METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING A LENGTH OF AN OBJECT USING AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20170055881A1
• Filed: 08/04/2016
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Welt Corp., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KANG, Sung-ji, ROH, Hye-kang, PARK, Kun-kook, SEO, Young-jun, DONG, Jong-sung, KIM, Jin-sung, KIM, Hwa-kyung, KIM, Ju-hee
• Granted Patent: US 10,765,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0257 Proximity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0261 Strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1072 measuring distances on the body, e.g. measuring length, height or thickness A61B5/1076 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1135 by monitoring thoracic expansion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4094 Diagnosing or monitoring seizure diseases, e.g. epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4255 Intestines, colon or appendix
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4872 Body fat
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6804 Garments; Clothes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6823 Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor

Abstract

A method of determining a length of an object by using an electronic device includes obtaining, by the electronic device, a length, of the electronic device, between a first point and a second point on the electronic device; obtaining, by the electronic device, a tension applied to a third point on the electronic device, the third point being located between the first point and the second point; and correcting the obtained length by using the obtained tension and prestored reference tension information, the prestored reference tension information indicating a relationship of the tension applied to the third point with respect to the length of the object, and determining the corrected length as a final length of the object.

Claims

1. A method of determining a length of an object by using an electronic device, the method comprising:

obtaining a length, of the electronic device, between a first point and a second point on the electronic device;

obtaining a tension applied to a third point on the electronic device, the third point being located between the first point and the second point; and

correcting the obtained length by using the obtained tension and prestored reference tension information, the prestored reference tension information indicating a relationship of the tension applied to the third point with respect to the length of the object, and determining the corrected length as a final length of the object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises at least one sensor from among an acceleration sensor, a tension sensor, a respiration sensor, and a gyroscope sensor, and

the obtaining the length comprises obtaining the length, of the electronic device, between the first and second points in response to a sensor value of the at least one sensor that is within a certain range.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the correcting comprises:

extracting, from the reference tension information, a length correction value corresponding to the tension applied to the third point; and

applying the length correction value to the obtained length.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a wearable device in a form of a belt, and the final length of the object corresponds to a size of a waist of a user who wears the wearable device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising acquiring information about a variation in the length of the object during a certain time period, based on the determined final length of the object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises at least one sensor from among an acceleration sensor, a tension sensor, a respiration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, and a magnetic sensor, and

the obtaining the length comprises determining whether a user wears the electronic device, based on information obtained by the at least one sensor.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining the tension comprises correcting the obtained tension, based on information on a posture of the user who wears the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising acquiring information about an overall time period during which the user wears the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting information about the determined final length of the object to an external apparatus connected to the electronic device.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining an abdominal obesity risk of the user, based on the determined final length of the object; and

transmitting information about the abdominal obesity risk to an external apparatus.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute the method of claim 1.

12. An electronic device for determining a length of an object, the electronic device comprising:

a sensor configured to obtain a length, of the electronic device, between a first point and a second point on the electronic device;

a tension sensor configured to obtain a tension applied to a third point on the electronic device, the third point being located between the first point and the second point; and

a controller configured to correct the obtained length by using the obtained tension and prestored reference tension information, which indicates a relationship of the tension applied to the third point with respect to the length of the object, and determine the corrected length as a final length of the object.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the sensor comprises at least one sensor from among an acceleration sensor, a tension sensor, a respiration sensor, and a gyroscope sensor, and

the controller is configured to control the sensor to obtain the length, of the electronic device, between the first and second points in response to a sensor value of the at least one sensor that is within a certain range.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to extract, from the reference tension information, a length correction value corresponding to the tension applied to the third point and apply the length correction value to the obtained length.

15. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the tension sensor comprises at least one of a strain gauge and a force sensing resistor (FSR) sensor.

16. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the electronic device comprises a wearable device in a form of a belt, and the length of the object corresponds to a size of a waist of a user who wears the wearable device.

17. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to acquire information about a variation in the length of the object during a certain time period, based on the determined final length of the object.

18. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the sensor comprises at least one sensor from among an acceleration sensor, a tension sensor, a respiration sensor, and a gyroscope sensor, an optical sensor, and a magnetic sensor, and

the controller is configured to determine whether a user wears the electronic device, based on information obtained by the at least one sensor.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to correct the tension applied to the third point, based on information on a posture of the user who wears the electronic device.

20. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising a communicator configured to transmit information about the determined final length of the object to an external apparatus.