Detecting the limb wearing a wearable electronic device

Abstract

An electronic device that can be worn on a limb of a user can include a processing device and one or more position sensing devices operatively connected to the processing device. The processing device can be adapted to determine which limb of the user is wearing the electronic device based on one or more signals received from at least one position sensing device.

Claims

1. A method for determining the wrist of a user on which a wearable electronic device is worn, comprising: receiving at a processor of the wearable electronic device, over time, signals from at least one position sensing device included in the wearable electronic device; determining from the signals, at the processor, a movement pattern of the wearable electronic device, the movement pattern including movements in positive and negative directions with respect to a coordinate system; classifying the movement pattern, at the processor, using at least the movements in positive and negative directions; and determining at the processor, from the classification of the movement pattern, whether the wearable electronic device is worn on a left wrist of the user or a right wrist of the user.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein classifying the movement pattern comprises performing a pattern recognition algorithm on the movement pattern to recognize at least one limb gesture or set of different positions of the wearable electronic device.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein determining the movement pattern comprises producing a histogram based on the signals.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein determining the movement pattern comprises plotting the signals.

5. The method as in claim 1, further comprising providing an indication of the wrist determined to be wearing the electronic device to an application.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the wearable electronic device comprises a device that provides time.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the wearable electronic device comprises a health or fitness assistant.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the wearable electronic device comprises a device that plays digital music.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one position sensing device comprises an accelerometer, and the processor receives the signals from at least the accelerometer.

10. An electronic device wearable on a wrist of a user, comprising: a processing device; and one or more position sensing devices operatively connected to the processing device; wherein, the processing device is adapted to recognize, from signals received from the one or more position sensing devices over time, one or more limb gestures made by a limb of the user including the wrist on which the electronic device is worn, or a set of different positions to which the wrist of the user is moved, wherein the one or more limb gestures or set of different positions define movements of the electronic device in positive and negative directions with respect to a coordinate system; and the processing device is adapted to determine whether the electronic device is worn on a left wrist of the user or a right wrist of the user using the recognized one or more limb gestures or set of different positions.

11. The electronic device as in claim 10, further comprising a memory adapted to store one or more pattern recognition algorithms, wherein the processing device is configured to use the one or more pattern recognition algorithms to recognize the one or more limb gestures or set of different positions.

12. The electronic device as in claim 11, wherein the processing device is adapted to read a pattern recognition algorithm of the one or more pattern recognition algorithms from the memory and apply the pattern recognition algorithm to the signals received from the at least one position sensing device.

13. The electronic device as in claim 11, wherein the memory is adapted to store one or more applications.

14. The electronic device as in claim 13, wherein the processing device is adapted to provide an indication of the wrist determined to be wearing the electronic device to at least one application in the one or more applications.

15. The electronic device as in claim 10, wherein the electronic device comprises a health or fitness assistant.

16. The electronic device as in claim 10, wherein the electronic device comprises a device that provides time.

17. The electronic device as in claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more position sensing devices comprises at least one of an accelerometer, a magnetometer, and a gyroscope.

18. A system, comprising: an electronic device that is wearable on a wrist of a user, the electronic device comprising: a processing device; and one or more position sensing devices operatively connected to the processing device; a display operatively connected to the processing device; and a memory adapted to store one or more applications and operatively connected to the processing device; wherein, the processing device is adapted to determine whether the user is wearing the electronic device on a left wrist or a right wrist by using signals received from the one or more position sensing devices, over time, to determine one or more limb gestures made by a limb of the user including the wrist on which the electronic device is worn, or a set of different positions to which the limb of the user is moved, wherein the one or more limb gestures or set of different positions define movements of the electronic device in positive and negative directions with respect to a coordinate system; and the processing device is adapted to provide data to at least one application based on the wrist determined to be wearing the electronic device.

19. The system as in claim 18, wherein data produced by the at least one application and displayed in an image on the display is adjusted based on the indication of the wrist determined to be wearing the electronic device.

20. The system as in claim 18, wherein the at least one position sensing device comprises an accelerometer, and the processing device receives the signals from at least the accelerometer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the invention are better understood with reference to the following drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. Identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical features that are common to the figures

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one example of a wearable electronic device that can include, or be connected to one or more position sensing devices;

(3) FIG. 2 is an illustrative block diagram of the wearable electronic device 100 shown in FIG. 1;

(4) FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate a wearable electronic device on or near the right wrist and the left wrist of a user;

(5) FIGS. 4-5 illustrate two positions of the wearable electronic device shown in FIG. 1 when worn on the right wrist of a user;

(6) FIGS. 6-7 depict two positions of the wearable electronic device shown in FIG. 1 when worn on the left wrist of a user;

(7) FIG. 8 illustrates example signals from an accelerometer based on the two positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;

(8) FIG. 9 depicts example signals from an accelerometer based on the two positions shown in FIGS. 6 and 7;

(9) FIG. 10 illustrates an example plot of x and y axes data received from an accelerometer based on the two positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;

(10) FIG. 11 depicts an example plot of x and y axes data obtained from an accelerometer based on the two positions shown in FIGS. 6 and 7;

(11) FIG. 12 illustrates example histograms of the x, y, and z axes data received from an accelerometer based on the two positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;

(12) FIG. 13 depicts example histograms of the x, y, and z axes data obtained from an accelerometer based on the two positions shown in FIGS. 6 and 7; and

(13) FIG. 14 is a flowchart of an example method for determining a limb wearing a wearable electronic device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(14) Embodiments described herein provide an electronic device that can be worn on a limb of a user. The electronic device can include a processing device and one or more position sensing devices operatively connected to the processing device. Additionally or alternatively, one or more position sensing device can be included in the band used to attach the wearable electronic device to the limb and operatively connected to the processing device. And in some embodiments, a processing device separate from the wearable electronic device can be operatively connected to the position sensing device(s). The processing device can be adapted to determine which limb of the user is wearing the electronic device based on one or more signals received from at least one position sensing device. For example, in one embodiment a limb gesture and/or a limb position may be recognized and the limb wearing the electronic device determined based on the recognized limb gesture and/or position.

(15) A wearable electronic device can include any type of electronic device that can be worn on a limb of a user. The wearable electronic device can be affixed to a limb of the human body such as a wrist, an ankle, an arm, or a leg. Such electronic devices include, but are not limited to, a health or fitness assistant device, a digital music player, a smart telephone, a computing device or display, and a device that provides time. In some embodiments, the wearable electronic device is worn on a limb of a user with a band that attaches to the limb and includes a holder or case to detachably or removably hold the electronic device, such as an armband, an ankle bracelet, a leg band, and/or a wristband. In other embodiments, the wearable electronic device is permanently affixed or attached to a band, and the band attaches to the limb of the user.

(16) As one example, the wearable electronic device can be implemented as a wearable health assistant that provides health-related information (whether real-time or not) to the user, authorized third parties, and/or an associated monitoring device. The device may be configured to provide health-related information or data such as, but not limited to, heart rate data, blood pressure data, temperature data, blood oxygen saturation level data, diet/nutrition information, medical reminders, health-related tips or information, or other health-related data. The associated monitoring device may be, for example, a tablet computing device, phone, personal digital assistant, computer, and so on.

(17) As another example, the electronic device can be configured in the form of a wearable communications device. The wearable communications device may include a processor coupled with or in communication with a memory, one or more communication interfaces, output devices such as displays and speakers, and one or more input devices. The communication interface(s) can provide electronic communications between the communications device and any external communication network, device or platform, such as but not limited to wireless interfaces, Bluetooth interfaces, USB interfaces, Wi-Fi interfaces, TCP/IP interfaces, network communications interfaces, or any conventional communication interfaces. The wearable communications device may provide information regarding time, health, statuses or externally connected or communicating devices and/or software executing on such devices, messages, video, operating commands, and so forth (and may receive any of the foregoing from an external device), in addition to communications.

(18) Any suitable type of position sensing device can be included in, or connected to a wearable electronic device. By way of example only, a position sensing device can be one or more accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, proximity, and/or inertial sensors. Additionally, a position sensing device can be implemented with any type of sensing technology, including, but not limited to, capacitive, ultrasonic, inductive, piezoelectric, and optical technologies.

(19) Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of one example of a wearable electronic device that can include, or be connected to one or more position sensing devices. In the illustrated embodiment, the electronic device 100 is implemented as a wearable computing device. Other embodiments can implement the electronic device differently. For example, the electronic device can be a smart telephone, a gaming device, a digital music player, a device that provides time, a health assistant, and other types of electronic devices that include, or can be connected to a position sensing device(s).

(20) The wearable electronic device 100 includes an enclosure 102 at least partially surrounding a display 104 and one or more buttons 106 or input devices. The enclosure 102 can form an outer surface or partial outer surface and protective case for the internal components of the electronic device 100, and may at least partially surround the display 104. The enclosure 102 can be formed of one or more components operably connected together, such as a front piece and a back piece. Alternatively, the enclosure 102 can be formed of a single piece operably connected to the display 104.

(21) The display 104 can be implemented with any suitable technology, including, but not limited to, a multi-touch sensing touchscreen that uses liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, light emitting diode (LED) technology, organic light-emitting display (OLED) technology, organic electroluminescence (OEL) technology, or another type of display technology. One button 106 can take the form of a home button, which may be a mechanical button, a soft button (e.g., a button that does not physically move but still accepts inputs), an icon or image on a display or on an input region, and so on. Further, in some embodiments, the button or buttons 106 can be integrated as part of a cover glass of the electronic device.

(22) The wearable electronic device 100 can be permanently or removably attached to a band 108. The band 108 can be made of any suitable material, including, but not limited to, leather, metal, rubber or silicon, fabric, and ceramic. In the illustrated embodiment, the band is a wristband that wraps around the user's wrist. The wristband can include an attachment mechanism (not shown), such as a bracelet clasp, Velcro, and magnetic connectors. In other embodiments, the band can be elastic or stretchy such that it fits over the hand of the user and does not include an attachment mechanism.

(23) FIG. 2 is an illustrative block diagram of the wearable electronic device 100 shown in FIG. 1. The electronic device 100 can include the display 104, one or more processing devices 200, memory 202, one or more input/output (I/O) devices 204, one or more sensors 206, a power source 208, a network communications interface 210, and one or more position sensing devices 212. The display 104 may provide an image or video output for the electronic device 100. The display may also provide an input surface for one or more input devices, such as, for example, a touch sensing device and/or a fingerprint sensor. The display 104 may be substantially any size and may be positioned substantially anywhere on the electronic device 100.

(24) The processing device 200 can control some or all of the operations of the electronic device 100. The processing device 200 can communicate, either directly or indirectly, with substantially all of the components of the electronic device 100. For example, a system bus or signal line 214 or other communication mechanisms can provide communication between the processing device(s) 200, the memory 202, the I/O device(s) 204, the sensor(s) 206, the power source 208, the network communications interface 210, and/or the position sensing device(s) 212. The one or more processing devices 200 can be implemented as any electronic device capable of processing, receiving, or transmitting data or instructions. For example, the processing device(s) 200 can each be a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or combinations of such devices. As described herein, the term processing device is meant to encompass a single processor or processing unit, multiple processors, multiple processing units, or other suitably configured computing element or elements.

(25) The memory 202 can store electronic data that can be used by the electronic device 100. For example, a memory can store electrical data or content such as, for example, audio and video files, documents and applications, device settings and user preferences, timing signals, signals received from the one or more position sensing devices, one or more pattern recognition algorithms, data structures or databases, and so on. The memory 202 can be configured as any type of memory. By way of example only, the memory can be implemented as random access memory, read-only memory, Flash memory, removable memory, or other types of storage elements, or combinations of such devices.

(26) The one or more I/O devices 204 can transmit and/or receive data to and from a user or another electronic device. One example of an I/O device is button 106 in FIG. 1. The I/O device(s) 204 can include a display, a touch sensing input surface such as a trackpad, one or more buttons, one or more microphones or speakers, one or more ports such as a microphone port, and/or a keyboard.

(27) The electronic device 100 may also include one or more sensors 206 positioned substantially anywhere on the electronic device 100. The sensor or sensors 206 may be configured to sense substantially any type of characteristic, such as but not limited to, images, pressure, light, touch, heat, biometric data, and so on. For example, the sensor(s) 206 may be an image sensor, a heat sensor, a light or optical sensor, a pressure transducer, a magnet, a health monitoring sensor, a biometric sensor, and so on.

(28) The power source 208 can be implemented with any device capable of providing energy to the electronic device 100. For example, the power source 208 can be one or more batteries or rechargeable batteries, or a connection cable that connects the remote control device to another power source such as a wall outlet.

(29) The network communication interface 210 can facilitate transmission of data to or from other electronic devices. For example, a network communication interface can transmit electronic signals via a wireless and/or wired network connection. Examples of wireless and wired network connections include, but are not limited to, cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, IR, and Ethernet.

(30) The one or more position sensing devices 212 can each record the position, orientation, and/or movement of the electronic device. Each position sensing device can be an absolute or a relative position sensing device. The position sensing device or devices can be implemented as any suitable position sensor and/or system. Each position sensing device 212 can sense position, orientation, and/or movement along one or more axes. For example, a position sensing device 212 can be one or more accelerometers, gyroscopes, and/or magnetometers. As will be described in more detail later, a signal or signals received from at least one position sensing device are analyzed to determine which limb of a user is wearing the electronic device. The wearing limb can be determined by detecting and classifying the movement patterns while the user is wearing the electronic device. The movement patterns can be detected continuously, periodically, or at select times.

(31) It should be noted that FIGS. 1 and 2 are illustrative only. In other examples, an electronic device may include fewer or more components than those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic device can be included in a system and one or more components shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are separate from the electronic device but included in the system. For example, a wearable electronic device may be operatively connected to, or in communication with a separate display. As another example, one or more applications can be stored in a memory separate from the wearable electronic device. The processing device in the electronic device can be operatively connected to and in communication with the separate display and/or memory. And in another example, at least one of the one or more position sensing devices 212 can be included in the band attached to the electronic device and operable connected to, or in communication with a processing device.

(32) Embodiments described herein include an electronic device that is worn on a wrist of a user. However, as discussed earlier, a wearable electronic device can be worn on any limb, and on any part of a limb. FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate a wearable electronic device on or near the right wrist and the left wrist of a user. In some embodiments, a Cartesian coordinate system can be used to determine the positive and negative directions for the wearable electronic device 100. The determined positive and negative directions can be detected and used when classifying the movement patterns of the electronic device.

(33) For example, the positive and negative x and y directions can be based on when the electronic device is worn on the right wrist of a user (see FIG. 3A). The positive and negative directions for each axis with respect to the electronic device is arbitrary but can be fixed once the position sensing device is mounted in the electronic device. In terms of the Cartesian coordinate system, the positive y-direction can be set to the position of the right arm being in a relaxed state and positioned down along the side of the body with the palm facing toward the body, while the zero position for the y-direction can be the position where the right arm is bent at substantially a ninety degree angle. The positive and negative directions can be set to different positions in other embodiments. A determination as to which limb is wearing the device can be based on the movement and/or positioning of the device based on the set positive and negative directions.

(34) The buttons 106 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the change in the positive and negative directions of the x and y axes when the electronic device is moved from one wrist to the other. Once the x and y directions are fixed as if the electronic device is positioned on the right wrist 300 (FIG. 3A), the directions reverse when the electronic device is worn on the left wrist 302 (FIG. 3B). Other embodiments can set the positive and negative directions differently. For example, the positive and negative directions may depend on the type of electronic device, the use of the electronic device, and/or the positions, orientations, and movements that the electronic device may be subjected to or experience.

(35) Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, there are shown two positions of the wearable electronic device shown in FIG. 1 when the electronic device is worn on the right wrist of a user. FIG. 4 illustrates a first position 402, where the right arm 404 of a user 406 is in a relaxed state with the arm down along the side of the body and the palm facing toward the body. FIG. 5 depicts a second position 500, where the right arm 404 is bent substantially at a ninety degree angle with the palm facing down toward the ground. The left arm 502 may also be bent to permit the left hand to interact with the electronic device.

(36) FIGS. 6 and 7 depict two positions of the wearable electronic device shown in FIG. 1 when the electronic device is worn on the left wrist of a user. FIG. 6 illustrates a third position 600, where the left arm 602 of the user 604 is in a relaxed state with the arm down along the side of the body and the palm facing toward the body. FIG. 7 shows a fourth position 700, where the left arm 602 is bent substantially at a ninety degree angle with the palm facing down toward the ground.

(37) In other embodiments, the limb the electronic device is affixed to may be positioned in any orientation or can move in other directions. For example, an arm of the user can be positioned at an angle greater to, or lesser than ninety degrees. Additionally or alternatively, a limb can be positioned or moved away from the body in any direction or directions. For example, a limb can be moved in front of and/or in back of the body,

(38) Embodiments described herein may process one or more signals received from at least one position sensing device and analyze the processed signals to determine which limb of the user is wearing the wearable electronic device. For example, a two-dimensional or three-dimensional plot of the signal or signals can be produced, as shown in FIGS. 8-11. Additionally or alternatively, a histogram based on the signal(s) can be generated, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The plot(s) and/or histogram can be analyzed to determine the wearing limb of the electronic device. In one embodiment, a pattern recognition algorithm can be performed on the signal or signals or processed signal(s) to recognize a limb gesture and/or a limb position, and based on that determination, determine which limb or body part is wearing the electronic device.

(39) FIG. 8 depicts example signals from an accelerometer based on the two positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, while FIG. 9 illustrates example signals from the accelerometer based on the two positions shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The accelerometer is configured as a three axis accelerometer and each plot is a signal measured along a respective axis as the arm is moved from one position to another position. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the electronic device can be moved from the first position 402 to the second position 500 and/or from the second position 500 to the first position 402 when the electronic device is worn on the right wrist. The plots in FIG. 8 depict the movement from the first position 402 to the second position 500. When on the left wrist as illustrated in FIG. 3B, the electronic device can be moved from the third position 600 to the fourth position 700 and/or from the fourth position 700 to the third position 600. FIG. 9 depicts the plots for the movement from the third position 600 to the fourth position 700.

(40) In FIG. 8, plot 800 represents the signal measured along the x-axis, plot 802 the signal along the y-axis, and plot 804 the signal along the z-axis. In FIG. 9, plot 900 represents the signal produced along the x-axis, plot 902 the signal along the y-axis, and plot 904 the signal along the z-axis. The x and y axes correspond to the axes shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In reviewing the illustrative plot 802 when the electronic device 400 is worn on the right wrist, the value of y at the first position 402 is substantially plus one. At the second position 500, the value of y is substantially zero. Comparing plot 802 to plot 902 (device 400 is worn on the left wrist), the value of y at the third position 402 is substantially minus one, while the value of y at the fourth position is substantially zero. One or more of the plots shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9 can be analyzed to determine which limb of a user is wearing the electronic device.

(41) It should be noted that since the electronic device can be positioned or moved in any direction, the values of the plots can be different in other embodiments.

(42) Referring now to FIG. 10, there is shown an example two-dimensional plot of samples obtained from an accelerometer based on the two positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, where the electronic device is worn on the right wrist. The signals received from the x-axis are plotted along the horizontal axis and the samples obtained from the y-axis are plotted along the vertical axis. Other embodiments can produce plots of the x and z axes, and/or the y and z axes. The plot 1000 represents a user moving the electronic device once from the first position 402 to the second position 500 and then back to the first position 402. Thus, the arrow 1004 represents the movement from the first position 402 to the second position 500, while the arrow 1002 represents the movement of the electronic device from the second position 500 to the first position 402.

(43) In contrast, the plot in FIG. 11 represents a user moving the electronic device located on the left wrist once from the third position 600 to the fourth position 700 and then back to the third position 600. Like the plot 1000, the signals received from the x-axis are plotted along the horizontal axis and the samples obtained from the y-axis are plotted along the vertical axis. The arrow 1102 represents the movement from the third position 600 to the fourth position 700 and the arrow 1104 represents the movement of the electronic device from the fourth position 700 to the third position 600. The plot shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. 11 may be analyzed to determine which limb of a user is wearing the electronic device.

(44) Referring now to FIG. 12, there is shown an example histogram of the samples obtained from an accelerometer based on the two positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As described earlier, FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate two positions of an electronic device that is worn on the right wrist. The histogram 1200 is a graphical representation of the distribution of the signals measured along the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis. The histogram can be analyzed to determine which limb of a user is wearing the electronic device.

(45) FIG. 13 illustrates an example histogram of the samples obtained from an accelerometer based on the two positions shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. As described earlier, FIGS. 6 and 7 depict two positions of an electronic device that is worn on the left wrist. Like the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the histogram 1300 is a graphical representation of the distribution of the samples measured along the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis, and the histogram can be analyzed to determine which limb of a user is wearing the electronic device.

(46) Referring now to FIG. 14, there is shown a flowchart of an example method for determining a limb wearing a wearable electronic device. Initially, at least one signal produced by a position sensing device is sampled over a given period of time (block 1400). For example, a signal produced by an accelerometer for the y-axis can be sampled for thirty or sixty seconds, or any other time period. As another example, multiple signals produced by a position sensing device can be sampled for a known period of time. The signal or signals can be sampled periodically or at select times. In some embodiments, the signal(s) can be sampled continuously.

(47) The sampled signal or signals can optionally be buffered or stored in a storage device at block 1402. Next, as shown in block 1404, the signal(s) can be processed. As one example, the signal or signals can be plotted over the given period of time, an example of which is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. As another example, the signal(s) can be represented graphically in a two-dimension or three-dimension plot. Examples of two-dimension plots are shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Still other embodiments may process the samples to generate a histogram, examples of which are shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

(48) The signal or signals are then analyzed to determine which limb of a user is wearing the electronic device (block 1406). In one embodiment, a pattern recognition algorithm can be performed on the signals or processed signals to recognize one or more limb gestures and/or limb positions and classify them as from the right or left limb. Any suitable type of pattern recognition algorithm can be used to recognize the gestures and/or positions. For example, the signal or signals from at least one position sensing device can be classified using the Gaussian Mixture Models in two categories corresponding to the left and right limb (e.g., wrist) wearing the electronic device. The feature vector to be analyzed by the classifier may contain up to three dimensions if, for example, an accelerometer with three axes is used, or up to nine dimensions if an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer, each with 3 axes, are used.

(49) The limb determined to be wearing the electronic device can then be provided to at least one application running on the electronic device, or running remotely and communicating with the electronic device (block 1408). The method can end after the information is provided to an application. For example, the determined limb information can be provided to an application that is performing biomedical or physiological data collection on the user. The data collection can relate to blood pressure, temperature, and/or pulse transit time. Additionally or alternatively, the application can be collecting data to assist in diagnosing peripheral vascular disease, such as peripheral artery disease or peripheral artery occlusion disease. Knowing which limb the data or measurements were collected from assists in diagnosing the disease.

(50) Various embodiments have been described in detail with particular reference to certain features thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. And even though specific embodiments have been described herein, it should be noted that the application is not limited to these embodiments. In particular, any features described with respect to one embodiment may also be used in other embodiments, where compatible. Likewise, the features of the different embodiments may be exchanged, where compatible.