External user interface for head worn computing

• US 10,698,212 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2017
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mentor Acquisition One, LLC (Magic Leap, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mentor Acquisition One, LLC (Magic Leap, Inc.)
• Inventors: Osterhout, Ralph F., Lohse, Robert Michael, Sanchez, Manuel Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vu
• Application Number:
  US15/785,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20180292648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to external user interfaces used in connection with head worn computers (HWC).

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a wearable head device including a see-through display; and

a device in communication with the wearable head device, the device including a mechanical attachment system adapted to secure the device to a steering wheel of a vehicle at a position on the steering wheel;

wherein the see-through display is configured to present a view of a virtual control element in a field-of-view of the see-through display of the wearable head device, and

wherein presenting the view of the virtual control element comprises presenting, while the device is secured to the steering wheel, the virtual control element at a fixed position in the field-of-view relative to the device and further in a fixed position in the field-of-view relative to the position on the steering wheel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the view of the virtual control element overlaps the device in the field-of-view.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more processors configured to, in response to receiving an input from the device, clear the view of the virtual control element.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a camera and one or more processors configured to:

receive a signal corresponding to a detection of a touch input via a surface of the device;

in response to receiving the signal, capture, via the camera, an image of the surface of the device; and

generate a control command based on the image.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the device comprises at least one button and the virtual control element comprises at least one virtual button label corresponding to the at least one button of the device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the device comprises at least one touch sensitive region and the virtual control element comprises at least one virtual button positioned over the at least one touch sensitive region.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual control element comprises at least one programmable virtual button.