Head Tracking Based Gesture Control Techniques for Head Mounted Displays

• US 20150138074A1
• Filed: 11/13/2014
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kopin Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kopin Corporation
• Inventors: Hennelly, Sean, Andrews, Nathan
• Granted Patent: US 9,904,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• 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 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

A head gesture-based recognition system in Headset Computers (HSC) is disclosed. Notification dialogue boxes can be acknowledged by head nodding or ticking movement in the user interface. Question dialog boxes can be assured by head nods or head shakes in the user interface. Head swiping is also a recognizable form of user input through a head tracker of the HSC. Progress indicators and other visual display feedback are utilized.

Claims

1. A headset computer system, comprising:

a headworn display unit;

a digital processor coupled to the display unit; and

a head tracker operatively coupled to the display unit and processor, the processor configured to be responsive to any one of a set of predefined user head gestures detected by the head tracker for making user selections.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the predefined (certain) head gestures include one or more of:

a tick movement, head nodding movement, head shaking movement, and head swiping movement.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the head swiping movement is one of a left swiping movement and a right swiping movement.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the display unit presents a notification dialog box to the user, and the processor interprets a particular user head gesture as the user'"'"'s acknowledgement of the notification dialog box.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the particular user head gesture is a tick gesture.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor interprets a tick performed from left to right as having a first meaning, and a tick performed from right to left has having a second meaning.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the display unit presents, to the user, a question dialog box having a first option and a second option, the processor interprets a first predetermined gesture as a selection of the first option and the processor interprets a second predetermined gesture as a selection of the second option.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first predetermined gesture is a head nod, and the second predetermined gesture is a head shake.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first predetermine gesture is a head swipe to the left or a head swipe to the right and the second predetermined gesture is a head swipe to the right or a head swipe to the left.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the head swipe to the left causes an indicator associated with the first option to transition from an empty state to a full state, and wherein the head swipe to the right causes an indicator associated with the second option to transition from an empty state to a full state.

11. The system of claim 1, further including an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system configured to interpret utterances, wherein the processor combines the interpreted utterances with the detected gesture to produce a computer interface input.

20. The method of claim 7, wherein the first predetermine gesture is a head swipe to the left or a head swipe to the right.

12. A method of making selections on a headset computer system, comprising:

presenting, by a processor on a display unit, an object to be selected;

detecting, with a head tracker operatively coupled to the display unit and processor, a head gesture performed by a wearer of the headset computer system, the head gesture being associated with selection of the object; and

selecting the object upon detection of the head gesture.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predefined head gestures include one or more of:

a tick movement, head nodding movement, head shaking movement, and head swiping movement.

15. The method of claim 12, further including presenting a notification dialog box to the user, and interpreting a particular user head gesture as the user'"'"'s acknowledgement of the notification dialog box.

18. The method of claim 12, further including presenting, to the user, a question dialog box having a first option and a second option, interpreting a first predetermined gesture as a selection of the first option and interpreting a second predetermined gesture as a selection of the second option.

14. The method of claim 14, wherein the head swiping movement is one of a left swiping movement and a right swiping movement.

16. The method of claim 16, wherein the particular user head gesture is a tick gesture.

17. The method of claim 17, further including interpreting a tick performed from left to right as having a first meaning, and a interpreting a tick performed from right to left has having a second meaning.

19. The method of claim 19, wherein the first predetermined gesture is a head nod, and the second predetermined gesture is a head shake.