Earlier this month Patently Mobile discovered six Google patent at the European Patent Office that covered possible future features for the Pixel tablet and hearables.

In Google's first patent background they note that a tablet device could be designed to operate in a mode in which the tablet could be supported by and receive power from a docking station and operate in a mode in which the tablet is detached from the docking station and portably supported by to use. Some tablets switch between modes based on proximity sensing. However, the power requirements of the proximity sensing mechanisms included in these tablets are often unsustainable.

Google further notes that a tablet could detect that a user is approaching it and switch from a sleeping mode to a waking mode. Such a tablet typically includes one or more proximity sensing mechanisms for detecting a user's proximity to the tablet. Proximity sensing mechanisms incorporated in these tablets often detect the user's proximity based on light or sound signals emitted from the electronic device and reflected from the user.

Typically, these proximity sensing mechanisms include their own circuitry for emitting and receiving signals and performing subsequent processing on the signals. As a result, these proximity sensing mechanisms often consume a lot of power and are costly, which in turn increases power consumption and costs of the tablets they are incorporated in. Additionally, these proximity sensing mechanisms often consume valuable internal space of the electronic devices they are incorporated in.

Pixel Tablet and Method for Activity Detection

Google's patent covers Features for overcoming these challenges by providing an electronic device that can selectively activate and/or deactivate detectors based on an operating mode of the electronic device and selectively change an operating mode of the electronic device based on detected activity of an object or subject in an environment surrounding the electronic device.

The tablet could include detectors for receiving signals reflected from a person performing an activity in an environment surrounding the tablet. A first detector can receive ultrasonic signals. A second detector can receive radar signals, and a third detector can receive static charge signals.

The tablet could operate in different operating modes. In a first operating mode such as a docked mode, the tablet could detect activity performed by the person based on the first detector and/or second detector, and, in a second operating mode such as a tablet mode, the tablet could detect activity performed by the person based on the third detector.

The third detector could consume less power than the first and second detectors. The detectors could share components and/or circuitry with other components of the electronic device. For example, the first detector could share components and/or circuitry with an audio system of the electronic device and the third detector can share components and/or circuitry with an orientation system of the electronic device.

Activity can be detected and classified using a trained machine-learning model (AI) and the electronic device can change operating modes and update a display screen based on the detected and classified activity.

For example, as shown in FIG 1 below, an electronic device (#120 Pixel Tablet) can be operating in a docked mode in which the tablet is supported by and receiving power from a docking station #150. While in the docked mode, the tablet can display on its display screen a first type of content such as daily weather content. A person (#110) can approach tablet that could detect and classify the user's activity such as walking. In response, the tablet could then update the content displayed on its display screen to a second type of content.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the tablet updates the daily weather content displayed on its screen to weekly weather content after sensing the presence of a person approaching the display.

Google's patent FIG. 3 is an illustration of tablet that could be implemented in various configurations in order to provide various functionality to a user. For example, the tablet could be implemented as an assistant device (e.g., Google® Nest® Hub; Google® Nest® Hub Max); a home automation controller (e.g., controller for an alarm system, thermostat, lighting system, door lock, motorized doors, etc.); a gaming device (e.g., a gaming system, gaming controller, data glove, etc.); a communication device (e.g., a smart phone such as a Google® Pixel® Phone, cellular phone, mobile phone, wireless phone, portable phone, radio telephone, etc.); and/or other computing device (e.g., a tablet computer, phablet computer, notebook computer, laptop computer, etc.).

As shown in patent FIG. 4, a person (#110) could store a  charge #470 (e.g., a positive charge and/or a negative charge) and form a capacitor having a capacitance C s #410 with the antenna #420.

The static charge sensor could also include signal processing circuitry that is configured to amplify the received charge, convert the amplified charge into a digital charge signal, filter noise from the digital charge signal, and store the filtered charge signal in a storage device such as the one or more storage devices #320 of the tablet.

In some implementations, the signal processing circuitry can be configured to measure a distance or range to the object or subject from the tablet based on the received charge.

For example, the signal processing circuitry can be configured to measure the distance based on an amplitude of the received charge. In some implementations, the signal processing circuitry can be configured to detect a person that is moving.

In other implementations, the signal processing circuitry could be configured to detect gestures performed by a person.

In some implementations, as shown in patent FIG. 4 below, the signal processing circuitry could be circuitry #430 included in a component of the tablet. For example, the signal processing circuitry could be signal processing circuitry included in an inertial measurement unit of the orientation system #332 of the tablet.

In some implementations, the activity module #316 (FIG. 3) above could be configured to determine which signal to retrieve based on the operating mode of the tablet. For example, if the tablet is operating in the docked mode, the activity module #316 could be configured to retrieve a signal from the ultrasonic sensor, the radar sensor, or the static charge sensor.

In another example, if the tablet is operating in the tablet mode, the activity module could be configured to retrieve a signal from the static charge sensor.

For full details, review Google's European patent application WO2024191446.

Five Additional Google Patents Published in Europe in Mid-September:  

• 01: Gesture-Based Control using Active Acoustic Sensing
• 02: System and Methods for a Spatially Aware Ambient Mobile Transaction Protocol
• 03: Interdependent Human Behavior Detection and/or Classification using Active Acoustic Sensing
• 04: Detecting and/or Classifying Human Behavior using Active Acoustic Sensing
• 05: Detecting Heart Rate Variability using a Hearable