User interface

• US 9,316,830 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Costa, Antonio Bernardo Monteiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US13/629,858
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 345/8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• 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: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

Methods and systems for triggering functions on a head-mountable device are provided. A head-mountable device may receive an indication of a gesture associated with the device. In response to an indication that the gesture is a forward gesture, the head-mountable device may activate visual type functions, and in response to an indication that the gesture is a rearward gesture, the head-mountable device may activate audio type functions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a gesture associated with a head-mountable device (HMD);

executing instructions to activate a plurality of visual type functions on the HMD for selection in response to a received indication that the gesture is a forward gesture; and

executing instructions to activate a plurality of audio type functions on the HMD for selection in response to a received indication that the gesture is a rearward gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the forward gesture comprises a swipe movement toward a lens element on the HMD.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the rearward gesture comprises a swipe movement toward an end of a side-arm on the HMD.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of the gesture further comprises receiving the indication via a touch pad.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of the gesture further comprises receiving the indication via a sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of visual type functions comprise at least one of recording visual items, providing for the review of visual items, providing for a visual search, providing for visual communication, performing visual translation, and augmenting reality visually.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of audio type functions comprise at least one of performing an audio recording, providing for the review of an audio recording, performing a speech search, providing for an input of system commands, providing for audio communication, and augmenting reality sonically.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a second gesture associated with the HMD; and

activating a display on the HMD in response to receiving the indication of the second gesture.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the indication of the second gesture further comprises receiving an indication of a tap on a touch pad of the HMD.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the indication of the second gesture further comprises receiving an indication of a movement detected by a sensor associated with the HMD.

11. An article of manufacture including non-transitory tangible computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions encoded thereon, the instructions comprising:

receiving an indication of a gesture associated with a head-mountable device (HMD);

activating a plurality of visual type functions on the HMD for selection in response to an indication that the gesture is a forward gesture toward an eyepiece on the HMD; and

activating a plurality of audio type functions on the HMD for selection in response to an indication that the gesture is a rearward gesture toward an end of an arm on the HMD.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the article of manufacture includes a heads-up display.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable to perform functions comprising receiving an indication of a second gesture associated with the HMD, and activating the HMD in response to receiving the indication of the second gesture.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable to perform functions comprising receiving the indication of the gesture via a touch pad.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable to perform functions comprising receiving the indication of the gesture via a sensor.

16. A system comprising:

a processor;

a head-mountable device (HMD) comprising a heads-up display;

data storage; and

non-transitory machine language instructions stored on the data storage executable by the processor to perform functions including;

receiving an indication of a gesture associated with the HMD;

activating a plurality of visual type functions on the HMD for selection in response to an indication that the gesture is a gesture toward an eyepiece on the HMD; and

activating a plurality of audio type functions on the HMD for selection in response to an indication that the gesture is a gesture toward an end of an arm on the HMD.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the instructions are further executable to perform functions comprising receiving an indication of a second gesture associated with the HMD, and activating the HMD in response to receiving the indication of the second gesture.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the instructions are further executable to perform functions comprising receiving the indication via a touch pad.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the instructions are further executable to perform functions comprising receiving the indication via a sensor.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the visual type functions comprise at least one of recording visual items, providing for the review of visual items, providing for a visual search, providing for visual communication, performing visual translation, and augmenting reality visually.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the audio type functions comprise at least one of performing an audio recording, providing for the review of an audio recording, performing a speech search, providing for an input of system commands, providing for audio communication, and augmenting reality sonically.

22. A system comprising:

a processor;

a head-mountable device (HMD) comprising a heads-up display;

data storage; and

non-transitory machine language instructions stored on the data storage executable by the processor to perform functions including;

receiving an indication of a gesture associated with the HMD;

activating visual type functions for selection on the HMD in response to an indication that the gesture is a gesture toward an eyepiece on the HMD; and

activating audio type functions for selection on the HMD in response to an indication that the gesture is a gesture toward an end of an arm on the HMD.