Electronic apparatus and method for controlling functions in the electronic apparatus using a bio-metric sensor

• US 10,192,044 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2016
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choe, Chaekyu, Jung, Hyungrock, Park, Sungmin, Park, Jeongje, Cheong, Cheolho, Chun, Jaewoong, Choi, Wonsuk
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US15/192,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20160378965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/352 Detecting R peaks, e.g. for synchronising diagnostic apparatus; Estimating R-R interval
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/011 Emotion or mood input determined on the basis of sensed human body parameters such as pulse, heart rate or beat, temperature of skin, facial expressions, iris, voice pitch, brain activity patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/15 Biometric patterns based on physiological signals, e.g. heartbeat, blood flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/70 Multimodal biometrics, e.g. combining information from different biometric modalities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes

Abstract

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device may include a biometric sensor configured to detect a contact signal from at least two biometric electrodes and a processor configured to determine whether the contact signal received from the biometric sensor has biological characteristics. When the processor determines that the contact signal is a biometric input having biological characteristics, the processor executes a biometric information function. When the processor determines that the contact signal does not include the biological characteristics, the processor executes a general function related to an application.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a biometric sensor configured to detect at least one contact signal from at least one biometric electrode; and

a processor configured to;

determine whether the at least one contact signal received from the biometric sensor includes biological characteristics,

execute a biometric function in response to a determination that the contact signal is a biometric input including the biological characteristics,

execute an application function of the electronic device in response to a determination that the contact signal is an electrode input when the contact signal does not include the biological characteristics,

identify, when the contact signal does not include the biological characteristics, a position of a biometric electrode in which the contact signal is generated, and

identify the application function mapped to the identified position.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a comparator configured to detect a voltage change; and

an amplifier configured to amplify the contact signal,

wherein the comparator and the amplifier are connected to the at least one biometric electrode, and

wherein the processor is further configured to;

identify a contact condition based on at least one of the identified position, a contact maintenance time, a number of contact electrodes, an attachment state, or a detachment state,

determine an operation state of the electronic device based on at least one of a locking state of the electronic device, an application operated state of the electronic device, a type of an operating application, or a holding state of the electronic device, and

identify the application function mapped to at least one of the contact condition or the operation state of the electronic device.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to perform user authentication on the basis of biometric information, permit or change a right of a function of the application when the user authentication is successfully completed, or suppress a right of the function of the application when the user authentication fails, in response to the biometric input in a state in which the user authentication related to the application is required.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein when a condition in which emotional information is required to be measured is satisfied in the application operated state, the processor is configured to generate emotional information on the basis of the biological characteristics in response to the biometric input, and change a function of the operating application to correspond to the generated emotional information or provide the emotional information.

5. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to trigger activation of an application mapped to each contact condition in response to the electrode input.

6. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to execute a first function of the application in response to the electrode input based on a contact state of the at least one biometric electrode in a state in which the application is executed, and execute a second function of the application in response to the electrode input based on a contact state change.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the contact signal is a biometric signal when it is satisfied that the contact signal is at least one of a signal included in a biometric contact range, a signal included in a determined range generated by the biological characteristics, or a signal including the biological characteristics enabling electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement, and

wherein the processor is configured to determine that the contact signal is the electrode input when it is satisfied that the contact signal is at least one of a signal included in a non-body contact range or a signal by which biometric information cannot be generated on the basis of the contact signal.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute at least one of an operation of generating biometric information according to the biological characteristics, performing user authentication on the basis of the biometric information, unlocking the electronic device when the user authentication is successfully completed, or a function of executing an application related to the biometric information, in response to the biometric input based on the contact signal in a state in which the electronic device is locked.

9. A method of controlling functions of an electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting a contact signal from at least one biometric electrode;

determining whether the contact signal of the at least one biometric electrode includes biological characteristics;

when the contact signal including the biological characteristics is a biometric input, executing a biometric function; and

identifying, when the contact signal does not include the biological characteristics, a position of the biometric electrode in which the contact signal is generated, identifying an application function mapped to the position, and executing the identified application function.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining that the contact signal includes the biological characteristics when it is satisfied that the contact signal is any one or a combination of a signal included in a biometric contact range, a signal included in a determined range generated by the biological characteristics or a signal including the biological characteristics enabling biological characteristics enabling electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a contact condition based on at least one of the position of a biometric electrode in which the contact signal is generated, a contact maintenance time, a number of biometric electrodes in which contact signals are generated, a biometric attachment state, or a biometric detachment state; and

determining an operation state of the electronic device, which is based on at least one of a locking state of the electronic device, an application operated state of the electronic device, a type of an operated application, or a holding state of the electronic device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein executing the biometric function comprises:

when the biometric input is detected in a state in which the electronic device is locked or user authentication of an application is required, generating biometric information on which biological characteristics are reflected from the contact signal of the at least one biometric electrode;

performing user authentication on the basis of the generated biometric information;

when the user authentication is successfully completed, unlocking the electronic device or permitting or changing a right of a function of the application; and

when the user authentication fails, maintaining a locking state or suppressing the right of the function of the application.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein executing the biometric function comprises:

when the biometric input is detected, automatically executing an application related to the biological characteristics on the basis of the biometric input.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein executing the biometric function comprises:

when the biometric input is detected in an application executed state, generating emotional information on the basis of the biological characteristics; and

making a change to reflect the emotional information on an executed application by reflecting the generated emotional information, or providing an object indicating the emotional information to an application execution screen.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein executing the application function comprises:

activating a preconfigured application according to each position of a biometric electrode in which the contact signal is generated.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein executing the application function comprises:

when the contact signal is an electrode input based on a contact state of the at least one biometric electrode in an application executed state, executing a first function of the application in response to the electrode input; and

when the contact signal is the electrode input based on a change of the contact state, executing a second function of the application in response to the electrode input.

17. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, said computer executable program code, when executed by an electronic device, causing actions including:

detecting a contact signal from at least one biometric electrode included in the electronic device;

determining whether the contact signal of the at least one biometric electrode includes biological characteristics;

in response to a determination that the contact signal is a biometric input including the biological characteristics, executing a biometric function; and

identifying, in response to a determination that the contact signal is an electrode input when the contact signal does not include the biological characteristics, a position of the biometric electrode in which the contact signal is generated, and identifying an application function mapped to the position and executing the identified application function.