Head orientation tracking
AssigneeBose Corporation
InventorsThomas Claude Bernard Landemaine, Andrew Farrell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Various implementations include devices, systems and approaches for tracking user orientation. In some cases, a wearable audio device includes: an electro-acoustic transducer for providing an audio output; an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for indicating motion of the wearable audio device; a set of distance sensors; and a controller coupled with the electro-acoustic transducer, the IMU and the set of distance sensors, the controller configured to: determine an orientation of a user of the wearable audio device based on the indication of motion from the IMU; verify the orientation of the user as detected by the IMU, using data from the set of distance sensors; and execute an orientation-based action in response to verifying the orientation of the user.
Claims20
A wearable audio device, comprising:
- an electro-acoustic transducer for providing an audio output;
- an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for indicating motion of the wearable audio device;
- a set of distance sensors;
- and
- a controller coupled with the electro-acoustic transducer, the IMU and the set of distance sensors, the controller configured to:
- determine an orientation of a user of the wearable audio device based on the indication of motion from the IMU;
- verify the orientation of the user as detected by the IMU, using data from the set of distance sensors, wherein verifying the orientation of the user corrects for drift in the indicated motion from the IMU and comprises:
- receiving motion data from the IMU indicating that the user is in a first orientation,
- receiving the data from the distance sensors, wherein the data from the distance sensors comprises two sets of distance data each indicating a relative position of a distinct section of the wearable audio device to a reference position, and
- verifying that the user is in the first orientation in response to the motion data from the IMU and the data from the distance sensors corresponding to the first orientation;
- and
- execute an orientation-based action in response to verifying the orientation of the user.
A system, comprising:
- a wearable audio device, comprising:
- an electro-acoustic transducer for providing an audio output;
- an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for indicating motion of the wearable audio device;
- and
- a controller coupled with the electro-acoustic transducer and the IMU;
- and
- a set of distance sensors in communication with the controller,
- wherein the controller is configured to:
- determine an orientation of a user of the wearable audio device based on the indication of motion from the IMU;
- verify the orientation of the user as detected by the IMU, using data from the set of distance sensors, wherein verifying the orientation of the user corrects for drift in the indicated motion from the IMU and comprises:
- receiving motion data from the IMU indicating that the user is in a first orientation,
- receiving the data from the distance sensors, wherein the data from the distance sensors comprises two sets of distance data each indicating a relative position of a distinct section of the wearable audio device to a reference position, and
- either:
- a) verifying that the user is in the first orientation in response to the motion data from the IMU and the data from the distance sensors corresponding to the first orientation, or
- b) refusing to verify that the user is in the first orientation in response to the data from the distance sensors corresponding to a second, distinct orientation;
- and
- execute an orientation-based action at the wearable audio device in response to verifying the orientation of the user.
A computer-implemented method of controlling a wearable audio device, the method comprising:
- verifying an orientation of a user of the wearable audio device as determined from motion detected by an inertial measurement unit (IMU) located at the wearable audio device, wherein the verifying comprises comparing data about the determined orientation of the user against data from a set of distance sensors, wherein verifying the orientation of the user corrects for drift in the indicated motion from the IMU and comprises:
- receiving motion data from the IMU indicating that the user is in a first orientation,
- receiving the data from the distance sensors, wherein the data from the distance sensors comprises two sets of distance data each indicating a relative position of a distinct section of the wearable audio device to a reference position, and
- either:
- a) verifying that the user is in the first orientation in response to the motion data from the IMU and the data from the distance sensors corresponding to the first orientation, or b) refusing to verify that the user is in the first orientation in response to the data from the distance sensors corresponding to a second, distinct orientation;
- and
- executing an orientation-based action at the wearable audio device in response to verifying the orientation of the user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.