Motion sensor-based head location estimation and updating

• US 9,442,564 B1
• Filed: 02/12/2015
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dillon, Michael Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): OSORIO, RICARDO
• Application Number:
  US14/620,494
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0346 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

Abstract

A device that operates a user interface (UI) that depends on the position of the user'"'"'s head. The device estimates the head position using motion sensors. The device establishes an initial estimated position of the head and tracks the device'"'"'s movement from an initial reference position to determine the new position of the head. If the head crosses a position threshold the device may partially re-center the head to avoid large errors.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a gyroscope;

a display;

at least one processor;

a memory component including instructions operable to be executed by the at least one processor to cause the device to;

receive first gyroscope data from the gyroscope;

establish a device reference position using the first gyroscope data;

determine a normal of the device, wherein the normal is a line perpendicular to the display and extends from a display center at a center of the display;

determine an estimated reference head position relative to the device reference position, wherein the estimated reference head position is a first distance from the display center in a first direction along the normal at the device reference position;

receive second gyroscope data from the gyroscope, the second gyroscope data indicating rotation of the device to a second device position;

determine a revised head position relative to the second device position, wherein the revised head position is the first distance from the center of the display in a second direction, where the second direction is different from the first direction;

determine a head movement distance between the estimated reference head position and the revised head position;

determine that the head movement distance is beyond a head movement threshold distance;

determine, based on the revised head position, a second revised head position, wherein;

the revised head position is a first offset distance from a reset position,

the second revised head position is a second offset distance from the reset position,

the second offset distance is less than the first offset distance, and

the reset position is located the first distance away from the display center along the normal when the device is in the second device position; and

display a user interface on the display, wherein the user interface is based on the second revised head position.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions to cause the device to compare the revised head position to the head position threshold comprise instructions to:

determine a revised head vector, wherein the revised head vector extends from the display center to the revised head position and has a magnitude equal to the first distance;

determine an angle between the revised head vector and the normal; and

compare the angle to a head position threshold angle to determine the angle is greater than the head position threshold angle.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the device to:

determine a reset threshold distance, wherein;

the reset threshold distance is measured from the reset position, and

the head position threshold distance is larger than the reset threshold distance;

compare the second revised head position to the reset threshold;

determine that the second offset distance is greater than the reset threshold distance; and

determine, based on the second revised head position, a third revised head position, wherein;

the third revised head position is a third offset distance from the reset position,

the third offset distance is less than the second first offset distance by a correction distance, and

the correction distance is based on a distance from the second revised head position to the reset position.

4. A device comprising:

a motion sensor;

a display;

at least one processor;

a memory component including instructions operable to be executed by the at least one processor to cause the device to;

receive first sensor data from the motion sensor;

determine a device reference position using the first sensor data;

determine an estimated head position, wherein the estimated head position is a first distance, in a first direction, from the display at the device reference position;

receive second sensor data from the motion sensor, the second sensor data associated with movement of the device to a second device position;

determine a revised head position relative to the second device position, wherein the revised head position is in a second direction relative to the display, where the second direction is different from the first direction;

determine a second distance between the estimated head position and the revised head position;

determine that the second distance is beyond a first threshold distance;

determine, based on the revised head position, a second revised head position, wherein;

the revised head position is a third distance from a reset position,

the second revised head position is a fourth distance from the reset position, and

the fourth distance is less than the third distance; and

display a user interface on the display, wherein the user interface is based at least in part on the second revised head position.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the instructions further cause the device to determine a normal of the device, wherein the normal is a line perpendicular to the display and extends from a display center at a center of the display, wherein:

the normal intersects with the estimated head position when the device is at the device reference position, and

the normal intersects with the reset position when the device is at the second device position.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the reset position is the first distance from the display.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein:

the instructions that cause the device to determine the revised head position cause the device to determine the revised head position to be the first distance from the display; and

the instructions that cause the device to determine the second revised head position cause the device to determine the second revised head position to be the first distance from the display.

8. The device of claim 4, wherein the instructions further cause the device to:

determine a normal of the device, wherein the normal is a line perpendicular to the display and extends from a point on the display;

determine a revised head vector, wherein the revised head vector extends from the point to the revised head position and has a magnitude equal to the first distance;

determine an angle between the revised head vector and the normal; and

compare the angle to a first threshold angle.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the device to:

determine a second threshold distance, wherein the first threshold distance is greater than the second threshold distance;

determine that the fourth distance is beyond the second threshold distance; and

determine, using the second revised head position, a third revised head position, wherein the third revised head position is a fifth distance from the estimated head position and the fifth distance is less than the fourth distance by a correction distance.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the device to determine the correction distance based on a distance from the second revised head position to the reset position.

11. The device of claim 4, wherein the motion sensor is a gyroscope.

12. The device of claim 4, wherein the instructions further cause the device to:

determine a time elapsed since receipt of a request for head position;

determine that the time elapsed is beyond a time threshold;

receive third sensor data from the motion sensor;

establish a new device reference position using the third sensor data; and

determine a new estimated head position, wherein the new estimated head position is the first distance from the display when the device is in the new device reference position.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving first sensor data from a motion sensor of a device;

determining a device reference position using the first sensor data;

determining an estimated head position, wherein the estimated head position is a first distance, in a first direction, from a display of the device at the device reference position;

receiving second sensor data from the motion sensor, the second sensor data associated with movement of the device to a second device position;

determining a revised head position relative to the second device position, wherein the revised head position is in a second direction relative to the display, where the second direction is different from the first direction;

determining a second distance between the estimated head position and the revised head position;

determining that the second distance is beyond a first threshold distance;

determining, based on the revised head position, a second revised head position, wherein;

the revised head position is a third distance from a reset position,

the second revised head position is a fourth distance from the reset position, and

the fourth distance is less than the third distance; and

displaying a user interface on the display, wherein the user interface is based at least in part on the second revised head position.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining a normal of the device, wherein the normal is a line perpendicular to the display and extends from a display center at a center of the display, wherein:

the normal intersects with the estimated head position when the device is at the device reference position, and

the normal intersects with the reset position when the device is at the second device position.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein:

determining the revised head position comprises determining the revised head position to be the first distance from the display; and

determining the second revised head position comprises determining the second revised head position to be the first distance from the display.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a normal of the device, wherein the normal is a line perpendicular to the display and extends from a point on the display;

determining a revised head vector, wherein the revised head vector extends from the point to the revised head position and has a magnitude equal to the first distance;

determining an angle between the revised head vector and the normal; and

comparing the angle to a first threshold angle.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a second threshold distance, wherein the first threshold distance is greater than the second threshold distance;

determining that the fourth distance is beyond the second threshold distance; and

determining, using the second revised head position a third revised head position, wherein the third revised head position is a fifth distance from the estimated head position and the fifth distance is less than the fourth distance by a correction distance.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining the correction distance based on a distance from the second revised head position to the reset position.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the motion sensor is a gyroscope.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a time elapsed since receipt of a request for head position;

determining that the time elapsed is beyond a time threshold;

receiving third sensor data from the motion sensor;

establishing a new device reference position using the third sensor data; and

determining a new estimated head position, wherein the new estimated head position is the first distance from the display when the device is in the new device reference position.