WIRELESS SENSOR AND SYSTEM THAT DETERMINES EXPOSURE BASED ON LOCAL CONDITIONS

• US 20090135003A1
• Filed: 11/28/2007
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Jin, Charlier, Michael, Masquelier, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,834,759 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1048 Monitoring, verifying, controlling systems and methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0219 Electrical interface; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0266 Field-of-view determination; Aiming or pointing of a photometer; Adjusting alignment; Encoding angular position; Size of the measurement area; Position tracking; Photodetection involving different fields of view for a single detector
• 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

Abstract

A system (100) that determines exposure based on local conditions is disclosed. The system can include a sensor (172) configured to sense local conditions local to a user of the system, a sensor local wireless transmitter (174) coupled to the sensor, and an electronic device (105). The electronic device can include a controller (120) configured to control operations of the electronic device, a device local wireless transceiver (155) coupled to the controller and wirelessly coupled to the sensor local wireless transmitter, a network interface coupled (150) to a wide area network and coupled to the controller, the network interface configured to obtain local environmental conditions, and an exposure module (190) coupled to the controller. The exposure module can determine exposure to an environmental element based at least on the local conditions sensed by the sensor and the local environmental conditions obtained by the network interface.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a sensor configured to sense local conditions local to a user of the system;

a sensor local wireless transmitter coupled to the sensor; and

an electronic device, the electronic device including;

a controller configured to control operations of the electronic device;

a device local wireless transceiver coupled to the controller and wirelessly coupled to the sensor local wireless transmitter;

a network interface coupled to a wide area network and coupled to the controller, the network interface configured to obtain local environmental conditions; and

an exposure module coupled to the controller, the exposure module configured to determine exposure to an environmental element based at least on the local conditions sensed by the sensor and the local environmental conditions obtained by the network interface.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the network interface comprises a cellular transceiver.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the exposure module is configured to determine exposure to an environmental element based at least on local ultraviolet conditions, local weather conditions, a time of day, and information about the user.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein information about the user comprises at least a skin type of the user and a sun protection factor of sun protection worn by the user.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises a speaker coupled to the controller, wherein the speaker provides an audible alert to warn the user of overexposure to an environmental element based on the sensed local conditions.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store information regarding cumulative environmental element exposure based on the sensed local conditions.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a threshold module configured to enable the exposure module after detecting a threshold of environmental element exposure has been reached based on the sensed local conditions.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the exposure module is configured to determine the exposure by predicting future exposure based at least on the local conditions sensed by the sensor and the local environmental conditions obtained by the network interface.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a display configured to display a level of current exposure to the environmental element and display a predicted future level of exposure to the environmental element.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes a position determination module coupled to the controller and wherein the local environmental conditions include forecast data based on a current location of the electronic device determined by the position determination module.

11. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a position determination module configured to determine a local position of the electronic device,

wherein the network interface is configured to obtain local environmental conditions by sending the local position of the electronic device to a server and by receiving local environmental conditions based on the local position of the electronic device.

12. The system according to claim 11,

wherein the exposure module is configured to predict overexposure based at least on the local conditions sensed by the sensor and the local environmental conditions obtained by the network interface, and

wherein the electronic device further comprises a display coupled to the controller, wherein the display provides, based on the predicted overexposure and based on the position of the electronic device, information about an alternate location to reduce overexposure.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an ultraviolet sensor and the environmental conditions comprise weather conditions.

14. A system comprising:

an ultraviolet sensor configured to be worn by a user, the ultraviolet sensor configured to sense local ultraviolet conditions;

a sensor local wireless transmitter coupled to the ultraviolet sensor; and

an electronic device, the electronic device including;

a controller;

a device local wireless transceiver coupled to the controller and wirelessly coupled to the sensor local wireless transmitter;

a position determination module configured to determine a local position of the electronic device;

a network interface coupled to a wide area network and coupled to the controller, the network interface configured to obtain local weather conditions by sending the local position of the electronic device to a server and by receiving local weather conditions based on the local position of the electronic device; and

an ultraviolet exposure module configured to determine ultraviolet exposure based at least on the local ultraviolet conditions sensed by the ultraviolet sensor and the local weather conditions obtained by the network interface.

15. The system according to claim 14, further comprising a threshold module configured to enable the ultraviolet exposure module after detecting a threshold of ultraviolet light, based on the sensed local ultraviolet conditions, has been reached.

16. The system according to claim 14, further comprising a display configured to display a level of current exposure to ultraviolet light and display a predicted future level of exposure to ultraviolet light.

17. The system according to claim 14, further comprising eyewear configured to be worn by the user, the eyewear including a frame coupled to the ultraviolet sensor.

18. The system according to claim 17, further comprising an audio interface coupled to the frame and coupled to the sensor local wireless transmitter, the audio interface including a microphone and a speaker.

19. A system comprising:

eyewear configured to be worn by a user, the eyewear configured to reduce light reaching the user'"'"'s eyes, the eyewear including;

a frame;

an ultraviolet sensor coupled to the frame, the ultraviolet sensor configured to sense local ultraviolet conditions; and

a sensor local wireless transmitter coupled to the ultraviolet sensor; and

a selective call receiver device including;

a controller;

a device local wireless transceiver coupled to the controller and wirelessly coupled to the sensor local wireless transmitter;

a position determination module configured to determine a local position of the selective call receiver device;

a wireless wide area network transceiver coupled to the controller and wirelessly coupled to a wireless wide area network, the wireless wide area network transceiver configured to obtain local weather conditions by sending the local position of the selective call receiver device to a server and by receiving local weather conditions based on the local position of the selective call receiver device; and

an ultraviolet exposure module configured to determine ultraviolet exposure based at least on the local weather conditions sensed by the ultraviolet sensor and the local weather conditions obtained by the network interface.

20. The system according to claim 19, further comprising an audio interface coupled to the frame and coupled to the sensor local wireless transmitter, the audio interface including a microphone and a speaker.