Mobile device and method for determining its context

• US 10,091,343 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Torres, Rafael, Battaglino, Daniele, Lepauloux, Ludovick
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US15/710,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20180091638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 4555692, 4555501, 4555751
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6008 in the transmitter circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a mobile device is provided, comprising: a motion sensor configured to detect one or more movements of the mobile device; an audio sensor configured to capture one or more audio signals; a processing unit configured to determine a context of the mobile device in dependence on at least one movement detected by the motion sensor and at least one audio signal captured by the audio sensor. According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a corresponding method for determining a context of a mobile device is conceived. According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a corresponding computer program is provided.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

a motion sensor configured to detect one or more movements of the mobile device;

an audio sensor configured to capture one or more audio signals;

a processing unit configured to determine a context of the mobile device in dependence on at least one movement detected by the motion sensor and at least one audio signal captured by the audio sensor;

wherein the processing unit is configured to activate the audio sensor for capturing the one or more audio signals for confirming said context only if the detected movement indicates that said context is probable.

2. The device of claim 1,

wherein the processing unit is configured to classify the detected movement and to determine whether said context is probable using a result of classifying the detected movement.

3. The device of claim 1,

wherein the processing unit is configured to use a machine-learning algorithm for determining the context.

4. The device of claim 1,

wherein the processing unit is configured to use a finite state machine for classifying the detected movement.

5. The device of claim 1

wherein the motion sensor includes at least one of:

an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, a barometer, a gravimeter.

6. The device of claim 1,

wherein the context comprises an acoustic portion, and

wherein the processing unit is configured to use an acoustic context classifier for determining the acoustic portion of the context.

7. The device of claim 1

wherein the processing unit is configured to use a voting processing over time for determining the most probable context.

8. The device of claim 1

wherein the processing unit is configured to use a release timer for avoiding a rapid switch between different contexts.

9. The device of claim 1

wherein the context comprises an audio event, and wherein the processing unit is configured to use an audio event detection classifier for determining said audio event.

10. The device of claim 1

wherein the context is a vehicle or a building.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the processing unit is configured

to classify motion data and audio data independently from each other, and

to merge the classification results in order to determine the context.

12. A method for determining a context of a mobile device, comprising:

detecting, by a motion sensor of the mobile device, at least one movement of the mobile device;

capturing, by an audio sensor of the mobile device, at least one audio signal;

determining, by a processing unit of the mobile device, said context in dependence on the detected movement and the captured audio signal;

wherein the processing unit is configured to activate the audio sensor for capturing the at least one audio signal for confirming said context only if the detected movement indicates that said context is probable.

13. A computer program stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions which, when executed, carry out or control the method of claim 12.