BIOMETRIC MONITORING DEVICE WITH WRIST-MOTION TRIGGERED DISPLAY

• US 20140176422A1
• Filed: 10/03/2013
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Brumback, Christine Boomer, Knight, David Wayne, Park, James, Axley, Andrew Cole, Yuen, Shelten Gee Jao
• Application Number:
  US14/045,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20140176422A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7445 Display arrangements, e.g. multiple display units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/00 Electric or electronic controls for exercising apparatus of preceding groups; Controlling or monitoring of exercises, sportive games, training or athletic performances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A biometric monitoring device with a display is provided. The display may, in response to receiving page advance requests from a user, advance through a plurality of different data display pages, at least some of which show aspects of biometric data recorded by the device. The biometric monitoring device may also, based on the biometric data, modify the sequential display order of the data display pages. In some implementations, a biometric monitoring device integrated into a wristband may be configured to turn a display of the biometric monitoring device on and display the time in response to biometric sensors of the biometric monitoring device detecting motion of the wearer'"'"'s forearm consistent with moving the forearm into a watch-viewing position.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wristband configured to be worn on a person'"'"'s forearm;

one or more biometric sensors;

a display;

at least one processor; and

a memory, wherein;

the memory, the at least one processor, the one or more biometric sensors, and the display are communicatively connected with one another, and

the memory stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to;

a) receive biometric data from the one or more biometric sensors,

b) determine that the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced movement consistent with movements of a person'"'"'s forearm taken to bring a watch worn on the person'"'"'s forearm into a position allowing the time on the watch to be read by the person, and

c) cause, responsive to (b), the display to display a predetermined data display page indicating a measurement obtained or derived from the biometric data or an internal clock of the at least one processor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measurement is selected from the group of measurements consisting of:

time of day, stair flights climbed, stairs climbed, steps taken, distance traveled in miles or kilometers, and calories burned.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to:

cause the display to turn on from an off state responsive to (b).

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a backlight and wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to:

cause the backlight to turn on from an off state responsive to (b).

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measurement is the time of day.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced movement corresponding with motion experienced by the distal end of the person'"'"'s forearm with flexure of the forearm about the forearm'"'"'s elbow joint.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced movement corresponding with motion experienced by the distal end of the person'"'"'s forearm through movement of the person'"'"'s forearm from a position substantially aligned with the sagittal and frontal planes of the person to a position substantially aligned with the transverse and frontal planes of the person.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced movement corresponding with motion experienced by the distal end of the person'"'"'s forearm through adduction of the person'"'"'s wrist joint with respect to the mid-sagittal plane of the person and medial rotation of the hand connected to the wrist joint.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced movement corresponding with motion of the distal end of the person'"'"'s forearm due to rotational motion of the person'"'"'s wrist joint.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced movement corresponding with motion of the distal end of the person'"'"'s forearm due to rotational motion of the person'"'"'s forearm.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a wristband configured to be worn on a person'"'"'s forearm, the wristband having a wrist axis that is substantially aligned with the person'"'"'s forearm when the wristband is worn on the person'"'"'s forearm;

one or more biometric sensors;

a display;

at least one processor; and

a memory, wherein;

the memory, the at least one processor, the one or more biometric sensors, and the display are communicatively connected with one another, and

the memory stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to;

a) receive biometric data from the one or more biometric sensors,

b) determine that the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced rotation about at least one axis, and

c) cause, responsive to (b), the display to display a predetermined data display page indicating a measurement obtained or derived from the biometric data or an internal clock of the at least one processor.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the measurement is selected from the group of measurements consisting of:

time of day, stair flights climbed, stairs climbed, steps taken, distance traveled in miles or kilometers, and calories burned.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the measurement is the time of day.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to:

cause the display to turn on from an off state responsive to (b).

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to:

cause the display to turn on from an off state responsive to (b).

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to:

determine that the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced rotation about the at least one axis when the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced rotation about the wrist axis.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to:

determine that the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced rotation about the at least one axis when the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced rotation about the wrist axis and at least one additional axis.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory further stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to:

determine that the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced rotation about the at least one axis when the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has experienced rotation about the wrist axis within a predetermined range of rotational rates through a substantially continuous predetermined range of angular displacement.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the predetermined range of rotational rates includes at least one rotational rate selected from the group consisting of:

at least 90°

per second, at least 60°

per second, at least 45°

per second, and at least 30°

per second and the range of angular displacement includes at least one angular displacement selected from the group consisting of;

at least 90°

, at least 60°

, at least 45°

, and at least 30°

.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more biometric sensors includes at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of:

single-axis or multi-axis gyroscopes, single-axis or multi-axis accelerometers, magnetometers, electromagnetic field sensors, laser rangefinder sensors, Doppler radar sensors, and altimeter sensors and the biometric data indicating that the apparatus has experienced rotation about at least one axis is obtained at least in part from the at least one sensor.

21. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more biometric sensors includes a single-axis or multi-axis gyroscope and the biometric data indicating that the apparatus has experienced rotation about at least one axis is obtained at least in part from the single-axis or multi-axis gyroscope.

22. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more biometric sensors includes a single-axis or multi-axis accelerometer and the biometric data indicating that the apparatus has experienced rotation about at least one axis is obtained at least in part from the single-axis or multi-axis accelerometer.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the memory stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to perform (b) and (c) using biometric data exclusively from the single-axis or multi-axis accelerometer.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the memory stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to perform (b) and (c) using biometric data exclusively from the accelerometer.

25. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the biometric data indicates that the apparatus has transitioned to an orientation with the display facing in a direction substantially aligned with a direction of planetary gravitational acceleration from an orientation with the display facing in a direction substantially misaligned with the direction of planetary gravitational acceleration.

26. A method comprising:

detecting, using one or more biometric sensors connected with a wristband, rotation of the wristband about at least one axis;

determining that the rotation of the wristband about the at least one axis meets a first threshold; and

causing, responsive to the determining, a display connected with the wristband to be transitioned between a state in which the display does not show a time-of-day to a state in which the display shows a time-of-day.