Orientation inclusive interface navigation

• US 9,213,419 B1
• Filed: 11/13/2012
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cassidy, Ryan Hastings
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Md Saiful A
• Application Number:
  US13/675,525
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/169, 348/14.05, 348/114, 348/734
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• 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 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path

Abstract

An orientation of a computing device can be determined using at least in part one or more orientation sensors on the computing device. In some embodiments, a location of a head (and a face) of a user of the computing device can be determined and utilized at least in part for the determining of the orientation of the computing device. The computing device can play a media file, for example, via an application capable of media playback. A change to the orientation of the computing device can be determined by the one or more orientation sensors. The playing of the media file can be modified based on the determined change to the orientation of the computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for orientation inclusive interface navigation, comprising:

capturing image data representative of image content including at least a portion of a head of a user, the image data being captured using at least one image sensor on a computing device;

determining a position of the head of the user relative to the computing device based at least in part on the captured image data;

determining an initial orientation of the computing device based at least in part on the determined position of the head of the user;

determining that a change in a current orientation of the computing device relative to the initial orientation is greater than a threshold, the threshold related to at least one of an angle and a speed of rotation of the computing device;

determining a direction associated with the change to the current orientation relative to the initial orientation;

determining the speed of rotation corresponding to the change to the current orientation relative to the initial orientation; and

adjusting a playback rate of at least one of video or audio content by an amount corresponding to the direction, the angle, and the speed of rotation associated with the change to the current orientation relative to the initial orientation.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the initial orientation of the computing device is based at least in part on a plane substantially parallel to a face.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the amount by which the playback rate is adjusted is proportional to an amount by which at least one of the angle and speed of rotation changes.

4. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining an orientation of a computing device using one or more sensors of the computing device;

capturing image data representative of image content including at least a portion of a head of a user, the image data being captured using at least one image sensor of the computing device;

determining a position of the head of the user relative to the computing device based on the captured image data, wherein determining the orientation of the computing device is further based at least in part on the determined position of the head of the user;

determining a change to the orientation of the computing device using the one or more sensors of the computing device;

determining a direction associated with the change to the orientation of the computing device;

determining a speed associated with the change to the orientation of the computing device; and

adjusting a presentation of at least one of video or audio content at a rate corresponding to the change to the orientation, the direction associated with the change to the orientation, and the speed associated with change to the orientation.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein adjusting the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content includes reversing a playback of the at least one of video or audio content in response to the change to the orientation being determined to be toward a first direction.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein adjusting the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content includes moving forward a playback of the at least one of video or audio content in response to the change to the orientation being determined to be toward a second direction.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein adjusting the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content includes at least one of restarting the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content or presenting previous video or audio content, the adjusting being in response to the change to the orientation being determined to be toward a first direction and in response to at least one of an amount associated with the change to the orientation of the computing device being above a specified amount threshold or the speed being above a specified speed threshold.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein adjusting the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content includes presenting next video or audio content in response to the change to the orientation being determined to be toward a second direction and in response to at least one of an amount associated with the change to the orientation of the computing device being above a specified amount threshold or the speed being above a specified speed threshold.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein adjusting the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content includes modifying a volume of the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content based on the determined change to the orientation of the computing device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the determining the change to the orientation of the computing device comprises determining the change to the orientation to be at least one of a tilt, turn, or twist of the computing device with respect to at least a substantially vertical axis of the computing device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein adjusting the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content occurs when a mode for orientation inclusive interface navigation is enabled.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of a gyroscope, an electronic compass, an inertial sensor, and an accelerometer.

13. A computing device comprising:

one or more sensors;

at least one image sensor configured to capture image data representative of image content including at least a portion of a head of a user;

a processor; and

a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to;

determine an orientation of the computing device using one or more sensors of the computing device;

determine a position of the head of the user relative to the computing device based on the captured image data, wherein determining the orientation of the computing device is further based at least in part on the determined position of the head of the user;

determine a change to the orientation of the computing device using the one or more sensors of the computing device;

determine a direction associated with the change to the orientation of the computing device;

determine a speed associated with the change to the orientation of the computing device; and

adjust a presentation of at least one of video or audio content at a rate corresponding to the change to the orientation, the direction associated with the change to the orientation, and the speed associated with the change to the orientation.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor to cause the computing device to adjust the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content, further cause the computing device to adjust the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content when a mode for orientation inclusive interface navigation is enabled.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of a gyroscope, an electronic compass, an inertial sensor, and an accelerometer.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions for identifying elements, the instructions when executed by a processor of a computing device causing the computing device to:

determine an orientation of the computing device using one or more sensors of the computing device;

capture image data representative of image content including at least a portion of a head of a user, the image data being captured using at least one image sensor of the computing device;

determine a position of the head of the user relative to the computing device based on the captured image data, wherein determining the orientation of the computing device is further based at least in part on the determined position of the head of the user;

determine a change to the orientation of the computing device using the one or more sensors of the computing device;

determine a direction associated with the change to the orientation of the computing device;

determine a speed associated with the change to the orientation of the computing device; and

adjust a presentation of at least one of video or audio content at a rate corresponding to the change to the orientation, the direction associated with the change to the orientation, and the speed associated with the change to the orientation.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor to cause the computing device to adjust the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content, further cause the computing device to reverse a playback of the at least one of video or audio content in response to the change to the orientation being determined to be toward a first direction.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor to cause the computing device to adjust the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content, further cause the computing device to move forward a playback of the at least one of video or audio content in response to the change to the orientation being determined to be toward a second direction.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor to cause the computing device to adjust the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content, further causes the computing device to restart the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content or present previous video or audio content in response to the change to the orientation being determined to be toward a first direction and in response to at least one of an amount associated with the change to the orientation of the computing device being above a specified amount threshold or the speed being above a specified speed threshold.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein instructions, when executed by the processor to cause the computing device to adjust the presentation of the at least one of video or audio content, further cause the computing device to present next video or audio content in response to the change to the orientation being determined to be toward a second direction and in response to at least one of an amount associated with the change to the orientation of the computing device being above a specified amount threshold or the speed being above a specified speed threshold.