Communication mode control for wearable devices

• US 10,275,369 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Uchidiuno, Judith O., Wang, Xiying, Weisz, Justin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mamo, Elias
• Application Number:
  US14/665,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20160283412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• 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 1/3278 Power saving in modem or I/O interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method, executed by one or more processors, includes monitoring a plurality of ambient condition sensors configured to sense a plurality of ambient conditions that are relevant to a plurality of communication modes provided by at least one user I/O device, deactivating a first communication mode of the plurality of communication modes and activating a second communication mode of the plurality of communication modes in response to determining, via the plurality of ambient condition sensors, that one or more of the plurality of ambient conditions are not conducive to the first communication mode and that the plurality of ambient conditions are collectively more conducive to the second communication mode than the first communication mode. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A computing apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory module configured to contain a plurality of user preferences;

one or more user I/O devices configured to provide a plurality of input/output communication modes to a user;

an ambient condition sensor configured to sense an ambient condition that is relevant to the plurality of input/output communication modes; and

a user interface module configured to;

determine, via the ambient condition sensor, based, at least in part, on the plurality of user preferences and battery power remaining of the computing apparatus, that the ambient condition is not conducive to a first input/output communication mode and that the ambient condition is more conducive to a second input/output communication mode, relative to the first input/output communication mode, and

responsive to the determining that the ambient condition is not conducive, deactivate the first input/output communication mode of the plurality of input/output communication modes and activate the second input/output communication mode of the plurality of input/output communication modes;

wherein the plurality of user preferences includes a preferred input/output communication mode for at least one application.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of input communication modes include two or more of keyboard input, speech input, text input, and input gestures.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface module is configured to inform the user of a change to a different input communication mode.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a user I/O device of the one or more user I/O devices is selected from the group consisting of a speaker, a microphone, an audio jack, a display, a touchpad, a touchscreen, and a vibrator.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ambient condition sensor comprises a light sensor or an audio sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the user interface module is configured to determine via the light sensor whether an ambient lighting condition is conducive to visual communication with the user.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the user interface module is configured to determine via the audio sensor whether an ambient sound condition is conducive to aural communication with the user.

8. A method, executed by one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of user preferences;

monitoring an ambient condition sensor configured to sense an ambient condition that is relevant to a plurality of input/output communication modes provided by at least one user I/O device;

determining, via the ambient condition sensor, based, at least in part, on the plurality of user preferences and battery power remaining of the computing apparatus, that the ambient condition is not conducive to a first input/output communication mode and that the ambient condition is more conducive to a second input/output communication mode, relative to the first input/output communication mode, and

responsive to the determining that the ambient condition is not conducive, deactivating the first input/output communication mode of the plurality of input/output communication modes and activating the second input/output communication mode of the plurality of input/output communication modes;

wherein the plurality of user preferences includes a preferred input/output communication mode for at least one application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of communication modes are selected from the group consisting of keyboard input, speech input, speech output, audio output, text input, displaying text, video or camera input, video output, input gestures, and canned responses.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising informing the user of a change to a different communication mode.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, via a light sensor, whether an ambient lighting condition is conducive to visual communication to the user.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, via the audio sensor, whether an ambient sound condition is conducive to aural communication to the user.

13. A computer program product (CPP) comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media;

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations including the following;

receiving a plurality of user preferences,

monitoring an ambient condition sensor configured to sense an ambient condition that is relevant to a plurality of communication input/output modes provided by at least one user I/O device,

determining, via the ambient condition sensor, based, at least in part, on the plurality of user preferences and battery power remaining of the computing apparatus, that the ambient condition is not conducive to a first input/output communication mode and that the ambient condition is more conducive to a second input/output communication mode, relative to the first input/output communication mode, and

responsive to the determining that the ambient condition is not conducive, deactivating the first input/output communication mode of the plurality of input/output communication modes and activating the second input/output communication mode of the plurality of input/output communication modes;

wherein the plurality of user preferences includes a preferred input/output communication mode for at least one application.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the plurality of communication modes are selected from the group consisting of speech input, speech output, audio output, text input, displaying text, video or camera input, video output, input gestures, and canned responses.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the program instructions comprise instructions to determine, via a light sensor, whether an ambient lighting condition is conducive to visual communication to the user.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the program instructions comprise instructions to determine, via the audio sensor, whether an ambient sound condition is conducive to aural communication to the user.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the program instructions comprise instructions to inform the user of a change to a different communication mode.