Detecting driving with a wearable computing device

• US 9,832,306 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2017
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kadous, Mohammed Waleed
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US15/401,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20170126880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• 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, by a computing platform of a vehicle, movement associated with a wearable computing device that is located within the vehicle, wherein the computing platform is an onboard computing platform that is built into the vehicle;

detecting movement associated with the vehicle;

after filtering the movement associated with the wearable computing device based on the movement associated with the vehicle, identifying, by the computing platform, based on one or more changes to the movement associated with the wearable computing device, a degree of likelihood that a user of the wearable computing device performed an act of driving within the vehicle;

determining, by the computing platform, based on the degree of likelihood, that the user of the wearable computing device is driving the vehicle; and

performing, by the computing platform, based on determining that the user of the wearable computing device is driving the vehicle, an operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement associated with the wearable computing device is detected in response to determining that the wearable computing device is located within the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the wearable computing device is located within the vehicle comprises determining, by the computing platform, based on information received from the wearable computing device, that the wearable computing device is located within the vehicle.

4. 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.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the operation comprises restricting access to at least some functionality of the computing platform.

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

7. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the operation comprises outputting, by the computing platform, 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.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement associated with the wearable computing device comprises at least one of a relative elevation, acceleration, degree of tilt, or orientation between the wearable computing device and the computing platform.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the degree of likelihood is a first degree of likelihood, and determining that the user of the wearable computing device is driving the vehicle comprises:

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

determining, by the computing platform, based on the first degree of likelihood exceeding the second degree of likelihood, 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.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the operation comprises

enabling, by the computing platform, speech-to-text based messaging functionality of at least one of the wearable computing device, the computing platform, or a mobile computing device associated with the user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the degree of likelihood is a probability.

12. A computing platform of a vehicle comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to;

detect movement associated with a wearable computing device that is located within the vehicle;

detect movement associated with the vehicle;

after filtering the movement associated with the wearable computing device based on the movement associated with the vehicle, identify, based on one or more changes to the movement associated with the wearable computing device, a degree of likelihood that a user of the wearable computing device performed an act of driving within the vehicle;

determine, based on the degree of likelihood, that the user of the wearable computing device is driving the vehicle; and

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

13. The computing platform of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to perform the operation by restricting access to at least some functionality of the computing platform.

14. The computing platform of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to perform the operation by enabling speech-to-text based messaging functionality of the computing platform.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor of a computing platform of a vehicle to:

detect movement associated with a wearable computing device that is located within the vehicle;

detect movement associated with the vehicle;

after filtering the movement associated with the wearable computing device based on the movement associated with the vehicle, identify, based on one or more changes to the movement associated with the wearable computing device, a degree of likelihood that a user of the wearable computing device performed an act of driving within the vehicle;

determine, based on the degree of likelihood, that the user of the wearable computing device is driving the vehicle; and

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

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to perform the operation by restricting access to at least some functionality of the computing platform.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to perform the operation by executing a speech-to-text application or a text-to-audio application.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processor to refrain from performing the operation in response to determining, based on the degree of likelihood, that the user of the wearable computing device is not driving the vehicle.