Portable electronic device and method for controlling operation thereof taking into account which limb possesses the electronic device

• US 9,367,085 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Alberth, William P. Jr., Alameh, Rachid M., Dickinson, Timothy A., Zurek, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIEGEL, DAVID F
• Application Number:
  US13/358,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20130197681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• 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 3/017 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 3/0346 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: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes a processor and a detection mechanism operable to detect one or more characteristics relating to how a user handles the electronic device. The processor is operably coupled to the detection mechanism and operable in accordance with stored operating instructions to: determine, based on the detected characteristics, which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device; and control at least one function of the portable electronic device taking into account which limb of the user possesses the electronic device (e.g., which limb of the user is holding or secured to the electronic device). According to one embodiment, the processor may further determine a reference position for the portable electronic device (e.g., a position of the device at rest) and compare one or more of the detected characteristics to the reference position to determine which limb of the user possesses the electronic device.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a detection mechanism operable to detect one or more characteristics relating to how a user handles the portable electronic device; and

a processor operably coupled to the detection mechanism and operable in accordance with stored operating instructions to;

determine a reference position of the portable electronic device from which to compare the one or more characteristics, wherein the portable electronic device in the reference position is at rest and possessed by a limb of the user, wherein determining the reference position is based at least in part on a training sequence provided by the portable electronic device and performed by the user at the portable electronic device prior to the detection mechanism detecting the one or more characteristics;

determine, based on a comparison of the reference position to the one or more characteristics detected based on an updated position of the portable electronic device that is different than the reference position, which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device; and

control at least one function of the portable electronic device taking into account which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to determine, based on the one or more characteristics, a positioning of the portable electronic device on the limb of the user that currently possesses the portable electronic device and to control the at least one function of the portable electronic device taking into account the positioning of the portable electronic device on the limb of the user.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the detection mechanism includes at least one of a camera, an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an accelerometer, or a gyroscope.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display operably coupled to the processor; and

a user interface operably coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor is further operable to;

display at least one of textual messages or images on the display to produce displayed information; and

determine the reference position for the portable electronic device based on inputs received via the user interface responsive to the displayed information.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further including:

an audio output device coupled to the processor;

wherein at least one function of the portable electronic device controlled by the processor includes a direction of audio outputted by the audio output device, and

wherein the processor is further operable to control the audio output device to output the audio toward an expected head location of the user taking into account which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

an audio input device coupled to the processor;

wherein at least one function of the portable electronic device controlled by the processor includes a direction from which audio is received by the audio input device, and

wherein the processor is further operable to control the audio input device to detect audio from an expected head location of the user taking into account which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further including:

a display coupled to the processor;

wherein at least one function of the portable electronic device controlled by the processor includes arrangement of information displayed on the display, and

wherein the processor is further operable to control the display to arrange the displayed information taking into account which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further including:

a user interface coupled to the processor;

wherein at least one function of the portable electronic device controlled by the processor includes a configuration of the user interface, and

wherein the processor is further operable to control the configuration of the user interface taking into account which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the processor operable to determine which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device is further operable to:

determine which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device, based at least in part on referencing a change to the reference position, wherein the reference position is a relative center of a three-dimensional space in which the portable electronic device may be moved.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor operable to determine the reference position for the portable electronic device from which to compare one or more of the one or more characteristics, is further operable to:

determine the reference position further based on at least one of;

an activation, at the portable electronic device, of a limb detection feature that determines which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device, or

general use of the portable electronic device by the user that is not part of an initial start-up of the portable electronic device.

21. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor operable to determine the reference position for the portable electronic device from which to compare one or more of the one or more characteristics, is further operable to:

determine, in response to receiving at least one user input, at least one of;

an orientation of the portable electronic device when the at least one user input was received, or

a position of the portable electronic device relative to a user of the portable electronic device when the at least one user input was received; and

determine the reference position for the portable electronic device, further based at least in part on the at least one of the orientation of the portable electronic device or the position of the portable electronic device relative to the user of the portable electronic device.

22. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to:

determine whether detected movement along at least one of three axes in a three-dimensional space is in a positive direction or a negative direction relative to the reference position, the detected movement corresponding to the one or more characteristics; and

wherein the processor operable to determine which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device is further operable to determine which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device based on whether the detected movement along the at least one of the three axes in the three-dimensional space is in the positive direction or the negative direction relative to the reference position.

23. The portable electronic device of claim 1 further comprising:

a memory operable to store detected characteristics of a previous use of the portable electronic device by the user over a period of time to produce historical characteristics that indicate which particular limb of a plurality of limbs of the user previously possessed the portable electronic device; and

wherein the processor, operable in accordance with stored operating instructions to determine which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device, is further operable to determine, based on the historical characteristics, which limb of a plurality of limbs of the user currently possesses the portable electronic device.

9. A portable electronic device comprising:

a transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals that include audio information to be provided audibly to a user;

a detection mechanism operable to detect one or more characteristics relating to how the user handles the portable electronic device;

an audio output device; and

a processor operably coupled to the transceiver, the detection mechanism, and the audio output device, the processor operable in accordance with stored operating instructions to;

determine a reference position of the portable electronic device from which to compare the one or more characteristics, wherein the portable electronic device in the reference position is at rest and possessed by a limb of the user;

process the wireless communication signals to extract the audio information;

determine, based on a comparison of the reference position to the one or more characteristics detected based on an updated position of the portable electronic device that is different than the reference position, which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device; and

control the audio output device to output the audio information toward an expected head location of the user taking into account which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further operable to determine, based on the one or more characteristics, a positioning of the portable electronic device on the limb of the user that currently possesses the portable electronic device and to control a direction of the audio information output by the audio output device to take into account the positioning of the portable electronic device on the limb of the user.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 9, further comprising:

a memory operable to store the one or more characteristics over a period of time to produce historical characteristics;

wherein the processor is operable to determine which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device based on the historical characteristics.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 9, further comprising:

an audio input device coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor is further operable to control the audio input device to detect audio from the expected head location of the user taking into account which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 9, further including:

a display coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor is further operable to control the display to arrange displayed information taking into account which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 9, further including:

a user interface coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor is further operable to control a configuration of the user interface taking into account which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device.

15. A method for controlling operation of a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting, by the portable electronic device, one or more characteristics relating to how a user handles the portable electronic device;

determining a reference position of the portable electronic device from which to compare the one or more characteristics, wherein the portable electronic device in the reference position is at rest and possessed by a limb of the user, wherein determining the reference position is based at least in part on a training sequence provided by the portable electronic device and performed by the user at the portable electronic device prior to the portable electronic device detecting the one or more characteristics;

determining, by the portable electronic device based on a comparison of the reference position to the one or more characteristics detected based on an updated position of the portable electronic device that is different than the reference position, which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device; and

controlling, by the portable electronic device, at least one function taking into account which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing the one or more characteristics over a period of time to produce historical characteristics;

wherein determining which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device is based on the historical characteristics.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a reference position for the portable electronic device; and

comparing one or more of the one or more characteristics to the reference position,

wherein determination of which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device is based on comparison of the one or more characteristics to the reference position.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the reference position for the portable electronic device comprises:

displaying, by the portable electronic device, at least one of textual messages or images to produce displayed information;

receiving, by the portable electronic device, inputs from the user responsive to the displayed information; and

determining the reference position for the portable electronic device based on the inputs received from the user.