Head-mounted display apparatus for retaining a portable electronic device with display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9646574-B2
Application number	US-201615274901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2008
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

Head-mounted display systems and methods of operation that allow users to couple and decouple a portable electronic device such as a handheld portable electronic device with a separate head-mounted device (e.g., temporarily integrates the separate devices into a single unit) are disclosed. The portable electronic may be physically coupled to the head-mounted device such that the portable electronic device can be worn on the user's head. The portable electronic device may be operatively coupled to the head-mounted device such that the portable electronic device and head mounted device can communicate and operate with one another. Each device may be allowed to extend its features and/or services to the other device for the purpose of enhancing, increasing and/or eliminating redundant functions between the head-mounted device and the portable electronic device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head-mounted apparatus comprising:
a frame;
a display supported by the frame;
a camera configured to capture an image;
a sensor that is configured to detect a stimulus;
lenses adjacent to the display through which the display is viewable; and
a processor configured to operate in a first mode in which image based content is displayed on the display without displaying the captured image and in a second mode in which the captured image is displayed on at least a portion of the display, wherein the processor is configured to operate in the second mode in response to detection of the stimulus by the sensor.

2. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to overlay the captured image over a portion of the image based content in the second mode.

3. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
communications circuitry that receives the image based content from an electronic device.

4. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 3 , wherein the communications circuitry is wireless communications circuitry that wirelessly receives the image based content from the electronic device.

5. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 1 , wherein the stimulus is a sound and wherein the sensor is a microphone configured to detect the sound.

6. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 1 , wherein the stimulus is a voice command and wherein the sensor is a microphone configured to detect the voice command.

7. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to operate in the second mode in response to determining that the voice command is a voice command of a person on a contact list.

8. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 1 , further comprising:
a speaker that is configured to provide audio at a volume that is lowered in response to the stimulus.

9. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 1 , wherein the display is configured to display a visual cue in response to detection of the stimulus by the sensor and wherein the visual cue is associated with a direction of the stimulus.

10. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 1 , further comprising a haptic device that produces vibrations corresponding to the image based content.

11. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a proximity sensor and wherein the stimulus is associated with detection of an object by the proximity sensor.

12. A head-mounted apparatus configured to be worn by a user, the head-mounted apparatus comprising:
a frame;
a display supported by the frame;
a camera configured to capture an image;
a sensor that is configured to detect a stimulus;
lenses adjacent to the display through which the display is viewable; and
a processor configured to operate in a first mode in which image based content is displayed on the display without displaying the captured image and in a second mode in which the captured image is displayed on at least a portion of the display, wherein the processor is configured to operate in the second mode in response to detection of the stimulus by the sensor, wherein the sensor is a proximity sensor, and wherein the stimulus is associated with detection of an object around the user by the proximity sensor.

13. A head-mounted apparatus comprising:
a frame;
a display supported by the frame, wherein the display is configured to present a left image frame and a right image frame;
lenses adjacent to the display through which the display is viewable; and
an optical sensor that is configured to gather eye location information, wherein the display is configured to adjust a position of the left image frame on the display and a position of the right image frame on the display based on the eye location information to accommodate an interpupillary distance.

14. A head-mounted apparatus comprising:
a support structure;
a display supported by the support structure;
a camera configured to capture an image;
a sensor that is configured to detect a stimulus;
lenses adjacent to the display through which the display is viewable; and
a processor configured to operate in a first mode in which image based content is displayed on the display without displaying the captured image and in a second mode in which the captured image is displayed on at least a portion of the display, wherein the processor is configured to operate in the second mode in response to detection of the stimulus by the sensor.

15. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to overlay the captured image over a portion of the image based content in the second mode.

16. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 14 , further comprising:
communications circuitry that receives the image based content from an electronic device.

17. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 16 , wherein the communications circuitry is wireless communications circuitry that wirelessly receives the image based content from the electronic device.

18. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 14 , wherein the stimulus is a sound and wherein the sensor is a microphone configured to detect the sound.

19. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 14 , wherein the stimulus is a voice command and wherein the sensor is a microphone configured to detect the voice command.

20. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 19 , wherein the processor is configured to operate in the second mode in response to determining that the voice command is a voice command of a person on a contact list.

21. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 14 , further comprising:
a speaker that is configured to provide audio at a volume that is lowered in response to the stimulus.

22. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 14 , wherein the display is configured to display a visual cue in response to detection of the stimulus by the sensor and wherein the visual cue is associated with a direction of the stimulus.

23. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 14 , further comprising a haptic device that produces vibrations corresponding to the image based content.

24. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 14 , wherein the sensor is a proximity sensor and wherein the stimulus is associated with detection of an object by the proximity sensor.

25. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 14 , wherein the support structure has a goggles form factor.

26. The head-mounted apparatus defined in claim 14 , wherein the support structure has a glasses form factor.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hoellwarth Quin C

Classifications

• G06F1/1632

  External expansion units, e.g. docking stations · CPC title

• G06F1/206

  comprising thermal management · CPC title

• G06F1/203

  for portable computers, e.g. for laptops · CPC title

• G06F1/20

  Cooling means · CPC title

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title