Device wearing status determination using RSSI

• US 8,369,779 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Plantronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Clark, Mark, Evans, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THANH C
• Application Number:
  US12/603,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20110092157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/67.11, 455/67.14, 455/67.7, 455/100, 455/226.1, 455/226.2, 340/539.12, 340/539.13, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for determining the wearing status of body worn devices are disclosed. In one example, RSSI values are processed to identify the wearing status of a body worn device.

Claims

1. A method for determining a body worn device donned status or a body worn device ditched status comprising:

receiving a plurality of RSSI values;

determining a RSSI variation in the plurality of RSSI values;

comparing the RSSI variation to a donned/ditched threshold RSSI variation; and

generating a donned status or a ditched status indication responsive to comparing the RSSI variation to the donned/ditched threshold RSSI variation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of RSSI values are measured at either a body worn device or a body worn device base station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the donned/ditched threshold RSSI variation is a value above which the body worn device is in a donned status and below which the body worn device is in a ditched status.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the body worn device is a headset.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a sensor signal from a dedicated donned/ditched sensor and processing the sensor signal together with the plurality of RSSI values to determine a body worn device donned state or a body worn device ditched state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a RSSI variation in the plurality of RSSI values comprises determining a standard deviation in the plurality of RSSI values.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a RSSI variation in the plurality of RSSI values comprises determining a variance in the plurality of RSSI values.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a RSSI variation in the plurality of RSSI values comprises determining an average of an absolute value of the difference of the RSSI values from an average of all the RSSI values.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the donned/ditched threshold RSSI variation is scaled by a function of the average of the plurality of RSSI values.

10. A body worn device comprising:

a wireless transceiver for sending and receiving signals;

a processor; and

a memory storing a donned/ditched application program for determining a donned status or a ditched status of the body worn device, the donned/ditched application program operable to process a plurality of RSSI values, wherein a RSSI variation in the plurality of RSSI values is identified to generate a donned status or ditched status indication.

11. The body worn device of claim 10, further comprising a sensor comprising one selected from the group consisting of an infra-red detector, a pyroelectric sensor, a capacitance sensor, a micro-switch, an inductive proximity switch, a skin resistance sensor, and at least two pyroelectric sensors for determining a difference in temperature readings from the two pyroelectric sensors.

12. The body worn device of claim 10, wherein the wireless transceiver comprises a DECT transceiver, Bluetooth transceiver, or IEEE 802.11 transceiver.

13. A device in communication with a wireless headset comprising:

a network interface;

a wireless transceiver for sending and receiving signals;

a processor; and

a memory storing a donned/ditched application program for determining a donned status or a ditched status of a wireless headset, the donned/ditched application program operable to process a plurality of RSSI values, wherein a RSSI variation in the plurality of RSSI values is identified and compared to a donned/ditched threshold RSSI variation to generate a donned status or ditched status indication.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the network interface comprises an interface to a public switched telephone network, integrated services digital network, local area network, or wireless local area network.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the wireless transceiver comprises a DECT transceiver, Bluetooth transceiver, or IEEE 802.11 transceiver.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the plurality of RSSI values are measured at either a headset or a headset base station.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the donned/ditched threshold RSSI variation is a value above which the headset is in a donned status and below which the wireless headset is in a ditched status.

18. A computer readable storage memory storing executable program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for determining a wearing status of a body worn device:

receiving a plurality of RSSI data;

processing the plurality of RSSI data to determine a RSSI variation in the plurality of RSSI data;

comparing the RSSI variation to a threshold RSSI variation; and

generating a wearing status indication responsive to comparing the RSSI variation to the threshold RSSI variation.

19. The computer readable storage memory of claim 18, wherein the plurality of RSSI data is associated with RSSI data measured at either a body worn device or a body worn device base station.

20. The computer readable storage memory of claim 18, wherein the threshold RSSI variation is a value above which the body worn device is in a donned status and below which the body worn device is in a ditched status.

21. The computer readable storage memory of claim 18, wherein the body worn device is a headset.

22. The computer readable storage memory of claim 18, wherein determining a RSSI variation in the plurality of RSSI data comprises determining a standard deviation in the plurality of RSSI data.

23. The computer readable storage memory of claim 18, wherein determining a RSSI variation in the plurality of RSSI data comprises determining a variance in the plurality of RSSI data.