US-12625160-B2 - Always-on shock and orientation detection

US12625160B2US 12625160 B2US12625160 B2US 12625160B2US-12625160-B2

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to shock and orientation detection for an electronic device. The shock detection detects shock events, such as an accidental drop of the device, and the orientation detection detects the orientation of the device at the time of the detected shock event. The detected shock event and orientations are stored in non-volatile memory. The shock and orientation detection are implemented in low power hardware without any host intervention, and may be implemented as an always-on feature that executes even when the device is in an off or low power state.

Inventors

Stefano Paolo Rivolta
Piergiorgio ARRIGONI

Assignees

STMICROELECTRONICS INTERNATIONAL N.V.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240111

Claims (20)

1 . A device, comprising: a first memory; a second memory; an accelerometer configured to generate acceleration measurements; a gyroscope configured to generate angular velocity measurements; and one or more processors configured to: determine the device is in a stationary state or a motion state based on the acceleration measurements; perform orientation detection to detect orientations of the device based on the acceleration measurements and the angular velocity measurements in case the device is determined to be in the motion state; store the orientations of the device in the first memory; perform shock detection to detect a shock event based on the acceleration measurements in case the device is determined to be in the motion state, the shock event indicating the device has experienced an impact; and move the orientations of the device from the first memory to the second memory in case the shock event is detected.
2 . The device of claim 1 wherein the first memory stores the orientations of the device using a first-in, first-out (FIFO) method.
3 . The device of claim 1 wherein the second memory is a non-volatile memory.
4 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising: a multi-sensor device including the accelerometer, the gyroscope, and the first memory.
5 . The device of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to: delete the orientations of the device from the first memory after the orientations have been moved from the first memory to the second memory.
6 . The device of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to: set the gyroscope and the shock detection to an off state in case the device is determined to be in the stationary state.
7 . The device of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to: set the gyroscope, the shock detection, and the orientation detection to an off state in case the device is determined to be in the stationary state.
8 . The device of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to: filter the acceleration measurements; determine a norm of the filtered acceleration measurements; and determine the device is in the stationary state or the motion state based on the norm of the filtered acceleration measurements.
9 . The device of claim 8 wherein the acceleration measurements are filtered with a high pass filter.
10 . The device of claim 8 wherein the one or more processors determine the device is in the motion state in case the norm of the filtered acceleration measurements is greater than or equal to a threshold value for a first determined amount of time, and determines the device is in the stationary state in case the norm of the filtered acceleration measurements is less than the threshold value for a second determined amount of time.
11 . The device of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to: determine a norm of the acceleration measurements; and detect the shock event based on the norm of the acceleration measurements.
12 . The device of claim 11 wherein the one or more processors detect the shock event in case the norm of the acceleration measurements is greater than or equal to a threshold value.
13 . The device of claim 1 wherein accelerometer has a first power consumption and measures acceleration at a first rate in case the device is determined to be in the stationary state, and the accelerometer has a second power consumption greater than the first power consumption and measures acceleration at a second rate higher than the first rate in case the device is determined to be in the motion state.
14 . The device of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors include: a first processor configured to determine the device is in the stationary state or the motion state, perform the orientation detection, store the orientations of the device in the first memory, and perform the shock detection; and a second processor configured to move the orientations of the device from the first memory to the second memory.
15 . A method, comprising: generating, by an accelerometer, acceleration measurements; determining, by a processor, a device is in a stationary state or a motion state based on the acceleration measurements; generating, by a gyroscope, angular velocity measurements in case the device is determined to be in the motion state; performing, by the processor, orientation detection to detect orientations of the device based on the acceleration measurements and the angular velocity measurements in case the device is determined to be in the motion state; storing the orientations of the device in a first memory; performing shock detection to detect a shock event based on the acceleration measurements in case the device is determined to be in the motion state, the shock event indicating the device has experienced an impact; and moving the orientations of the device from the first memory to a second memory in case the shock event is detected.
16 . The method of claim 15 wherein the storing of the orientations of the device includes storing the orientations of the device in the first memory using a first-in, first-out (FIFO) method.
17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising: setting, by the processor, the gyroscope and the shock detection to an off state in case the device is determined to be in the stationary state.
18 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising: filtering, by the processor, the acceleration measurements; determining, by the processor, a norm of the filtered acceleration measurements; and determining, by the processor, the device is in the stationary state or the motion state based on the norm of the filtered acceleration measurements.
19 . A device, comprising: a multi-sensor device including: a first memory; an accelerometer configured to generate acceleration measurements; a gyroscope configured to generate angular velocity measurements; and a first processor configured to: determine the device is in a motion state based on the acceleration measurements; detect orientations of the device based on the acceleration measurements and the angular velocity measurements in response to the device being determined to be in the motion state; store the orientations of the device in the first memory; and detect a shock event based on the acceleration measurements in response to the device being determined to be in the motion state, the shock event indicating the device has experienced an impact; a second memory; and a second processor configured to move the orientations of the device from the first memory to the second memory in response to the shock event being detected.
20 . The device of claim 19 wherein the first processor is configured to: determine the device is in a stationary state based on the acceleration measurements; and suspend generation of the angular velocity measurements, detection of the orientations, and detection of the shock event in response to the device being determined to be in the stationary state.

Description

BACKGROUND Technical Field The present disclosure is directed to shock and orientation detection for electronic devices. Description of the Related Art Many companies offer a standard warranty with a purchase of an electronic device, such as a laptop, tablet, and smartphone. Standard warranties typically offer complementary repair or replacement for damage caused by defective materials or workmanship, and do not cover physical damage caused by the user. For example, physical damage caused by shock events, such as accidental falls or drops, are often not covered under warranty, but offered at an additional cost. Unfortunately, some users take advantage of the standard warranty for damages caused by shock events since companies are unable to recognize whether damage was caused by the user or not. Consequently, companies often unnecessarily repair devices under standard warranties at their own expense. BRIEF SUMMARY The present disclosure is directed to devices and methods for shock and orientation detection. The shock detection detects shock events, such as accidental drops of the device, and the orientation detection detects the orientation of the device at the time of the shock event. The shock and orientation detection results may be used by companies to evaluate the validity of warranty claims for the device. The shock and orientation detection includes power management features in order to conserve power. Namely, the device performs motion detection using accelerometer measurements in order to detect movement of the device. In case the device is determined to be stationary, shock detection, gyroscope measurements, and orientation detection are suspended. In case the device is determined to be in motion, shock detection, gyroscope measurements, and orientation detection are performed. The power management and accelerometer remain in an always-on state. The orientation detection detects a current orientation of the device based on accelerometer and gyroscope measurements. Orientation data is temporarily stored, for example, first-in, first-out (FIFO) in memory. The shock detection detects a shock event based on accelerometer measurements. For example, a shock event upon detection of a large, sudden change in acceleration. When a shock event is detected, the stored orientation data, an indication of the detected shock event, and a time stamp of the detected shock event are stored in non-volatile memory. The information stored in the non-volatile memory may then be utilized to evaluate the validity of a warranty claim for the device at a later time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar features or elements. The size and relative positions of features in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. FIG. 1 is a device according to an embodiment disclosed herein. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for performing shock and orientation detection according to an embodiment disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of the disclosed subject matter. However, the disclosed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures, functions, and methods of manufacturing electronic devices, electronic components, and sensors have not been described in detail to avoid obscuring the descriptions of other aspects of the present disclosure. Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims that follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as “comprises” and “comprising,” are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.” Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects of the present disclosure. As discussed above, standard warranties for electronic devices typically offer complementary repair or replacement for damage caused by defective materials or workmanship, and do not cover physical damage caused by the user. Users often deceptively take advantage of the standard warranty for damages caused by shock events, such as accidental falls or drops, since companies are unable to recognize whether damage was caused by the user or not. As a result, companies will often repair devices under standard warranties at their own expense. The present disclosure is directed to devices and methods for shock and orientat