EYEWEAR DEVICE INPUT MECHANISM

• US 20180088687A1
• Filed: 09/27/2017
• Published: 03/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Inventors: Hanover, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 10,623,628 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/04 Illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/48 adapted for combination with other photographic or optical apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/56 Accessories carrying-cases A45C11/38
• 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: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes

Abstract

An electronics-enabled eyewear device provides a primary command channel and a secondary command channel for receiving user input during untethered wear, one of the command channels providing for tap input detected by motion sensor(s) incorporated in a body of the eyewear device. A predefined tap sequence or pattern can be applied to frame of the device to trigger as device function. In one example, a double tap of the device'"'"'s frame causes charge level display indicating a battery charge level.

Claims

1. An eyewear device comprising:

an eyewear body configured for wearing by users such as the support one or more optical elements held by the body within view of the user;

onboard electronics incorporated in the eyewear body;

a primary input mechanism incorporated in the eyewear body and configured to provide a primary command channel to receive user inputs for controlling one or more functionalities of the onboard electronics during untethered wear of the eyewear device; and

a secondary input mechanism incorporated in the eyewear body and configured to provide a secondary command channel to receive user inputs for controlling one or more functionalities of the onboard electronics during untethered wear thereof, the secondary command channel using a different mode of user input than the primary command channel,

wherein one of the primary and secondary input mechanisms is a tap input mechanism configured to receive tap input, the tap input mechanism comprising a motion sensor incorporated in the eyewear body.

2. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor comprises an array of accelerometers.

3. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein the eyewear body comprises:

an eyewear frame holding the one or more optical elements; and

a pair of temples displaceably mounted at opposite lateral ends of the frame for supporting the frame during wear, wherein the motion sensor is housed in the frame.

4. The eyewear device is of claim 1, wherein the tap input mechanism comprises a motion data processor comprising circuitry configured to process motion data captured by the motion sensor to identify from the motion data a tap command communicated from the user to the eyewear device by imparting tap motion to the eyewear body.

5. The eyewear device of claim 4, wherein the motion data processor is configured to distinguish between tap commands and incidental motion reflected in the motion data based on predefined identification criteria.

6. The eyewear device of claim 5, wherein the identification criteria define a predefined tap sequence to register a corresponding user command.

7. The eyewear device of claim 6, wherein the predefined tap sequence comprises a double-tap command, the motion data processor being configured to identify occurrence of the double-tap command represented in the motion data by operations comprising:

identifying two sequential tap events;

determining an interval between the two tap events; and

registering the two tap events as a double-tap command conditional upon the interval being smaller than a predefined threshold period.

8. The eyewear device of claim 6, wherein the identification criteria define a plurality of different tap sequences corresponding to a plurality of different user commands.

9. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein both the primary and the secondary command channels are manual command channels in which user inputs are imparted by manual interaction with the eyewear body.

10. The eyewear device of claim 9, wherein one of the primary and secondary input channels is provided by a button input mechanism comprising a button mounted on the eyewear body for manual user operation.

11. The eyewear device of claim 1, wherein the secondary command channel provides fewer user commands than the primary command channel, the secondary command channel being provided by the tap mechanism.

12. The eyewear device of claim 11, wherein the secondary input mechanism provides for recognition and execution of no more than a single user command.

13. The eyewear device of claim 12, wherein the single command of the secondary command channel provided by the tap input mechanism triggers display of a charge level indication via a visual indicator incorporated in the eyewear body, the charge level indication showing a level of charge of an onboard battery of the eyewear device.

14. The eyewear device of claim 13, wherein the visual indicator comprises a series of light emitters mounted on an exterior surface of the eyewear body.

15. The eyewear device of claim 14, wherein the visual indicator comprises a ring of light emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged peripherally around a camera lens or a camera analog formation provided by the eyewear body.

16. A method comprising:

during wear of an eyewear device by a user, receiving user input via a primary input mechanism incorporated in an eyewear body of the eyewear device to provide a primary command channel; and

during wear of the eyewear device, receiving user input via a secondary input mechanism incorporated in the eyewear body to provide a secondary command channel, the secondary command channel using a different mode of user input than the primary command channel,

wherein one of the primary and secondary input mechanisms is a tap input mechanism configured to receive tap input, the tap input mechanism comprising a motion sensor incorporated in the eyewear body.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, by use of a motion data processor comprising circuitry configured therefor, processing motion data captured by the motion sensor based on predefined identification criteria, to distinguish between tap commands and incidental motion reflected in the motion data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the identification criteria define a predefined tap sequence to register a corresponding user command.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the predefined tap sequence comprises a double-tap command, the processing of the motion data a comprising:

identifying two sequential tap events;

determining an interval between the two tap events; and

registering the two tap events as a double-tap command conditional upon the interval being smaller than a predefined threshold period.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the identification criteria define a plurality of different tap sequences corresponding to a plurality of different user commands.