Method and system for improved robustness during location measurement

Abstract

A method for determining the position and orientation of a portion of a handheld personal care device relative to a user's body (50), the method comprising the steps of: providing a handheld personal care device including at least one energy source (20) and at least one detector (22), wherein both the at least one energy source and the at least one detector are disposed within the handheld personal care device, the at least one energy source being disposed at a first position and having a first orientation within the handheld personal care device; emitting energy (220) within a three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device; detecting portions of the emitted energy (230); generating sensor data (240); extracting one or more features from the generated sensor data (250); and estimating the position and orientation of the portion of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body based on the extracted one or more features.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to methods and systems for determining position and / or orientation information of a handheld personal care device with respect to a user's body that is robust to variations in user movement and user characteristics.

Background Art

[0002] Determining the position and / or orientation information of a handheld personal care device and its components with respect to a user's body enables monitoring and coaching in personal hygiene or grooming regimens such as toothbrushing and interdental cleaning, facial cleansing, or shaving. For example, if the location of the head member of a personal care device is determined within a user's mouth, a group of tooth segments, a particular tooth, or a gum compartment may be identified so that the user can focus on those areas.

[0003] To facilitate proper cleaning techniques, some devices include one or more sensors that detect location information of the handheld personal care device during a usage session. Existing methods and devices, such as in powered toothbrushes, use inertial measurement units to detect the orientation of the handheld personal care device. However, orientation data in current devices does not uniquely identify all specific locations within the oral cavity. Therefore, orientation data must be combined with guidance information to position the head component within a specific area of ​​the oral cavity. To enable this technique, the user must position the head component within a specific segment of the mouth by performing a usage session for a specific period of time while following the guidance information. Because this technique is based on the orientation of the handheld personal care device relative to the world, it cannot distinguish between actions related to using the device and actions not related to using it (e.g., walking or turning the head). As a result, the user can be made to limit their movements while operating the handheld personal care device if precise location data is desired. Approaches that simply detect the presence or absence of skin in front of the sensor cannot account for user behavior that may change over time for individual users and / or differ among users. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] Therefore, there is a continuing need in the art for methods and systems for determining the position and / or orientation information of a handheld personal care device relative to a user's body that is robust to changes in user movement and user characteristics.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a system for monitoring the location of an oral care device in a user's mouth, the system comprising: an oral care device having a light source; an optical sensor configured to receive light emitted by the light source and light reflected from the user using the oral care device; and a computing device configured to receive and process signals generated by the optical sensor, the computing device being programmed to detect at least one facial feature of the user from the received light reflected from the user, estimate the location of the user's teeth according to the detected facial feature, determine the location of the light source according to the received emitted light, and estimate the position of the oral care device relative to the user's teeth by comparing the location of the light source with the location of the teeth. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This disclosure is directed to inventive methods and systems for precisely determining the position and / or orientation of a handheld personal care device relative to a user's body, where position is the location of the device in three-dimensional space. Various embodiments and implementations herein are directed to a handheld personal care device comprising one or more sensors configured to detect a user's body from the handheld personal care device. A controller, comprising a processor and a non-temporary storage medium for storing program code, is programmed to interpret signals received from one or more sensors to provide information regarding aspects of the position and / or orientation of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body. The spatial characteristics and positions and orientations of the sensors within the handheld personal care device are selected so that additional information can be derived from the signals received from one or more sensors. In addition, the interpretation of the signals is enhanced by generating algorithms or inverse functions based on knowledge of the spatial characteristics of the source and detectors, combined with knowledge of possible user behavior regarding the position and orientation of the device during application to a particular body area. The inventive system and method makes it possible to determine the position and / or orientation of a handheld personal care device relative to the user's body without requiring the user to perform a specific period of use session while following guidance information, and / or without requiring the user to restrict their movements.

[0007] Generally, in one embodiment, a method is provided for determining the position and orientation of a part of a handheld personal care device relative to the user's body. The method includes the steps of (i) providing a handheld personal care device comprising at least one energy source and at least one detector, wherein both the at least one energy source and the at least one detector are located within the handheld personal care device, and the at least one energy source is located in a first position within the handheld personal care device and has a first orientation; (ii) radiating energy into a three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device by the at least one energy source; (iii) detecting a portion of the energy radiated from the at least one energy source by the at least one detector; (iv) generating sensor data based on the detected portion of the energy radiated from the at least one energy source by the at least one detector; (v) extracting one or more features from the generated sensor data; and (vi) estimating the position and orientation of a portion of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body based on the one or more extracted features.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the method further includes the step of detecting energy reflected or scattered from the user's body.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the method further includes processing sensor data generated by at least one detector to produce one or more features that correlate with the position or orientation of a handheld personal care device in use.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the method further includes the step of arranging at least one detector having a second orientation and being in a second position within a handheld personal care device, wherein the second position and second orientation of the at least one detector are different from the first position and first orientation of at least one energy source.

[0011] According to one embodiment, at least one energy source is a light-emitting diode, the energy emitted is near-infrared light energy, and at least one detector is a photodiode.

[0012] According to one embodiment, at least one energy source and at least one detector are located within a module that can be attached to a handheld personal care device.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the method further includes the step of combining a first set of measurements, including generated sensor data, with a second set of measurements from one or more motion sensors.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the method further includes the step of processing a first and a second set of measurements together.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the method further includes the steps of processing first and second sets of measurements separately to form first and second outputs, respectively, and then combining the first and second outputs.

[0016] In another embodiment, a method is provided for determining the orientation of a part of a handheld personal care device relative to a user's body. The handheld personal care device includes the steps of: (i) providing a handheld personal care device comprising at least one energy source and at least one detector, wherein both the at least one energy source and the at least one detector are located within the handheld personal care device, and the at least one energy source is located in a first position within the handheld personal care device and has a first orientation; (ii) radiating energy in a three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device by the at least one energy source; (iii) detecting a portion of the energy radiated from the at least one energy source by the at least one detector; (iv) generating sensor data based on the detected portion of the energy radiated from the at least one energy source by the at least one detector; (v) extracting one or more features from the generated sensor data; and (vi) estimating the orientation of a part of the handheld personal care device relative to a user's body based on the one or more extracted features.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the method further includes the step of detecting energy reflected or scattered from the user's body.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the method further includes the step of arranging at least one detector having a second orientation and being in a second position within a handheld personal care device, wherein the second position and second orientation of the at least one detector are different from the first position and first orientation of the at least one energy source.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the method further includes the step of combining a first set of measurements, including generated sensor data, with a second set of measurements from one or more motion sensors.

[0020] According to one embodiment, at least one energy source and at least one detector are located within a module that can be attached to a handheld personal care device.

[0021] In a further embodiment, a method is provided for determining the position of a part of a handheld personal care device relative to a user's body. The method includes (i) providing a handheld personal care device comprising at least one energy source and at least one detector, wherein both the at least one energy source and the at least one detector are located within the handheld personal care device; (ii) radiating energy in a three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device by the at least one energy source; (iii) detecting a portion of the energy radiated from the at least one energy source by the at least one detector; (iv) generating sensor data based on the detected portion of the energy radiated from the at least one energy source by the at least one detector; (v) extracting one or more features from the generated sensor data; and (vi) estimating the position of a part of the handheld personal care device relative to a user's body based on the one or more extracted features.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the method further includes the step of characterizing the movement of a personal care device based on one or more features extracted.

[0023] According to one embodiment, a method is provided for characterizing the movement of a handheld personal care device relative to a user's body. The method includes radiating energy in a three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device, detecting, at multiple times, a portion of the energy radiated from at least one energy source that is reflected or scattered from the user's body, generating, based on the detected portion of the energy, a plurality of sensor data respectively corresponding to the energy detected at different times among the multiple times, extracting one or more features from the plurality of sensor data, and characterizing the movement of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body based on the features extracted from the plurality of sensor data.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the method further includes comparing the characterized movement to a predetermined movement.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the method further includes generating information regarding the comparison between the characterized movement and the predetermined movement, and at least one of transmitting the information to the user and storing the information.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the characterizing step includes determining the movement of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the movement includes the movement of the handheld personal care device between a range of a first position close to the user's body and a range of a second position farther from the user's body than the first position.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the characterizing step includes determining the speed of the movement in which the handheld personal care device moves between positions relative to the user's body.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the speed of movement is based on the frequency of movement in which the handheld personal care device moves between a range of first positions close to the user's body and a range of second positions further away from the user's body than the first position, and one or more features extracted include the frequency of movement.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the velocity of the motion is further based on the amplitude corresponding to the distance between the range of a first position and the range of a second position, and one or more features extracted include the amplitude.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the characterizing step includes determining whether the frequency of motion is greater than a predetermined frequency.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the extraction step is performed using at least one of Fourier analysis and band filtering.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the extraction step further includes preprocessing multiple data before extracting features.

[0034] According to one embodiment, preprocessing includes removing a predetermined frequency from each of a set of data before extracting features.

[0035] According to one embodiment, preprocessing includes at least one of applying low-pass filtering and adding signals from at least one additional sensor.

[0036] According to one embodiment, a handheld personal care device is provided, comprising: at least one energy source configured to radiate energy toward the user's body and radiate energy into the three-dimensional space around the handheld personal care device, and positioned in a first location and having a first orientation within the handheld personal care device; and at least one detector configured to detect a portion of the energy radiated from the at least one energy source, and receiving energy from the user's body in response to radiating energy toward the user's body.

[0037] According to one embodiment, a computer program (product) includes code that causes a handheld personal care device to perform a step of any of the methods described herein.

[0038] According to one embodiment, a controller including a computer program (product) is provided.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the handheld personal care device is selected from a group of handheld personal care devices, including an oral device, a toothbrush, a shaver, an oral irrigator, a flossing device, a body portion for receiving a head member for any of the aforementioned devices, and a head member for any of the aforementioned devices.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the controller is located in at least one of a handheld personal care device, a remote server, a remote device, or an interface device.

[0041] According to one embodiment, a sensing system is provided that includes a handheld personal care device and a controller.

[0042] When used herein for the purposes of this disclosure, the term “controller” is generally used to describe various devices relating to the operation of a handheld personal care device, system, or method. Controllers can be implemented in various ways (e.g., using dedicated hardware) to perform the various functions discussed herein. A “processor” is an example of a controller that utilizes one or more microprocessors, which may be programmed using software (e.g., microcode) to perform the various functions discussed herein. Controllers may be implemented with or without a processor, and may be implemented as a combination of dedicated hardware performing some functions and a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuit configurations) performing other functions. Examples of controller components that may be used in various embodiments of this disclosure include, but are not limited to, conventional microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0043] In various implementations, a processor or controller may be associated with one or more storage media (generally referred to herein as “memory,” e.g., volatile and non-volatile computer memory). In some implementations, the storage media may be encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more processors and / or controllers, perform at least some of the functions discussed herein. Various storage media may be fixed within or portable to a processor or controller so that one or more programs stored thereon can be loaded into the processor or controller in order to implement various aspects of the disclosure discussed herein. The terms “program” or “computer program” are used herein in a general sense to refer to any type of computer code (e.g., software or microcode) that can be used to program one or more processors or controllers.

[0044] As used herein, the term “user interface” means an interface between a human user or operator and one or more devices that enable communication between the user and (multiple) devices. Examples of user interfaces that may be used in various implementations of this disclosure include, but are not limited to, switches, potentiometers, buttons, dials, sliders, trackballs, display screens, various types of graphical user interfaces (GUIs), touchscreens, microphones, and other types of sensors that may receive and respond to any form of human-generated stimuli and generate signals.

[0045] It should be understood that all combinations of the aforementioned concepts and any additional concepts discussed in more detail below are assumed to be part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein (provided that such concepts are not mutually contradictory). In particular, all combinations of the claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are assumed to be part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein.

[0046] These and other aspects of the present invention will be evident from and illustrated by the embodiments described below.

[0047] In drawings, equivalent reference numerals generally refer to the same part across different drawings. Furthermore, drawings are not necessarily to scale; rather, the emphasis is generally on illustrating the principles of the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0048] [Figure 1] This is a schematic side view of a handheld personal care device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic end view of a handheld personal care device according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a graphical representation of simulated sensor data according to a certain embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of a location-sensing algorithm module according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of a location sensing system according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart of a location detection method according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a graphical representation of a dataset including measured sensor outputs and the corresponding position and orientation of the device, according to a certain embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram of a simulated sensor output according to one embodiment. [Figure 9]This is a graphical representation of a simulated sensor output according to a certain embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram showing the combination of multiple sensor technologies according to a particular embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a flowchart of a method for combining measurements from a sensor formed from a motion sensor, an energy radiation source, and a detector according to a certain embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a flowchart of a method for combining measurements from a sensor formed from a motion sensor, an energy radiation source, and a detector according to a certain embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a flowchart illustrating a method for characterizing the movement of a handheld personal care device on a user's body according to a certain embodiment. [Figure 14] This is a graphical representation of a predetermined motion detection. [Figure 15] This is a graphical representation of multiple signals combined from multiple sensor sources. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0049] This disclosure describes various embodiments of systems and methods for determining the position and / or orientation information of a handheld personal care device relative to a user's body part in a manner that is robust to user movement and changes in user characteristics. More specifically, the applicant recognizes and understands that applying motion-robust location sensing using active sensors to an oral care device is beneficial for improving user cleaning techniques, enabling user coaching, and ensuring that all areas are cleaned with sufficient time spent in each area. Accordingly, the methods described herein or otherwise assumed provide a handheld personal care device configured to sense a user's body in combination with an inverse function (algorithm) that translates sensor data into the location of the device relative to the user's body. This technique can be applied to any device whose position relative to a body is desirable. The system includes one or more energy sources and at least one detector to obtain information about the presence of a user's body. The system also includes a processor configured to translate sensor data into location and / or orientation information of the device relative to the user using an inverse function (algorithm).

[0050] The embodiments and implementations disclosed or otherwise assumed herein can be used with any suitable handheld personal care device. A handheld personal care device may include or consist of a body portion and / or may include or consist of a head component that is detachably or non-detachably attached to the body portion. Examples of suitable personal care devices include toothbrushes, shavers or other grooming devices, flossing devices, mouthwashes, tongue washers, skincare devices, or other handheld personal care devices. However, this disclosure is not limited to handheld personal care devices, and therefore the disclosures and embodiments disclosed herein may include any handheld or personal care device.

[0051] Referring to Figure 1, in one embodiment, a handheld personal care device 10 is provided, which includes a body portion 12 and a head member 14 that is detachably or non-detachably attached to the body portion 12. The body portion 12 includes a housing, at least a portion of which is hollow to accommodate the device's components, such as a drive assembly / circuit (not shown), a controller, and / or a power supply (e.g., a battery or power cord). The specific configurations and arrangements shown in Figure 1 are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the embodiments disclosed below.

[0052] The handheld personal care device 10 includes one or more energy sources 20 and one or more detectors 22, which are located within the handheld personal care device 10. The energy sources 20 and detectors 22 can be directly integrated into the main body portion 12 of the device 10 (as shown in Figure 2). Alternatively, the energy sources 20 and detectors 22 can be located in a device attachment such as a module or head member 14 that can be attached to the main body portion 12 of the device. The energy sources 20 and detectors 22 can be located on the planar or curved surface of the handheld personal care device 10. The energy sources and / or detectors can be positioned so that they are outside or inside the mouth during use. The sensors are preferably positioned outside the mouth. The energy sources 20 and detectors 22 can be mounted together in a single package for ease of assembly within the handheld personal care device 10, or they can be mounted separately within the handheld personal care device 10 with different positions and orientations. The energy radiation source 20 and the detector 22 can be placed in close proximity to each other, or they can be placed at a certain distance from each other.

[0053] According to one embodiment, one or more energy sources 20 may be configured to generate near-infrared light energy using light-emitting diodes, and one or more detectors 22 may be configured to detect the wavelengths of light emitted by one or more energy sources 20. One or more detectors may be photodetectors, such as photodiodes or phototransistors, having spectral sensitivity that matches the detection of the wavelengths of light produced by one or more energy sources 20.

[0054] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, according to one embodiment, the main body portion 12 includes a long axis, a front side, a rear side, a left side, and a right side. The front side is typically the side of the handheld personal care device 10 that houses the operating component 16 and the actuator. Typically, the operating component 16 is a component such as the bristles of a power toothbrush, the nozzle of a flossing device, the blade of a shaver, or the brush head of a facial cleansing device. If the operating side is the front side of the main body portion 12, the energy source 20 can be located on the rear side of the main body portion opposite the front side, at its end close to the head member 14. However, the energy emission source 20 may be located anywhere in the device along the long axis, or around the outer circumference of the handheld personal care device 10. Similarly, the detector 22 can be located on the rear side of the main body portion opposite the front side, at its end close to the head member 14. Figure 2 depicts a detector 22 positioned adjacent to the light source 20, but the detector 22 may be positioned anywhere within the device along its long axis, or it may be positioned around the outer periphery of the device.

[0055] The number of radiation sources 20 and detectors 22 may be equal or unequal, and individual radiation sources or detectors may have different characteristics, such as different angular radiation or sensitivity characteristics, depending on their position to provide the best performance. For example, a handheld personal care device may include four light-emitting diodes and a single broad detector. As another example, a handheld personal care device may include four light-emitting diodes and four corresponding detectors. Any number of light sources are conceivable, but in exemplary embodiments, a minimum of three light sources may be included for optimization.

[0056] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, according to one embodiment, the position and orientation of a single sensor within the handheld personal care device 10 (including the energy source 20 and the detector 22) affects the device's position / orientation classification performance. For example, if the handheld personal care device 10 is a toothbrush, position / orientation classification can indicate whether the bristles of the working component or head member are on the inner, chewing, or outer surface of a tooth. In an exemplary configuration including a single sensor, the optimal position and orientation of the sensor is at 0 degrees around the outer circumference of the handheld personal care device 10, i.e., behind the head member 14 opposite the working component 16, and at an elevation angle of 15 to 35 degrees. In Figure 1, the elevation angle E is shown with respect to the long axis of the handheld personal care device 10. A 0-degree elevation is parallel to the long axis, while a 90-degree elevation is perpendicular to the long axis. Referring to Figure 3, which was generated using simulated sensor data derived from measured user behavior and an algorithm based on a machine learning approach, there is a clear optimality for sensor angle and elevation angle. In the graph of Figure 3, the x-axis represents the sensor angle around the outer circumference of the main body part 12 (0 to 360 degrees). The y-axis represents the elevation angle (0 to 90 degrees from top to bottom). In this configuration with a single sensor, the location that yields the best performance is approximately 0 degrees (or 180 degrees) around the main body part 12, with an elevation angle of 15 to 35 degrees. It should be understood that the location that yields the best performance will differ for different types of handheld personal care devices and for different sensor configurations, such as those including additional sensors.

[0057] One or more detectors 22 of the handheld personal care device 10 may be configured to generate sensor data and provide such sensor data to a controller 30 as shown in Figures 1 and 5. According to one embodiment, the radiation source 20 and the detectors 22 are integrated with the controller 30. The controller 30 may consist of one or more modules and be configured to operate the location sensing functionality described herein. The controller 30 may include, for example, a processor 32 and memory or a database 34. The processor 32 may include, but is not limited to, a microcontroller, multiple microcontrollers, a circuit configuration, a single processor, or multiple processors, in any suitable form. The memory or database 34 may include any suitable form, including non-volatile memory and / or RAM. The non-volatile memory may include a read-only storage device (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid-state drive (SSD). The memory may, among other things, store the operating system. RAM is used by the processor for temporary storage of data. According to one embodiment, the operating system may include code that controls the operation of the hardware components of the device 10 when executed by the controller 30. According to one embodiment, the connectivity module 36 can be any module, device, or means capable of transmitting collected sensor data and wired or wireless signals, including but not limited to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, near-field communication, and / or cellular modules. According to one embodiment, the controller 30 of the handheld personal care device 10 receives sensor data generated by one or more detectors 22, evaluates and analyzes the sensor data, and provides information that can be communicated to the user.

[0058] Referring to Figure 4, an overview of the location sensing functionality algorithm module is provided. These steps may be performed in real time or offline (using data previously recorded and stored in the controller 30's memory or database). The steps may include operations such as ambient light compensation 100, sliding temporal window 110, feature extraction 120, location estimation 130, and temporal filtering 140. The ambient light compensation step and the temporal filtering step are optional.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the ambient light compensation step 100 is configured, designed, or programmed to eliminate any influence of ambient light, for example, when ambient illumination includes light having wavelengths within the detector's sensitivity range, i.e., when the detector's measurement of the reflection of light emitted by the device's light source may be interfered with by light present in the environment. This compensation mechanism can be achieved, for example, by performing continuous measurements with the radiant source illumination on and off and subtracting one from the other. Other strategies may include applying modulation to the radiant source signal and appropriately demodulating the signal measured by the detector.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the sliding time window step 110 is configured, designed, or programmed to group and process source / detector measurements within the time window, along with data from any additional sensors present in the device. These windows may be of any length, ranging from a single temporal sample (i.e., only the most recent measurement is used) to several seconds.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the feature extraction step 120 is configured, designed, or programmed to extract one or more discriminative features from sensor data within a measurement window using signal processing.

[0062] In one embodiment, the location estimation step 130 is configured, designed, or programmed to estimate the location of a device based on feature values. In an embodiment, this step may include additional calibration parameters as input to improve the accuracy of the prediction. Such calibration parameters may be user-specific parameters, such as parameters related to the user's head geometry. Alternatively, the calibration parameters may be device-specific parameters, such as values ​​required for sensor calibration due to variations that occur during the manufacturing process.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the time filtering step 140 is configured, designed, or programmed to enforce time consistency of the output presented to the user. Time filtering may be applied to estimated locations. Such time filtering may take the form of a low-pass filter. Alternatively, statistical methods such as Hidden Markov Models or Kalman Filters may be used.

[0064] Referring to Figure 5, one embodiment provides a schematic diagram of a location sensing system 200 for a handheld personal care device 10. The location sensing system 200 is an embodiment of the handheld personal care device 10, which may be any embodiment of the device disclosed or otherwise assumed herein. According to one embodiment, the location sensing system 200 may be implemented in two or more devices. For example, one or more of the modules or components may be implemented in a remote device such as a smartphone, tablet, wearable device, computer, or other computing device.

[0065] The location sensing system 200 includes a controller 30 having a processor 32 and memory 34, the memory 34 being capable of storing an operating system and sensor data. The system 200 also includes energy radiation sources and detectors 20, 22 configured to generate sensor data and provide it to the controller 30. The system 200 may include a connectivity module 36 which can be configured and / or programmed to transmit sensor data to a wireless transceiver (not shown). For example, the connectivity module 36 may transmit sensor data to a dental professional, a database, or other location via the Internet or an intranet over a Wi-Fi connection. Alternatively, the connectivity module 36 may transmit sensor or feedback data to a local device (e.g., a separate computing device), a database, or other transceiver via Bluetooth® or other wireless connection. For example, the connectivity module 36 may enable a user to transmit sensor data to a separate database where it is stored for long-term storage, transmit sensor data for further analysis, transmit user feedback to a separate user interface, or share data with a dental professional, among other uses. The connectivity module 36 may be a transceiver capable of receiving user input information, including the standards mentioned above (as should be understood by those skilled in the art in conjunction with the consideration of this disclosure). Other communications and control signals described herein may be implemented by hardwired (non-wireless) connections or by a combination of wireless and non-wireless connections. The system 200 may also include any suitable power supply 38. In embodiments, the system 200 also includes a user interface 46 which can be configured and / or programmed to transmit information to (or receive information from) a user. The user interface 46 may be, or may include, a feedback module that provides feedback to the user via tactile signals, audible signals, visual signals, and / or any other type of signal.

[0066] According to one embodiment, the location sensing system 200 can be programmed and / or configured to determine the position and / or orientation of the handheld personal care device 10 relative to the user's body 50 (as shown in Figure 8) during use. As discussed herein, the information or data analyzed or used by the system 200 to perform the functions and methods described herein can be generated by one or more energy sources and detectors 20, 22. For example, the system 200 can be programmed and / or configured to perform (i) detection of the user's body in one or more areas of three-dimensional space around the handheld personal care device 10, (ii) generation of sensor data, and (iii) determination of position and / or orientation information of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body from the handheld personal care device.

[0067] The energy radiation sources / detectors 20, 22 may be any of the sensors described herein or otherwise assumed, and may be programmed and / or configured to generate sensor data relating to one or more aspects of the position and / or orientation of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body. The controller 30 may receive the sensor data in real time or periodically. For example, a constant stream of sensor data may be provided to the controller 30 by the detector 22 for storage and / or analysis, or the data may be temporarily stored, aggregated, or processed before being sent to the controller 30. Once received by the controller 30, the sensor data may be processed by the processor 32.

[0068] Referring to Figure 6, in one embodiment, there is a flowchart of a method 300 for determining the position and / or orientation of the head member 14 of a handheld personal care device 10 relative to the user's body 50. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes determining whether the head member of the personal care device, which is an oral care device, is inside or outside the user's oral cavity. Positioning the head member inside the user's oral cavity is one exemplary position, and positioning the head member outside the user's oral cavity is another exemplary position. The method takes advantage of the fact that the handheld personal care device is typically held in a specific position and orientation during use. For example, a user typically directs the toothbrush with the working component (i.e., bristles) side of the head member facing downwards to clean the upper chewing surface of the lower teeth. Similarly, a user typically directs the toothbrush with the working component side facing inwards to clean the outer surface of the teeth. However, user behavior can vary significantly over time for individuals and / or between different users. For example, the angle of the toothbrush bristles applied by the user when cleaning a specific tooth surface. By taking into account the spatial characteristics of the sensor and the dependence of the sensor output on user behavior, effective solutions can be created for large and diverse user groups. These embodiments can be measured using one or more sensors described herein, and this information can be used to determine the position and / or orientation of the head member relative to the user's body 50.

[0069] According to one embodiment, step 310 of the method provides a handheld personal care device 10. The handheld personal care device 10 may include a body handle or body portion 12, a head member 14, a user input unit 26, and a controller 30 equipped with a processor 32. The handheld personal care device 10 also includes one or more sensors, including an energy radiation source 20 and a detector 22. Non-limitingly, additional sensors may include proximity sensors and other types of sensors, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetic sensors, capacitive sensors, cameras, photocells, clocks, timers, any other type of sensor, or any combination of sensors, including, for example, an inertial measuring unit.

[0070] In step 320 of the method, the system or device emits energy from one or more energy sources 20 to form one or more regions in three-dimensional space around the handheld personal care device 10, in which parts of the user's body 50 (if present) can be detected. This portion of energy is scattered or reflected from the surface of the body or from the surface of clothing or other materials covering the body. In step 330 of the method, the system or device collects further portions of this reflected or scattered energy by one or more detectors 22 placed inside the handheld personal care device 10. One or more detectors 22 are configured to detect energy from one or more regions in three-dimensional space around the handheld personal care device 10. The intersection of the regions from which light is emitted and the regions from which light is detected defines one or more three-dimensional regions in space in which the presence of a body part or something covering a body part affects the data from a particular sensor (as previously stated, the sensor includes a combination of radiation sources and detectors that cooperate to produce an output signal). Lenses, light baffles, or other optical components may be used to modify and / or control areas of space where energy is radiated from one or more energy sources and areas of space where energy reflected or scattered from the body is detected. In embodiments where one or more energy sources 20 emit light, the user's body may be illuminated. According to embodiments, multiple defined sensing areas can be constructed around a handheld personal care device by having multiple energy sources and detectors.

[0071] In step 340 of the method, the system or device generates sensor data. The mechanism for determining the sensor output is applied during the specification of the sensor, i.e., while selecting a specific configuration of the position, orientation, and spatial characteristics of the energy source and detector. For example, determining that the sensor output depends on the distance from the user's body 50 to the energy source and detector or to the extent that the user's body occupies one or more three-dimensional regions in space in which the sensor is sensitive to the presence of the body allows additional information to be derived from the sensor data. The spatial characteristics of the radiation source and detector, as well as their position and orientation within the device, can be combined with data on the position and orientation of the device during application to a specific body region (such as a particular tooth surface) to create identifying features within the generated sensor data.

[0072] In one embodiment, data from one or more detectors 22 can be processed to create features that can act as input to an algorithm. In addition, the spatial properties of the radiation source 20 and detectors 22, as well as their positions and orientations within the device 10, are selected to generate features in the data derived from the detectors 22 (e.g., those included in different tooth surface cleanings) that are uniquely or strongly correlated with the position and orientation of the device that needs to be distinguished. This includes creating specific regions in three-dimensional space around the device where the presence of a user's body part modifies the detector output. Knowledge of the spatial properties of the radiation source and detectors is combined with knowledge of possible user behavior regarding the position and orientation of the device during application to a specific body region to create an algorithm or inverse function that determines aspects of the device's position and orientation relative to the user's body from the detector output. Different features may be combined to create an algorithm that provides additional position / orientation information. The way in which features are combined may be defined using a machine learning approach or a heuristic approach.

[0073] In an exemplary embodiment, the inverse function is automatically inferred from a set of labeled training examples. Such training examples take the form of a dataset consisting of sensor outputs as well as the corresponding position and orientation of the device. For example, if sensor / detector measurements are used from two sensors, one positioned on the front and one on the rear of a handheld personal care device 10, machine learning can be used to detect the inner, chewing, and outer surfaces of the teeth in the user's mouth. This example uses two sensors, but the same approach can be applied to any number of sensors. Figure 7 shows an example of machine learning using simulated sensor outputs to infer the relationship between sensor / detector measurements and the device's location (outer, inner, and chewing surfaces of the teeth). In Figure 7, the dots represent the training data, while the contours represent the classification regions (outer, inner, and chewing surfaces) to be inferred.

[0074] Sensor outputs used for training can be measured or simulated. Measured sensor outputs can be recorded during device use. These can be obtained through trials with a large number of subjects (allowing the creation of general models for all users) and / or from end users, for example, by having end users request one or more training sessions (allowing personalized models).

[0075] The simulated sensor output is obtained through simulation. Using a three-dimensional head model, for example, it is possible to accurately simulate the sensor output for any position and orientation of the device. Thus, sensor measurements can be simulated at any point of interest by using an average head model, and / or various three-dimensional head models, and / or a three-dimensional head model corresponding to the end-user's head geometry.

[0076] Figures 8 and 9 show examples of sensor output simulations for a specific device position and orientation. In the examples shown in Figures 8 and 9, sensor / detector measurements are obtained from four sensors: one sensor located at the front of the device (sensor 2), one sensor located at the rear of the device (sensor 4), one sensor located on the left side (sensor 1), and one sensor located on the right side (sensor 3). When the user cleans the outer surface of their teeth (as illustrated), three of the four sensors are partially or completely directed to different parts of the user's body 50, and these sensors produce correspondingly higher outputs. The second sensor points most directly to the user's face and has the highest output. In contrast, the fourth sensor is directed away from the user's body 50 and has a low or zero output. Changing the orientation of the personal care device so that the working components of the head member are tilted more upward or downward changes the distribution of output signals from sensors 1-3. Thus, an exemplary feature indicating that the user is cleaning the outer surface of their teeth is that the signal from sensor 2 is greater than the signal from sensor 4. This can be extended by applying a feature (configuration) that compares the signal levels from sensor 1 and sensor 3 to detect whether the moving component is tilted more upward or more downward.

[0077] In step 350 of this method, the system or device extracts one or more distinguishing features from the sensor data generated using signal processing. According to one embodiment, distinguishing features can be created by normalizing the data from all sensors, which tend to remove information about the depth of the head member in the oral cavity. The normalized data retains information about the pointing direction of the head member and motion components relative to the user's head. Next, the distribution of levels across the sensors may be matched to a expected pattern in order to extract the motion component angle. The distinguishing features can be used to indicate, for example, that the user is cleaning a specific surface of the teeth (e.g., the inner surface, masticatory surface, or outer surface).

[0078] In step 360 of the method, the system or device estimates the position and / or orientation of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body based on feature values. In exemplary embodiments, the algorithm or inverse function, i.e., a function that estimates the position and orientation of the device given a set of detector measurements, is produced using a machine learning algorithm. The inverse function may also be produced using a heuristic approach according to one embodiment, which applies an understanding of sensor and user characteristics to identify features in sensor data that may be relevant to the position and / or orientation of the device relative to the user's body. In further embodiments, the inverse function may be produced using both a heuristic approach and a machine learning approach.

[0079] As shown in Figure 10, in further embodiments, data from one or more motion sensors is combined with the energy source and detector described herein to enable improved position / orientation detection performance through a data fusion process. The angle θ between the device and the vertical (gravity) brush To estimate this, data from motion sensors, such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, can be used. The sensor, formed from an energy radiation source 20 and a detector 22, estimates the orientation θ of the device relative to the user's body. brush / head =θ brush +θ head This can be provided. By appropriately combining both measurements, it is possible to obtain a more accurate estimate of the device's position and orientation relative to the user's body 50. head It is also possible to obtain an estimate of the user's body orientation relative to the given point.

[0080] By adding motion sensor data as input to a machine learning algorithm as illustrated in Figure 11, measurements from the motion sensor can be combined with measurements from the sensor formed by the energy source and detector. Measurements from the motion sensor can also be combined with measurements from the sensor formed by the energy source and detector by processing two sets of measurements separately and then combining the outputs in a second step as illustrated in Figure 12. In one embodiment, the fusion step can be a weighted average of the outputs of the two algorithms, or a more sophisticated method such as Kalman filtering can be used.

[0081] In further embodiments, the detected energy may be used to determine the movement of the personal care device relative to the user, instead of or in addition to either the method or system described above.

[0082] Such a method may include the step of determining the movement of the personal care device relative to the user, in addition to estimating at least one of the position and orientation of a part of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body based on one or more features extracted.

[0083] Alternatively, the method may include a step of determining the movement of the personal care device relative to the user, instead of estimating at least one of the positions and orientations of the handheld personal care device parts relative to the user's body based on one or more extracted features. The method allows either functionality to be selected. For example, the method may include determining the movement of the personal care device relative to the user and / or estimating at least one of the positions and orientations of the handheld personal care device parts relative to the user's body based on one or more extracted features. Furthermore, the estimated positions / orientations of the personal care device may be used to characterize the movement of the personal care device. For example, if the various steps of the method are repeated so that multiple positions / orientations are estimated, the movement of the personal care device between these positions / orientations may be characterized. This may be achieved by detecting portions of energy radiated from at least one energy source at different times, generating sensor data based on the detected portions of energy, extracting one or more features from the generated sensor data, estimating multiple positions / orientations based on the extracted features, and characterizing the movement of the personal care device based on the extracted features.

[0084] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating this method, and includes the following steps. Step S1200: Radiates energy into the three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device. Step S1230: Detect multiple portions of energy radiated from at least one energy source that are reflected or scattered from the user's body. Step S1240: Based on the detected energy portion, multiple sensor data are generated, each corresponding to the energy detected at different points in time. Step S1250: Extract one or more features from multiple sensor data. Step S1300: Characterize the movement of the personal care device on the user's body based on features extracted from multiple data sets.

[0085] As described above, a handheld personal care device may radiate energy from an energy source and detect a portion of the energy radiated from the energy source. Sensor data may be generated based on the detected portion of the energy radiated from the energy source, and at least one feature may be extracted from multiple sensor data. In this embodiment, sensor data is generated corresponding to energy detected at multiple different times. Sensor data may be collected, for example, over a series of points in time while the device is in use.

[0086] The movement of a personal care device relative to the user's body may be characterized using features extracted from multiple sensor data. Characterization may include determining the movement of a handheld personal care device relative to the user's body. The characterized movement may include information about the movement of the personal care device between different locations. Alternatively or additionally, the characterized movement may include information about the general movement of the personal care device, e.g., a map of movement between positions or groups of positions, which may be relative to the user's body or relative to general coordinates in space. The movement may include the movement of the handheld personal care device between a range of first positions close to the user's body and a range of second positions further away from the user's body than the first positions. The characterized movement may include information about the speed at which the personal care device moves relative to the user's body. For example, the characterized movement may include information about the speed at which the personal care device moves between various positions relative to the user's face and / or body. For example, the speed at which a personal care device moves between a range of first positions (or locations) that are close to the user's body and / or face and a range of second positions (or locations) that are further away from the user's body and / or face than the range of first positions (or locations) that are toward and away from the user's body may be a characterized motion.

[0087] Features may be extracted using any of the algorithms or methods described above. The extracted features may include the position and / or orientation of the personal care device relative to the user's body.

[0088] Alternatively or additionally, the extracted features may include motion frequencies. For example, Fourier analysis may be performed to separate the frequency components of the sensor data, and at least one frequency may be extracted from the sensor data. The extracted frequency may be the frequency of the movement of the personal care device relative to the user's body. The frequency of the movement of the personal care device between a range of first positions close to the user's body and a range of second positions further away from the user's body than the first position may be determined by detecting the dominant frequency of the frequency components of the data (the dominant frequency is the frequency at which the signal has the maximum amplitude (in the frequency domain)). For example, if the personal care device is a toothbrush, the dominant frequency (the frequency with the maximum amplitude) may be the frequency of the movement of the personal care device toward and away from the user's face (e.g., toothbrushing motion). Thus, the motion frequency may be extracted using maximum amplitude detection.

[0089] In some cases, a Hann function may be applied to the sensor data, and the resulting window of data may be processed using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) or a Hilbert Transform. For example, the sensor (time) data signal may be transformed into the frequency domain, for example, using an FFT, and the dominant frequency can then be identified as the motion frequency. The motion frequency may then be extracted using maximum amplitude detection.

[0090] Alternatively or additionally, the frequency of motion may be determined based on the number of repetitions and the time period over which the signal representation of the sensor data (e.g., a high-pass filtered signal with low frequencies removed) passes through zero (crosses the axis).

[0091] Alternatively or additionally, band filtering may be used to determine the frequency of motion. For example, three band-frequency filters (upper, lower, and middle bands) may be applied to the sensor data. The energy of the frequency in each band of band-passing may be determined, for example, by calculating the root mean square (RMS) value for each band. By comparing the RMS values ​​of the bands and determining which of the bands has the highest RMS value (and therefore contains the highest energy signal), the dominant toothbrushing frequency (and thus the frequency of motion) may be determined as the frequency contained in the determined band.

[0092] Additionally or alternatively, the extracted features may include amplitude, for example, the amplitude of a sensor data signal. Fourier analysis may be performed to separate the frequency components of the data. Then, the amplitude of the dominant frequency may be determined and extracted.

[0093] Alternatively or additionally, the amplitude may be determined using the distance between consecutive extreme values ​​(maximum or minimum) in the sensor data.

[0094] The movement of the personal care device relative to the user's body may be characterized based on one or more extracted features, for example, the movement of the personal care device relative to the user's body may be characterized based on extracted frequencies (and extracted amplitudes).

[0095] The movement of a personal care device may be characterized in relation to the user's body (or face). Examples of suitable personal care devices on which this method or system may be implemented include toothbrushes, shavers or other grooming devices, flossing devices, mouthwashes, tongue washers, skincare devices, or other handheld personal care devices. For example, if the personal care device is a shaver, the movement of the shaver across the user's face may be characterized (e.g., a map of the shaver's relative movement to the user's face may be generated, and / or periodic movements of the shaver may be detected). The characterized movements may be compared to predetermined movements using one of the methods described above or below, and / or the results of the comparison may be displayed to the user and / or stored.

[0096] The extracted features may be the frequency of movement of the personal care device between a range of first positions close to the user's body and a range of second positions further away from the user's body than the first position. Therefore, the characterized movement may represent the speed (frequency) at which the personal care device moves between those positions.

[0097] Characterized motion may be determined using the extracted amplitude in combination with the extracted motion frequency. The extracted amplitude may indicate the distance the personal care device travels between a range of first positions close to the user's body and a range of second positions further away from the user's body than the first position. Thus, the combination of the extracted motion frequency and the extracted amplitude may provide information about the distance the personal care device travels over a particular time frame, and therefore may indicate the speed at which the personal care device moves between those positions.

[0098] One example of a movement that may be detected as a characteristic movement within a personal care device is scrubbing motion. Scrubming motion can occur when a user moves a toothbrush over a tooth segment too quickly and periodically (i.e., at too high a frequency over a period of time). Scrubming motion can also be detected in other devices and may relate to any movement between a first position and a second position, but in this example, scrubbing motion is defined as described above. Scrubming motion performed with a power toothbrush is undesirable because power toothbrushes may not be very effective at cleaning the user's teeth when scrubbing motion occurs. The frequency of movement in which a personal care device moves between a first position (range) close to the user's body and / or face and a second position (range) further away from the user's body and / or face may indicate that the user is performing a “scrubbing motion” with a personal care device such as a toothbrush. Additionally or alternatively, the motion velocity may be defined as at least one of movement in a first direction away from the user's face or movement toward the user's face.

[0099] Threshold motion may be defined as shown in Figure 14. Figure 14 is a graph showing the threshold for desirable motion, where the region below the line is desirable motion and the region above the line is undesirable (predetermined) motion. Distance (display of motion amplitude, the distance the personal care device moves in a first direction) is along the y-axis, and motion frequency is along the x-axis. As shown in this graph, a line may be plotted showing the threshold for distinguishing desirable motion from undesirable motion, and the extracted frequency and / or amplitude may be used to determine whether the motion is in the shaded (undesirable) region above the line or in the unshaded (desirable) region below the line. Thus, at low frequencies, motion may be analyzed based on the relationship between stroke length and motion frequency to see whether the characterized movement is desirable or undesirable motion.

[0100] In this example, the effect of the distance representation in determining unwanted motion above a certain frequency becomes negligible, and therefore, only the detected frequency can be used to determine whether unwanted motion is occurring. Thus, motion may be characterized based on the detection of the motion frequency (above a threshold) and / or using both the distance (amplitude) representation and the motion frequency.

[0101] As discussed, the extracted amplitude and extracted frequency may be used to characterize the motion, which may be used as a basis for comparison with a desired motion. For example, the extracted frequency may be used in combination with the extracted amplitude to determine whether the characterized motion falls within a threshold range of a given motion (an undesirable motion). For instance, if the extracted frequency value plotted against the extracted amplitude value falls within the shaded region (above the line) in Figure 14, it is determined that an undesirable motion is occurring.

[0102] Alternatively, an approximation may be performed such that a threshold frequency is compared to an extracted frequency, and if the extracted frequency exceeds the threshold frequency, it is determined that undesirable behavior is occurring. Thus, the processing required to obtain the comparison is reduced.

[0103] For example, a characterized movement may be compared to a predetermined movement. The frequency of a movement of a personal care device, as discussed above, may be compared to a predetermined frequency, for example, a desirable and / or threshold frequency (for example, a frequency above which an undesirable movement occurs). Information may be generated regarding the comparison between the characterized movement and the predetermined movement. For example, information may be determined regarding whether the frequency of a movement (determined from the extracted frequencies) exceeds a predetermined frequency (for example, whether an undesirable movement is occurring). This information may be transmitted to and / or stored in the user of the personal care device. For example, the information may be displayed using tactile, auditory, and / or visual means. The information may be transmitted through the personal care device itself or through means such as a remote device (smartphone, smartwatch, etc.), for example, through an application on a smartphone. The information may be stored, for example, in the personal care device itself, in a remote server (the personal care device may communicate wirelessly with the remote server), in a remote device such as a mobile phone, or in a smartwatch. Thus, information regarding the user's use (movement) of the personal care device may be collated.

[0104] In one embodiment, if a scrubbing motion is detected based on a frequency of movement exceeding a predetermined frequency as described above, information to achieve this may be communicated to the user. For example, if a movement frequency target of 2 Hz (a predetermined movement) is set, and the user exceeds a movement frequency of 2 Hz for moving the personal care device to and from the face, information that the user has exceeded the predetermined frequency and is therefore performing a scrubbing motion may be communicated (and / or stored) to the user. In response to such communication, the user may adjust their toothbrushing motion accordingly.

[0105] Multiple sensor data may be collected continuously or at intervals. Sensor data may be sampled to collect data. Sampling may occur at frequencies related to the expected movement of the personal care device. For example, in the case of a toothbrush, the signal may be sampled at a frequency higher than the expected frequency for normal brushing, in which case the motion frequency is the frequency at which the personal care device moves between a first position close to the user's face and a second position further away from the user's face than the first position, as described above. For example, sensor data may be sampled at a frequency (velocity) (at least) twice the expected frequency. Thus, sensor data may be sampled at a frequency that allows the collected data to accurately represent the movement of the personal care device relative to the user's body.

[0106] Sensor data may be preprocessed before features are extracted. For example, sensor data may be preprocessed to remove certain frequencies. Frequencies unrelated to the movement between the first and second locations discussed above (frequency information unrelated to the general movement of the personal care device to and from the user's face) may be removed. Preprocessing may include applying low-pass filtering. For example, frequency components above 4 Hz may be unlikely to be attributable to the movement of the personal care device to and from the user's face. Therefore, low-pass filtering may be used to filter out any frequencies in the sensor data above 4 Hz.

[0107] Preprocessing may include adding sensor signals collected from at least one additional sensor. For example, a personal care device may include at least one additional detector. Alternatively or additionally, a personal care device may include any number of additional sensors, such as an inertial measuring unit (IMU) and / or a Hall effect pressure sensor and / or a camera. The composite sensor signal may be generated by combining sensor data generated in relation to any of the sensors provided within the personal care device. The composite signal may not be very sensitive to changes in the orientation of the device, but may still contain information about the distance of the personal care device from the user's face and / or body.

[0108] Figure 15 is an example of data collected using a method to characterize the movement of a personal care device, including a composite signal generated by combining sensor data from multiple sensors included in the personal care device. The peaks shown in the graph correspond to the personal care device being close to the face (a range of a first position close to the user's body), and the valleys correspond to the personal care device being farther from the face (a range of a second position further from the user's body than the first position). The composite signal shown in the graph of Figure 15 corresponds to the sum of eight sensor signals measured by the device. As can be seen from this figure, the movement of the personal care device toward and from the user's face may be characterized using the sensor data in any of the methods discussed above, for example, by extracting frequency and / or amplitude.

[0109] Some embodiments described herein include near-infrared light energy sources and detectors, but other types of energy may also be used. For example, alternative wavelengths of light, such as within the visible spectrum, radio frequency electromagnetic radiation forming a radar sensor, or electrostatic energy, such as in a mutual capacitance sensor, may be used. The sensor output can be derived from different aspects of the detected energy, such as the magnitude of the detected energy and / or the phase or time delay between the energy source and the detected signal, and the time of flight.

[0110] While several inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those skilled in the art will readily conceive of various other means and / or structures to perform the function and / or obtain one or more of the results and / or advantages described herein, and each of such variations and / or modifications will be considered to fall within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily understand that all parameters, dimensions, materials and configurations described herein are intended to be illustrative, and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials and / or configurations will depend on the specific application or more applications in which the teachings of the invention are used. Those skilled in the art will be able to recognize or confirm many equivalents to the particular inventive embodiments described herein using no more than routine experimentation. Accordingly, it should be understood that the embodiments described herein are presented only as examples, and that within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, the inventive embodiments may be implemented differently from those specifically described and claimed. The inventive embodiments of this disclosure are directed to each of the individual features (configurations), systems (systems), products, materials, kits and / or methods described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, products, materials, kits, and / or methods falls within the inventive scope of this disclosure, provided that such features, systems, products, materials, kits, and / or methods are not contradictory to each other.

[0111] (statement) 1. A method (200) for determining the position and orientation of a part of a handheld personal care device relative to the user's body (50), Step 210 of providing a handheld personal care device comprising at least one energy source (20) and at least one detector (22), wherein both the at least one energy source and the at least one detector are located within the handheld personal care device, and the at least one energy source is located in a first position within the handheld personal care device and has a first orientation. The steps include (220) radiating energy into the three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device using at least one energy source, The steps include (230) detecting a portion of the energy radiated from at least one energy source using at least one detector, Step (240) of generating sensor data based on the detected portion of energy radiated from at least one energy source by at least one detector, A step (250) of extracting one or more features from the generated sensor data, The process includes (260) a step of estimating the position and orientation of a part of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body based on one or more features extracted, Method (200).

[0112] 2. The method of Statement 1, wherein the step of detecting a portion of energy radiated from at least one energy source includes detecting energy reflected or scattered from the user's body.

[0113] 3. The method of Statement 1, further comprising the step of processing sensor data generated by at least one detector to produce one or more features that correlate with the position or orientation of a handheld personal care device in use.

[0114] 4. The method of Statement 1, further comprising the step of arranging at least one detector having a second orientation and in a second position within a handheld personal care device, wherein the second position and second orientation of the at least one detector are different from the first position and first orientation of at least one energy source.

[0115] 5. The method of Statement 1, wherein at least one energy source is a light-emitting diode, the energy emitted is near-infrared light energy, and at least one detector is a photodiode.

[0116] 6. The method of Statement 1, wherein at least one energy source and at least one detector are located within a module that can be attached to a handheld personal care device.

[0117] 7. The method of Statement 1, further comprising the step of combining a first set of measurements, including generated sensor data, with a second set of measurements from one or more motion sensors.

[0118] 8. The method of Statement 7, wherein the step of combining the measurements of the first and second sets further includes the step of processing the measurements of the first and second sets together.

[0119] 9. The method of Statement 7, comprising the step of combining the first and second sets of measurements, which includes processing the first and second sets of measurements separately to form the first and second outputs, respectively, and then combining the first and second outputs.

[0120] 10. A method (200) for determining the orientation of a part of a handheld personal care device relative to the user's body (50), Step 210 of providing a handheld personal care device comprising at least one energy source (20) and at least one detector (22), wherein both the at least one energy source and the at least one detector are located within the handheld personal care device, and the at least one energy source is located in a first position within the handheld personal care device and has a first orientation. The steps include (220) radiating energy into the three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device using at least one energy source, The steps include (230) detecting a portion of the energy radiated from at least one energy source using at least one detector, Step (240) of generating sensor data based on the detected portion of energy radiated from at least one energy source by at least one detector, A step (250) of extracting one or more features from the generated sensor data, The process includes (260) a step of estimating the orientation of a part of a handheld personal care device relative to the user's body based on one or more features extracted, Method (200).

[0121] 11. The method of Statement 10, wherein the step of detecting a portion of energy radiated from at least one energy source includes detecting energy reflected or scattered from the user's body.

[0122] 12. The method of Statement 10, further comprising the step of arranging at least one detector having a second orientation and in a second position within a handheld personal care device, wherein the second position and second orientation of the at least one detector are different from the first position and first orientation of at least one energy source.

[0123] 13. The method of statement 10, further comprising the step of combining a first set of measurements, including generated sensor data, with a second set of measurements from one or more motion sensors.

[0124] 14. The method of Statement 10, wherein at least one energy source and at least one detector are located within a module that can be attached to a handheld personal care device.

[0125] 15. A method (200) for determining the position of a part of a handheld personal care device relative to the user's body (50), Step 210 of providing a handheld personal care device comprising at least one energy source (20) and at least one detector (22), wherein both the at least one energy source and the at least one detector are located within the handheld personal care device. The steps include (220) radiating energy into the three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device using at least one energy source, The steps include (230) detecting a portion of the energy radiated from at least one energy source using at least one detector, Step (240) of generating sensor data based on the detected portion of energy radiated from at least one energy source by at least one detector, A step (250) of extracting one or more features from the generated sensor data, The process includes (260) a step of estimating the position of a part of a handheld personal care device relative to the user's body based on one or more features extracted, Method (200). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0126] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2017 / 102859A1

Claims

1. A method for operating a system that determines at least one of the position and orientation of a part of a handheld personal care device relative to the user's body, A step of providing a handheld personal care device to a processor of the handheld personal care device, wherein at least one detector located within the handheld personal care device generates sensor data based on energy detected by the at least one detector, and the energy is a portion of the energy radiated into the three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device from at least one energy source located at a first position within the handheld personal care device and having a first orientation within the handheld personal care device; The processor extracts from the generated sensor data one or more features that correlate with the position or orientation of the handheld personal care device during use, wherein the extracted features depend on the distance from the user's body to the at least one energy source and the at least one detector, and / or the extent to which the user's body fills one or more three-dimensional regions in the three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device that the at least one detector is sensitive to. The processor includes the steps of: estimating at least one of the position and orientation of a part of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body based on one or more of the extracted features; and / or characterizing the movement of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body based on one or more of the extracted features; The energy emitted is near-infrared light energy. How to operate.

2. The further step includes arranging the at least one detector having a second orientation and in a second position within the handheld personal care device, wherein the second position and second orientation of the at least one detector are different from the first position and first orientation of the at least one energy source, and / or The at least one energy source is a light-emitting diode, and the at least one detector is a photodiode, and / or The at least one energy source and the at least one detector are located within a module that can be attached to the handheld personal care device. The operating method according to claim 1.

3. The processor further includes the step of combining a first set of measurements, including the generated sensor data, with a second set of measurements from one or more motion sensors. The step of combining the first and second sets of measurements further includes the step of the processor processing the first and second sets of measurements together, or The step of combining the first and second sets of measurements includes the step of the processor processing the first and second sets of measurements separately to form first and second outputs, respectively, and then combining the first and second outputs. The operating method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The processor further includes the step of comparing the characterized motion with a predetermined motion, The processor generates information relating to the comparison between the characterized motion and the predetermined motion, The processor further includes at least one of the steps of transmitting the information to the user and storing the information, The operating method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. If the aforementioned movement is characterized, the characterizing step includes the processor determining the movement of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body, and / or The aforementioned movement includes the movement of the handheld personal care device between a range of first positions close to the user's body and a range of second positions further away from the user's body than the first position. The operating method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. If the movement is characterized, the characterizing step includes the processor determining the speed of the movement of the handheld personal care device between positions relative to the user's body, according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The speed of the movement is based on the frequency of movement in which the handheld personal care device moves between a range of first positions close to the user's body and a range of second positions further away from the user's body than the first position, and one or more features extracted include the frequency of the movement. The speed of the movement is further based on the amplitude corresponding to the distance between the range of the first position and the range of the second position, and the one or more features extracted include the amplitude, and / or If the motion is characterized, the characterizing step includes the processor determining whether the frequency of the motion is greater than a predetermined frequency. The operating method according to claim 6.

8. The operating method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the extraction step further includes the processor preprocessing the sensor data before extracting the features.

9. The preprocessing includes the processor removing a predetermined frequency from each of the sensor data before extracting the features, and / or The aforementioned preprocessing includes at least one of the following: applying low-pass filtering and adding signals from at least one additional sensor. The operating method according to claim 8.

10. It is a handheld personal care device, A handheld personal care device comprises at least one energy source configured to radiate energy toward the user's body and radiate energy into the three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device, and positioned in a first location and having a first orientation within the handheld personal care device. At least one detector configured to detect a portion of the energy radiated from the at least one energy source, which receives energy from the user's body in response to radiating energy toward the user's body, Includes a processor, The at least one detector is configured to generate sensor data based on the energy detected by the at least one detector and to provide the sensor data to the processor of the handheld personal care device, wherein the energy is a portion of the energy radiated from the at least one energy source into the three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device. The aforementioned processor, Steps of extracting from the generated sensor data one or more features that correlate with the position or orientation of the handheld personal care device during use, wherein the extracted features depend on the distance from the user's body to the at least one energy source and the at least one detector, and / or the extent to which the user's body fills one or more three-dimensional regions in the three-dimensional space surrounding the handheld personal care device that the at least one detector is sensitive to. A step of estimating at least one of the position and orientation of a part of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body based on one or more of the extracted features, and / or a step of characterizing the movement of the handheld personal care device relative to the user's body based on one or more of the extracted features, It is configured to perform, The energy emitted is near-infrared light energy. Handheld personal care device.

11. A computer program comprising code that causes the handheld personal care device according to claim 10 to perform the steps of the operating method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A controller including the computer program of claim 11.

13. The handheld personal care device according to claim 10, selected from the group of handheld personal care devices, the handheld personal care device comprising: a) an oral device; b) a toothbrush; c) a shaver; d) an oral irrigator; e) a flossing device; f) a body portion for receiving a head member for any of the oral device, the toothbrush, the shaver, the oral irrigator, and the flossing device; and g) a head member for any of the oral device, the toothbrush, the shaver, the oral irrigator, and the flossing device.

14. The controller according to claim 12, wherein the controller is located in at least one of a handheld personal care device, a remote server, a remote device, or an interface device.

15. A handheld personal care device according to claim 10, The controller according to claim 12, Sensing system.

16. A remote device including the controller described in claim 12.

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