Context-based smartphone sensor logic

摘要

Methods employ sensors in portable devices (e.g., smartphones) both to sense content information (e.g., audio and imagery) and context information. Device processing is desirably dependent on both. For example, some embodiments activate certain processor intensive operations (e.g., content recognition) based on classification of sensed content and context. The context can control the location where information produced from such operations is stored, or control an alert signal indicating, e.g., that sensed speech is being transcribed. Some arrangements post sensor data collected by one device to a cloud repository, for access and processing by other devices. Multiple devices can collaborate in collecting and processing data, to exploit advantages each may have (e.g., in location, processing ability, social network resources, etc.). A great many other features and arrangements are also detailed.

主权项

1. A portable user device including an image or sound sensor, a processor, and a memory, the memory containing software instructions causing the device to perform a method that includes:
applying a first classification procedure to information received by said image or sound sensor, to identify a type of said received image or sound information from among plural possible types; applying a second classification procedure to received second information, to identify a scenario, from among plural possible scenarios, the identified scenario comprising the confluence of at least three circumstances, the received second information being different than said received image or sound information; and activating one or more of plural recognition modules based on outputs from the first and second classification procedures, and not activating one or more other of said plural recognition modules; wherein the identified scenario comprises the confluence of at least three circumstances selected from the list consisting of: information from a first camera of said portable user device, information from a second camera of said portable user device, social networking information, and information about a person in proximity to the user.