Portable device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9465415-B2
Application number	US-201214355978-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2012
Priority date	Nov 4, 2011
Publication date	Oct 11, 2016
Grant date	Oct 11, 2016

Abstract

A portable device, e.g. a laptop, includes a first part ( 110 ), e.g. a base element, and a second part ( 120 ), e.g. a lid element. The second part ( 120 ) contains an optical remote sensing system ( 300 ). The second part ( 120 ) is pivotably attached to the first part ( 110 ) via a hinge means ( 115 ), such that the portable device may be arranged in an open and a closed position respectively. The optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) is configured to track at least one distinctive feature of a user of the portable device when arranged in the open position. The first and second parts ( 110; 120 ) have a respective essentially flat inner surface ( 111; 121 ), which when the portable device is arranged in the closed position are parallel and face one another. The first part ( 110 ) further includes a recess ( 112 a ) which is arranged relative to a position of the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) such that, in the closed position, the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) is at least partly contained in the recess ( 112 a ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A portable device comprising:
a first part ( 110 ); and
a second part ( 120 ) comprising an optical remote sensing system ( 300 ),
wherein:
the second part ( 120 ) is pivotably attached to the first part ( 110 ) via a hinge means ( 115 ) such that the portable device may be arranged in an open and a closed position respectively;
the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) is configured to remotely track at least one distinctive feature of a user of the portable device when arranged in the open position;
the first and second parts ( 110 ; 120 ) have respective essentially flat inner surfaces ( 111 ; 121 ), which when the portable device is arranged in the closed position are parallel and face one another;
the first part ( 110 ) comprises a recess ( 112 a ; 112 b ), which is arranged relative to a position of the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) such that, in the closed position, the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) is at least partly contained in the recess ( 112 a ; 112 b );
the second essentially flat surface ( 121 ) of the second part ( 120 ) includes a display unit ( 122 ) configured to present information to the user; and
the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) is arranged such that a view angle (a) thereof has a fixed spatial relation to the display unit ( 122 ) irrespective of an orientation of the second part ( 120 ) relative to the first part ( 110 ).

2. The portable device according to claim 1 , wherein the recess ( 112 a ) is co-located with a first piece of the hinge means ( 115 ) and the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) is disposed in a projection ( 125 a ) of the second part ( 120 ) where a second piece of the hinge means ( 115 ) is located, the first and second pieces defining a pivot axis of the hinge means ( 115 ) via which the first and second parts ( 110 ; 120 ) of the portable device are interconnected.

3. The portable device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first and second parts ( 110 ; 120 ) of the portable device are interconnected via the hinge means ( 115 ) along a proximal side of the second part ( 120 ); and
the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) is disposed in a projection ( 125 b ) extending along a distal side of the second part ( 120 ), the distal side being opposite to the proximal side.

4. The portable device according to claim 1 , wherein the first essentially flat surface ( 111 ) of the first part ( 110 ) includes a keyboard configured to receive input commands from the user.

5. The portable device according to claim 1 , wherein the first part ( 110 ) is a base element and the second part ( 120 ) is a lid element, and during operation, the base element ( 110 ) is configured to be placed on an essentially flat supporting surface while the lid element ( 120 ) is positioned so that its essentially flat inner surface ( 121 ) is visible to the user.

6. The portable device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) comprises an image registering unit configured to register image data representing the user.

7. The portable device according to claim 6 , wherein the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) comprises at least one illuminator configured to illuminate the user with structured light, which when registered by the image registering unit, creates resulting data adapted for generating a depth map of the user.

8. The portable device according to claim 6 , wherein the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) comprises at least one illuminator configured to produce near-infrared light.

9. The portable device according to claim 6 , wherein the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) comprises at least one illuminator configured to produce a light beam whose direction is controllable to track a varying position of the user.

10. The portable device according to claim 6 , wherein the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) comprises at least one illuminator which is based on LED technology.

11. The portable device according to claim 6 , wherein the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) comprises at least one illuminator which is configured to produce coherent light.

12. The portable device according to claim 1 , wherein the portable device is at least one electronic device selected from a group consisting of: a laptop, a note book, an ultrabook, a tablet with a keyboard, a personal digital assistant, and a smartphone.

13. The portable device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical remote sensing system ( 300 ) comprises an eye tracker configured to at least one of repeatedly determine a position of at least one eye of the user or repeatedly determine a point of regard of the user relative to the portable device.

Assignees

• Tobii Tech Ab
• Tobii Ab

Inventors

• Skogoe Maerten
• Elvesjoe John
• Lundkvist Jan-Erik

Classifications

• G06F1/1681 Primary

  Details related solely to hinges (hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683) · CPC title

• G06F3/017 Primary

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06F3/011

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06F1/1686

  the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera · CPC title

• G06F1/1684 Primary

  Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675 · CPC title