USER-WEARABLE DEVICE AND SYSTEM FOR PERSONAL COMPUTING

• US 20170235369A1
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Published: 08/17/2017
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,216,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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 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.

2. The 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 wearable device of claim 1 or 2, comprising:

an accelerometer, optionally as part of the proximity sensor, configured to detect an orientation of said wearable device;

and wherein;

said 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 wearable device of claim 1, comprising at least one of the following:

a tactile sensor configured to detect tactile input to said wearable device, said transceiver being 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 a portion of the user, said transceiver being 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 for registering audio input and an audio speaker configured for playing audio output, said transceiver being 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 wearable device; and

a vibrating element configured to cause said device to vibrate, in response to said transceiver receiving a vibration command from said processing unit.

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

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

10. A system comprising:

a first wearable device according to claim 1; and

a mobile device comprising a processing unit configured to receive from a wearable device proximity information pertaining to a detected proximity parameter representative of a distance between said wearable device and another wearable device, determine spatial information indicating a position and/or an orientation of a portion of a user, said portion wearing said wearable device, based on said received proximity information and send visual output based on said spatial information to said wearable device.

11. The system of claim 10, comprising:

a second wearable device comprising a transceiver for receiving visual output from a processing unit and a display layer for displaying said visual output;

said first and second wearable device being intended for being worn by the same user;

wherein;

the proximity sensor of said first wearable device is configured to detect a proximity parameter representative of a distance between said first wearable device and said second wearable device; and

the processing unit is configured to send first visual output to said first device, and second visual output to said second device, said second visual output being coordinated with said first visual output.

7. A processing unit configured to:

receive from a wearable device proximity information pertaining to a detected proximity parameter representative of a distance between said wearable device and another wearable device;

determine spatial information indicating a position and/or an orientation of a portion of a user, said portion wearing said wearable device, based on said received proximity information; and

send visual output based on said spatial information to said wearable device.

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

receive from a wearable device orientation information pertaining to a detected orientation and to send visual output based on said orientation information to said wearable device.

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

receiving from a wearable device tactile input information pertaining to detected tactile input and sending visual output based on said tactile input information to said wearable device;

receiving from a wearable device muscle activity information pertaining to detected muscle activity and sending visual output based on said muscle activity information to said wearable device;

receiving from a wearable device audio input information pertaining to registered audio input and sending visual output and audio output based on said audio input information to said wearable device; and

sending a vibration command to said wearable device in order to alert its user.

12. A method for personal computing, comprising at a processing unit the following:

receiving from a wearable device proximity information pertaining to a detected proximity parameter representative of a distance between said wearable device and another wearable device;

determining spatial information indicating a position and/or an orientation of a portion of a user, said portion wearing said wearable device, based on said received proximity information; and

sending visual output based on said spatial information to said wearable device.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising at said processing unit the following:

receiving from a wearable device orientation information pertaining to a detected orientation; and

sending visual output based on said orientation information to said wearable device.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising at said processing unit at least one of the following:

receiving from a wearable device tactile input information pertaining to detected tactile input; and

sending visual output based on said tactile input information to said wearable device;

receiving from a wearable device muscle activity information pertaining to detected muscle activity; and

sending visual output based on said muscle activity information to said wearable device;

receiving from a wearable device audio input information pertaining to registered audio input; and

sending visual output and audio output based on said audio input information to said wearable device; and

sending a vibration command to said wearable device in order to alert its user.

15. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions for performing, when the program is run on a computer, the method of claim 12.