Abstract:
A wearable consumer electronic product includes at least a housing arranged to catty operational components comprising a processor and a band having a pliable band body and a securing means arranged to secure the band body to the housing. In one embodiment, the pliable band body has a size and shape suitable for wrapping around an individual appendage and that includes an opening that leads to a cavity within the band body suitable for accumulating an amount of water and a band sensor embedded within the band body in communication with the cavity.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/221,253, filed on Sep. 21, 2015 and titled “PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AS HEALTH COMPANION”, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The following disclosure relates to an electronic device. In particular, the following disclosure relates to a wearable electronic device that can be used to determine and evaluate external environmental factors that can affect a user&#39;s health. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Electronic devices may include certain features to enhance a user experience. For example, an electronic device may include a sensing element designed to monitor the user as well as a surrounding environment. In particular, a wearable electronic device can include multiple sensors used for interacting with a user that can provide information related to a current physical condition and/or health of the user as well as provide relevant environmental information. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    In one aspect, a wearable consumer electronic device is described. The consumer electronic product includes a housing arranged to carry operational components. The consumer electronic product also includes an interconnected group of sensors at least one of which is carried by the housing and operable as a sensor engine in communication with the processor. The sensor engine includes a first sensor capable of detecting a threshold amount of water and a second sensor capable of detecting a property of the water, where detection of the threshold amount of water by the first sensor causes the second sensor to detect the property of the water. In one embodiment, the consumer electronic product is wearable. 
         [0005]    A method carried out by a wearable consumer electronic product includes at least the following operations: detecting at least a threshold amount of water by a first sensor, detecting a property of the water by a second sensor in communication with the first sensor, and providing a notification in accordance with the detected property. 
         [0006]    In another aspect, a wearable consumer electronic product includes at least a housing arranged to carry operational components comprising a processor and a band having a pliable band body and a securing mechanism arranged to secure the band body to the housing. In one embodiment, the pliable band body has a size and shape suitable for wrapping around a user&#39;s appendage and that includes an opening that leads to a cavity within the band body suitable for accommodating an amount of water, a band sensor embedded within the band body in communication with the cavity. 
         [0007]    Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the embodiments will be, or will become, apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description and this summary, be within the scope of the embodiments, and be protected by the following claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  shows a front view of an electronic device; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  shows a rear view of electronic device shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3A  shows representative cross sectional view of a sensor carried by an electronic device in accordance with the described embodiments; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3B  shows representative cross section of band carried sensor in accordance with the described embodiments; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  shows a system in accordance with the described embodiments; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  shows a particular implementation of a system as a water sensing system in accordance with the described embodiments; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  shows a particular example of a system in accordance with the described embodiments; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  illustrates a flowchart showing a method for using a wearable electronic device as an environmental sensor/health monitor in accordance with the described embodiment; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram of an electronic device suitable for use with the described embodiments. 
       
    
    
       [0018]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate and understand that, according to common practice, various features of the drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale, and that dimensions of various features and elements of the drawings may be expanded or reduced to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention described herein. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    Reference will now be made in detail to representative embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred embodiment. To the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the described embodiments as defined by the appended claims. 
         [0020]    In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in accordance with the described embodiments. Although these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice the described embodiments, it is understood that these examples are not limiting such that other embodiments may be used, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the described embodiments. 
         [0021]    The following disclosure relates to an electronic device. In particular, the electronic device can have a form factor that renders the electronic device wearable. By wearable, it is meant that a user can wear the electronic device as a decorative (but also functional) accessory that can be secured or otherwise attached to a garment or appended to a user&#39;s limb much like a watch. In the context of this discussion, however, the electronic device can be considered an accessory that can be carried or worn by the user. In this way, the electronic device can act both as an adornment as well as a source of useful information. The information can be provided real time and can be associated with a current physical state of the user and/or information regarding an external environment that the user would find of interest. For example, the electronic device can be worn as a bracelet or a watch that can be taken along on various athletic endeavors such as rock climbing, skydiving, scuba diving, jogging etc. In this way, the electronic device can be used to monitor (and record if need be) external conditions such as temperature, pressure, light conditions, speed, distance and so on. The external conditions can be related to various physical activities that the electronic device can anticipate that the user will take part and as such may have an impact on the user&#39;s health and/or enjoyment of the physical activity. 
         [0022]    A particularly beneficial, but by no means only, use of the electronic device is one in which the electronic device determines that a body of water is nearby and based upon an anticipated context of use, the electronic device can determine which properties of the water and/or surrounding environment would be relevant to the user and in particular the health of the user. For example, when the electronic device determines that the user wearing the electronic device has been exposed to at least a threshold amount of water (indicating that, for example, the user/electronic device is submerged or otherwise exposed to a significant body of water as opposed to a lesser amount of water associated with, for example, rain), a sensing element carried by the electronic device and/or associated with the electronic device, can be used to detect properties of the water deemed to be of interest. The detection of the specific property (or properties) can, in turn, be used to notify the user that participating in the anticipated activity may have an adverse impact on the user&#39;s current health or enjoyment and action should be taken. 
         [0023]    For example, when the electronic device detects the threshold amount of water using a primary sensor, a secondary sensor, or sensors, can be triggered to detect specific properties of the water. A salt content sensor, for example, can determine a salt content of the water and based upon the result determine that the body of water associated with the sample of water is either a fresh water lake/pool/river, or an ocean. Once the type of water is established, other sensors can come into play specifically designed to detect properties most likely to be associated with the type of water and that could potentially have a substantial impact on the health of the user or the enjoyment of an activity by the user. For example, if the type of water is determined to be salt, a geo-location sensor can be used to determine a geo-location of the user that can be used to identify the body of water associated with the water sample. Another sensor can be designed to detect bio-matter such as dangerous pathogens that if detected can trigger a warning to avoid entering the body of water or leave the body of water if already entered. Another sensor could be used to detect chemicals in the water, and so on. 
         [0024]    It should also be noted that the electronic device could be worn in such a way that the amount of water detected can be associated with sweat originating from the individual wearing the electronic device. Sweat is a salty, watery solution produced by sweat glands that is passed through numerous microscopic channels opening onto the skin surface that forms a protective layer often referred to as the acid mantle having a particular level of acidity characterized by pH from about 4 to 5.5 (pH is well known term that describes the overall acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution. For example, pure water is neutral and has a pH value of 7.0 whereas an acidic solution will have a pH value less than 7 and an alkaline solution a pH greater than 7). Accordingly, the ability to detect aspects of perspiration, or sweat, originating from the individual wearing the electronic device can provide insight into a general condition of the individual&#39;s current state of health. 
         [0025]    The embodiments shown and described relate to an electronic device. The electronic device can take the form of a wearable electronic device that can be attached to a garment worn by a user or carried with respect to an appendage (such as a wrist) of the user. These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 1-8 . However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these Figures is for explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  illustrates a front view of an embodiment of an electronic device  100 , in accordance with the described embodiments. In some embodiments, the electronic device  100  is a mobile communication device, such as a smart phone. In other embodiments, the electronic device  100  is a wearable computing device. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the electronic device  100  is a wearable electronic device designed to secure with an appendage (for example, an arm or a leg) of a user of the electronic device  100 . 
         [0027]    Electronic device  100  may include an enclosure  102  formed from a rigid material, such as a metal (including stainless steel or aluminum). The enclosure  102  may be coupled with a first band  106  and a second band  108 , with the first band  106  and the second band  108  are designed to secure the electronic device  100  to an appendage of a user. Also, the electronic device  100  may include a display module  110  designed to display visual content, including a day and a time of the day. In some embodiments, the display module  110  is a light-emitting diode (“LED”) display. Further, in some embodiments, the display module  110  is an organic light-emitting diode (“OLED”) display. The display module  110  may further include a cover glass  112  disposed over the display module  110 . In addition to displaying time, the display module  110  may also display visual content based upon applications, or “apps,” stored on a memory circuit (not shown) disposed between the enclosure  102  and the display module  110 . For example, icon  118  can be used to indicate a particular athletic activity whereas icon  120  can indicate current local conditions such as temperature. 
         [0028]    The electronic device  100  may include several input features electrically coupled with one or more processors (not shown), and designed to control the display module  110 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the electronic device  100  includes a first control input  114  and a second control input  116 , each of which may be partially disposed in openings of the enclosure  102 . The first control input  114  may take the form of a dial design for clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation, with the rotation used to control the display module  110 . Further, the first control input  114  may be depressed to define a further control input feature. The second control input  116  may take the form of a button that provides an additional control input feature when depressed. Although not shown, the first control input  114  and/or second control input  116  may be disposed in other locations of the enclosure  102 . Also, the electronic device  100  may include more or fewer control inputs in other embodiments. Further, the electronic device  100  may include a touch sensor (not shown) disposed behind (and in some cases integrated) with the display module  110 . This allows the user to further control the display module  110  by depressing the cover glass  112  triggering the touch sensor to generate a control input and alter the visual content of the display module  110 . 
         [0029]    Electronic device  100  can also include a sensor or a number of interconnected sensors that are operable as a sensor engine. The sensors can be environmental sensors arranged to detect an aspect of an environment. By interconnected it is meant that individual sensors can be in communication with each other directly or indirectly via another component, such as a processor. In an embodiment, some of the interconnected sensors can be carried by enclosure  102  whereas other sensors can be carried by band  106  or  108 . Regardless of their locations, the sensors can provide information that can be used to evaluate specific properties of an aspect of the local environment and determine an overall potential impact on a user&#39;s health or enjoyment of a current or anticipated activity of the user. For example, if a sensor on band  106  detects a sample of water corresponding to at least a threshold amount of water (indicating that the user is submerged in a body of water), this information can be used to trigger or otherwise cause another sensor to detect a particular property of that sample water, such as salinity. This information can be sent to a processor, for example, that can then trigger other sensors to operate to detect specific water properties that taken together can form a health impact profile corresponding to an anticipated health impact and provide a notification accordingly. 
         [0030]    For example,  FIG. 2  shows a rear view of electronic device  100  shown in  FIG. 1  illustrating several openings in enclosure  102 . For example, electronic device  100  may include a first opening  122  in the enclosure  102  that may allow, for example, sampling by a sensor1 of the external environment for the presence of, for example, ambient water. For example, the sensor engine can include a water sensor used to detect a presence of at least a threshold amount of water indicating that electronic device  100  is, for example, either partially or fully submerged by a body of water (in contrast to being exposed rain droplets as an example). Also, the electronic device  100  may include a second opening  124  in the enclosure  102  that may allow, for example, sampling of another specimen of the water by sensor2 for properties of the water. Although the first opening  122  and the second opening  124  are shown in distinct locations, the first opening  122  and the second opening  124  may vary in location along the enclosure  102 , and further, may vary in size and shape. Further, the number of openings may vary according to the functionality of the electronic device  100  as well as the number of sensors associated with the sensor engine. For example, an additional opening (not shown) may be used in conjunction with the first opening  122  to enhance an amount of the water sampled or provide additional inputs such as an air sample. 
         [0031]    The electronic device  100  shown in  FIG. 2  may include additional features that can be used to detect not just environment factors but factors associated with the user. This information can be used to determine a context in which the electronic device is being used. For example, if the user sensor detects that an elevated heart rate and/or body temperature, the context of use can be that of running or exercising. For example, the electronic device  100  may include a light source  126  designed to emit light in the form of light pulses. In some embodiments, the light source  126  includes a light-emitting diode (“LED”). Further, in some embodiments, the light source  126  includes a generally green color. Also, the electronic device  100  may include a sensing element  128  (that can also be part of the sensor engine) designed to sense light from the light source  126  that is reflected by, for example, a user wearing the electronic device  100 . Accordingly, in some embodiments, the sensing element  128  is a photoelectric sensor or photodiode. Although a single light source and a single sensing element are shown, other embodiments may include two or more light sources as well as two or more sensing elements. In other embodiments, sensor  128  can be used to detect an amount of perspiration, or sweat, on the surface of the user&#39;s skin. In this way, sensor  128  can be used to trigger other sensors that can determine, for example, a pH level of the sweat, a presence of pathogens, chemicals associated with diseases, and so forth. Also, a cover  130 , formed from a material such as glass or crystal, may overlay the light source  126  and the sensing element  128 , with the cover  130  being transparent in locations corresponding to the light source  126  and the sensing element  128 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 3A  shows representative cross sectional view of sensor system  300  in accordance with the described embodiments. It should be noted housing  102  of electronic device  100  could carry that sensor system  300 . As discussed above with respect to  FIG. 1 , housing  102  can include opening  122  that can lead to cavity  302 , or well, having volume V that defines at least a threshold amount of water indicating that electronic device  100  is submerged or otherwise in contact with a substantial amount of water corresponding to a lake, stream, pool, ocean, and so forth. It should be noted that the orientation of opening  122  towards a rear portion of electronic device  100  allows that during normal use, opening  122  is unlikely be in position such that water droplets associated with rain, lawn sprinklers, etc. can cross opening  122  such that the threshold amount of water will accumulate within cavity  302 . In this way, false alerts or triggers can be avoided. Sensor  304  can be positioned to receive a sample of water that has accumulated in cavity  302  by way of sensor port  306  that corresponds to an opening in membrane  308 . In one embodiment, membrane  308  is water impermeable whereas in other embodiments, membrane  308  allows at least some water to pass from cavity  302  to sensor  304 . Flex  310  can be used to carry a detection signal from sensor  304  to circuitry  312 . Circuitry  312  can take the form of another sensor, a processor, or any other appropriate electronic device. In order to prevent leaks, seals  314  can be placed between membrane  308  and supports  316 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 3B  shows representative cross section along line A-A of  FIG. 2  of band carried sensor  350  in accordance with the described embodiments. Sensor  350  can be carried by band  106  and/or band  108 . Accordingly, sensor  350  can communicate with cavity  352  formed in band body  354 . Cavity  352  can accommodate a threshold amount of water that can be the same or different than that used to trigger sensor  300 . In one embodiment, membrane  356  can provide a transport path for water accumulated in cavity  352  to sensor  350 . Sensor  350  can be connected to external circuitry by way of flex  358  configured to move with bending and torsional movements of band body  106  or  108 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 4  shows system  400  in accordance with the described embodiments. System  400  can include sensor engine  402  that can include primary sensing layer  404  that can be used as a triggering mechanism for sensor engine  402 . By triggering mechanism it is meant that primary sensing layer  404  can be used to periodically monitor an external environment for a particular element of the external environment. More specifically, primary sensing layer  404  can determine that a threshold amount of the environmental element is present and if so can then trigger secondary sensing layer  406  arranged to detect a particular property of the environmental element. In some cases, tertiary sensing layer  408  can be used to detect other aspects of the environmental element based upon the activity of secondary sensing layer  406 . In any case, sensor engine  402  can be in communication with data store  410  well suited for storing data accumulated by sensor engine  402 . Processing layer  412  can provide processing resources that can be used to analyze relevant data provided by sensor engine  402  or retrieved from data store  410 . Based upon the processing carried out by processing layer  412 , notification layer  414  can provide a notification in accordance with a pre-determined set of conditions or observations provided by sensor engine  402 . The notification can be related to aspects of the environmental element that a user can consider important or at least relevant to a health of the user. The notification can provide a warning or other suggestions of a course of action based upon current environmental conditions. In some embodiments, the notification can be based upon a current context of use of system  400 . For example, if the context of use is that system  400  is part of a wearable computing system attached to a user that is currently swimming, the notification can indicate dangerous conditions such as rip tides or if system  400  is in communication with an external circuit (through a wireless connection, for example) the notification can provide a warning of dangerous predators such as sharks are in the area. 
         [0035]      FIG. 5  shows a particular implementation of system  400  as water sensing system  500  in accordance with the described embodiments. Water sensing system  500  can include water detection layer  502  arranged to periodically monitor an external environment for water. More specifically, water detector  504  can periodically monitor for at least a threshold amount of water being present. When water detector  504  determines that the threshold amount of water is present, then some or all of secondary sensors in property detection layer  506  are triggered. The secondary sensors can be configured to detect a particular property of the water such as, for example, salt content, pH, temperature, etc. In some cases, a context of use can be used to further refine the types and numbers of secondary sensors called into action. For example, if a geo-location device indicates that system  500  is near a particular body of water, when water detector  504  detects the threshold amount of water, then selected ones of property detection layer  506  can be triggered that are dedicated to detect particular properties of water in that area. If geo-location data indicates that body of water is near a lake, then bio-matter sensor  508  arranged to detect bio-matter such as harmful pathogens and chemical sensor  510  for detecting harmful chemicals can be triggered. In some cases, additional sensors referred to as tertiary sensor  512  can be used to detect still further properties of the water. In any case, a processor can analyze sensor data and cause notification level  514  to provide a notification that can be used to inform a user of any pertinent information based upon the analysis performed by water sensing system  500 . It should be noted that data store  516  could be used to store relevant data. 
         [0036]      FIG. 6  shows system  600  in accordance with the described embodiments. For example, when a threshold amount of water is detected by water detector  602 , then salinity detector  604  can be used to determine the salinity of the water and based upon that result, a determination can be made that the water is either salt water or fresh water. If the water is determined to correspond to salt water, then a geo-location device can fix a current location as being an ocean  606  (or a lake). The location can also be indirectly determined by a context of use evaluation as well as data received from the user in the form of user physical data (heartbeat, breathing rate, etc.) In this case, certain other sensors can be called upon to detect particular properties of the salt water associated with the ocean and more particularly to the location at which system  600  is positioned. The other sensors can be selected to determine an overall view of how benign the current environment is with regards to a user&#39;s health. For example, bio-matter sensor  608  can be used to detect pathogens and pH sensor  610  can be used to detect unsafe pH levels. Moreover, other sensors such as chemical sensor  612  can be used to detect dangerous chemicals whereas particulate sensor  614  can be used to detect particulates. In any case, information from the sensors can be processed by processor  616  that can cause notification layer  618  to issue a relevant notification. For example, a notification can be issued indicating that bio-matter and unsafe pH levels are detected (denoted by “YES”) whereas there is no need to trigger notification for chemicals or particulates (denoted by “NO”). 
         [0037]      FIG. 7  illustrates a flowchart  700  showing a method for using a wearable electronic device as an environmental sensor/health monitor in accordance with the described embodiments. Process  700  can be carried out by detecting an amount of water at  702 . At  704 , a determination is made whether or not the amount of water is at least a threshold amount. If it is determined that the amount of water is at least the threshold amount, then a property of the water is detected at  706  and a notification is issued at  708 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram of an electronic device  800  suitable for use with the described embodiments. The electronic device  800  illustrates circuitry of a representative computing device. The electronic device  800  includes a processor  802  that pertains to a microprocessor or controller for controlling the overall operation of the electronic device  800 . The electronic device  800  stores media data pertaining to media items in a file system  804  and a cache  806 . The file system  804  is, typically, a semiconductor memory, cloud storage, or storage disks or hard drives. The file system  804  typically provides high capacity storage capability for the electronic device  800 . However, since the access time to the file system  804  is relatively slow, the electronic device  800  can also include a cache  806 . The cache  806  is, for example, Random-Access Memory (RAM) provided by semiconductor memory. The relative access time to the cache  806  is substantially shorter than for the file system  804 . However, the cache  806  does not have the large storage capacity of the file system  804 . Further, the file system  804 , when active, consumes more power than does the cache  806 . The power consumption is often a concern when the electronic device  800  is a portable media device that is powered by a battery  824 . The electronic device  800  can also include a RAM  820  and a Read-Only Memory (ROM)  822 . The ROM  822  can store programs, utilities or processes to be executed in a non-volatile manner. The RAM  820  provides volatile data storage, such as for the cache  806 . 
         [0039]    The electronic device  800  also includes a user input device  808  that allows a user of the electronic device  800  to interact with the electronic device  800 . For example, the user input device  808  can take a variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, touch screen, audio input interface, visual/image capture input interface, input in the form of sensor data, etc. Still further, the electronic device  800  includes a display  810  (screen display) that can be controlled by the processor  802  to display information to the user. A data bus  816  can facilitate data transfer between at least the file system  804 , the cache  806 , the processor  802 , and the CODEC  813 . 
         [0040]    In one embodiment, the electronic device  800  serves to store a plurality of media items (e.g., songs, podcasts, etc.) in the file system  804 . When a user desires to have the electronic device play a particular media item, a list of available media items is displayed on the display  810 . Then, using the user input device  808 , a user can select one of the available media items. The processor  802 , upon receiving a selection of a particular media item, supplies the media data (e.g., audio file) for the particular media item to a coder/decoder (CODEC)  813 . The CODEC  813  then produces analog output signals for a speaker  814 . The speaker  814  can be a speaker internal to the electronic device  800  or external to the electronic device  800 . For example, headphones or earphones that connect to the electronic device  800  would be considered an external speaker. 
         [0041]    The electronic device  800  also includes a network/bus interface  811  that couples to a data link  812 . The data link  812  allows the electronic device  800  to couple to a host computer or to accessory devices. The data link  812  can be provided over a wired connection or a wireless connection. In the case of a wireless connection, the network/bus interface  811  can include a wireless transceiver. The media items (media assets) can pertain to one or more different types of media content. In one embodiment, the media items are audio tracks (e.g., songs, audio books, and podcasts). In another embodiment, the media items are images (e.g., photos). However, in other embodiments, the media items can be any combination of audio, graphical or visual content. Sensor  826  can take the form of circuitry for detecting any number of stimuli. For example, sensor  826  can include a Hall Effect sensor responsive to external magnetic field, an audio sensor, a light sensor such as a photometer, and so on. 
         [0042]    The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the described embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the specific embodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not targeted to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.