Wireless ear bud system with pose detection

• US 10,277,973 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2018
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Perry, Daniel J., Choksi, Maulik V., Sun, Wei-Yang
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thang V
• Application Number:
  US15/914,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20180288516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/741 using synthesised speech
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

Ear buds may have sensors to gather orientation information such as accelerometer measurements during user movements. A host electronic device may communicate wirelessly with the ear buds and may form part of an ear bud system that supplies the user with coaching and feedback while evaluating user performance of a head movement routine or other exercise routine. During operation, the ear buds may gather accelerometer data in a first reference frame such as a reference frame associated with the ear buds and may use a rotation matrix to rotate the data in the first reference frame into a second reference frame such as a neutral reference frame with a fixed orientation to the earth. The data in the neutral reference frame may be analyzed using a user head pose look-up table to categorize measured user head positions as corresponding to respective user head poses.

Claims

1. A wireless ear bud system, comprising:

an ear bud housing;

a speaker in the ear bud housing;

an orientation sensor in the ear bud housing that is configured to gather orientation measurements in a first reference frame; and

control circuitry that is configured to;

rotate the orientation measurements in the first reference frame into a second reference frame;

analyze the orientation measurements that have been rotated into the second reference frame; and

categorize user head poses based on the analyzed orientation measurements.

2. The wireless ear bud system defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is in the ear bud housing.

3. The wireless ear bud system defined in claim 2 further comprising wireless circuitry coupled to the control circuitry, the wireless ear bud system further comprising a wireless electronic device that is configured to communicate wirelessly with the wireless circuitry, wherein the wireless electronic device comprises:

a display; and

wireless electronic device control circuitry that is configured to provide user head pose guidance on the display.

4. The wireless ear bud system defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is configured to provide user head pose guidance with the speaker.

5. The wireless ear bud system defined in claim 4 wherein the control circuitry is configured to analyze the categorized user head poses to evaluate user performance of an exercise routine containing multiple user head poses.

6. The wireless ear bud system defined in claim 5 wherein the control circuitry is configured to provide audible feedback with the speaker based at least partly on evaluating the user performance of the exercise routine.

7. The wireless ear bud system defined in claim 4 wherein the head pose guidance includes audible tones.

8. The wireless ear bud system defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is configured to analyze the orientation measurements that have been rotated into the second reference frame to categorize user head poses into at least leftwardly-tilting head poses, forwardly-tilting head poses, rightwardly-tilting head poses, and backwardly-tilting head poses.

9. The wireless ear bud system defined in claim 1 wherein the orientation sensor comprises an accelerometer and wherein the orientation measurement comprises accelerometer measurements.

10. The wireless ear bud system defined in claim 9 wherein the orientation sensor further comprises a gyroscope that is used in gathering the orientation measurements.

11. The wireless ear bud system defined in claim 9 wherein the orientation sensor further comprises a compass that is used in gathering the orientation measurements.