External user interface for head worn computing

• US 10,139,966 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2015
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mentor Acquisition One, LLC (Magic Leap, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Osterhout Design Group
• Inventors: Pelis, Nicholas Benjamin, O'Hara, Sean Tomas Mostajo, Lohse, Robert Michael, Heisey, Andrew Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Hong
• Application Number:
  US14/806,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20170024035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0331 Finger worn pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to user interface control of a head-worn computer.

Claims

1. A finger mounted user interface device, comprising:

a. a housing adapted to be mounted on a finger of a user;

b. a user interactive control element mounted within the housing and accessible by the user when the finger mounted user interface device is worn by the user;

c. a proximity sensor positioned to sense a presence of a thumb or a finger of the user in proximity of the user interactive control element, wherein the proximity is indicative that the user is interacting with the user interactive control element; and

d. a processor adapted to alter a control schema of the finger mounted user interface device based on the proximity of the thumb or the finger, wherein the processor alters the control schema by not responding to data indicative of the housing moving when the thumb or the finger is proximate to the user interactive control element as sensed by the proximity sensor.

2. The finger mounted user interface device of claim 1, wherein the user interactive control element is a button.

3. The finger mounted user interface device of claim 1, wherein the user interactive control element is a track pad.

4. The finger mounted user interface device of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensor is a capacitive proximity sensor.

5. The finger mounted user interface device of claim 4, wherein the capacitive proximity sensor forms at least a portion of a ring around the user interactive control element.

6. The finger mounted user interface device of claim 1, wherein the data is generated by an inertial measurement unit in the housing.

7. The finger mounted user interface device of claim 1, wherein the data is generated by a gyroscope in the housing.

8. The finger mounted user interface device of claim 1, further comprising a motion sensor generating data indicative of the housing moving for control of a cursor position, wherein the user interactive control element is a physical touch control button mounted within the housing for selection of the cursor position.

9. The finger mounted user interface device of claim 8, wherein when the proximity sensor senses the presence of the thumb or the finger of the user, the processor stops responding to the data from the motion sensor which stops any further movement of the cursor position, wherein a subsequent physical touch of the user interactive control element selects the cursor position.