ADAPTABLE MICROCONTROLLER-OPERATED DEVICE AND RELATED SYSTEM AND SOFTWARE PRODUCTS A CORRESPONDING SYSTEM

• US 20130339409A1
• Filed: 12/03/2012
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Suunto Oy (Anta International Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Erik Lindman, Janne Kallio, Kimmo Pernu, Mikko Martikka
• Inventors: LINDMAN, Erik, MARTIKKA, Mikko, KALLIO, Janne, PERNU, Kimmo
• Granted Patent: US 10,095,265 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 708/100
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1122 of movement trajectories
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt

Abstract

The invention concerns a portable computing device comprising a microprocessor capable of running software, hardware means capable of providing at least one physical variable, a memory unit carrying the software adapted to read the physical variable and to perform a mathematical operation utilizing the physical variable. An interface means adapted to allow defining of the mathematical operation in the memory unit by a user of the device. The invention also concerns a firmware product of a microcontroller-operated device, a computer program product and a web service.

Claims

1. A portable microcontroller-operated computing device comprising:

a memory;

a microcontroller capable of running software stored on the memory;

hardware means capable of providing at least one physical variable, wherein the software is adapted to read the physical variable using the hardware means and to perform a mathematical operation utilizing the physical variable; and

an interface adapted to allow defining of the mathematical operation in the memory by a user of the device.

2. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the portable device is a wrist-top computer.

3. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, further comprising a displayless unit including a mechanism for wirelessly transmitting the result of the mathematical operation utilizing the physical variable to a portable host device, such as a wrist-top computer.

4. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the memory includes a memory unit integrated on a single chip with the microcontroller, and wherein at least one of the software and the mathematical operation is stored on the integrated memory unit.

5. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the memory includes a memory unit external to the microcontroller and, wherein at least one of the software and the mathematical operation is stored on the external memory unit.

6. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the mathematical operation and information on the physical variable are contained in a variable data structure on the memory, wherein the data structure is writable through the interface, and wherein the software comprises an interpreter for reading the data structure and for running the mathematical operation defined in the data structure in the device, and, optionally, for displaying or storing the result of the mathematical operation to the memory.

7. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the interface is functionally coupled to the memory for changing a part of the memory defining the mathematical operation.

8. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the interface includes a user interface arranged in the wrist-top computer.

9. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the interface includes a data transfer mechanism capable of importing a mathematical operation, which has been defined in an external computing device, such as a personal mobile device or computer or web server, into the memory for storing the user-definable mathematical operation.

10. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the mathematical operation is part of the software and, wherein the interface includes data transfer mechanism capable of updating the whole software from an external computing device, for storing the user-definable mathematical operation.

11. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the at least one physical variable is selected from the group consisting of, time, velocity, position, direction, orientation, altitude, depth, barometric pressure, temperature, magnetic field, electric field, electric potential, a physiological variable measured from the user, heartbeat frequency, respiration frequency, and a combination thereof.

12. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the hardware is adapted to measure the at least one physical variable.

13. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the hardware is adapted to receive the at least one physical variable from an external measurement unit.

14. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, further including a mechanism for storing the result of the mathematical operation and/or transferring the result of the mathematical operation to an external device.

15. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, further including a display and a system for displaying and continuously updating the result of the user-defined mathematical operation on the display.

16. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the hardware is capable of providing at least two variable parameters and, wherein the software is capable of perform a mathematical operation utilizing the at least two variable parameters.

17. The portable microcontroller-operated computing device of claim 1, wherein the memory includes a memory portion for storing a user-definable alphabetical name for the user-definable mathematical operation.

18. A wrist-top computer firmware product, comprising:

display controller adapted to control wrist-top computer display;

operation mode controller functionally connected to the display controller for displaying operation mode-specific information on the wrist-top computer display;

means for reading at least one physical parameter provided by the wrist-top computer;

means for storing or accessing variable operation data defining at least part of the operation mode-specific information of at least one operation mode, the variable operation data being stored in a memory unit of a wrist-top computer; and

means for applying the variable operation data on the physical parameter for producing operation result forming at least part of the operation mode-specific information of the at least one operation mode.

19. The wrist-top computer firmware product according to claim 18, wherein the variable operation data is adapted to comprise data on at least one mathematical operator, at least one physical parameter and instructions on how the mathematical operator is applied on the physical parameter in order to yield the operation result.

20. The wrist-top computer firmware product according to claim 18, further including means for receiving the variable operation data from an external computing device through data transfer means arranged in the wrist-top computer.

21. The wrist-top computer firmware product according to claim 18, further including means for defining the variable operation data in the wrist-top computer through user interface means.

22. The wrist-top computer firmware product according to claim 18, wherein the firmware product is stored in a wrist-top computer memory unit.

23. The wrist-top computer firmware product according to claim 18, further including a command set for interpreting data structures comprising the variable operation data in order to be able to obtain the operation result.

24. A computer program product for functionalization of a portable microcontroller-operated device, the product comprising:

means for displaying a graphical user interface on a computer display;

means for providing a set of physical variables capable of being determined in the portable microcontroller-operated device and a set of mathematical operators on the graphical user interface;

means for organizing the at least one of the parameters and at least one of the operators as a mathematical formula on the graphical user interface in response to user input through the graphical user interface; and

means for storing or transferring a data structure descriptive of the mathematical formula to a storage device.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, further including means for transferring the formula to a wrist-top computer, or other microcontroller-operated portable device comprising a sensor capable of measuring at least one physical variable of the set of physical variables.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer program product is stored on a wrist-top computer.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer program product is stored on one or more of an internet server, a personal computer, and a personal mobile device.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the computer program product is adapted to create a second data structure containing instructions for the portable micro-controller operated device for interpreting the data structure descriptive of the mathematical formula.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the computer program product is adapted to create the second data structure for a displayless sensor unit in functional connection with the wrist-top computer and to create a third data structure for the wrist-top computer, wherein the third data structure contains instructions for the wrist-top computer to utilize the information provided by the displayless sensor unit utilizing the second data structure.

31. The system of claim 29, further including a mechanism for sharing the user-defined mathematical operations between user accounts.

32. The system of claim 29, further including a mechanism for receiving data units comprising results of the mathematical operations from the owners of the user accounts, as operated in their wrist-top computers.

30. A computerized system for functionalizing wrist-top computers, comprising:

a user account management system configured for maintaining a plurality of user accounts;

wrist-top computer operation programming mechanism configured to allow owners of the user accounts to define mathematical operations comprising one or more mathematical operators, one or more physical variables and mutual relations of the operators and variables;

a memory for storing the user-defined mathematical operations for the user accounts,

a communication link for exporting the user-defined mathematical operations to a wrist-top computer of the owner of the user account or to another external storage device.