Electronic devices, systems, and corresponding methods for managing alarms across connected devices
A system manages alarms across connected electronic devices by detecting companion devices within an environment and determining their relative locations to an authorized user. The system actuates an alarm on the device closest to the user. If no user input is detected, the system shifts the alarm to the next closest device. This dynamic alarm management ensures user engagement by leveraging spatial arrangements of devices, thereby reducing the risk of oversleeping. The system includes various electronic devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, and Internet of Things devices, and can operate in a daisy-chain mode or simultaneously across multiple devices.
1 . A method in an electronic device, comprising:
detecting, with a communication device of the electronic device, at least one companion electronic device operating within an environment of the electronic device;
determining, with one or more processors of the electronic device, a location of both the electronic device and of the at least one companion electronic device relative to an authorized user of the electronic device situated within the environment;
causing, by the one or more processors, actuation of an alarm carried by a device closest to the authorized user within the environment selected from the device closest to the authorized user is the electronic device and the at least one companion electronic device;
detecting, by the one or more processors, whether user input in response to the actuation of the alarm is received by the electronic device or the at least one companion electronic device; and
when the one or more processors fail to detect the user input, causing actuation of another alarm carried by a next closest device to the authorized user selected from the electronic device and the at least one companion electronic device.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, when the one or more processors fail to detect the user input, causing the actuation of the alarm carried by the device closest to the authorized user simultaneously with the actuation of the another alarm carried by the next closest device to the authorized user.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one companion electronic device comprises at least a first companion electronic device and a second companion electronic device;
one of the electronic device or the first companion electronic device is the device closest to the authorized user within the environment; and
another of the electronic device or the first companion electronic device is next closest device to the authorized user within the environment.
4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
detecting, by the one or more processors, whether other user input in response to the actuation of the another alarm is received by the electronic device or the first companion electronic device in response to the actuation of the another alarm; and
when the one or more processors fail to detect the other user input, causing actuation of an additional alarm carried by the second companion electronic device.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more processors cause the alarm, the another alarm, and the additional alarm to actuate simultaneously when the one or more processors fail to detect the other user input.
6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the electronic device comprises a smartphone.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the first companion electronic device comprises a wearable electronic device.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the second companion electronic device comprises an Internet of Things (IoT) device.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors cause actuation of the another alarm carried by the next closest device to the authorized user only when a daisy-chain mode of operation has been enabled.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors cause actuation of the another alarm carried by the next closest device to the authorized user only when failing to detect the user input for at least a predefined duration.
11 . An electronic device, comprising:
a user interface;
a communication device in communication with at least one companion electronic device situated within an environment of the electronic device; and
one or more processors operable with the user interface and the communication device;
wherein in response to detection of an alarm event, the one or more processors cause one of the user interface or the at least one companion electronic device to deliver an alarm to the environment and, in response to the user interface or at least one other user interface of the at least one companion electronic device failing to receive user input causing the alarm to cease, cause another of the user interface or the at least one companion electronic device to deliver another alarm to the environment;
wherein the one or more processors select which of the user interface or the at least one companion electronic device deliver the alarm to the environment by determining which of the electronic device or the companion electronic device is closer to an authorized user situated within the environment.
12 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors determine which of the electronic device or the companion electronic device is closer to an authorized user situated within the environment using one or more of measuring Bluetooth signal strength received from the electronic device and the companion electronic device, measuring a received signal strength indicator associated with the electronic device and the companion electronic device, Wi-Fi triangulation, and or measuring time of flight radio waves.
13 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors cause the one of the user interface or the at least one companion electronic device to deliver the alarm to the environment simultaneously with the another of the user interface or the at least one companion electronic device when the another of the user interface or the at least one companion electronic device delivers the another alarm to the environment.
14 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the alarm and the another alarm are both audio alarms and the another alarm is louder than the alarm.
15 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors further select which of the user interface or the at least one companion electronic device deliver the alarm to the environment by determining which of the electronic device or the companion electronic device is louder.
16 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors further select which of the user interface or the at least one companion electronic device deliver the alarm to the environment by determining which of the electronic device or the companion electronic device is more frequently deactivated by an authorized user when delivering alarm signals to the environment.
17 . The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the one of the user interface or the at least one companion electronic device caused to deliver the alarm to the environment is less frequently deactivated when delivering alarm signals to the environment that the another of the user interface or the at least one companion electronic device caused to deliver the another alarm to the environment.
18 . A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:
determining, by one or more sensors of the electronic device, whether the electronic device or at least one companion electronic device is a closer electronic device to an authorized user of the electronic device and the companion electronic device and which of the electronic device or the at least one companion electronic device is a farther electronic device from the authorized user of the electronic device and the companion electronic device;
in response to an alarm event occurring, delivering, by the closer electronic device, an alarm to an environment of the closer electronic device;
waiting, by a user interface of the closer electronic device, for user input causing the alarm to cease; and
when the user interface fails to receive the user input within a predefined duration, delivering, by the farther electronic device, another alarm to the environment of the farther electronic device.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the delivering the another alarm to the environment is more audible than the delivering the alarm to the environment.
20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the closer electronic device comprises a wearable electronic device and the farther electronic device comprises a smartphone.