Wearable device, master device operating with the wearable device, and control method for wearable device

• US 9,989,996 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2015
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Young-jae, Hahm, Seong-il
• Primary Examiner(s): Amadiz, Rodney
• Application Number:
  US14/688,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20150301574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 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 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3278 Power saving in modem or I/O interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• 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 3/017 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: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Provided is a wearable device that is wearable on a body of a user, the wearable device including a display configured to display a screen; a sensor configured to sense a motion of the user; and a controller configured to control the display based on the sensed motion.

Claims

1. A wearable device that is wearable on a body of a user, the wearable device comprising:

a display configured to display a screen;

a sensor configured to sense a motion of the user; and

a controller configured to control the display based on the sensed motion, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the user is looking at the screen using sensing data at a motionless point corresponding to a first point where the motion of the user stops, wherein the sensing data at the motionless point for determining that the user is looking at the screen of the wearable device is determined based on an acceleration variation value from a second point prior to the motionless point to the motionless point by using at least one acceleration variation regarding at least one direction, and wherein the controller is further configured to obtain the sensing data at the motionless point by determining a first variation of acceleration between motion of the user at the second point prior to the motionless point and motion of the user at the motionless point in a forward-rear direction of the user and by determining a sum of a second variation of acceleration at the motionless point in a left-right direction of the user and a third variation of acceleration at the motionless point in an up-down direction of the user.

2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein in response to the controller determining that the user is not looking at the screen, the controller is configured to control the display to not display the screen.

3. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein

in response to the controller determining that the user is looking at the screen, the controller is configured to control the display to display the screen.

4. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the display to not display the screen, in response to the sensed motion comprising a first motion corresponding to the user raising a wrist sequentially followed by a second motion corresponding to the user lowering the wrist.

5. The wearable device of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to control the display to display the screen in response to the sensor sensing the first motion and configured to control the display to not display the screen in response to the sensor sensing the second motion.

6. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the display to not display the screen, in response the sensed motion comprising a first motion corresponding to the user turning a wrist in a first direction sequentially followed by a second motion corresponding to the user turning the wrist in a second direction different from the first direction.

7. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the display not to display the screen, in response to the sensed motion indicating that the user is walking.

8. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the display to not display the screen, in response to the sensed motion indicating that the user is running.

9. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the display to not display the screen, in response to the sensed motion indicating that the wearable device is not provided on the user.

10. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine that the user is looking at the screen in response to the first variation of acceleration being in a range between −

3 m/s² and 3 m/s².

11. The wearable device of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to determine that the user is looking at the screen in response to the sum being greater than or equal to 5 m/s².

12. A method of controlling a wearable device that is wearable on a body of a user, the method comprising:

sensing a motion of the user;

determining whether to display a screen on the wearable device based on the sensed motion; and

displaying the screen on the wearable device based on the determination, wherein the determining comprises determining whether the user is looking at the screen using sensing data at a motionless point corresponding to a first point where the motion of the user stops, wherein the sensing data at the motionless point for determining that the user is looking at the screen of the wearable device is determined based on an acceleration variation value from a second point prior to the motionless point to the motionless point by using at least one acceleration variation regarding at least one direction, and wherein the sensing data is obtained at the motionless point by determining a first variation of acceleration between motion of the user at the second point prior to the motionless point and motion of the user at the motionless point in a forward-rear direction of the user and by determining a sum of a second variation of acceleration at the motionless point in a left-right direction of the user and a third variation of acceleration at the motionless point in an up-down direction of the user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining further comprises determining not to display the screen in response to a determination that the user is not looking at the wearable device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining comprises:

determining not to display the screen in response to the sensed motion comprising a first motion corresponding to the user raising a wrist sequentially followed by a second motion corresponding to the user lowering the wrist.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining comprises:

determining not to display the screen in response to the sensed motion indicating that the user is not wearing the wearable device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining further comprises determining not to display the screen in response to the sensed motion comprising a first motion corresponding to the user turning a wrist in a first direction sequentially followed by a second motion corresponding to the user turning the wrist in a second direction different from the first direction.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining further comprises determining that the user is looking at the screen in response to the first variation of acceleration being in a range between −

3 m/s² and 3 m/s².

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the determining further comprises determining that the user is looking at the screen in response to the sum being greater than or equal to 5 m/s².