Placement of Optical Sensor on Wearable Electronic Device

• US 20140139486A1
• Filed: 08/30/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Mistry, Pranav, Sadi, Sajid, Yao, Lining, Aumiller, Curtis Douglas, Wei, Chengyuan
• Granted Patent: US 9,030,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/175
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042

Abstract

In one embodiment, a wearable device includes a body that includes a touch-sensitive display. The wearable device includes a band coupled to the body and an optical sensor placed on or in the band so that an image of an object displayed on the touch-sensitive display is viewable while the object is also viewable without the wearable device blocking a view of the object.

Claims

1. A wrist-wearable device comprising:

a device body comprising a touch-sensitive display;

a wristband coupled to the device body; and

an optical sensor placed on or in the wristband through which the wrist-wearable device is operable to capture an image of at least a portion of an object and, simultaneously, at least a portion of a hand of a person wearing the wrist-wearable device;

wherein the wrist-wearable device is operable to;

display on the touch-sensitive display the portion of the object and, simultaneously, the portion of the hand of the person wearing the wrist-wearable device; and

process the image of the portion of the hand as at least part of a gesture input indicating a user interaction with the object.

2. The wrist-wearable device of claim 1, wherein:

the touch-sensitive display has a viewing cone; and

the optical sensor has an angle of view and is oriented when the device is affixed to a person to form an angle between a center of the angle of view of the optical sensor and a center of the viewing cone of the touch-sensitive display, the angle enabling the person to view the device from within the viewing cone of the touch-sensitive display and to view unblocked by the device the object that is within the angle of view of the optical sensor.

4. The wrist-wearable device of claim 1, wherein processing the image of the portion of the hand as at least part of a gesture input comprises:

identifying the object;

accessing information about the object; and

displaying the information on the touch-sensitive display.

5. The wrist-wearable device of claim 1, wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera.

6. The wrist-wearable device of claim 1, further comprising a depth sensor.

7. The wrist-wearable device of claim 6, wherein the depth sensor comprises an optical depth sensor.

8. The wrist-wearable device of claim 1, further operable to:

receive through the touch-sensitive display a touch input to interact with the image; and

process the touch input.

9. The wrist-wearable device of claim 8, wherein the touch input comprises touching the touch-sensitive display on or near the object in the image.

10. The wrist-wearable device of claim 8, wherein processing the touch input comprises:

identifying the object;

accessing information about the object; and

displaying the information on the touch-sensitive display.

21. The wrist-wearable device of claim 1, wherein the gesture input comprises:

pointing at the object;

covering at least a portion of the object;

moving the portion of the hand relative to the object;

or

maintaining the portion of the hand in a fixed position relative to the object.

22. The wrist-wearable device of claim 1, wherein the user interaction comprises:

selecting the object;

turning on the object;

turning of the object;

adjusting a function of the object.

3. (canceled)

11. A wrist-wearable device comprising:

a device body comprising a touch-sensitive display;

an optical sensor through which the wrist-wearable device is operable to capture an image of at least a portion of an object and, simultaneously, at least a portion of a hand of a person wearing the wrist-wearable device; and

means for housing the optical sensor and affixing the wrist-wearable device to a person'"'"'s wrist; and

means for displaying on the touch-sensitive display the portion of the object and, simultaneously, the portion of the hand of the person wearing the wrist-wearable device; and

means for processing the image of the portion of the hand as at least part of a gesture input indicating a user interaction with the object.

12. The wrist-wearable device of claim 11, wherein:

the touch-sensitive display has a viewing cone; and

the optical sensor has an angle of view and is oriented when the device is affixed to a person to form an angle between a center of the angle of view of the optical sensor and a center of the viewing cone of the touch-sensitive display, the angle enabling the person to view the device from within the viewing cone of the touch-sensitive display and to view unblocked by the device the object that is within the angle of view of the optical sensor.

14. The wrist-wearable device of claim 11, wherein processing the image of the portion of the hand as at least part of a gesture input comprises:

identifying the object;

accessing information about the object; and

displaying the information on the touch-sensitive display.

15. The wrist-wearable device of claim 11, wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera.

16. The wrist-wearable device of claim 11, further comprising a depth sensor.

17. The wrist-wearable device of claim 16, wherein the depth sensor comprises an optical depth sensor.

18. The wrist-wearable device of claim 11, further comprising:

means for receiving through the touch-sensitive display a touch input to interact with the image; and

means for processing the touch input.

19. The wrist-wearable device of claim 18, wherein the touch input comprises touching the touch-sensitive display on or near the object in the image.

20. The wrist-wearable device of claim 18, wherein processing the touch input comprises:

identifying the object;

accessing information about the object; and

displaying the information on the touch-sensitive display.

23. The wrist-wearable device of claim 11, wherein the gesture input comprises:

pointing at the object;

covering at least a portion of the object;

moving the portion of the hand relative to the object;

or

maintaining the portion of the hand in a fixed position relative to the object.

24. The wrist-wearable device of claim 11, wherein the user interaction comprises:

selecting the object;

turning on the object;

turning of the object;

adjusting a function of the object.

13. (canceled)