Wearable device positioning based control

• US 10,268,280 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2018
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Deluca, Lisa Seacat, Pickover, Clifford A., Price, Dana L., Quirk, Aaron J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Littlejohn, Jr., Mancil
• Application Number:
  US15/967,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20180246580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 340 125
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop

Abstract

A method and system for positioning based device control. The method includes receiving device control instructions associated with function control of a device based on a positioning of a wearable hardware device of a user. Communications between the device and the wearable hardware device are synchronized and a position signal indicating a current position of the wearable hardware device with respect to a body of the user is received. In response, a command associated with controlling a specified function of the device is received and a command is executed resulting in the specified function of the device being modified.

Claims

1. A positioning based control method comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a device of a user, device control instructions associated with function control of said device based on a positioning of a display portion of a wearable hardware device of said user, wherein said wearable hardware device comprises a band portion comprising said display portion;

receiving, by said processor from said wearable hardware device, a position signal indicating a current position of said display portion of said wearable hardware device with respect to a body of said user, wherein said current position results from performing a sequence of differing degrees of rotational movement of said display portion and said band portion of said wearable hardware device around an axis of a wrist of said user, wherein said differing degrees of rotational movement comprise specified degree rotation values comprising a 90 degree rotational movement value, a 180 degree rotational movement value, a 270 degree rotational movement value, and a 360 degree rotational movement value, and wherein said sequence comprises clockwise rotations followed by counter clockwise rotations comprising said differing degrees of rotational movement of said display portion and said band portion of said wearable hardware device around said axis of said wrist of said user; and

executing, by said processor, a command determined based on said position signal resulting in a specified function of said device being modified.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communications between said device and said wearable hardware device comprise wireless pairing communications.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said current position additionally results from a specified degree of rotation of said wearable hardware device around said axis of said body portion of said user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said wearable hardware device comprises a sensor for monitoring positions of said wearable hardware device around said axis of said body portion of said user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said sensor is selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a heart rate monitor, an optical sensor, and a motion sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying said specified function of said device comprises a modification selected from the group consisting of disabling power of said device, enabling power of said device, disabling an audio signal of said device, enabling an audio signal of said device, reducing an audio signal level of said device, increasing an audio signal level of said device, enabling a vibration function of said device, disabling a vibration function of said device, enabling a running application of said device, terminating a running application of said device, enabling a recording function of said device, disabling a recording function of said device, enabling a display light function of said device, disabling a display light function of said device, requesting a password input to said device, and requesting a communication function between said device and an additional device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by said processor from said wearable hardware device, an additional position signal indicating a new current position of said wearable hardware device with respect to an axis of a body portion of said user;

determining, by said processor based on said additional position signal, a new command associated with controlling a new specified function of said device; and

executing, by said processor, said new command resulting in said new specified function of said device being modified, wherein said new specified function differs from said specified function.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by said processor from said wearable hardware device, an additional position signal indicating a new current position of said wearable hardware device with respect to an axis of a body portion of said user;

determining, by said processor based on said additional position signal, a new command associated with additionally controlling said specified function of said device; and

executing, by said processor, said new command resulting in said specified function of said device being modified again.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code in the control hardware, said code being executed by the computer processor to implement;

said receiving said device control instructions, said receiving said position signal, and said executing.

10. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device storing a computer readable program code, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm that when executed by a processor of a device of a user implements a positioning based control method, said method comprising:

receiving, by said processor, device control instructions associated with function control of said device based on a positioning of a display portion of a wearable hardware device of said user, wherein said wearable hardware device comprises a band portion comprising said display portion;

receiving, by said processor from said wearable hardware device, a position signal indicating a current position of said display portion of said wearable hardware device with respect to a body of said user, wherein said current position results from performing a sequence of differing degrees of rotational movement of said display portion and said band portion of said wearable hardware device around an axis of a wrist of said user, wherein said differing degrees of rotational movement comprise specified degree rotation values comprising a 90 degree rotational movement value, a 180 degree rotational movement value, a 270 degree rotational movement value, and a 360 degree rotational movement value, and wherein said sequence comprises clockwise rotations followed by counter clockwise rotations comprising said differing degrees of rotational movement of said display portion and said band portion of said wearable hardware device around said axis of said wrist of said user; and

executing, by said processor, a command determined based on said position signal resulting in a specified function of said device being modified.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein communications between said device and said wearable hardware device comprise wireless pairing communications.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said current position additionally results from a specified degree of rotation of said wearable hardware device around said axis of said body portion of said user.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said wearable hardware device comprises a sensor for monitoring positions of said wearable hardware device around said axis of said body portion of said user.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein said sensor is selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a heart rate monitor, an optical sensor, and a motion sensor.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein modifying said specified function of said device comprises a modification selected from the group consisting of disabling power of said device, enabling power of said device, disabling an audio signal of said device, enabling an audio signal of said device, reducing an audio signal level of said device, increasing an audio signal level of said device, enabling a vibration function of said device, disabling a vibration function of said device, enabling a running application of said device, terminating a running application of said device, enabling a recording function of said device, disabling a recording function of said device, enabling a display light function of said device, disabling a display light function of said device, requesting a password input to said device, and requesting a communication function between said device and an additional device.

16. A device of a user comprising a processor coupled to a computer-readable memory unit, said memory unit comprising instructions that when executed by the computer processor implements a positioning based control method comprising:

receiving, by said processor, device control instructions associated with function control of said device based on a positioning of a display portion of a wearable hardware device of said user, wherein said wearable hardware device comprises a band portion comprising said display portion;

receiving, by said processor from said wearable hardware device, a position signal indicating a current position of said display portion of said wearable hardware device with respect to a body of said user, wherein said current position results from performing a sequence of differing degrees of rotational movement of said display portion and said band portion of said wearable hardware device around an axis of a wrist of said user, wherein said differing degrees of rotational movement comprise specified degree rotation values comprising a 90 degree rotational movement value, a 180 degree rotational movement value, a 270 degree rotational movement value, and a 360 degree rotational movement value, and wherein said sequence comprises clockwise rotations followed by counter clockwise rotations comprising said differing degrees of rotational movement of said display portion and said band portion of said wearable hardware device around said axis of said wrist of said user; and

executing, by said processor, a command determined based on said position signal resulting in a specified function of said device being modified.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein communications between said device and said wearable hardware device comprise wireless pairing communications.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein said current position additionally results from a specified degree of rotation of said wearable hardware device around said axis of said body portion of said user.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein said wearable hardware device comprises a sensor for monitoring positions of said wearable hardware device around said axis of said body portion of said user.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein said sensor is selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a heart rate monitor, an optical sensor, and a motion sensor.