Calibration Techniques for Activity Sensing Devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016007889-A1
Application number	US-201514860879-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 22, 2015
Priority date	May 22, 2006
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Improved techniques and systems to calibrate an electronic device that is providing activity sensing are disclosed. The activity being sensed can, for example, correspond to walking or running by a user. In one embodiment, calibration can be performed by a portable electronic device so that activity data it receives from a remote sensor device can be more accurately processed. The improved techniques and systems to calibrate can be used to monitor, process, present and manage data captured by a remote sensor. The portable electronic device can also offer a convenient user interface that can be visual and/or audio based, customized to a particular application, user-friendly and/or dynamic. The portable electronic device can pertain to a portable media player and thus also provide media playback.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . (canceled)

2 . A method comprising:
receiving, at a portable electronic device, a request from a user to monitor a physical activity using the portable electronic device, the request including an indication of a first distance for which the physical activity is to be performed; receiving, at the portable electronic device and from an activity sensor, activity data measurements corresponding to the physical activity performed by the user; estimating, using existing calibration data and the activity data measurements, a second distance traveled by the user in performing the physical activity; computing a difference between the first distance and the second distance; comparing the difference to a set margin; responsive to the difference being less than the set margin, modifying the existing calibration data based on the activity data measurements; and responsive to the difference being greater than the set margin, discarding the activity data measurements without modifying the existing calibration data.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the portable electronic device is one of a portable media player, a mobile telephone, or a wristwatch and the activity sensor includes a pedometer that is communicatively coupled to the portable electronic device, and
wherein the activity data measurements are received at the portable electronic device from the activity sensor over a wireless connection between the portable electronic device and the activity sensor.

4 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
obtaining, by a computer that is communicatively coupled to the portable electronic device, one or more of the calibration data or the activity data measurements from the portable electronic device; and processing, by the computer, the calibration data or the activity data measurements.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
receiving, at a server, one or more of the calibration data or the activity data measurements from the computer; and processing, by the server, one or more of the calibration data or the activity data measurements received from the computer in conjunction with one or more of additional calibration data or additional activity data measurements corresponding to other portable electronic devices.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
updating, by the server, a default calibration model associated with the portable electronic device or other portable electronic devices based on the processing; and publishing, by the server, information about one or more of physical activity or activity data measurements associated with various devices on a website, wherein the website is accessible by the portable electronic device.

7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the existing calibration data corresponds to a first calibration model associated with the portable electronic device, the method further comprising:
receiving, at the portable electronic device and from one or more additional sensors, data indicating one or more of a characteristic of a wearable associated with the user, or a type of surface on which the physical activity is performed; selecting, from calibration data available at the portable electronic device, the first calibration model based on one or more of the characteristic of the wearable associated with the user or the type of surface on which the physical activity is performed; and modifying the first calibration model based on the activity data measurements.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the wearable includes a shoe worn by the user, and wherein the one or more additional sensors include a sensor coupled to the shoe.

9 . The method of claim 2 , wherein receiving the request from the user comprises receiving a user selection of a type of the physical activity, and wherein receiving the activity data measurements from the activity sensor further comprises:
determining, based on the activity data measurements, whether a current activity type of the user is same as the selected type of the physical activity; and when the current activity type is determined to be different from the selected type of the physical activity, providing a notification to the user that the current activity type is different from the selected type of the physical activity.

10 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the existing calibration data includes first calibration data that is generated from a default calibration model based on previous activity data measurements corresponding to previous physical activity performed by the user at a first pace, and
wherein receiving the activity data measurements from the activity sensor corresponding to the physical activity performed by the user comprises:
receiving, at the portable electronic device and from the activity sensor, the activity data measurements corresponding to the physical activity performed by the user at a second pace that is different from the first pace.

11 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the physical activity includes one of walking or running by the user.

12 . A portable electronic device comprising:
a computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, at the portable electronic device, a request from a user to monitor a physical activity using the portable electronic device, the request including an indication of a first distance for which the physical activity is to be performed;
receiving, at the portable electronic device and from an activity sensor, activity data measurements corresponding to the physical activity performed by the user;
estimating, using existing calibration data and the activity data measurements, a second distance traveled by the user in performing the physical activity;
computing a difference between the first distance and the second distance;
comparing the difference to a set margin;
responsive to the difference being less than the set margin, modifying the existing calibration data based on the activity data measurements; and
responsive to the difference being greater than the set margin, discarding the activity data measurements without modifying the existing calibration data.

13 . The portable electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the portable electronic device is one of a portable media player, a mobile telephone, or a wristwatch and the activity sensor includes a pedometer that is communicatively coupled to the portable electronic device, and
wherein the activity data measurements are received at the portable electronic device from the activity sensor over a wireless connection between the portable electronic device and the activity sensor.

14 . The portable electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the existing calibration data corresponds to a first calibration model associated with the portable electronic device, and wherein the instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations further comprising:
receiving, at the portable electronic device and from one or more additional sensors, data indicating one or more of a characteristic of a wearable associated with the user, or a type of surface on which the physical activity is performed; selecting, from calibration data available at the portable electronic device, the first calibration model based on one or more of the characteristic of the wearable associated with the user or the type of surface on which the physical activity is performed; and modifying the first calibration model based on the activity data measurements

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Ananny John Meron
• Kalayjian Nicholas Robert

Classifications

• H04L67/125

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• A61B5/1118 Primary

  Determining activity level · CPC title

• G01C22/006

  Pedometers · CPC title

• A61B5/112

  Gait analysis · CPC title

• A63B24/0075

  Means for generating exercise programmes or schemes, e.g. computerized virtual trainer, e.g. using expert databases · CPC title