user-carrying device does not include a power source (e.g., a battery) for powering the electronic features of the user-carrying device and / or means for receiving electrical power (e.g., wireless power transfer via an induction coil). Electronically passive means that no computing or processing occurs (or takes place) on the user-carrying device. The magnetometer measurement results enable determining and / or tracking the position of the magnetic object within a sensing volume created by the multiple magnetometers. In some applications, the magnetic object can be arranged within a writing device (e.g., a stylus), which can be operated by the user on a writing support during user operation. Based on the magnetic field measurement results associated with the magnetic object, the position of the writing device on the writing support can be determined.

[0004] User operations of the user-carrying device within the sensing volume created by the multiple magnetometers can be presented to the user on an output device (e.g., a screen). More specifically, the movement of the user-carrying device within the sensing volume can be reproduced as the movement of a virtual object on the output device. In current applications, the visual reproduction of the position of the user-carrying device within the sensing volume on the output device may be inaccurate and unreliable relative to certain arrangements of the multiple magnetometers and the output device. Therefore, an electronic device including magnetometers can be further improved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to a first aspect, there is provided an electronic device, the electronic device comprising:

[0006] - a housing, wherein the spatial extent of the housing is characterized by an orthogonal dimension set including length, width, and height in a reference coordinate system of the housing; and the housing includes at least a user interaction portion, which is in a user interaction plane at a reference height above a base portion of the housing;

[0007] - A first plurality of magnetometers that define a first magnetometer plane, wherein the first plurality of magnetometers are surrounded by a housing;

[0008] Wherein the first plurality of magnetometers are arranged in a first magnetometer mounting area of the housing, wherein an upper boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area is provided by a user interaction part, and lateral boundaries of the first magnetometer mounting area are separated from a plurality of surfaces of the housing by corresponding plurality of distances in a length direction and / or a width direction.

[0009] According to a second aspect, there is provided a system comprising: an electronic device according to the first aspect or an implementation thereof; at least one user-carried device comprising at least one magnetic object and / or a magnetic field generator, wherein the electronic device is configured to: obtain a magnetic field measurement result associated with the user-carried device to determine a position of the user-carried device relative to a peripheral coordinate system of a peripheral device, and transmit the position of the user-carried device relative to the peripheral device to a host device.

[0010] According to a third aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method comprising:

[0011] - Obtaining, at an electronic device according to the first aspect or an implementation thereof, a magnetic field measurement result associated with at least one magnetic object and measured by a plurality of magnetometers included in the electronic device;

[0012] - Determining a position of the user-carried device relative to a reference frame of the electronic device based on the magnetic field measurement result; and

[0013] - Transmitting the position of the user-carried device to a device driver instantiated in a user environment of the electronic device.

[0014] The effect is that a specific magnetometer arrangement in the electronic device is provided, enabling improved tracking of one or more magnetic objects in at least one user-carried device.

[0015] Typical electronic devices (such as laptop computers) have a large number of ferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic elements, magnets or coils, which affect the performance of the magnetometer array when detecting the position of a magnet in a user-carried device. In addition, electronic devices such as laptop computers have strict positioning constraints that limit the positions where the magnetometer array can be placed.

[0016] This specification discusses a solution where a sensing volume is created to cover the sensing area of an electronic device to extend the housing or sensing surface of a device of a magnetic-based position sensing system. In a specific arrangement, the sensing volume is created to cover an upper portion, such as where a laptop computer keyboard is provided. In other examples, magnetic sensors provided at the sides of the keyboard enable the sensing volume and / or sensing surface to extend along the sides of the laptop computer.

[0017] This specification also discusses arrangements that enable a printed circuit board or other mounting arrangement to be tilted relative to the housing of the electronic device. The printed circuit board or other mounting arrangement including multiple magnetometers enhances the resolution of sensing while enabling integration constraints inside the housing to be met.

[0018] In addition, a flexible printed circuit board including an array of magnetometers can be provided. The flexible printed circuit board follows the curvature of the housing, enabling the magnetometer array to be integrated into a limited mounting volume.

[0019] The application of such techniques improves the accuracy of detection performed in a sensing volume or sensing surface above an electronic device such as a laptop computer, which is an area where accessories such as a computer stylus or other pointer are typically used. Generally speaking, due to the improved signal-to-noise ratio of the magnetometer sensing system, the possible sensing volume or sensing area is larger. For example, when sensing is performed in a sensing volume above the user's palm rest or keyboard area of a laptop computer, sensors located at least in the upper portion of an electronic device such as a laptop computer improve the signal-to-noise ratio. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Other features will be apparent from the drawings that form a part of this disclosure. The drawings are intended to further explain the disclosure and enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure. However, the drawings are intended as non-limiting examples. Common reference numerals in different figures indicate similar or like features.

[0021] Figure 1 An electronic device with a user-carrying device disposed thereon is schematically shown.

[0022] Figure 2 A system for controlling the representation of a user-carrying device is schematically shown.

[0023] Figure 3 The resolution of the positioning of a magnetic object relative to the plane of a magnetometer is schematically shown.

[0024] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Variations in the positioning of a magnetometer when mounted in an electronic device are schematically shown.

[0025] Figure 5 A plan view of a user interaction surface of an electronic device is schematically shown.

[0026] Figure 6 A side cross-sectional view of an electronic device is schematically shown.

[0027] Figure 7 A plan view of a user interaction surface of an electronic device is schematically shown.

[0028] Figure 8 A side cross-sectional view of an electronic device is schematically shown.

[0029] Figure 9 A plan view of a user interaction surface of an electronic device is schematically shown.

[0030] Figure 10 A side cross-sectional view of an electronic device is schematically shown.

[0031] Figure 11 A variant of a magnetometer array is schematically shown.

[0032] Figure 12 The interaction volume and surface surrounding the electronic device are schematically shown

[0033] Figure 13 Three specific examples of multiple magnetometers are schematically shown.

[0034] Figure 14 Schematically shown due to Figure 13 The experimental results generated by the layout shown in

[0035] Figure 15 Schematically shown due to Figure 13 The experimental results generated by the layout shown in

[0036] Figure 16 Schematically shown due to Figure 13 The experimental results generated by the layout shown in

[0037] Figure 17 The configuration of an electronic device is schematically shown.

[0038] Figure 18 A computer-implemented method is schematically shown. Detailed implementation

[0039] Figure 1 An electronic device arranged with a user-carrying device according to the first aspect is schematically shown.

[0040] Figure 1The electronic device 10 shown in the figure is a laptop computer, which is included in a system 1 that includes a user-carrying device 100. The user-carrying device can be, for example, a computer mouse, a dial, a ring, a toy, a keyboard, a joystick, a paintbrush, or a stylus. The user-carrying device 100 includes at least one magnetic object 110. The user-carrying device 100 is capable of, for example, laterally translating and / or rotating on an interaction surface 210 provided by an interaction support 200.

[0041] The translation of the user-carrying device 100 (and thus the magnetic moment of at least one magnet included within the user-carrying device 100) is detected by one or more of a plurality of magnetometers MA1 - MA6 included within a housing 12 of the electronic device 10. In different embodiments, the plurality of magnetometers are numbered differently. Generally speaking, the plurality of magnetometers MA5 are labeled as a first plurality of magnetometers, the plurality of magnetometers MA1 (if present) are labeled as a second plurality of magnetometers, the plurality of magnetometers MA2 (if present) are labeled as a third plurality of magnetometers, the plurality of magnetometers MA3 (if present) are labeled as a fourth plurality of magnetometers, and the plurality of magnetometers MA4 (if present) are labeled as a fifth plurality of magnetometers. However, in some cases, the plurality of magnetometers MA1 are labeled as (first) a plurality of magnetometers, the plurality of magnetometers MA2 are labeled as a second plurality of magnetometers, the plurality of magnetometers MA3 are labeled as a third plurality of magnetometers, and the plurality of magnetometers MA4 are labeled as a fourth plurality of magnetometers. The corresponding context clarifies which counting convention is used. When the focus of the discussion is not on the (first) plurality of magnetometers MA5 (e.g., see Figure 4A and Figure 4B , embodiments A to P), the second convention is used. However, generally speaking, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is always a first plurality of magnetometers according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, which are arranged in a first magnetometer mounting area of the housing, the upper boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area is provided by a user interaction part, and the lateral boundaries of the first magnetometer mounting area are separated from a plurality of surfaces of the housing by corresponding distances in the length direction and / or the width direction. Additional pluralities of magnetometers may or may not be present in different embodiments.

[0042] The signals output by one or more of the plurality of magnetometers MA1-MA6 undergo signal processing such that the electronic device 10 can resolve the position of the user-carried device 100 relative to one or more of the plurality of magnetometers MA1-MA6. Generally, the signal processing is performed by an embedded controller communicatively coupled to one or more of the plurality of magnetometers MA1-MA6. The output of the signal processing includes, for example, the 2D position of the user-carried device 100 in the XY plane of the interaction surface 210, or the 3D position within the sensing volume defined around the electronic device 10. The output of the signal processing is provided to a device driver executing in the software environment of the electronic device 10. The device driver of the electronic device 10 can be accessed by one or more applications hosted by the software environment of the electronic device 10. In this way, the applications hosted by the software environment of the electronic device 10 obtain a proxy for the position of the user-carried device 100 in 2D or 3D coordinates. Thus, the applications hosted by the software environment of the electronic device 10 can use the position of the user-carried device for a wide range of user input tasks. In Figure 1 the example, the position of the user-carried device 100 is represented by a screen cursor 7 on the display 11 of the electronic device 10.

[0043] The electronic device 10 generally includes a portion enclosed by a flat-shaped cube enclosure resting on the interaction surface 210. The illustrated electronic device 10 is a laptop computer, which also includes a display 11 pivotable about a hinge axis R using a hinge 9. Thus, the housing 12 includes a first surface 14 that generally faces the user in use. In an embodiment, the first surface 14 can be the front sidewall of the housing 12. The housing also includes a second surface 16 on the left side of the user. In an embodiment, the second surface 16 can be the first sidewall of the housing 12. The housing 12 also includes a third surface 18 (not visible in the Figure 1 projection) on the right side of the user. In an embodiment, the third surface 18 can be the second sidewall of the housing 12. The housing 12 also includes a fourth surface 20 on the rear surface of the housing 12 that faces away from the user in use. In an embodiment, the fourth surface 20 can be the rear sidewall of the housing 12. The first through fourth surfaces are covered by a surface including, for example, a touchpad 30. In use, the surface including the touchpad 30 is used to support, for example, the user's wrist.

[0044] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the foregoing description of the laptop computer housing is an example, and the electronic device 10 can also be embodied in a tablet computer, a smart phone, a keyboard, a television, and / or an electronic device 10 having any shape (such as circular, square, triangular, pentagonal, or hexagonal or any other shape).

[0045] In an example, the hinged display 11 portion of the electronic device 10 includes a display surface magnet 112. In use, the position of the display surface magnet relative to the housing 12 can be resolved by one or more of a plurality of magnetometers M1 - M5 included in the housing 12.

[0046] In an example, the hinged display 11 portion of the electronic device 10 includes at least one of a plurality of magnetometers MA6 to provide higher fidelity to the detection of the position of the user carrying the device 100.

[0047] In an embodiment, the electronic device 10 includes a second plurality of magnetometers MA2 on the left side of the housing 12. In an embodiment, the electronic device 10 includes a third plurality of magnetometers MA3 on the right side of the housing 12. The additional pluralities of magnetometers MA2 and MA3 extend along the housing 12 in the Y dimension, thereby providing improved fidelity to the detection of the movement of the user carrying the device 100 towards the right and / or left side of the housing 12 on the interaction surface 210 or a sensing volume adjacent to the right or left side of the housing 12. In an embodiment, a fourth plurality of magnetometers MA4 disposed along the rear of the housing 12 improves the fidelity of the positioning detection of the user carrying the device 100 adjacent to the rear of the housing 12. For example, an electronic device 10 or a general - purpose tablet PC having a "2 - in - 1" format can benefit from the fourth plurality of magnetometers MA4 that enable user interaction at the rear of the electronic device 10. A first plurality of magnetometers MA5 spatially associated with the touchpad 30 can improve the resolution of the sensing volume closely above or around the touchpad 30. A sixth plurality of magnetometers MA6 mounted in the hinged portion of the housing 12 that includes the display 11 can further improve the fidelity of the detection in the sensing volume in front of the display 11.

[0048] According to an embodiment, the electronic device 10, 800 is one of the following: a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, a keyboard, a smart watch, a television, an interactive whiteboard, a virtual reality headset, a wireless access point, and / or a display projector.

[0049] In an example, as a laptop computer, the housing 12 of the electronic device 10 includes one or more other electronic modules. For clarity, Figure 1 none of the following components are shown. For example, Figure 1The housing 12 shown in the figure may include: a base cover configured to contact the interactive support 200, and a battery configured to supply power to other electronic circuit components of the electronic device. The housing may include a solid state drive or a disk-based hard drive, a system board, one or more speaker housings, a display assembly, a wireless modem and associated antennas, a USB interface board, a heat sink and a system fan, a palm rest assembly, an I / O daughter board, and a heat sink cover. In addition, the housing includes mechanical mounting elements, such as posts capable of holding the listed internal components of the electronic device 10 in place. Generally, the electronic device 10 has limited space for adding additional components.

[0050] According to an embodiment, the first surface of the housing 12 is closest to and faces the user of the electronic devices 10, 800 during operation.

[0051] Figure 2 A system for controlling the representation of a user-carried device is schematically shown.

[0052] Reference Figure 2 , the user-carried device coordinate system includes a first device axis xd, a second device axis yd orthogonal to the first device axis xd, and a vertical device axis zd orthogonal to the first device axis xd and the second device axis yd. In the example shown, the user-carried device 100 may include a contact surface that contacts the interactive surface 210. In other examples, the user-carried device may include a contact point (e.g., a stylus or other writing device including a writing tip that contacts the interactive surface 210 during a writing operation). The user-carried device 100 may operate within the sensing volume M but not on the interactive surface 210. In this case, the user-carried device 100 may be used as, for example, a pointer that may not operate directly on the interactive surface 210 (i.e., does not contact and / or is away from the interactive surface 210). In some embodiments, the device coordinate system may be defined within the geometric center of the user-carried device 100.

[0053] Reference Figure 2 , an arrangement of a plurality of magnetometers relative to the interactive surface 210 defined on the interactive support 200 is shown. In Figure 2 the embodiment shown, the plurality of magnetometers 300 may be arranged in a row and column array. However, it is also possible that the plurality of magnetometers may be arranged in a disordered or randomized manner within the plurality of magnetometers. A calibration process may be used to determine the exact position, measurement axis, sensitivity, and offset of each magnetometer within the magnetometer body relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ. When the plurality of magnetometers 300 are rigidly mounted in the housing 12 of the electronic device 10, the reference coordinate system of the plurality of magnetometers 300 is related to the reference coordinate system of the electronic device 10 through a rigid transformation. The plurality of magnetometers 300 in Figure 2is shown as being arranged in the magnetometer plane 310 (i.e., in the same plane relative to the vertical reference axis Z). However, as outlined above, one or more of the magnetometers in the magnetometer can be away from the magnetometer plane 310, more specifically, away in the direction of the vertical reference axis Z.

[0054] The plurality of magnetometers 300 can be electrically (e.g., via wires or a data bus) or wirelessly connected to the processing unit 400, an external processing unit, and / or an electronic device. In an embodiment, the plurality of magnetometers 300 can be integrated in a wall, furniture, a notebook, an electronic device, a screen, a keyboard, and / or a mouse pad. In the case where the plurality of magnetometers 300 are arranged in a wall, the interaction surface 210 can be a screen or a display placed in front of the plurality of magnetometers 300. In an embodiment, the interaction surface 210 can be defined on one or more output devices 500.

[0055] In an embodiment, the electronic device 10 can include the processing unit 400 or be capable of connecting to an external processing unit. The processing unit 400 can be configured to execute a computer-implemented method capable of resolving the position (positioning and orientation) of the user-carrying device 10 relative to the coordinate system XYZ. In an embodiment, the processing unit 400 can be integrated in the electronic device. In an embodiment, the output device 500 can be integrated in the electronic device. In an embodiment, the electronic device 10 can be a tablet computer, a cellular phone, a laptop computer, a computer, a virtual reality (VR) kit, or a television.

[0056] One of the plurality of the plurality of magnetometers MA1 - MA6 of the electronic device 10 can be configured such that signal processing can be used to resolve the 2D or 3D position (positioning and / or orientation) of the user-carrying device 100. The spatial region within which the resolution can be performed with an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio is referred to as the sensing volume around the electronic device (e.g., as Figure 12 indicated). In an example, the sensing volume is defined by contour lines that give a common signal-to-noise ratio for position (integrating both positioning and orientation) detection. The plurality of magnetometers MA1 - MA6 can be associated with the magnetometer plane 310. More specifically, the magnetometer plane 310 can be defined by a plane that can extend through most of the plurality of magnetometers 300. In some embodiments, the user-carrying device 100 can be operated on the interaction surface 210, more specifically where the interaction surface 210 can be defined on or as a boundary or be defined within the sensing volume M.

[0057] When there are more than one plurality of magnetometers, a magnetometer plane can be defined for each of the more than one plurality of magnetometers.

[0058] The term "at least one magnetic object" may refer to an object that may include components made of a magnetic material (i.e., a material having magnetic properties that can be measured by a plurality of magnetometers 300). The user-carrying device 100 and / or at least one magnetic object 210 may be mobile, i.e., capable of freely moving within a reference coordinate system XYZ. In other words, during a user operation (i.e., an operation in which the user-carrying device 100 and / or at least one magnetic object 110 is operated by the user), the position of the user-carrying device 100 within the sensing volume M and / or relative to the interaction surface 210 may be manipulated by the user within the sensing volume M.

[0059] The at least one magnetic object 110 may be a permanent magnet. In an embodiment, the at least one magnetic object 110 may be configured to generate a non-zero magnetic field. It may include paramagnetic or diamagnetic materials. In an embodiment, the at least one magnetic object 110 may include ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic materials.

[0060] Figure 3 The resolution of the position of a magnetic object (e.g., as included in the user-carrying device 100) relative to the magnetometer plane is schematically shown.

[0061] Determining the user-carrying device position may include determining the magnetic object position of at least one magnetic object 110 that indicates the user-carrying device position. Specifically, determining the user-carrying device position may include determining a position vector indicating the magnetic object positioning and / or determining a magnetic moment vector 120 indicating the magnetic object orientation of at least one magnetic object 110. Since the magnetic object 110 is coupled to the user-carrying device 100, the position of the magnetic object 110 may indicate the position of the user-carrying device 100.

[0062] The user-carrying device position may indicate the absolute user-carrying device position relative to the magnetometer plane 310 (specifically the reference coordinate system XYZ), and / or the relative user-carrying device position relative to the interaction surface 210. Determining the user-carrying device position indicating the absolute user-carrying device position may include determining the absolute magnetic object position. The absolute magnetic object position may indicate the absolute magnetic object positioning and / or absolute magnetic object orientation of at least one magnetic object 110 relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ. Specifically, the absolute magnetic object position may be determined based on magnetic field measurement results obtained from a plurality of magnetometers MA1 - MA6. Thereby, the absolute positioning and / or absolute orientation of at least one magnetic object 110 in the reference coordinate system XYZ may be determined.

[0063] In an embodiment, determining an absolute magnetic object position may include generating magnetic field measurement result data based on the obtained magnetic field measurement results. The magnetic field measurement result data may indicate the magnetic field positioning, magnetic field orientation, and / or magnetic field intensity of the magnetic object 110 relative to a reference coordinate system XYZ. Determining the absolute magnetic object position may further include processing the magnetic field measurement result data to correlate the magnetic field measurement result data with the absolute magnetic object position. For example, filters and / or estimation algorithms may be used to evaluate the absolute magnetic object position associated with the magnetic field measurement result data.

[0064] The absolute magnetic object position may include a magnetic moment vector 120 and / or an absolute positioning vector associated with at least one magnetic object 110. The magnetic moment vector 120 may indicate the magnetic object orientation and the magnetic strength of the magnetic object. The absolute positioning vector may indicate the positioning of the magnetic object relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ. In an embodiment, the absolute magnetic object orientation may be defined by a first set of magnetic object tilt angles δ1, δ2, δ3 measured between the magnetometer plane 310 and the magnetic moment vector 120. The first set of magnetic object orientation angles δ1, δ2, δ3 may be measured relative to the reference coordinate axes X, Y, Z, more specifically between the magnetic moment vector 120 and the respective axes X, Y, Z of the reference coordinate system XYZ.

[0065] For example, the first magnetic object orientation angle δ1 may be defined between the first reference axis X and the magnetic moment vector 120, more specifically in the XZ plane. In an embodiment, two angles relative to the magnetometer plane 310 may be sufficient to define the absolute magnetic object orientation of the magnetic object 110. Specifically, when using a magnetic dipole model, two angles relative to the magnetometer plane 310 may be sufficient to define the absolute magnetic object orientation of the magnetic object 110. More specifically, when the magnetic object 110 is symmetric along the magnetization axis (i.e., rotationally symmetric magnetization), two angles relative to the magnetometer plane 310 may be sufficient to define the absolute magnetic object orientation of the magnetic object 110. In some embodiments, the absolute positioning vector may be defined by a first set of Cartesian coordinates defined within the reference coordinate system XYZ.

[0066] The magnetic moment vector 120 and / or the absolute positioning vector may be determined based on the specific implementation of the measurement model and the use of an estimation filter such as a Kalman filter, an extended Kalman filter, or an unscented Kalman filter. The measurement model correlates each measurement of the magnetometers in the plurality of magnetometers 300 with the position of at least one magnetic object 110 in the reference coordinate system XYZ. The model may typically be constructed from the physical equations of electromagnetics, more specifically from the equations of magnetostatics. To establish the model, at least one magnetic object 110 may be approximated by a magnetic dipole. Each magnetometer in the plurality of magnetometers 300 may be a vector magnetometer and may be configured to measure the magnetic field in one, two, or three dimensions.

[0067] Reference Figure 3 To determine the user-carried device position indicating the position relative to the user-carried device may include determining the position relative to the magnetic object. The position relative to the magnetic object may indicate the positioning relative to the magnetic object and / or the orientation relative to the magnetic object. The positioning relative to the magnetic object may be the positioning of at least one magnetic object 110 relative to the interaction surface 210, more specifically relative to the interaction surface coordinate system xs, ys, zs.

[0068] The orientation relative to the magnetic object may be the orientation of at least one magnetic object 110 relative to the interaction surface 210, more specifically relative to the interaction surface coordinate system xs, ys, zs. The position relative to the magnetic object may include the magnetic moment vector 120 associated with at least one magnetic object 110 and / or the relative positioning vectors Δxs, Δys, Δzs. The magnetic moment vector 120 may indicate the orientation relative to the magnetic object, and / or wherein the relative positioning vectors Δxs, Δys, Δzs indicate the positioning relative to the magnetic object relative to the interaction surface coordinate system xs, ys, zs. In an embodiment, the relative positioning vector may be understood as the vector from the origin of the surface coordinate system xs, ys, zs to the centroid or dipole center of the magnetic object 110.

[0069] In an embodiment, the orientation relative to the magnetic object may be defined by a second set of magnetic object tilt angles γ1, γ2, γ3 determined between the interaction surface 210 and the magnetic moment vector 120. In other words, the orientation relative to the magnetic object may be defined by a set of magnetic object tilt angles γ1, γ2, γ3 relative to the interaction surface coordinate axes xs, ys, zs.

[0070] Specifically, a first magnetic object tilt angle γ1 may be determined between the first interaction surface axis xs and the magnetic moment vector 120 ( Figure 3 not shown in). A second magnetic object tilt angle γ2 may be determined between the second interaction surface axis ys and the magnetic moment vector 120 ( Figure 3 not shown in). A vertical magnetic object tilt angle γ3 may be determined between the vertical interaction surface axis zs and the magnetic moment vector 120. For example, the vertical magnetic object tilt angle γ3 may be defined between the vertical interaction surface axis zs and the magnetic moment vector 120. Specifically, the vertical magnetic object tilt angle γ3 may be defined between the magnetic moment vector 120 and the vertical interaction surface axis zs (or an axis parallel thereto), such that the vertical magnetic object tilt angle γ3 may be only in the range between 0° and 90°. In an embodiment, two angles relative to the magnetometer plane 310 may be sufficient to define the orientation relative to the magnetic object of the magnetic object 110.

[0071] Thus, as two examples, the arrangement of one or more of the plurality of magnetometers in the electronic device 10 is associated with the range of the tilt angle of the magnetic object and the distance from the electronic device, at which such an angle can be reliably determined. In other words, the arrangement of one or more of the plurality of magnetometers MA1 - MA6 in the electronic device 10 determines the sensing volume M, within which the user can carry the device reliably. Therefore, the beneficial arrangement of one or more of the plurality of magnetometers MA1 - MA6 in the electronic device 10 will now be discussed.

[0072] According to a first aspect, an electronic device 10 comprises:

[0073] - a housing, wherein the spatial extent of the housing is characterized by an orthogonal set of dimensions including a length L, a width W, and a height H in a reference coordinate system of the housing, and the housing includes at least a user interaction portion 8, which is in a user interaction plane at a reference height above a base portion of the housing;

[0074] - a first plurality of magnetometers MA5 defining a first magnetometer plane MP5, wherein the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 is surrounded by the housing;

[0075] wherein the first plurality of magnetometers is arranged in a first magnetometer mounting region of the housing, wherein an upper boundary of the first magnetometer mounting region is provided by the user interaction portion 8, and lateral boundaries 24 of the first magnetometer mounting region are separated from a plurality of surfaces 14, 16, 18, 20 of the housing by corresponding plurality of distances SD1 - SD4 in a length direction and / or a width direction.

[0076] According to an example, the housing 12 is made of a material such that magnetometers can be included within the housing 12 to detect changes in a magnetic field outside the housing 12. For example, the housing 12 may include plastic, wood, or aluminum. In an example, the surface of the housing 12 does not include magnetic materials such as ferromagnetic and / or ferrimagnetic materials.

[0077] Figure 1 The electronic device 10 according to the first aspect is schematically shown.

[0078] Figure 4A and Figure 4B A variant of the positioning of the magnetometers when mounted in the electronic device is schematically shown. Figure 4A and Figure 4B The representation of Figure 1 is a plan view of the regional arrangement including a plurality of magnetometers inside the housing 12 as shown in

[0079] According to arrangement embodiment A, a plurality of magnetometers MA1 are arranged adjacent to the front wall of the housing 12.

[0080] According to arrangement implementation B, a plurality of magnetometers MA1 are arranged adjacent to the left front corner of the housing 12.

[0081] According to arrangement implementation C, a plurality of magnetometers MA1 are arranged adjacent to the right front corner of the housing 12.

[0082] According to arrangement implementation D, a plurality of magnetometers MA1 are arranged substantially adjacent to the front wall facing the user of the housing 12. In this case, a plurality of magnetometers MA1 are divided into sub-regions MA1a and MA1b.

[0083] According to arrangement implementation E, the housing includes a plurality of magnetometers MA1 arranged adjacent to the front wall of the housing 12 and a second plurality of magnetometers MA2 arranged adjacent to the left side wall of the housing 12.

[0084] According to arrangement implementation F, the housing includes a plurality of magnetometers MA1 arranged adjacent to the front wall of the housing 12, a second plurality of magnetometers MA2 arranged adjacent to the left side wall of the housing 12, and a third plurality of magnetometers arranged adjacent to the right side wall of the housing 12.

[0085] Arrangement implementation G is similar to option A. Although it emphasizes that a plurality of magnetometers MA1 are arranged adjacent to the front wall of the housing 12, the ends of the region including the plurality of magnetometers MA1 extend up to adjacent to the left side wall and the right side wall of the housing 12.

[0086] Arrangement implementation H provides a combination of a plurality of magnetometers MA1 adjacent to the front wall of the housing 12 and a second plurality of magnetometers MA2 adjacent to the right side wall of the housing 12.

[0087] Arrangement implementation I shows that a plurality of magnetometers MA1 can be considered as a continuous U-shaped feature in the XY plane of the housing 12. In other words, parts of the plurality of magnetometers MA1 are adjacent to the left side wall, the front wall, and the right side wall of the housing 12.

[0088] Arrangement implementation J shows a first plurality of magnetometers MA1 and a second plurality of magnetometers MA2. The plurality of magnetometers MA1 are adjacent to the left side wall and the front wall of the housing 12. The second plurality of magnetometers MA2 are adjacent to the right side wall and the front wall of the housing 12.

[0089] In an example of implementation J, one or more of the first plurality of magnetometers MA1 and the second plurality of magnetometers MA2 can be mounted on the front corner speaker housing of an electronic device 10 (such as an internal laptop audio system).

[0090] Arrangement embodiments K and L show that multiple magnetometers can be disposed isolately at the left or right corner of the housing 12. Arrangement embodiment M is similar to embodiment I in that three multiple magnetometers MA1, MA2, and MA3 together form a U-shaped unit adjacent to the left, front, and right sides of the housing 12. Arrangement embodiment N shows multiple magnetometers MA1 disposed on a substantially curved mounting substrate, which can be, for example, a flexible printed circuit board. In this example, the flexible printed circuit board can be conformally positioned relative to the surface wall of the housing 12.

[0091] Arrangement embodiment O shows an embodiment to be discussed later, in which the first, second, and third multiple magnetometers MA1 - MA3 define a region 4a of the housing 12 that does not include or substantially does not include magnetic material. In the example, the region 4b of the housing 12 can include magnetic material. An aspect of such an arrangement is that when the user holds the device 100 adjacent to the multiple magnetometers MA1 - 3, omitting the magnetic material from the region 4a improves the fidelity of magnetic surface or volume positioning.

[0092] Arrangement embodiment P shows a variant of option F, in which the multiple magnetometers MA1 include a notch (in other words, the longitudinal cross-section of the multiple magnetometers MA1 is restricted in the XY plane) to accommodate the antenna portion of the electronic device 10.

[0093] Arrangement embodiment Q shows a variant of option F, which further includes a first multiple magnetometers MA5 located adjacent to the touchpad 30, which will be positioned in the housing 12 of the electronic device.

[0094] Arrangement embodiment R shows an electronic device 10 including a housing 12 with multiple magnetometers MA4 at the rear.

[0095] All the arrangement embodiments discussed above can be combined with other embodiments disclosed throughout this specification.

[0096] According to an embodiment, the multiple magnetometers MA1 are adjacent to the first surface 14 of the housing 12.

[0097] For example, a printed circuit board or other carrier including magnetometers belonging to the multiple magnetometers MA1 physically contacts the first surface 14 of the housing 12. For example, a printed circuit board or other carrier including magnetometers belonging to the multiple magnetometers MA1 is bonded to the first surface 14 of the housing 12 or integrally formed therewith.

[0098] For example, a printed circuit board or other carrier including magnetometers belonging to the multiple magnetometers MA1 abuts but is not joined to the first surface 14 of the housing 12.

[0099] For example, a printed circuit board or other carrier including magnetometers belonging to multiple magnetometers MA1 is separated from the first surface 14 of the housing 12 in the Y direction by a distance greater than 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 m, 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.3 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.6 mm, 1.7 mm, 1.8 mm, 1.9 mm, 2.0 mm, 3.0 mm, 4.0 mm or 5.0 mm. In the case where the present specification relates to another plurality of magnetometers MA2 - MA6, the term "adjacent" refers to a similar separation distance between the other plurality of magnetometers MA2 - MA6 and other surfaces of the housing 12.

[0100] According to an embodiment, the length L of the housing 12 (preferably defined as the main dimension of the first surface or the fourth surface) is in the range of 50 mm to 400 mm.

[0101] According to an embodiment, the width W of the housing 12 (preferably defined as the main dimension of the second surface or the third surface) is in the range of 50 mm to 400 mm.

[0102] According to an embodiment, the height H of the housing 12 is in the range of 5 mm to 50 mm.

[0103] Figure 5 A plan view schematically showing a user interaction surface of the electronic device is shown.

[0104] According to an embodiment, the magnetometers physically located in the first part 14a solely include magnetometers operably coupled to the plurality of magnetometers MA1. Magnetometers not associated with the plurality of magnetometers MA1 are not physically located within the first part 14a.

[0105] According to an embodiment, the magnetometers physically located in the second part 16a solely include magnetometers operably coupled to the second plurality of magnetometers MA2. Magnetometers not associated with the second plurality of magnetometers MA2 are not physically located within the second part 16a.

[0106] According to an embodiment, the magnetometers physically located in the third part 18a solely include magnetometers operably coupled to the third plurality of magnetometers MA3. Magnetometers not associated with the third plurality of magnetometers MA3 are not physically located within the third part 18a.

[0107] According to an embodiment, the magnetometers physically located in the fourth part 20a solely include magnetometers operably coupled to the fourth plurality of magnetometers MA4. Magnetometers not associated with the fourth plurality of magnetometers MA4 are not physically located within the fourth part 20a.

[0108] According to an embodiment, the magnetometer physically located in the fifth part 22a uniquely includes a magnetometer operatively coupled to the first plurality of magnetometers MA5. A magnetometer not associated with the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 is not physically located within the fifth part 22a.

[0109] Figure 5 Depiction of all other elements of the electronic device 10, such as printed circuit boards and batteries, is omitted so that the boundaries of the mounting areas of the plurality of magnetometers can be more clearly visible.

[0110] Figure 6 is schematically shown Figure 5 a side cross-sectional view of the electronic device depicted in

[0111] Figure 7 A plan view of the user interaction surface of the electronic device is schematically shown.

[0112] Figure 8 A side cross-sectional view of the electronic device is schematically shown.

[0113] In contrast to Figure 5 and Figure 6 different from Figure 7 and Figure 8 depicts an internal mounting arrangement in the housing 12 of a printed circuit board including a first plurality of magnetometers to a fifth plurality of magnetometers MA1 - MA5.

[0114] The printed circuit board (or electronic assembly) including the plurality of magnetometers MA1 has a length L(MA1) and a width W(MA1). The depicted distance epsilon (ε) is used to show the fact that the printed circuit board including the plurality of magnetometers MA1 is mounted adjacent to the first wall 14 of the housing 12.

[0115] The printed circuit board (or electronic assembly) including the second plurality of magnetometers MA1 has a length L(MA2) and a width W(MA2).

[0116] The printed circuit board (or electronic assembly) including the third plurality of magnetometers MA3 has a length L(MA3) and a width W(MA3).

[0117] The printed circuit board (or electronic assembly) including the fourth plurality of magnetometers MA4 has a length L(MA4) and a width W(MA4).

[0118] The printed circuit board (or electronic assembly) including the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 has a length L(MA5) and a width W(MA5).

[0119] Each of the second plurality of magnetometers and the third plurality of magnetometers can be significantly different in dimension and need not be the same as Figure 7Same as shown.

[0120] According to an embodiment, a line orthogonal to and separating the first surface 14 and the first inner boundary plane 14b of the housing 12 defines a first partial separation distance 14d, and the ratio between the first partial separation distance 14d and the width W of the housing 12 is less than one of the following: 0.25, 0.2, 0.15, 0.1, or 0.05.

[0121] According to an embodiment, the first partial separation distance 14d is less than one of the following: 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, or 20 mm.

[0122] According to an embodiment, the first portion 14a of the housing 12 including the plurality of magnetometers MA1 has a cubic shape defined by a first portion length, a first portion width, and a first portion height.

[0123] According to an embodiment, the first surface of the housing 12 is closest to and faces the user of the electronic device 10 during operation.

[0124] According to an embodiment, the length of the first portion 14a of the housing 12 is greater than one of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 82.5%, 85%, 87.5%, or 90%, 92.5%, 95%, or 97.5% of the total length L of the housing 12.

[0125] According to an embodiment, the first portion 14a is centered on the symmetry line of the housing 12, or the first portion 14a is adjacent to a second surface 16 or a third surface 18 perpendicular to the first surface 14 of the housing 12, respectively.

[0126] According to an embodiment, the first portion 14a extends along substantially the entire length L of the housing 12.

[0127] According to an embodiment, the plurality of magnetometers MA1 includes a network of N magnetometers arranged in a matrix.

[0128] According to an embodiment, the magnetometers in the plurality of magnetometers MA1 are mounted in a magnetometer plane. The angle A(MA1) enclosed by the magnetometer plane and the first surface 14 of the housing 12 is at least 5 degrees, 7.5 degrees, 10 degrees, 12.5 degrees, 15 degrees, 17.5 degrees, 20 degrees, 22.5 degrees, 25 degrees, 27.5 degrees, 30 degrees, 32.5 degrees, 35 degrees, 37.5 degrees, 40 degrees, 42.5 degrees, 45 degrees, 47.5 degrees, 50 degrees, 52.5 degrees, 55 degrees, 57.5 degrees, 60 degrees, 62.5 degrees, 65 degrees, 67.5 degrees, 70 degrees, 72.5 degrees, 75 degrees, 77.5 degrees, 80 degrees, 82.5 degrees, 85 degrees, 87.5 degrees, or 90 degrees.

[0129] According to an embodiment, the electronic devices 10, 800 further include:

[0130] - A second plurality of magnetometers MA2 with respect to a reference coordinate system of the housing 12, wherein the second plurality of magnetometers MA2 are surrounded by the housing 12. The second plurality of magnetometers MA2 are located within a second part 16a of the housing 12. The position of the second part 16a is within a second outer boundary plane 16c that is coplanar with a second surface of the housing 12 and a second inner boundary plane 16b that is parallel to the second outer boundary plane 16c.

[0131] According to an embodiment, a line that is orthogonal to and separates the second surface of the housing 12 and the second inner boundary plane 16b defines a second part separation distance 16d, and the ratio between the second part separation distance 16d and the length L of the housing 12 is less than one of the following: 0.25, 0.2, 0.15, 0.1, or 0.05.

[0132] According to an embodiment, the second part separation distance 16d is less than one of the following: 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, or 20 mm.

[0133] According to an embodiment, the second plurality of magnetometers MA2 are adjacent to the second surface 16 of the housing 12.

[0134] According to an embodiment, the magnetometers in the second plurality of magnetometers MA2 are mounted in a second magnetometer plane, wherein an angle A(MA2) formed by the second magnetometer plane and the second surface 16 of the housing 12 is at least 5 degrees, 7.5 degrees, 10 degrees, 12.5 degrees, 15 degrees, 17.5 degrees, 20 degrees, 22.5 degrees, 25 degrees, 27.5 degrees, 30 degrees, 32.5 degrees, 35 degrees, 37.5 degrees, 40 degrees, 42.5 degrees, 45 degrees, 47.5 degrees, 50 degrees, 52.5 degrees, 55 degrees, 57.5 degrees, 60 degrees, 62.5 degrees, 65 degrees, 67.5 degrees, 70 degrees, 72.5 degrees, 75 degrees, 77.5 degrees, 80 degrees, 82.5 degrees, 85 degrees, 87.5 degrees, or 90 degrees.

[0135] According to an embodiment, the second plurality of magnetometers MA2 includes a network of N magnetometers arranged in a matrix, and more specifically, wherein N is greater than 5, 16, 32, 64, 128, or 256.

[0136] According to an embodiment, the electronic devices 10, 800 further include a third plurality of magnetometers MA3 with respect to the reference coordinate system of the housing 12, wherein the third plurality of magnetometers MA3 are surrounded by the housing 12. The third plurality of magnetometers MA3 are located within a third portion 18a of the housing 12, and the position of the third portion 18a is within a third outer boundary plane 18c that is coplanar with a third surface 18 of the housing 12 and a third inner boundary plane 18b that is parallel to the third outer boundary plane 18c.

[0137] According to an embodiment, a third portion separation distance 18d is defined in and between directions orthogonal to the third surface 18 and the third inner boundary plane 18b of the housing 12, and the ratio of the third portion separation distance 18d to the length L of the housing 12 is less than one of the following: 0.25, 0.2, 0.15, 0.1, or 0.05.

[0138] According to an embodiment, the third portion separation distance 18d is less than one of the following: 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, or 20 mm.

[0139] According to an embodiment, the third plurality of magnetometers MA3 are adjacent to the third surface 18 of the housing 12.

[0140] According to an embodiment, the magnetometers in the third plurality of magnetometers MA3 are mounted in a third magnetometer plane, wherein the angle A(MA3) formed by the third magnetometer plane MA3 and the third surface 18 of the housing 12 is at least 5 degrees, 7.5 degrees, 10 degrees, 12.5 degrees, 15 degrees, 17.5 degrees, 20 degrees, 22.5 degrees, 25 degrees, 27.5 degrees, 30 degrees, 32.5 degrees, 35 degrees, 37.5 degrees, 40 degrees, 42.5 degrees, 45 degrees, 47.5 degrees, 50 degrees, 52.5 degrees, 55 degrees, 57.5 degrees, 60 degrees, 62.5 degrees, 65 degrees, 67.5 degrees, 70 degrees, 72.5 degrees, 75 degrees, 77.5 degrees, 80 degrees, 82.5 degrees, 85 degrees, 87.5 degrees, or 90 degrees.

[0141] According to an embodiment, the plurality of magnetometers MA1 and the second plurality of magnetometers MA2 are mounted on a single component or a single printed circuit board adjacent to the corner of the second surface 16 and the first surface 14 of the housing 12.

[0142] According to an embodiment, the plurality of magnetometers MA1 and the third plurality of magnetometers MA3 are mounted on a single component or a single printed circuit board adjacent to the corner of the third surface 18 and the first surface 14 of the housing 12.

[0143] According to an embodiment, the electronic devices 10, 800 further include a fourth plurality of magnetometers MA4 with respect to a reference coordinate system of the housing 12. The fourth plurality of magnetometers MA4 is surrounded by the housing 12. The fourth plurality of magnetometers MA4 is located within a fourth portion 20a of the housing 12. The position of the fourth portion 20a is within a fourth outer boundary plane 20c that is co-edged with a fourth surface 20 of the housing 12 and a fourth inner boundary plane 20b that is parallel to the fourth outer boundary plane.

[0144] According to an embodiment, the fourth surface 20 of the housing 12 is the farthest from and faces away from the user of the electronic devices 10, 800 during operation.

[0145] Figure 9 A plan view of a user interaction surface 8 of the electronic device is schematically shown.

[0146] Figure 10 A side cross-sectional view of the electronic device is schematically shown.

[0147] According to an embodiment, the housing 12 includes at least a user interaction portion 8) in a user interaction plane at a reference height above a base portion of the housing 12. The electronic devices 10, 800 further include a first plurality of magnetometers MA5 surrounded by the housing 12. The first plurality of magnetometers MA5 is arranged in a fifth portion 22a (also referred to as a first magnetometer mounting area in some embodiments) of the housing 12, where an upper boundary of the fifth portion 22a is provided by the user interaction portion 8, and lateral boundaries of the fifth portion 22a are separated from one or more surfaces of the housing 12 by corresponding distances SD1 - SD4.

[0148] According to an embodiment, the electronic devices 10, 800 further include a touchpad 30. A portion of the touchpad 31 is arranged to be parallel or substantially coplanar with the user interaction portion 8.

[0149] According to an embodiment, the lateral boundaries of the fifth portion 22a are parallel or substantially aligned with the lateral extent of the touchpad 30.

[0150] According to an embodiment, a lower boundary 22b of the fifth portion 22a is the base portion of the housing 12 or a lateral plane that is at a predetermined distance below the user interaction portion in the height H direction.

[0151] According to an embodiment, the fifth portion 22a has the form of a cube.

[0152] According to an embodiment, the fifth portion 22a is positioned such that the centroid of the fifth portion 22a lies on a line segment that bisects the user interaction portion vertically in the width direction and / or length direction of the housing 12.

[0153] According to an embodiment, a first distance SD1, measured along a line in the plane of the user interaction portion 8 between the first surface 14 (e.g., front side wall) of the housing 12 and the lateral boundary of the fifth portion 22a and perpendicular to the first surface and the lateral boundary, is greater than a distance characterized by multiplying the width W of the housing 12 by a factor that is one of 0.33, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.05.

[0154] According to an embodiment, a first distance SD1, measured along a line in the user interaction plane between the first surface 14 (e.g., front side wall) of the housing 12 and the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area and perpendicular to the first surface and the lateral boundary, may be greater than a distance characterized by multiplying the total width of the housing 12 by a factor that is one of 0.8, 0.7, 0.5, 0.33, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.05.

[0155] According to an embodiment, the length of the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area may be within a distance range characterized by multiplying the total width of the touchpad 30 by a factor that is one of 2.0, 1.5, 1.2, 1.0, 0.8, 0.7, 0.5.

[0156] According to an embodiment, the width of the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area may be within a distance range characterized by multiplying the total width of the touchpad 30 by a factor that is one of 2.0, 1.5, 1.2, 1.0, 0.8, 0.7, 0.5.

[0157] According to an embodiment, a second distance SD2, measured along a line in the plane of the user interaction portion 8 between the second surface 16 (e.g., first side wall) of the housing 12 and the lateral boundary of the fifth portion 22a and perpendicular to the second surface and the lateral boundary, is greater than a distance characterized by multiplying the width W of the housing 12 by a factor that is one of 0.33, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.05.

[0158] According to an embodiment, a third distance SD3, measured along a line in the plane of the user interaction portion 8 between the third surface 18 (e.g., second side wall) of the housing 12 and the lateral boundary of the fifth portion 22a and perpendicular to the third surface and the lateral boundary, is greater than a distance characterized by multiplying the width of the housing 12 by a factor that is one of 0.33, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.05.

[0159] According to an embodiment, a fourth distance SD4 measured along a line on a plane of the user interaction portion 8, between a fourth surface 20 (e.g., a rear sidewall) of the housing 12 and a lateral boundary of the fifth portion 22a and perpendicular to the fourth surface and the lateral boundary, is greater than a distance characterized by multiplying the length of the housing 12 by a factor that is one of 0.75, 0.70, 0.65, 0.60, 0.55, 0.50, 0.45, 0.40, 0.35, 0.30, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.05.

[0160] According to an embodiment, a fifth distance measured in the height direction H, between a base wall of the housing and a bottom of the first magnetometer mounting area and perpendicular to the base wall and the bottom, is characterized by multiplying the total height of the housing by a factor that is one of 0.75, 0.70, 0.65, 0.60, 0.55, 0.50, 0.45, 0.40, 0.35, 0.30, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.05.

[0161] According to an embodiment, a first plurality of magnetometers MA5 are mounted along a line defined by at least a portion of a lateral boundary 24 of the fifth portion 22a.

[0162] According to an embodiment, one or more of the first plurality of magnetometers to the fifth plurality of magnetometers are mounted within their respective magnetometer mounting areas on corresponding 2D planar members. In some embodiments, the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 are mounted within a first magnetometer mounting area on a 2D planar member.

[0163] According to an embodiment, a first subset of the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 is mounted at a different height H of the housing 12 relative to a second subset of the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 within the fifth portion 22a.

[0164] According to an embodiment, the first magnetometer mounting area is positioned to provide a magnetic buffer distance (e.g., the distance is sized such that the influence of the magnetic material on the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 is negligible, e.g., more than 5 cm) between the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 mounted within the first magnetometer mounting area and at least one magnetic material included within the housing 21.

[0165] According to an embodiment, a first portion of the first magnetometer mounting area is located below the touchpad 30, and a second portion of the first magnetometer mounting area is located below the user interaction portion 8.

[0166] According to an embodiment, the magnetometers included in the first plurality of magnetometers to the fifth plurality of magnetometers are not mounted within or around the laptop computer display 11.

[0167] According to an embodiment, N is greater than or equal to 5, 16, 32, 64, 128, or 256.

[0168] According to an embodiment, the magnetometers among the plurality of magnetometers MA1 are mounted on a first printed circuit board.

[0169] According to an embodiment, the magnetometers included in the matrix of the plurality of magnetometers MA1 are arranged in at least two rows separated by a separation distance D extending along the length direction L(MA1) of the plurality of magnetometers MA1.

[0170] According to an embodiment, the first printed circuit board has a maximum dimension of 310 mm in the length direction L(MA1) and a maximum dimension of 220 mm in the width direction W(MA1).

[0171] According to an embodiment, the electronic device 10, 800 further includes:

[0172] - a processor 804 communicatively coupled to at least the plurality of magnetometers; and

[0173] - a communication interface 806 communicatively coupled to the processor 804.

[0174] The processor 804 is configured to obtain, via the communication interface, a plurality of measurement results measured by at least the plurality of magnetometers MA1 associated with at least one magnetic object.

[0175] The processor 804 is configured to perform signal processing on the plurality of signals to thereby generate coordinates characterizing the position and / or orientation of at least one user-carrying device including at least one magnet relative to at least the first magnetometer plane MP5.

[0176] The processor 804 is configured to transmit, via the communication interface 806, the position characterizing the positioning and / or orientation of at least one user-carrying device.

[0177] According to an embodiment, the plurality of magnetometers MA1, the second plurality of magnetometers MA2, and the third plurality of magnetometers MA3 are mounted on a single member or a single printed circuit board.

[0178] According to an embodiment, the plurality of magnetometers MA1 and / or the second plurality of magnetometers MA2 and / or the third plurality of magnetometers MA3 and / or the fourth plurality of magnetometers MA4 and / or the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 are mounted on a flexible printed circuit board.

[0179] According to an embodiment, the interior of the housing 12 is divided into a first volume 9a including at least the plurality of magnetometers MA1 and a second volume 9b not including any magnetometers. According to an embodiment, the first volume 9a does not include a large amount of magnetic material.

[0180] Reference Figure 1 According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a cover and a pivotable joint configured to movably couple the cover to the housing 12 such that the electronic device can be configured into at least a first closed state and a second open state, in the first closed state, the cover is disposed in a plane substantially the same as the user interaction plane.

[0181] According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a keyboard, which is preferably arranged in a plane substantially the same as the touchpad 30.

[0182] According to an embodiment, the cover may include at least one magnet 112, and the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 may be configured to detect the movement of the cover relative to the user interface plane by measuring the magnetic field of at least one magnet included in the cover.

[0183] According to an embodiment, the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 may be configured to detect at least one user-carrying device including at least one magnet adjacent to the plurality of magnetometers. When detecting at least one magnet adjacent to the plurality of magnetometers, the electronic device is configured to activate or deactivate the touchpad 30.

[0184] According to an embodiment, the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 may be configured to detect at least one magnet 112 included in the cover adjacent to the first plurality of magnetometers MA5, and the electronic device is configured to deactivate the display included in the cover. Preferably, when the SNR generated due to at least one magnet 112 included in the cover detected by the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 has exceeded a predetermined threshold, the detection of at least one magnet 112 included in the cover adjacent to the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 is performed.

[0185] According to an embodiment, the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 may be configured to detect that at least one magnet 112 included in the cover is not adjacent to the plurality of magnetometers, and the electronic device is configured to activate the display included in the cover. Preferably, when the SNR detected by the first plurality of magnetometers due to at least one magnet 112 included in the cover has dropped below a predetermined threshold, the detection that at least one magnet included in the cover is not adjacent to the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 is performed.

[0186] According to an embodiment, the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 is configured to detect the positioning and / or orientation of at least one user-carrying device including at least one magnetic object adjacent to the touchpad, and wherein when detecting at least one magnetic object adjacent to the touchpad, the electronic device is configured to activate or deactivate the touchpad, preferably, wherein adjacent to the touchpad is less than 10mm, 9mm, 8mm, 7mm, 6mm, 5mm, 4mm, 3mm, 2mm or 1mm.

[0187] According to an embodiment, when it is detected that at least one magnetic object has come into contact with the touchpad, the electronic device is configured to activate or deactivate the touchpad.

[0188] Figure 11 Variations of a plurality of magnetometers are schematically shown. In an example, these may be referred to as a group of magnetometers or an array of magnetometers.

[0189] Figure 11 a) shows a linear plurality of magnetometers MA1, which have an aspect ratio suitable for use adjacent to or in contact with the front surface 14 of an electronic device 10 such as a laptop computer. According to an example, the aspect ratio (width: length) of the printed circuit board supporting the plurality of magnetometers is 1:30, 1:25, 1:20, 1:15 or 1:10. Figure 11 The example of a) shows a linear plurality of magnetometers MA1, which includes two rows of magnetometers separated by a pitch distance D. The magnetometers 32 in each row are separated by a distance S1. In an example, the magnetometers in the first row are offset from the magnetometers in the second row by an offset distance S0. According to an embodiment, the passive components 34 required for the operation of each magnetometer 32 are arranged in the gap defined by the offset distance S0.

[0190] According to a specific example, the front printed circuit board intended to be mounted adjacent to the first surface 14 may have a width dimension of 10 mm and a length dimension of 280 mm. The front printed circuit board may include 27 magnetometers. The front printed circuit board (and its associated magnetometer plane) is arranged at an angle of 25 degrees with respect to the vector perpendicular to the surface on which the electronic device 10 is located.

[0191] Figure 11 b) shows Figure 11 a variation of a), in which the linear plurality of magnetometers MA1#2 is arranged in a single row.

[0192] Figure 11 c) shows a plurality of magnetometers arranged in a set of two offset rows on a printed circuit board, which is suitable for use adjacent to the second surface 16 or the third surface 18 of the housing 12 of the electronic device 10. In particular, the printed circuit board MA2 may have an aspect ratio (width: length) of 1:10, 1:7, 1:5 or 1:3.

[0193] According to a specific example, the second-party magnetometers and / or third-party magnetometers are arranged on a printed circuit board having a length dimension of 10 mm and a width dimension of 75 mm. The printed circuit board includes 11 magnetometers and is mounted at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the vector perpendicular to the surface on which the electronic device 10 is located.

[0194] Figure 11d) shows a plurality of magnetometers arranged on a printed circuit board in a single line.

[0195] Figure 11 e) shows a two - dimensional matrix of a fifth plurality of magnetometers as previously discussed in this specification, suitable for use, for example, under the touchpad 30. The printed circuit board includes a width dimension WMA5 and a length dimension LMA5. In the length dimension, the spacing of the magnetometers 34 is defined by the distance S2. The offset in the length direction between the magnetometers 34 on adjacent rows of the matrix is defined by the dimension S5. In the width dimension, the spacing between rows is defined by the dimension S4.

[0196] Figure 11 f) shows a view of the magnetometer array, showing more details of the arrangement of the magnetometers 32 relative to the offset passive components 34.

[0197] In a specific example, the touchpad 30 may include a magnetometer array having a size of 70 mm × 60 mm and including eight magnetometer sensors.

[0198] Figure 12 Schematically shows the interaction volume and surface around the electronic device. For example, the electronic device 10 is shown as being supported by the interaction surface 200. When signals received from the plurality of magnetometers MA1 - MA5 are received by a device driver included in the user environment of the operating system executed by the electronic device 10, an application hosted by the operating system of the electronic device 10 can access two - dimensional or three - dimensional coordinates (e.g., defined on the support surface 200) representing the position of the user - carried device. A first sensing volume SV1 is provided in front of the first surface 14 of the electronic device 10 and is mainly monitored by the plurality of magnetometers MA1. A second sensing volume SV2 is provided to the left of the second surface 16 and is mainly monitored by the second plurality of magnetometers MA2. A third sensing volume SV3 is provided to the right of the third surface 18 and is mainly monitored by the third plurality of magnetometers MA3. A fourth sensing volume SV4 is provided at the rear of the electronic device 10 and is mainly monitored by the fourth plurality of magnetometers MA4. A fifth sensing volume SV5 is provided above the touchpad 30 of the electronic device 10 and is mainly monitored by the fifth plurality of magnetometers MA5.

[0199] According to an embodiment, the first plurality of magnetometers MA5 may be configured to detect whether at least one user - carried device including at least one magnetic object is in a first part or a second part of the sensing volume. In an embodiment, the electronic device may be configured to alternate between a first user interface mode and a second user interface mode based on whether at least one user - carried device including at least one magnetic object is in a first part or a second part of the sensing volume.

[0200] Figure 13 Specific examples of three sets of magnetometers for performing experimental verification are schematically shown. In particular, the left printed circuit board (corresponding to the set of magnetometers MA2) has a length of 10 mm and a width of 75 mm. The left printed circuit board includes 11 magnetometers. Six sensors of the first line are arranged closest to the edge of the electronic device 10, and five sensors of the second line are arranged offset towards the centroid of the electronic device 10. The left printed circuit board is mounted at an angle of 45° with respect to the vertical direction. In Figure 13 the experimental example, the right printed circuit board (corresponding to the set of magnetometers MA3) is the same as the left printed circuit board.

[0201] The front printed circuit board has a length dimension of 280 mm and a width dimension of 10 mm. It includes a total of 27 magnetometers. The first line of magnetometers adjacent to the edge of the electronic device 10 includes 14 magnetometers. The second line of magnetometers closer to the centroid of the electronic device 10 includes 13 magnetometers compared to the magnetometers of the first line.

[0202] According to the example, the center of each magnetometer is separated from the center of any other magnetometer by a distance that exceeds 10 mm, 9 mm, 8 mm, 7 mm, 5 mm, 4 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm, or 1 mm.

[0203] According to the example, if a surface-mounted capacitor is required as a passive component for driving each magnetometer, the capacitor is spaced from any other magnetometer by preferably more than 6 mm, and otherwise more than 8 mm.

[0204] According to the example, if a surface-mounted resistor is required as a passive component for driving each magnetometer, the resistor is placed at a position preferably more than 6 mm from any other magnetometer, and otherwise more than 4 mm.

[0205] Figure 14 Schematically shown due to Figure 13 the layout shown in Figure 13 are the experimental results. The lower side of the figure shows the signal-to-noise ratio contour lines (SNR lines) of the magnetometer arrangement shown in

[0206] Advanced Magnetic Interaction (AMI) developed using proprietary Python code is used to model the magnetic field. For the purpose of simulation, the magnet used has a residual magnetic field equal to 1.44, a diameter of 10 mm, and a length of 10 mm. The SNR is calculated at the position in the XY plane, and the Z positioning is fixed at 4 cm.

[0206] To measure the SNR, the magnet is moved along a grid. At each point, the magnetic field on the magnetometer is calculated and the average value is calculated, and then the SNR is calculated.

[0207] As can be seen from the results, in the simulation, the presence of magnetometer arrays on the left and right sides of the electronic device extends the area of high signal-to-noise ratio at the left and right sides of the laptop. This means that, for example, compared to the case where no magnetometer arrays are provided at the left and / or right sides of the laptop, a mouse with a magnet and a sensor array will experience better spatial resolution and / or lower latency. In addition, setting a wide magnetometer array at the front of the laptop extends the useful distance within which a mouse including a magnet can be used at the front of the laptop.

[0208] Figure 15 Schematically shows the experimental results due to Figure 13 the layout shown in Figure 15 For example, Figure 14 shows the SNR along the lines L1, L2, and L3 shown in

[0209] Figure 16 Schematically shows the experimental results due to Figure 13 the layout shown in Figure 16 For example, Figure 14 shows the SNR along the lines L4, L5, and L6 shown in

[0210] Figure 17 Schematically shows the configuration of the electronic device.

[0211] According to an example, each of the plurality of magnetometers MA1 includes a processor for performing magnetic measurements. The magnetic measurement results are sent to the processor to calculate position information based on the magnetic measurement results.

[0212] According to a second aspect, there is provided a system 1, the system including an electronic device 10, 800 according to the first aspect or an implementation thereof. The system further includes at least one user-carrying device 100, the at least one user-carrying device including at least one magnetic object 110 and / or a magnetic field generator. The electronic device 10 is configured to: obtain magnetic field measurement results associated with the user-carrying device 100 to determine the position of the user-carrying device relative to a reference coordinate system, and transmit the position of the user-carrying device 100.

[0213] According to an implementation, the user-carrying device 100 is any one of the following: a stylus, a ring, a dial, a keyboard, a joystick, a computer mouse (including a scroll wheel in the example), or a toy including a magnetic object.

[0214] According to a third aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method, the computer-implemented method including:

[0215] - At the electronic device 10 according to the first aspect or an embodiment thereof, obtain 602 magnetic field measurement results associated with at least one magnetic object and measured by a plurality of magnetometers included within the electronic device 10;

[0216] - Based on the magnetic field measurement results, determine 604 the position of the user-carrying device relative to the electronic device 10 with respect to a reference coordinate system; and

[0217] - Transmit 606 the position of the user-carrying device 100 to a device driver instantiated in the user environment of the electronic device 10.

[0218] Figure 18 The computer-implemented method is schematically illustrated therein.

[0219] According to an embodiment, the method further provides for moving a displayed cursor within a display 11 displayed by the electronic device 10 based on the position of the user-carrying device transmitted to the device driver.

[0220] According to an embodiment, the method further provides for generating an input event based on the position of the user-carrying device. In an embodiment, the input event is a keyboard action, a dial movement, or a toy event.

[0221] According to an embodiment, the method further provides for:

[0222] - Generating calibration coefficients corresponding to a magnetometer among the plurality of magnetometers by:

[0223] - Positioning at least one known magnet in at least a known position and orientation relative to the plurality of magnetometers, obtaining at least one set of corresponding magnetic field measurement results using the magnetometers, and comparing the magnetic field measurement results with a set of expected magnetic field measurement result sets; and

[0224] - Applying the calibration coefficients to subsequently obtained magnetic field measurement results associated with at least one magnetic object and measured by the plurality of magnetometers.

[0225] According to an embodiment, the calibration coefficients include the position, orientation, sensitivity, and offset of the sensor.

[0226] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a computer program element comprising machine-readable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method steps according to the third aspect.

[0227] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium comprising the computer program element according to the fourth aspect.

[0228] Embodiment

[0229] Although the present disclosure has been described above and defined in the appended embodiments, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be defined in accordance with the following embodiments:

[0230] 1. An electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises:

[0231] - A housing, wherein the spatial extent of the housing is characterized by an orthogonal dimension set including length (L), width (W), and height (H) in a reference coordinate system of the housing; and the housing includes at least a user interaction portion that is in a user interaction plane at a reference height above a base portion of the housing;

[0232] - A first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) defining a first magnetometer plane (MP5), wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) are surrounded by the housing;

[0233] wherein the first plurality of magnetometers are arranged in a first magnetometer mounting area of the housing, wherein an upper boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area is provided by the user interaction portion, and

[0234] lateral boundaries of the first magnetometer mounting area are separated from a plurality of surfaces (e.g., side walls) of the housing by corresponding distances in the length direction and / or the width direction.

[0235] 2. The electronic device according to embodiment 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises:

[0236] - A touchpad;

[0237] wherein a portion of the touchpad is arranged parallel or substantially coplanar with the user interaction portion.

[0238] 3. The electronic device according to embodiment 2,

[0239] wherein the lateral boundaries of the first magnetometer mounting area are parallel or substantially aligned with the lateral extent of the touchpad.

[0240] 4. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0241] wherein a lower boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area is the base portion of the housing or a lateral plane that is at a predetermined distance below the user interaction portion in the height direction.

[0242] 5. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0243] wherein the first magnetometer mounting area has the form of a cube.

[0244] 6. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0245] Wherein the first magnetometer installation area is positioned in a lateral direction of the user interaction part such that the centroid of the first magnetometer installation area lies on a line that bisects the user interaction part vertically in the width direction and / or the length direction of the housing.

[0246] 7. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0247] wherein a first distance (SD1), measured along a line in the user interaction plane and perpendicular to both the first surface (e.g., the front side wall) of the housing and the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer installation area, between the first surface of the housing and the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer installation area is greater than a distance characterized by multiplying the total width of the housing by a factor, which is one of 0.8, 0.7, 0.5, 0.33, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.05.

[0248] 7A. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0249] wherein the length of the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer installation area is within a distance characterized by multiplying the total width of the touchpad (30) by a factor, which is one of 2.0, 1.5, 1.2, 1.0, 0.8, 0.7, 0.5.

[0250] 7B. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0251] wherein the width of the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer installation area is within a distance characterized by multiplying the total width of the touchpad (30) by a factor, which is one of 2.0, 1.5, 1.2, 1.0, 0.8, 0.7, 0.5.

[0252] 8. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0253] wherein a second distance (SD2), measured along a line in the user interaction plane and perpendicular to both the second surface (e.g., the first side wall) of the housing and the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer installation area, between the second surface of the housing and the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer installation area is greater than a distance characterized by multiplying the total width of the housing by a factor, which is one of 0.8, 0.7, 0.5, 0.33, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.05.

[0254] 9. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0255] wherein a third distance (SD3), measured along a line in the user interaction plane and perpendicular to a third surface (e.g., the second sidewall) of the housing and a lateral boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area, between the third surface and the lateral boundary is greater than a distance characterized by multiplying the total width of the housing by a factor, which is one of 0.8, 0.7, 0.5, 0.33, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.05.

[0256] 10. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0257] wherein a fourth distance (SD4), measured along a line in the user interaction plane and perpendicular to a fourth surface (e.g., the rear sidewall) of the housing and a lateral boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area, between the fourth surface and the lateral boundary is greater than a distance characterized by multiplying the total length of the housing by a factor, which is one of 0.75, 0.70, 0.65, 0.60, 0.55, 0.50, 0.45, 0.40, 0.35, 0.30, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.05.

[0258] 10A. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0259] wherein a fifth distance, measured in the height direction (H) and perpendicular to a base wall of the housing and a bottom of the first magnetometer mounting area (MA5), between the base wall and the bottom is characterized by multiplying the total height of the housing by a factor, which is one of 0.75, 0.70, 0.65, 0.60, 0.55, 0.50, 0.45, 0.40, 0.35, 0.30, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.05.

[0260] 11. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0261] wherein the length of the housing is in the range of 50 mm to 400 mm;

[0262] wherein the width of the housing is in the range of 50 mm to 400 mm; and

[0263] wherein the height of the housing is in the range of 5 mm to 50 mm.

[0264] 12. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0265] wherein the first plurality of magnetometers are mounted within a first magnetometer mounting area on a 2D planar member.

[0266] 13. The electronic device according to one of Embodiments 1 to 11,

[0267] Wherein the first plurality of magnetometers are mounted along a line defined by at least a portion of a lateral boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area.

[0268] 14. The electronic device according to one of embodiments 1 to 11,

[0269] Wherein a first subset of the first plurality of magnetometers is mounted at a different height in the first magnetometer mounting area relative to a second subset of the plurality of magnetometers.

[0270] 15. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0271] Wherein the first magnetometer mounting area is positioned to provide a magnetic buffer distance between the first plurality of magnetometers mounted within the first magnetometer mounting area and at least one magnetic material included within the housing.

[0272] 16. The electronic device according to one of embodiments 2 to 15,

[0273] Wherein a first portion of the first magnetometer mounting area is located beneath the touchpad, and a second portion of the first magnetometer mounting area is located beneath the user interaction portion.

[0274] 17. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0275] Wherein the position of the first magnetometer mounting area defines a sensing volume within which the position of a user-carried device including at least one magnetic object can be sensed relative to the housing of the electronic device.

[0276] 18. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments, the electronic device further comprising:

[0277] - A cover; and

[0278] - A pivotable joint configured to movably couple the cover to the housing such that the electronic device can be configured into at least a first closed state and a second open state, in the first closed state, the cover is disposed in a plane substantially the same as the user interaction plane.

[0279] 18A. The electronic device according to one of embodiments 2 to 18, the electronic device further comprising:

[0280] - A keyboard, which is preferably arranged in a plane substantially the same as the touchpad.

[0281] 19. The electronic device according to embodiment 18,

[0282] The cover includes at least one magnet, and wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) are configured to detect the movement of the cover relative to the user interface plane by measuring the magnetic field of at least one magnet included in the cover.

[0283] 20. The electronic device according to one of embodiments 2 to 19,

[0284] wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) are configured to detect at least one user-carrying device including at least one magnet adjacent to the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5), and wherein upon detecting at least one magnet adjacent to the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5), the electronic device is configured to activate or deactivate the touchpad.

[0285] 20A. The electronic device according to embodiment 19 or 20:

[0286] wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) are configured to detect at least one magnet included in the cover adjacent to the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5), and the electronic device is configured to deactivate the display included in the cover, preferably wherein when the SNR generated due to at least one magnet included in the cover detected by the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) has exceeded a predetermined threshold, the detection of at least one magnet included in the cover adjacent to the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) is performed.

[0287] 20B. The electronic device according to embodiment 19 or 20:

[0288] wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) are configured to detect that at least one magnet included in the cover is not adjacent to the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5), and the electronic device is configured to activate the display included in the cover, preferably wherein when the SNR generated due to at least one magnet included in the cover detected by the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) has dropped below a predetermined threshold, the detection of at least one magnet included in the cover not adjacent to the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) is performed.

[0289] 21. The electronic device according to one of embodiments 2 to 20,

[0290] wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) are configured to detect the positioning and / or orientation of at least one user-carrying device including at least one magnetic object adjacent to the touchpad, and wherein upon detecting at least one magnetic object adjacent to the touchpad, the electronic device is configured to activate or deactivate the touchpad, preferably wherein adjacent to the touchpad is less than 10 mm, 9 mm, 8 mm, 7 mm, 6 mm, 5 mm, 4 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm or 1 mm.

[0291] 21A. The electronic device according to embodiment 21,

[0292] Wherein, when it is detected that at least one magnetic object has come into contact with the touchpad, the electronic device is configured to activate or deactivate the touchpad.

[0293] 22. The electronic device according to one of embodiments 2 to 21,

[0294] Wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) are configured to detect whether at least one user-carrying device including at least one magnetic object is in a first part of the sensing volume or in a second part of the sensing volume, and wherein the electronic device is configured to alternate between a first user interface mode and a second user interface mode based on whether at least one user-carrying device including at least one magnetic object is in a first part of the sensing volume or in a second part of the sensing volume.

[0295] 23. The electronic device according to embodiment 22,

[0296] Wherein the first mode is a stylus mode for electronic writing within a software application hosted by the electronic device, and the second mode is a pointing mode within the software application hosted by the electronic device.

[0297] 24. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0298] Wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) includes a network of N magnetometers, and more specifically, the network of N magnetometers is arranged in at least one line or in a matrix.

[0299] 25. The electronic device according to embodiment 24,

[0300] Wherein N is greater than 2, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, or 256.

[0301] 26. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0302] Wherein the magnetometers in the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) are mounted on a first printed circuit board.

[0303] 27. The electronic device according to one of embodiments 24 to 26,

[0304] Wherein the magnetometers included in the matrix of the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) are arranged in at least two rows extending along the length direction of a first magnetometer mounting area.

[0305] 28. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments, the electronic device further comprising:

[0306] - A second plurality of magnetometers (MA1) that define a second magnetometer plane relative to a reference coordinate system of the housing, wherein the second plurality of magnetometers are surrounded by the housing;

[0307] wherein the second plurality of magnetometers are located within a first portion of the housing, and the position of the first portion is within a first outer boundary plane that shares an edge with a first surface of the housing and a first inner boundary plane parallel to the first outer boundary plane.

[0308] 29. The electronic device according to embodiment 28,

[0309] wherein a first portion separation distance is defined in and between a direction orthogonal to the first surface of the housing and the first inner boundary plane, and a ratio between the first portion separation distance and the width (W) of the housing is less than one of: 0.25, 0.2, 0.15, 0.1, or 0.05.

[0310] 30. The electronic device according to embodiment 29,

[0311] wherein the front portion separation distance is less than one of: 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, or 20 mm.

[0312] 31. The electronic device according to one of embodiments 28 to 30,

[0313] wherein the second plurality of magnetometers are adjacent to a front wall of the housing.

[0314] 32. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments, the electronic device further comprising:

[0315] - A third plurality of magnetometers (MA2) that define a third magnetometer plane relative to a reference coordinate system of the housing, wherein the third plurality of magnetometers are surrounded by the housing; and

[0316] wherein the third plurality of magnetometers are located within a first side portion of the housing, and the position of the first side portion is within a second outer boundary plane that shares an edge with a second surface of the housing (e.g., a first side wall) and a second inner boundary plane parallel to the second outer boundary plane.

[0317] 33. The electronic device according to embodiment 32,

[0318] wherein a first side portion separation distance is defined in and between a direction orthogonal to the second surface of the housing (e.g., a first side wall) and the second inner boundary plane, and a ratio between the first side portion separation distance and the length (L) of the housing is less than one of: 0.25, 0.2, 0.15, 0.1, or 0.05.

[0319] 34. The electronic device according to embodiment 33,

[0320] wherein a separation distance of the first side portion is less than one of the following: 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, or 20 mm.

[0321] 35. The electronic device according to one of embodiments 29 to 34, wherein the third plurality of magnetometers are adjacent to a second surface (a first side wall) of the housing.

[0322] 36. The electronic device according to one of embodiments 29 to 35,

[0323] wherein magnetometers of the third plurality of magnetometers are mounted in a third magnetometer plane, and an angle formed by the third magnetometer plane and the first side wall of the housing is at least 5 degrees, 7.5 degrees, 10 degrees, 12.5 degrees, 15 degrees, 17.5 degrees, 20 degrees, 22.5 degrees, 25 degrees, 27.5 degrees, 30 degrees, 32.5 degrees, 35 degrees, 37.5 degrees, 40 degrees, 42.5 degrees, 45 degrees, 47.5 degrees, 50 degrees, 52.5 degrees, 55 degrees, 57.5 degrees, 60 degrees, 62.5 degrees, 65 degrees, 67.5 degrees, 70 degrees, 72.5 degrees, 75 degrees, 77.5 degrees, 80 degrees, 82.5 degrees, 85 degrees, 87.5 degrees, or 90 degrees.

[0324] 37. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments, the electronic device further comprising:

[0325] - a fourth plurality of magnetometers (MA3) that define a fourth magnetometer plane with respect to a reference coordinate system of the housing, wherein the fourth plurality of magnetometers are surrounded by the housing; and

[0326] wherein the fourth plurality of magnetometers are located within a second side portion of the housing, and a position of the second side portion is within a third outer boundary plane that shares an edge with a third surface (e.g., a second side wall) of the housing and a third inner boundary plane parallel to the third outer boundary plane.

[0327] 38. The electronic device according to embodiment 37,

[0328] wherein a third portion separation distance is defined in a direction orthogonal to and between a third surface (e.g., a second side wall) of the housing and the third inner boundary plane, and a ratio of the third portion separation distance to a length (L) of the housing is less than one of the following: 0.25, 0.2, 0.15, 0.1, or 0.05.

[0329] 39. The electronic device according to embodiment 38,

[0330] wherein the third portion separation distance is less than one of the following: 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, or 20 mm.

[0331] 40. The electronic device according to one of embodiments 37 to 39, wherein the fourth plurality of magnetometers is adjacent to the third surface of the housing (e.g., the second sidewall).

[0332] 41. The electronic device according to one of embodiments 37 to 40,

[0333] wherein the magnetometers of the fourth plurality are mounted in a fourth magnetometer plane, and the angle formed by the third magnetometer plane and the third surface (second sidewall) of the housing is at least 5 degrees, 7.5 degrees, 10 degrees, 12.5 degrees, 15 degrees, 17.5 degrees, 20 degrees, 22.5 degrees, 25 degrees, 27.5 degrees, 30 degrees, 32.5 degrees, 35 degrees, 37.5 degrees, 40 degrees, 42.5 degrees, 45 degrees, 47.5 degrees, 50 degrees, 52.5 degrees, 55 degrees, 57.5 degrees, 60 degrees, 62.5 degrees, 65 degrees, 67.5 degrees, 70 degrees, 72.5 degrees, 75 degrees, 77.5 degrees, 80 degrees, 82.5 degrees, 85 degrees, 87.5 degrees or 90 degrees.

[0334] 42. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments, the electronic device further comprising:

[0335] - a processor communicatively coupled to at least the first plurality of magnetometers; and

[0336] - a communication interface communicatively coupled to the controller;

[0337] wherein the controller is configured to obtain, via the communication interface, a plurality of measurement results measured by at least the first plurality of magnetometers associated with at least one magnetic object,

[0338] wherein the processor is configured to perform signal processing on the plurality of signals to thereby generate coordinates characterizing the position and / or orientation of at least one user accessory including at least one magnet with respect to at least the first magnetometer plane (MP5).

[0339] 43. The electronic device according to embodiment 42,

[0340] wherein the communication interface is one or more of the following: UART, USART, I2C, I3C interface, USB-C(TM) interface, USB-A(TM) interface, Thunderbolt(TM) interface, Bluetooth(TM) interface or WiFi(TM) interface.

[0341] 44. The electronic device according to one of the foregoing embodiments,

[0342] wherein the electronic device is one of the following: a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, a keyboard, a smart watch, a television, an interactive whiteboard, a virtual reality headset, a wireless access point, and / or a display projector.

[0343] 45. A system, the system comprising:

[0344] - an electronic device according to one of embodiments 1 to 44,

[0345] - at least one user-carried device, the at least one user-carried device comprising at least one magnetic object and / or a magnetic field generator; and

[0346] wherein the electronic device is configured to: obtain a magnetic field measurement result associated with the user-carried device to determine the position of the user-carried device relative to the peripheral coordinate system of the peripheral device, and transmit the position of the user-carried device relative to the peripheral device to the host device.

[0347] 46. The system according to embodiment 45,

[0348] wherein the user-carried device is one of the following: a stylus including a magnetic object, a ring, a computer mouse, a dial, or a toy.

[0349] 47. A computer-implemented method, the computer-implemented method comprising:

[0350] - obtaining, at an electronic device according to one of embodiments 1 to 44, a magnetic field measurement result associated with at least one magnetic object and measured by a plurality of magnetometers included in the electronic device;

[0351] - determining the position of the user-carried device relative to the reference frame of the electronic device based on the magnetic field measurement result; and

[0352] - transmitting the position of the user-carried device to a device driver instantiated in the user environment of the electronic device.

[0353] 48. The computer-implemented method according to embodiment 47, the computer-implemented method further comprising:

[0354] - moving a displayed cursor within a graphical user interface displayed by the electronic device based on the position of the user-carried device transmitted to the device.

[0355] 49. A computer program element comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method steps according to embodiment 47 or 48.

[0356] 50. A computer-readable medium comprising the computer program element according to embodiment 49.

[0357] Reference Numerals

[0358] X First (length) reference axis 9b Second volume

[0359] Y Second (width) reference axis 10 Electronic device

[0360] Z Vertical (height) reference axis 11 Display

[0361] x d First device axis 12 Housing

[0362] y d Second device axis 14 First surface of the housing

[0363] z d Vertical device axis 14a First part

[0364] L Length of the housing 14b First inner boundary plane

[0365] W Width of the housing 14c First outer boundary plane

[0366] H Height of the housing 14d First part separation distance

[0367] 1 System MA5 - MA4: First plurality of magnetometers

[0368] 8 User interaction surface to fifth plurality of magnetometers

[0369] 9 Hinge MP2 Magnetic force of second plurality of magnetometers

[0370] 9a First volume Instrument plane

[0371] MP3 Magnetic force of third plurality of magnetometers 170 First rotation

[0372] Instrument plane 180 Second rotation

[0373] 16 Second surface of the housing 200 Interaction support

[0374] 16a Second part 210 Interaction surface

[0375] 16b Second inner boundary plane 230 Interaction support surface

[0376] 16c Second outer boundary plane 300 Plurality of magnetometers

[0377] 16d Second part separation distance 310 Magnetometer plane

[0378] 18 The third surface of the housing 320 Magnetometer body

[0379] 18a The third part 400 Processing unit

[0380] 18b The third inner boundary plane 500 One or more output devices

[0381] 18c The third outer boundary plane 510 First output device

[0382] 18d The third part separation distance 520 Second output device

[0383] 20 The fourth surface of the housing 530 Third output device

[0384] 20a The fourth part 600 Method

[0385] 20b The fourth inner boundary plane 602 Obtain magnetic field measurement results

[0386] 20c The fourth outer boundary plane 604 Determine position

[0387] 20d The fourth part separation distance 606 Transmit position

[0388] 22a The fifth part 800 Electronic device

[0389] 22b The lower boundary of the fifth part 802 Printed circuit board

[0390] 24 The lateral boundary of the fifth part 804 Controller

[0391] 30 Touchpad 806 Communication interface

[0392] 32 Single magnetometer 808 Power supply

[0393] 34 Passive components 810 Processor

[0394] S0 - S5 Magnetometer mounting pitch 812 Memory

[0395] 100 User - carried device 814 I / O interface

[0396] 110 At least one magnetic object 816 Display circuit

[0397] 120 Magnetic moment vector U User

[0398] 130 Contact surface or contact point α1 First rotation angle

[0399] 140 At least one interaction feature α2 Second rotation angle

[0400] 150 housing S k,l magnetometer

[0401] 160 translations δ1, δ2, δ3 of the magnetic object, first set of tilt angles

[0402] γ1, γ2, γ3 second set of tilt angles, β1, β2, β3 third set of interaction surface tilt angles

Claims

1. An electronic device (10), the electronic device comprising: - A housing, wherein a spatial extent of the housing is characterized by an orthogonal dimension set including a length (L), a width (W), and a height (H) in a reference coordinate system of the housing; and the housing at least includes a user interaction portion (8), the user interaction portion being in a user interaction plane at a reference height above a base portion of the housing; - A first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) defining a first magnetometer plane (MP5), wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) are surrounded by the housing; Wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) are arranged in a first magnetometer mounting area of the housing, wherein an upper boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area is provided by the user interaction portion (8), and a lateral boundary (24) of the first magnetometer mounting area is separated from a plurality of surfaces (14, 16, 18, 20) of the housing by corresponding plurality of distances (SD1 - SD4) in a length direction and / or a width direction.

2. The electronic device (10) according to claim 1, Wherein the electronic device further comprises: - A touchpad (30); Wherein a portion of the touchpad is arranged to be parallel or substantially coplanar with the user interaction portion.

3. The electronic device (10) according to claim 2, Wherein the lateral boundary (24) of the first magnetometer mounting area is parallel or substantially aligned with a lateral extent of the touchpad.

4. The electronic device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, Wherein a lower boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area is the base portion of the housing, or a lateral plane, the lateral plane being at a predetermined distance below the user interaction portion in a height direction.

5. The electronic device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, Wherein the first magnetometer mounting area is positioned in a lateral direction of the user interaction portion such that a centroid of the first magnetometer mounting area lies on a line that bisects the user interaction portion vertically in a width direction and / or a length direction of the housing.

6. The electronic device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, Wherein a first distance (SD1) measured along a line in the user interaction plane (8) between a first surface (14) of the housing and the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area and perpendicular to the first surface and the lateral boundary is greater than a distance characterized by multiplying a total width of the housing by a factor, the factor being one of 0.8, 0.7, 0.5, 0.33, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.

05.

7. The electronic device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a second distance (SD2), measured along a line in the user interaction plane and perpendicular to both the second surface (16) of the housing and the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area, between the second surface of the housing and the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area is greater than a distance characterized by multiplying the overall width of the housing by a factor, the factor being one of 0.8, 0.7, 0.5, 0.33, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10 or 0.

05.

8. The electronic device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a third distance (SD3), measured along a line in the user interaction plane and perpendicular to both the third surface (18) of the housing and the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area (MA5), between the third surface of the housing and the lateral boundary of the first magnetometer mounting area is greater than a distance characterized by multiplying the overall width of the housing by a factor, the factor being one of 0.8, 0.7, 0.5, 0.33, 0.25, 0.20, 0.15, 0.10 or 0.

05.

9. The electronic device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the length of the housing is in the range of 50 mm to 400 mm; wherein the width of the housing is in the range of 50 mm to 400 mm; and wherein the height of the housing is in the range of 5 mm to 50 mm.

10. The electronic device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, the electronic device further comprising: - a cover; and - a pivotable joint (9) configured to movably couple the cover to the housing such that the electronic device can be configured into at least a first closed state and a second open state, in the first closed state, the cover is disposed in a plane substantially the same as the user interaction plane.

11. The electronic device (10) according to claim 10, wherein the cover includes at least one magnet (112), and wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) are configured to detect movement of the cover relative to the user interface plane (8) by measuring the magnetic field of the at least one magnet included in the cover.

12. The electronic device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first plurality of magnetometers (MA5) includes a network of N magnetometers, more specifically, the network of N magnetometers is arranged in at least one line or in a matrix, more particularly, where N is greater than 2, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 or 256.

13. The electronic device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, the electronic device further comprising: - a processor communicatively coupled to at least the first plurality of magnetometers; and - a communication interface communicatively coupled to a controller; wherein the controller is configured to obtain, via the communication interface, a plurality of measurement results measured by at least the first plurality of magnetometers associated with at least one magnetic object, The processor is configured to perform signal processing on a plurality of signals to thereby generate coordinates representative of the position and / or orientation of at least one user attachment including the at least one magnet relative to at least the first magnetometer plane (MP5).

14. The electronic device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electronic device (10) is one of the following: a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a keyboard, a virtual reality headset, a wireless access point, and / or a display projector.

15. A system (1), the system comprising: - an electronic device according to one of claims 1 to 13, - at least one user-carrying device, the at least one user-carrying device including at least one magnetic object and / or a magnetic field generator; and wherein the electronic device is configured to: obtain magnetic field measurement results associated with the user-carrying device to determine the position of the user-carrying device relative to the peripheral coordinate system of the peripheral device, and transmit the position of the user-carrying device relative to the peripheral device to a host device.

16. A computer-implemented method (600), the computer-implemented method comprising: - obtaining (602) at an electronic device according to one of claims 1 to 13 magnetic field measurement results associated with at least one magnetic object and measured by a plurality of magnetometers included in the electronic device; - determining (604) the position of the user-carrying device relative to the reference frame of the electronic device based on the magnetic field measurement results; and - transmitting (606) the position of the user-carrying device to a device driver instantiated in the user environment of the electronic device.

Images