Sensor device with a selectively activatable display
A user-wearable sensor device may be configured to be directly or indirectly secured to a user or to an article worn by the user. The user-wearable sensor device may include at least one sensor configured to collect sensor data associated with an orientation of the user, a display unit including at least one LED or other visual indicator, a battery configured to provide power to at least the display unit, and a control system. The control system may be configured to determine the orientation of the user based on sensor data collected by the at least one sensor, maintain the display unit in a deactivated state in the absence of a defined activation input, detect a defined activation input, activate the deactivated display unit in response to detecting the defined activation input, and control the activated display unit based on the determined orientation of the user.
1. A user-wearable sensor device configured to be directly or indirectly secured to a user or to an article worn by the user, the user-wearable sensor device comprising:
a sensor device housing;
at least one sensor;
a display unit including a plurality of display elements;
a battery configured to provide power to at least the display unit; and
a control system comprising at least one processor configured to:
in a low-power mode of the senor device, identify least one manual interaction with the sensor device based on first sensor signals generated by the at least one sensor, wherein the display unit is inactive with the plurality of display elements turned off in the low-power mode;
monitor for a defined activation input based on the identified at least one manual interaction with the sensor device;
automatically awaken the sensor device in response to detecting the defined activation input, wherein awakening the sensor device activates the display unit to visually indicate a pressurization at one or more body regions by selectively illuminating the plurality of display elements;
automatically switch the sensor device to the low-power mode upon reaching a defined time-out period;
automatically monitor an orientation of the user over time based on second sensor signals generated by the at least one sensor;
automatically determine a needed turn condition based on the monitored orientation of the user over time;
in response to the automatic determination of the needed turn condition, automatically awaken the sensor device from the low-power mode in which the plurality of display elements are turned off to visually indicate the needed turn condition by selectively illuminating the plurality of display elements;
automatically identify a user turn based on the monitored orientation of the user over time; and
automatically switch the sensor device to the low-power mode in which the plurality of display elements are turned off, in response to the automatic identification of the user turn.
2. The user-wearable sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor configured to monitor for the defined activation input based on the identified at least one manual interaction with the sensor device comprises the at least one processor configured to monitor for a specified sequence of multiple physical taps of the sensor device housing in a series of multiple different specified directions.
3. The user-wearable sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one accelerometer.
4. The user-wearable sensor device of claim 3 , Wherein the plurality of display elements includes at least one LED or an LCD display.
5. The user-wearable sensor device of claim 1 , wherein:
the sensor device housing includes multiple sides; and
the at least one processor configured to monitor for the defined activation input based on the identified at least one manual interaction with the sensor device comprises the at least one processor configured to monitor for a specified sequence of multiple physical taps on at least two different sides of the multiple sides of the sensor device housing.
6. The user wearable sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to both:
(a) automatically identify the user turn based on the monitored orientation of the user over time; and
(b) automatically switch the sensor device to the low-power mode in response to the automatic identification of the user turn,
without manual interaction with the sensor device.
7. A method of operating a user-wearable sensor device configured to be directly or indirectly secured to a user or to an article worn by the user, the sensor device including at least one sensor and a display unit including a plurality of display elements, the method comprising:
in a low-power mode of the sensor device, detecting a defined activation input based on a manual interaction with the user wearable sensor device, wherein the disiplay unit is inactive with the plurality of display elements turned off in the low-power mode;
awakening the sensor device in response to detecting the defined activation input, wherein awakening the sensor device activates the display unit to visually indicate a pressurization at one or more body regions by selectively illuminating the plurality of display elements;
automatically monitoring an orientation of the user over time based on second sensor signals generated by the at least one sensor of the user-wearable sensor device;
automatically determining a needed turn condition based on the monitored orientation of the user over time; and
in response to the automatic determination of the needed turn condition, automatically awakening the sensor device from the low-power mode in which the plurality of display elements are turned off to visually indicate the needed turn condition by selectively illuminating the plurality of display elements;
automatically identifying a user turn based on the monitored orientation of the user over time; and
automatically switching the sensor device to the low-power mode in which the plurality of display elements are turned off, in response to the automatic identification of the user turn.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein detecting the defined activation input based on the manual interaction with the user-wearable sensor device comprises detecting a specified sequence of multiple physical taps on a housing the sensor device.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one sensor of the user-wearable sensor device comprises at least one accelerometer.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of display elements includes at least one LED or an LCD display.
11. The method of claim 7 , wherein:
the sensor device has a sensor device housing including multiple sides; and
detecting the defined activation input based on the manual interaction with the user-wearable sensor device comprises detecting a specified sequence of multiple physical taps on at least two different sides of the multiple sides of the sensor device housing.
12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the steps of:
(a) automatically identifying the user turn based on the monitored orientation of the user over time; and
(b) automatically switching the sensor device to the low-power mode in response to the automatic identification of the user turn,
are each performed without manual interaction with the sensor device.