Display viewing detection

• US 10,119,864 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2014
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Alameh, Rachid M., Hede, William S., Watanabe, Hisashi D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maupin, Hugh H
• Application Number:
  US14/444,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20150260580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/106 Arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/027 making use of sensor-related data, e.g. for identification of sensor parts or optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/10 using electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/08 Mouthpieces; Microphones; Attachments therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In embodiments of display viewing detection, a presence module, implemented on an electronic device, enables a first sensor to detect an object responsive to detecting audio via one or more microphones of the electronic device. The first sensor generates data that is used by the presence module to determine that the object is within a viewing range of the electronic device and that movement of the object is below a predetermined threshold. The presence module then enables at least a second sensor to confirm the object is viewing a display of the electronic device. When the object is detected by the second sensor, the presence module enables the display for viewing by the object.

Claims

1. A method carried out by an electronic device that includes one or more microphones and a first sensor, the method comprising:

detecting, by the one or more microphones, audio indicating a presence of a user;

in response to detecting the audio indicating the presence of the user, enabling the first sensor to detect the user;

determining that the user is within a viewing range of the electronic device based at least in part on data received from the first sensor;

determining a pause in a movement of the user by determining that the movement of the user is below a predetermined threshold based at least in part on the data received from the first sensor;

in response to determining that the user is within the viewing range of the electronic device and in response to determining the pause in the movement of the user, enabling at least one second sensor of the electronic device to confirm the user is viewing a display of the electronic device; and

enabling the display of the electronic device for viewing by the user when the user is detected by the at least one second sensor.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein prior to detecting the audio, the method further comprises determining that the electronic device is stationary based on data received from an accelerometer, wherein the first sensor and the at least one second sensor are disabled when the electronic device is stationary.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first sensor comprises a wide beam heat sensor.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the wide-beam heat sensor comprises multiple heat sensors.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising adjusting a coverage of the wide beam heat sensor by enabling and disabling different ones of the multiple heat sensors, wherein the adjusting is based on a distance of the user from the electronic device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one second sensor comprises a narrow-beam heat sensor.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one second sensor comprises a narrow-beam infrared sensor.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one second sensor comprises an imager to recognize the user who is an actual owner of the electronic device.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein enabling the at least one second sensor comprises:

enabling a first narrow-beam sensor;

when the user is detected by the first narrow-beam sensor, enabling a second narrow-beam sensor; and

wherein enabling the display further comprises enabling the display of the electronic device for viewing when the user is detected by both the first narrow-beam sensor and the second narrow-beam sensor.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the second narrow-beam sensor is not enabled when the user is not detected by the first narrow-beam sensor.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the first narrow-beam sensor comprises a narrow-beam infrared sensor, and wherein the second narrow-beam sensor comprises a narrow-beam heat sensor.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the first narrow-beam sensor comprises a narrow-beam heat sensor, and wherein the second narrow-beam sensor comprises a narrow-beam infrared sensor.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein detecting the user by the at least one second sensor comprises enabling an imager to confirm that the at least one second sensor has detected a face of the user.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein enabling the display comprises one or more of powering on the display, lighting up the display, and rendering information on the display.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more microphones configured to detect audio indicating a presence of a user;

a wide-beam sensor configured to detect the user and generate data based on the user;

a narrow-beam sensor configured to detect the user and generate data based on the user;

a display having one or more portions for viewing by the user; and

at least a memory and a processor to implement a presence module, the presence module configured to;

detect the audio indicating the presence of the user via the one or more microphones;

in response to detecting the audio indicating the presence of the user, enable the wide-beam sensor to detect the user;

determine that the user is within a viewing range of the electronic device based on the data from the wide-beam sensor;

determine a pause in a movement of the user by determining that the movement of the user is below a predetermined threshold based on the data from the wide-beam sensor;

in response to determining that the user is within the viewing range of the electronic device and in response to determining the pause in the movement of the user, enable the narrow-beam sensor to detect the user; and

enable at least one of the one or more portions of the display in response to the narrow-beam sensor detecting the user.

16. The electronic device as recited in claim 15, further comprising an accelerometer, wherein the presence module is further configured to, prior to enabling the wide beam sensor, determine that the electronic device is stationary based on data received from the accelerometer, wherein the wide-beam sensor and the narrow-beam sensor are disabled when the electronic device is stationary.

17. The electronic device as recited in claim 15, wherein the presence module is configured to enable the narrow-beam sensor by enabling a narrow-beam infrared sensor and a narrow-beam heat sensor, and wherein the presence module is configured to enable the display for viewing when the user is detected by both the narrow-beam infrared sensor and the narrow-beam heat sensor.

18. The electronic device as recited in claim 15, wherein the presence module is configured to enable the narrow-beam sensor to confirm the user is viewing the display of the electronic device by:

enabling a first narrow-beam sensor;

when the user is detected by the first narrow-beam sensor, enabling a second narrow-beam sensor; and

wherein enabling the display further comprises enabling the display of the electronic device for viewing when the user is detected by both the first narrow-beam sensor and the second narrow-beam sensor.

19. The electronic device as recited in claim 18, wherein the presence module does not enable the second narrow-beam sensor when the user is not detected by the first narrow-beam sensor.

20. A method carried out by an electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting an audio signal indicating a presence of a user via one or more microphones of the electronic device;

in response to detecting the audio signal indicating the presence of the user, detecting the user at a wide-beam sensor and generating data based on the user;

determining that the user is within a viewing range of the electronic device based on the data from the wide-beam sensor;

determining a pause in a movement of the user by determining that the movement of the user is below a predetermined threshold based on the data from the wide-beam sensor;

in response to determining that the user is within the viewing range of the electronic device and in response to determining the pause in the movement of the user, enabling a narrow-beam sensor to detect the user, and

enabling one or more portions of a display of the electronic device in response to the narrow-beam sensor detecting the user.