Authentication management through IMU and radar

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11790693-B2
Application number	US-202217652265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2022
Priority date	Jul 26, 2019
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

This document describes techniques and systems for authentication management through IMU and radar. The techniques and systems use inertial sensor data from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and/or radar data to manage authentication for a computing device. By so doing, the techniques conserve power, improve accuracy, or reduce latency relative to many common techniques and systems for computing-device authentication.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining, during an authenticated state of a user equipment, an intent to disengage with the user equipment, the intent to disengage indicating that a user no longer intends to actively engage with the user equipment, the authenticated state permitting access of data, applications, functions, accounts, or components of the user equipment by the user;
responsive to the determination of the intent to disengage with the user equipment, determining, based on radar data and by the user equipment, a passive engagement by the user with the user equipment, the passive engagement not including an active engagement of the user with the user equipment; and
responsive to the determination of the passive engagement by the user with the user equipment, maintaining the authenticated state of the user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the authenticated state is an unlocked state of the user equipment.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, based on the radar data, that a hand of the user is holding the user equipment at an orientation at which a display of the user equipment is maintained, wherein determining the passive engagement by the user is based on the determination that the hand of the user is holding the user equipment at the orientation at which the display of the user equipment is maintained.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, based on the radar data, that the user is oriented toward or looking toward the user equipment, wherein determining passive engagement by the user is based on the determination that the user is oriented toward or looking toward the user equipment.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, based on the radar data, that the user is within a predetermined threshold distance of the user equipment, wherein determining the passive engagement by the user of the user equipment is based on the determination that the user is within the predetermined threshold distance of the user equipment.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising determining a current location of the user, wherein the predetermined threshold distance is based on the current location of the user.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
beginning an inactivity time period responsive to a last user action with the user equipment; and
determining that the inactivity time period has expired, wherein determining the intent to disengage is based on the determination that the inactivity time period has expired.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, based on inertial data of an inertial measurement unit integral with the user equipment, a movement of the user equipment, wherein determining the intent to disengage is based on the determined movement.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the movement of the user equipment is determined to be ambient movement, and the method further comprises determining that the user does not intend to disengage with the user equipment.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reducing an information state of the user equipment from a high-information state to an intermediate-information state or a low-information state.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein reducing the information state is responsive to determining that the user is oriented away from, or looking away from, the user equipment.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based on the radar data or later-received radar data, an intent to engage of a non-user or a presence of the non-user; and
responsive to the determination of the intent to engage of the non-user or the presence of the non-user, ceasing to maintain the authenticated state.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising returning to the authenticated state responsive to determining that the non-user is no longer present.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising, responsive to the determination of the intent to engage of the non-user or the presence of the non-user, reducing an information state of the user equipment and, responsive to returning to the authenticated state, increasing the information state of the user equipment.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein increasing the information state of the user equipment presents information as presented prior to the reduction of the information state.

16. An apparatus comprising:
a radar system configured to provide a radar field;
an authentication system; and
a processor and memory system coupled with the radar system and the authentication system, the processor configured to:
determine, during an authenticated state of the apparatus and by at least one of a radar manager, a movement manager, or a state manager, an intent to disengage with the apparatus, the intent to disengage indicating that a user no longer intends to actively engage with the apparatus, the authenticated state permitting access of data, applications, functions, accounts, or components of the apparatus by the user;
responsive to the determination of the intent to disengage with the apparatus, determine, based on radar data from the radar system and by the radar manager, a passive engagement by the user with the apparatus, the passive engagement not including an active engagement of the user with the apparatus; and
responsive to the determination of the passive engagement by the user with the apparatus, maintain the authenticated state of the apparatus.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to, prior to the determination of the passive engagement by the user, increase a power state of a component of the radar system from which the radar data is received.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:
the apparatus further comprises an inertial measurement unit; and
the processor is further configured to determine, based on inertial data of the inertial measurement unit, a movement of the apparatus, wherein determining the intent to disengage is based on the determined movement.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to reduce, responsive to a determination that the user is oriented or looking away from the apparatus, an information state of the apparatus from a high-information state to an intermediate-information state or a low-information state.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine, based on the radar data or later-received radar data and by the radar manager, an intent to engage of a non-user or a presence of the non-user; and
responsive to the determination of the intent to engage of the non-user or the presence of the non-user, ceasing to maintain the authenticated state.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Chandel Alok
• Giusti Leonardo
• Tsurkan Artur
• Cinek Selim Flavio
• Prag Johan
• Kugler Tyler Reed
• Moreira Costa Lucas Dupin
• Sachidanandam Vignesh
• Barbello Brandon

Classifications

• G01S7/415

  Identification of targets based on measurements of movement associated with the target · CPC title

• G01S13/86

  Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder · CPC title

• G01S13/88

  Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications (electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00) · CPC title

• G01S13/56

  for presence detection {(presence detection using near field arrangements G01V3/00, e.g. G01V3/08, G01V3/12; burglar, theft or intruder alarms with electrical actuation G08B13/22 - G08B13/26)} · CPC title

• G01S13/42

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S13/46) · CPC title