Systems and methods for determining a user context by correlating acceleration data from multiple devices

• US 9,641,991 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2015
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Pitis, Andrei
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Hirdepal
• Application Number:
  US14/590,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20160198322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 455420
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Described systems and methods enable the detection of a user activity context indicative of a user'"'"'s current activity, by correlating the motion of a wrist-worn device (e.g., watch) with the motion of a mobile telephone. Some embodiments further correlate motion data with a location indicator provided by the mobile telephone, and with a current time of the day. The watch and/or mobile telephone may switch to a context-specific operation mode in response to determining the user activity context.

Claims

1. A wearable computing device comprising a processor and a first accelerometer connected to the processor, the wearable computing device configured to attach to a wrist of a user'"'"'s hand, wherein:

the first accelerometer is configured to determine a first motion indicator indicative of a motion of the wearable computing device; and

the processor is configured to execute a context-specific action selected according to a user activity context determined according to the first motion indicator and according to a second motion indicator indicative of a motion of a mobile telephone communicatively coupled to the wearable computing device, the second motion indicator determined by a second accelerometer of the mobile telephone, wherein the user activity context is determined according to a degree of periodicity of the motion of the wearable computing device, and further according to a degree of periodicity of the motion of the mobile telephone, and wherein determining the user context comprises;

when both the motion of the wearable computing device and the motion of the mobile telephone are periodic, determining that the user is currently performing a first activity,

when neither the motion of the wearable computing device, nor the motion of the mobile telephone is periodic, determining that the user is currently performing a second activity, and

when only one of the motion of the wearable computing device and the motion of the mobile telephone is periodic, determining that the user is currently performing a third activity.

2. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein determining the user activity context further comprises determining whether the user is holding the mobile telephone in the user'"'"'s hand.

3. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein determining the user activity context comprises determining whether the user is preparing to go to work.

4. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein determining the user activity context comprises determining whether the user is riding in a vehicle.

5. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein determining the user activity context comprises determining whether the user is attending a work meeting.

6. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the context-specific action comprises requesting context-specific data from a remote computer system, and displaying a representation of the context-specific data on a display of the wearable computing device.

7. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the context-specific action comprises employing a sensing device of the wearable computing device to acquire a set of data.

8. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the context-specific action comprises sending a communication to the mobile telephone, wherein receiving the communication causes the mobile telephone to perform an action of the mobile telephone.

9. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein determining the user activity context comprises:

transmitting the first motion indicator from the wearable computing device to the mobile telephone, and

in response, receiving at the wearable computing device a context indicator indicative of the user activity context from the mobile telephone, the context indicator determined by the mobile telephone according to the first and second motion indicators, and further according to a location indicator indicative of a current physical location of the mobile telephone.

10. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein determining the user context comprises:

employing the processor to receive the second motion indicator from the mobile telephone,

employing the processor to receive a location indicator from the mobile telephone, the location indicator indicative of a current physical location of the mobile telephone, and

in response to receiving the second motion indicator and the location indicator, employing the processor to identify the user activity context from a plurality of contexts according to the first and second motion indicators, and according to the location indicator.

11. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the user activity context is determined further according to the current time.

12. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the user activity context is determined further according to a calendar event scheduled for the user.

13. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the user activity context is determined further according to a degree of synchronization between the motion of the wearable computing device and the motion of the mobile telephone.

14. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the first motion indicator is determined according to a first plurality of acceleration values recorded by the first accelerometer during a first time interval, and wherein the second motion indicator is determined according to a second plurality of acceleration data recorded by the second accelerometer during a second time interval.

15. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the user activity context is further determined according to whether the wearable computing device is currently stationary and according to whether the mobile telephone is currently stationary.

16. The wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein determining the user activity context further comprises determining whether the user is carrying the mobile telephone in a user'"'"'s pocket.

17. A method comprising:

employing an accelerometer of a wearable computing device to determine a first motion indicator indicative of a motion of the wearable computing device, wherein the wearable computing device is configured to attach to a wrist of a user'"'"'s hand; and

employing a processor of a mobile telephone communicatively coupled to the wearable computing device to determine a user activity context according to the first motion indicator and according to a second motion indicator indicative of a motion of the mobile telephone, wherein the second motion indicator is determined by an accelerometer of the mobile telephone, wherein the user activity context is determined according to a degree of periodicity of the motion of the wearable computing device, and further according to a degree of periodicity of the motion of the mobile telephone, and wherein determining the user context comprises;

when both the motion of the wearable computing device and the motion of the mobile telephone are periodic, determining that the user is currently performing a first activity,

when neither the motion of the wearable computing device, nor the motion of the mobile telephone is periodic, determining that the user is currently performing a second activity, and

when only one of the motion of the wearable computing device and the motion of the mobile telephone is periodic, determining that the user is currently performing a third activity.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the user activity context further comprises determining whether the user is holding the mobile telephone in the user'"'"'s hand.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the user activity context comprises determining whether the user is preparing to go to work.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the user activity context comprises determining whether the user is riding in a vehicle.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the user activity context comprises determining whether the user is attending a work meeting.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising employing the processor of the mobile telephone to execute a second context-specific action selected according to the user activity context.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the first context-specific action comprises requesting context-specific data from a remote computer system, and displaying a representation of the context-specific data on a display of the wearable computing device.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the first context-specific action comprises employing a sensing device of the wearable computing device to acquire a set of data.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the user activity context is determined further according to a current time.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the user activity context is determined further according to a calendar event scheduled for the user.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the user activity context is further determined according to a degree of synchronization between the motion of the wearable computing device and the motion of the mobile telephone.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the first motion indicator is determined according to a first plurality of acceleration values recorded by the accelerometer of the wearable computing device during a first time interval, and wherein the second motion indicator is determined according to a second plurality of acceleration data recorded by the accelerometer of the mobile telephone during a second time interval.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the user activity context is further determined according to whether the wearable computing device is currently stationary and according to whether the mobile telephone is currently stationary.

30. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the user activity context further comprises determining whether the user is carrying the mobile telephone in a user'"'"'s pocket.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor of a wearable computing device configured to attach to a wrist of a user'"'"'s hand, causes the wearable computing device to:

employ an accelerometer of the wearable computing device to determine a first motion indicator indicative of a motion of the wearable computing device; and

execute a context-specific action selected according to a user activity context determined according to the first motion indicator and according to a second motion indicator indicative of a motion of a mobile telephone communicatively coupled to the wearable computing device, the second motion indicator determined by a second accelerometer of the mobile telephone, wherein the user activity context is determined according to a degree of periodicity of the motion of the wearable computing device, and further according to a degree of periodicity of the motion of the mobile telephone, and wherein determining the user context comprises;

when both the motion of the wearable computing device and the motion of the mobile telephone are periodic, determining that the user is currently performing a first activity,

when neither the motion of the wearable computing device, nor the motion of the mobile telephone is periodic, determining that the user is currently performing a second activity, and

when only one of the motion of the wearable computing device and the motion of the mobile telephone is periodic, determining that the user is currently performing a third activity.

32. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor of mobile telephone communicatively coupled to a wearable computing device configured to attach to a wrist of a user'"'"'s hand, causes the mobile telephone to:

employ an accelerometer of the mobile telephone to determine a first motion indicator indicative of a motion of the mobile telephone;

determine a user activity context according to the first motion indicator and according to a second motion indicator indicative of a motion of the wearable computing device, the second motion indicator determined by an accelerometer of the wearable computing device, wherein the user activity context is determined according to a degree of periodicity of the motion of the wearable computing device, and further according to a degree of periodicity of the motion of the mobile telephone, and wherein determining the user context comprises;

when both the motion of the wearable computing device and the motion of the mobile telephone are periodic, determining that the user is currently performing a first activity,

when neither the motion of the wearable computing device, nor the motion of the mobile telephone is periodic, determining that the user is currently performing a second activity, and

when only one of the motion of the wearable computing device and the motion of the mobile telephone is periodic, determining that the user is currently performing a third activity.