Using sounds for determining a worn state of a wearable computing device

• US 9,264,803 B1
• Filed: 06/05/2013
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Michael Patrick, Gossett, Carroll Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Odunukwe, Ubachukwu
• Application Number:
  US13/910,391
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 381/77, 381/316, 381/334, 381/58, 381/56, 381/23.1, 381/109, 381/379, 381/68, 381/351, 381/60, 381/71.6, 381/398, 381/312, 381/119, 381/330, 381/381, 381/327, 381/376, 455/68, 455/41.3, 455/568, 345/169, 345/8, 361/679.03, 361/679.01, 361/679.02, 348/14.08, 600/301, 600/300, 482/8, 700/94, 735/70, 702/141
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/04 Systems determining presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media are described herein related to using self-generated sounds for determining a worn state of a wearable computing device. A wearable computing device can transmit an audio signal. One or more sensors coupled to the wearable computing device may then receive a modified version of the audio signal. A comparison may be made between the modified version of the audio signal and at least one reference signal, where the at least one reference signal is based on the audio signal that is transmitted. Based on an output of the comparison, a determination can be made of whether the wearable computing device is being worn.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by one or more audio sources coupled to a wearable computing device, an audio signal;

receiving a modified version of the audio signal at one or more sensors coupled to the wearable computing device;

processing the modified version of the audio signal to obtain at least one impulse response parameter and at least one power spectrum parameter of the modified version of the audio signal;

determining an excess kurtosis measurement based on the parameters of the modified version of the audio signal;

comparing the excess kurtosis measurement with reference signal data associated with one or more worn states of the wearable computing device; and

based on the comparison, determining whether or not the wearable computing device is being worn.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the excess kurtosis measurement with the reference signal data comprises determining whether the excess kurtosis measurement is within a threshold of the reference signal data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from another one or more sensors of the wearable computing device, data indicative of whether or not the wearable computing device is being worn; and

wherein determining whether or not the wearable computing device is being worn is further based on the received data from the other one or more sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an output signal indicative of the determination of whether or not the wearable computing device is being worn;

based on the output signal, determining a first power state of the wearable computing device, wherein the first power state is associated with the wearable computing device operating at a first power level;

determining a change in the output signal; and

after a predetermined amount of time, transitioning from the first power state to a second power state of the wearable computing device, wherein the second power state is associated with the wearable computing device operating at a second power level that is different from the first power level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal data comprises a predetermined correlation relating impulse response parameters of at least one reference signal to power spectrum parameters of the at least one reference signal, wherein the at least one reference signal is based on the transmitted audio signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio signal includes one or more of a white noise signal and a pink noise signal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the audio signal periodically.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wearable computing device includes a head-mountable device (HMD) configured to be worn by a wearer of the HMD on a head of the wearer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more audio sources include one or more of a bone conduction transducer (BCT) and a speaker, and

wherein the one or more sensors include a microphone.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, upon execution by a wearable computing device, cause the wearable computing device to perform functions comprising:

transmitting, by one or more audio sources coupled to the wearable computing device, an audio signal;

receiving a modified version of the audio signal at one or more sensors coupled to the wearable computing device;

processing the modified version of the audio signal to obtain at least one impulse response parameter and at least one power spectrum parameter of the modified version of the audio signal;

determining an excess kurtosis measurement based on the parameters of the modified version of the audio signal;

comparing the excess kurtosis measurement with reference signal data associated with one or more worn states of the wearable computing device; and

based on the comparison, determining whether or not the wearable computing device is being worn.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the wearable computing device is a head-mountable computing device (HMD) configured to be worn by a wearer of the HMD on a head of the wearer.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein transmitting the audio signal comprises transmitting the audio signal through a bone structure of the head of the wearer,

wherein the one or more sensors includes at least a first and second sensor proximate to the head of the wearer.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the reference signal data comprises a predetermined correlation relating an excess kurtosis measurement of impulse response parameters of at least one reference signal to an excess kurtosis measurement of power spectrum parameters of the at least one reference signal, wherein the at least one reference signal is based on the transmitted audio signal.

14. A system, comprising:

a head-mountable computing device (HMD);

one or more audio sources coupled to the HMD;

one or more sensors coupled to the HMD;

at least one processor coupled to the HMD; and

data storage comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the system to perform functions comprising;

causing the one or more audio sources to transmit an audio signal;

receiving a modified version of the audio signal at the one or more sensors;

processing the modified version of the audio signal to obtain at least one impulse response parameter and at least one power spectrum parameter of the modified version of the audio signal;

determining an excess kurtosis measurement based on the parameters of the modified version of the audio signal;

comparing the excess kurtosis measurement with reference signal data associated with one or more worn states of the HMD; and

based on the comparison, determining whether or not the HMD is being worn.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein comparing the excess kurtosis measurement with the reference signal data comprises determining whether the excess kurtosis measurement is within a threshold of the reference signal data.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein processing the modified version of the audio signal to obtain the parameters of the modified version of the audio signal comprises performing a Fast Fourier Transform on the modified version of the audio signal to obtain the parameters of the modified version of the audio signal.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein determining whether or not the HMD is being worn comprises determining whether or not the HMD is being worn on one or more of:

a head of a wearer of the HMD and a neck of the wearer of the HMD.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the HMD includes a display and a nose bridge, wherein determining whether or not the HMD is being worn comprises determining whether or not the HMD is being worn on a head of a wearer of the HMD such that the display is substantially in front of an eye of the wearer and the nose bridge is contacting a nose of the wearer.

19. The system of claim 14, the functions further comprising:

receiving, from another one or more sensors coupled to the HMD, data indicative of whether or not the HMD is being worn, wherein the other one or more sensors include one or more of a proximity sensor and a capacitive sensor, and

wherein determining whether or not the HMD is being worn is further based on the received data from the other one or more sensors.