MOBILE DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF
A mobile device includes a connector, an audio generator, a biological signal processor, a switch element, and a controller. The switch element has a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal of the switch element is coupled to the connector, and the second terminal of the switch element is selectively coupled to either the audio generator or the biological signal processor according to a control signal. The controller is coupled to the audio generator and the biological signal processor, and is configured to generate the control signal.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/394,287, filed on Sep. 14, 2016, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the InventionThe disclosure generally relates to a mobile device, and more specifically, to a mobile device for receiving and processing a biological signal.
Description of the Related ArtAs technology advances, mobile electronic devices are playing an increasingly important role in people's lives. Some mobile electronic devices, such as smart sports bracelets, can automatically collect biological information from users and transmit it to other devices for further processing. However, the biological information may become distorted because of a bad transmission path. Accordingly, there is a need to design a novel solution for solving the aforementioned problem.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn a preferred embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a mobile device including a connector, an audio generator, a biological signal processor, a switch element, and a controller. The switch element has a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal of the switch element is coupled to the connector, and the second terminal of the switch element is selectively coupled to either the audio generator or the biological signal processor according to a control signal. The controller is coupled to the audio generator and the biological signal processor, and is configured to generate the control signal.
In some embodiments, when an external device is coupled to the connector, the switch element initially couples the connector to the biological signal processor.
In some embodiments, the controller controls a switching operation of the switch element according to information from the external device.
In some embodiments, the external device is an external earphone or an external sensor.
In some embodiments, the external sensor is an external electrode.
In some embodiments, if the connector receives a first biological signal from the external device, the first biological signal is transmitted through the switch element to the biological signal processor, such that the biological signal processor processes the first biological signal.
In some embodiments, if the connector does not receive any biological signal from the external device, the switch element changes its switching operation and couples the connector to the audio generator, instead of the biological signal processor.
In some embodiments, the mobile device further includes a housing and a plurality of sensors. The sensors are embedded in the housing, and are coupled to the biological signal processor.
In some embodiments, the sensors are electrodes.
In some embodiments, if no external device is coupled to the connector or if the connector does not receive any biological signal from the external device, the biological signal processor tries to receive and process a second biological signal from the sensors.
In another preferred embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a method including the steps of: providing a mobile device, wherein the mobile device includes a connector, an audio generator, a biological signal processor, a switch element, and a controller, and wherein the controller is coupled to the audio generator and the biological signal processor; generating a control signal by the controller; and coupling the connector to either the audio generator or the biological signal processor by the switch element according to the control signal.
In some embodiments, the method further includes: when an external device is coupled to the connector, initially coupling the connector to the biological signal processor by the switch element.
In some embodiments, the method further includes: controlling a switching operation of the switch element by the controller according to information from the external device.
In some embodiments, the method further includes: if the connector receives a first biological signal from the external device, transmitting the first biological signal through the switch element to the biological signal processor, and processing the first biological signal by the biological signal processor.
In some embodiments, the method further includes: if the connector does not receive any biological signal from the external device, coupling the connector to the audio generator, instead of the biological signal processor, by the switch element.
In some embodiments, the method further includes: if no external device is coupled to the connector or if the connector does not receive any biological signal from the external device, trying to receive and process a second biological signal from the sensors by the biological signal processor.
The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In order to illustrate the purposes, features and advantages of the invention, the embodiments and figures of the invention will be described in detail as follows.
Certain terms are used throughout the description and following claims to refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, manufacturers may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following description and in the claims, the terms “include” and “comprise” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “include, but not limited to . . . ”. The term “substantially” means the value is within an acceptable error range. One skilled in the art can solve the technical problem within a predetermined error range and achieve the proposed technical performance. Also, the term “couple” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct electrical connection. Accordingly, if one device is coupled to another device, that connection may be through a direct electrical connection, or through an indirect electrical connection via other devices and connections.
In some embodiments, when the external device 170 is coupled to the connector 110, the switch element 140 can initially couple the connector 110 to the biological signal processor 130. Then, the controller 150 can maintain or change the switching operation of the switch element 140 according to information from the external device 170. For example, the aforementioned information may include the type of the external device 170, or signals output from the external device 170. The following embodiments describe the detailed operation of the mobile device 100. It should be noted these embodiments and figures are just exemplary, rather than the restricted limitations of the invention.
The invention proposes a mobile device and a control method thereof. Because the mobile device selectively uses an external sensor, it can quickly and precisely retrieve biological information from a user. The external sensor can be coupled to a built-in connector of the mobile device, such as an earphone socket, so that no extra cost is required. A biological signal from the external sensor may be further processed and analyzed by a biological signal processor of the mobile device. Therefore, it becomes more convenient for the user to continuously and accurately monitor his/her state of health using the proposed mobile device and control method.
Note that the above voltages, currents, resistances, inductances, capacitances and other element parameters are not limitations of the invention. A designer can adjust these parameters according to different requirements. The mobile device and control method of the invention are not limited to the configurations of
Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having the same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
Claims
1. A mobile device, comprising:
- a connector;
- an audio generator;
- a biological signal processor;
- a switch element, having a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the first terminal of the switch element is coupled to the connector, and the second terminal of the switch element is selectively coupled to either the audio generator or the biological signal processor according to a control signal; and
- a controller, coupled to the audio generator and the biological signal processor, and generating the control signal.
2. The mobile device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when an external device is coupled to the connector, the switch element initially couples the connector to the biological signal processor.
3. The mobile device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the controller controls a switching operation of the switch element according to information from the external device.
4. The mobile device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the external device is an external earphone or an external sensor.
5. The mobile device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the external sensor is an external electrode.
6. The mobile device as claimed in claim 2, wherein if the connector receives a first biological signal from the external device, the first biological signal is transmitted through the switch element to the biological signal processor, such that the biological signal processor processes the first biological signal.
7. The mobile device as claimed in claim 2, wherein if the connector does not receive any biological signal from the external device, the switch element changes its switching operation and couples the connector to the audio generator, instead of the biological signal processor.
8. The mobile device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:
- a housing; and
- a plurality of sensors, embedded in the housing, and coupled to the biological signal processor.
9. The mobile device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the sensors are electrodes.
10. The mobile device as claimed in claim 8, wherein if no external device is coupled to the connector or if the connector does not receive any biological signal from the external device, the biological signal processor tries to receive and process a second biological signal from the sensors.
11. A method, comprising the steps of:
- providing a mobile device, wherein the mobile device comprises a connector, an audio generator, a biological signal processor, a switch element, and a controller, and wherein the controller is coupled to the audio generator and the biological signal processor;
- generating a control signal by the controller; and
- coupling the connector to either the audio generator or the biological signal processor by the switch element according to the control signal.
12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:
- when an external device is coupled to the connector, initially coupling the connector to the biological signal processor by the switch element.
13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:
- controlling a switching operation of the switch element by the controller according to information from the external device.
14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the external device is an external earphone or an external sensor.
15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the external sensor is an external electrode.
16. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:
- if the connector receives a first biological signal from the external device, transmitting the first biological signal through the switch element to the biological signal processor, and processing the first biological signal by the biological signal processor.
17. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:
- if the connector does not receive any biological signal from the external device, coupling the connector to the audio generator, instead of the biological signal processor, by the switch element.
18. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the mobile device further comprises a housing and a plurality of sensors, and wherein the sensors are embedded in the housing and are coupled to the biological signal processor.
19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the sensors are electrodes.
20. The method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:
- if no external device is coupled to the connector or if the connector does not receive any biological signal from the external device, trying to receive and process a second biological signal from the sensors by the biological signal processor.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 1, 2017
Publication Date: Mar 15, 2018
Inventor: Teng-Feng ZOU (Hsin-Chu)
Application Number: 15/693,557