Method of detecting a current user activity and environment context of a user of a mobile phone using an accelerator sensor and a microphone, computer program product, and mobile phone

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention is a method for detecting both the current activity of a mobile phone user (such as walking, sitting, or sleeping) and the surrounding environmental context (such as being in a meeting or at a party), using only the phone's built-in accelerometer sensor and microphone. By processing and analyzing signals from these sensors, the method classifies the user's activity and context, enabling the phone to adjust its settings or functions accordingly.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Automatically adjusting phone volume or ringer based on detected activity (e.g., switching to silent mode during meetings or when sleeping).
• Monitoring elderly or children's activities for health or safety purposes, and sending alerts in case of unusual movement or emergencies (e.g., falls).
• Collecting and analyzing user activity data for medical or wellness applications, such as tracking recovery post-surgery or for chronic disease management.
• Providing personalized fitness or calorie tracking by monitoring physical activity patterns.
• Enhancing context-aware mobile applications that adapt content or notifications based on user state and environment.
• Surveillance or security applications for detecting abnormal user activity or movement patterns.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Eliminates the need for users to wear extra devices or carry additional sensors, as it leverages commonly available mobile phone hardware.
• Provides real-time, automatic activity and context detection, enabling immediate response or adaptation of phone settings.
• Improves user experience by making the phone more intelligent and context-aware without extra effort from the user.
• Offers potential health and safety monitoring benefits, especially for vulnerable populations such as the elderly or children.
• Supports remote monitoring and data upload for healthcare providers, facilitating detailed analysis and intervention.
• Cost-effective solution using standard hardware and efficient software algorithms, making it accessible to a wide range of users.

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Patent Abstract

The invention provides a method of detecting a current user activity and environment context of a user of a mobile phone comprising at least one acceleration sensor and a microphone, the method comprising the steps of obtaining at least one acceleration signal from said at least one acceleration sensor, obtaining an audio signal from said microphone, said audio signal representing environmental sound of the mobile phone, pre-processing said obtained at least one acceleration signal and pre-processing said obtained audio signal to remove redundant information present in said signals, performing a feature extraction on said pre-processed at least one acceleration signal, performing a feature extraction on said pre-processed audio signal; and classifying user activity and environment context based on the acceleration pattern represented by the extracted acceleration features and on the audio pattern represented by the extracted audio features.