SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LOCATION-BASED OPERATION OF A HEAD MOUNTED DISPLAY

• US 20110249122A1
• Filed: 04/12/2010
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Roslak, Tom, Tricoukes, Nicole, Riechel, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,908,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/158
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• 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 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

A location-based operating method for a head mounted display apparatus is provided. The method can be performed by one or more components of a mobile computing system and remote computing systems. The method obtains location data corresponding to the head mounted display apparatus, and processes the location data to determine a geographic position of the head mounted display apparatus. The method continues by controlling display characteristics of the head mounted display apparatus in response to the geographic position of the head mounted display apparatus.

Claims

1. A location-based operating method for a head mounted display apparatus, the method comprising:

obtaining location data corresponding to the head mounted display apparatus;

processing the location data to determine a geographic position of the head mounted display apparatus; and

controlling display characteristics of the head mounted display apparatus in response to the geographic position of the head mounted display apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining orientation data for the head mounted display apparatus while the head mounted display apparatus is being worn by a user; and

processing the orientation data to determine a physical orientation of the head mounted display apparatus, wherein controlling display characteristics is performed in response to both the geographic position and the physical orientation of the head mounted display apparatus.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining step obtains Global Positioning System data at the head mounted display apparatus.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining step obtains Global Positioning System data at a mobile computing device that is in close physical proximity to the head mounted display apparatus.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling display characteristics controls activation and deactivation of a display element of the head mounted display apparatus.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling display characteristics reduces or simplifies information displayed by the head mounted display apparatus.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling display characteristics comprises:

determining image content that is influenced by the geographic position of the head mounted display apparatus; and

wirelessly transmitting data that conveys the image content to the head mounted display apparatus for rendering on its display element.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling display characteristics comprises:

acquiring location image data that conveys an image of a location identified by the location data;

retrieving supplemental image data that is correlated to the location;

generating augmented image data from the supplemental image data and the location image data; and

providing the augmented image data to the head mounted display apparatus for rendering on its display element.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of obtaining location data is performed by a mobile computing device that is in close physical proximity to the head mounted display apparatus; and

the method further comprises the step of wirelessly transmitting the location data from the mobile computing device to a network-based processing component for processing the location data.

10. A mobile computing display system comprising:

a head mounted display apparatus configured to be worn on the head of a user, the head mounted display apparatus comprising a display element;

a mobile computing device configured to be worn or carried by the user, and configured to support data communication with the head mounted display apparatus, the mobile computing device comprising a location module that determines a geographic position of the mobile computing device; and

a processor operatively associated with the mobile computing device and configured to determine image content that is influenced by the geographic position of the mobile computing device, the mobile computing device being configured to transmit data that conveys the image content to the head mounted display apparatus for rendering on the display element.

11. The mobile computing display system of claim 10, the processor being integral to the mobile computing device.

12. The mobile computing display system of claim 10, further comprising a network-based server component configured to support data communication with the mobile computing device, the processor being integral to the server component.

13. The mobile computing display system of claim 10, the mobile computing device further comprising an orientation module that determines a physical orientation of the mobile computing device, wherein the image content is influenced by both the geographic position and the physical orientation of the mobile computing device.

14. The mobile computing display system of claim 10, the mobile computing device further comprising an orientation module that determines a physical orientation of the head mounted display apparatus, wherein the image content is influenced by both the geographic position of the mobile computing device and the physical orientation of the head mounted display apparatus.

15. The mobile computing display system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to acquire location image data that conveys an image of a location corresponding to the geographic position, retrieve supplemental image data that is correlated to the geographic position, and generate the image content from the supplemental image data and the location image data.

16. The mobile computing display system of claim 10, further comprising a camera configured to capture user image data for a user image that represents a point of view of the user, the image content being influenced by the user image data.

17. A location-based operating method for a head mounted display apparatus having a display element, the method comprising:

obtaining position data for the head mounted display apparatus;

receiving user image data for a user image that represents a point of view of a user of the head mounted display apparatus;

retrieving supplemental image data that is correlated to the position data and the user image data;

generating augmented image data from the supplemental image data and the user image data; and

providing the augmented image data to the head mounted display apparatus for rendering on the display element.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein obtaining position data comprises obtaining location data corresponding to a geographic position of the head mounted display apparatus.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein obtaining position data comprises obtaining orientation data corresponding to a physical orientation of the head mounted display apparatus.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising capturing the user image data with a camera that is coupled to or integrated into the head mounted display apparatus.