Secondary device presence for triggering primary device functionality

Abstract

Ranging between a primary electronic device and a secondary electronic device may be used to control functional states for these electronic devices. One or more functions of the primary electronic device may be controlled based on a location of the secondary electronic device. The secondary electronic device may be a mobile device or a wearable computer, and the location of the secondary device may be an alternative to the location of the user. The functions that are enabled or disabled may be functions related to the user's use and enjoyment of the master device.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 374,185, filed on August 31, 2022, entitled “Secondary Device Presence For Triggering Primary Device Functionality”; and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 18 / 115,621, filed on February 28, 2023, entitled “Secondary Device Presence For Triggering Primary Device Functionality”, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes. Background Art

[0003] Ranging techniques such as time of flight (TOF) or received signal strength indicator (RSSI) can be used to determine the distance between devices or the relative positions of two devices. Such techniques can be used to determine the position of another device. However, it is desirable to identify new and improved uses for ranging techniques, particularly when ranging techniques tend to produce uncertainties that may cause operations to be performed inconsistently. Summary of the invention

[0004] Certain embodiments relate to techniques (e.g., devices, methods, memory, or non-transitory computer-readable media storing code or instructions executable by one or more processors) for controlling the operation of one device based on the proximity of another device.

[0005] The technology may include performing a first ranging measurement between a main electronic device and a secondary device to obtain a first ranging value. A proximity state for the main electronic device may be determined. The proximity state may be that the main electronic device is in a proximity state, and the determination may have a presence threshold based on a first range value. The proximity state may indicate that the secondary electronic device is close to the main electronic device. A functional state of the main electronic device may be turned on based on the secondary device being in a proximity state, and the functional state may be turned off when the secondary device is in a far away state. The technology may include determining that an initial value for an absence threshold may be determined. The absence threshold may be used to determine when the proximity state of the secondary electronic device is a far away state. A second ranging measurement between the main electronic device and the secondary electronic device may be performed to obtain a second range value. The second range value may be compared with the absence threshold. Whether the second range value exceeds the absence threshold may be determined based on a comparison with the absence threshold. The second ranging measurement may be performed and compared until the second range value exceeds the absence threshold. The proximity state of the main electronic device may be updated from a proximity state to a far away state based on the second ranging value exceeding the absence threshold. The functional state of the main electronic device may be turned off based on the secondary electronic device being in a far away state.

[0006] Additional specific implementations may include performing a second ranging measurement between the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device to obtain a second range value. The second range value may be compared to the presence threshold. Whether the range value exceeds the absence threshold may be determined based on a comparison with the presence threshold. The proximity state may be updated from the far state to the near state based on a comparison with the presence threshold. The change counter may be incremented based on an update to the near state. Whether to increase the difference between the absence threshold and the presence threshold is based on the change counter. The change counter may be decremented after a period of time in which no state change occurs. The time period may be determined based on the power consumption rate of the primary electronic device. Whether to increase the difference between the absence threshold and the presence threshold may be based on a comparison of the change counter with the threshold. The difference between the absence threshold and the presence threshold may reach a maximum difference.

[0007] These and other embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below.For example, other embodiments relate to systems, devices, and computer-readable media associated with the methods described herein.

[0008] The nature and advantages of embodiments of the present invention may be better understood by referring to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 A sequence diagram for performing ranging measurement between electronic devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0010] Figure 2is a diagram illustrating changes in device functional states according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating activation of a function state of a main electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating deactivation of a functional state of a main electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 5 is a graph illustrating changes in a dynamic absence threshold in response to a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurement according to one embodiment.

[0014] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method for performing ranging to control a functional state of an electronic device.

[0015] Figure 7 is a block diagram of components of a mobile device operable to perform ranging according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an example electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Certain embodiments relate to techniques (e.g., devices, methods, memory, or non-transitory computer-readable media storing code or instructions executable by one or more processors) for controlling the operation of one device based on the proximity of another device.

[0018] Ranging between electronic devices can be used to control the functional state of electronic devices. One or more functions of a main electronic device (e.g., a smart phone, a tablet device, or a laptop computer) can be enabled or disabled based on the location of a secondary electronic device. For example, when a secondary electronic device (e.g., a watch) is within a threshold distance of a main device, the screen on the main electronic device (e.g., a phone) can be active. The secondary electronic device can be a mobile device or a wearable computer, and the location of the secondary device can be a substitute for the location of the user. These functions that are enabled or disabled can be functions related to the user's use and enjoyment of the main device. For example, when the user is farther from the device than the threshold distance, the video played on the screen of the main electronic device can be paused. Enabling or disabling the function of the main electronic device can be used to save power on the main electronic device, and for example, if the secondary electronic device is outside the threshold distance of the main device, the electronic device can enter a low power mode. For example, when the secondary electronic device is at a threshold distance from the main device, the display that is always turned on of the main electronic device can be turned off. When the user is away from the device, turning off the display can save the battery life of the main electronic device.

[0019] Uncertain distance calculations are problematic in the boundary area at the edge of the threshold distance. The uncertainty may be caused by errors in the ranging measurement. For example, the strength of the received signal may be absorbed by the human body or other objects in the environment (e.g., body occlusion). This body occlusion may cause the ranging measurement calculated using the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) technique to change because the signal strength is reduced by the body occlusion rather than by the distance the signal has traveled. This change may cause uncertainty in the calculated distance between devices. The uncertainty of the time of flight (ToF) ranging technology may be caused by the ToF signal taking an indirect path between devices, which may cause the calculated distance to be longer than the actual distance between the devices (e.g., multipath error). This uncertainty may cause the calculated position to oscillate or "ping-pong" inside and outside the threshold distance. Therefore, the main device function may be triggered inappropriately. For example, even if the person using the auxiliary electronic device stays close to the main device, the lights on the main electronic device may flicker. Improperly triggered events may consume power unnecessarily and shorten the battery life of the main electronic device. The oscillating function on the main electronic device may lead to a poor user experience. For example, a flickering screen on the main electronic device may make it difficult for the user to interact with the device.

[0020] An adaptive algorithm may be used to mitigate oscillations caused by uncertain distance measurements. Instead of using a single threshold to determine the location of a secondary device, the algorithm may select between a presence threshold and an absence threshold based on the last state of the user (e.g., the secondary device). The presence threshold may determine when the secondary electronic device is in a "near state." The absence threshold may determine when the primary electronic device is in a "near state" because the last calculated location of the secondary device is near the primary device. If the secondary device is determined to be outside the absence threshold, the state of the primary device may be changed to a "near state."

[0021] The threshold can be selected based on the current state of the master device, and the ranging measurement (e.g., TOF or RSSI) between the two electronic devices can be calculated and compared with the threshold. This comparison can determine whether the user has changed position and whether the state of the master device should be updated. If the position oscillates or "ping-pongs" between states, the adaptive algorithm can increase the absence threshold. The change counter can record how many times the user has changed the state, and the absence threshold can be increased based on the change counter. For example, in an embodiment using RSSI, the presence threshold can be -75dBm, and the absence threshold can be -80dBm. Whenever the counter is incremented, the absence threshold can be changed by -4dBm. Even if the state of the master device is repeatedly updated, the presence threshold will not change, because if no event is triggered for the current user, the user's experience of the master device may be affected.

[0022] The counter can be incremented whenever the state of the main electronic device changes, and the change to the counter can last for a specified time period. The adaptive algorithm can save battery life, and the time period can be calibrated based on the amount of power consumed by the event. The time period can be equal to three times the cost of the event, so that the adaptive algorithm saves battery life. Continuing with this example, because the state of the main device changes, the timer can be incremented, and after a 51-second time period, the counter can be decremented. The adaptive algorithm is dynamic, so that the algorithm can adapt to different types of environments. For example, uncertainty caused by ranging errors (such as RSSI errors caused by body occlusion) can be more prevalent in crowded environments. In crowded environments, ranging errors may fluctuate more because the signal may be attenuated by people passing between the main electronic device and the auxiliary electronic device. This attenuation may mean that the auxiliary electronic device is closer to the main electronic device than the ranging measurement suggests. This ranging uncertainty may cause the main electronic device to mistakenly determine that the auxiliary electronic device is in a "far away state". Increasing the distance between the thresholds can reduce these erroneous "far away states", but the increased distance can cause erroneous "close states" in less cluttered environments. Decreasing the counter may allow the adaptive algorithm to reset so that a threshold adapted for one environment does not apply to a second environment (e.g., so that a threshold for a crowded coffee shop does not apply to a user's living room). The value for the presence threshold may be changed as the counter is decremented. In some embodiments, the absence threshold may only change if the counter value exceeds a counter threshold (e.g., -4 dBm for each counter value above 3).

[0023] I. Distance measurement

[0024] In some embodiments, an electronic device may include a circuit for performing ranging measurements. Such circuits may include one or more dedicated antennas (e.g., 3) and a circuit for processing measured messages. The flight time of a pulse between two electronic devices can be used to perform ranging measurements. In some implementations, the received signal strength indication (RSSI) of a single pulse can be used to measure the distance between devices. In other implementations, the round trip time (RTT) is used to determine, for example, distance information for each antenna in the antenna. In other implementations, a single trip time in one direction can be used. Ultra-wideband (UWB) radio technology can be used to form pulses.

[0025] A. Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)

[0026] A received signal strength indicator (RSSI) is a measure of the power in a received signal. One or more antennas in an array of an electronic device may be configured to measure received signal strength. Received signal strength may be expressed as a negative number with arbitrary units that may vary between specific implementations. For example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 technical standard for implementing wireless area network communications and the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless personal area technology both use decibel-milliwatts (-dBm) as a unit for received signal strength, although other units are also contemplated.

[0027] The strength of the signal can be determined using the wireless communication antenna of the electronic device. Electronic devices often contain components for wireless communication, and RSSI can allow distance measurement without specialized hardware. To measure RSSI, the primary electronic device can transmit a signal that is received by one or more secondary electronic devices. The power of the signal decays at a regular rate that can be used to determine the rough distance between devices.

[0028] RSSI ranging techniques may tend to produce uncertainties caused by signal attenuation. As the distance from the signal source increases, the signal loses power or attenuates. The rate of attenuation can vary based on the signal transmission medium, where denser media result in greater attenuation. An example of this phenomenon is body occlusion, where the human body absorbs the power of the signal and causes signal attenuation. A human body between the signal source and where the signal is received may cause the RSSI of the signal to drop. Body occlusion can increase the estimated distance between the primary and secondary electronic devices because the human body attenuates the signal faster than air.

[0029] B. Time of Flight (ToF)

[0030] Figure 1 A sequence diagram for performing ranging measurement between electronic devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The electronic devices (e.g., the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device) may be a smart phone, a smart watch, a tablet computer, a personal computer, a wearable computer, etc. Figure 1 A single measurement is shown, but the process may be repeated to perform multiple measurements over a time interval as part of a ranging session, where such measurements may be averaged or otherwise analyzed to provide, for example, a single distance value for each antenna. Figure 1 The message sequence of a unilateral two-way ranging protocol is illustrated. The technology proposed in this application is also applicable to other ranging protocols, such as bilateral two-way ranging.

[0031] The primary electronic device 110 may initiate a ranging measurement (operation) by transmitting a ranging request 101 to a secondary electronic device 120 (e.g., a mobile device, a smart phone, a smart watch). The ranging request 101 may include a first group of one or more pulses. The ranging measurement may be performed using a ranging wireless protocol (e.g., UWB). The ranging measurement may be triggered in various ways, for example, based on user input and / or authentication using another wireless protocol (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)). In one example, ranging may begin when certain information in a notification signal is received from a beacon device.

[0032] At T1, the primary electronic device 110 transmits a ranging request 101. At T2, the secondary electronic device 120 receives the ranging request 101. T2 may be an average reception time when multiple pulses are in the first group. The secondary electronic device 120 may anticipate the ranging request 101 within a time window based on previous communications (e.g., using another wireless protocol). The ranging wireless protocol and the other wireless protocol may be synchronized so that the secondary electronic device 120 may turn on the ranging antenna and associated circuitry within a specified time window, rather than turning them on throughout the ranging session.

[0033] In response to receiving the ranging request 101, the secondary electronic device 120 may transmit a ranging response 102. As shown, the ranging response 102 is transmitted at time T3 (e.g., the transmission time of one pulse or the average transmission time of a group of pulses). T2 and T3 may also be a group of times for corresponding pulses. The ranging response 102 may include time T2 and T3 so that the primary electronic device 110 may calculate distance information. Alternatively, the difference between the two times (e.g., T3-T2) may be sent. The difference may be referred to as a response time.

[0034] At T4, the master electronic device 110 may receive the ranging response 102. As with the other times, T4 may be a single time value or a set of time values.

[0035] At 103, the main electronic device 110 calculates distance information 130, which may have various units, such as distance units (e.g., meters) or time (e.g., milliseconds). The time may be equivalent to the distance with a scale factor corresponding to the speed of light. In some embodiments, the distance may be calculated from the total round trip time, which may be equal to T2-T1+T4-T3. More complex calculations may also be used, for example, when the time corresponds to a time group of pulse groups and when frequency correction is implemented.

[0036] II. Confirm the device exists

[0037] The presence or absence of an electronic device can be used to control the functional state of the device. Ranging techniques can be used to determine the presence of a device relative to another electronic device. In some cases, device presence can be used as a surrogate for individual location, and changes in device functionality can be used to save power when the individual is not present.

[0038] A. Functional state oscillation

[0039] Figure 2 is a diagram 200 showing changes in device functional states. The functional state of a primary device may change based on the proximity of a secondary device.

[0040] At block 210, the functional state of the primary electronic device 203 is off. The functional state in diagram 200 corresponds to the display of the primary electronic device 203, which is shown as black to indicate that the display is off, although other functional states are also contemplated.

[0041] The functional state of the main electronic device 203 can be based on the proximity state of the auxiliary electronic device 206. The proximity state for the auxiliary electronic device 206 can be a far away state because the device exceeds the absence / presence threshold 209. The proximity state of the auxiliary electronic device in the far away area 212 farther than the absence / presence threshold can be a far away state. The absence / presence threshold can be a two-dimensional distance from the main electronic device 203, a three-dimensional distance from the device, a TOF measurement threshold, or an RSSI measurement threshold. Whether the auxiliary electronic device is in a near state or a far away state can be determined by a ranging measurement between the main electronic device 203 and the auxiliary electronic device 206.

[0042] At block 220, the functional state of the primary electronic device 215 is on. The display of the primary electronic device 215 is white to indicate that the display of the device is on. Because the secondary electronic device 218 is in the near state, the functional state is on. If the secondary electronic device 218 is in the near region 221 within the absence / presence threshold 209, the device may be in the near state.

[0043] At box 230, the functional state of the main electronic device 224 oscillates between states. The display of the main electronic device 224 is shown as both black and white to indicate that the device is oscillating between device states. There may be uncertainty in the ranging measurement, and if the distance between the auxiliary electronic device 224 and the absence / presence threshold 209 is less than the uncertainty, the main electronic device 227 may try to determine that the auxiliary electronic device is in a close state or a far away state. In this case, the main electronic device can oscillate between device states because the ranging measurement provides contradictory messages to the main electronic device 224.

[0044] B. Presence and absence thresholds

[0045] The oscillation between device states can be mitigated by using separate absence and presence thresholds rather than one absence / presence threshold. The difference between the thresholds can be greater than the uncertainty of the ranging measurement so that the primary electronic device can distinguish whether the secondary electronic device is in a near state or a far state. The distance between the thresholds can be dynamically increased based on the number of state changes during the time frame.

[0046] Figure 3 300 is a diagram showing activation of a functional state of a primary electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The functional state of the primary device may be controlled based on a proximity state of a secondary electronic device determined relative to the primary electronic device. When the secondary device is within a presence threshold, the proximity state may be a close state, and when the secondary electronic device exceeds an absence threshold, the proximity state may be a far state.

[0047] At box 310, the functional state of the primary electronic device 303 is off. The functional state in diagram 300 corresponds to the display of the primary electronic device 303, which is shown as black to indicate that the display is off, however other functional states are also contemplated. The functional state of the primary electronic device 303 can be off because the secondary electronic device 306 is in a away region 309 that exceeds the absence threshold 315. The away region 309 corresponds to the away state for proximity.

[0048] At frame 320, the functional state of the main electronic device 312 remains closed. The auxiliary electronic device 318 is in the middle area 321 outside the threshold value 324 but within the absence threshold value 315. When the device enters the middle area 321, the state of the electronic device 312 may not change. The size of the middle area 321 may change based on the frequency of the auxiliary electronic device 318 changing the state. For example, if the number of state changes of the auxiliary electronic device 318 exceeds the threshold value, the distance between the threshold value 324 and the absence threshold value 315 may increase. In various embodiments, the absence threshold value 315 may be further moved away from the main electronic device 312, the presence threshold value 324 may be moved closer to the main electronic device, or both threshold values ​​may be moved. In some embodiments, when the auxiliary electronic device 318 is in the middle area 321, the functional state of the main electronic device 312 may remain open.

[0049] At block 330, the functional state of the primary electronic device 327 is turned on. The display of the primary electronic device 327 is shown in white to indicate that the functional state is turned on because the secondary electronic device 333 is in the proximity zone 336 within the presence threshold. The proximity zone 336 may be an area between the primary electronic device 327 and the presence threshold 324 corresponding to the proximity state for proximity.

[0050] Although presence threshold 324 and absence threshold 315 are shown, embodiments of the present disclosure may include additional thresholds.

[0051] Figure 4 4 is a diagram 400 showing the deactivation of the functional state of the primary electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. At box 410, the functional state of the primary electronic device is on. The functional state in diagram 400 corresponds to the display of the primary electronic device 403, which is shown as white to indicate that the display is on, but other functional states are also contemplated. Because the secondary electronic device 406 is in a proximity region 409 (corresponding to a proximity state for proximity) between the primary electronic device 403 and the presence threshold 412, the functional state is on.

[0052] At block 420, the functional state of the primary electronic device 415 remains on. When the secondary electronic device 418 enters the intermediate region 421 between the presence threshold 412 and the absence threshold 436, the secondary device state may not change. At block 430, the functional state of the primary electronic device 424 is turned off. The secondary electronic device 427 moves from the intermediate region 421 to the away region 433 beyond the absence threshold 436. The away region 433 corresponds to the away state for proximity.

[0053] C. Dynamic Threshold

[0054] The distance between the absence threshold and the presence threshold may be selected to mitigate false positives. The ranging measurements have uncertainty, and the distance between the thresholds may be selected so that the natural fluctuations in the ranging measurements do not cause the primary electronic device to incorrectly determine that the secondary device has changed state (e.g., false positives). However, the uncertainty for ranging measurements may vary based on the environment, and for example, RSSI ranging measurements will decay more in a crowded subway station than in an empty field. The distance between the thresholds that may be suitable for open fields may lead to false positives in subway stations. Therefore, dynamic thresholds may be able to adapt to the environment and help mitigate erroneous changes in the state of the secondary electronic device.

[0055] Dynamic thresholds can be adapted to new environments by being reset at regular intervals so that thresholds adapted to one environment are not applied to less suitable environments. The threshold can be reset after a given time frame in which no state change occurs. The length of a given time frame can be selected based on the power consumption of the main electronic device. Functional state changes and dynamic thresholds can consume a known amount of power. For example, a functional state change can consume as much power as 17 seconds to achieve a dynamic threshold. The length of a given time frame can be selected so that the main electronic device saves power by achieving a dynamic threshold. For example, a given time frame can be three times the cost of a functional state change, or in this case 51 seconds.

[0056] The dynamic threshold may be reset in response to an event. For example, the secondary electronic device may be a wearable computer, and the dynamic threshold may be reset when the device detects that it is no longer being worn. The wearable computer may include a smart watch, smart glasses, a smart phone, or a computer otherwise worn by a person. The wearable computer may use sensor data such as an accelerometer or photoplethysmography (PPG) readings to determine whether the device is being worn. PPG is a technology for measuring blood pulses in tissues, which can be used by a wearable computer to monitor a user's health data, and if the device stops receiving PPG data, the wearable computer may determine that it is not being worn.

[0057] The dynamic threshold may be reset when input is provided to the host electronic device. For example, the dynamic threshold for a smartphone may be reset when a user touches the device screen or unlocks the device. In some embodiments, the dynamic threshold may be reset when the host electronic device detects that the device is moving based on accelerometer measurements.

[0058] Figure 5 500 is a graph showing changes in a dynamic absence threshold measured in response to a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) according to one embodiment. The x-axis of the graph 500 shows RSSI values ​​in -dBm, and the y-axis shows time in seconds (s). Although a dynamic absence threshold 503 and a static presence threshold 506 are shown, the thresholds can be static or dynamic. When a negative false positive (e.g., a secondary electronic device changes state and the primary electronic device does not detect the change) may affect the user experience, a static threshold can be selected. For example, if the functional state corresponds to a display device, a static presence threshold can be used because a user close to the primary electronic device will notice that the display is off. Continuing with this example, a dynamic absence threshold can be used because a user away from the primary electronic device will not necessarily notice whether the display is on or off.

[0059] When there is a distance event such as a distance event 509a-509f, the value of the dynamic absence threshold 503 can change. When the value of the distance measurement 512 drops below the dynamic threshold 503, or when the distance measurement drops below the dynamic threshold 503 and then rises above the threshold within a time frame (e.g., 1 second), a distance event may occur. The threshold can be changed in regular increments (e.g., -4dBm) for each distance event (e.g., distance events 509a-509f), or the increment size can vary based on the number of distance events. For example, the increment can gradually become larger or smaller based on the number of distance events 509 in a given time frame.

[0060] The difference between the dynamic non-existence threshold value 503 and the static existence threshold value 506 can be increased or reduced based on the change counter.The change counter can be incremented for one or more away from the event 509a-509f, and the difference can increase after the increment of the threshold value quantity.For example, for each away from the event after the first three, this difference can increase once (for example, for away from the event 0-3, do not increase and for away from the event 4-n increase) with a regular increment.The difference between the threshold value can reduce after not away from the time frame of the event.If there is no event away from the event during the time frame, the dynamic non-existence threshold value 503 can return to the initial non-existence threshold value.When not away from the event, the difference between the threshold value can reduce with a regular increment for each time frame.The regular increment can be identical with the regular increment for increasing the difference between the threshold value, more than it or less than it.

[0061] Away events may be caused by uncertainty in ranging measurements between electronic devices. For example, away events 509a-509c may be caused by body occlusion that attenuates ranging measurements 512 between a primary electronic device and a smartwatch (e.g., a secondary electronic device). Continuing with this example, attenuation may be caused by a person wearing a smartwatch crossing their arms, placing their arms between their legs, or otherwise placing a secondary device in a position where ranging measurements are attenuated. Away events 509d-509f may be actual away events in which a person wearing a smartwatch moves away from a primary electronic device. The magnitude of the difference between ranging measurements 512 and a dynamic threshold may be used to determine whether one of away events 509a-509f is caused by measurement uncertainty or by a secondary electronic device moving away from a primary electronic device.

[0062] In some instances, movement data from a primary electronic device or a secondary electronic device can be used to identify a moving away event 509a-509f. For example, movement data such as pedometer data, global positioning system (GPS) measurements, or inertial measurement units (IMUs) from a primary electronic device or a secondary electronic device can be used to determine whether a moving away event occurs because a person wearing the secondary electronic device moves away from the primary electronic device, or whether the moving away event is caused by ranging measurement uncertainty. If it is found that the moving away event is caused by the user moving away from the primary electronic device, the dynamic threshold may not be changed because the moving away event is not caused by ranging measurement uncertainty. For example, if the primary electronic device or the secondary electronic device movement data indicates that the primary electronic device moves away from the secondary electronic device or the two devices move away from each other, the dynamic threshold may not change.

[0063] In some embodiments, movement data from the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device can be used to control device functionality. For example, if the movement data from the two devices indicates that both devices are moving, but the ranging data indicates that the secondary electronic device is in a close state, the functional state can be changed. Continuing with this example, the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device can use the movement data and the ranging measurement to determine that the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device are on an airplane, and airplane mode (e.g., functional state) can be turned on for the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device.

[0064] The ranging measurements and sensor data from the electronic device can be used to train a machine learning model to distinguish between actual away events where the user has moved away from the main electronic device or away events caused by ranging measurement uncertainty. For example, the machine learning model can be a neural network or a decision tree (e.g., a boosted tree model) that can be trained to distinguish between user movement and sensor fluctuations.

[0065] Returning to graph 500, the dynamic threshold may start at an initial value that may remain constant until a runaway event 509 occurs. The initial absence threshold 515 is shown as a dashed line at -80 dBm, and the dynamic absence threshold 503 shows how the threshold is adjusted in response to the runaway event 509. In this case, approximately -4 dBm is subtracted from the dynamic threshold 503 in response to the runaway event. There may be limits on how much the dynamic threshold 503 may change, and for example, the dynamic threshold may not drop below -94 dBm regardless of the number of runaway events.

[0066] Although the curve graph 500 shows a dynamic absence threshold 503 implemented using RSSI measurement, other ranging techniques such as time of flight (ToF) can be used to implement the threshold. The absence threshold and the presence threshold can be time values ​​corresponding to ToF ranging measurements. In some specific implementations, the detected away event 509 can cause the main electronic device to switch to a different ranging technology. For example, the main electronic device can use RSSI under normal circumstances because RSSI is a relatively low-power ranging technology. If the main electronic device detects a threshold number of away events 509, the main electronic device can switch to ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging.

[0067] III. Distance measurement to control the functional status of electronic devices

[0068] Figure 6 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method 600 for performing ranging to control a functional state of an electronic device. In some specific implementations, Figure 6One or more method blocks of may be executed by an electronic device (e.g., a primary electronic device 203, 215, 224, 303, 312, 327, 403, 415, 424; a secondary electronic device 206, 218, 227, 306, 318, 333, 406, 418, 427; a mobile device 700, 800). In some specific implementations, Figure 6 One or more method blocks of may be performed by another device or a group of devices separate from or including the mobile device. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 6 One or more method blocks may be executed by one or more components of an electronic device (e.g., a main electronic device 203, 215, 224, 303, 312, 327, 403, 415, 424; an auxiliary electronic device 206, 218, 227, 306, 318, 333, 406, 418, 427; a mobile device 700, 800), such as an always-on processor (AOP) 730, a Bluetooth controller (BTC) 735, an application processor 740, a processor 818, a computer-readable medium 802, an input / output (I / O) subsystem 806, an ultra-wideband (UWB) circuit 715, a BT / WiFi circuit 725, a wireless circuit 808, etc.

[0069] At block 610, a first ranging measurement between the primary electronic device and the secondary device may be performed to obtain a first ranging value. The ranging measurement may be a one-to-one ranging measurement or a multi-device ranging measurement, for example, the ranging may be a one-to-many ranging or a many-to-one ranging. The primary electronic device may be an electronic device such as the primary electronic device 110, the secondary electronic device 120, the mobile device 700, the electronic device 800, etc. The primary electronic device or the secondary electronic device may be a wearable computer.

[0070] At box 620, determine the proximity state for the main electronic device. The proximity state can be that the main electronic device is in a proximity state. The determination can have a presence threshold based on the first range value. The proximity state indicates that the auxiliary electronic device is close to the main electronic device. The presence threshold or the absence threshold can be adjustable based on the functional state being controlled. The value of the adjustable threshold can be adjusted to adapt to different functional states. For example, for a small (e.g., 1 centimeter (cm) wide) display device, the presence threshold can be closer to (e.g., -72dBm) the main device, and for a large display device (e.g., 20cm wide), the presence threshold can be farther away from (e.g., -77dBm) the main device.

[0071] At block 630, the functional state of the main electronic device is turned on based on the auxiliary device being in the proximity state. Turning on the functional state of the main electronic device may mean turning on one or more main electronic devices or one or more display devices, speakers, cameras, locks, etc. that are communicatively coupled to the main electronic device. Turning on the functional state of the main electronic device may mean playing or pausing audio content, video content, or multimedia content.

[0072] In some implementations, the functional state can be turned off when the secondary device is in a near state. For example, turning off the functional state can mean turning off a security alarm based on a determination that the secondary device is in a near state. As another example, the functional state can be an alert for a proximity-based tracker that can alert the primary electronic device if the secondary electronic device is in a far state. Continuing with this example, a proximity-based tracker can be used to alert a user if they have left their belongings at a coffee shop, or if their dog with a smart collar has run away.

[0073] At block 640, an initial value for an absence threshold may be determined. The absence threshold may be used to determine when the proximity state of the secondary electronic device is a distant state.

[0074] At block 650, a second ranging measurement between the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device may be performed to obtain a second range value.

[0075] At block 660 , the second range value may be compared to an absence threshold.

[0076] At block 670, whether the second range value exceeds the absence threshold may be determined based on a comparison to the absence threshold.The second ranging measurements may be performed and compared until the second range value exceeds the absence threshold.

[0077] At block 680 , the proximity state of the host electronic device may be updated from the close state to the far state based on the second ranging value exceeding the absence threshold.

[0078] At block 690 , the functional state of the primary electronic device may be turned off based on the secondary electronic device being in the away state.

[0079] Method 600 may include additional implementations, such as any single implementation or any combination of implementations described below and / or in combination with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0080] Additional specific implementations may include performing a second ranging measurement between the main electronic device and the auxiliary electronic device to obtain a second range value. The second range value may be compared with the existence threshold. Whether the range value exceeds the non-existence threshold may be determined based on a comparison with the existence threshold. The approaching state may be updated from the far state to the near state based on a comparison with the existence threshold. The change counter may be incremented based on the update to the near state. Whether to increase the difference between the non-existence threshold and the existence threshold is based on the change counter. The change counter may be decremented after a time period in which no state change occurs. The time period may be determined based on the power consumption rate of the main electronic device. The time period may be 1 second (s), 5s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2 minutes (min), 3min, 4min, 5min, 6min, 7min, 8min, 9min or 10min. Whether to increase the difference between the non-existence threshold and the existence threshold may be based on a comparison of the change counter with the threshold. The difference between the non-existence threshold and the existence threshold may reach a maximum difference. For example, the maximum difference may be -20dBm, -30dBm, -40dBm, -50dBm, -60dBm, -70dBm.

[0081] although Figure 6 An example block diagram of method 600 is shown, but in some implementations, Figure 6 The method 600 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted. Additionally or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of the method 600 may be performed in parallel.

[0082] IV. Mobile device for performing ranging

[0083] Figure 7 is a block diagram of components of a mobile device 700 operable to perform ranging according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The mobile device 700 includes antennas for at least two different wireless protocols as described above. A first wireless protocol (e.g., Bluetooth) can be used to authenticate and exchange ranging settings. A second wireless protocol (e.g., UWB) can be used to perform ranging with another mobile device.

[0084] As shown, the mobile device 700 includes a UWB antenna 710 for performing ranging. The UWB antenna 710 is connected to a UWB circuit 715, which is used to analyze detected messages from the UWB antenna 710. In some embodiments, the mobile device 700 includes three or more UWB antennas, such as for performing triangulation. Different UWB antennas may have different orientations, such as where two antennas are in one direction and the third antenna is in another direction. The orientation of the UWB antenna can define the field of view for ranging. For example, the field of view can span 120 degrees. Such provisions can allow determination of which direction the user is pointing the device relative to one or more other nearby devices. The field of view may include any one or more of the pitch angle, yaw angle, or roll angle.

[0085] The UWB circuitry 715 may communicate with an always-on processor (AOP) 730, which may use information from the UWB messages to perform further processing. For example, the AOP 730 may perform ranging calculations using timing data provided by the UWB circuitry 715. The AOP 730 and other circuitry of the device may include dedicated circuitry and / or configurable circuitry, such as via firmware or other software.

[0086] As shown, mobile device 700 also includes a Bluetooth (BT) / Wi-Fi antenna 720 for transmitting data with other devices. BT / Wi-Fi antenna 720 is connected to BT / Wi-Fi circuit 725, including Bluetooth controller (BTC) 735, for analyzing detection messages from BT / Wi-Fi antenna 720. For example, BT / Wi-Fi circuit 725 can parse messages to obtain data (e.g., authentication tags), which can be sent to AOP 730. BTC 735 can be a processor that is always connected to process data (e.g., authentication tags) from BT / Wi-Fi circuit. In some embodiments, AOP 730 or BTC 735 can use authentication tags to perform authentication. Therefore, as part of the authentication process, AOP 730 or BTC 735 can store or retrieve the authentication tag list to be compared with the received tag. In some specific implementations, such functionality can be implemented by BT / Wi-Fi circuit 725.

[0087] In other embodiments, the UWB circuit 715 and the BT / Wi-Fi circuit 725 may alternatively or in addition be connected to an application processor 740 or BTC 735, which may perform functionality similar to that of the AOP 730. The application processor 740 typically requires more power than the AOP 730, and thus power may be saved by having certain functionality handled by the AOP 730, such that the application processor 740 may remain in a sleep state, such as an off state. The BTC 735 or AOP 730 may wake up the application processor 740 to perform functionality that requires more processing power. For example, the application processor 740 may be used to transmit audio or video using BT / Wi-Fi, and the AOP 730 may coordinate the transmission of such content and the communication between the UWB circuit 715 and the BT / Wi-Fi circuit 725. For example, the AOP 730 may coordinate the timing of UWB messages relative to BT announcements.

[0088] To perform ranging, the BT / Wi-Fi circuit 725 may analyze the announcement message from the other device to determine that the other device wants to perform ranging, for example, as part of a process for sharing content. The BT / Wi-Fi circuit 725 may communicate the notification to the AOP 730, which may schedule the UWB circuit 715 to be ready to detect a UWB message from the other device.

[0089] For the device that initiates the ranging, its AOP can perform the ranging calculation. In addition, the AOP can monitor the change of the distance between another device. For example, AOP 730 can compare the distance with a threshold and provide an alert when the distance exceeds the threshold, or potentially provide a reminder when the two devices become close enough. An example of the former may be a situation where a parent expects to receive an alert when the child (and most likely the child's device) is too far away. An example of the latter may be a situation where someone expects to be reminded to mention something when talking to the user of another device. Such monitoring by the AOP can reduce the power consumption of the application processor.

[0090] V. Example Equipment

[0091] Figure 8800 is a block diagram of an example electronic device 800. The device 800 generally includes a computer-readable medium 802, a processing system 804, an input / output (I / O) subsystem 806, a wireless circuit 808, and an audio circuit 810 including a speaker 812 and a microphone 814. These components may be coupled via one or more communication buses or signal lines 803. The device 800 may be any portable electronic device, including a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a tablet device, a media player, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a key chain, a car key, an access card, a multi-function device, a mobile phone, a portable gaming device, a headset, etc., including combinations of two or more of these items.

[0092] Obviously, Figure 8 The architecture shown is only one example of an architecture for device 800 , and device 800 may have more or fewer components or components in a different configuration than shown. Figure 8 The various components shown may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software, including one or more signal processing circuits and / or application specific integrated circuits.

[0093] The wireless circuit 808 is used to send and receive information over a wireless link or network to conventional circuits of one or more other devices, such as an antenna system, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a codec (CODEC) chipset, memory, etc. The wireless circuit 808 may use various protocols, such as those described herein. In various embodiments, the wireless circuit 808 is capable of establishing and maintaining communications with other devices using one or more communication protocols including time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data GSM environment (EDGE), wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), LTE, advanced long term evolution (LTE), Wi-Fi (such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE802.11g and / or IEEE 802.11n), Bluetooth, Wi-MAX, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), near field communication protocol (NFC), protocols for email, instant messaging and / or short message service (SMS), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols that have not been developed as of the filing date of this document.

[0094] The wireless circuit 808 is coupled to the processing system 804 via the peripheral device interface 816. The peripheral device interface 816 may include conventional components for establishing and maintaining communications between peripheral devices and the processing system 804. Voice information and data information received by the wireless circuit 808 (e.g., in a voice recognition or voice command application) is sent to the one or more processors 818 via the peripheral device interface 816. The one or more processors 818 can be configured to process various data formats of the one or more applications 834 stored on the medium 802.

[0095] The peripheral device interface 816 couples the input peripheral devices and output peripheral devices of the device 800 to one or more processors 818 and the computer-readable medium 802. One or more processors 818 communicate with the computer-readable medium 802 via the controller 820. The computer-readable medium 802 can be any device or medium that can store code and / or data for use by one or more processors 818. The computer-readable medium 802 may include a memory hierarchy, including cache, main memory, and auxiliary memory. The memory hierarchy can be implemented using any combination of random access memory (RAM) (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), double data random access memory (DDRAM)), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, magnetic storage device, and / or optical storage device (such as, disk drive, tape, CD (optical disc) and DVD (digital video disc)). In some embodiments, the peripheral device interface 816, one or more processors 818, and the controller 820 can be implemented on a single chip such as the processing system 804. In some other embodiments, they can be implemented on separate chips.

[0096] The processor 818 may include hardware and / or software elements that perform one or more processing functions, such as mathematical operations, logical operations, data manipulation operations, data transfer operations, controlling the receipt of user input, controlling the output of information to a user, etc. The processor 818 may be embodied as one or more hardware processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.

[0097] Device 800 also includes a power system 842 for powering the various hardware components. Power system 842 may include a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., batteries, alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator (e.g., a light emitting diode (LED)), and any other components typically associated with the generation, management, and distribution of electricity in a mobile device.

[0098] In some embodiments, the device 800 includes a camera 844. In some embodiments, the device 800 includes a sensor 846. The sensor may include an accelerometer, a compass, a gyroscope, a pressure sensor, an audio sensor, a light sensor, a barometer, etc. The sensor 846 may be used to sense aspects of a location, such as an auditory marker or a light marker of a location.

[0099] In some embodiments, the device 800 may include a GPS receiver, sometimes referred to as a GPS unit 848. The mobile device may use a satellite navigation system such as a global positioning system (GPS) to obtain positioning information, timing information, altitude, or other navigation information. During operation, the GPS unit may receive signals from GPS satellites orbiting the earth. The GPS unit analyzes the signals to estimate the transmission time and distance. The GPS unit may determine the current location (current position) of the mobile device. Based on these estimates, the mobile device may determine the position, altitude, and / or current speed. The position may be a geographic coordinate, such as latitude information and longitude information.

[0100] The one or more processors 818 execute various software components stored in the medium 802 to perform various functions of the device 800. In some embodiments, the software components include an operating system 822, a communication module 824 (or an instruction set), a location module 826 (or an instruction set), a ranging module 828 used as part of the ranging operations described herein, and other applications 834 (or an instruction set).

[0101] The operating system 822 may be any suitable operating system, including iOS, Mac OS, Darwin, a real-time operating system (RTXC), LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks. The operating system may include various programs, instruction sets, software components, and / or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.), and facilitate communication between various hardware and software components.

[0102] The communication module 824 facilitates communication with other devices through one or more external ports 836 or via the wireless circuit 808, and includes various software components for processing data received from the wireless circuit 808 and / or the external port 836. The external port 836 (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB), FireWire, a lightning connector, a 60-pin connector, etc.) is suitable for coupling to other devices directly or indirectly through a network (e.g., the Internet, a wireless local area network (LAN), etc.).

[0103] The location / motion module 826 can help determine the current location (e.g., coordinates or other geographic location identifiers) and movement of the device 800. Modern positioning systems include satellite-based positioning systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), cellular network positioning based on "cell IDs," and Wi-Fi positioning technology based on Wi-Fi networks. GPS also relies on the visibility of multiple satellites to determine location estimates, which may not be visible (or have weak signals) indoors or in "urban canyons." In some embodiments, the location / motion module 826 receives data from the GPS unit 848 and analyzes the signal to determine the current location of the mobile device. In some embodiments, the location / motion module 826 can use Wi-Fi or cellular location technology to determine the current location. For example, the location of the mobile device can be estimated using knowledge of nearby cell sites and / or Wi-Fi access points and knowledge of their locations. Information identifying the Wi-Fi or cellular transmitter is received at the wireless circuit 808 and passed to the location / motion module 826. In some embodiments, the location module receives one or more transmitter IDs. In some embodiments, the sequence of transmitter IDs may be compared to a reference database (e.g., a cell ID database, a Wi-Fi reference database) that maps or associates transmitter IDs to location coordinates of corresponding transmitters, and based on the location coordinates of the corresponding transmitters, an estimated location coordinate of the device 800 is calculated. Regardless of the particular positioning technology used, the position / motion module 826 receives information from which a position fix can be derived, interprets the information, and returns location information, such as geographic coordinates, latitude / longitude, or other location fix data.

[0104] The ranging module 828 can send / receive ranging messages to / from, for example, an antenna connected to the wireless circuit 808. These messages can be used for various purposes, such as for identifying the transmitting antenna of the device, determining the timestamp of the message to determine the distance between the mobile device 800 and another device. The ranging module 828 can be present on various processors of the device, such as an always-on processor (AOP), a UWB chip, and / or an application processor. For example, a component of the ranging module 828 can determine the distance on the AOP, and another component of the ranging module can interact with a sharing module, such as to display the location of another device on the screen so that the user selects another device to share data items. The ranging module 828 can also interact with a reminder module, which can provide an alert based on the distance from another mobile device.

[0105] The one or more applications 834 on the device 800 may include any application installed on the device 800, including but not limited to a browser, an address book, a contact list, email, instant messaging, social networking, word processing, keyboard emulation, desktop applets, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, voice replication, a music player (for playing back recorded music stored in one or more files such as MP3 or AAC files), and the like.

[0106] There may be other modules or instruction sets (not shown), such as a graphics module, a time module, and the like. For example, the graphics module may include various conventional software components for rendering, animating, and displaying graphical objects (including but not limited to text, web pages, icons, digital images, animations, and the like) on a display surface. In another example, the timer module may be a software timer. The timer module may also be implemented in hardware. The timer module may maintain various timers for any number of events.

[0107] The I / O subsystem 806 may be coupled to a display system (not shown) which may be a touch-sensitive display. The display displays visual output to the user in the GUI. The visual output may include text, graphics, video, and any combination thereof. Some or all of the visual outputs may correspond to user interface objects. Although the display may use LED (light emitting diode), LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, or LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, other display technologies may be used in other embodiments.

[0108] In some embodiments, the I / O subsystem 806 may include a display and a user input device, such as a keyboard, a mouse and / or a touchpad. In some embodiments, the I / O subsystem 806 may include a touch-sensitive display. The touch-sensitive display may also accept input from a user based at least in part on tactile and / or tactile contact. In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive display forms a touch-sensitive surface for accepting user input. The touch-sensitive display / surface (together with any associated modules and / or instruction groups in the computer-readable medium 802) detects contact (and any movement or release of contact) on the touch-sensitive display, and converts the detected contact into an interaction with a user interface object, such as one or more soft keys displayed on a touch screen when contact occurs. In some embodiments, the contact point between the touch-sensitive display and the user corresponds to one or more fingers of the user. The user may contact the touch-sensitive display using any suitable object or accessory such as a stylus, a pen, a finger, etc. The touch-sensitive display surface may use any suitable touch-sensitive technology to detect contact and any movement or release thereof, including capacitive technology, resistive technology, infrared technology, and surface acoustic wave technology, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more contact points with the touch-sensitive display.

[0109] In addition, the I / O subsystem 806 may also be coupled to one or more other physical control devices (not shown), such as buttons, keys, switches, rocker buttons, dials, slide switches, joysticks, LEDs, etc., for controlling or performing various functions, such as power control, speaker volume control, ring volume, keyboard input, scrolling, holding, menus, lock screen, clearing and ending communications, etc. In some embodiments, in addition to the touch screen, the device 800 may include a touch pad (not shown) for activating or deactivating specific functions. In some embodiments, the touch pad is a touch-sensitive area of ​​the device that, unlike a touch screen, does not display visual output. The touch pad may be a touch-sensitive surface separate from a touch-sensitive display or an extension of a touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch-sensitive display.

[0110] In some embodiments, an application executed on a user's device may be used to perform some or all of the operations described herein. Circuits, logic modules, processors, and / or other components may be configured to perform the various operations described herein. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that such configuration may be accomplished by design, setup, interconnection, and / or programming of specific components, depending on the specific implementation, and again depending on the specific implementation, the configured components may be reconfigurable or not reconfigurable for different operations. For example, a programmable processor may be configured by providing appropriate executable code; a dedicated logic circuit may be configured by appropriately connecting logic gates and other circuit elements; and so on.

[0111] Any software component or function described in this patent application can be implemented as a software code executed by a processor, which uses any suitable computer language, such as, for example, Java, C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Swift, or a scripting language such as Perl or Python using, for example, conventional or object-oriented techniques. The software code can be stored on a computer-readable medium as a series of instructions or commands to achieve storage and / or transmission. Suitable non-transient computer-readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic media (such as a hard drive or floppy disk), or optical media (such as a compact disk (CD) or DVD (digital versatile disk)), flash memory, etc. The computer-readable medium may be any combination of such storage devices or transmission devices.

[0112] Computer programs incorporating various features of the present disclosure may be encoded on various computer-readable storage media; suitable media include disks or tapes, optical storage media such as compact disks (CDs) or DVDs (digital versatile disks), flash memory, etc. Computer-readable storage media encoded with program code may be packaged with compatible devices or provided independently of other devices. In addition, program code may be encoded and transmitted via wired optical and / or wireless networks (including the Internet) that conform to a variety of protocols, thereby allowing distribution, for example, via Internet downloads. Any such computer-readable medium may reside in or be located within a single computer product (e.g., a solid-state drive, a hard drive, a CD, or an entire computer system), and may be present in or located within different computer products within a system or network. The computer system may include a monitor, a printer, or other suitable display for providing any results mentioned herein to a user.

[0113] As described above, one aspect of the present technology is to collect, share and use data, including authentication tags and data derived from the tags. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, these collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, phone numbers, email addresses, twitter IDs, home addresses, data or records related to the user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other identifying information or personal information.

[0114] The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present technology can be used to benefit the user. For example, the personal information data can be used to authenticate another device and vice versa to control which device ranging operations can be performed. In addition, the present disclosure also anticipates other uses of personal information data that benefit the user. For example, health and fitness data can be shared to provide insights into the user's overall health status, or can be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue health goals.

[0115] The disclosure anticipates that entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transmission, storage or other purposes of such personal information data will comply with sound privacy policies and / or privacy measures. Specifically, such entities should implement and adhere to the use of privacy policies and measures that are recognized as meeting or exceeding the 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 be carried out after receiving the informed consent of the user. In addition, 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 the privacy policies and procedures of other entities. In addition, such entities can subject themselves to third-party assessments to prove that they comply with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted to specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed, and to applicable laws and standards including considerations of special jurisdictions. For example, in the United States, the collection or acquisition of certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); while health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Therefore, different privacy measures should be advocated for different types of personal data in each country.

[0116] Notwithstanding the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates implementation schemes in which users selectively block the use or access of personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware elements and / or software elements may be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, with respect to sharing content and performing ranging, the technology of the present invention may be configured to allow a user to choose to "opt in" or "opt out" to participate in the collection of personal information data at any time during or after registration for a service. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure also contemplates providing notifications related to access or use of personal information. For example, a user may be notified that their personal information data will be accessed when downloading an application, and then be reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

[0117] In addition, it is the intention of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Once the data is no longer needed, the risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting the data. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of users. De-identification can be facilitated by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at the city level rather than at the address level), controlling how the data is stored (e.g., aggregating data between users), and / or other methods when appropriate.

[0118] Therefore, while the present disclosure broadly covers the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that various embodiments may be implemented without access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology will not fail to function properly due to the lack of all or part of such personal information data.

[0119] Although the disclosure has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it should be understood that the disclosure is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents coming within the scope of the following claims.

[0120] All patents, patent applications, publications, and specifications mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. No admission is made that any document is prior art.

[0121] Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the claims.

[0122] Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus, while the disclosed technology is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and have been described in detail above. However, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalent forms that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0123] The use of the terms "one" and "an" and "the" and similar indicators in the context of describing the disclosed embodiments (particularly in the context of the following claims) will be interpreted as covering both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise specified herein or clearly contradicted by the context. Unless otherwise specified, the terms "comprise", "have", "include" and "contain" should be interpreted as open terms (i.e., meaning "including but not limited to"). The term "connection" is interpreted as being partially or completely included, attached or joined together even if there is something intervening. The phrase "based on" should be understood as open, and is not limited in any way, and is intended to be interpreted or otherwise understood as "at least partially based on" where appropriate. Unless otherwise specified herein, the description of the numerical range herein is intended only to be used as a simple method of referring to each individual value falling within the range individually, and each individual value is incorporated into the specification, as if quoted separately herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order, unless otherwise specified herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by the context. Unless otherwise stated, the use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein is intended only to better illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Any language in the specification should not be interpreted as indicating that any undeclared element is essential to the practice of the present disclosure. Unless explicitly indicated to the contrary, the use of "or" is intended to mean "inclusive or" rather than "exclusive or". Mentioning a "first" component does not necessarily require the provision of a second component. In addition, unless explicitly stated, reference to a "first" component or a "second" component does not limit the components mentioned to a specific location. The term "based on" is intended to mean "based at least in part on".

[0124] Unless otherwise specifically stated, disjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, or Z" is understood in context as generally used to present an item, term, or the like that can be X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and / or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is generally not intended to, and should not, imply that certain embodiments require that at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z each be present. Additionally, conjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, and Z" is also understood to mean X, Y, Z, or any combination thereof, including "X, Y, and / or Z," unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0125] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventor for carrying out the present disclosure. After reading the foregoing description, variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The inventor expects that the technician will appropriately adopt such variations, and the inventor intends to practice the present disclosure in a manner different from that specifically described herein. Therefore, as permitted by applicable law, the present disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recorded in the claims attached to the present disclosure. In addition, unless otherwise noted herein or clearly contradictory to the context, the present disclosure includes any combination of all possible variations of the above-mentioned elements.

[0126] All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

Claims

1. A method performed by a host electronic device, the method comprising: performing a first ranging measurement with the secondary electronic device to obtain a first range value; determining, based on the first range value being within a presence threshold, that the proximity state for the primary electronic device is a proximity state indicating that the secondary electronic device is proximate to the primary electronic device; Turning on the functional state of the main electronic device based on the auxiliary electronic device being in the proximity state; selecting an initial value for an absence threshold for determining when the proximity state of the secondary electronic device is a distant state; Until the absence threshold is exceeded: performing a second ranging measurement between the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device to obtain a second range value; comparing the second range value to the absence threshold; as well as determining whether the second range value exceeds the absence threshold based on a comparison with the absence threshold; updating the proximity state of the host electronic device from the close state to the far state based on the second range value exceeding the absence threshold; as well as The functional state of the main electronic device is turned off based on the auxiliary electronic device being in the remote state.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: After deactivating the functional state and until the range value is within the presence threshold: performing a third ranging measurement between the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device to obtain a second range value; comparing the second range value to the presence threshold; as well as determining whether the range value exceeds the absence threshold based on a comparison with the presence threshold; updating the proximity state from a far state to the near state based on the comparison with the presence threshold; incrementing a change counter based on the updating to the close state; as well as Whether to increase a difference between the absence threshold and the presence threshold is determined based on the change counter.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein determining whether to increase the difference further comprises: The change counter is compared to a threshold value.

4. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 3, further comprising: After a corresponding increment of the change counter, the difference value is increased a number of times until a maximum difference value is reached.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising: After a period of time in which no state change has occurred, the change counter is decremented. The method of claim 5 , wherein the time period is determined based on a power consumption rate of the host electronic device.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the secondary electronic device is a wearable computer.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the functional state of the main electronic device is turned on based on the auxiliary electronic device being worn, wherein it is determined that the auxiliary electronic device is worn based on input from a sensor of the auxiliary electronic device.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the wearable computer is a smart watch. 10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein turning on the functional state of the main electronic device comprises turning on a display device of the main electronic device.

11. A computing device comprising: one or more memories; and One or more processors in communication with the one or more memories and configured to execute instructions stored in the one or more memories to perform operations including the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including the method of any one of claims 1 to 10.

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