Mobile device based control device locator

• US 10,401,473 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roku, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Roku, Inc.
• Inventors: Garner, Gregory Mack, Brouillette, Patrick Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pihulic, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/813,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20170030999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/80 using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/801 Details G01S3/82, G01S3/84, G01S3/86 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/802 Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/8083 determining direction of source
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/18 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/28 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Disclosed herein are system, apparatus, article of manufacture, method, and/or computer program product embodiments for a mobile device based control device locator. An embodiment operates by receiving a request to locate a control device, transmitting acoustic token transmission information to the control device to activate an electroacoustic transducer on the control device, receiving an acoustic signal including an acoustic token signal from the control device via a plurality of acoustic sensors, and determining distance information of the control device based on the received acoustic token signal generated by the electroacoustic transducer of the control device.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory operatively coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one processor configured to;

receive a request to locate a control device,

transmit acoustic token transmission information to the control device to activate an electroacoustic transducer on the control device,

receive an acoustic signal including an acoustic token signal from the control device via a plurality of acoustic sensors operatively coupled to the at least one processor, and

determine distance information of the control device based on at least the received acoustic token signal generated by the electroacoustic transducer of the control device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

visually present distance information of the control device on a display operatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the visually presented distance information includes a first graphical UI element to represent a distance of the control device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine direction information of the control device based on the received acoustic token signal generated by the electroacoustic transducer of the control device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

visually present direction information on a display operatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the visually presented direction information includes a second graphical UI element to represent a direction of the control device.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a haptic component operatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide haptic feedback via the haptic component based on the distance information.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the acoustic token signal is generated based on the acoustic token transmission information, and the acoustic token transmission information comprising at least one of:

waveform information, frequency information, phase information, power information, or any combination thereof.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive user input to establish a direct wireless connection to the control device, wherein the acoustic token transmission information is transmitted to the control device via the direct wireless connection.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine network and computation delay information based on control device acknowledgement information received via a direct or indirect wireless connection with the control device, wherein

the acoustic token signal is generated by the control device based on the acoustic token transmission information, and

the distance information is determined based on at least the received acoustic token signal and the network and computation delay information.

8. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving a request to locate a control device;

transmitting acoustic token transmission information to the control device to activate an electroacoustic transducer on the control device;

receiving an acoustic signal including an acoustic token signal from the control device via a plurality of acoustic sensors; and

determining distance information of the control device based on at least the received acoustic token signal generated by the electroacoustic transducer of the control device.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

presenting, visually, distance information of the control device on a display, wherein the visually presented distance information includes a first graphical UI element to represent a distance of the control device.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining direction information of the control device based on the received acoustic token signal generated by the electroacoustic transducer of the control device.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

presenting, visually, direction information of the control device on a display, wherein the visually presented direction information includes a second graphical UI element to represent a direction of the control device.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing haptic feedback via a haptic component based on the distance information of the control device.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein the acoustic token signal is generated based on the acoustic token transmission information, and the acoustic token transmission information comprising at least one of:

waveform information, frequency information, phase information, power information, or any combination thereof.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving user input to establish an indirect wireless connection to the control device, wherein the acoustic token transmission information is transmitted to the control device via the indirect wireless connection.

22. The computer implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining network and computation delay information based on control device acknowledgement information received via a direct or indirect wireless connection with the control device, wherein

the acoustic token signal is generated by the control device based on at least the acoustic token transmission information, and

the distance information is determined based on at least the received acoustic token signal and the network and computation delay information.

15. A tangible computer-readable device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to determine distance information and direction information via a direct or indirect wireless connection;

transmitting acoustic token transmission information to a mobile device to activate an electroacoustic transducer on the mobile device via the direct or indirect wireless connection;

receiving, from the mobile device via a plurality of acoustic sensors, an acoustic signal including an acoustic token signal generated by the mobile device based on the acoustic token transmission information;

determining network and computation delay information based on mobile device acknowledgement information received via the direct or indirect wireless connection; and

determining the distance information of the mobile device based at least on the received acoustic token signal generated by the electroacoustic transducer of the mobile device and the network and computation delay information.

16. The computer-readable device of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

initiating a high resolution timer substantially contemporaneous with the transmitting of the acoustic token transmission information.

17. The computer-readable device of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

storing at least a portion of acoustic sensor information for the plurality of acoustic sensors and associated values of a high resolution timer as aggregate acoustic delay information.

18. The computer-readable device of claim 15, wherein the acoustic token signal is generated based on the acoustic token transmission information, and the acoustic token transmission information comprising at least one of:

waveform information, frequency information, phase information, power information, or any combination thereof.

19. The computer-readable device of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

receiving the mobile device acknowledgement information from the mobile device; and

storing a value of a high resolution timer previously initiated with the transmitting of the acoustic token transmission information.

20. The computer-readable device of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

determining acoustic delay information for each of the plurality of acoustic sensors based on the stored value of the high resolution timer and aggregate acoustic delay information for each of the plurality of acoustic sensors.