Eyewear device mode indication

• US 10,708,488 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2017
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Inventors: Hanover, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US15/717,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20180091729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 345158, 348 81, 348158, 348294, 705 21
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/04 Illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/48 adapted for combination with other photographic or optical apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/56 Accessories carrying-cases A45C11/38
• 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: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes

Abstract

An electronics-enabled eyewear device includes a mode indicator comprising a series of light emitters arranged on a forward-facing surface of the eyewear device, for example being provided by a ring of LEDs arranged peripherally about a camera lens opening in a front surface of an eyewear frame. The mode indicator automatically displays different visual indications corresponding to different modes of operation or states of the eyewear device. One visual indication provides an animated pattern of circulating LEDs during video capture by the eyewear device.

Claims

1. An eyewear device comprising:

an eyewear frame;

a camera incorporated in the eyewear frame;

a mode indicator comprising a series of light emitters mounted on an outwardly-directed surface of the eyewear frame; and

a controller incorporated in the eyewear frame in communication with the mode indicator, the controller being configured to;

detect activation of a video capture mode of the camera; and

during operation of the camera in the video capture mode, cause display by the mode indicator of a visual indication corresponding to the video capture mode of the camera, the visual indication comprising an animation pattern performed by the series of light emitters.

2. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein the mode indicator is located on a forward-facing side of the eyewear frame, the mode indicator being directed away from a user when the eyewear device is worn by the user.

3. The eyewear device of claim 2, wherein the series of light emitters of the mode indicator are arranged in a ring-shaped configuration.

4. The eyewear device of claim 3, wherein the series of light emitters are arranged peripherally about a camera lens opening defined by the eyewear frame.

5. The eyewear device of claim 3, wherein the series of light emitters are arranged peripherally around a camera analog formation defined by the eyewear frame.

6. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitters of the mode indicator comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs).

7. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein the series of light emitters are arranged in a ring-shaped configuration, the animation pattern comprising circulating illumination of the light emitters in series.

8. The eyewear device of claim 7, wherein a speed of the circulating animation pattern is selected such as to provide an indication of progress towards completion of a predefined video clip length.

9. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to cause display by the mode indicator of a plurality of different visual indications corresponding to a plurality of respective different operational modes of the camera.

10. The eyewear device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of visual indications includes a photo capture indication and a video capture indication provided by the animation pattern, corresponding respectively to a video capture mode and a photo capture mode of the camera.

11. The eyewear device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of visual indications include a charge level indication that provides a visual indication of a level of charge of an on-board battery that is incorporated in the eyewear device and that powers the camera in use.

12. The eyewear device of claim 11, further comprising tap input control channel configured to enable user-triggering of the charge level indication by application of a predefined sequence of taps to the eyewear frame.

13. A method comprising:

using one or more computer processing devices incorporated in an eyewear device, detecting activation of a video capture mode of a camera incorporated in the eyewear device; and

during operation of the camera in the video capture mode, causing display of a visual indication corresponding to the video capture mode by a mode indicator comprising a series of light emitters mounted on an outwardly directed surface of the eyewear device, the visual indication comprising performance of an animation pattern by the series of light emitters.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the series of light emitters of the mode indicator comprises a ring of light emitting diodes (LEDs) on a front-facing surface of the eyewear device, the animated visual indication corresponding to the video capture mode comprising circulating illumination of the ring of LEDs in series.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising causing display of different visual indications by the mode indicator corresponding to a plurality of respective different operational modes of the camera.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for causing a machine, when executing the instructions, to perform operations comprising:

using one or more computer processing devices incorporated in an eyewear device, detecting activation of a video capture mode of a camera incorporated in the eyewear device; and

during operation of the camera in the video capture mode, causing display of a visual indication corresponding to the video capture mode by a mode indicator comprising a series of light emitters mounted on an outwardly directed surface of the eyewear device, the visual indication comprising performance of an animation pattern by the series of light emitters.