Method and system for device activation

• US 11,119,558 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2019
• Issued: 09/14/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Group Corp.
• Original Assignee: Sony Group Corp.
• Inventors: Huang, Sangxia
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US16/522,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20200133373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 713300, 713320, 713323
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
• 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 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device is configured to analyze movement data generated by a sensor (e.g., an accelerometer assembly) in the electronic device to determine if the electronic device should be activated from a reduced power state. A control circuit in the electronic device can compare the movement data to a predetermined movement pattern to determine whether the movement should be ignored, or if the movement is consistent with a user shaking the electronic device to activate the electronic device. As a result of this approach, erroneous activation of the electronic device is avoided, thereby preventing the electronic device from needlessly depleting its battery before deployment by the end user.

Claims

1. A method of activating an electronic device comprising a sensor and a control circuit, the method comprising:

obtaining, in the sensor, movement data indicative of movement of the electronic device;

comparing, in the sensor, at least a portion of the movement data with a predetermined threshold value;

providing, by the sensor, and responsive to said at least a portion of the movement data exceeding the predetermined threshold value, said movement data to the control circuit from the sensor;

determining, in the control circuit, whether at least a portion of the movement data satisfies a predetermined activation criteria comprising one or more predetermined motion patterns of the electronic device;

activating, by the control circuit, a power state based on determining whether the portion of the movement data satisfies the predetermined activation criteria; and

disabling activation of the control circuit for a period of time in response to one or more consecutive determinations that the portion of the movement data does not satisfy the predetermined activation criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the power state comprises reverting to a first power state in response to determining that the portion of the movement data does not satisfy the predetermined activation criteria, wherein reverting to the first power state includes deactivating the control circuit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the power state comprises activating a third power state in response to determining that the portion of the movement data satisfies the predetermined activation criteria, wherein activating the third power state includes activating a communication interface.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

transmitting the movement data to a host computing system during the third power state.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating a second power state prior to obtaining the movement data in the control circuit, wherein activating the second power state includes activating the control circuit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the movement data in the control circuit includes receiving the movement data from a buffer that is part of the sensor that generates the movement data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation criteria includes at least one of a magnitude of acceleration, a change in acceleration, a number of changes in acceleration, or a predetermined pattern of acceleration changes.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined motion pattern is representative of a user shaking the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation criteria includes a predetermined pattern of alternating acceleration.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the movement data satisfies the predetermined activation criteria includes applying a statistical model to compare the movement data to the predetermined activation criteria.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined activation criteria is based off of a target waveform developed using a trained model, which includes collecting a plurality of sample movement data and using machine learning to train a system to recognize positive motion patterns and distinguish such positive motion patterns from erroneous negative motion patterns that are to be ignored.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement data is representative of movement of the electronic device over a fixed period of time.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement data is acceleration data.

14. An electronic device comprising:

a communications interface;

a sensor configured to;

generate movement data indicative of movement of the electronic device; and

compare at least a portion of the movement data with a predetermined threshold value; and

a control circuit configured to;

obtain the movement data from the sensor, responsive to said at least portion of the movement data exceeding the predetermined threshold value;

determine whether at least a portion of the movement data satisfies a predetermined activation criteria comprising a predetermined motion pattern of the electronic device;

activate a power state based on determining whether the portion of the movement data satisfies the predetermined activation criteria; and

disable activation of the control circuit for a period of time in response to one or more consecutive determinations that the portion of the movement data does not satisfy the predetermined activation criteria.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the control circuit is configured to activate a first power state in response to determining that the portion of the movement data does not satisfy the predetermined activation criteria, wherein activating the first power state includes deactivating the control circuit.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the control circuit is configured to activate a third power state in response to determining that the portion of the movement data satisfies the predetermined activation criteria, and activating the third power state includes activating the communications interface.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the control circuit is further configured to transmit the movement data, using the communication interface, to a host computing system during the third power state.

18. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the activation criteria is at least one of a magnitude of acceleration, a change in acceleration, a number of changes in acceleration, or a predetermined pattern of acceleration changes.

19. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the predetermined motion pattern is representative of a user shaking the electronic device.

20. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the predetermined activation criteria is based off of a target waveform developed using a trained model configured to collect a plurality of sample movement data and use machine learning to train a system to recognize positive motion patterns and distinguish such positive motion patterns from erroneous negative motion patterns that are to be ignored.