Obtaining health insights using input device

Abstract

The invention relates to obtaining health insights using an input device. A system including a stylus having an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a force / touch / temperature sensor on its side and / or tip in conjunction with a force / touch sensor on a tablet computing device or a sensor on a watch is disclosed, the system obtaining a measurement result, such as stylus grip pressure, tilt and touch position, stylus tip pressure, stylus motion, and user temperature. These measurements may be obtained by daily use of the stylus, and in other cases, a user may be prompted to perform certain tasks to facilitate data collection. Using these measurements, user profile and baseline profile data may be established and tracked over time, which may include parameters such as tremor magnitude and grip strength. Deviations from the baseline profile data may be calculated, and when those deviations exceed a threshold, an alarm or other health insight may be presented to the user.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 517,838, filed on August 4, 2023, and U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 787,641, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] This relates generally to assessing a person's health status, and more specifically to providing health insights to users of input devices (such as styluses). Background Art

[0004] A person's health status may be difficult to assess, especially when symptoms of decline or improvement occur gradually. Specific tests (such as those prescribed by a health care provider) are typically administered sporadically or once-only on an as-needed basis, and therefore may not detect a gradual decline or improvement in a person's health status. Furthermore, because such tests are typically performed with the person fully aware, they may be subject to unintentional and subtle changes in the person's behavior, which may lead to inaccurate results. Summary of the invention

[0005] Styluses have become a popular input device for touch-sensitive devices. Touching or hovering a stylus on a touch-sensitive device at a location typically indicated by a user interface (UI) displayed by the touch-sensitive device may allow a user to perform various functions. Generally speaking, the touch-sensitive device may recognize a stylus touch or hover event and the location of the event on the touch panel, and the computing system may then interpret the event based on the display content that appears when the event occurs, and may then perform one or more actions based on the event. Because styluses have become increasingly common as handheld input devices for daily use and relatively long periods of use, they may be good candidates for helping capture health-related data and providing health insights to users.

[0006] Some examples of the present disclosure relate to a stylus that includes one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs), gyroscopes, accelerometers, and / or force / touch / temperature sensors on its sides and / or tip, in some cases in conjunction with force / touch sensors on a tablet computing device or sensors on a watch, to obtain measurements such as stylus grip pressure, tilt and touch location, stylus tip pressure, stylus motion, and user temperature. In some cases, these measurements can be obtained through daily use of the stylus, while in other cases, the user can be prompted to perform certain tasks (e.g., draw a specific outline, shape, or letter) to assist in data collection. Using these measurements, a user profile and baseline profile data can be established and tracked over time, which can include health parameters such as tremor amplitude and grip strength. Deviations from the baseline profile data can be calculated and monitored, and when those deviations exceed a certain threshold, an alert or other health insight can be presented to the user. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figures 1A to 1E Examples of systems according to some examples of the present disclosure are illustrated, the system including an input device (such as a stylus) and a device having a touch screen or touch-sensitive surface that can accept input from the input device, wherein the system can provide health insights to a user based on data obtained through contact between the user and the input device.

[0008] Figure 2 A block diagram of a system including a base device and an input device for providing health insights to a user according to some examples of the present disclosure is illustrated, wherein the input device includes an optional optical sensor.

[0009] Figure 3 A block diagram of an input device in the form of a stylus for providing health insights to a user according to some examples of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0010] Figure 4A A perspective view of a system according to some examples of the present disclosure is illustrated, the system including an input device in the form of a stylus, an optional base device in the form of a tablet computing device, and an optional wearable device in the form of a watch for providing health insights to a user.

[0011] Figure 4B Illustrated is a perspective view of an input device in the form of a stylus held in a user's hand for providing health insights to the user according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 5A Recognition of single characters for providing health insights to users according to some examples of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 5BTwo different contour tracking tasks for providing health insights to users according to some examples of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0014] Figure 6 A functional block diagram of data collection for user profile generation and maintenance described above is illustrated according to some examples of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 7 A flow chart for generating user health insights using an input device, such as a stylus, according to some examples of the present disclosure is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] In the following description of the examples, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings which form a part of the following description and in which are shown by way of example specific examples that can be implemented. It should be understood that other examples can be used and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosed examples.

[0017] Some examples of the present disclosure relate to a stylus that includes one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs), gyroscopes, accelerometers, and / or force / touch / temperature sensors on its sides and / or tip, in some cases in conjunction with force / touch sensors on a tablet computing device or sensors on a watch, to obtain measurements such as stylus grip pressure, tilt and touch location, stylus tip pressure, stylus motion, and user temperature. In some cases, these measurements can be obtained through daily use of the stylus, while in other cases, the user can be prompted to perform certain tasks (e.g., draw a specific outline, shape, or letter) to assist in data collection. Using these measurements, a user profile and baseline profile data can be established and tracked over time, which can include health parameters such as tremor amplitude and grip strength. Deviations from the baseline profile data can be calculated and monitored, and when those deviations exceed a certain threshold, an alert or other health insight can be presented to the user.

[0018] Figures 1A to 1E Examples of systems according to some examples of the present disclosure are illustrated, the system including an input device (such as a stylus) and a device having a touch screen or touch-sensitive surface that can accept input from the input device, wherein the system can provide health insights to a user based on data obtained through contact between the user and the input device. Figure 1A An exemplary mobile phone 100 including a touch screen 102 is illustrated according to some examples of the present disclosure, which can accept input from an input device 114 (such as a stylus) and can provide health insights to the user from data obtained through contact between the user and the input device. Figure 1BAn exemplary digital media player 104 including a touch screen 102 is illustrated according to some examples of the present disclosure, which can accept input from an input device 114 (such as a stylus) and can provide health insights to the user from data obtained through contact between the user and the input device. Figure 1C An exemplary personal computer 106 according to some examples of the present disclosure is illustrated, the exemplary personal computer including a touch screen 102 and a touch pad 108, which can accept input from an input device 114 (such as a stylus) and can provide health insights to the user from data obtained through contact between the user and the input device. Figure 1D An exemplary tablet computing device 110 according to some examples of the present disclosure is illustrated, the exemplary tablet computing device including a touch screen 102 that can accept input from an input device 114 (such as a stylus) and can provide health insights to a user from data obtained through contact between the user and the input device. Figure 1E An exemplary wearable device 112 (e.g., a watch) according to some examples of the present disclosure is illustrated, the exemplary wearable device including a touch screen 102 that can accept input from an input device 114 (such as a stylus) and can provide health insights to the user from data obtained through contact between the user and the input device. Note that although Figures 1A to 1E The illustrated device includes a touch screen, but in some examples, the device may also have a non-touch-sensitive display. In other examples, an input device (such as a stylus) may be used in conjunction with a device that does not employ a touch screen or touch-sensitive surface (such as a head-mounted display that presents a 3D environment to a user).

[0019] It should be understood that Figures 1A to 1E The devices illustrated in the system are provided as non-limiting examples only. According to various examples of the present disclosure, other devices that can accept input from the input device 114 and provide health insights to the user through data obtained by the user's contact with the input device can be envisioned. In addition, although Figures 1A to 1E The input device 114 is illustrated as a stylus, but other handheld or wearable input devices capable of receiving continuous user contact (such as earbuds, headphones, head-mounted devices, smart glasses, headbands, watches, computer mice, remote controls, chest straps, wristbands, rings, etc.) also fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0020] In some examples, the touch screen 102 may be based on self-capacitance. A touch system based on self-capacitance may include a matrix of small, individual plates of conductive material or groups of individual plates of conductive material that form a larger conductive area, which may be referred to as a touch electrode or referred to as a touch node electrode. For example, a touch screen may include a plurality of individual touch electrodes, each of which identifies or represents a unique location on the touch screen where a touch or proximity is to be sensed (e.g., a touch node), and each touch node electrode is electrically isolated from other touch node electrodes in the touch screen / panel. Such a touch screen may be referred to as a pixelated self-capacitance touch screen, although it should be understood that in some examples, the touch node electrodes on the touch screen may be used to perform scans other than self-capacitance scans (e.g., mutual capacitance scans) on the touch screen. During operation, an alternating current (AC) waveform may be used to excite the touch node electrodes, and the self-capacitance of the touch node electrodes to ground may be measured. When an object approaches the touch node electrode, the self-capacitance of the touch node electrode to ground may change (e.g., increase). The change in the self-capacitance of the touch node electrode may be detected and measured by the touch sensing system to determine the positions of multiple objects when the multiple objects touch or approach the touch screen. In some examples, the touch node electrodes of the self-capacitance based touch system can be formed by rows and columns of conductive material, and similar to the above, the changes in the self-capacitance of the rows and columns to ground can be detected. In some examples, the touch screen can be multi-touch, single-touch, projection scanning, full-imaging multi-touch, capacitive touch, etc.

[0021] In some examples, the touch screen 102 may be based on mutual capacitance. A touch system based on mutual capacitance may include electrodes arranged as drive lines and sense lines, which may cross each other on different layers (in a double-sided configuration), or may be adjacent to each other on the same layer. The crossing or adjacent location may form a touch node. During operation, the drive line may be stimulated with an AC waveform, and the mutual capacitance of the touch node may be measured. When an object approaches the touch node, the mutual capacitance of the touch node may change (e.g., decrease). This change in the mutual capacitance of the touch node may be detected and measured by the touch sensing system to determine the location of multiple objects when the multiple objects touch or approach the touch screen. As described herein, in some examples, a touch system based on mutual capacitance may form touch nodes from a matrix of small, separate plates of conductive material.

[0022] In some examples, the touch screen 102 may be based on mutual capacitance and / or self-capacitance. The electrodes may be arranged as a matrix of small, individual plates of conductive material, or arranged as drive lines and sense lines, or arranged in another pattern. The electrodes may be configured for mutual capacitance or self-capacitance sensing, or a combination of mutual capacitance sensing and self-capacitance sensing. For example, in one operating mode, the electrodes may be configured to sense mutual capacitance between electrodes, and in a different operating mode, the electrodes may be configured to sense the self-capacitance of the electrodes. In some examples, some of the electrodes may be configured to sense mutual capacitance between each other, and some of the electrodes may be configured to sense their self-capacitance.

[0023] Figure 2 216 (corresponding to Figures 1A to 1E 2) and an input device 214, wherein the input device includes an optional optical sensor 218 according to some examples of the present disclosure. The base device 216 can receive input from the input device 214 and present content generated for display using the input device, such as writing or drawing with a stylus. Additionally, the base device 216 can receive input from the input device 214 and maintain an overview of the user's data for determining and providing health insights to the user. Note that Figure 2 The block diagrams are merely exemplary, and some of the blocks may be optional.

[0024] In some examples, the base device 216 may include a touch screen 202 for displaying images and detecting touch and / or proximity (e.g., hover) events from an object (e.g., input device 214) at or near a surface of the touch screen. In some examples, the touch screen 202 may be configured to display content generated using the input device 214 (e.g., content generated by writing or drawing on the touch screen using a stylus). In some examples, the base device 216 may include a non-touch-sensitive display configured to display content generated using the input device 214 (e.g., writing or drawing on a non-touch-sensitive surface using an object).

[0025] In some examples, the base device 216 may include a power source 220 (e.g., an energy storage device such as a battery), a host processor 222, program storage 224 and / or memory 226, wireless communication circuitry 228, and optional sensors 230. The host processor 222 may control some or all of the operations of the base device 216. The host processor 222 may communicate directly or indirectly with some or all of the other components of the base device 216. For example, a system bus or other communication mechanism may provide communication between the power source 220, the host processor 222, the touch screen 202, the program storage 224, the memory 226, the wireless communication circuitry 228, and the sensors 230.

[0026] The host processor 222 may be implemented as any electronic component capable of processing, receiving, or sending data or instructions, whether such data or instructions are in the form of software or firmware or otherwise encoded. For example, the host processor 222 may include a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a controller, or a combination of such components. As used herein, the term "processor" or "processing circuit" is intended to cover a single processor or processing unit, multiple processors, multiple processing units, or other appropriately configured one or more computing elements.

[0027] The host processor 222 can receive touch input from the touch screen 202 or other input device, and perform actions based on the output. For example, the host processor 222 can be connected to the program storage device 224 (and / or the memory 226) and the display controller / driver for generating images on the touch screen 202. The touch screen 202 includes, but is not limited to, a liquid crystal display (LCD) display, a light emitting diode (LED) display (including an organic LED (OLED), an active matrix organic LED (AMOLED), a passive matrix organic LED (PMOLED) display), a projector, a holographic projector, a retinal projector, or other suitable displays. In some examples, the display driver can provide a voltage to each pixel transistor on a select (e.g., gate) line, and can provide data signals to these same transistors along a data line to control the pixels of the touch screen 202 to display an image.

[0028] The host processor 222 may cause an image to be displayed on the touch screen 202, such as a displayed image of a user interface (UI) or a displayed image of content generated using the input device 214, and may use a touch processor and / or a touch controller to detect a touch on or near the touch screen, such as a touch input at the displayed UI. The touch input may be used by a computer program stored in the program storage device 224 to perform an action, which may include, but is not limited to: moving an object (such as a cursor or pointer), scrolling or panning, adjusting a control setting, opening a file or document, viewing a menu, making a selection, executing an instruction, operating a peripheral device connected to the host device, answering a phone call, placing a phone call, terminating a phone call, changing volume or audio settings, storing information related to telephone communications (such as addresses, frequently dialed numbers, received calls, missed calls), logging into a computer or computer network, allowing authorized individuals to access restricted areas of a computer or computer network, loading a user profile associated with a preferred arrangement of a user's computer desktop, allowing access to web page content, launching a specific program, encrypting or decoding a message, etc. The host processor 222 may also create, maintain, and analyze a user profile (e.g., a user's hand profile) based on data received from the input device 214, track deltas from baseline values ​​in the profile, and generate alerts or provide other health insights to the user when the deltas exceed a predetermined threshold. The host processor 222 may also perform additional functions that may not be related to touch processing.

[0029] It should be noted that one or more of the functions described in the present disclosure may be performed by firmware stored in the memory 226 and / or stored in the program storage device 224 and executed by the host processor 222 or other processing circuits of the basic device 216. The firmware may also be stored and / or transmitted in any non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device or equipment (such as a computer-based system, a system containing a processor, or other system that can obtain instructions from the instruction execution system, device or equipment and execute the instructions). In the context of this document, a "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium" may be any medium (excluding signals) that can contain or store a program for use or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device or equipment. In some examples, the program storage device 224 and / or the memory 226 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (or multiple non-transitory computer-readable storage media) may have instructions stored therein, which, when executed by the host processor 222 or other processing circuits, may cause the basic device 216 to perform one or more functions and methods of one or more examples of the present disclosure. The computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor system, apparatus or device, a portable computer disk (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM) (magnetic), a read-only memory (ROM) (magnetic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) (magnetic), a portable optical disk (such as a CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R or DVD-RW), or a flash memory (such as a compact flash card, a secure digital card, a universal serial bus (USB) memory device, a memory stick, etc.).

[0030] The firmware may also be transmitted in any transmission medium for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device or apparatus (such as a computer-based system, a system including a processor, or other system that can obtain instructions from an instruction execution system, device or apparatus and execute the instructions). In the context of this article, a "transmission medium" can be any medium that can transmit, propagate or transport a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device or apparatus. The transmission medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic or infrared wired or wireless transmission media.

[0031] The power supply 220 may be implemented as any component capable of providing energy to the base device 216. For example, the power supply 220 may include one or more batteries or rechargeable batteries. Additionally or alternatively, the power supply 220 may include a power connector or power cord that connects the base device 216 to another power source, such as a wall outlet.

[0032] The memory 226 can store electronic data that can be used by the base device 216. For example, the memory 226 can store electronic data or content, such as, for example, force sensing data, touch data, acceleration data, velocity data, audio files and video files, documents and applications, device settings and user preferences, timing signals, control signals, and data structures or databases. The memory 226 can include any type of memory. By way of example only, the memory 226 can include random access memory, read-only memory, flash memory, removable memory, other types of storage elements, or combinations of such memory types.

[0033] Sensor 230 may optionally include circuitry configured to sense one or more types of parameters, such as, but not limited to: vibration; light; touch; force; temperature; movement; relative motion; a user's biometric data (e.g., biometric parameters); air quality; proximity; location; connectivity; etc. In some examples, sensor 230 may include an image sensor (such as an outward-facing camera 232), a radio frequency sensor (and / or transmitter) 234, an infrared sensor (and / or transmitter) 236, a magnetic sensor (and / or generator) 238 (e.g., a magnetometer), an ultrasonic sensor (and / or transmitter) 240, and / or an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 242. In some examples, sensor 230 may also include other sensors, including force sensors, temperature sensors, position sensors, light or optical sensors, accelerometers, pressure transducers, gyroscopes, acoustic sensors, health monitoring sensors, and / or air quality sensors, among other possibilities. Additionally, sensor 230 may utilize any suitable sensing technology including, but not limited to, interferometry, magnetic, capacitive, ultrasonic, resistive, optical, acoustic, piezoelectric, or thermal technology.

[0034] The wireless communication circuit 228 may send or receive data from another electronic device, such as from the input device 214. Although the wireless communication circuit 228 is illustrated and described, it should be understood that other wired communication interfaces may be used. In some examples, the wireless and / or wired communication interfaces may include, but are not limited to, cellular, Bluetooth, and / or Wi-Fi communication interfaces. Although not shown, the base device 216 may also include other input / output mechanisms, including one or more touch-sensing input surfaces, a crown, one or more physical buttons, one or more microphones or speakers, one or more ports (such as a microphone port), and / or a keyboard.

[0035] In some examples, the input device 214 can be a handheld device including a housing. In an example where the input device 214 is a stylus, the housing can include a cylindrical body (referred to herein as a stylus body) having a tip portion (referred to herein as a stylus tip or tip portion) at a distal end. In some examples, the tip portion can be part of a monolithic housing, and in some examples, the tip portion can be removable from the cylindrical body. The housing can include an ergonomic recess (or multiple ergonomic recesses) as a guide for placing one of the user's fingers (e.g., a thumb or index finger). The ergonomic recess can result in an orientation of the input device 214 relative to a user's hand gesture and a position range of finger gestures. The circuitry of the input device 214 can be disposed in the housing. For example, the circuitry can include a power source 244 (e.g., a battery), a processing circuit (e.g., a processor 246), a memory 248, a wireless communication circuit 250, and various sensors. It is noted that one or more of the functions described in the present disclosure may be performed by firmware stored in the memory 248 and executed by the processor 246 or other processing circuits of the input device 214. The sensors may optionally include optical sensors 218 and other possible sensors. In some examples, the input device 214 may include an optional beacon transmitter 254 (e.g., using any electromagnetic signal), an optional ultrasonic sensor (and / or transmitter) 256, one or more touch or force sensors 258 (e.g., such as capacitive touch sensors, ultrasonic touch sensors, strain gauges, capacitive gap force sensors, or piezoelectric sensors 260), an IMU 262 (and / or other motion or orientation components (such as accelerometers or gyroscopes)), capacitive electrodes or other capacitive sensors 264, optional radio frequency sensors (and / or transmitters) 266, optional infrared sensors (and / or transmitters) 268, optional magnetic sensors (and / or generators) 270, and other suitable sensors. The processor 246 may communicate directly or indirectly with some or all other components of the input device 214. For example, a system bus or other communication mechanism may provide communications between the various components of the input device 214 .

[0036] As described herein, in some examples, the motion and / or position of the input device 214 may be tracked to generate input for the base device 216. In some examples, the position and / or motion of the input device 214 may optionally be tracked using one or more optical sensors 218. For example, the input device 214 may include a single optical sensor 218 or multiple optical sensors. In some examples, the input device 214 may be a stylus, and the optical sensor 218 may be disposed in a distal end of the stylus, such as near the stylus tip. The optical sensor 218 may be configured to both transmit and receive light (e.g., send and receive a laser beam), which may provide data about the position and movement of the stylus tip relative to a non-touch-sensitive surface.

[0037] In some examples, tracking the position and / or motion of the input device 214 using the optical sensor 218 can be enhanced with additional sensors. For example, the sensors 230 of the base device 216 and / or various sensors of the input device 214 can track information about the input device (e.g., the position, motion, orientation, force, etc. of the input device), and the information can be communicated from the one or more sensors 230 to the host processor 222. In some examples, the information from the input device 214 (e.g., received via the wireless communication circuits 228, 250) and the one or more sensors 230 can be stored in the memory 226. The information can be processed by the host processor 222 to present on the touch screen 202 and / or display content from the input device 214 (e.g., presenting writing or drawing on a non-touch-sensitive surface on the display via a stylus input device).

[0038] In some examples, this information about the input device 214 may be collected by the input device, transmitted to the input device, processed by the input device, and / or stored on the input device. For example, one or more sensing modalities within the input device 214 may provide additional information about the input device force, orientation, motion, and / or position. According to some examples of the present disclosure, the combined information from the optional optical sensor 218 and one or more sensing modalities may then be transmitted to the base device 216, processed by the base device, and / or stored on the base device to present and / or display content on the touch screen 202, maintain a user profile, and generate alerts and other health insights for the user. In some examples, a computing device may present content in a three-dimensional environment based on the position and / or motion of the input device. For example, the base device 216 may be a head-mounted augmented and / or virtual reality headset that can present and overlay content on a real-world environment or a representation of a real-world environment captured by an outward-facing camera 232.

[0039] Each optical sensor 218 may optionally include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 272, a light emitter 274, and / or one or more light detectors 276. As mentioned, the light emitter 274 may emit light onto a surface 278, which in some examples may be a hand or other body part of a user, and the light detector 276 may capture an image of the environment to detect light reflected from the surface in response to light emitted from the input device 214. In some examples, the light emitter 274 may include a light emitting diode (LED) or a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL). In some examples, the light detector 276 may include an image sensor. In addition, the optical sensor 218 optionally includes a lens or a lens array.

[0040] It is obvious that Figure 2 The architecture shown is only one exemplary architecture of the base device 216, input device 214, and optical sensor 218, and the system may have more or fewer components or a different configuration of components than shown. Figure 2 The various components shown may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof, including one or more signal processing and / or application specific integrated circuits.

[0041] Figure 3 A block diagram of an input device 314 in the form of a stylus for providing health insights to a user according to some examples of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 3 The block diagram is Figure 2 A simplified version of the block diagram of the input device 214 is shown. Note that Figure 3 The block diagrams are merely exemplary, and some of the blocks may be optional. Figure 3 In the example of , input device 314 may include an optional end / cap portion 352, a shaft portion 380, and a tip portion 382. It should generally be understood that tip portion 382 corresponds to a first end of input device 314, and end / cap portion 352 corresponds to a second end of the input device opposite the first end. The first and second ends of input device 314 may be referred to as dividing the first and second portions of the input device (e.g., the ends may include a proximal portion of the input device, rather than just a distal end). In addition, although Figure 3 The exemplary input device 314 of the embodiment may be described herein as an "active" stylus that stimulates the touch-sensitive surface of the electronic device, but it should be understood that the optional end / cover portion 352 can be incorporated into any type of stylus (e.g., a non-active stylus that does not stimulate the touch-sensitive surface of the electronic device), any type of peripheral input device, and / or a stylus that can be used with the touch-sensitive surface of the electronic device. Figures 1A to 1E Basic equipment or Figure 2The input device 314 may be any type of other peripheral device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a watch, a drawing tablet, etc.) that communicates with the base device 216. Therefore, any number of active components described in conjunction with the shaft portion 380 may be omitted from the description of the input device 314 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Figure 3 Many of the features described in the components of relate to a default mode of input device 314, in which the input device can be used to provide active input to a device or user (e.g., optionally to a touch-sensitive surface of a base device). However, certain features and components described below relate to a beacon mode of input device 314, in which the stylus generates an acoustic signal that serves as a position beacon to a human target (e.g., a user) or an electronic detector (e.g., an electronic device having one or more audio sensors).

[0042] In embodiments where the input device 314 is a stylus, the input device may include one or more electrodes 384, which may be located, for example, at a first (distal) end of the input device (e.g., the tip of the stylus). Figure 3 As illustrated, input device 314 may include a tip electrode 386 and a ring electrode 388, although fewer or more electrodes may be used. Tip electrode 386 may include a material capable of sending stylus excitation signals from excitation circuit 390 to the touch sensitive device, such as a flexible conductor, a metal, a conductor wrapped by a nonconductor, a nonconductor coated with a metal, a transparent conductive material (e.g., indium tin oxide (ITO)), or a transparent nonconductive material (e.g., glass) coated with a transparent (e.g., ITO) (if the tip is also used for projection purposes) or an opaque material, etc. In some examples, the input device tip may have a diameter of 2 mm or less. In some examples, the input device tip may have a diameter between 1 mm and 2 mm. Ring electrode 388 may include a conductive material, such as a flexible conductor, a metal, a conductor wrapped by a nonconductor, a nonconductor coated with a metal, a transparent conductive material (e.g., ITO), or a transparent nonconductive material (e.g., glass) coated with a transparent or opaque material, etc.

[0043] As described above, the input device 314 may also include an excitation circuit 390. The excitation circuit 390 may be configured to generate one or more excitation signals at one or more electrodes 384 to excite the touch sensor panel of the touch sensitive device. For example, the excitation signal may be coupled from the input device 314 to the touch sensing circuitry of the electronic device and may be used to determine the position of the input device at the surface of the touch screen.

[0044] The operation of the excitation circuit 390 may be controlled by the processor 346. For example, the processor 346 may be configured to communicate with the excitation circuit 390 to control the generation of the excitation signal. In some examples, the communication between the processor 346 and the excitation circuit 390 may be implemented via a serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus, and the excitation circuit may be used as an SPI slave device. In some examples, the input device 314 may include more than one processor, and the excitation circuit 390 may include one or more processors. In some examples, one or more of the input device functions described herein may be performed by firmware stored in a memory or program storage device (not shown) and executed by the processor 346 or a processor in the excitation circuit 390.

[0045] In an example where the input device 314 is a stylus, the input device may also include one or more force sensors 358 for detecting the amount of force at the side or tip of the stylus. For example, when the stylus tip contacts the touch screen, the force sensor 358 positioned at the tip may measure the force at the stylus tip. In another example, when a user grips the input device 314, one or more force sensors 358 positioned along the side of the input device may measure the grip pressure of the user. The force information may be stored in the input device 314 (e.g., in the memory 348) and / or may be sent to a base device (via a wired connection or wirelessly). For example, the force information may be transmitted to a computer such as a touch screen. Figure 2 A host processor 222 or a touch controller is shown in the base device 216. The force information and the corresponding position information can be processed together by the host processor 222 and / or the touch controller in the base device.

[0046] Processor 346 may be substantially similar to the above-described Figure 2The processor 222 described above. Similar to the processor 222, the processor 346 may be configured to process a position request received by the wireless communication circuit 350, and optionally may be further configured to guide the optional tactile module 392 to provide an appropriate drive signal to the optional acoustic resonator 394 so that the resonator generates an acoustic signal. As an example, the processor 346 may process a position request received by the wireless communication circuit 350. In some examples, the processor 346 may determine the expected / specified frequency, amplitude and / or duration of the acoustic signal from the position request. Based on the processed position request, the processor 346 may generate an instruction for the tactile module 392, which causes the module to generate a drive signal for the acoustic resonator 394. As an example, an instruction for the tactile module 392 may be provided to a tactile module controller (not illustrated), which interprets the instruction and determines an appropriate signal or waveform to provide the tactile module. In some examples, the functions of the tactile module controller are performed by the processor 346. In response to receiving an instruction based on the processed location request, the haptic module 392 can generate a drive signal that causes the acoustic resonator 394 to vibrate (e.g., cause the acoustic resonator to generate an acoustic signal) at a specific amplitude and frequency specified in the location request and for a specific duration specified in the location request. Prior to performing the steps described above in connection with causing the acoustic resonator 394 to generate an acoustic signal, the processor 346 can switch the stylus from the default mode to the beacon mode.

[0047] In some examples, force sensor 358 may be coupled to processor 346. Processor 346 may process force information from force sensor 358 and control stylus excitation circuit 390 to generate or not generate a stylus excitation signal based on the force information. For example, when no force is detected or when the force is below a threshold level, the processor may cause stylus excitation circuit 390 to not generate a stylus excitation signal. When force (or force at or above a threshold level) is detected (e.g., corresponding to a touch pressure of the stylus), the processor may cause stylus excitation circuit 390 to generate a stylus excitation signal and continue to generate a stylus excitation signal until the detected force drops below the threshold level (or some other threshold level).

[0048] The input device 314 may also include wireless communication circuitry 350, although in some examples, the wireless communication functionality may be incorporated into other components within the input device, and in other examples, the input device may communicate via a wired connection. In the context of examples of the present disclosure, the wireless communication circuitry 350 may be substantially similar to Figure 2The wireless communication circuit 228 of the base device 314 can be used as a component to establish and maintain a communication channel between the input device 314 and the base device. In some examples, the base device transmits the request to the input device 314 by providing a wireless message to the wireless communication circuit 350, which can be optionally stored in the memory 348, thereby utilizing the base device to record a message / request history.

[0049] The wireless communication circuit 350 may receive a location request from the base device. In some examples, the location request received at the wireless communication circuit 350 may specify a desired amplitude, frequency, and / or duration of the acoustic signal. By generating an acoustic signal having a desired / specified amplitude, frequency, and / or duration, the input device 314 may provide information to one or more audio sensors of the base device, which in turn may enable the base device to detect the presence of the input device and / or estimate the relative distance, direction, and / or position of the input device. The wireless communication circuit 350 may be coupled to a processor 346, which may be configured to process the location request received at the wireless communication circuit. In some examples, the wireless communication circuit 350 may also send a confirmation message to the base device, indicating that the location request was successfully received, indicating that the acoustic signal specified by the request has been generated.

[0050] Wireless communication circuitry 350 may also transmit force information (or other information, such as motion and orientation information) from input device 314 to wireless communication circuitry 228 of the base device. Wireless communication circuitry 350 may also receive other information, including, but not limited to, information regarding input device excitation frequencies, scan schedule information (i.e., a scan sequence to be performed by the touch sensitive device), and clock synchronization information. For example, the base device may transmit one or more low noise frequencies to input device 314 (in the form of a stylus), and stylus excitation circuitry 390 may generate excitation signals at electrode 384 based on or at the one or more low noise frequencies. In some examples, stylus excitation circuitry 390 may generate excitation signals at two or more different frequencies (e.g., at one frequency at the ring electrode and at a second frequency at the tip electrode), but in other examples, excitation signals are generated by the stylus at only one frequency.

[0051] In some examples, the input device 314 may operate asynchronously with the base device. In an asynchronous example, the input device 314 may generate an excitation signal continuously, generate an excitation signal at various intervals, or generate an excitation signal when a force is detected by the force sensor 358. In other examples, wireless communication may be used to synchronize the input device 314 and the base device. For example, the input device 314 may receive clock synchronization information and a scan schedule from the base device so that it can generate an excitation signal when the computing system expects such an excitation signal from the input device. For example, the clock synchronization information may provide an update value for an input device clock (e.g., a timer, a counter, etc.) or reset the input device clock so that the input device clock may be substantially the same as (or otherwise tracked by) the system clock of the base device. The input device 314 may then use a scan schedule that may define a sequence of scan events to be performed by the base device at a specific time, and use the input device clock to determine when the base device expects to generate a stylus excitation signal. When the base device does not expect a stylus excitation signal, the input device 314 may stop generating an excitation signal. Additionally, in some examples, the base device and input device 314 synchronize their communications to fixed time intervals so that both the base device and the input device can save power. For example, after the input device 314 and the base device are paired via a wireless communication channel, communication between the input device and the base device can occur only at designated times (based on their respective synchronized clocks). The input device 314 and / or the base device can include one or more crystals for generating a stable and accurate clock signal to improve synchronization and reduce drift between the base device and input device clocks.

[0052] When the input device 314 first wirelessly connects or reconnects to the base device, the input device can receive frequency information from the base device. The stylus spectral analysis scan can determine one or more clean frequencies for the input device 314 to use and generate one or more excitation signals. The base device and input device 314 can communicate (including, for example, performing a handshake between the two devices), and the base device can send the frequency information to the input device 314 so that the input device knows to use the appropriate one or more frequencies to generate one or more excitation signals.

[0053] The input device 314 may change at least one excitation frequency as a result of the spectrum analysis scan. In a synchronous system, the spectrum analysis scan may be performed when the input device 314 is predicted not to generate an excitation signal, such as when the input device scan is not performed. After the spectrum analysis scan is completed, the frequency information may be wirelessly transmitted to the input device 314, and the communication may cause the input device to change one or more excitation frequencies. Then, when the input device 314 has switched frequencies, the base device may switch one or more frequencies used to demodulate the scan event.

[0054] In other examples, input device 314 can be asynchronous, such that the input device can generate one or more excitation signals at one or more excitation frequencies regardless of the timing of the scanning events. Thus, input device 314 can excite the touch sensor panel during the spectral analysis scan. The asynchronous excitation signal can cause the base device to detect a signal when demodulating at the excitation frequency, which can be interpreted as noise at the frequency and trigger a frequency switch. To prevent triggering unnecessary frequency switches, in an embodiment where input device 314 is a stylus, the base device can assume that stylus lift will eventually occur and wait until lift to initiate the spectral analysis scan. The base device can use the results of other scans (e.g., stylus scans) to predict the lift condition, or use stylus force information to predict that the stylus is not on the panel, and then perform a stylus spectral analysis scan.

[0055] Additionally or alternatively, the input device 314 may include an additional sensor 396. The additional sensor 396 may include a capacitive electrode or other capacitive sensor (e.g., Figure 2 The input device 314 may include an accelerometer and / or a gyroscope for tracking the motion and / or orientation of the input device, which motion and / or orientation may be used to enhance the input device position data when the input device position data is detected by the touch-sensitive surface. The motion and / or orientation information may be stored in the memory 348 and / or communicated to the base device via the wireless communication circuit 350. Additionally or alternatively, the additional sensors 396 of the input device 314 may include a camera for recording images or video, which images or video may be used to determine the position of the input device and / or track the motion of the input device.

[0056] In embodiments where the input device 314 is a stylus, due to the relative density of components within the shaft portion 380 and the tip portion 382, ​​the shaft portion and the tip portion may be less suitable for including components required for generating acoustic signals as described herein. Specifically, certain components may be particularly sensitive to interference from other components or environmental influences and may require dedicated or component-specific housing structures within the input device 314. As an example, a force sensor 358 coupled to the tip portion 382 may be sensitive to environmental influences and, therefore, a dedicated housing structure that cannot be modified may be provided within the shaft portion 380 and / or the tip portion 382 (e.g., a dedicated housing structure for the force sensor 358 cannot be modified to integrate the acoustic resonator 394 without compromising the accuracy / reliability of the force sensor 358). Similarly, at least a portion of the shaft portion 380 may include a component-specific housing structure for sensing or detecting user input (e.g., touch sensing, bend sensing, etc.) and may be sensitive to modification (or generally cannot be modified). Additionally, at least a portion of the shaft portion 380 may be used to house a magnet and / or a wireless charging coil, and may therefore be sensitive to modification. Thus, the most appropriate location within the input device 314 for modification (such as the formation of the acoustic resonator 394) may be the optional end / cover portion 352. At the second end of the input device 314, the end / cover portion 352 may include a haptic module 392 and an acoustic resonator 394. The input device 314 may also include a battery or other power source (not shown) that is at least partially implemented in the shaft portion 380 and / or the end / cover portion 352 for delivering power to the power components of the input device 314. Generally speaking, although the end / cover portion 352 is sometimes referred to as the "end" of the input device 314 that is different from the tip portion 382, ​​various portions of the input device may be considered to extend from the distal end, or even include the distal end. As an example, consider the tip portion 382 as a portion extending from one of the two distal ends of the input device 314, and the end / cap portion 352 can be considered to extend from the opposite distal end of the input device. Generally speaking, the input device 314 can be divided into a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion corresponds to the tip portion 382 and the shaft portion 380 extending from a first distal end (e.g., the tip end) of the input device, and wherein the second portion corresponds to the end / cap portion 352 extending from a second distal end (e.g., the cap end) of the input device opposite the first distal end.

[0057] The acoustic resonator 394 in the end / cover portion 352 may describe one or more surfaces that are at least partially surrounded by air or an air gap, and may vibrate to generate an acoustic signal. In some examples, the acoustic resonator 394 may be a surface that is engineered / designed to resonate at a specific resonant frequency. In other examples, the acoustic resonator 394 may be a surface that is engineered / designed to resonate within a specific frequency range. Additionally or alternatively, the acoustic resonator 394 may be mechanically coupled to the tactile module 392 (e.g., the resonator and the module may be coupled via a material continuous path between them). In some examples, the acoustic resonator 394 may be separated from the tactile module 392 by an air gap. In some examples, the acoustic resonator 394 may be formed of the same material used to form the housing of the input device 314. In some examples, the acoustic resonator 394 may be formed of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic or polymer, non-ABS plastic or polymer, or any other suitable material.

[0058] The acoustic resonator 394 may be configured to vibrate in response to receiving a drive signal or a harmonic forcing signal. In the context of the present disclosure, the drive signal provided to the acoustic resonator 394 may originate from the tactile module 392 and the vibration caused by the tactile module. The vibration generated at the tactile module 392 may be conveyed, sent, or otherwise sent through such an intermediate structure to vibrate the acoustic resonator 394. In some examples, the acoustic resonator 394 vibrates at the same frequency, amplitude, and duration as the vibration generated at the tactile module 392. In other examples, the acoustic resonator 394 vibrates at a frequency and amplitude different from the vibration generated at the tactile module 392 (e.g., due to the transmission loss that occurs when the drive signal passes through the structure / medium between the module and the resonator). When the acoustic resonator 394 is formed of a rigid or semi-rigid material, the elastic deformation of the material produces vibration (and a corresponding acoustic signal).

[0059] Based on where the acoustic resonator 394 is formed in the end / cover portion 352 and the material used to form the resonator, the drive signal provided to the resonator can cause the resonator to vibrate according to one or more modes. In some examples, some vibration modes can correspond to highly directional acoustic signals (e.g., acoustic signals that can be easily sensed from a particular direction but may be difficult to sense from other directions). In other examples, some vibration modes can correspond to omnidirectional acoustic signals (e.g., acoustic signals that can be sensed from any direction). Some acoustic resonators 394 can be formed so that one of their surfaces is exposed to air, and the resonator vibrates (or elastically deforms) to generate sound waves in the air surrounding the input device 314. Other acoustic resonators 394 can be formed under other structures within the input device 314 (e.g., under the cover of the input device). In some such examples, the resonator 394 can cause sound waves to be generated in the surrounding air within the other structures. As described in more detail below, some coverings for the resonators 394 in the end / cover portion 352 may completely cover the resonators, and other coverings may substantially (e.g., greater than a threshold amount, such as 80%, 90%, 95%, 98%) cover the resonators 394 in the end / cover portion without completely covering them (e.g., due to ventilation holes in the covering that allow sound waves generated by the resonators to escape to the outside of the input device housing).

[0060] The haptic module 392 may also be disposed or housed within the end / cover portion 352 and may be coupled to the acoustic resonator 394. The haptic module 392 may receive instructions for vibrating the acoustic resonator 394, which may be mechanically coupled to the haptic module, at a specified frequency, amplitude, and / or duration. In some examples, the instructions for vibrating the haptic module 392 may be based on a location request received at the wireless communication circuit 350 (e.g., from Figure 2 216). Structurally, the haptic module 392 can include a mass that vibrates between two locations within the module. In some examples, instructions for vibrating the haptic module 392 cause an electromagnetic force (e.g., a Lorentz force) to vibrate the mass between two locations within the module. The vibrations of the haptic module 392 can be transmitted or sent to the acoustic resonator 394 through one or more air gaps or through a continuous material path that mechanically couples the module to the resonator.

[0061] In some examples, the tactile module 392 can vibrate in a manner that causes the acoustic resonator 394 to not vibrate at all, or alternatively vibrate in a manner that causes the resonator to not generate an acoustic signal (or generate an acoustic signal below a threshold level). In some such examples, such as during the default mode of the input device 314, the tactile module 392 may be configured to vibrate at a frequency outside the frequency range associated with human hearing. Specifically, the tactile module 392 may be configured to vibrate at a frequency within a frequency range associated with tactile feedback, such as at a frequency of less than 500 Hz. In some examples, the tactile module 392 may be configured to vibrate at a frequency within a range of 80 Hz to 300 Hz. The tactile module 392 may be configured to receive instructions for vibrating at a frequency within a frequency range associated with tactile feedback in response to a gesture performed by a user using the input device 314, a user selection made on a touch-sensitive surface of a base device using the input device, or according to any other determination during the default operating mode associated with the input device to vibrate at a frequency within a frequency range associated with tactile feedback in the default mode.

[0062] In beacon mode, the haptic module 392 can vibrate the acoustic resonator 394 to generate an acoustic signal. In some examples, the haptic module 392 may sometimes receive instructions for specifying a target detector from a location request (e.g., a request from an electronic device for causing the input device 314 to generate an acoustic signal). The target detector may indicate which frequency range should be used to select the frequency for vibrating the haptic module 392. Typically, the input device 314 may generate an acoustic signal that can be detected by a base device and / or a user. However, the target detector specified in the location request may narrow the selected frequency range for vibrating the haptic module 392, thereby optimizing / improving the detection performed by the target detector. In some examples, the target detector specified in the location request is a user. In some such examples, the haptic module 392 may be configured to vibrate at a frequency within an audible frequency range associated with human hearing. Alternatively, the haptic module 392 may be configured to vibrate at a frequency within a sub-range of the audible frequency range associated with human hearing. In some examples, the target detector specified in the location request is a base device. In some such examples, haptic module 392 can be configured to utilize an acoustic transducer or an ultrasonic transducer within the device (e.g., Figure 2In some such examples, the haptic module 392 may be additionally or alternatively configured to vibrate at a frequency within a range that the acoustic transducer can detect using less power (e.g., a range within the spectrum that requires less amplification of the acoustic transducer / sensor output to produce a reliable detectable signal). In some such examples, the haptic module 392 may be additionally or alternatively configured to vibrate at a frequency within a range that the acoustic transducer can detect using less power (e.g., a range within the spectrum that the acoustic transducer / sensor can detect with a high signal-to-noise ratio or with a higher time interval between false positive signal detections due to ambient noise). Sometimes, the frequency range that an acoustic transducer can accurately detect may be different from or even partially outside the audible frequency range or any sub-range of the audible range. Therefore, the frequency range that an acoustic transducer can accurately detect may sometimes be considered to be an inaudible frequency range. Typically, the frequency range that an acoustic transducer can accurately detect may not be completely inaudible to human hearing (e.g., the range associated with the transducer may at least partially overlap with the audible range), or may not be completely within the audible frequency range associated with human hearing (e.g., the range associated with the transducer is not a proper subset or subrange of the audible range).

[0063] It should be understood that the input device 314 is not limited to Figure 3 The components and configurations of the stylus shown, but other fewer or additional components may be included in a variety of configurations according to various examples. In addition, the components of the input device 314 may be included in a single device, or may be distributed between multiple device parts. For example, in an embodiment where the input device 314 is a stylus, the input device may include an end / cap portion 352, a shaft portion 380, and a tip portion 382. In some examples, the input device 314 may include a removable stylus tip portion 382 so that the tip portion can be removed and replaced or achieve different functions when necessary. The removable tip portion 382 and the shaft portion 380 may be coupled together with a connector (not shown). For example, the connector may be a threaded connector, a plug connector, etc. In some examples, the locking or fastening system between the removable stylus tip portion 382 and the shaft portion 380 may include a fastening rod, a spring fastener, and a release button. The removable tip portion 382 may include one or more electrodes 384 (e.g., for stimulating a capacitive sensor panel). As illustrated, many of the remaining components may be included in the shaft portion 380. It should be appreciated that the various components may be distributed in different ways between shaft portion 380 and tip portion 382. Additionally, it should be appreciated that the components of the stylus (or other peripheral / input device) may be implemented in an otherwise passive stylus, such that components for touch detection in proximity to a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., stylus excitation circuitry 390) may be omitted.

[0064] As described above, most of the components associated with an embodiment in which the input device 314 is a stylus may be disposed or otherwise positioned within the shaft portion 380 and the tip portion 382. Thus, including the haptic module 392 and / or the acoustic resonator 394 within these portions of the input device 314 may result in interference with densely distributed circuits and components. Accordingly, the haptic module 392 and the acoustic resonator 394 may be included or disposed within an end / cap portion 352 of the input device 314 that is separate from the shaft portion 380, thereby reducing the risk of the resonator 394 and / or the module interfering with any of the components therein.

[0065] Figure 4A A perspective view of a system according to some examples of the present disclosure is illustrated, the system comprising an input device 414 in the form of a stylus, an optional base device 416 in the form of a tablet computing device, and an optional wearable device 493 in the form of a watch for providing health insights to a user. Figure 4A In the example of , the input device 414 includes one or more force sensors 458 and temperature sensors 496 on the sides of the input device, and a tip electrode 486 at the tip of the input device. Figure 4A 4, but the input device 414 may also include a force sensor at the tip of the input device for detecting a force 498 perpendicular to the touch screen 402 of the base device 416. The base device 416 may include the touch screen 402 and other sensors. The wearable device may include a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor 494 and other sensors.

[0066] Figure 4B A perspective view of an input device 414 in the form of a stylus is illustrated, the stylus being held in a user's hand for providing health insights to the user, according to some examples of the present disclosure. Figure 4B In the example of , the input device also includes an IMU 462 for detecting and / or calculating one or more of force, angular velocity, acceleration, pitch, roll, yaw, speed, tilt, etc. The IMU 462 may include one or more of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer.

[0067] like Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown in the ecosystem of FIG. 4 and described above, in the case where sensors and other measuring devices are present in the input device 414, the optional base device 416, and the optional wearable device 493, the wearable device 493 can be configured as shown by Figure 2The data is captured as directed by a health tracking application executed by a processor in either or both of the base device and / or the input device, which is used to generate and update the user profile. In some examples, a force sensor 458 on the side of the input device 414 can capture data related to how much pressure or force (e.g., grip pressure or grip strength) the user is applying to the input device when the user writes or draws with the input device. In some examples, the grip pressure can be in the range of about 80 grams of force (gf) to 300 gf, but it should be understood that the grip pressure can vary significantly from one user to another. In addition, in some examples, multiple force sensors 458 can be positioned on the side (barrel) of the input device 414, and these force sensors can capture data that can enable the touch location (e.g., contact area or contact distribution) of the user's grip to be determined. Since users generally hold the input device 414 in a consistent manner, in some examples, the determined contact distribution can become part of the user's profile. Similarly, in some examples, IMU 462 may be used to capture data sufficient to determine the tilt angle of input device 414. Because users will typically hold input device 414 in a consistent manner, in some examples, the determined tilt angle may become part of the profile of that user.

[0068] A force sensor optionally positioned at the tip of the input device 414 may be used to determine how much normal force the user applies to the base device 416 when writing or drawing on the touch screen 402 using the input device, but in other examples, a force sensor in the base device 416 may alternatively or additionally be used to determine the force applied to the base device. In addition to this, the temperature sensor 496 may be used to determine the temperature of the user when the input device 414 is held by the user. The IMU 462 may also be used to determine and / or calculate parameters sufficient to determine whether vibrations 495 are felt in the input device 414 due to tremors in the user's hand.

[0069] As described above, the base device 416 may include a touch screen 402. The touch screen 402 may include an array of touch sensors and / or force sensors for detecting a touch position and / or force of the input device 414 on the touch screen at 499 and detecting a touch position and / or force of the palm of the user's hand on the touch screen at 497.

[0070] Figure 4A The PPG sensor 494 in the watch can be used to capture blood volume measurements, and measure the user's heart rate and other biometric data.

[0071] In some examples, the above-described data capture using sensors and other measurement electronics of the input device 414, optional base device 416, and optional wearable device 493 can be passively and automatically captured during normal use of the input device (e.g., writing or drawing) as directed by a health tracking application, without user input. Passive data capture during normal use of the input device 414 can advantageously avoid the potential for data corruption due to unintentional and imperceptible changes in user behavior that may occur while the user is aware of the impending data capture. In other examples, the user can be prompted (via a display screen of the base device 416, wearable device 493, etc.) to perform certain tasks (e.g., draw a particular shape or letter, or follow a provided outline) to assist in capturing data.

[0072] When data is collected as described above, a user profile including baseline profile data may be created, tracked, and updated by the health tracking application over time to provide insights into the user's health. The time period for data capture may be considered to consist of two time periods. One time period may be a current (first) time period, which may not be an instantaneous point in time, but rather a short time period just before the current time, in which "current" data may be captured, calculated, and converted into a short duration average, score, or other parameter. Another time period may be a historical (second) time period, which may be a longer time period before the current time period, in which "historical" data may be captured, averaged, and / or converted into various scores.

[0073] In some examples, the user profile may include a hand profile (which may be created, tracked, and updated under the assumption that the user tends to grip the input device 414 in a manner that is consistent with each use), although in some cases, a single user may need multiple hand profiles if the user prefers different grips depending on the type of activity (e.g., drawing vs. writing). In some examples, the hand profile may include one or more of the average palm pressure and palm contact area detected on the base device 416, the average input device tip pressure detected at the tip of the input device 414, the average grip pressure detected on the sides of the input device, the location, size, and distribution of grip contacts detected on the sides of the input device, the tilt angle of the input device, and the average temperature detected at the input device.

[0074] In some examples, the user profile may include a writing behavior profile, which can be created, tracked, and updated under the assumption that the user tends to write in a consistent manner. The writing behavior profile may include baseline information about the user's daily writing tendency, independent of the tendency within each stroke. For example, the writing behavior profile may include the user's average stroke count per minute, which is an indication of how fast the user writes. Other writing behavior profile data may include the user's average words per minute, or the average time between strokes or words. In some examples, the writing behavior profile may include higher-level information, such as the frequency with which the user corrects their writing, or the frequency with which the user's words are automatically corrected. Additionally, the frequency with which the user switches between writing on the on-screen (virtual) keyboard and with the handheld input device 414 may be tracked as a possible metric useful in determining the user's health status. In another example, the frequency with which the user zooms in or out on a touch screen display (in order to write comfortably) may be tracked as a possible metric useful in determining the user's health status.

[0075] In some examples, a user profile may include a stroke analysis profile, which may be created, tracked, and updated under the assumption that the user tends to form strokes in a consistent manner when writing. The stroke analysis profile may include baseline information about the user's tendencies in forming individual strokes. For example, the stroke analysis profile may include an average stroke speed for the user, which captures the speed of movement of individual strokes. The stroke analysis profile may also include an average stroke size for the user, which captures the size of individual strokes.

[0076] In some examples, the stroke analysis profile may receive, track, and update information from other tools, such as the character recognition speed of a user's strokes using a handwriting recognition application. Character recognition may involve capturing and preprocessing stroke data to discard unwanted information, extracting feature data including pressure, speed, and / or direction data from the stroke data, and mapping the feature data to various characters. The stroke analysis profile may determine how long it took to perform the character recognition, and may also assign a score indicating how well the user's strokes match the recognized letters, numbers, or punctuation marks.

[0077] Figure 5A The recognition of a single character for providing health insights to a user according to some examples of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 5A In the example of FIG. 5 , a user has written character 591 on a base device using an input device. The handwriting recognition application can detect stroke information such as the position, pressure, speed, and direction of each stroke made by the user when writing character 591, and after the above-mentioned preprocessing, feature extraction, and mapping, these strokes can be mapped to lowercase letter "g" 589, such as Figure 5A The speed of character recognition may be determined, and a score may be assigned indicating how closely the handwritten character 591 matches the recognized letter 589 .

[0078] In some examples, the stroke analysis profile may include creating, tracking, and updating a user's compliance with predefined tasks. For example, a health tracking application may initiate a contour tracking task. Once initiated, the contour tracking task may display a request on the touch screen of the base device to track a line or other contour appearing on the touch screen, map the user-generated strokes to the displayed line or contour, and assign a contour tracking score indicating how well the user's strokes match the line or contour. In some cases, the health tracking application may be programmed to initiate the contour tracking task once a day, once a week, once a month, or at other preselected time intervals. The contour tracking score may be saved and averaged with previous contour tracking scores.

[0079] Figure 5B Two different contour tracking tasks for providing health insights to users according to some examples of the present disclosure are illustrated. Figure 5B In the first example, the health tracking application has initiated a contour tracking task and has displayed a contour 587 (a straight line) along with a request for the user to follow the contour using an input device. In response, the user has generated a stroke 585. Figure 5B In the second example, the health tracking application has initiated a contour tracing task and has displayed a contour 583 (circle) with a request for the user to follow the contour using an input device. In response, the user has generated strokes 581. In both examples, the contour tracing task can calculate and save a contour tracing score, and use this score to maintain and update a baseline contour tracing score (e.g., by calculating and saving a running average contour tracing score).

[0080] In another example, the health tracking application may initiate a hand stability tracking task. Once initiated, the hand stability tracking task may display a request on the touch screen of the base device for the user to hold an input device in the air, capture stability data using the IMU in the input device, and assign a hand stability score indicating the stability of the user's hand. In some cases, the health tracking application may be programmed to initiate the hand stability task once a day, once a week, once a month, or at other preselected time intervals. The hand stability tracking score may be saved and averaged with previous hand stability tracking scores.

[0081] In some examples, the user profile may include a wearable device profile, which may be created, tracked, and updated under the assumption that when a user wears wearable device 493, the user tends to wear the wearable device in a consistent manner from one use to another. In some examples, the wearable device profile may include the user's average and / or historical heart rate data along with average and / or historical data for other biometric parameters.

[0082] Figure 6 A functional block diagram of data collection for user profile generation and maintenance described above is illustrated according to some examples of the present disclosure. Figure 6 In the example of , a user profile may be generated and maintained through hand stability data collection 665 and grip / hand strength data collection 663. Hand stability data collection 665 may include collection 679 of IMU data, which may include data that can be used to determine the speed, acceleration, motion (e.g., trajectory, including direction) of the input device in space, and other movement-related parameters. Hand stability data collection 665 may also include stroke analysis data collection 677, which may include passive collection and calculation of stroke speed, stroke size / length, average stroke force, character recognition time, and character matching accuracy. Stroke analysis data collection 677 may also include active calculation and tracking of contour tracking scores based on predefined tasks, such as using an input device to track a displayed line or other contour. Palm detection data collection 675 may include determining palm contact and palm pressure on a touch-sensitive surface of a base device.

[0083] Grip / hand force data collection 663 may include force sensing data collection 673 (which includes collecting grip pressure and grip position on the sides of the input device) and tip pressure sensing data collection 671 (which includes determining the pressure applied by the input device to the base device). Grip / hand force data collection 663 may also include health data collection 569, which may include collecting temperature data from one or more temperature sensors on the barrel of the input device, and collecting data from other associated devices, such as data from a PPG sensor on a wearable device.

[0084] Data from hand stability data collection 665 and grip / hand strength data collection 663 form the basis for generating and maintaining a writing / hand behavior profile 667, as described above. In some examples, data may be collected each time an input device is detected to be gripped by a user, and the writing / hand behavior profile 667 may be updated on a periodic basis (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) via calculation of a new baseline average on a rolling basis (e.g., using data from the last week, from the last month, etc.).

[0085] When generating, maintaining and updating user profiles as described above, the health tracking application may periodically compare newly collected data with the baseline user profile data to identify any increments or changes between the newly collected data and the baseline profile data that exceed a predetermined threshold. If such data is identified, health insights or alerts may be provided to the user. These periodic comparisons may be performed at predetermined intervals, such as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, and the like. For example, newly collected information may be compared with baseline user profile information from one day ago, one week ago, one month ago, one quarter ago, one year ago, and the like. In this way, gradual but significant changes in the user's profile (which may not be detectable in comparisons of short duration (e.g., day-by-day comparisons, week-by-week comparisons, and the like) may be detected and provided to the user as health insights.

[0086] Although the preceding paragraphs describe the calculation of updated baseline user profile data, in some examples, on a rolling basis (e.g., using data from the previous week, from the previous month, etc.), and also storing snapshots of previous baseline user profile data (e.g., from one day ago, one week ago, etc.) for future comparison, in other examples, the health tracking application may provide users with the ability to re-baseline their user profile data. For example, a user may delete their current baseline user profile data and rely on subsequent data capture to calculate new baseline user profile data. This process of re-baselining user profile data may be useful in the event of illness, injury, or other known event that may result in a change in behavior, such that baseline user profile data reflecting a user's previous (e.g., health) condition may have limited probative value when compared to newly collected data reflecting the user's current (e.g., illness or injury) condition.

[0087] It should be noted that significant changes to the user's profile may be a reason for optimism or worry. For example, significant changes in a child's profile or significant changes in the profile of a person recovering from an illness, injury, or surgery may indicate improvement rather than decline, and therefore, a health tracking application may provide inspiring health insights. In a specific example, a user profile of a child may be generated, maintained, and updated as described above, and newly collected data (such as grip strength data and / or handwriting recognition scores or speed data) may be periodically compared with baseline user profile data, and analyzed by a health tracking application to identify any increments or changes between the newly collected data and the baseline profile data that exceed a predetermined threshold. If such data is identified, a health insight (if contact information is available) of encouragement or congratulations related to the child's hand or writing progress may be provided to the child and / or the responsible adult. On the other hand, significant changes in other people's user profiles (especially changes in directions that are generally considered to be worried about) may enable a health tracking application to provide health insights in the form of an alarm.

[0088] In some examples, a change in a user's nominal grip pressure that exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., a specific fixed threshold or a specific threshold percentage change) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user. In one example, a measured grip pressure below a specific level (e.g., below 80gf, 60gf, 40gf, etc.) or a decrease greater than a predetermined percentage compared to a baseline grip pressure (e.g., a decrease greater than 10%, a decrease of 20%, a decrease of 30%, etc.) may trigger the generation of an indicative health insight for the user that indicates hand weakness. Note that the fixed threshold or the grip pressure threshold percentage change may depend on the nominal baseline grip pressure. For example, for a user with a nominal grip pressure of 300gf, the grip pressure threshold percentage change that triggers the generation of a health insight may be greater than for a user with a nominal grip pressure of 80gf. Among other things, the grip pressure threshold percentage change may depend on the form factor of the input device (e.g., the thickness of the stylus), and thus determining the grip pressure threshold percentage change sufficient to trigger the generation of a health insight may be a function of the form factor of the input device. Note that in some examples, a change in a user's nominal grip pressure that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight independently of other changes, while in other examples, a change in a user's nominal grip pressure that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight only if one or more other values ​​in the user's profile also exceed a threshold.

[0089] In some examples, a change in a user's nominal grip contact area that exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., a certain fixed threshold or a certain threshold percentage change) can trigger the generation of a health insight for the user. In one example, a change below a certain level (e.g., below 1.5 cm 2、1.25cm 2 , 1.0cm 2 A measured grip contact area that exceeds a threshold value (e.g., a decrease of greater than a predetermined percentage (e.g., a decrease of greater than 10%, a decrease of 20%, a decrease of 30%, etc.) compared to a baseline contact area may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user that indicates hand weakness (e.g., resulting in less grip pressure and, therefore, a smaller contact area). Note that the fixed threshold or the grip contact area threshold percentage change may depend on the form factor of the input device (e.g., the thickness of the stylus), and thus determining the grip contact area threshold percentage change sufficient to trigger the generation of a health insight may be a function of the form factor of the input device. Note that in some examples, a change in a user's nominal grip contact area that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight independently of other changes, while in other examples, a change in a user's nominal grip contact area that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight only when one or more other values ​​in the user's profile also exceed the threshold value.

[0090] In some examples, a change in the nominal tilt angle of a user holding an input device (e.g., a stylus) that exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., a specific fixed threshold or a specific threshold percentage change) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user. In one example, a measured tilt angle above a specific level (e.g., above 60 degrees, above 70 degrees, above 80 degrees, etc.) or an increase in the measured tilt angle from a baseline tilt angle that is greater than a predetermined percentage (e.g., an increase of greater than 10%, an increase of greater than 20%, an increase of greater than 30%, etc.) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user, which health insight indicates hand weakness or injury (e.g., causing the user to compensate for the lack of stylus pressure on the base device by increasing the tilt angle). Note that in some examples, a change in the stylus tilt angle of a user that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight independently of other changes, while in other examples, a change in the stylus tilt angle of a user that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight only when one or more other values ​​in the user's profile also exceed the threshold.

[0091] In some examples, a change in a user's nominal hand stability score for typically holding an input device (e.g., a stylus) that exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., a specific fixed threshold or a specific threshold percentage change) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user. In one example, a calculated hand stability score that is below a specific level (e.g., below a normalized 1 to 100 score of 70, 60, 50, etc.) or a decrease from a baseline hand stability score that is less than a predetermined percentage (e.g., a decrease greater than 10%, a decrease greater than 20%, a decrease greater than 30%, etc.) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user that indicates hand instability (e.g., due to mental stress, anxiety, or Parkinson's disease). Note that in some examples, a change in a user's hand stability score that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight independently of other changes, while in other examples, a change in a user's stylus tilt angle that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight only when one or more other values ​​in the user's profile also exceed a threshold.

[0092] In some examples, a change in the nominal hand temperature of a user holding an input device (e.g., a stylus) that exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., a specific fixed threshold or a specific threshold percentage change) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user. In one example, a measured hand temperature that is below or above a specific level (e.g., below 98.4 degrees, below 98.2 degrees, above 100 degrees, above 101 degrees, etc.) or a measured hand temperature that is greater than or less than a predetermined percentage increase or decrease (e.g., an increase / decrease greater than 1%, an increase / decrease greater than 2%, etc.) compared to a baseline hand temperature may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user, which health insight indicates possible mental stress, anxiety, or illness. Note that in some examples, a change in the user's hand temperature that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight independently of other changes, while in other examples, a change in the user's temperature that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight only when one or more other values ​​in the user's profile also exceed the threshold.

[0093] In some examples, a change in the nominal pressure and / or contact area of ​​a user's palm against a base device when holding an input device (e.g., a stylus) that exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., a specific fixed threshold or a specific threshold percentage change) can trigger the generation of health insights for the user. In one example, a measured palm pressure above a specific level (e.g., above 100 gf, above 300 gf, above 500 gf, etc.) or above a specific value (e.g., greater than 1.5 cm 2 , greater than 2cm 2 , greater than 2.5cm 2A measured palm contact area of ​​greater than a predetermined percentage increase (e.g., greater than a 5% increase, greater than a 10% increase, etc.) compared to a baseline palm pressure or a measured palm contact area increase of greater than a predetermined percentage increase (e.g., greater than a 5% increase, greater than a 10% increase, etc.) compared to a baseline palm contact area may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user, which health insight indicates possible mental stress or anxiety (e.g., tension resulting in more palm pressure and / or contact area). Note that in some examples, a change in a user's nominal palm pressure that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight independently of other changes, while in other examples, a change in a user's palm pressure that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight only when one or more other values ​​in the user's profile also exceed the threshold.

[0094] In some examples, a change in the nominal pressure of the tip of an input device (e.g., a stylus) against a base device that exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., a particular fixed threshold or a particular threshold percentage change) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user. In one example, a measured tip pressure above a particular level (e.g., above 5 gf, above 10 gf, above 20 gf, etc.) or an increase in measured tip pressure greater than a predetermined percentage compared to a baseline tip pressure (e.g., an increase greater than 5%, an increase greater than 10%, etc.) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user that indicates possible mental stress, anxiety, or illness (e.g., tension resulting in more tip pressure on the base device). Note that in some examples, a change in input device tip pressure on a base device that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight independent of other changes, while in other examples, a change in input device tip pressure on a base device that exceeds a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight only if one or more other values ​​in the user's profile also exceed the threshold.

[0095] In some examples, a change in a user's writing behavior profile (e.g., a change in the user's average stroke count per minute, average number of words per minute, average time between strokes, average time between words) that exceeds a predetermined threshold (e.g., a specific fixed threshold or a specific threshold percentage change) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user. In some examples, a measured and calculated average stroke count per molecule below a specific level (e.g., below 150 strokes / minute, below 100 strokes / minute, etc.) or a measured and calculated average number of words per minute below a specific level (e.g., below 60 words / minute, below 30 words / minute, etc.) or a measured and calculated average time between strokes above a specific level (e.g., above 200 milliseconds (ms), above 500 ms, etc.) or a measured and calculated average time between words above a specific level (e.g., above 500 milliseconds (ms), above 1 s, etc.) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user that indicates possible mental stress, anxiety, cognitive decline, or disease. Similarly, a measured and calculated average stroke count per minute, average number of words per minute, average time between strokes, or average time between words that is greater than or less than a predetermined percentage increase (e.g., greater than 5% increase / decrease, greater than 10% increase / decrease, etc.) compared to a baseline value may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user that indicates possible mental stress, anxiety, cognitive decline, or disease. Note that in some examples, changes in the user's average stroke count per minute, average number of words per minute, average time between strokes, or average time between words that exceed a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight independently of other changes, while in other examples, these changes may trigger the generation of a health insight only when one or more other values ​​in the user profile also exceed a threshold.

[0096] In some examples, other changes in a user's writing behavior profile (e.g., changes in how often a user corrects their writing, how often a user's words are automatically corrected, how often a user switches between writing with an on-screen (virtual) keyboard and with a handheld input device, or how often a user zooms in or out on a touch screen display) that exceed a predetermined threshold (e.g., a specific fixed threshold or a specific threshold percentage change) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user. In some examples, a measured and calculated average number of user corrections or automatic corrections per minute above a specific level (e.g., above 5 corrections / minute, above 10 corrections / minute, etc.) or a measured and calculated average number of virtual keyboard / handheld input device switches or zoom in / out switches per minute above a specific level (e.g., above 0.5 switches / minute, above 1 switch / minute, etc.) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user that indicates possible mental stress, anxiety, cognitive decline, or disease. Similarly, a measured and calculated average number of user corrections or automatic corrections per minute or a measured and calculated average number of virtual keyboard / handheld input device (e.g., input mode) switches or zoom in / out (e.g., zoom ratio) switches per minute that is greater than or less than a predetermined percentage increase (e.g., an increase / decrease greater than 5%, an increase / decrease greater than 10%, etc.) compared to a baseline value may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user, which health insight indicates possible mental stress, anxiety, cognitive decline, or disease. Note that in some examples, changes in the user's average number of corrections or automatic corrections per minute or the measured and calculated average number of virtual keyboard / handheld input device switches or zoom in / out switches per minute that exceed a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight independently of other changes, while in other examples, these changes may trigger the generation of a health insight only when one or more other values ​​in the user's profile also exceed a threshold.

[0097] In some examples, changes in a user's stroke analysis profile (e.g., changes in the user's average stroke speed, average stroke size, average character recognition speed, average character matching score, average contour tracking score) that exceed a predetermined threshold (e.g., a specific fixed threshold or a specific threshold percentage change) may trigger the generation of health insights for the user. In some examples, a measured and calculated average stroke speed below a certain level (e.g., below 5 cm / sec, below 2.5 cm / sec, etc.), a measured and calculated average stroke size below a certain level (e.g., below 7 mm / stroke, below 5 mm / stroke, etc.), a measured and calculated average character recognition speed lasting longer than a certain level (e.g., longer than 0.25 seconds, longer than 0.5 seconds, etc.), or a measured and calculated average character matching score or average contour tracking score below a certain level (e.g., a normalized 1 to 100 score below 70, 60, 50, etc.) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user that indicates possible mental stress, anxiety, cognitive decline, or disease (e.g., abnormally small or narrow handwriting may be an early sign of Parkinson's disease). Similarly, a change in the user's average stroke speed, average stroke size, average character recognition speed, average character matching score, or average contour tracking score that is greater than or less than a predetermined percentage change (e.g., greater than 5% increase / decrease, greater than 10% increase / decrease, etc.) compared to a baseline value may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user that indicates possible mental stress, anxiety, cognitive decline, or disease. Note that in some examples, a change in the user's average stroke speed, average stroke size, average character recognition speed, average character matching score, or average contour tracking score that is greater than or less than a predetermined percentage change above a threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight independently of other changes, while in other examples, these changes may trigger the generation of a health insight only when one or more other values ​​in the user's profile also exceed a threshold.

[0098] In some examples, a change in a user's wearable device (e.g., watch) profile (e.g., a change in the user's blood volume, heart rate, or other biometric parameter) exceeding a predetermined threshold (e.g., a specific fixed threshold or a specific threshold percentage change) together with changes in other values ​​in the user's profile exceeding a predetermined threshold may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user. In some examples, a measured and calculated heart rate above or below a specific level (e.g., above 120bpm, above 140bpm, below 55bpm, below 50bpm, etc.) may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user, which indicates possible mental stress, anxiety, illness, or injury. Similarly, a change in the user's average measured and calculated heart rate that is greater than or less than a predetermined percentage change (e.g., an increase / decrease greater than 5%, an increase / decrease greater than 10%, etc.) compared to a baseline value may trigger the generation of a health insight for the user, which indicates possible mental stress, anxiety, illness, or injury.

[0099] Since the newly collected data is periodically compared with the baseline user profile data, and the increment or change between the newly collected data and the baseline profile data exceeding a predetermined threshold is identified, health insights can be provided to the user through the health tracking application. In some examples, the health insight (or an invitation to access the health insight) may be presented as a text message, dashboard, and / or data presented on a base device (e.g., a tablet) or an associated wearable device (e.g., a watch). In some examples, the health insight may provide information about which profile data has changed, when it has changed (e.g., the time period of the detected change), and the amount of change. The health insight may also provide content related to daily or monthly trends in the changed profile data, or other profile data that is currently changing (but may not exceed the change threshold), or information about a single event (e.g., a change in profile data exceeds a threshold). However, it should be noted that in most examples, the health insight is a report on the detected conditions, but not a diagnosis of the causes of those conditions, and is not intended to be a tool for guiding or recommending changes in user behavior.

[0100] Figure 7 A flow chart for generating user health insights using an input device (such as a stylus) according to some examples of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 7 In the example of , the health tracking application may perform data capture 765. The data capture at 765 may include capturing data from an input device (e.g., Figures 1A to 1E 114), and optionally may also include capturing data from a base device (e.g., Figures 1A to 1EIn 757, the health tracking application may generate and maintain user profile data, which may include generating and maintaining a hand profile in 755, and may also optionally include generating and maintaining a writing behavior profile in 753, generating and maintaining a stroke analysis profile in 751, and generating and maintaining a wearable device profile in 749. In 747, the health tracking application may detect changes in the user profile that exceed a predetermined threshold. Optionally, in 745, the detected changes may be analyzed in conjunction with detected changes in one or more other profiles to identify user health insights. Then, in 743, the health tracking application may provide health insights resulting from the detection of one or more changes in the user profile that exceed a predetermined threshold level.

[0101] As discussed above, aspects of the present technology include collecting and using physiological information and sensor information associated with a user. In some cases, the technology may be implemented in conjunction with technology related to collecting personal data related to the user's health status and / or that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. In some cases, such personal data may include demographic data, date of birth, location-based data, telephone number, email address, home address, and data or records related to the user's health status or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information, etc.).

[0102] The present disclosure recognizes that a user's personal data (including physiological information, such as data generated and used by the present technology) can be used to benefit the user. For example, a user's input device grip pressure can allow the user to track or otherwise obtain health insights about their health level or fitness level.

[0103] The disclosure envisions that entities responsible for collecting, analyzing, disclosing, transmitting, storing or otherwise using such personal data will comply with established privacy policies and / or privacy practices. Specifically, such entities should implement and adhere to privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of personal information data. Such policies should be easy for users to access and should be updated as changes in the collection and / or use of data occur. Personal information from users should be collected for legal and reasonable entity purposes and should not be shared or sold outside these legal purposes. In addition, such collection / sharing should require the receipt of informed consent from users. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to protect and safeguard access to such personal information data and ensure that other entities with access to personal information data comply with their privacy policies and procedures. In addition, such entities may subject themselves to third-party assessments to prove that they comply with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. These policies and practices can be adjusted according to geographic regions and / or the specific types and nature of personal data collected and used.

[0104] Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which a user selectively blocks the collection, use, or access to personal data including physiological information. For example, a user may be able to disable hardware and / or software elements that collect physiological or sensor information. Additionally, the present disclosure contemplates providing hardware and / or software elements to prevent or block access to personal data that has been collected. Specifically, a user may choose to remove, disable, or limit access to certain health-related applications that collect the user's personal health or fitness data.

[0105] Therefore, according to the above, some examples of the present disclosure relate to a computer-implemented method for generating health insights, the computer-implemented method comprising: capturing first data from at least one first sensor at an input device, the captured first data comprising first current data captured within a first time period and first historical data captured within a second time period not overlapping with the first time period; generating and maintaining a user profile within the first time period and the second time period, the user profile comprising first profile data based at least on the first historical data; and detecting a first change between the first current data and the first profile data that exceeds a first predetermined threshold; and generating a first health insight based on the detected first change. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the first change is detected from a comparison of the first current data with the first profile data (e.g., comparing the first current data with the first profile data). In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second time period is prior to the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, capturing the first data occurs automatically without user initiation. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, capturing the first data occurs after the prompt is generated. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the first overview data includes the average pressure detected on the side of the input device during the second time period, and the first current data includes the average grip pressure detected on the side of the input device during the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the first overview data includes the average contact area calculated on the side of the input device during the second time period, and the first current data includes the average contact area calculated on the side of the input device during the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the first overview data includes the average tip pressure detected at the tip of the input device during the second time period, and the first current data includes the average tip pressure detected at the tip of the input device during the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the first profile data includes an average tilt angle of the input device detected during the second time period, and the first current data includes an average tilt angle of the input device detected during the first time period.In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the first profile data includes an average temperature detected at the input device during the second time period, and the first current data includes an average temperature detected at the input device during the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the first profile data includes an average stability score calculated during the second time period, and the first current data includes an average stability score calculated during the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the method further includes: capturing second data from at least one second sensor at the base device, the captured second data including second current data captured during the first time period and second historical data captured during the second time period, wherein the user profile further includes second profile data based at least on the second historical data; comparing the second current data with the second profile data; and detecting from the comparison a second change between the second current data and the second profile data that exceeds a second predetermined threshold; and generating a second health insight based at least in part on the detected second change. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second overview data includes an average pressure detected at the base device during the second time period, and the second current data includes an average pressure detected at the base device during the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second overview data includes an average contact area calculated at the base device during the second time period, and the second current data includes an average contact area calculated at the base device during the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second overview data includes an average stroke count per minute calculated during the second time period, and the second current includes an average stroke count per minute calculated during the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second overview data includes an average word count per minute calculated during the second time period, and the second current includes an average word count per minute calculated during the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second overview data includes an average time between strokes calculated within the second time period, and the second current data includes an average time between strokes calculated within the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second overview data includes an average time between words calculated within the second time period, and the second current data includes an average time between words calculated within the first time period.In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second profile includes an average number of corrections per minute calculated in the second time period, and the second current includes an average number of corrections per minute calculated in the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second profile data includes an average number of input mode switches per minute calculated in the second time period, and the second current includes an average number of input mode switches per minute calculated in the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second profile data includes an average number of zoom ratio switches per minute calculated in the second time period, and the second current includes an average number of zoom ratio switches per minute calculated in the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second profile data includes an average stroke speed calculated in the second time period, and the second current data includes an average stroke speed calculated in the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second profile data includes an average stroke size calculated within the second time period, and the second current data includes an average stroke size calculated within the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second profile data includes an average character recognition speed calculated within the second time period, and the second current data includes an average character recognition speed calculated within the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second profile data includes an average character matching score determined within the second time period, and the second current data includes an average character matching score determined within the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second profile data includes an average contour tracking score determined within the second time period, and the second current data includes an average contour tracking score determined within the first time period. In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the method also includes: capturing second data from at least one second sensor at the wearable device, the captured second data including second current data captured within the first time period and second historical data captured within the second time period, wherein the user profile also includes second profile data based at least on the second historical data; comparing the second current data with the second profile data; and detecting from the comparison a second change between the second current data and the second profile data that exceeds a second predetermined threshold; and generating a second health insight based at least in part on the detected second change.In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second profile data includes an average heart rate calculated during the second time period, and the second current data includes an average heart rate calculated during the first time period. Some examples of the present disclosure relate to a system comprising one or more processors, a memory, and one or more programs stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for executing one or more of the exemplary methods disclosed above. Some examples of the present disclosure relate to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs including instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of the system, cause the system to execute one or more of the exemplary methods disclosed above. Some examples of the present disclosure relate to a system comprising one or more processors, a memory, and a device for executing one or more of the exemplary methods disclosed above.

[0106] Although the examples of the present disclosure have been fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that such changes and modifications are considered to be included within the scope of the examples of the present disclosure defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating health insights, comprising: capturing first data from at least one first sensor at an input device, the captured first data comprising first current data captured during a first time period and first historical data captured during a second time period that does not overlap with the first time period; generating and maintaining a user profile during the first time period and the second time period, the user profile comprising first profile data based at least on the first historical data; detecting a first change between the first current data and the first overview data exceeding a first predetermined threshold; as well as A first health insight is generated based on the first change. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the capturing of the first data occurs automatically without user initiation. The method of claim 1 , wherein the capturing of the first data occurs after generating a prompt.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first profile data comprises an average pressure detected on a side surface of the input device during the second time period, and the first current data comprises an average grip pressure detected on the side surface of the input device during the first time period.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first profile data includes an average contact area calculated on a side surface of the input device during the second time period, and the first current data includes an average contact area calculated on the side surface of the input device during the first time period.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first profile data comprises an average tip pressure detected at the tip of the input device during the second time period, and the first current data comprises an average tip pressure detected at the tip of the input device during the first time period. 7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first profile data comprises an average tilt angle of the input device detected during the second time period, and the first current data comprises an average tilt angle of the input device detected during the first time period.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first profile data comprises an average temperature detected at the input device during the second time period, and the first current data comprises an average temperature detected at the input device during the first time period.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first profile data comprises an average stability score calculated during the second time period, and the first current data comprises an average stability score calculated during the first time period.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: capturing second data from at least one second sensor at the base device, the captured second data comprising second current data captured during the first time period and second historical data captured during the second time period; wherein the user profile further comprises second profile data based at least on the second historical data; detecting a second change between the second current data and the second overview data exceeding a second predetermined threshold; as well as A second health insight is generated based at least in part on the second change.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second profile data comprises one of an average pressure detected at the base device during the second time period or an average contact area calculated at the base device during the second time period, and the second current data comprises one of an average pressure detected at the base device during the first time period or an average contact area calculated at the base device during the first time period.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the second profile data includes one of an average stroke count per minute calculated during the second time period, an average time between strokes calculated during the second time period, an average stroke speed calculated during the second time period, an average stroke size calculated during the second time period, or an average contour tracking score determined during the second time period, and the second current data includes one of an average stroke count per minute calculated during the first time period, an average time between strokes calculated during the first time period, an average stroke speed calculated during the first time period, an average stroke size calculated during the first time period, or an average contour tracking score determined during the first time period.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein the second profile data includes one of an average word count per minute calculated during the second time period, an average time between words calculated during the second time period, an average character recognition speed calculated during the second time period, or an average character matching score calculated during the second time period, and the second current data includes one of an average word count per minute calculated during the first time period, an average time between words calculated during the first time period, an average character recognition speed calculated during the first time period, or an average character matching score calculated during the first time period.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the second profile data comprises an average number of corrections per minute calculated during the second time period, and the second current data comprises an average number of corrections per minute calculated during the first time period.

15. A method according to claim 10, wherein the second profile data includes one of the average number of input mode switches per minute calculated in the second time period or the average number of zoom ratio switches per minute calculated in the second time period, and the second current data includes one of the average number of input mode switches per minute calculated in the first time period or the average number of zoom ratio switches per minute calculated in the first time period.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: capturing second data from at least one second sensor at the wearable device, the captured second data comprising second current data captured during the first time period and second historical data captured during the second time period; wherein the user profile further comprises second profile data based at least on the second historical data; detecting a second change between the second current data and the second overview data exceeding a second predetermined threshold; as well as A second health insight is generated based at least in part on the second change.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second profile data comprises an average heart rate calculated during the second time period, and the second current data comprises an average heart rate calculated during the first time period.

18. A system comprising: one or more processors; Memory; and One or more programs stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a system, cause the system to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 17.

20. A system comprising: one or more processors; Memory; and Device for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

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