Wearing Dependent Operation of Wearable Device

• US 20170007183A1
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Culbert, Daniel J., Whitehurst, Todd K., Dusan, Sorin V.
• Granted Patent: US 10,492,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0266 for monitoring or limiting apparatus function
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6844 Monitoring or controlling distance between sensor and tissue

Abstract

A wearable device that attaches to a body part of a user via an attachment member operates in at least a connected and a disconnected state. One or more sensors located in the wearable device and/or the attachment member detect the user'"'"'s body part when present. Such detection may only be performed when the attachment member is in a connected configuration and may be used to switch the wearable device between the connected and disconnected states. In this way, the wearable device operates in the connected state when worn by a user and in the disconnected state when not worn by the user.

Claims

1. A system for operating a wearable device, comprising:

a wearable device that operates in at least a connected and a disconnected state;

an attachment member that attaches the wearable device to a body part of a user, the attachment member comprising;

an element operative to determine that the attachment member is connected; and

a sensor that detects the body part of the user;

wherein

the wearable device switches from the disconnected state to the connected state based on the element determining that the attachment member is connected.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a photoplethysmographic sensor, an electrocardiographic sensor, or a galvanic skin conduction sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the attachment member transitions between a disconnected configuration and a connected configuration wherein the attachment member attaches the wearable device to the body part of the user in the connected configuration.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the wearable device detects when the attachment member transitions from the disconnected configuration to the connected configuration.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the wearable device determines whether or not the sensor detects the body part of the at user while operating in the disconnected state upon detection that the at least one attachment member has transitioned from the disconnected configuration to the connected configuration.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the wearable device switches from the connected state to the disconnected state upon detection that the attachment member has transitioned from the connected configuration to the disconnected configuration.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the wearable device switches from the connected state to the disconnected state upon determining that the sensor does not detect the body part of the user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the wearable device determines whether or not the sensor detects the body part of the user while operating in the connected state upon detecting that the attachment member has transitioned from the connected configuration to the disconnected configuration.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the wearable device detects when the attachment member transitions between the disconnected configuration and the connected configuration by measuring conductance between a first contact and a second contact.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first contact and the second contact are connected via a conductor element when the attachment member is in the connected configuration and are not connected via the conductor element when the attachment member is in the disconnected configuration.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising a connection mechanism that connects the first contact to the second contact when the attachment member is in the connected configuration and disconnects the first contact from the second contact when the attachment member is in the disconnected configuration.

12. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the attachment member includes a first portion that is coupled to a second portion utilizing a first magnetic element and a second magnetic element in the connected configuration;

the first portion is uncoupled from the second portion in the disconnected configuration; and

the wearable device detects when the attachment member transitions between the disconnected configuration and the connected configuration by measuring a magnetic field of at least the first magnetic element or the second magnetic element utilizing a hall effect sensor.

13. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the attachment member includes at least a first capacitive element and a second capacitive element;

the attachment member stretches when force is applied such that a distance between the first capacitive element and the second capacitive element increases causing a capacitance between the first capacitive element and the second capacitive element to decrease and contracts when the force is no longer applied such that the distance between the first capacitive element and the second capacitive element decreases causing the capacitance between the first capacitive element and the second capacitive element to increase; and

the wearable device determines that the attachment element has transitioned from the disconnected configuration to the connected configuration after the wearable device has determined that the attachment element is in the disconnected configuration when the capacitance decreases and then increases.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the wearable device determines that the attachment element has transitioned from the connected configuration to the disconnected configuration after the wearable device has determined that the attachment element is in the connected configuration when the capacitance decreases and then increases.

15. The system of claim 3, wherein the wearable device detects when the attachment member transitions between the disconnected configuration and the connected configuration by evaluating the output of a proximity sensor.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the wearable device authenticates the user while operating in the connected state.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the wearable device determines the user is no longer authenticated when switching from the connected state to the disconnected state.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the wearable device authenticates the user by receiving a biometric of the user, a user identifier, a password, or a personal identification number.

19. A wearable device, comprising:

a processing unit that operates in at least a connected and a disconnected state;

an attachment member that attaches the processing unit to a body part of a user;

an element operative to determine that the attachment member is in connected configuration around the body part of the user; and

a sensor that detects the body part of the user;

wherein the processing unit switches from the disconnected state to the connected state based on the element determining that the attachment member is in the connected configuration around the body part of the user.

20. A method for operating a wearable device dependent on whether or not the wearable device is worn, the method comprising:

if a wearable device is operating in a disconnected state, determining to switch to a connected state by;

detecting that an attachment member that attaches the wearable device to a body part of a user has been transitioned from a disconnected configuration to a connected configuration; and

upon detecting that the attachment member has been transitioned from the disconnected configuration to the connected configuration, detecting the body part of the user utilizing sensor.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

if the wearable device is operating in the connected state, detecting that the attachment member has been transitioned from the connected configuration to the disconnected configuration; and

determining to switch to the disconnected state in response to said operation of detecting that the attachment member has been transitioned from the connected configuration to the disconnected configuration.