Secondary device presence to trigger primary device function

Abstract

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

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 374,185, filed August 31, 2022, entitled "Secondary Device Presence For Triggering Primary Device Functionality," and U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 18 / 115,621, filed February 28, 2023, entitled "Secondary Device Presence For Triggering Primary Device Functionality," the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein for all purposes.

[0002] 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 position of two devices. Such techniques can be used to determine the location of another device. However, it is desirable to identify new and improved uses for ranging techniques, especially when ranging techniques are prone to uncertainties that can cause them to perform inconsistently. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Some embodiments are directed to techniques (e.g., devices, methods, memories 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.

[0004] The technique may include performing a first distance measurement between the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device to obtain a first distance measurement. A proximity state of the primary electronic device may be determined. The proximity state may be that the primary electronic device is in a near state, and the determination may be based on the first distance measurement having a presence threshold. The near state may indicate that the secondary electronic device is in proximity to the primary electronic device. A functional state of the primary electronic device may be turned on based on the secondary device being in the near state, and the functional state may be turned off when the secondary device is in a far state. The technique may include determining an initial value from which an absence threshold may be determined. The absence threshold may be used to determine when the proximity state of the secondary electronic device is in a far state. A second distance measurement between the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device may be performed to obtain a second distance measurement. The second distance measurement may be compared to the absence threshold. Whether the second distance measurement exceeds the absence threshold may be determined based on the comparison with the absence threshold. The second distance measurements may be performed and compared until the second distance measurement exceeds the absence threshold. The proximity state of the primary electronic device can be updated from a near state to a far state based on the second distance measurement exceeding the absence threshold, and the functional state of the primary electronic device can be turned off based on the secondary electronic device being in the far state.

[0005] An additional implementation may include performing a second distance measurement between the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device to obtain a second distance measurement. The second distance measurement may be compared to a presence threshold. Whether the distance measurement exceeds the absence threshold may be determined based on the comparison with the presence threshold. The proximity state may be updated from a far state to a near state based on the comparison with the presence threshold. A change counter may be incremented based on the update to the near state. Whether to increase the difference between the absence threshold and the presence threshold may be based on the change counter. The change counter may be decremented after a period of time in which no state change occurs. The period may be determined based on a 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 to a threshold. The difference between the absence threshold and the presence threshold may reach a maximum difference.

[0006] These and other embodiments of the present disclosure are described in more detail below. For example, other embodiments are directed to systems, portable consumer devices, and computer-readable media associated with the methods described herein.

[0007] A better understanding of the nature and advantages of embodiments of the present invention can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a sequence diagram for performing ranging measurements between electronic devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] [Figure 2] 10A-10C illustrate changes in the functional state of a device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates activation of a functional state of a primary electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] [Figure 4] FIG. 10 illustrates deactivating a functional state of a primary electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] [Figure 5] 1 is a graph illustrating the variation of a dynamic absence threshold as a function of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurements, according to one embodiment.

[0013] [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for performing ranging to control a functional state of an electronic device.

[0014] [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of components of a mobile device operable to perform ranging, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Some embodiments are directed to techniques (e.g., devices, methods, memories 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.

[0017] Distance measurement between electronic devices can be used to control the functional state of the electronic devices. One or more functions of a primary electronic device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet device, or laptop computer) can be enabled or disabled based on the location of the secondary electronic device. For example, a screen on the primary electronic device (e.g., a phone) can be active while the secondary electronic device (e.g., a watch) is within a threshold distance of the primary device. The secondary electronic device can be a mobile device or a wearable computer, and the location of the secondary device can be a proxy for the user's position. The functions that are enabled or disabled can be functions related to the user's use and enjoyment of the primary device. As an example, a video playing on the screen of the primary electronic device can be paused when the user is farther than a threshold distance from the device. Enabling or disabling functions of the primary electronic device can be used to conserve power on the primary electronic device; for example, the electronic device can enter a low-power mode when the secondary electronic device is outside the threshold distance of the primary device. For example, the always-on display of the primary electronic device can be turned off when the secondary electronic device is a threshold distance away from the primary device. Turning off the display can conserve battery life of the primary electronic device when the user is away from the device.

[0018] Uncertain distance calculations are problematic in boundary areas at the edge of the threshold distance. The uncertainty can be caused by errors in ranging measurements. For example, the strength of the received signal can be absorbed by human bodies or other objects in the environment (e.g., body blocking). This body blocking can fluctuate ranging measurements calculated using received signal strength indicator (RSSI) techniques because the signal strength is reduced due to the body blocking and not due to the distance the signal has traveled. This fluctuation can cause uncertainty in the calculated distance between devices. Uncertainty in time-of-flight (ToF) ranging techniques can be caused by ToF signals taking indirect paths between devices (e.g., multipath error), which can cause the calculated distance to be longer than the actual distance between the devices. This uncertainty can cause the calculated location to fluctuate or "ping-pong" in and out of the threshold distance. As a result, primary device functions can be triggered inappropriately. For example, lights on the primary electronic device may flash even when a person using the secondary electronic device remains in close proximity to the primary device. Improperly triggered events can consume power unnecessarily and reduce the battery life of the primary electronic device. Fluctuating functionality on the primary electronic device can cause a poor user experience. For example, a flashing screen on the primary electronic device can make it difficult for a user to interact with the device.

[0019] Fluctuations caused by uncertain distance measurements can be mitigated using an adaptive algorithm. Instead of using a single threshold to determine the location of the secondary device, the algorithm can select between a presence threshold and an absence threshold based on the user's (e.g., secondary device's) last state. The presence threshold can determine when the secondary electronic device is in a "nearby state." The absence threshold can determine when the primary electronic device is in a "nearby state" because the secondary device's last calculated location was close to the primary device. The primary device's state can change to a "nearby state" if the secondary device is determined to be outside the absence threshold.

[0020] The threshold may be selected based on the current state of the primary device, and ranging measurements (e.g., TOF or RSSI) may be calculated between the two electronic devices and compared to the threshold. The comparison may determine whether the user has changed location and whether the state of the primary device should be updated. An adaptive algorithm may increase the absence threshold if the location fluctuates or "ping-pongs" between states. A change counter may record the number of times the user has changed states, and the absence threshold may be increased based on the change counter. For example, in one embodiment using RSSI, the presence threshold may be -75 dBm and the absence threshold may be -80 dBm. The absence threshold may change by -4 dBm each time the counter is incremented. The presence threshold may not change with repeated updates to the state of the primary device, as this may compromise the user experience with the primary device if an event is not triggered for the current user.

[0021] The counter may be incremented each time the state of the primary electronic device changes, and the change to the counter may last for a specified period of time. The adaptive algorithm may conserve battery life; the period may be calibrated based on the amount of power consumed by the event. The period may be equal to three times the cost of the event so that the adaptive algorithm conserves battery life. Continuing with this example, because the state of the primary device has changed, the timer may be incremented, and after a period of 51 seconds, the counter may be decremented. Because the adaptive algorithm is dynamic, the algorithm can adapt to different types of environments. As an example, uncertainty caused by ranging errors, such as RSSI errors caused by body blocking, may be more prevalent in crowded environments. Because signals may be attenuated by people passing between the primary and secondary electronic devices, ranging errors may be more variable in crowded environments. This attenuation may mean that the secondary electronic device is closer to the primary electronic device than suggested by the ranging measurement. As a result of this ranging uncertainty, the primary electronic device may erroneously determine that the secondary electronic device is in a "far state." Increasing the distance between thresholds can reduce these false "far states," but larger distances can result in false "near states" in less cluttered environments. Decrementing the counter can allow the adaptive algorithm to reset a threshold adapted to one environment so that it does not apply to a second environment (e.g., a threshold for a busy coffee shop does not apply to a user's living room). The value of the presence threshold may be changed when the counter is decremented. In some embodiments, the absence threshold may change only if the counter value exceeds the counter threshold (e.g., -4 dBm for each counter value above 3). I. Distance measurement

[0022] In some embodiments, the electronic device may include circuitry for performing ranging measurements. Such circuitry may include one or more dedicated antennas (e.g., three) and circuitry for processing measured messages (e.g., signals). The ranging measurements may be performed using the time of flight of pulses between two electronic devices. In some implementations, the distance between the devices may be measured using a received signal strength indication (RSSI) of a single pulse. In other implementations, a round trip time (RTT) is used, for example, to determine distance information for each of the antennas. In other implementations, a single trip time in one direction may be used. The pulses may be formed using ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless technology. A. Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)

[0023] A received signal strength indicator (RSSI) is a measure of the power in a received signal. One or more antennas in an array of electronic devices can be configured to measure received signal strength. Received signal strength can be expressed as a negative number with any unit that can vary between implementations. For example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 technical standard for implementing wireless area network communications and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless personal area technology both use decibel-milliwatt (-dBm) as the unit of received signal strength, although other units are possible.

[0024] Signal strength can be determined using the wireless communication antenna of an electronic device. Electronic devices often include components for wireless communication, and RSSI can enable distance measurement without dedicated hardware. To measure RSSI, a primary electronic device can transmit a signal that is received by one or more secondary electronic devices. The signal power decays at a regular rate that can be used to determine the approximate distance between devices.

[0025] RSSI ranging techniques can be susceptible to uncertainty caused by signal attenuation. As the distance from the signal source increases, the signal loses power or attenuates. The attenuation rate can vary based on the signal transmission medium, with denser media experiencing greater attenuation. One example of this phenomenon is body blocking, where a human body absorbs signal power and causes signal attenuation. A human body between the signal source and the location where the signal is received can cause a decrease in the signal's RSSI. Because the human body attenuates signals faster than air, body blocking can increase the estimated distance between the primary and secondary electronic devices. B. Time of Flight (ToF)

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a sequence diagram for performing ranging measurements between electronic devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic devices (e.g., primary and secondary electronic devices) may be smartphones, smartwatches, tablet computers, personal computers, wearable computers, etc. While FIG. 1 shows a single measurement, the process can be repeated to perform multiple measurements over a time interval as part of a ranging session, where such measurements can be averaged or otherwise analyzed to provide, for example, a single distance value for each antenna. FIG. 1 shows a message sequence for a one-sided two-way ranging protocol. The techniques presented in this application are also applicable to other ranging protocols, such as two-sided two-way ranging.

[0027] The primary electronic device 110 can initiate a ranging measurement (operation) by sending a ranging request 101 to the secondary electronic device 120 (e.g., a mobile device, a smartphone, a smartwatch). The ranging request 101 can include a first set of one or more pulses. The ranging measurement can be performed using a ranging wireless protocol (e.g., UWB). The ranging measurement can be triggered in various ways, for example, based on user input and / or authentication using another wireless protocol, for example, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). In one example, the ranging can be initiated upon receiving certain information in an advertisement signal from a beacon device.

[0028] At T1, the primary electronic device 110 transmits the ranging request 101. At T2, the secondary electronic device 120 receives the ranging request 101. T2 may be the average reception time for the first set of pulses. The secondary electronic device 120 may have anticipated the ranging request 101 within a time window based on a previous communication, for example, using another wireless protocol. The ranging wireless protocol and the other wireless protocol may be synchronized, such that the secondary electronic device 120 can turn on the ranging antenna(s) and associated circuitry for a specified time window, as opposed to leaving them on for the entire ranging session.

[0029] In response to receiving the ranging request 101, the secondary electronic device 120 can transmit a ranging response 102. As shown, the ranging response 102 is transmitted at a time T3, e.g., the transmission time of a pulse or the average transmission time of a set of pulses. T2 and T3 may be a set of times for each pulse. The ranging response 102 can include the times T2 and T3 so that the primary electronic device 110 can calculate distance information. Alternatively, a delta between two times (e.g., T3 - T2) can be transmitted. The delta can be referred to as a response time.

[0030] At T4, the primary electronic device 110 can receive the ranging response 102. Like the other times, T4 can be a single time value or a set of time values.

[0031] At 103, the primary electronic device 110 calculates distance information 130, which may have various units, such as distance units (e.g., meters) or time (e.g., milliseconds). Time may be equivalent to distance with a proportionality factor corresponding to the speed of light. In some embodiments, 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 time corresponds to a set of times for a set of pulses, and when frequency corrections are implemented. II. Determining Device Presence

[0032] The presence or absence of an electronic device can be used to control the functional state of the device. The presence of a device can be determined relative to another electronic device using ranging techniques. In some situations, the presence of a device can be used as a proxy for the location of an individual, and changes to the device's functionality can be used to conserve power while the individual is not present. A. Functional status fluctuations

[0033] 2 is a diagram 200 illustrating changes in device functionality states. The functionality state of a primary device can change based on the proximity of a secondary device.

[0034] In 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 being shown in black to indicate that the display is off, although other functional states are possible.

[0035] The functional state of the primary electronic device 203 can be based on the proximity state of the secondary electronic device 206. The proximity state of the secondary electronic device 206 can be a far state because the device is above the absence / presence threshold 209. The proximity state of a secondary electronic device in a far area 212 that is farther than the absence / presence threshold can be a far state. The absence / presence threshold can be a two-dimensional distance from the primary electronic device 203, a three-dimensional distance from the device, a TOF measurement threshold, or an RSSI measurement threshold. Whether the secondary electronic device is in a near state or a far state can be determined by a ranging measurement between the primary electronic device 203 and the secondary electronic device 206.

[0036] In 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 device's display is on. The functional state is on because the secondary electronic device 218 is in the proximity state. The secondary electronic device 218 can be in the proximity state if the device is within a proximity area 221 that is within the absence / presence threshold 209.

[0037] In block 230, the functional state of the primary electronic device 224 fluctuates between states. The representation of the primary electronic device 224 is shown in both black and white to indicate that the device is fluctuating between device states. There may be uncertainty in the ranging measurements, and the primary electronic device 224 may have difficulty determining whether the secondary electronic device 227 is in a near or far state if the distance between the secondary electronic device 227 and the absence / presence threshold 209 is less than the uncertainty. In such a situation, the primary electronic device may fluctuate between device states because the ranging measurements provide conflicting messages to the primary electronic device 224. B. Presence and Absence Thresholds

[0038] Fluctuations between device states can be mitigated by using separate absence and presence thresholds rather than a single absence / presence threshold. The difference between the thresholds can be greater than the uncertainty in the ranging measurements so that the primary electronic device can distinguish whether the secondary electronic device is in a near or far state. The distance between the thresholds can be dynamically increased based on the number of state changes during a time frame.

[0039] 3 is a diagram 300 illustrating activation of a functional state of a primary electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The functional state of the primary electronic device can be controlled based on a proximity state of a secondary electronic device determined relative to the primary device. The proximity state can be a near state when the secondary device is within a presence threshold and a far state when the secondary electronic device exceeds an absence threshold.

[0040] In block 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 being shown in black to indicate that the display is off, although other functional states are possible. The functional state of the primary electronic device 303 may be off because the secondary electronic device 306 is above the absence threshold 315 and in a far region 309. The far region 309 corresponds to a proximity far state.

[0041] In block 320, the functional state of the primary electronic device 312 remains off. The secondary electronic device 318 is in an intermediate region 321, within the absence threshold 315 but outside the presence threshold 324. The state of the electronic device 312 may not change when the device enters the intermediate region 321. The size of the intermediate region 321 may change based on how frequently the secondary electronic device 318 changes state. For example, the distance between the presence threshold 324 and the absence threshold 315 may increase if the number of state changes of the secondary electronic device 318 exceeds a threshold. In various embodiments, the absence threshold 315 may move further away from the primary electronic device 312, the presence threshold 324 may move closer to the primary electronic device, or both thresholds may move. In some embodiments, the functional state of the primary electronic device 312 may remain on while the secondary electronic device 318 is in the intermediate region 321.

[0042] In block 330, the functional state of the primary electronic device 327 is turned on. The display of the primary electronic device 327 is shown as white to indicate that the functional state is on because the secondary electronic device 333 is in a proximity region 336 within the presence threshold. The proximity region 336 may be the area between the primary electronic device 327 and the presence threshold 324, which corresponds to a proximity state for proximity. Although a presence threshold 324 and an absence threshold 315 are shown, embodiments of the present disclosure may include additional thresholds.

[0043] 4 is a diagram 400 illustrating deactivation of a functional state of a primary electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. At block 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 in white to indicate that the display is on, although other functional states are possible. The functional state is on because the secondary electronic device 406 is in a proximity region 409 between the primary electronic device 403 and a presence threshold 412 (corresponding to a proximity state for proximity).

[0044] In block 420, the functional state of the primary electronic device 415 remains on. When the secondary electronic device 418 enters an intermediate region 421 between the presence threshold 412 and the absence threshold 436, the secondary device state may not change. In block 430, the functional state of the primary electronic device 424 becomes off. The secondary electronic device 427 moves from the intermediate region 421 to the far region 433, crossing the absence threshold 436. The far region 433 corresponds to the far state of proximity. C. Dynamic Threshold

[0045] The distance between the absence threshold and the presence threshold can be selected to mitigate false positives. Ranging measurements have uncertainty, and the distance between the thresholds can be selected so that natural fluctuations in ranging measurements do not lead to the primary electronic device erroneously determining that the secondary device has changed state (e.g., a false positive). However, the uncertainty in ranging measurements can change based on the environment; for example, RSSI ranging measurements are more attenuated in a crowded subway station than in an open area. A distance between the thresholds that may be appropriate for an open area may lead to false positives in a subway station. Thus, dynamic threshold(s) can adapt to the environment and help mitigate erroneous changes in the state of the secondary electronic device.

[0046] The dynamic threshold(s) can be adapted to new environments by being reset at regular intervals so that threshold(s) adapted to one environment are not applied to a less appropriate environment. The threshold(s) can be reset after a given time period during which no state change has occurred. The length of the given time period can be selected based on the power consumption of the primary electronic device. The function state change and the dynamic threshold can consume a known amount of power. For example, a function state change may consume as much power as implementing a dynamic threshold for 17 seconds. The length of the given time period can be selected so that the primary electronic device saves power by implementing the dynamic threshold. For example, the given time period can be three times the cost of the function state change, i.e., 51 seconds in this case.

[0047] The dynamic threshold(s) may be reset in response to an event. For example, the secondary electronic device may be a wearable computer, and the dynamic threshold(s) may be reset when it detects that the device is no longer being worn. The wearable computer may include a smartwatch, smart glasses, a smartphone, or another computer 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 tissue that may be used by wearable computers to monitor a user's health data; the wearable computer may determine that the device is not being worn if it stops receiving PPG data.

[0048] The dynamic threshold(s) may be reset when an input is provided to the primary electronic device. For example, the dynamic threshold(s) of a smartphone may be reset when the user touches the device screen or unlocks the device. In some embodiments, the dynamic threshold(s) may be reset when the primary electronic device detects that the device is moving based on accelerometer measurements.

[0049] FIG. 5 is a graph 500 illustrating the variation of a dynamic absence threshold as a function of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurements, according to one embodiment. The x-axis of graph 500 shows RSSI values ​​in -dBm, and the y-axis shows time in seconds (s). While a dynamic absence threshold 503 and a static presence threshold 506 are shown, either threshold can be static or dynamic. A static threshold can be selected when a false negative (e.g., a secondary electronic device changing state without the primary electronic device detecting the change) could impact the user experience. For example, if the functional state corresponds to a display device, a static presence threshold can be used because a user near the primary electronic device will notice that the display was off. Continuing the example, a user far away from the primary electronic device will not necessarily notice whether the display is on or off, so a dynamic absence threshold can be used.

[0050] The value of the dynamic absence threshold 503 can change when there is an away event, such as away events 509a-509f. An away event can occur when the value of the ranging measurement 512 falls below the dynamic threshold 503, or when the ranging measurement falls below the dynamic threshold 503 and then exceeds the threshold within a time frame (e.g., 1 second). The value of the threshold can change by regular increments (e.g., -4 dBm) for each away event (e.g., away events 509a-509f), or the increment size can change based on the number of away events. For example, the increments can become progressively larger or smaller based on the number of away events 509 within a given time frame.

[0051] The difference between the dynamic absence threshold 503 and the static presence threshold 506 may increase or decrease based on a change counter. The change counter may be incremented for one or more of the away events 509a-509f, and the difference may increase after a threshold number of increments. For example, the difference may be increased by a regular increment once for every away event after the first three away events (e.g., no increase for away events 0-3, and an increase for away events 4-n). The difference between the thresholds may decrease after a time frame without an away event. The dynamic absence threshold 503 may revert to the initial absence threshold if no away event occurs during the time frame. The difference between the thresholds may be decreased by a regular increment for each time frame without an away event. The regular increment may be the same as, greater than, or smaller than the regular increment used to increase the difference between the thresholds.

[0052] Away events may be caused by uncertainties in the ranging measurements between electronic devices. For example, away events 509a-509c may be caused by body blocking, which attenuates the ranging measurements 512 between the primary electronic device and the smartwatch (e.g., the secondary electronic device). Continuing the example, the attenuation may be caused by the person wearing the smartwatch crossing their arms, placing their arms between their legs, or placing the secondary device in a position where the ranging measurements are attenuated. Away events 509d-509f may be actual away events where the person wearing the smartwatch moves away from the primary electronic device. The magnitude of the difference between the ranging measurements 512 and the dynamic threshold may be used to determine whether one of the away events 509a-509f is caused by measurement uncertainty or by the secondary electronic device moving away from the primary electronic device.

[0053] In some cases, movement data from the primary or secondary electronic device can be used to identify away events 509a-509f. For example, movement data such as pedometer data, global positioning system (GPS) measurements, or inertial measurement units (IMUs) from the primary or secondary electronic device can be used to determine whether an away event occurred because a person wearing the secondary electronic device moved away from the primary electronic device, or whether the away event was caused by uncertainty in ranging measurements. If it is determined that the away event was caused by a user moving away from the primary electronic device because the away event was not caused by uncertainty in ranging measurements, the dynamic threshold may not be modified. As another example, the dynamic threshold may not be modified if the primary or secondary electronic device movement data indicates that the primary electronic device moved away from the secondary electronic device, or that both devices moved away from each other.

[0054] In some embodiments, movement data from the primary and secondary electronic devices can be used to control device functionality. For example, if movement data from two devices indicates that both devices are moving, but ranging data indicates that the secondary electronic device is in a proximity state, a function state may be changed. Continuing the example, the primary and secondary devices may use the movement data and ranging measurements to determine that the primary and secondary devices are on an airplane, and airplane mode (e.g., a function state) may be turned on for the primary and secondary devices.

[0055] The ranging measurements and sensor data from the electronic device can be used to train a machine learning model to distinguish between an actual away event where a user has moved away from the primary electronic device and an away event caused by uncertainty in the ranging measurements. 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.

[0056] Returning to graph 500, the dynamic threshold may start from an initial value that may remain unchanged until an away 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 an away event 509. In this case, approximately −4 dBm is subtracted from the dynamic threshold 503 in response to an away event. There may be limits on how much the dynamic threshold 503 can change; for example, the dynamic threshold may not go below −94 dBm regardless of the number of away events.

[0057] Although graph 500 shows a dynamic absence threshold 503 implemented using RSSI measurements, the threshold may be implemented using other ranging techniques, such as time-of-flight (ToF). The absence and presence thresholds may be time values ​​corresponding to ToF ranging measurements. In some implementations, a detected away event 509 may cause the primary electronic device to switch to a different ranging technique. For example, the primary electronic device may use RSSI under normal circumstances because RSSI is a relatively low-power ranging technique. The primary electronic device may switch to ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging if the primary electronic device detects a threshold number of away events 509. III. Ranging for controlling the functional state of electronic devices

[0058] 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method 600 for performing ranging to control a functional state of an electronic device. In some implementations, one or more of the method blocks in FIG. 6 may be performed by an electronic device (e.g., primary electronic device 203, 215, 224, 303, 312, 327, 403, 415, 424, secondary electronic device 206, 218, 227, 306, 318, 333, 406, 418, 427, mobile device 700, 800). In some implementations, one or more of the method blocks in FIG. 6 may be performed by another device or group of devices that are separate from or include the mobile device. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the method blocks in FIG. 6 may be performed by one or more components of an electronic device (e.g., primary electronic device 203, 215, 224, 303, 312, 327, 403, 415, 424; secondary electronic device 206, 218, 227, 306, 318, 333, 406, 418, 427; 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) circuitry 715, a BT / WiFi circuitry 725, or a radio circuitry 808.

[0059] Block 610 may include a first ranging measurement between the primary electronic device and the secondary device, which 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 or many-to-one ranging measurement. 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, or the electronic device 800. The primary electronic device or the secondary electronic device may be a wearable computer.

[0060] In block 620, a proximity state of the primary electronic device is determined. The proximity state may be that the primary electronic device is in a proximity state. The determination may be based on the first distance measurement having a presence threshold. The proximity state indicates that the secondary electronic device is in the vicinity of the primary electronic device. The presence threshold or absence threshold may be adjustable based on the functional state being controlled. The value of the adjustable threshold may be adjusted to accommodate different functional states. For example, the presence threshold may be closer to the primary device (e.g., −72 dBm) for a small (e.g., 1 centimeter (cm) wide) display device, and the presence threshold may be farther from the primary device (e.g., −77 dBm) for a large (e.g., 20 cm wide) display device.

[0061] In block 630, the functional state of the primary electronic device is turned on based on the secondary device being in the proximity state. Turning on the functional state of the primary electronic device can mean turning on one or more display devices, speakers, cameras, locks, etc. on or communicatively coupled to the primary electronic device. Turning on the functional state of the primary electronic device can mean playing or pausing audio content, video content, or multimedia content.

[0062] In some implementations, the functional state may be turned off when the secondary device is in a nearby state. For example, turning off the functional state may mean turning off a security alarm based on a determination that the secondary device is in a nearby state. In another example, the functional state may be an alert for a proximity-based tracker that can alert the primary electronic device if the secondary electronic device is in a far-away state. Continuing with this example, the proximity-based tracker may be used to alert a user if they leave their belongings at a coffee shop or if their dog with a smart collar runs away.

[0063] An initial value for the absence threshold may be determined in block 640. The absence threshold may be used to determine when the proximity state of the secondary electronic device is a far state.

[0064] At block 650, a second ranging measurement between the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device may be performed to obtain a second ranging value.

[0065] At block 660, the second range measurement may be compared to an absence threshold.

[0066] Whether the second range measurement exceeds the absence threshold can be determined based on a comparison with the absence threshold in block 670. Second range measurements can be performed and compared until the second range measurement exceeds the absence threshold.

[0067] At block 680, the proximity state of the primary electronic device may be updated from a near state to a far state based on the second distance measurement exceeding the absence threshold.

[0068] In block 690, the functional state of the primary electronic device may be turned off based on the secondary electronic device being in a distant state.

[0069] Method 600 may include additional implementations, such as any single implementation or any combination of implementations, related to one or more other processes described below and / or elsewhere herein.

[0070] Additional implementations may include performing a second distance measurement between the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device to obtain a second distance measurement. The second distance measurement may be compared to a presence threshold. Whether the distance measurement exceeds the absence threshold may be determined based on the comparison with the presence threshold. The proximity state may be updated from a far state to a near state based on the comparison with the presence threshold. A change counter may be incremented based on the update to the near state. Whether the difference between the absence threshold and the presence threshold should be increased is based on the change counter. The change counter may be decremented after a period of time in which no state change occurs. The period may be determined based on a power consumption rate of the primary electronic device. The period may be 1 second, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 60 seconds, 70 seconds, 80 seconds, 90 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 minutes, 7 minutes, 8 minutes, 9 minutes, or 10 minutes. Whether to increase the difference between the absence threshold and the presence threshold can be based on a comparison of the change counter with the threshold. The difference between the absence threshold and the presence threshold can reach a maximum difference. For example, the maximum difference can be -20 dBm, -30 dBm, -40 dBm, -50 dBm, -60 dBm, or -70 dBm.

[0071] 6 illustrates example blocks of method 600, in some implementations, method 600 may include additional, fewer, different, or differently arranged blocks than those illustrated in FIG 6. Additionally or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of method 600 may be performed in parallel. IV. Mobile Device for Performing Ranging

[0072] 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) may be used for authentication and exchanging ranging settings. A second wireless protocol (e.g., UWB) may be used to perform ranging with another mobile device.

[0073] As shown, the mobile device 700 includes a UWB antenna 710 for performing ranging. The UWB antenna 710 is connected to UWB circuitry 715 for analyzing messages detected from the UWB antenna 710. In some embodiments, the mobile device 700 includes three or more UWB antennas, for example, to perform triangulation. The different UWB antennas may have different orientations, e.g., two in one direction and a third in another direction. The orientations of the UWB antennas may define a field of view for ranging. As an example, the field of view may span 120 degrees. Such a constraint may allow a user to determine in which direction the device is pointing relative to one or more other nearby devices. The field of view may include any one or more of a pitch angle, a yaw angle, or a roll angle.

[0074] The UWB circuitry 715 can communicate with an always-on processor (AOP) 730, which can perform further processing using information from the UWB messages. For example, the AOP 730 can perform ranging calculations using timing data provided by the UWB circuitry 715. The AOP 730 and other circuitry of the device can include dedicated circuitry and / or configurable circuitry, for example, via firmware or other software.

[0075] As shown, the mobile device 700 also includes a Bluetooth (BT) / Wi-Fi antenna 720 for communicating data with other devices. The BT / Wi-Fi antenna 720 is connected to a BT / Wi-Fi circuitry 725, which includes a Bluetooth controller (BTC) 735, for analyzing detected messages from the BT / Wi-Fi antenna 720. For example, the BT / Wi-Fi circuitry 725 can analyze the messages to obtain data (e.g., an authentication tag), which can be transmitted to the AOP 730. The BTC 735 can be an always-on processor that can be used to process data (e.g., an authentication tag) from the BT / Wi-Fi circuitry. In some embodiments, the AOP 730 or the BTC 735 can perform authentication using the authentication tag. Thus, the AOP 730 or the BTC 735 can store or retrieve a list of authentication tags to compare received tags against as part of the authentication process. In some implementations, such functionality can be accomplished by the BT / Wi-Fi circuitry 725.

[0076] In other embodiments, the UWB circuitry 715 and the BT / Wi-Fi circuitry 725 can alternatively or additionally be connected to an application processor 740 or BTC 735, which can perform functions similar to the AOP 730. The application processor 740 typically requires more power than the AOP 730, and therefore the AOP 730 can conserve power by handling certain functions so that the application processor 740 can remain in a sleep state, e.g., an off state. The BTC 735 or the AOP 730 can wake up the application processor 740 to perform functions that require more processing power. As an example, the application processor 740 can be used to communicate audio or video using BT / Wi-Fi, and the AOP 730 can coordinate the transmission of such content with communications between the UWB circuitry 715 and the BT / Wi-Fi circuitry 725. For example, the AOP 730 can coordinate the timing of UWB messages relative to BT advertisements.

[0077] To perform ranging, the BT / Wi-Fi circuitry 725 can analyze an advertisement message from another 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 circuitry 725 can communicate this notification to the AOP 730, which can schedule the UWB circuitry 715 to be ready to detect UWB messages from the other device.

[0078] For devices that initiate ranging, its AOP can perform ranging calculations. Additionally, the AOP can monitor changes in distance between other devices. For example, the AOP 730 can compare the distance to a threshold and provide an alert when the distance exceeds the threshold, or potentially provide a reminder when the two devices are close enough. An example of the former might be when a parent wants to be warned when their child (and perhaps the child's device) is too far away. An example of the latter might be when a person wants to be prompted to present something when speaking to a user of another device. Such monitoring by the AOP can reduce power consumption by the application processor. V. Exemplary Devices

[0079] 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device 800. Device 800 generally comprises a computer-readable medium 802, a processing system 804, an input / output (I / O) subsystem 806, radio circuitry 808, and audio circuitry 810 including a speaker 812 and a microphone 814. These components may be coupled by one or more communication buses or signal lines 803. 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 fob, a car key, an access card, a multifunction device, a mobile phone, a portable gaming device, a headset, etc. (including combinations of two or more of these items).

[0080] It will be apparent that the architecture shown in Figure 8 is only one example architecture for device 800, and that device 800 may have more, fewer, or differently configured components than those shown. The various components shown in Figure 8 may be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software, including one or more signal processing circuits and / or application specific integrated circuits.

[0081] The radio circuitry 808 is used to transmit and receive information over a wireless link or network with conventional circuitry 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 coder-decoder (CODEC) chipset, memory, etc. The radio circuitry 808 may use various protocols, for example, as described herein. In various embodiments, the radio circuitry 808 may establish and maintain communications with other devices using one or more communications 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), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Long Term Evolution (LTE) Advanced, Wi-Fi (such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, 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 communications protocol, including communications protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document.

[0082] The radio circuitry 808 is coupled to the processing system 804 via a peripheral interface 816. The peripheral interface 816 may include conventional components for establishing and maintaining communications between peripherals and the processing system 804. Voice and data information received by the radio circuitry 808 (e.g., in a speech recognition application or a voice command application) is transmitted via the peripheral interface 816 to one or more processors 818. The one or more processors 818 may be configured to process various data formats for one or more application programs 834 stored on the medium 802.

[0083] The peripheral interface 816 couples input / output peripherals of the device 800 to one or more processors 818 and computer-readable medium 802. The one or more processors 818 communicate with the computer-readable medium 802 via a controller 820. The computer-readable medium 802 may be any device or medium capable of storing code and / or data for use by the one or more processors 818. The computer-readable medium 802 may include a memory hierarchy including cache, main memory, and secondary memory. This memory hierarchy may 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, magnetic and / or optical storage devices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, compact discs (CDs), and digital video discs (DVDs). In some embodiments, the peripheral interface 816, the one or more processors 818, and the controller 820 may be implemented on a single chip, such as the processing system 804. In some other embodiments, they may be implemented on separate chips.

[0084] The processor(s) 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(s) 818 may be embodied as one or more hardware processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.

[0085] Device 800 also includes a power system 842 that provides power to the various hardware components. Power system 842 can include a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., battery, alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, power failure detection circuitry, power converters or inverters, power status indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)), and any other components typically associated with the generation, management, and distribution of power within a mobile device.

[0086] In some embodiments, device 800 includes a camera 844. In some embodiments, device 800 includes a sensor 846. The sensor may include an accelerometer, a compass, a gyrometer, a pressure sensor, an audio sensor, a light sensor, a barometer, etc. The sensor 846 may be used to sense an aspect of a location, such as an audio signature or a light signature of the location.

[0087] In some embodiments, device 800 may include a GPS receiver, sometimes referred to as a GPS unit 848. Mobile devices may use satellite navigation systems, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), to obtain position 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 generate travel time and distance estimates. The GPS unit may determine the current position (current location) of the mobile device. Based on these estimates, the mobile device may determine a location fix, altitude, and / or current velocity. The location fix may be geographic coordinates, such as latitude and longitude information.

[0088] The one or more processors 818 execute various software components stored on the medium 802 to perform various functions for the device 800. In some embodiments, the software components include an operating system 822, a communications module (or instruction set) 824, a location module (or instruction set) 826, a ranging module 828 used as part of the ranging operations described herein, and other application programs (or instruction sets) 834.

[0089] Operating system 822 may be any suitable operating system, including embedded operating systems such as iOS, Mac OS, Darwin, Real Time Operating System (RTXC), LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or VxWorks. An operating system may include procedures, sets of instructions, software components, and / or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitating communication between various hardware and software components.

[0090] Communications module 824 facilitates communication with other devices via one or more external ports 836 or via wireless circuitry 808 and includes various software components for handling data received from wireless circuitry 808 and / or external port 836. External port 836 (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, Lightning connector, 60-pin connector, etc.) is adapted to couple directly to other devices or indirectly via a network (e.g., the Internet, a wireless local area network (LAN), etc.).

[0091] The location / motion module 826 can assist in determining the current position (e.g., coordinates or other geographic location identifier) ​​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 ID,” and Wi-Fi positioning technology based on Wi-Fi networks. GPS also determines position estimates based on the visibility of multiple satellites. Satellites may not be visible (or have weak signals) indoors or in “city canyons.” In some embodiments, the location / motion module 826 receives data from the GPS unit 848 and analyzes the signals to determine the current position of the mobile device. In some embodiments, the location / motion module 826 can determine the current location using Wi-Fi or cellular location technology. For example, the location of the mobile device can be estimated using knowledge of nearby cell sites and / or Wi-Fi access points and their locations. Information identifying the Wi-Fi or cellular transmitter is received by the radio circuitry 808 and communicated to the location / motion module 826. In some embodiments, the location module receives one or more transmitter IDs. In some embodiments, a set of transmitter IDs can be compared to a reference database (e.g., a cell ID database, a Wi-Fi reference database). The reference database maps or correlates the transmitter IDs to position coordinates of the corresponding transmitters and calculates estimated position coordinates for the device 800 based on the position coordinates of the corresponding transmitters. Regardless of the particular location technology used, the location / motion module 826 receives information from which a location fix can be derived, interprets that information, and returns location information such as geographic coordinates, latitude / longitude, or other location fix data.

[0092] The ranging module 828 can transmit / receive ranging messages, for example, to / from an antenna connected to the radio circuitry 808. The messages can be used for various purposes, such as to identify the device's transmitting antenna or to determine a timestamp of the message to determine the distance of the mobile device 800 from another device. The ranging module 828 can reside on various processors of the device, such as an always-on processor (AOP), a UWB chip, and / or an application processor. For example, one portion of the ranging module 828 can determine the distance on the AOP, and another portion of the ranging module can interact with a sharing module, such as to display the positions of other devices on a screen for the user to select other devices with which to share a data item. The ranging module 828 can also interact with a reminder module, which can provide alerts based on the distance from another mobile device.

[0093] The one or more applications 834 on the device 800 may include any application installed on the device 800, including, without limitation, a browser, an address book, a contact list, email, instant messaging, social networking, word processing, keyboard emulation, widgets, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, voice duplication, a music player (which plays music recorded in one or more files, such as MP3 or AAC files), etc.

[0094] There may be other modules or instruction sets (not shown), such as a graphics module, a time module, etc. For example, the graphics module may include various conventional software components for rendering, animating, and displaying graphical objects (including, without limitation, text, web pages, icons, digital images, animations, etc.) 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 time module may maintain various timers for any number of events.

[0095] The I / O subsystem 806 may be coupled to a display system (not shown). The display system may be a touch-sensitive display. The display displays visual output to the user in a GUI. This visual output may include text, graphics, video, and any combination thereof. Some or all of the visual output may correspond to user interface objects. The display may use LED (light emitting diode), LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, or LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, although other display technologies may be used in other embodiments.

[0096] In some embodiments, I / O subsystem 806 can include a display and user input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, and / or a trackpad. In some embodiments, I / O subsystem 806 can include a touch-sensitive display. The touch-sensitive display can also accept input from a user based at least in part on tactile and / or haptic contact. In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive display forms a touch-sensitive surface that accepts user input. The touch-sensitive display / surface (together with any associated modules and / or instruction sets in computer-readable medium 802) detects contact (and any movement or release of contact) on the touch-sensitive display and translates the detected contact into an interaction with a user interface object (e.g., one or more soft keys) that is displayed on the touchscreen when the contact occurs. In some embodiments, the point of contact between the touch-sensitive display and the user corresponds to one or more of the user's fingers. The user can contact the touch-sensitive display using any suitable object or accessory, such as a stylus, pen, finger, etc. The touch-sensitive display surface can detect the contact and any movement or release thereof using any suitable touch-sensitivity technology. Touch sensitivity technologies include capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements that determine one or more points of contact with a touch-sensitive display.

[0097] Additionally, I / O subsystem 806 may be coupled to one or more other physical control devices (not shown), such as push buttons, keys, switches, rocker buttons, dials, slider switches, sticks, LEDs, etc., to control or perform various functions, such as power control, speaker volume control, ring volume, keyboard input, scrolling, hold, menu, screen lock, clearing and ending communications, etc. In some embodiments, in addition to a touchscreen, device 800 may include a touchpad (not shown) for activating or deactivating certain functions. In some embodiments, a touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of ​​a device that, unlike a touchscreen, does not display visual output. A touchpad may be a touch-sensitive surface separate from a touch-sensitive display or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by a touch-sensitive display.

[0098] In some embodiments, some or all of the operations described herein may be performed using an application running on a user's device. Circuits, logic modules, processors, and / or other components may be configured to perform the various operations described herein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that such configuration may be achieved through the design, setup, interconnection, and / or programming of specific components, depending on the implementation, and that configured components may or may not be reconfigurable for different operations, depending on the implementation. For example, a programmable processor may be configured by providing suitable executable code, and dedicated logic circuits may be configured by suitable connections of logic gates and other circuit elements.

[0099] Any of the software components or functions described in this application may be implemented as software code to be executed by a processor, using 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 may be stored as a series of instructions or commands on a computer-readable medium for storage and / or transmission. Suitable non-transitory computer-readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic media such as a hard drive or floppy disk, optical media such as a compact disk (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD), flash memory, etc. The computer-readable medium may also be any combination of such storage or transmission devices.

[0100] A computer program incorporating various features of the present disclosure may be encoded on a variety of computer-readable storage media, with suitable media including magnetic disks or tapes, optical storage media such as compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs), and flash memory. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with program code may be packaged with a compatible device or provided separately from other devices. Additionally, the program code may be encoded and transmitted over wired and / or wireless networks conforming to various protocols, including the Internet, thereby enabling distribution, for example, via Internet download. Any such computer-readable medium may reside on or within a single computer product (e.g., a solid-state drive, hard drive, CD, or an entire computer system) or on or within different computer products within a system or network. A computer system may include a monitor, printer, or other suitable display that provides a user with any of the results described herein.

[0101] As mentioned above, one aspect of the present technology is the collection, sharing, and use of data, including authentication tags and the data from which the tags are derived. This disclosure contemplates that, in some cases, this collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies a particular person or that can be used to contact or locate a particular person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, phone numbers, email addresses, Twitter IDs, home addresses, data or records regarding a user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information), birth date, or any other identifying or personal information.

[0102] This disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present technology can be used to the benefit of the user. For example, personal information data can be used to authenticate another device, or conversely, to control which device ranging operations can be performed. Additionally, other uses of personal information data that benefit the user are contemplated by this disclosure. For example, health and fitness data can be shared to provide insight into the user's overall wellness, or can be used as proactive feedback to individuals using the technology in pursuit of wellness goals.

[0103] This disclosure contemplates that entities involved in the collection, analysis, disclosure, transmission, storage, or other use of such personal information data will adhere to robust privacy policies and / or privacy practices. Specifically, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining the strict confidentiality of personal information data. Such policies should be easily accessible to users and should be updated as data collection and / or use changes. Personal information from users should be collected for the entity's lawful and legitimate use and should not be shared or sold except for those lawful uses. Furthermore, such collection / sharing should be carried out only after the user's informed consent is obtained. Furthermore, such entities should consider taking all necessary measures to protect and secure access to such personal information data and to ensure that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Furthermore, such entities may be able to undergo third-party assessments to demonstrate their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. Furthermore, policies and practices should be tailored to the specific types of personal data collected and / or accessed and should comply with applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For example, in the United States, collection of or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Meanwhile, health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be addressed accordingly. Therefore, different privacy practices should be maintained in each country with respect to different types of personal data.

[0104] Notwithstanding the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which a user selectively blocks use of or access to personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and / or software elements may be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, in the case of content sharing and ranging, the present disclosure may be configured to allow a user to choose to "opt in" or "opt out" of participating in the collection of personal information data during registration for the service or at any time thereafter. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notice regarding the access or use of personal information. For example, the user may be notified upon downloading an app that will access the user's personal information data, and then again immediately before the app accesses the user's personal information data.

[0105] Furthermore, it is the intent of this disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting data collection and deleting data when it is no longer needed. Additionally, where applicable in certain health-related applications, data anonymization can be used to protect user privacy. De-identification can be facilitated by removing certain identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.) where appropriate, controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and / or other methods.

[0106] Thus, while this disclosure broadly covers the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, this disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments may be implemented without requiring access to such personal information data, i.e., various embodiments of the technology are not rendered inoperable by the absence of all or part of such personal information data.

[0107] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be understood that the present disclosure is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents that fall within the scope of the following claims.

[0108] All patents, patent applications, publications, and descriptions referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. None is admitted to be prior art.

[0109] Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, although it will be apparent 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 appended claims.

[0110] Other variations are within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, while the disclosed technology is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, specific example embodiments of the disclosed technology have been shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the disclosure to the particular form or forms disclosed; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

[0111] In the context of describing the disclosed embodiments (particularly in the context of the claims that follow), use of the terms "a," "an," "the," and similar designations should be construed to encompass both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising," "having," "including," and "containing" should be construed as open-ended (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to"), unless otherwise noted. The term "connected" should be construed as partially or fully contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. The phrase "based on" should be understood to be open-ended and in no way limiting, and is intended, where appropriate, to be construed as "based at least in part on," or otherwise read. The recitation of ranges of values ​​herein, unless otherwise indicated herein, is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each individual value falling within the range, and each individual value is hereby incorporated by reference as if it were individually stated herein. All methods described herein may be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples provided herein, or the use of exemplary language (e.g., "etc."), is merely intended to better clarify embodiments of the present disclosure and does not impose limitations on the scope of the disclosure unless specifically claimed. No language herein should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosure. The use of "or" is intended to mean an inclusive or, rather than an exclusive or, unless specifically stated to the contrary. A reference to a "first" element does not necessarily mean that a second element is also provided.Also, unless otherwise specified, reference to a "first" or "second" component does not limit the referenced components to a particular location. The term "based on" is intended to mean "based at least in part on."

[0112] Disjunctive language, such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, or Z," is understood within the context in which it is generally used to indicate that an item, term, etc., can be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and / or Z), unless specifically stated otherwise. Thus, such disjunctive language is generally not intended to, and should not, imply that a particular embodiment requires that at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z, respectively, be present. Furthermore, conjunctions such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, and Z" should also be understood to mean X, Y, Z, or any combination thereof, including "X, Y, and / or Z," unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0113] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure. Variations of these preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors anticipate that such variations will be employed by those of ordinary skill in the art as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the present disclosure to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Furthermore, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations of the present disclosure is encompassed by the present disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

[0114] All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference was individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and to the same extent as if each reference was set forth herein as a whole.

Claims

1. A method performed by a primary electronic device, comprising: performing a first ranging measurement with the secondary electronic device to obtain a first ranging value; determining a proximity state of the primary electronic device to be a proximity state indicating that the secondary electronic device is in the vicinity of the primary electronic device based on the first distance measurement being within a presence threshold; turning on a functional state of the primary electronic device based on the secondary electronic device being in the proximity state; selecting an initial value of an absence threshold for determining when the proximity state of the secondary electronic device is a far 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 ranging value; comparing the second distance measurement to the absence threshold; determining whether the second distance measurement exceeds the absence threshold based on the comparison with the absence threshold; updating the proximity state of the primary electronic device from the near state to the far state based on the second ranging value exceeding the absence threshold; turning off the functional state of the primary electronic device based on the secondary electronic device being in the remote state; A method comprising:

2. After turning off the function state, until the distance measurement is within the presence threshold, performing a third ranging measurement between the primary electronic device and the secondary electronic device to obtain a second ranging value; comparing the second distance measurement to the presence threshold; determining whether the distance measurement exceeds the absence threshold based on the comparison with the presence threshold; updating the proximity state from a far state to a near state based on the comparison with the presence threshold; incrementing a change counter based on the update to the neighborhood state; determining whether to increase the difference between the absence threshold and the presence threshold based on the change counter; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. Determining whether to increase the difference comprises: The method of claim 2 further comprising comparing the change counter to a threshold value.

4. incrementing the difference multiple times after each increment of the change counter until a maximum difference is reached; The method of claim 2 or 3, further comprising:

5. decrementing the change counter after a period of time during which no state changes have occurred; The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the period is determined based on a power consumption rate of the primary electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the secondary electronic device is a wearable computer.

8. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the functional state of the primary electronic device is turned on based on the secondary electronic device being attached, and the secondary electronic device is determined to be attached based on input from a sensor of the secondary electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wearable computer is a smart watch.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein turning on the functional state of the primary electronic device comprises turning on a display device of the primary electronic device.

11. 1. A computing device comprising: one or more memories; 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 of any one of claims 1 to 10; A computing device comprising:

12. A computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions that, 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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