User-wearable device for personal computing system, processing unit for personal computing system, and method associated therewith

• US 10,216,283 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Acer, Utku Gunay, Mashhadi, Afra, Van Den Broeck, Marc, Kawsar, Fahim
• Primary Examiner(s): Landis, Lisa S
• Application Number:
  US15/319,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20170235369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1649 the additional display being independently orientable, e.g. for presenting information to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/165 the additional display being small, e.g. for presenting status information
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2356/00 Detection of the display position w.r.t. other display screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/04 Display device controller operating with a plurality of display units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 Flexible displays

Abstract

A wearable device suitable for being worn by a user, said wearable device comprising a proximity sensor configured to detect a proximity parameter representative of a distance between said wearable device and another wearable device; a transceiver configured to send proximity information pertaining to said detected proximity parameter to a processing unit and to receive from said processing unit visual output generated based on said proximity information; and a display layer configured to display said visual output.

Claims

1. A first user-wearable device for a personal computing system, said first user-wearable device comprising:

a proximity sensor configured to detect a proximity parameter representative of a distance between said first user-wearable device and a second user-wearable device while the first and second user-wearable devices are worn by a user;

a first transceiver configured to send proximity information pertaining to said detected proximity parameter to a processing unit of a personal computing system associated with the user and to receive from said processing unit visual output generated based on said proximity information; and

a first display layer at least partially covering the proximity sensor and transceiver and configured to display said visual output to the user on the first user-wearable device.

2. The first user-wearable device of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor comprises one or more of the following:

a radio-frequency sensor;

an optical sensor;

a magnetic field sensor;

an accelerometer and

a muscle activity sensor.

3. The first user-wearable device of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor comprises an accelerometer configured to detect an orientation of said first user-wearable device;

wherein said first transceiver is configured to send orientation information pertaining to said detected orientation to said processing unit and to receive from said processing unit visual output generated based on said orientation information.

4. The first user-wearable device of claim 1, comprising at least one of the following:

a tactile sensor configured to detect tactile input to said first user-wearable device, wherein said first transceiver is configured to send tactile information pertaining to said detected tactile input to said processing unit and to receive from said processing unit visual output generated based on said tactile information;

a muscle activity sensor configured to detect muscle activity of at least a portion of the user while the first user-wearable device is worn by the user, wherein said first transceiver is configured to send muscle activity information pertaining to said detected muscle activity to said processing unit and to receive from said processing unit visual output generated based on said muscle activity information;

a microphone configured to register audio input and an audio speaker configured to play audio output, wherein said first transceiver is configured to send audio input information pertaining to said registered audio input to said processing unit and to receive from said processing unit visual output and audio output based on said audio input information;

an energy harvesting unit configured to derive energy from ambient sources, store said energy and deliver said energy to power one or more other components of said first user-wearable device; and

a vibrating element configured to cause said first user-wearable device to vibrate in response to said first transceiver receiving a vibration command from said processing unit.

5. The first user-wearable device of claim 1, being a user-wearable nail device having a form factor suitable for being worn on said user'"'"'s fingernail.

6. The first user-wearable device of claim 1, being a user-wearable sleeve device having a form factor suitable for being worn on said user'"'"'s hand.

10. A personal computing system, comprising:

the first user-wearable device according to claim 1; and

a mobile device comprising the processing unit, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive from the first user-wearable device the proximity information pertaining to the detected proximity parameter representative of the distance between said first user-wearable device and the second user-wearable device, wherein the processing unit is configured to determine spatial information indicating a position and/or an orientation of at least a portion of the user, said portion relating to where said first user-wearable device is worn by the user, based on said received proximity information, wherein the processing unit is configured to send visual output based on said spatial information to said first user-wearable device for display to the user on the first user-wearable device.

11. The personal computing system of claim 10, further comprising:

the second user-wearable device, comprising;

a second transceiver configured to receive second visual output from the processing unit, the second visual output being generated by the processing unit based on the proximity information sent to the processing unit by the first user-wearable device; and

a display layer at least partially covering the second transceiver and configured to display said second visual output to the user on the second user-wearable device;

wherein the visual output sent by the processing unit to said first wearable device is first visual output, wherein the processing unit is configured to coordinate said second visual output with said first visual output.

16. The first-user wearable device of claim 1, the visual output indicating a gesture determined based on the proximity information.

17. The first-user wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to interpret the proximity information to represent a gesture and to generate the visual output based on the gesture.

7. A processing unit for a personal computing system, the processing unit configured to:

receive from a first user-wearable device proximity information pertaining to a detected proximity parameter representative of a distance between said first user-wearable device and a second user-wearable device while the first and second user-wearable devices are worn by a user;

determine spatial information indicating a position and/or an orientation of at least a portion of the user, said portion relating to where said first user-wearable device is worn by the user, based on said received proximity information; and

send visual output based on said spatial information to said first user-wearable device for display to the user on the first user-wearable device.

8. The processing unit of claim 7, configured to:

receive from the first user-wearable device orientation information pertaining to a detected orientation of the first user-wearable device; and

send visual output based on said orientation information to said first user-wearable device for display to the user on the first user-wearable device.

9. The processing unit of claim 8, configured to perform at least one of the following:

receive from the first user-wearable device tactile input information pertaining to detected tactile input to the first user-wearable device and send visual output based on said tactile input information to said first user-wearable device for display to the user on the first user-wearable device;

receive from the first user-wearable device muscle activity information pertaining to detected muscle activity of at least a portion of the user while the first user-wearable device is worn by the user and send visual output based on said muscle activity information to said first user-wearable device for display to the user on the first user-wearable device;

receive from the first user-wearable device audio input information pertaining to audio input registered by the first user-wearable device and send visual output and audio output based on said audio input information to said first user-wearable device, the visual output for display to the user on the first user-wearable device and the audio output for play to the user via the first user-wearable device; and

send a vibration command to said first user-wearable device in order to alert the user by causing the first user-wearable device to vibrate.

18. The processing unit of claim 7, the visual output indicating a gesture determined based on the proximity information.

19. The processing unit of claim 7, wherein the processing unit is configured to interpret the proximity information to represent a gesture and to generate the visual output based on the gesture.

12. A method for personal computing, comprising:

receiving from a first user-wearable device at a processing unit of a personal computing system associated with a user proximity information pertaining to a detected proximity parameter representative of a distance between said first user-wearable device and a second user-wearable device while the first and second user-wearable devices are worn by the user;

determining spatial information indicating a position and/or an orientation of at least a portion of the user, said portion relating to where said first user-wearable device is worn by the user, based on said received proximity information; and

sending visual output based on said spatial information to said first user-wearable device for display to the user on the first user-wearable device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving from the first user-wearable device orientation information pertaining to a detected orientation of the first user-wearable device; and

sending visual output based on said orientation information to said first user-wearable device for display to the user on the first user-wearable device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving from the first user-wearable device tactile input information pertaining to detected tactile input to the first user-wearable device and sending visual output based on said tactile input information to said first user-wearable device for display to the user on the first user-wearable device;

receiving from the first user-wearable device muscle activity information pertaining to detected muscle activity;

of at least a portion of the user while the first user-wearable device is worn by the user and sending visual output based on said muscle activity information to said first user-wearable device for display to the user on the first user-wearable device;

receiving from the first user-wearable device audio input information pertaining to audio input registered by the first user-wearable device and sending visual output and audio output based on said audio input information to said first user-wearable device, the visual output for display to the user on the first user-wearable device and the audio output for play to the user via the first user-wearable device; and

sending a vibration command to said first user-wearable device in order to alert the user by causing the first user-wearable device to vibrate.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a processor-controlled personal computing system to perform the method of claim 12.

20. The method of claim 12, the visual output indicating a gesture determined based on the proximity information.