VIRTUAL REALITY VIEWER AND INPUT MECHANISM

• US 20160018853A1
• Filed: 07/16/2015
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DDC Technology, LLC
• Original Assignee: DODOcase, Inc.
• Inventors: Buckley, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 9,420,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/021 for more than one lens
• 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 3/017 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads

Abstract

The present invention concerns virtual reality viewers for use with touchscreen enabled mobile devices. The virtual reality viewer comprises: a housing configured to receive a mobile electronic device within an interior of the housing; and an input mechanism that is accessible from an exterior of the housing and that is moveable within the interior between a first position and an extended position, wherein a surface of the input mechanism is configured to contact the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device when in the extended position. The disclosed systems and methods facilitate receiving user inputs on the exterior of the housing and providing the user inputs to the touchscreen within the housing using the electro-mechanical input mechanism. Accordingly, the viewer can be used with a variety of smartphones without requiring magnetic switches or a wireless/cable connection between the input device and the smartphone.

Claims

1. A virtual reality viewer for use with a mobile electronic device having a touch-screen, the viewer comprising:

a housing configured to receive a mobile electronic device within an interior of the housing;

an input mechanism that is accessible from an exterior of the housing and is moveable within the interior between at least a first position and an extended position, wherein a surface of the input mechanism is configured to contact the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device when in the extended position.

2. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein input mechanism is configured to provide a capacitive touch input to the touch-screen when the input mechanism is in the extended position.

3. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein a side of the housing is shaped to define a cut-out, and wherein at least a first portion of the input mechanism is accessible through the cut-out.

4. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the input mechanism defines at least a portion of a view divider within the interior of the housing.

5. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein the input mechanism further comprises an electrical shield, and wherein a portion of the electric shield is configured to contact the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device when the input mechanism is in the extended position.

6. The virtual reality viewer of claim 5, wherein the electrical shield comprises one or more of:

a metallized fabric, a metallized polymer;

a conductive polymer, a conductive fabric, a rigid flex printed circuit board and a flexographic ink.

7. The virtual reality viewer of claim 6, wherein the electrical shield is configured to have electrical properties sufficient to be detected by the touch-screen when the input mechanism is in the extended position.

8. The virtual reality viewer of claim 6, wherein the electric shield is sized to have capacitive properties sufficient to be detected by a capacitive touch-screen when the input mechanism is in the extended position and in the absence of human contact with the electric shield.

9. The virtual reality viewer of claim 5, further comprising a compressible pad disposed at the surface, wherein the pad is configured to create a sufficiently sized area of contact between the surface and the touch-screen when the input mechanism is in the extended position.

10. The virtual reality viewer of claim 9, wherein the pad is configured to vary the size of the area of contact as a function of a force applied to the input mechanism from the exterior of the housing.

11. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein the input mechanism includes a flexible linkage configured to guide at least the surface between the first position and the extended position.

12. The virtual reality viewer of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the input mechanism is integrally formed with the housing.

13. The virtual reality viewer of claim 11, wherein the flexible linkage is configured to return the surface from the extended position to the first position in the absence of user interaction with the input mechanism.

14. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein the housing is formed to define a cut-out through an exterior side of the housing;

and

wherein the input mechanism further comprises;

a lever that is accessible through the cut-out;

an electrical shield, wherein the surface comprises a portion of the electrical shield comprises, and wherein the electrical shield is configured to provide a capacitive touch input to the touch-screen when the input mechanism is in the extended position;

a flexible linkage coupled to the lever and the housing, wherein the coupling is configured to guide the surface between the first position and the extended position in response to actuation of the lever; and

a compressible pad disposed between the coupling and the portion of the electrical shield, wherein the pad is configured to create a sufficiently sized area of contact between the touch-screen and the surface when the input mechanism is in the extended position.

15. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of input mechanisms;

wherein each of the plurality of input mechanisms are accessible from the exterior of the housing at a respective location;

wherein each of the plurality of input mechanisms have a respective surfaces located within the interior of the housing a distinct respective location to contact the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device when in the extended position at distinct locations.

16. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, further comprising at least one additional user input devices that is accessible from an exterior of the housing.

17. A virtual reality viewer for use with a mobile electronic device having a capacitive touch-screen, the viewer comprising:

a housing configured to receive a mobile electronic device within an interior of the housing;

an input device including

a first portion that is accessible from an exterior of the housing, and

a surface within the interior that is configured to contact the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device and transfer a capacitive touch input to the touch-screen in response to a user interaction with the first portion.

18. The virtual reality viewer of claim 17, further comprising:

a compressible pad disposed at the surface to provide an area of contact between the input mechanism and the touch-screen that is sufficient to transfer the capacitive touch input; and

wherein at least the surface includes a conductive material configured to transfer an electrical charge to the touch-screen in response to a user interaction.