Display viewing detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10119864-B2
Application number	US-201414444206-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2014
Priority date	Mar 11, 2014
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

In embodiments of display viewing detection, a presence module, implemented on an electronic device, enables a first sensor to detect an object responsive to detecting audio via one or more microphones of the electronic device. The first sensor generates data that is used by the presence module to determine that the object is within a viewing range of the electronic device and that movement of the object is below a predetermined threshold. The presence module then enables at least a second sensor to confirm the object is viewing a display of the electronic device. When the object is detected by the second sensor, the presence module enables the display for viewing by the object.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method carried out by an electronic device that includes one or more microphones and a first sensor, the method comprising:
detecting, by the one or more microphones, audio indicating a presence of a user;
in response to detecting the audio indicating the presence of the user, enabling the first sensor to detect the user;
determining that the user is within a viewing range of the electronic device based at least in part on data received from the first sensor;
determining a pause in a movement of the user by determining that the movement of the user is below a predetermined threshold based at least in part on the data received from the first sensor;
in response to determining that the user is within the viewing range of the electronic device and in response to determining the pause in the movement of the user, enabling at least one second sensor of the electronic device to confirm the user is viewing a display of the electronic device; and
enabling the display of the electronic device for viewing by the user when the user is detected by the at least one second sensor.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein prior to detecting the audio, the method further comprises determining that the electronic device is stationary based on data received from an accelerometer, wherein the first sensor and the at least one second sensor are disabled when the electronic device is stationary.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first sensor comprises a wide beam heat sensor.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 , wherein the wide-beam heat sensor comprises multiple heat sensors.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 , further comprising adjusting a coverage of the wide beam heat sensor by enabling and disabling different ones of the multiple heat sensors, wherein the adjusting is based on a distance of the user from the electronic device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one second sensor comprises a narrow-beam heat sensor.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one second sensor comprises a narrow-beam infrared sensor.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one second sensor comprises an imager to recognize the user who is an actual owner of the electronic device.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein enabling the at least one second sensor comprises:
enabling a first narrow-beam sensor;
when the user is detected by the first narrow-beam sensor, enabling a second narrow-beam sensor; and
wherein enabling the display further comprises enabling the display of the electronic device for viewing when the user is detected by both the first narrow-beam sensor and the second narrow-beam sensor.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 , wherein the second narrow-beam sensor is not enabled when the user is not detected by the first narrow-beam sensor.

11. The method as recited in claim 9 , wherein the first narrow-beam sensor comprises a narrow-beam infrared sensor, and wherein the second narrow-beam sensor comprises a narrow-beam heat sensor.

12. The method as recited in claim 9 , wherein the first narrow-beam sensor comprises a narrow-beam heat sensor, and wherein the second narrow-beam sensor comprises a narrow-beam infrared sensor.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein detecting the user by the at least one second sensor comprises enabling an imager to confirm that the at least one second sensor has detected a face of the user.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein enabling the display comprises one or more of powering on the display, lighting up the display, and rendering information on the display.

15. An electronic device, comprising:
one or more microphones configured to detect audio indicating a presence of a user;
a wide-beam sensor configured to detect the user and generate data based on the user;
a narrow-beam sensor configured to detect the user and generate data based on the user;
a display having one or more portions for viewing by the user; and
at least a memory and a processor to implement a presence module, the presence module configured to:
detect the audio indicating the presence of the user via the one or more microphones;
in response to detecting the audio indicating the presence of the user, enable the wide-beam sensor to detect the user;
determine that the user is within a viewing range of the electronic device based on the data from the wide-beam sensor;
determine a pause in a movement of the user by determining that the movement of the user is below a predetermined threshold based on the data from the wide-beam sensor;

in response to determining that the user is within the viewing range of the electronic device and in response to determining the pause in the movement of the user, enable the narrow-beam sensor to detect the user; and
enable at least one of the one or more portions of the display in response to the narrow-beam sensor detecting the user.

16. The electronic device as recited in claim 15 , further comprising an accelerometer, wherein the presence module is further configured to, prior to enabling the wide beam sensor, determine that the electronic device is stationary based on data received from the accelerometer, wherein the wide-beam sensor and the narrow-beam sensor are disabled when the electronic device is stationary.

17. The electronic device as recited in claim 15 , wherein the presence module is configured to enable the narrow-beam sensor by enabling a narrow-beam infrared sensor and a narrow-beam heat sensor, and wherein the presence module is configured to enable the display for viewing when the user is detected by both the narrow-beam infrared sensor and the narrow-beam heat sensor.

18. The electronic device as recited in claim 15 , wherein the presence module is configured to enable the narrow-beam sensor to confirm the user is viewing the display of the electronic device by:
enabling a first narrow-beam sensor;
when the user is detected by the first narrow-beam sensor, enabling a second narrow-beam sensor; and
wherein enabling the display further comprises enabling the display of the electronic device for viewing when the user is detected by both the first narrow-beam sensor and the second narrow-beam sensor.

19. The electronic device as recited in claim 18 , wherein the presence module does not enable the second narrow-beam sensor when the user is not detected by the first narrow-beam sensor.

20. A method carried out by an electronic device, the method comprising:
detecting an audio signal indicating a presence of a user via one or more microphones of the electronic device;
in response to detecting the audio signal indicating the presence of the user, detecting the user at a wide-beam sensor and generating data based on the user;
determining that the user is within a viewing range of the electronic device based on the data from the wide-beam sensor;
determining a pause in a movement of the user by determining that the movement of the user is below a predetermined threshold based on the data from the wide-beam sensor;
in response to determining that the user is within the viewing range of the electronic device and in response to determining the pause in the movement of the user, enabling a narrow-beam sensor to detect the user, and
enabling one or more portions of a display of the electronic device in response to the narrow-beam sensor detecting the user.

Assignees

• Google Technology Holdings LLC

Inventors

• Alameh Rachid M
• Hede William S
• Watanabe Hisashi D

Classifications

• H04M1/67

  by electronic means · CPC title

• G06F1/1694

  the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer · CPC title

• G06F1/3231

  Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users · CPC title

• G01J2005/106

  Arrays · CPC title

• H04R1/08

  Mouthpieces; {Microphones;} Attachments therefor · CPC title