User interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9256071-B1
Application number	US-201213346352-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 9, 2012
Priority date	Jan 9, 2012
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for controlling one or more devices using a computing device, such as a wearable computing device, are disclosed. Using a sensor associated with a wearable computing device, one or more inputs are generated at the wearable computing device. As one example, the sensor can be an image capture device, and the inputs can be one or more images from a point of view of a person associated with the computing device. As another example, the sensor can be a motion sensor, and the input can be locations and/or orientations, and a gaze direction can be determined. The computing device can determine an object of interest based on the inputs. A control signal can be generated for the object of interest. The control signal can be transmitted from the computing device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
using an image capture device associated with a wearable computing device, capturing a first image from a point of view of a wearer of the wearable computing device;
using the wearable computing device, determining a device of interest based on the first image;
using the wearable computing device, generating a first control signal for the device of interest to (i) begin playback of media content, (ii) resume playback of media content, or (iii) power on;
capturing a second image from the point of view of the wearer;
determining that the device of interest is not in the second image; and
in response to determining that the device of interest is not in the second image, generating a second control signal for the device of interest to (i) pause playback of media content or (ii) power off.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the first control signal and the second control signal from the wearable computing device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first control signal comprises a signal for the device of interest to power on.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the device of interest comprises: recognizing the device of interest in the first image.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second control signal comprises a signal for the device of interest to power off.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first control signal comprises a signal for the device of interest to begin playback of media content.

7. The method of claim 1 ,
further comprising capturing a plurality of images over a period of time, wherein the plurality of images includes the second image,
wherein the second control signal is generated in response to determining that the device of interest is not in any image of the plurality of images.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
capturing a plurality of images over a period of time;
determining that the device of interest is in at least one image of the plurality of images; and
based on determining that the device of interest is in at least one image of the plurality of images, generating a third control signal for the device of interest.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the third control signal comprises a volume-control signal, an input-source-control signal, or a combination volume-and-input-source-control signal.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device of interest comprises:
a display device; and
a control device, wherein the control device is configured to receive the first and second control signals and control the display device based on receiving the first and second control signals.

11. A wearable computing device, comprising:
an image capture device;
a processor; and
memory having instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the wearable computing device to perform functions comprising:
the image capture device capturing a first image from a point of view of a wearer of the wearable computing device;
determining a device of interest based on the first image;
generating a first control signal for the device of interest to (i) begin playback of media content, (ii) resume playback of media content, or (iii) power on;
capturing a second image from the point of view of the wearer;
determining that the device of interest is not in the second image; and
in response to determining that the device of interest is not in the second image, generating a second control signal for the device of interest to (i) pause playback of media content or (ii) power off.

12. The wearable computing device of claim 11 , further comprising a command interface, wherein the functions further comprise transmitting the first control signal and the second control signal using the command interface.

13. The wearable computing device of claim 11 , wherein the first control signal comprises a signal for the device of interest to power on.

14. The wearable computing device of claim 11 , wherein determining the device of interest comprises: recognizing the device of interest in the first image.

15. The wearable computing device of claim 11 , wherein the second control signal comprises a signal for the device of interest to power off.

16. The wearable computing device of claim 11 , wherein the first control signal comprises a signal for the device of interest to begin playback of media content.

17. The wearable computing device of claim 11 ,
wherein the functions further comprise capturing a plurality of images over a period of time, wherein the plurality of images includes the second image, and
wherein the second control signal is generated in response to determining that the device of interest is not in any image of the plurality of images.

18. The wearable computing device of claim 11 , wherein the functions further comprise:
capturing a plurality of images over a period of time;
determining that the device of interest is in at least one image of the plurality of images; and
based on determining that the device of interest is in at least one image of the plurality of images, generating a third control signal for the device of interest.

19. The wearable computing device of claim 18 , wherein the third control signal comprises a volume-control signal, an input-source-control signal, or a combination volume-and-input-source-control signal.

20. The wearable computing device of claim 11 , wherein the device of interest comprises:
a display device; and
a control device, wherein the control device is configured to receive the first and second control signals and control the display device based on receiving the first and second control signals.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a wearable computing device, cause the wearable computing device to perform functions, the instructions comprising:
instructions for capturing a first image from a point of view of a wearer of the wearable computing device;
instructions for determining a device of interest based on the first image;
instructions for generating a first control signal for the device of interest to (i) begin playback of media content, (ii) resume playback of media content, or (iii) power on;
instructions for capturing a second image from the point of view of the wearer;
instructions for determining that the device of interest is not in the second image; and
instructions for, in response to determining that the device of interest is not in the second image, generating a second control signal for the device of interest to (i) pause playback of media content or (ii) power off.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 , the instructions further comprising instructions for transmitting the first control signal and the second control signal.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 , wherein the first control signal comprises a signal for the device of interest to power on.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 , wherein the instructions for determining the device of interest comprise: instructions for recognizing the device of interest in the first image.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 , wherein the second control signal comprises a signal for the device of interest to power off.

2

Assignees

• Spitzer Mark B
• Google Inc

Inventors

• Spitzer Mark B

Classifications

• H04N13/0468

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G02B2027/014

  comprising information/image processing systems · CPC title

• G02B27/0093

  with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking · CPC title

• H04N7/181

  for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources · CPC title

• G02B2027/0187

  slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye · CPC title