COMMUNICATION MODE CONTROL FOR WEARABLE DEVICES

• US 20160283412A1
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Uchidiuno, Judith O., Wang, Xiying, Weisz, Justin D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,275,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3278 Power saving in modem or I/O interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• 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 method, executed by one or more processors, includes monitoring a plurality of ambient condition sensors configured to sense a plurality of ambient conditions that are relevant to a plurality of communication modes provided by at least one user I/O device, deactivating a first communication mode of the plurality of communication modes and activating a second communication mode of the plurality of communication modes in response to determining, via the plurality of ambient condition sensors, that one or more of the plurality of ambient conditions are not conducive to the first communication mode and that the plurality of ambient conditions are collectively more conducive to the second communication mode than the first communication mode. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A computing apparatus comprising:

a processor;

one or more user I/O devices configured to provide a plurality of communication modes to a user;

an ambient condition sensor configured to sense an ambient condition that is relevant to the plurality of communication modes; and

a user interface module configured to deactivate a first communication mode of the plurality of communication modes and activate a second communication mode of the plurality of communication modes in response to determining, via the ambient condition sensor, that the ambient condition is not conducive to the first communication mode and that the ambient condition is more conducive to the second communication mode than the first communication mode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication modes include two or more of keyboard input, speech input, speech output, audio output, text input, displaying text, video playback, input gestures, and canned responses.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface module is configured to inform the user of a change to a different communication mode.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a user I/O device of the one or more user I/O devices is selected from the group consisting of a speaker, a microphone, an audio jack, a display, a touchpad, a touchscreen, and a vibrator.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ambient condition sensor comprises a light sensor or an audio sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the user interface module is configured to determine via the light sensor whether an ambient lighting condition is conducive to visual communication with the user.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the user interface module is configured to determine via the audio sensor whether an ambient sound condition is conducive to aural communication with the user.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ambient sensing module is configured to deactivate the ambient condition sensor in response to a low battery condition.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface module is configured to redirect communication to another communication mode when the user is incapable of accurately communicating via a particular communication mode.

10. A method, executed by one or more processors, the method comprising:

monitoring an ambient condition sensor configured to sense an ambient condition that is relevant to a plurality of communication modes provided by at least one user I/O device; and

deactivating a first communication mode of the plurality of communication modes and activating a second communication mode of the plurality of communication modes in response to determining, via the ambient condition sensor, that the ambient condition is not conducive to the first communication mode and that ambient condition is more conducive to the second communication mode than the first communication mode.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of communication modes are selected from the group consisting of keyboard input, speech input, speech output, audio output, text input, displaying text, video or camera input, video output, input gestures, and canned responses.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising informing the user of a change to a different communication mode.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining, via a light sensor, whether an ambient lighting condition is conducive to visual communication to the user.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining, via the audio sensor, whether an ambient sound condition is conducive to aural communication to the user.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising redirecting communication to another communication mode when the user is incapable of accurately communicating via a particular communication mode.

16. A computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising instructions to;

monitor an ambient condition sensor configured to sense an ambient condition that is relevant to a plurality of communication modes provided by at least one user I/O device; and

deactivate a first communication mode of the plurality of communication modes and activating a second communication mode of the plurality of communication modes in response to determining, via the ambient condition sensor, that the ambient condition is not conducive to the first communication mode and that ambient condition is more conducive to the second communication mode than the first communication mode.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the plurality of communication modes are selected from the group consisting of speech input, speech output, audio output, text input, displaying text, video or camera input, video output, input gestures, and canned responses.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program instructions comprise instructions to determine, via a light sensor, whether an ambient lighting condition is conducive to visual communication to the user.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program instructions comprise instructions to determine, via the audio sensor, whether an ambient sound condition is conducive to aural communication to the user.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program instructions comprise instructions to inform the user of a change to a different communication mode.