Electronic device and method for determining user's posture using acceleration sensor of wearable electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12372548-B2
Application number	US-202217896460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2022
Priority date	Jan 13, 2021
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

According to certain embodiments, a wearable electronic device comprises: an accelerometer which outputs acceleration data for a movement of the wearable electronic device in real time; an output device which outputs audio or video data; and a processor electrically coupled to the accelerometer and the output device, wherein the processor is configured to: output a first guide using the output device, the first guide commanding a user to keep their head still; output a second guide using the output device, the second guide commanding the user to rotate their head about a predetermined one of a roll, pitch, and yaw axis; and output information on a posture of the user wearing the wearable electronic device, determined based on another acceleration data being output from the accelerometer, after outputting the second guide.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wearable electronic device comprising:
an accelerometer which outputs acceleration data for a movement of the wearable electronic device;
a speaker which outputs audio data;
at least one processor; and
memory storing instructions,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the wearable electronic device to:
output a first guide using the speaker, the first guide commanding a user to keep their head still;
obtain static acceleration data within a preset time after outputting the first guide;
output a second guide using the speaker, the second guide commanding the user to rotate their head about a pitch axis;
obtain dynamic acceleration data within a preset time after outputting the second guide;
determine a roll angle value and a pitch angle value, based on static acceleration data;
estimate a yaw angle value, based on dynamic acceleration data, the roll angle value and the pitch angle value;
correct another acceleration data being output from the accelerometer, based on the roll angle value, the pitch angle value, and the estimated yaw angle value; and
determine the posture of the user wearing the wearable electronic device, based on the corrected another acceleration data.

2. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the posture of the user includes an angle value of lowering a head of the user with respect to a body of the user when the user wears the wearable electronic device.

3. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the wearable electronic device to:
determine a rotation matrix defining a relationship between a roll, pitch and yaw axis of the accelerometer and the roll pitch and yaw axis of the user's head, based on the roll angle value, the pitch angle value, and the estimated yaw angle value; and
convert the another acceleration data to a reference coordinate system by using the rotation matrix to determine the posture of the user wearing the wearable electronic device.

4. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the yaw angle value is determined as a value of which a vibration of the roll angle value is the smallest, or is determined as a value of which a variation of the roll angle value is the smallest and a variation of the pitch angle value is the greatest, for the dynamic duration.

5. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein commanding the user to keep their head still comprises commanding the user to look straight ahead while wearing the wearable electronic device on the user's head, and
wherein commanding the user to rotate their head comprises commanding the user to rotate their head about the pitch axis while wearing the wearable electronic device on the user's head.

6. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the wearable electronic device to:
determine, among yaw angle candidate values between 0 and 360 degrees, a yaw angle candidate value of which a variation of the roll angle value is the smallest while receiving the dynamic acceleration data, or a yaw angle candidate value of which a variation of the roll angle value is the smallest and a variation of the pitch angle value is greatest while receiving the dynamic acceleration data, as the yaw angle value.

7. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the wearable electronic device to:
determine, among yaw angle candidate values between 0 and 90 degrees, one yaw angle candidate value based on a variation of the roll angle value and a sign of the pitch angle value or a variation of the pitch angle value and a sign of the roll angle value while receiving the dynamic acceleration data, and
determine the determined yaw angle candidate value or a value obtained by adding 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees to the determined yaw angle value as the yaw angle value.

8. The wearable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wearable electronic device does not include a gyro sensor and/or a geomagnetic sensor.

9. A method of determining a posture of a user by using an accelerometer of a wearable electronic device, the method comprising:
outputting a first guide using a speaker, the first guide commanding a user to keep their head still;
obtaining static acceleration data within a preset time after outputting the first guide;
outputting a second guide using the speaker, the second guide commanding the user to rotate their head about a pitch axis;
obtaining dynamic acceleration data within a preset time after outputting the second guide;
determining a roll angle value and a pitch angle value, based on static acceleration data;
estimating a yaw angle value, based on dynamic acceleration data, the roll angle value and the pitch angle value;
correcting another acceleration data being output from the accelerometer, based on the roll angle value, the pitch angle value, and the estimated yaw angle value; and
determining the posture of the user wearing the wearable electronic device, based on the corrected another acceleration data.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the posture of the user includes an angle value of lowering a head of the user with respect to a body of the user when the user wears the wearable electronic device.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the correcting of the acceleration data comprises:
determining a rotation matrix defining a relationship between the roll, pitch, and yaw axis of the accelerometer and the roll, pitch, and yaw axis of the user's head, based on the roll angle value, the pitch angle value, and the estimated yaw angle value; and
converting the another acceleration data to a reference coordinate system by using the rotation matrix.

12. The method of claim 9 ,
wherein commanding the user to keep their head still comprises commanding the user to look straight ahead while wearing the wearable electronic device on the user's head, and
wherein commanding the user to rotate their head comprises the user to rotate their head about the pitch axis while wearing the wearable electronic device on the user's head.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the estimating of the yaw angle comprises, among yaw angle candidate values between 0 and 360 degrees, determining a yaw angle candidate value of which a variation of the roll angle value is the smallest while receiving the dynamic acceleration data, or a yaw angle candidate value of which a variation of the roll angle value is the smallest and a variation of the pitch angle value is greatest while receiving the dynamic acceleration data, as the yaw angle value.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the estimating of the yaw angle value comprises:
among yaw angle candidate values between 0 and 90 degrees, determining one yaw angle candidate value, based on a variation of the roll angle value and a sign of the pitch angle value or a variation of the pitch angle value and a sign of the roll angle value while receiving the dynamic acceleration data; and
determining the determined yaw angle candidate value or a value obtained by adding 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees to the determined yaw angle value as the yaw angle value.

15. A wearable electronic device comprising:
an accelerometer which outputs acceleration data for a movement of the wearable electronic device in real time;
a speaker which outputs audio data; and
at least one processor electrically coupled to the accelerometer and the speaker; and

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Wonhee
• Choi Jaehyuk

Classifications

• G06F3/16

  Sound input; Sound output (speech processing G10L) · CPC title

• G06F3/14

  Digital output to display device {; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units} · CPC title

• G06F3/038

  Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry · CPC title

• G06F3/013

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/012

  Head tracking input arrangements · CPC title