Reference Wire Temperature Compensation for Sensor Signal Accuracy

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Solution Overview

Problem

In electronic devices like smartphones, long connection wires between capacitive proximity sensors and a controller can degrade signal quality due to temperature changes, affecting data accuracy and performance.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a reference wire of equal length to the longer connection wire to provide reference data for temperature compensation, allowing the controller to adjust detection data and improve accuracy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If one controller chip connects to both top and bottom capacitive proximity sensors, then cost is optimized, but the connection wire length increases causing signal quality degradation due to temperature change

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecost optimizationVSAvoidsignal quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a reference wire as an intermediary element that matches the characteristics of the long connection wire. This reference wire serves as a mediator to capture temperature-induced noise, allowing the controller to compensate for signal degradation without changing the physical layout or adding multiple controller chips.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the controller continuously monitors the reference wire signal and uses it to adjust and compensate for noise in the sensor data. This closed-loop feedback approach enables real-time correction of temperature-induced signal degradation, maintaining reliability while keeping the system cost-effective.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Device complexity

If the controller chip is located close to one sensor for easier connection, then connection complexity is reduced, but the other sensor requires a longer connection wire causing measurement precision degradation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection complexityVSAvoidsensor data accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The reference wire acts as an intermediary that replicates the electrical characteristics of the long connection wire. By placing the reference wire near the controller and using it to measure temperature effects, the system can compensate for the precision loss in the distant sensor without requiring complex routing or additional controllers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a copy of the long connection wire's electrical characteristics through the reference wire. This copy allows the controller to understand and compensate for the noise introduced by the long connection, effectively restoring measurement precision while maintaining simple controller placement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Adaptability or versatility

If a long connection wire is used to connect distant sensors to the controller, then device layout flexibility is improved, but temperature-induced noise increases reducing data accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice layout flexibilityVSAvoiddetection data accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The reference wire serves as an intermediary that captures temperature-induced noise characteristics. This allows the system to maintain flexible device layouts with long connection wires while compensating for the resulting signal degradation through reference-based noise cancellation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the harmful temperature-induced noise into a useful signal by using the reference wire to measure it. The noise that would normally degrade sensor accuracy is instead captured and used as compensation data, transforming a disadvantage into a benefit for maintaining measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS10978784B2Electronic apparatus and information processing method
Publication Date: 2021.04.13 LENOVO (BEIJING) LTD
  • US10978784B2 patent drawing
  • US10978784B2 patent drawing
  • US10978784B2 patent drawing

AI summary

An electronic apparatus and an information processing method are provided. The apparatus includes a main body, a first electronic component and a second electronic component, having a common function and disposed at different positions in relation to the main body, and a controller, disposed in relation to the main body. The controller is connected to the first electronic component through a first connection wire and the controller is also connected to the second electronic component through a second connection wire. The first connection wire has a length longer than the second connection wire. The apparatus further includes a reference wire, connected to the controller, in order to provide reference data corresponding to the first connection wire to the controller. The controller is configured to adjust detection data received from the first electronic component via the first connection wire, based on the reference data of the reference wire.