TOUCH SENSOR FOR CONTROLLING EYEWEAR

• US 20110194029A1
• Filed: 02/07/2011
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kopin Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kopin Corporation
• Inventors: Johnston, Jim, Herrmann, Frederick P., Gassel, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,665,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/569
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

Capacitive touch sensors are integrated with a head-mounted display (HMD) device or other video eyewear devices to create a more reliable and more intuitive user interface. The sensors, which may be implemented as an array, control various aspects of a left and right channel multimedia presentation, such as interpupillary distance or stereoscopic convergence, brightness, volume, or power mode.

Claims

1. A video eyewear device comprising:

a receiver, disposed in the housing, for receiving an input signal having encoded therein video and audio information representing a multimedia presentation;

a first microdisplay;

a speaker;

a video driver circuit, for receiving the input signal, and providing a video portion of the multimedia presentation to the first microdisplay;

an audio driver circuit, for receiving the input signal, and providing an audio portion of the multimedia presentation to the speaker; and

a capacitive touch sensor, for receiving a user input, and for providing in response thereto a control signal to at least one of the video driver circuit or audio driver circuit, the control signal for controlling an aspect of the multimedia presentation on the video eyewear device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the user input is a volume control applied to control a volume level of the audio signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 additionally wherein the user input causes a corresponding image of a volume level to appear in the microdisplay.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the user input is a video control applied to control a brightness or contrast of the multimedia presentation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the user input is a power control signal to control power applied to one or more components of the video eyewear device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the capacitive touch sensor comprises an array of touch sensors.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 additionally comprising:

a second microdisplay; and

wherein the video driver circuit further provides a video portion of the multimedia presentation to the second microdisplay.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the user input is applied to adjust a relative offset between video signals presented on the first and second microdisplays.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein a pinch motion input on the capacitive touch sensor is used to reduce the relative offset.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein a spread motion input on the capacitive touch sensor is used to increase the relative offset.