Virtual reality viewer and input mechanism

• US 10,528,199 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DDC Technology, LLC
• Original Assignee: DDC Technology, LLC
• Inventors: Buckley, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Pervan, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/726,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20180129321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7- 9, 359464, 359466, 359804
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/021 for more than one lens
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads

Abstract

The present invention concerns virtual reality viewers for use with touchscreen enabled mobile devices. The virtual reality viewer comprises: a housing configured to receive a mobile electronic device within an interior of the housing; and an input mechanism that is accessible from an exterior of the housing and that is moveable within the interior between a first position and an extended position, wherein a surface of the input mechanism is configured to contact the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device when in the extended position. The disclosed systems and methods facilitate receiving user inputs on the exterior of the housing and providing the user inputs to the touchscreen within the housing using the electro-mechanical input mechanism. Accordingly, the viewer can be used with a variety of smartphones without requiring magnetic switches or a wireless/cable connection between the input device and the smartphone.

Claims

1. A virtual reality viewer for use with a mobile electronic device having a touchscreen, the viewer comprising:

a first lens and a second lens, wherein the first lens is facing the same direction as the second lens, and wherein the first lens and the second lens are spaced apart in a horizontal direction;

a frame having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side configured to hold the first lens and the second lens, the second side configured to receive the mobile electronic device, wherein the frame is configured to hold the mobile electronic device such that the mobile electronic device is generally centered in a horizontal direction and directly in a user'"'"'s field of view when looking through the first side of the frame; and

a touchscreen input constructed of material and having a surface such that only a portion of the surface of the touchscreen input is configured to contact a central region of the touchscreen of the mobile electronic device when the touchscreen input is activated.

2. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, further comprising a user input that is accessible from an exterior of the frame and is coupled to the touchscreen input.

3. The virtual reality viewer of claim 2, further comprising a lead that couples the touchscreen input to the user input, wherein a portion of the lead runs through a portion of the enclosure.

4. The virtual reality viewer of claim 2, wherein the user input is a metal or conductive polymer.

5. The virtual reality viewer of claim 2 wherein said user input is a tactile user input.

6. The virtual reality viewer of claim 2 wherein said tactile input is a depressible button.

7. The virtual reality viewer of claim 2, further comprising a lead that electrically couples the touchscreen input to a capacitive or electrical charge reservoir.

8. The virtual reality viewer of claim 7, where the capacitive or electrical charge reservoir is the human body.

9. The virtual reality viewer of claim 7, where the capacitive or electrical charge reservoir is metal.

10. The virtual reality viewer of claim 7, where the capacitive or electrical charge reservoir is a battery.

11. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, further comprising a second touchscreen input constructed of material such that the touchscreen input may be capacitively coupled with the touchscreen, wherein the second touchscreen input is generally centered between the first lens and the second lens in the horizontal direction and in physical contact with the touchscreen upon receipt of the mobile electronic device.

12. The virtual reality viewer of claim 11, wherein the material is at least one of the following:

a conductive foam or polymer, conductive rubber, metalized plastic, wire mesh fabric, metallic fabric with foam, a carbon based ink, a conductive ink.

13. The virtual reality viewer of claim 11, wherein the user input is a metal or conductive polymer.

14. The virtual reality viewer of claim 11, further comprising a lead that couples the touchscreen input to the user input, wherein a portion of the lead runs through a portion of the enclosure.

15. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen input is offset upwards in a vertical direction and a second touchscreen input is offset downwards in the vertical direction.

16. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen input is offset in the vertical direction.

17. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein the first lens and the second lens are configured to facilitate a three-dimensional viewing experience.

18. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen input is generally centered between the first lens and the second lens in the horizontal direction.

19. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein the frame surrounds the lenses and touchscreen device on at least two sides and has a cut-out, wherein at least a portion of the user input is accessible through the cut-out.

20. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein the material is at least one of the following:

a conductive foam or polymer, conductive rubber, metalized plastic, wire mesh fabric, metallic fabric with foam, a carbon based ink, a conductive ink, a material capable of carrying a surface charge that activates a capacitive touchscreen, a material capable of activating a capacitive touchscreen.

21. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, further comprising at least one user input, that user input being coupled to the touchscreen input and configured to receive interactions from a user.

22. The virtual reality viewer of claim 21 wherein the user input is configured to sense, detect, or receive the user interactions and to transmit, transfer, or relay the user interactions to the touchscreen via the touchscreen input.

23. The virtual reality viewer of claim 21, the user input being mechanically coupled to the touchscreen input.

24. The virtual reality viewer of claim 21, the user input being electrically coupled to the touchscreen input.

25. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, further comprising a user input that is accessible from an exterior of the enclosure and is coupled to the touchscreen input via one or more intermediate coupling devices.

26. The virtual reality viewer of claim 25, wherein a touch by a user of the user input is transmitted, transferred, or relayed via at least one of the intermediate coupling devices and the touchscreen input to contact a portion of the touchscreen so as to change one or more electrical properties of the portion of the touchscreen that is in contact with the touchscreen input.

27. The virtual reality viewer of claim 25, wherein the one or more intermediate coupling devices includes at least one of the following:

a spring-loaded rod and wedge mechanism, one or more levers, a flexure joint, and a soft rubber membrane covering the user input.

28. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of user inputs, the user inputs corresponding to the touchscreen inputs and a plurality of additional touchscreen inputs.

29. The virtual reality viewer of claim 28, wherein pushing two or more of the user inputs at the same time is interpreted as grabbing a virtual item displayed on the touchscreen.

30. A virtual reality viewer for use with a mobile electronic device having a touchscreen, the viewer comprising:

a first lens and a second lens, wherein the first lens is facing the same direction as the second lens, and wherein the first lens and the second lens are spaced apart in a horizontal direction;

a frame having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side configured to hold the first lens and the second lens, the second side configured to receive the mobile electronic device, wherein the frame is configured to hold the mobile electronic device such that the mobile electronic device is generally centered in a horizontal direction and directly in a user'"'"'s field of view when looking through the first side of the frame;

a user input that is accessible from an exterior of the enclosure and has a first position and a second position; and

a touchscreen input that is coupled to the user input and generally centered between the first lens and the second lens in the horizontal direction, wherein the touchscreen has a surface such that only a portion of the surface of the touchscreen input is configured to contact a central region of the touchscreen when the user input is in the second position.

31. The virtual reality viewer of claim 30, further comprising:

a second user input that is accessible from an exterior of the enclosure and has a first position and a second position; and

a second touchscreen input that is coupled to the second user input, wherein, upon receipt of the mobile electronic device, the second touchscreen input is capacitively coupled with the touchscreen when the second user input is in the second position.

32. The virtual reality viewer of claim 31, wherein the touchscreen input is offset upwards in a vertical direction and the second touchscreen input is offset downwards in the vertical direction.

33. The virtual reality viewer of claim 30, wherein the touchscreen input is offset in a vertical direction.

34. The virtual reality viewer of claim 30, wherein the frame surrounds the lenses and touchscreen device on at least two sides, and has a cut-out, and wherein at least a portion of the user input is accessible through the cut-out.

35. The virtual reality viewer of claim 30, wherein the touchscreen input is constructed of a material capable of carrying a surface charge that activates a capacitive touchscreen, or a material capable of activating a capacitive touchscreen.

36. The virtual reality viewer of claim 30, further comprising a lead that couples the touchscreen input to the user input, wherein a portion of the lead runs through a portion of the frame.

37. The virtual reality viewer of claim 30, wherein the touchscreen detects the change of location of the touchscreen input, or the change of one or more electrical properties of the touchscreen input when the touchscreen input is activated or in contact with the touchscreen.

38. The virtual reality viewer of claim 30, wherein said user input is a tactile user input.

39. The virtual reality viewer of claim 38, wherein said tactile input is a depressible button.

40. The virtual reality viewer of claim 30, wherein the user input is configured to sense, detect, or receive the user interactions and to transmit, transfer, or relay the user interactions to the touchscreen via the touchscreen input.