Wearable electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016162256-A1
Application number	US-201514943489-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 17, 2015
Priority date	Dec 3, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A wearable electronic device ( 100 ) comprises a sensor ( 1 ) providing a sensor signal (s 1 ), which sensor ( 1 ) is one of a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. A control unit ( 3 ) determines, subject to at least the sensor signal (s 1 ), if the wearable electronic device ( 100 ) is worn by a user, and provides an output signal (t 1 ) indicative of a result of the determination.

First claim

1 . Wearable electronic device, comprising
a sensor providing a sensor signal, which sensor is one of a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor, comprising another sensor providing another sensor signal, which other sensor is one of a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor, wherein the sensor and the other sensor are of the same type, a control unit configured to determine, subject to the sensor signal and the other sensor signal, if the device is worn by a user, and configured to provide an output signal indicative of a result of the determination.

2 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sensor is arranged at a location of the device facing a body part of a user during wearing the device, and wherein the other sensor is arranged at a location of the device exposed to ambient air during wearing.

3 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the location of the sensor and the location of the other sensor reside at opposite sides of the device.

4 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to determine, subject to a comparison between the sensor signal and the other sensor signal, if the device is worn by a user.

5 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor and the other sensor is a temperature sensor, and wherein the sensor and the other sensor are arranged at locations of the device being thermally decoupled from each other.

6 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sensor is a humidity sensor and the other sensor is a humidity sensor, and wherein the sensor and the other sensor are arranged at locations of the device for sensing different air volumes during wearing.

7 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 1 , comprising
a channel in the device ending in at least one opening to the outside, wherein the opening is arranged at a location of the device facing a body part of a user during wearing the device, and wherein the sensor is arranged in the channel at a first distance from the opening and the other sensor is arranged at a second distance from the opening which first distance is less than the second distance.

8 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the sensor and the other sensor are arranged on a circuit board.

9 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to determine, subject to the sensor signal and the other sensor signal, one or more of a heat flux, a relative humidity flux and a sweat rate during a user wearing the device, and is configured to provide a signal indicative of a result of the determination.

10 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to supply the signal to a display of the device for displaying the result of the determination.

11 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the channel is one of a straight channel, an “S”-formed channel, or an “L”-formed channel.

12 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the circuit board is arranged between a first housing part of the device and a second housing part of the device, and preferably wherein at least a portion of the channel is formed by a recess in one of the first and the second housing part and wherein a portion of the circuit board containing the sensor and the other senor faces the recess.

13 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the wearable electronic device comprises an earphone, wherein the channel is provided in a housing of the earphone.

14 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the wearable electronic device includes one of: a hearing aid; an earphone; a headphone; a watch; glasses; a fitness wearable; a safety wearable; a medical wearable; a piece of clothing.

15 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 1 , comprising
a wearable unit comprising the sensor, and a unit remote from the wearable unit, the remote unit comprising the control unit, wherein the wearable unit and the remote unit are connected by means of a wireless or a wired interface, and in particular wherein the wearable unit is one of an earphone and a headphone and the remote unit is one of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a portable computer.

16 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to trigger an action of the device in response to the output signal.

17 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 16 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to trigger one or more of the following actions: powering on or powering off one or more of the device, a component thereof, an application thereof; switching on or switching off a stand-by mode of one or more of the device, a component thereof, an application thereof; stopping or activating logging data from one or more further sensors comprised in the device, in particular wherein the one or more further sensors are medical sensors.

18 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 16 ,
wherein the device comprises one of an earphone and a headphone, and wherein the control unit is configured to one or more of pause or stop an active audio component or application, switch an active audio component or application to an audio output different from the earphone or headphone respectively, in case the result of the determination is that the earphone or the headphone respectively no longer is worn by a user, and preferably wherein the wearable unit comprises the sensor, wherein a unit remote from the wearable unit comprises the control unit, wherein the wearable unit and the remote unit are connected by means of a wireless or a wired interface, and wherein the different audio output is a speaker of the remote unit.

19 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 16 ,
wherein the device comprises one of glasses and a watch, and wherein the control unit is configured to one or more of pause or stop an active video component or application, switch an active video component or application to video output different from the glasses or watch respectively, in case the result of the determination is that the glasses or watch respectively no longer is worn by a user, and preferably wherein the wearable unit comprises the sensor, wherein a unit remote from the wearable unit comprises the control unit, wherein the wearable unit and the remote unit are connected by means of a wireless or a wired interface, and wherein the different video output is a display of the remote unit.

20 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 16 ,
wherein the device comprises an earphone or a headphone, and wherein the control unit is configured to mute a microphone of the device in case the result of the determination is that the earphone or headphone respectively is no longer worn by a user, and preferably wherein the wearable unit comprises the sensor, wherein a unit remote from the wearable unit comprises the control unit, wherein the wearable unit and the remote unit are connected by means of a wireless or a wired interface, and wherein the microphone is arranged in the remote unit.

21 . Wearable electronic device according to claim 16 ,
wherein the device comprises a safety or a medical wearable, and wherein the control unit is configured to generate an alert in c

Assignees

• Sensirion Ag

Inventors

• Komaromi Heiko
• Koller Marcel

Classifications

• H04Q9/00

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title

• G06F3/165 Primary

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title

• A61B5/01 Primary

  Measuring temperature of body parts {; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue} (clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20) · CPC title

• H04R25/603

  of mechanical or electronic switches or control elements · CPC title

• H04M1/72454

  according to context-related or environment-related conditions · CPC title