Ambient Light Determination Using Physiological Metric Sensor Data

A wearable computing device, comprising:

• an electronic display with a configurable brightness level setting;
• a physiological metric sensor system comprising a light source configured to direct light into tissue of a user when the user is wearing the wearable computing device and a light detector configured to detect light from the light source that reflects back from the user;
• and
• control circuitry configured to:
• turn the light source on and off;
• collect data via the light detector at least while the light source is off to provide information for evaluation relative to an ambient light level;
• and
• modify the configurable brightness level setting of the electronic display based at least in part on the ambient light level.

A method of managing power in a wearable computing device, the wearable computing device having an electronic display with a configurable brightness level setting, a light source configured to direct light into tissue of a user when the user is wearing the wearable computing device, and a light detector configured to detect light from the light source that reflects back from the user, the method comprising:

• turning the light source on and off;
• collecting data via the light detector at least while the light source is off to provide information for evaluation relative to an ambient light level;
• and
• modifying the configurable brightness level setting of the electronic display based at least in part on the ambient light level.