WEARABLE DEVICE POSITIONING BASED CONTROL

• US 20170357326A1
• Filed: 06/09/2016
• Published: 12/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Deluca, Lisa Seacat, Pickover, Clifford A., Price, Dana L., Quirk, Aaron J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,996,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop

Abstract

A method and system for positioning based device control. The method includes receiving device control instructions associated with function control of a device based on a positioning of a wearable hardware device of a user. Communications between the device and the wearable hardware device are synchronized and a position signal indicating a current position of the wearable hardware device with respect to a body of the user is received. In response, a command associated with controlling a specified function of the device is received and a command is executed resulting in the specified function of the device being modified.

Claims

1. A positioning based control method comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a device of a user, device control instructions associated with function control of said device based on a positioning of a wearable hardware device of said user;

synchronizing, by said processor, communications between said device and said wearable hardware device;

receiving, by said processor from said wearable hardware device, a position signal indicating a current position of said wearable hardware device with respect to a body of said user, wherein said current position results from performing a sequence of differing degrees of rotation of said wearable hardware device with respect to an axis of a body portion of said user, and wherein said sequence comprises clockwise and counter clockwise rotations comprising said differing degrees of rotation of said wearable hardware device with respect to said axis of said body portion of said user;

determining, by said processor based on said position signal, a command associated with controlling a specified function of said device; and

executing, by said processor, said command resulting in said specified function of said device being modified.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said communications comprise wireless pairing communications.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said current position additionally results from a specified degree of rotation of said wearable hardware device with respect to said axis of said body portion of said user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said wearable hardware device comprises a sensor for monitoring positions of said wearable hardware device with respect to said axis of said body portion of said user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said sensor is selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a heart rate monitor, an optical sensor, and a motion sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying said specified function of said device comprises a modification selected from the group consisting of disabling power of said device, enabling power of said device, disabling an audio signal of said device, enabling an audio signal of said device, reducing an audio signal level of said device, increasing an audio signal level of said device, enabling a vibration function of said device, disabling a vibration function of said device, enabling a running application of said device, terminating a running application of said device, enabling a recording function of said device, disabling a recording function of said device, enabling a display light function of said device, disabling a display light function of said device, requesting a password input to said device, and requesting a communication function between said device and an additional device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by said processor from said wearable hardware device, an additional position signal indicating a new current position of said wearable hardware device with respect to an axis of a body portion of said user;

determining, by said processor based on said additional position signal, a new command associated with controlling a new specified function of said device; and

executing, by said processor, said new command resulting in said new specified function of said device being modified, wherein said new specified function differs from said specified function.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by said processor from said wearable hardware device, an additional position signal indicating a new current position of said wearable hardware device with respect to an axis of a body portion of said user;

determining, by said processor based on said additional position signal, a new command associated with additionally controlling said specified function of said device; and

executing, by said processor, said new command resulting in said specified function of said device being modified again.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code in the control hardware, said code being executed by the computer processor to implement;

said receiving said device control instructions, said synchronizing, said receiving said position signal, said determining, and said executing.

4-5. -5. (canceled)

12. A positioning based control method comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a wearable device of a user, device control instructions associated with function control of said wearable device based on a positioning of said wearable hardware device of said user;

receiving, by said processor from said wearable hardware device, a position signal indicating a current position of said wearable hardware device with respect to a body of said user, wherein said current position results from performing a sequence of differing degrees of rotation of said wearable hardware device with respect to an axis of a body portion of said user, and wherein said sequence comprises clockwise and counter clockwise rotations comprising said differing degrees of rotation of said wearable hardware device with respect to said axis of said body portion of said user;

determining, by said processor based on said position signal, a command associated with controlling a specified function of said wearable device; and

executing, by said processor, said command resulting in said specified function of said wearable device being modified.

13. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device storing a computer readable program code, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm that when executed by a processor of a device of a user implements a positioning based control method, said method comprising:

receiving, by said processor, device control instructions associated with function control of said device based on a positioning of a wearable hardware device of said user;

synchronizing, by said processor, communications between said device and said wearable hardware device;

receiving, by said processor from said wearable hardware device, a position signal indicating a current position of said wearable hardware device with respect to a body of said user, wherein said current position results from performing a sequence of differing degrees of rotation of said wearable hardware device with respect to an axis of a body portion of said user, and wherein said sequence comprises clockwise and counter clockwise rotations comprising said differing degrees of rotation of said wearable hardware device with respect to said axis of said body portion of said user;

determining, by said processor based on said position signal, a command associated with controlling a specified function of said device; and

executing, by said processor, said command resulting in said specified function of said device being modified.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein said communications comprise wireless pairing communications.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein said current position additionally results from a specified degree of rotation of said wearable hardware device with respect to said axis of said body portion of said user.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein said wearable hardware device comprises a sensor for monitoring positions of said wearable hardware device with respect to said axis of said body portion of said user.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein said sensor is selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a heart rate monitor, an optical sensor, and a motion sensor.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein modifying said specified function of said device comprises a modification selected from the group consisting of disabling power of said device, enabling power of said device, disabling an audio signal of said device, enabling an audio signal of said device, reducing an audio signal level of said device, increasing an audio signal level of said device, enabling a vibration function of said device, disabling a vibration function of said device, enabling a running application of said device, terminating a running application of said device, enabling a recording function of said device, disabling a recording function of said device, enabling a display light function of said device, disabling a display light function of said device, requesting a password input to said device, and requesting a communication function between said device and an additional device.

16-17. -17. (canceled)