Indoor detections based on ambient light

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11713997-B2
Application number	US-202017425192-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2020
Priority date	Jan 22, 2019
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods and devices for indoor-outdoor detection. One example computer-implemented method for indoor-outdoor detection by an electronic device includes receiving, from an ambient light sensor in the electronic device, light intensity data. The electronic device determines an indoor-outdoor feature indicator based on the light intensity data. The electronic device determines whether the electronic device is in an indoor environment or an outdoor environment based on the indoor-outdoor feature indicator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method performed by an electronic device for indoor-outdoor detection, comprising:
receiving light intensity data from an ambient light sensor in the electronic device;
determining, by one or more hardware processors in the electronic device, an indoor-outdoor feature indicator based on the light intensity data;
receiving proximity data from a proximity sensor in the electronic device;
determining, by the one or more hardware processors, an out-of-pocket indicator based on the proximity data; and
determining, by the one or more hardware processors, whether the electronic device is in an indoor environment or an outdoor environment based on the indoor-outdoor feature indicator and the out-of-pocket indicator.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from a motion sensor in the electronic device, motion data; and
determining, by the electronic device, a motion activity indicator based on the motion data, wherein determining whether the electronic device is in the indoor environment or the outdoor environment is further based on the motion activity indicator.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the motion sensor is one of an accelerometer, a gyro sensor, or a magnetometer.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a plurality of indoor-outdoor feature indicators, wherein determining whether the electronic device is in the indoor environment or the outdoor environment is based on the plurality of indoor-outdoor feature indicators.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining the indoor-outdoor feature indicator based on the light intensity data comprises:
determining, based on the light intensity data, a general spectral energy value;
determining, based on the light intensity data, a spectral energy value of a first frequency region;
determining a first indoor-outdoor feature parameter based on a ratio between the spectral energy value of the first frequency region and the general spectral energy value;
determining, based on the light intensity data, a spectral energy value of a second frequency region;
determining a second indoor-outdoor feature parameter based on a ratio between the spectral energy value of the second frequency region and the general spectral energy value; and
determining the indoor-outdoor feature indicator based on the first indoor-outdoor feature parameter and the second indoor-outdoor feature parameter.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the first frequency region is associated with a frequency of alternating current.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the second frequency region is associated with natural light.

8. An electronic device, comprising:
an ambient light sensor;
a non-transitory memory storage comprising instructions; and
one or more hardware processors in communication with the memory storage, wherein the one or more hardware processors execute the instructions to:
receive, from the ambient light sensor, light intensity data;
determine an indoor-outdoor feature indicator based on the light intensity data; receive, from a proximity sensor in the electronic device, proximity data; determine an out-of-pocket indicator based on the proximity data; and
determine whether the electronic device is in an indoor environment or an outdoor environment based on the indoor-outdoor feature indicator and the out-of-pocket indicator.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein the one or more hardware processors further execute the instructions to:
receive, from a motion sensor in the electronic device, motion data; and
determine a motion activity indicator based on the motion data, wherein determining whether the electronic device is in the indoor environment or the outdoor environment is further based on the motion activity indicator.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the motion sensor is one of an accelerometer, a gyro sensor, or a magnetometer.

11. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein the one or more hardware processors further execute the instructions to:
determine a plurality of indoor-outdoor feature indicators, wherein determining whether the electronic device is in the indoor environment or the outdoor environment is based on the plurality of indoor-outdoor feature indicators.

12. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein the one or more hardware processors execute the instructions to determine the indoor-outdoor feature indicator based on the light intensity data comprises the one or more hardware processors execute the instructions to:
determine, based on the light intensity data, a general spectral energy value;
determine, based on the light intensity data, a spectral energy value of a first frequency region;
determine a first indoor-outdoor feature parameter based on a ratio between the spectral energy value of the first frequency region and the general spectral energy value;
determine, based on the light intensity data, a spectral energy value of a second frequency region;
determine a second indoor-outdoor feature parameter based on a ratio between the spectral energy value of the second frequency region and the general spectral energy value; and
determine the indoor-outdoor feature indicator based on the first indoor-outdoor feature parameter and the second indoor-outdoor feature parameter.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12 , wherein the first frequency region is associated with a frequency of alternating current.

14. The electronic device according to claim 12 , wherein the second frequency region is associated with natural light.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer instructions, that when executed by one or more hardware processors in an electronic device, cause the one or more hardware processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from an ambient light sensor in the electronic device, light intensity data;
determining, by the one or more hardware processors in the electronic device, an indoor-outdoor feature indicator based on the light intensity data; receive, from a proximity sensor in the electronic device, proximity data; determine an out-of-pocket indicator based on the proximity data; and
determining, by the one or more hardware processors, whether the electronic device is in an indoor environment or an outdoor environment based on the indoor-outdoor feature indicator and the out-of-pocket indicator.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprises:
receiving, from a motion sensor in the electronic device, motion data; and
determining, by the electronic device, a motion activity indicator based on the motion data, wherein determining whether the electronic device is in the indoor environment or the outdoor environment is further based on the motion activity indicator.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 16 , wherein the motion sensor is one of an accelerometer, a gyro sensor, or a magnetometer.

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Xu Yurong
• Yang Jun

Classifications

• G01J1/4204 Primary

  with determination of ambient light (solar light G01J2001/4266) · CPC title

• G01J1/44

  Electric circuits {(for command of an exposure part G03B7/02)} · CPC title

• G01J5/60

  using determination of colour temperature · CPC title

• H05B47/11

  by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light · CPC title

• H05B47/13

  by using passive infrared detectors · CPC title