Wearable heads-up display with integrated finger-tracking input sensor

• US 8,203,502 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2011
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chi, Liang-Yu, Prada Gomez, Luis Ricardo, Ryskamp, Robert Allen, Mavinkurve, Sanjay G
• Primary Examiner(s): Xiao, Ke
• Application Number:
  US13/115,430
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7- 9, 359/630
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• 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 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, methods, and devices for interfacing with a wearable heads-up display via a finger-operable input device. The wearable heads-up display may include a display element for receiving and displaying display information received from a processor, and may also include a wearable frame structure supporting the display element and having a projection extending away from the display element. The projection may be configured to secure the heads-up display to a user'"'"'s body in a manner such that the display element is disposed within a field of view of the user. A finger-operable input device secured to the wearable frame structure is configured to sense at least one of a position and movement of a finger along a planar direction relative to a surface of the input device, and to provide corresponding input information to the processor.

Claims

1. A wearable heads-up display comprising:

a processor;

two display elements, wherein at least one display element configured to receive display information from the processor and to display the display information;

a pair of glasses, comprising a wearable frame structure supporting two display elements and having two projections disposed on opposite sides of the two display elements, each projection extending away from each respective display element, the projection configured to secure the heads-up display to a user body element in a manner that, when secured to the user body element, places the display elements within a field of view of the user;

a first finger-operable input device secured to the wearable frame structure via a first of the two projections and configured to provide fine-motor input information to the processor and sense at least one of a position and movement of a finger along a planar direction relative to a surface of the first finger-operable input device, and to provide corresponding input information to the processor, wherein the first finger-operable input device is substantially transparent, and

a second finger-operable input device secured to the wearable frame structure via a second of the two projections and configured to provide gross-motor input information to the processor and sense at least one of a position and movement of a finger along a planar direction relative to a surface of the second input device, and to provide corresponding input information to the processor.

2. The heads-up display of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to transmit new display information to the display element responsive to receiving the input information.

3. The heads-up display of claim 1, wherein the display information comprises at least one symbol indicating a possible input operation that may be made via the input device and one of a function and a selection associated with the possible input operation.

4. The heads-up display of claim 1, wherein the input device is translucent.

5. The heads-up display of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a glass substrate.

6. The heads-up display of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a plastic substrate.

7. The heads-up display of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises one or more conductive layers formed of a substantially transparent metal oxide.

8. The heads-up display of claim 1, wherein the input device is one of a capacitive sensing, resistance sensing, and surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch sensitive pad.

9. The heads-up display of claim 1, wherein the input device is an optical imaging device and the surface of the optical imaging device is a lens provided at an outer surface of the optical imaging device.

10. A method of providing input to a wearable heads-up display having a wearable frame structure supporting two display elements, where each display element has at least one projection extending away from the display element, each projection configured to secure the heads-up display to a user body element in a manner that, when secured to the user body element, places each display element within a field of view of the user, the method comprising:

providing, via a processor coupled to the wearable frame structure, display information to at least one display element of the two display elements;

receiving at the processor, via one of at least two finger-operable substantially-transparent input devices secured to the wearable frame structure and configured to sense at least one of a position and movement of a finger along a planar direction relative to a surface of the input devices, corresponding input information representative of the at least one of the position and movement of the finger along the planar direction, wherein a first finger-operable substantially-transparent input device is secured to the wearable frame structure via a first projection and configured to provide fine-motor input information to the processor, and a second finger-operable substantially-transparent input device secured to the wearable frame structure via a second projection and configured to provide gross-motor input information to the processor; and

providing, via the processor, new display information to the at least one display element responsive to receiving the input information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the display information comprises at least one symbol indicating a possible input operation that may be made via the input device and one of a function and a selection associated with the possible input operation, and

wherein receiving corresponding input information comprises receiving an indication of the possible input operation.

12. An article of manufacture including a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device of a wearable heads-up display having a wearable frame structure supporting two display elements, where each display element has at least one projection extending away from the display element, each projection configured to secure the heads-up display to a user body element in a manner that, when secured to the user body element, places each display element within a field of view of the user, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

providing display information to at least one display element of the two display elements coupled to the wearable frame structure;

receiving at the processor, via one of at least two finger-operable substantially-transparent input device secured to the wearable frame structure and configured to sense at least one of a position and movement of a finger along a planar direction relative to a surface of the input device, corresponding input information representative of the at least one of the position and movement of the finger along the planar direction, wherein a first finger-operable substantially-transparent input device is secured to the wearable frame structure via a first of the two projections and configured to provide fine-motor input information to the processor, and a second finger-operable substantially-transparent input device secured to the wearable frame structure via a second of the two projections and configured to provide gross-motor input information to the processor; and

providing new display information to the at least one display element responsive to receiving the input information.