WEARABLE COMPUTER WITH CURVED DISPLAY AND NAVIGATION TOOL

• US 20130002724A1
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Heinrich, Mitchell, Taubman, Gabriel, Geiss, Ryan, Braun, Max, Ho, Casey
• Application Number:
  US13/173,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20130002724A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/676
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• 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 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0232 Special driving of display border areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/06 Use of more than one graphics processor to process data before displaying to one or more screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, methods, and devices for interfacing with a wearable heads-up display via a touch-operable input device. The wearable heads-up display may include a display element for receiving and displaying display information received from a processor, and may also include a wearable frame structure supporting the display element and having a side-arm extending away from the display element. In some embodiments, the display information may appear at least partially curved to a user. In some embodiments, only a portion of the display information is shown on the at least one display element. The side-arm may be configured to secure the heads-up display to a user'"'"'s body in a manner such that the display element is disposed within a field of view of the user. The touch-operable input device secured to the wearable frame structure is configured to sense at least one of a position and movement of a touch or finger along a planar direction relative to a surface of the input device, and to provide corresponding input information to the processor. A navigation tool may also be displayed on the at least one display element for indicating the location of the touch on the touch-operable input device.

Claims

1. A wearable heads-up display comprising:

a processor;

at least one display element configured to receive display information from the processor and to display the display information, wherein only a portion of the display information is shown on the at least one display element;

a wearable frame structure supporting the at least one display element and having at least one side-arm extending away from the at least one display element, the at least one side-arm configured to secure the heads-up display to a user body element in a manner that, when secured to the user body element, places the at least one display element within a field of view of the user;

a touch-operable input device secured to the wearable frame structure and configured to sense at least one of a position and movement of a touch along a planar direction relative to a surface of the input device, and to provide corresponding input information to the processor; and

a navigation tool displayed on the at least one display element for indicating the location of the touch on the touch-operable input device;

wherein the display information is moveable in a substantially continual manner on the at least one display element by moving the touch on the touch-operable input device.

2. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the navigation tool includes a virtual touchpad on a side of the at least one display element.

3. The wearable heads-up display of claim 2 wherein the location of the touch is indicated by a cursor or dot appearing on the virtual touchpad.

4. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the display information appears at least partially curved when viewed on the at least one display element.

5. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the navigation tool indicates which portion of the display information is shown on the at least one display element in relation to other portions of the display information.

6. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the movement of a touch forward toward the at least one display element on the touch-operable input device moves the display information to the left.

7. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the movement of a touch forward toward the at least one display element on the touch-operable input device moves the display information to the right.

8. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the at least one display element is curved.

9. A method of providing input to a wearable heads-up display having a wearable frame structure supporting at least one display element and having at least one side-arm extending away from the at least one display element, the at least one side-arm configured to secure the heads-up display to a user body element in a manner that, when secured to the user body element, places the at least one display element within a field of view of the user, the method comprising:

providing, via a processor coupled to the wearable frame structure, display information to the at least one display element;

receiving at the processor, via a touch-operable input device secured to the wearable frame structure and configured to sense at least one of a position and movement of a touch along a planar direction relative to a surface of the input device, corresponding input information representative of the at least one of the position and movement of the touch along the planar direction; and

moving, via the touch-operable input device, the display information in a substantially continual manner on the at least one display element by moving the touch on the touch-operable input device.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing a navigation tool including a virtual touchpad on a side of the at least one display element to track the movement of the display information.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the location of the touch is indicated by a cursor or dot appearing on the virtual touchpad.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the display information appears at least partially curved when viewed on the at least one display element.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the navigation tool indicates which portion of the display information is shown on the at least one display element in relation to other portions of the display information.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the movement of a touch forward toward the at least one display element on the touch-operable input device moves the display information to the left.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the movement of a touch forward toward the at least one display element on the touch-operable input device moves the display information to the right.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one display element is curved.

17. An article of manufacture including a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device of a wearable heads-up display having a wearable frame structure, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

providing, via a processor coupled to the wearable frame structure, display information to the at least one display element;

receiving at the processor, via a touch-operable input device secured to the wearable frame structure and configured to sense at least one of a position and movement of a touch along a planar direction relative to a surface of the input device, corresponding input information representative of the at least one of the position and movement of the touch along the planar direction; and

moving, via the touch-operable input device, the display information in a substantially continual manner on the at least one display element by moving the touch on the touch-operable input device.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17 further comprising providing a navigation tool including a virtual touchpad on a side of the at least one display element to track the movement of the display information.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18 wherein the location of the touch is indicated by a cursor or dot appearing on the virtual touchpad.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 17 wherein the display information appears at least partially curved when viewed on the at least one display element.