US 12,436,276 B1Granted

Coordinating presence detection and proximity sensing using ultrasonic signals

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsHarsha Inna Kedage Rao, Vamshi Krishna Chillara, Krishna Kamath Koteshwara, Trausti Thor Kristjansson

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Abstract

Techniques for user devices to coordinate the emission of ultrasonic signals on behalf of different ultrasonic applications running on the user devices. User devices may have an ultrasonic front end that provides various ultrasonic applications, such as presence detection and proximity sensing, sleep monitoring, temperature and humidity sensing, and heartbeat monitoring. To perform the different functions, the ultrasonic applications use active sensing, or the transmission of ultrasonic signals to collect data about the environments around the user devices. However, the ultrasonic applications often use specific ultrasonic signals having different waveforms in order to collect the data used for their specific functionality. The ultrasonic front end may perform techniques to coordinate mutually exclusive emissions of the ultrasonic signals on behalf of the different ultrasonic applications based on various considerations, such as application priorities, operating schedules of the applications, and applications that can use the same waveform to collect data.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A user device comprising:

a microphone;
a loudspeaker;
one or more processors;
and
one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
causing the loudspeaker to emit a continuous ultrasonic signal for a first period of time into an environment of the user device, the continuous ultrasonic signal being usable to detect moving objects in the environment;
receiving a reflected signal corresponding to the continuous ultrasonic signal, the reflected signal originating at an object in the environment;
generating, at least partly using the microphone, audio data representing the reflected signal;
determining, using the audio data, that the object is in motion;
stopping emitting the continuous ultrasonic signal for a second period of time;
causing the loudspeaker to emit a first pulsed ultrasonic signal during the second period of time, the first pulsed ultrasonic signal being usable to determine a distance between the object and the user device;
receiving, at the microphone, a first reflected signal of the first pulsed ultrasonic signal off the object in the environment;
determining first energy of the first reflected signal;
causing the loudspeaker to emit a second pulsed ultrasonic signal into the environment at a first time during the second period of time;
receiving, at the microphone and at a second time, a second reflected signal of the second pulsed ultrasonic signal off the object;
determining second energy of second first reflected signal;
determining, based at least in part on the first energy being different than the second energy, that the object is moving in the environment;
and
determining, based at least in part on a difference between the first time and the second time, and a speed of sound value, the distance between the user device and the object.

16 more elements

A method comprising, by a computing device:

causing a loudspeaker of the computing device to emit a continuous ultrasonic signal into an environment of the computing device for a first period of time;
receiving a first reflected signal corresponding to the continuous ultrasonic signal, the first reflected signal originating at an object in the environment;
generating audio data representing the first reflected signal;
determining, using the audio data, that the object is in motion;
causing the loudspeaker to stop emitting the continuous ultrasonic signal for a second period of time;
causing the loudspeaker to emit a pulsed ultrasonic signal into the environment at a first time during the second period of time;
receiving at a second time, a second reflected signal corresponding to the pulsed ultrasonic signal, the second reflected signal originating at the object;
determining, based at least in part on the first time and the second time, a distance between the computing device and the object.

5 more elements

A computing device comprising:

a loudspeaker;
a microphone
one or more processors;
and
one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
causing the loudspeaker to emit a continuous ultrasonic signal into an environment of the computing device for a first period of time;
generating, at least partly using the microphone, audio data representing a reflected signal corresponding to the continuous ultrasonic signal, the reflected signal originating at an object in the environment;
determining, using the audio data, that the object is in motion;
causing the loudspeaker to stop emitting the continuous ultrasonic signal for a second period of time;
and
causing the loudspeaker to emit a pulsed ultrasonic signal into the environment at a first time and during the second period of time, the pulsed ultrasonic signal being usable to determine a distance between the object and the computing device.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.