External user interface for head worn computing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11231817-B2
Application number	US-201414185959-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2014
Priority date	Jan 17, 2014
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to external user interfaces used in connection with head worn computers (HWC). Embodiments relate to an external user interface that has a physical form intended to be hand held. The hand held user interface may be in the form similar to that of a writing instrument, such as a pen. In embodiments, the hand held user interface includes technologies relating to writing surface tip pressure monitoring, lens configurations setting a predetermined imaging distance, user interface software mode selection, quick software application launching, and other interface technologies.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system comprising:
a device including:
a hand-held housing including a tip;
an optical device including a first lens and an image sensor;
a cover lens positioned over the first lens, wherein the cover lens is located at a distal end of the tip; and
an inertial measurement unit (IMU); and

one or more processors adapted to perform a method comprising:
detecting, via the IMU, a location of the tip with respect to a first point of a surface external to the device;
detecting, via the image sensor, an image of the surface at the first point; and
determining, based on the detected location of the tip and the detected image of the surface at the first point, an input command provided by a user;

wherein:
the cover lens is configured to maintain, during a motion of the tip, a first distance between the surface and the image sensor, and
the image sensor detects the image of the surface through the first lens and the cover lens, wherein the cover lens has a nonzero optical power.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the device further includes a force monitor adapted to monitor a force applied to the tip, and the input command is determined further based on the force.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the input command comprises changing an operating mode from a mouse mode to a wand mode.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the input command comprises changing an operating mode from a pen mode to a wand mode.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining the input command comprises comparing the detected location to one of a plurality of predetermined position thresholds.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining the input command comprises predicting that the hand-held housing is in a writing position.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining the input command comprises predicting that the hand-held housing is in a wand position.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first lens comprises a ball lens.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first distance approximately equals a focal length of the first lens.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cover lens is-a domed lens.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cover lens is spherical in shape.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a wearable head device, the wearable head device is configured to execute a software application, and the one or more processors are further adapted to present the input command as input to the software application.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image of the surface at the first point of a surface external to the device corresponds to a location of the tip on the surface.

14. A method comprising:
determining a tip of a hand-held device is positioned on a surface external to the device, wherein the device comprises:
an optical device including a first lens and an image sensor;
a cover lens positioned over the first lens, wherein the cover lens is located at a distal end of the tip; and
an inertial measurement unit (IMU);

detecting, via the IMU, a location of the tip with respect to a first point of the surface external to the device;
detecting, via the image sensor, an image of the surface at the first point, wherein the image is detected through the first lens and the cover lens, wherein the cover lens has a non-zero optical power; and
determining, based on the detected location of the tip and the detected image of the surface at the first point, an input command provided by a user.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising monitoring a force applied to the tip with a force monitor, wherein the input command is determined further based on the force.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising changing an operating mode from a mouse mode to a wand mode based on the determined input command.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising changing an operating mode from a pen mode to a wand mode based on the determined input command.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein determining the input command comprises comparing the detected location to one of a plurality of predetermined position thresholds.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein determining the input command comprises predicting that the hand-held housing is in a writing position.

20. The method of claim 14 , further comprising presenting the input command as an input to a software application executed on a wearable head device.

21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cover lens is configured to maintain in focus the image of the surface detected by the image sensor.

22. The method of claim 14 , wherein the cover lens is configured to maintain in focus the image of the surface detected by the image sensor.

Assignees

• Mentor Acquisition One Llc

Inventors

• Osterhout Ralph F
• Border John N
• Nortrup Edward H

Classifications

• G04G21/08

  Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/04883

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title