Headset Computer with Head Tracking Input Used For Inertial Control

• US 20140191964A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kopin Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kopin Corporation
• Inventors: Jacobsen, Jeffrey J., Pombo, Stephen A., Parkinson, Christopher, McDonald, Lee
• Granted Patent: US 9,134,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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 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 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• 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: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A Head-tracker is built into a headset computer as a user input device. A user interface navigation tool utilizes the head tracking but with inertial control. The navigation tool is formed of two different sized circles concentrically depicted, and a pointer. The pointer is moveable within the two circles defining inner and outer boundaries. The pointer represents user'"'"'s head position and movement sensed by the head tracker. The HSC displays a document and pans (navigates) the document as a function of user head movement sensed by the head tracker and illustrated by the navigation tool. The direction of movement of the pointer depicted in the navigation tool defines pan direction of the displayed document. Pan speed of the displayed document is defined based on position of the pointer, with respect to the inner and outer circle boundaries in the navigation tool.

Claims

1. A method of controlling document navigation in a headset computer, the method comprising:

overlaying a navigator tool on a subject document displayed on the headset computer being worn by a user;

indicating, at the navigator tool and in response to received head movement of the user at the headset computer, a representation of the received head movement; and

panning the subject document at a speed and in a direction based on the received head movement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein overlaying the navigator tool includes overlaying an inner boundary and an outer boundary, the inner boundary and outer boundary being concentric circles having different diameters and further overlaying a pointer configured to move within the inner boundary and the outer boundary;

and

wherein indicating the representation of the received head movement includes indicating the representation by positioning the pointer with respect to the origin of the two circles.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein panning the subject document further includes panning the subject document based on a location where the pointer resides outside the inner boundary.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein panning the subject document further includes presenting a same viewpoint of the subject document where the pointer resides inside the inner boundary.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein panning the subject document includes panning the subject document at the speed based on a distance from the origin.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the speed is further based on a distance from the origin minus a radius of the inner boundary.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the speed increases as the distance from the origin increase.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the speed is at a maximum when the pointer is at the outer boundary.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the panning the subject document includes panning the subject document horizontally when the representation is within a particular threshold of being horizontal, and panning the subject document vertically when the representation is within a particular threshold of being vertical.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the head movement is based on a relative extent of the head movement.

11. A system for controlling document navigation in a headset computer, the system comprising:

a display;

a navigator tool module configured to overlay a navigator tool on a subject document displayed on the display of the headset computer being worn by a user, indicate, at the navigator tool and in response to received head movement of the user at the headset computer, a representation of the received head movement, and pan the subject document at a speed and in a direction based on the received head movement.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the navigator tool is configured to overlay, to the user over the subject document, an inner boundary and an outer boundary, the inner boundary and outer boundary being concentric circles having different diameters and further overlay a pointer configured to move within the inner boundary and the outer boundary;

wherein indicating the representation of the received head movement includes indicating the representation of a position of the pointer with respect to the origin of the two circles.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the navigator tool is further configured to pan the subject document in the direction based on the representation based on a location where the pointer resides outside the inner boundary.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the navigator tool is further configured to present a same viewpoint of the subject document where the pointer resides inside the inner boundary.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein panning the subject document includes panning the subject document at the speed based on a distance from the origin.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the speed is further based on a distance from the origin minus a radius of the inner boundary.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the speed increases as the distance from the origin increase.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the speed is at a maximum when the pointer is at the outer boundary.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the panning the subject document includes panning the subject document horizontally when the representation is within a particular threshold of being horizontal, and panning the subject document vertically when the representation is within a particular threshold of being vertical.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the representation of the head movement is based on a relative extent of the head movement.