Indoors / outdoors detection

• US 9,903,755 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Albadawi, Haithem, Fung, Han Yee Mimi, Shariff, Farah
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Application Number:
  US14/875,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20170097258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4204 with determination of ambient light solar light G01J2001/4266
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/429 applied to measurement of ultraviolet light using counting tubes G01T
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4266 for measuring solar light
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising

Abstract

Determining time spent outdoors. A method includes, at a first time, using one or more primary criteria including one or more criteria related to information provided by a first hardware input sensor on a device, to determine that the device is outdoors. The method further includes at one or more other times, using one or more secondary criteria, different than the primary criteria, the secondary criteria related to information provided by one or more second hardware input sensors, to determine continuity of the device being outdoors from the first time to the one or more other times. The method further includes based on determining that the device is outdoors and determining continuity of the device being outdoors from the first time to the one or more other times, identifying a total amount of time that the device has been outdoors.

Claims

1. In a computing environment, a method of determining time spent outdoors, the method comprising:

at a first time, determining that the device is outdoors using one or more primary criteria, the one or more primary criteria including information provided by a first hardware input sensor on a device;

at one or more other times, determining continuity of the device being outdoors from the first time to the one or more other times using one or more secondary criteria, the one or more secondary criteria being both different than the primary criteria and related to information provided by one or more second hardware input sensors, the one or more secondary criteria including a threshold associated with a signal-to-noise ratio, wherein the secondary criteria are used in response to a determination that the one or more primary criteria are no longer being met at a point in time after the first time; and

based on determining that the device is outdoors and based on determining continuity of the device being outdoors from the first time to the one or more other times, identifying a total amount of time that the device has been outdoors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein it is determined that the primary criteria are no longer met over a plurality of samples of information provided by the first hardware input sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary criteria comprises criteria related to user input, the user input comprising an indication from a user that the device is currently outdoors.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more secondary criteria include one or more factors related to information collected using an ambient light sensor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more secondary criteria include one or more factors related to information collected using a GPS receiver.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more secondary criteria include one or more factors related to information collected using a barometer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more secondary criteria include one or more factors related to information collected using a microphone.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the total amount of time that the device has been outdoors meets a predetermined threshold amount of time; and

prompting a user with a message based on the predetermined threshold being met.

9. A device configured to detect time spent outdoors, the device comprising:

one or more first hardware sensors, wherein the one or more first hardware sensors are configured to detect one or more first factors that can be used to determine that a device is outdoors;

one or more second hardware sensors, wherein the one or more second hardware sensors are configured to detect one or more second factors that can be used to determine that a device is outdoors;

one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to;

at a first time, determine that the device is outdoors using one or more primary criteria, the one or more primary criteria including one or more criteria related to information provided by the one or more first hardware input sensors;

at one or more other times, determine continuity of the device being outdoors from the first time to the one or more other times using one or more secondary criteria, the one or more secondary criteria being both different than the primary criteria and related to information provided by the one or more second hardware input sensors, the one or more secondary criteria including a threshold associated with a signal-to-noise ratio, wherein the secondary criteria are used in response to a determination that the one or more primary criteria are no longer being met at a point in time after the first time; and

based on determining that the device is outdoors and determining continuity of the device being outdoors from the first time to the one or more other times, identify a total amount of time that the device has been outdoors.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein it is determined that the primary criteria are no longer met over a plurality of samples.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the one or more first hardware sensors are configured to detect one or more first factors that can be used to determine that the device is outdoors.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the one or more second hardware sensors comprise an ambient light sensor.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the one or more second hardware sensors comprise a GPS receiver.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the one or more second hardware sensors comprise a barometer.

15. The device of claim 9, wherein the one or more second hardware sensors comprise a microphone.

16. The device of claim 9, further comprising a display, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

determine that the total amount of time that the device has been outdoors meets a predetermined threshold amount of time; and

prompt a user with a message on the display based on the predetermined threshold being met.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein each measurement associated with the first hardware input sensor and the one or more second hardware input sensors includes a confidence value indicating a confidence level of the device currently being outdoors.

17. A device configured to detect time spent exposed to UV radiation, the device comprising:

a UV sensor, wherein the UV sensor is configured to detect UV radiation;

one or more second hardware sensors, wherein the one or more second hardware sensors are configured to detect one or more second factors other than UV radiation that indicate that a device is outdoors, and therefore potentially exposed to UV radiation;

one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to;

at a first time, determine that the device is exposed to UV radiation using one or more primary criteria, the one or more primary criteria including one or more criteria related to UV radiation thresholds;

at one or more other times, determine continuity of the device being exposed to UV radiation from the first time to the one or more other times using one or more secondary criteria, the one or more secondary criteria being both different than the primary criteria and related to information provided by the one or more second hardware input sensors, the one or more secondary criteria including a threshold associated with a signal-to-noise ratio, wherein the secondary criteria are used in response to a determination that the one or more primary criteria are no longer being met at a point in time after the first time; and

based on determining that the device is exposed to UV radiation and determining continuity of the device being exposed to UV radiation from the first time to the one or more other times, identify a total amount of time that the device has been outdoors.

18. The device of claim 17, further comprising a display, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

determine that the total amount of time that the device has been exposed to UV radiation meets a predetermined threshold amount of time; and

prompt a user with a message on the display based on the predetermined threshold being met.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein each measurement associated with the first hardware input sensor and the one or more second hardware input sensors includes a confidence value indicating a confidence level of the device currently being outdoors.