Detecting driving with a wearable computing device

• US 9,037,125 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kadous, Mohammed Waleed
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US14/246,966
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/441, 701/1, 701/93, 701/97, 340/441
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• 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: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A wearable computing device is described that detects an indication of movement associated with the wearable computing device when a user of the wearable computing device detected being located within a moving vehicle. Based at least in part on the indication of movement, a determination is made that the user of the wearable computing device is currently driving the moving vehicle. An operation is performed based on the determination that the user of the wearable computing device is currently driving the moving vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting that a wearable computing device is located within a moving vehicle;

detecting, by the wearable computing device, an indication of movement associated with the wearable computing device;

determining, based at least in part on the indication of movement, that a user of the wearable computing device is currently driving the moving vehicle by at least;

determining a probability that the user of the wearable computing device is performing an act of driving; and

responsive to determining that the probability satisfies a probability threshold, determining that the user is currently driving the moving vehicle; and

performing, based on the determination that the user of the wearable computing device is currently driving the moving vehicle, an operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the probability that the user of the wearable computing device is performing the act of driving comprises:

outputting, by the wearable computing device, for transmission to at least one second computing device, information comprising the indication of movement; and

responsive to outputting the information comprising the indication of movement, receiving, by the wearable computing device, from the at least one second computing device, the probability that the user of the wearable computing device is performing the act of driving.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of driving comprises at least one of turning a steering wheel, depressing the steering wheel, shifting a gear shift, pressing a pedal, depressing the pedal, or raising and lowering a hand.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the operation comprises restricting access to at least some functionality of an application or operating system being executed by at least one of the wearable computing device or a second computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the operation comprises outputting, by the wearable computing device, for transmission to at least one second computing device, information usable by the at least one second computing device to learn driving habits of the user of the wearable computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the operation comprises outputting, by the wearable computing device, for transmission to at least one second computing device, information usable by the at least one second computing device to determine a driving route associated with the user of the wearable computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the operation comprises deactivating, by the wearable computing device, a display device that is operatively coupled to at least one of the wearable computing device or a second computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the indication of movement associated with the wearable computing device comprises:

determining, by the wearable computing device and based at least in part on a sensor of the wearable computing device, sensor information indicating at least one of an acceleration of the wearable computing device, an orientation of the wearable computing device, or a barometric pressure of the wearable computing device; and

defining, based on the sensor information, the indication of movement.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the indication of movement associated with the wearable computing device comprises:

detecting an indication of movement associated with the moving vehicle; and

subtracting the indication of movement associated with the moving vehicle from the indication of movement associated with the wearable computing device.

10. A wearable computing device comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one module operable by the at least one processor to;

detect that the wearable computing device is located within a moving vehicle;

detect an indication of movement associated with the wearable computing device;

determine, based at least in part on the indication of movement, that a user of the wearable computing device is currently driving the moving vehicle by at least;

determining a probability that the user of the wearable computing device is performing an act of driving; and

responsive to determining that the probability satisfies a probability threshold, determining that the user of the wearable computing device is currently driving the moving vehicle; and

perform, based on the determination that the user of the wearable computing device is currently driving the moving vehicle, an operation.

11. The wearable computing device of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to determine the user of the wearable computing device is performing the act of driving by at least:

outputting, by the wearable computing device, for transmission to at least one second computing device, information comprising the one or more indications of movement; and

responsive to outputting the information comprising the one or more indications of movement, receiving, by the computing system, from the at least one second computing device, the probability that the user of the wearable computing device is performing the act of driving.

12. The wearable computing device of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to:

determine at least one of a relative elevation, acceleration, degree of tilt, or orientation between the wearable computing device and at least one second computing device associated with the user of the wearable computing device; and

determine, based at least in part on the at least one of the relative elevation, acceleration, degree of tilt, or orientation, that the user of the wearable computing device is currently driving the moving vehicle.

13. The wearable computing device of claim 12, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to determine the at least one of the relative elevation, acceleration, degree of tilt, or orientation between the wearable computing device and the at least one second computing device associated with the user of the wearable computing device by at least determining, based on at least one of a barometric pressure, an acceleration, a degree of tilt, or a degree of orientation associated with each of the wearable computing device and the at least one second computing device, the at least one of the relative elevation, acceleration, degree of tilt, or orientation between the wearable computing device and the at least one second computing device associated with the user of the wearable computing device.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing system, from a wearable computing device, information that includes one or more indications of movement associated with the wearable computing device and at least one indication that the wearable computing device is located within a moving vehicle;

determining, by the computing system, based at least in part on the one or more indications of movement and the at least one indication that the wearable computing device is located within the moving vehicle, a probability that a user of the wearable computing device is performing an act of driving;

responsive to determining that the probability satisfies a probability threshold, determining, by the computing system, that the user of the wearable computing device is currently driving the moving vehicle; and

outputting, by the computing system, for transmission to at least one of the wearable computing device or at least one second computing device, information that configures the at least one of the wearable computing device or the at least one second device to perform an operation.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the probability is a first probability, the method further comprising:

determining, by the computing system, a second probability that at least one person not wearing the wearable computing device and located in the moving vehicle is performing the act of driving;

responsive to determining that the first probability exceeds the second probability, determining, by the computing system, that the user of the wearable computing device and not the at least one person not wearing the wearable computing device is currently driving the moving vehicle; and

outputting, by the computing system, for transmission to the at least one of the wearable computing device or the at least one second computing device, the information that configures the at least one of the wearable computing device or the at least one second computing device to perform the operation.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the probability is a first probability, the method further comprising:

identifying, by the computing system, one or more changes to a measurement of acceleration or orientation of the wearable computing device;

determining, by the computing system, based on the one or more changes to the measurement of acceleration or orientation, a second probability that the user of the wearable computing device is turning a steering wheel or shifting a gear shift of the moving vehicle; and

determining, by the computing system, based at least in part on the second probability, the first probability that the user of the wearable computing device is performing the act of driving.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the probability that the user of the wearable computing device is performing the act of driving comprises:

identifying, by the computing system, based on the one or more indications of movement, a pattern of movement associated with the act of driving; and

responsive to identifying the pattern of movement, determining, by the computing system, the probability that the user of the wearable computing device is performing the act of driving.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the pattern of movement comprises a sequence of movements comprising at least one of shifting a gear shift, raising a hand, turning a steering wheel, lowering the hand, or a combination of raising and lowering the hand, turning the steering wheel, and shifting the gear shift.