Finger devices with adjustable housing structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11709554-B1
Application number	US-202117465579-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 2, 2021
Priority date	Sep 14, 2020
Publication date	Jul 25, 2023
Grant date	Jul 25, 2023

Abstract

A finger device may be worn on a user's finger and may serve as a controller for a head-mounted device or other electronic device. The finger device may have a housing having an upper housing portion that extends across a top of the finger and first and second side housing portions that extend down respective first and second sides of the finger. Sensors in the side housing portions may measure movements of the sides of the finger as the finger contacts an external surface. To ensure that the sensors are appropriately positioned relative to the sides of the finger, the housing may include one or more adjustable structures such as an elastomeric band, a drawstring, a ratchet mechanism, a scissor mechanism, and/or other adjustable structures for adjusting the position of the first and second side housing portions and associated sensors relative to the upper housing portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A finger device configured to be worn on a finger to control an electronic device with a display, the finger device comprising:
an upper housing portion configured to extend across a top of the finger;
first and second side housing portions configured to extend down respective first and second opposing sides of the finger;
a sensor in the first side housing portion; and
an adjustable structure that adjusts a position of the first and second side housing portions relative to the upper housing portion, wherein the adjustable structure is configured to move the first side housing portion along a first linear axis and the second side housing portion along a second linear axis.

2. The finger device defined in claim 1 wherein the adjustable structure comprises an elastomeric band coupled between the first and second side housing portions.

3. The finger device defined in claim 2 further comprising a spring-loaded hinge in the first side housing portion.

4. The finger device defined in claim 1 wherein the adjustable structure comprises a drawstring coupled between the first and second side housing portions.

5. The finger device defined in claim 1 wherein the adjustable structure comprises a scissor mechanism.

6. The finger device defined in claim 5 wherein the scissor mechanism is one of first and second scissor mechanisms, wherein the first scissor mechanism adjusts a position of the first side housing portion relative to the upper housing portion and the second scissor mechanism adjusts a position of the second side housing portion relative to the upper housing portion.

7. The finger device defined in claim 1 further comprising a hinge that allows the first and second side housing portions to rotate about a rotational axis.

8. The finger device defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor is configured to detect movements of the first side of the finger as the finger contacts an external surface.

9. A finger device configured to be worn on a finger to control an electronic device with a display, the finger device comprising:
an upper housing portion configured to extend across a top of the finger;
first and second side housing portions configured to extend down respective first and second opposing sides of the finger;
a sensor in the first side housing portion; and
an adjustable structure that adjusts a position of the first and second side housing portions relative to the upper housing portion, wherein the adjustable structure comprises a ratchet mechanism.

10. The finger device defined in claim 9 wherein the ratchet mechanism is one of first and second ratchet mechanisms, wherein the first ratchet mechanism adjusts a position of the first side housing portion relative to the upper housing portion and the second ratchet mechanism adjusts a position of the second side housing portion relative to the upper housing portion.

11. A finger device configured to be worn on a finger to gather finger input, the finger device comprising:
a U-shaped housing that extends over a top of the finger and that leaves a finger pad of the finger exposed, the U-shaped housing comprising an upper portion coupled between first and second side portions;
a hinge that allows the first side portion to rotate relative to the second side portion;
an adjustable structure that allows the first and second side portions to translate linearly relative to the upper portion; and
a sensor in the first side portion.

12. The finger device defined in claim 11 wherein the adjustable structure is selected from the group consisting of: elastomeric material, a drawstring, a ratchet mechanism, and a scissor mechanism.

13. The finger device defined in claim 11 wherein the sensor is configured to detect movements of a first side of the finger as the finger pad contacts an external surface.

14. The finger device defined in claim 13 wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of: a force sensor and a displacement sensor.

15. The finger device defined in claim 11 wherein the hinge is selected from the group consisting of: a friction hinge, a spring-loaded hinge, and a freely-rotating hinge joint.

16. A finger device configured to be worn on a fingertip without covering a finger pad of the fingertip, comprising:
an upper housing portion configured to extend across a top of the fingertip;
first and second side housing portions configured to extend down respective first and second sides of the fingertip;
a sensor in the first side housing portion that measures movements of the first side of the fingertip as the finger pad contacts an external surface; and
an adjustable structure configured to adjust a position of the sensor relative to the first side of the fingertip by moving the first side housing portion along a linear axis.

17. The finger device defined in claim 16 wherein the adjustable structure comprises a silicone band that extends across the upper housing portion and that has first and second opposing ends respectively coupled to the first and second side housing portions.

18. The finger device defined in claim 16 wherein the adjustable structure comprises a drawstring.

19. The finger device defined in claim 16 wherein the adjustable structure comprises a ratchet mechanism.

20. The finger device defined in claim 16 wherein the adjustable structure comprises a scissor mechanism.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Bosch Erin M
• Dey Stephen E
• Griffis Jeffrey A
• Lehmann Alex J
• Pan Yuhao
• Wang Paul X

Classifications

• G06F3/033 Primary

  Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user {, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks}; Accessories therefor (digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041) · CPC title

• G06F2203/0331

  Finger worn pointing device · CPC title

• G06F3/014 Primary

  Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves · CPC title