Virtual reality viewer and input mechanism

• US 9,420,075 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2015
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DDC Technology, LLC
• Original Assignee: DODOcase, Inc.
• Inventors: Buckley, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Pervan, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/801,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20160018853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7- 9
• 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 the mobile electronic device, wherein the housing is configured to hold the mobile electronic device such that the touch-screen is generally centered in a horizontal direction and directly in a user'"'"'s field of view when looking into a generally hollow interior of the housing through a side opposite the touch-screen;

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, the input mechanism comprising;

an electrical shield having a surface, wherein only a portion of the surface of the electrical shield is configured to contact a central region of the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device when the input mechanism is 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, and

wherein at least a portion of the input mechanism is moveable between the first position and the extended position and is located within a central region of the interior that is between a left and a right region of the interior and the field of view such that only the portion of the surface of the electrical shield contacts the central area of the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device.

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

4. The virtual reality viewer of claim 3, wherein the housing substantially encloses the touch-screen within the interior, and further comprising:

a back wall opposite the touch-screen, wherein the back-wall includes a left and a right lens for viewing a left and a right region of the interior and the touch-screen within the housing;

wherein at least a second portion of the input mechanism is generally centered in the horizontal direction within the interior and is configured to move in a direction toward the touch-screen when the first portion of the input mechanism is actuated; and

wherein the portion of the surface of the electrical shield is disposed on the second portion of the input mechanism and is generally centered within the interior in the horizontal direction whereby the portion is generally located between the left and right regions and is moveable between the first position and the extended position.

5. 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, wherein the view divider is a structure that is generally centered within the interior and at least partially separates a left and a right region of the interior.

6. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, 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 surface of the electrical shield is sized to have electrical properties that are sufficient to be detected by the touch-screen based on capacitance when the input mechanism is in the extended position and only the portion of the surface is contacting the touch-screen.

8. The virtual reality viewer of claim 6, wherein the surface of the electric shield is sized to have sufficient capacitive properties such that contact between only the portion of the surface and the touch-screen can 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 8, wherein the only portion of the surface that is configured to contact the touch-screen when the input mechanism is in the extended position is substantially smaller in size than the remaining portion of the surface of electric shield that is not configured to contact the touch-screen.

10. The virtual reality viewer of claim 6, further comprising a compressible pad disposed between the second portion of the input mechanism and the portion of the surface of the electric shield, wherein the pad is configured to create a sufficiently sized area of contact between the portion of the surface and the touch-screen when the input mechanism is in the extended position.

11. The virtual reality viewer of claim 10, wherein the pad is configured to vary the size of the area of contact between the portion of the surface of the electric shield and the touch-screen as a function of a force applied to the input mechanism from the exterior of the housing.

12. The virtual reality viewer of claim 1, wherein the input mechanism includes a lever and a flexible linkage coupled to the housing, wherein the flexible linkage is configured to deform when the lever is actuated and thereby guide at least the portion of the surface between the first position and the extended position.

13. The virtual reality viewer of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the flexible linkage is integrally formed with the housing.

14. The virtual reality viewer of claim 12, wherein the flexible linkage is configured to return the portion of the surface from the extended position to the first position in the absence of user interaction with the input mechanism.

15. 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;

wherein the surface of the electrical shield is sized to have capacitive properties sufficient to provide a detectable capacitive touch input to the touch-screen when the input mechanism is in the extended position and only the portion of the surface contacts the touch-screen; and

a flexible linkage coupled to the lever and the housing, wherein the linkage is configured to flex in response to actuation of the lever and guide at least the portion of the surface between the first position and the extended position and return to the first position in response to release of the lever after actuation is complete.

16. 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 and are moveable within the interior;

wherein each of the plurality of input mechanisms have a respective electric shield having a respective surface located within the interior of the housing, and wherein only a respective portion of the respective surface is configured to contact the central region of the touch-screen at a distinct respective location when in the extended position.

17. 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.

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

a housing configured to receive the mobile electronic device and substantially enclose the touch-screen within a generally hollow interior of the housing, wherein the housing holds the touch-screen in a position that is generally centered in a horizontal direction and directly in a user'"'"'s field of view when viewing the touch-screen through a back wall of the housing, wherein the back-wall is opposite the touch-screen and includes a left and a right lens for viewing a left region and a right region of the interior and the touch-screen;

an input device including,

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

an elongate second portion disposed within the interior of the housing between the left and right regions wherein the second portion is generally oriented in a vertical direction that is perpendicular to the horizontal direction;

an electric shield,

wherein a first surface of the electric shield is disposed on the first portion and is electrically coupled to a second surface of the electric shield,

wherein the second surface is disposed on the second portion within the interior and is generally centered in the horizontal direction between the left and right regions, and wherein only the second surface of the electric shield is configured to contact a central portion of the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device and selectively transfer a capacitive touch input to the touch-screen in response to a user interaction with the first portion of the input mechanism.

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

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

wherein at least the electric shield includes a conductive material configured to transfer electrical capacitance between the first surface and the touch-screen via the second surface in response to a user interaction with the first surface; and

wherein the second portion of the input mechanism at least partially divides the left and right regions.

20. 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, wherein the housing is formed to define a cut-out through an exterior side 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, the input mechanism comprising;

a lever that is accessible through the cut-out;

an electrical shield, wherein only portion of a surface of the electrical shield is configured to contact the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device when in the extended position,

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

wherein at least a portion of the input mechanism defines at least a portion of a view divider within the interior of the housing.