Wearable device and method of controlling wearable device

• US 10,401,504 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Tatsuhiko, Shirai, Tsubasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D
• Application Number:
  US16/000,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20180356534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• 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 3/0346 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: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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 running watch which is a wearable device includes a position detection unit (a GPS module), a sensor unit including at least one of an acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an atmospheric pressure sensor, and a processing unit electrically connected to the position detection unit and the sensor unit. The processing unit determines a behavior state of a user based on signals from the position detection unit and the sensor unit and controls at least two of the position detection unit, the acceleration sensor, the geomagnetic sensor, and the atmospheric pressure sensor based on the behavior state.

Claims

1. A wearable device comprising:

a position detection module;

a sensor that includes at least one of an acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an atmospheric pressure sensor; and

a processor that is electrically connected to the position detection module and the sensor, and is programmed to;

determine a behavior state of a user wearing the wearable device based on signals from both the position detection module and the sensor;

in response to detecting a first predefined condition of the behavior state of the user, deactivate the position detection module while continuing to activate the sensor; and

while the position detection module is deactivated, in response to detecting a second predefined condition of a signal from the sensor, reactivate the position detection module.

2. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein:

the behavior state includes a linear movement and a curve movement; and

the processor is programmed to;

detect a change in a movement direction of the user based on a current signal from the sensor and a previously obtained signal from the position detection module, the change being greater than a threshold; and

activate the position detection module in response to detecting the change in the movement direction of the user.

3. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein:

the behavior state includes a body movement period; and

the processor is programmed to;

determine a kind of behavior of the user based on the body movement period; and

control at least two of the position detection module, the acceleration sensor, the geomagnetic sensor, and the atmospheric pressure sensor in accordance with the kind of behavior.

4. The wearable device according to claim 3, wherein the processor is programmed to

control at least two of the position detection module, the acceleration sensor, the geomagnetic sensor, and the atmospheric pressure sensor in accordance with the body movement period of the user.

5. The wearable device according to claim 4, wherein the processor is programmed to

activate the position detection module in accordance with the body movement period.

6. The wearable device according to claim 5, wherein:

the sensor includes at least the acceleration sensor; and

the processor is programmed to;

activate the position detection module; and

in response to activating the position detection module, either deactivate the acceleration sensor or activate a learning function, the learning function correlating data from the position detection module with data from the acceleration sensor.

7. The wearable device according to claim 5, wherein:

the sensor includes at least the geomagnetic sensor; and

the processor is programmed to;

activate the position detection module; and

in response to activating the position detection module, either deactivate the geomagnetic sensor or activate a learning function, the learning function correlating data from the position detection module with data from the geomagnetic sensor.

8. The wearable device according to claim 5, wherein:

the sensor includes at least the geomagnetic sensor; and

the processor is programmed to;

determine that the user is performing a linear movement by a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time based on a signal from the geomagnetic sensor; and

in response to the determination that the user is performing the linear movement by the predetermined distance or for the predetermined time, deactivate the position detection module.

9. The wearable device according to claim 8, wherein:

the position detection module includes an RF reception circuit, a baseband circuit, and an arithmetic device; and

deactivating the position detection module includes deactivating at least one of the RF reception circuit, the baseband circuit, and the arithmetic device.

10. The wearable device according to claim 9, wherein

an operation time of the sensor is longer than an operation time of the position detection module.

11. The wearable device according to claim 9, wherein

a deactivation timing of the position detection module is subsequent to an activation timing of the sensor.

12. The wearable device according to claim 10, wherein

an activation timing of the position detection module is prior to a deactivation timing of the sensor.

13. The wearable device according to claim 11, wherein

an activation timing of the position detection module is subsequent to a deactivation timing of the sensor.

14. The wearable device according to claim 10, wherein the processor is programmed to

learn a correlation between a positioning result of the position detection module and an output of the sensor when the position detection module and the sensor are both activated.

15. A method of controlling a wearable device, comprising:

causing a processor of the wearable device to;

determine a behavior state of a user wearing the wearable device based on signals from both a position detection sensor and another sensor, the other sensor including at least one of an acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an atmospheric pressure sensor;

in response to detecting a first predefined condition of the behavior state of the user, deactivate the position detection sensor while continuing to activate the other sensor; and

while the position detection sensor is deactivated, in response to detecting a second predefined condition of a signal from the other sensor, reactivate the position detection sensor.

16. The method of controlling a wearable device according to claim 15, the method comprising:

causing the processor to;

determine a kind of behavior of the user based on a body movement period; and

control at least two of the position detection sensor, the acceleration sensor, the geomagnetic sensor, and the atmospheric pressure sensor in accordance with the kind of behavior.

17. The method of controlling a wearable device according to claim 16, the method comprising:

causing the processor to control at least two of the position detection sensor, the acceleration sensor, the geomagnetic sensor, and the atmospheric pressure sensor in accordance with the body movement period of the user.

18. The method of controlling a wearable device according to claim 16, the method comprising:

causing the processor to activate the position detection sensor in accordance with the body movement period.

19. A wearable device comprising:

a first sensor;

a second sensor; and

a processor programmed to;

determine a movement of a user wearing the wearable device based on signals from both the first sensor and the second sensor;

detect a first predetermined condition of the movement of the user;

in response to detecting the first predetermined condition of the movement of the user, deactivate the first sensor such that the movement of the user is determined based on a current signal from only the second sensor; and

while the first sensor is deactivated, in response to detecting a second predetermined condition of the current signal from the second sensor, reactivate the first sensor.

20. The wearable device of claim 19, wherein the processor is programmed to

while the first sensor is deactivated, detect the second predetermined condition of the current signal from the second sensor.

21. The wearable device of claim 19, wherein:

the first sensor is a position detection sensor; and

the second sensor is at least one of an acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an atmospheric pressure sensor.