Liquid activated failsafe for portable computing devices

摘要

The described embodiments relate generally to portable computing devices such as notebook computers and more particularly to failsafe mechanisms designed to prevent electrical shorts in the event that a portable computing device comes in contact with a liquid. A plurality of liquid sensors can be positioned within a computing device and electrically coupled to a controller. The controller can respond to varying amounts of liquid by immediately decoupling the system electronics from the power supply, performing a controlled shut-down of the computing device, or taking no action. In some embodiments, the controller can also limit the ability of a user to reactivate the computing device following a spill until any remaining liquids are removed from the computing device.

主权项

1. A computing device, comprising:
a base housing enclosing at least one electronic component, wherein the base housing includes a plurality of openings; a keyboard assembly disposed at least partially within at least one of the plurality of openings; a plurality of liquid sensors disposed near the plurality of openings, wherein the liquid sensors are configured to detect liquid entering the base housing through one or more of the plurality of openings; and a controller electrically coupled to the liquid sensors, wherein the controller is configured to electrically decouple the at least one electronic component from a power supply when a number of liquid sensors exceeding a moisture threshold exceeds a first limit.