GB2517407A

GB2517407A - Social media sensor device

Info

Publication number: GB2517407A
Application number: GB1311876.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Justin Philip Pisani; Simon Robert Gordon; Matthew Wright
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-07-02
Filing date: 2013-07-02
Publication date: 2015-02-25
Also published as: GB201311876D0

Abstract

A sensing device comprises one or more of an activity sensor 31, a sound detector 33, a temperature sensor 32, a wired or wireless connection, a memory means and a viewing means 27 to display recorded activity using an approximately segmented circular format. The device preferably derives a colour coded from its sensed data (figure 5) and may share the colour code with a social networking application. The device may detect prescribed movement sequences and use these to trigger the transfer of sensed and derived data to a social networking application. The device preferably comprises a mounting means having an interlocking ring feature (12, figure 2). The ring may be connected to a users wrist using a wrist strap (11) or worn around the neck of a user in the form of a necklace by means of a chain (16, figure 3). Also disclosed is a device having a series of two or more approximately circular light rings (figure 4).

Description

Intellectual Property Office Application No. GBI3I 1876.5 RTM Date:11 November 2014 The following terms are registered trade marks and should be read as such wherever they occur in this document: ilPhone; Apple; Astley Clarke; Varta Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.ipo.govuk Social Media Sensor Device

Description

Social utility applications are commonly used (eg: Facebook®, CA, USA and Twitter®, Twitter Inc. USA) in certain communities to allow users to share information about their emotional and physical status with other users. Typically this information maybe in the form of text, pictures, audio and visual clips. Users often access social utilities using personal computing devices or wireless devices, such as a smart phone (eg: iPhone 5 Apple Inc., USA) which have applications installed to allow data to be transferred to the social utility.

A drawback of this system is that the user is required to interact with the personal computing device or wireless device user interface in order to share this information and in addition, the user has to consciously interpret their current emotional and physical experiences either visually or textually in order to share this.

Emotional representation using colour labelling is a well-known method by which a user can classify and share their current perceived emotional and/or physical status in an abstract method. This is an established practise (i.e.: Swinkels and Giuliano Pars Soc Psychol Bull September 1995 vol. 211 rio. 9 934-949) nd has been used in social entertainment devices such as mood rings (eg: Astley Clarke, London UK). Such devices often rely on measuring temperature changes associated with a user's fingers and using this to modify the devices colour by using a temperature sensitive element. Such devices are limited in that they can only be shared with people in physical proximity of the user and that no history of colour changes is maintained by the device. A further restriction with this type of device is that should the users emotional or physical state lead to them to desire to relax, the mood sensor cannot offer assistance to the user in this regard.

To overcome this, this invention proposes a sensor device comprising an environmental, motion, and time sensing capability, with display and a flexible mounting system to attach to the user. The sensed data may be processed to derive secondary parameters including a colour coded mood value. This data may be transferred via wired or wireless means to a computer or smart phone, in order to control aspects of operation of the computer or smartphone and/or share the sensed data and derivations on a social media application Preferred Embodiment The invention is now described with reference to the following figures: Figure 1 shows how the sensor device communications with social media utilities and enables a user and associated users to view and share the devices output.

Figure 2 shows how the sensor may be attached to the user using a wrist strap.

Figure 3 shows how the same sensor may be fitted into alternative carrying formats such as a necklace and a carrying case.

Figure 4 shows how the sensor may display the status information to the user Figure 5 shows how the sensor may derive a mood colour.

Figure 6 shows a block diagram of the sensors internal construction Figure 7 shows how the sensor may be used to display time.

Referring to Fig 1, the personal sensor device [1] is worn or carried by the user as they undertake activities of daily living. The device is able to communicate by wired [3] or wireless [2] means to either a smart phone [4] or personal computer [5]. The smart phone or personal computer may display the information provided by the sensor using a viewing application and may also forward this information on to a [8] computer server which may host the means to access a social utility (eg: Twitter, Twitter Inc.) and place the information or a derivation of it on the users social utility account. The user or authorised associates may view and see this information via a viewing computer [9] which has the means to access the social utility via a suitable network connection.

Referring to Figure 2, the sensor device is a self-contained and powered unit [10] which may be attached to the user in a variety of means. In the example shown, the device is placed into a carrying ring [12], with appropriate interlocking features to secure the device to the ring, and the resulting ring connected to the wrist using a wrist strap [11].

Figure 3 shows an alternate mounting mechanism where the ring assembly [15] is in the form of a necklace which can be worn by the user around the neck via a chain [16]. Users may customise or change the visual styling of the chain or wrist attachment to suit taste or may alternate between different carrying methods from time to time. The device [13] may also be fitted using the same ring feature into a carrying case [14] to enable it to be carried in a pocket.

The sensor device has a user interface to enable the user to interact with it. Referring to Fig 4, the centre of the device [17] can be used to display a mood colour which is derived using a colour mixed from three primary colours Red, Green and Blue. Such devices are readily available using a Light Emitting Diode (LED) (eg: CREE Inc. CLP6C). An additional series of concentric light points [19] arranged on an approximately circular fashion are also used to allow the device to show certain status information to the user. This may be in a circular [18] or linear fashion. These points may be used to show static patterns, or animations of sequences of light points. These animations may include but are not limited to a pattern triggered by the detection of sound by the sensor. This offers a means to provide an entertaining pattern in approximate synchronisation to the ambient noise for example where the noise may be music. In addition a cycling pattern from the inner ring to the outer ring may be used in a metronomic sequence to allow a user to follow a relaxation technique such as yoga relaxation breathing exercise which is aimed to aide relaxation ( eg: P Sarang, S Telles -International Journal of Stress Management, 2006-psycnet.apa.org). This may be beneficial to users who feel fatigued or maybe become mindful of the need to consider relaxation by the sensors current mood colour.

Figure 5 shows how a colour may be associated with a user's activities. The colour scheme uses three light sources, Red Green Blue (RGB). Those skilled in the art will recognise as a proven way to encode colours using a scale of 0-255 for each of the base colours reflecting the intensity of each light. A colour maybe specified by a numerical combination for example 128,128,128 equates to white and 255, 0, 0 would be a red colour. As shown in Figure 5, white is the centre balance colour of the system. A specific mood colour is then derived by a series of measures which increase or reduce intensity of each of the R [24], G [22], B [26] colours from the balance point. As the intensity of each light is varied secondary colours will be produced depending on the precise mix of intensities at that point in time.

Each individual light intensity can be associated using a mathematical formula based on one or more sensed measured derived by the sensor device. For example, an estimation of physical activity measured by accelerative forces on the sensor may be assumed to be indicative of the activity level of the user. Skin temperature can also be measured which can provide an indication of whether a user is in a hot, cold or balanced environment. Ambient noise level can measure the sound level in the immediate vicinity and a degree of noise fatigue a user may be estimated overtime. Those skilled in the art would be aware that these measures may be averaged over a time period and used in conjunction with other weighting factors to determine the rate of change in the specific lights intensity over time.

Measures may be extended with additional sensors to include but not limited to, for example, heart rate, environmental temperature, breathing rate, skin sweat levels. The user may over time adjust or customise factors in the formulae used to provide a degree of persona lisation.

Figure 6 shows the internal construction of the sensor. A microprocessor including a memory [28] (eg: Microchip PlC series) is used to monitor the sensor measures, provide the mood colour derivation and use this to operate the user interface which is made using a series of Light Emitting Diodes [27]. A wired connection [29] is provided using a standard communications protocol such as Universal Serial Bus (USB®). This bus also provides the means to charge a rechargeable battery (eg: Varta GmBH LiPolymer 3.7V 15OmAH cell) which can then be used to provide power to the device. The USB connection is also used to transfer data via a wired cable to a remote computer when desired by the user. An alternative means to transferring the sensor data and derived values is via a wireless module (eg: Bluecore® Transceiver CSR Ltd UK) to a wireless enabled computing device. A 3 -axis accelerometer [31] is used to measure the accelerative forces on the device and hence the wearer and to derive an approximation to activity. This technique is well established and used by several devices to measure an approximation to activity (eg: Actiwatch® Respironics Inc. USA). A temperature detector [32] using a thermistor device can be calibrated to provide a temperature value. Those skilled in the art will be aware several other means exist to provide this measure. Sound detection [33] is achieved using a miniature microphone and a suitable signal conditioning circuit to filter and average the audible noise signal into a measure of audible power.

The accelerometer [31] may also be used to detect prescribed movements of the device by the user, for example a shaking pattern, or rotation and this may be used to trigger actions such as the transmission of data over the wireless radio [26] in order trigger an event on the device it is connected to,for example a smart phone. This event may be a control action, for example but not limited, changing media the device is displaying or playing, or triggering the current sensor data and its derived measures to be placed on the social application the user has linked the device to.

The wireless mechanism [26] may also be used to communicate with other sensor devices of the same type allowing a record of devices communicated with to be stored and shared with the user.

Figure 7 shows the sensor display may also be used to display time using the light points to mimic the hours and minute hands of clock face [34], [35]. Increased granularity of time may be achieved by varying the number of light points illuminated on the minute hand depending on the number of minute's gap to the next complete clockwise step.

Claims

Claims We claim:- 1. A sensing device comprising one or more of -An activity sensor -A sound detector -A temperature sensor -A wired or wireless connection.-A memory means -A viewing means to display the activity recorded using an approximately segmented circular format.
2. A device as defined in Claim 1, where the device derives a colour coded from its sensed data
3. A device as defined in Claim 2 where the device can share the colour code with a social networking application
4. A device with a series of two or more approximately circular light rings S. A device as in Claim 4 where the rings may be used to display the time of day 6. A device as in Claim 4 where the rings may be used to generate a metronomic sequence 7. A device as in Claim 4 where the rings may be used to generate a sound to light sequence 8. A device as in Claim 1 which detects prescribed movement sequences and uses this to trigger control commands to a remote connected computer application.9. A device as in Claim 2 which detects prescribed movement sequences and uses this to trigger the transfer of sensed and derived data to a social networking application.10. A device as in Claim 1 which incorporates a mounting means comprising of an interlocking ring feature where the ring feature can be used to attach or carry the same sensor in a variety of ways.