Head-mounted display, program for controlling head-mounted display, and method of controlling head-mounted display

• US 9,523,854 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kuriya, Shinobu, Ueno, Masatoshi, Kabasawa, Kenichi, Kawakami, Daisuke, Goto, Tetsuro, Sugano, Hisako, Tsukahara, Tsubasa, Nakagawa, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): BOYD, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/376,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20150009132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 345/8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0123 comprising devices increasing the field of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• 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 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• 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 head-mounted display comprising a display and a detector. The detector is configured to detect a direction of at least one of the head-mounted display and a line of vision. The display is configured to display an output image of an application, wherein the application is selected based on the direction being outside a range of a front direction.

Claims

1. A head-mounted display comprising:

a detector configured to detect a direction of at least one of the head-mounted display or a line of vision; and

a display configured to display a plurality of applications,

wherein the plurality of applications are displayed side by side as output images when the direction is changed to a predetermined direction different from a front direction, and

wherein at least one of the applications is selected when the direction is consistent with the front direction.

2. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein a range of the front direction is set at least large enough to encompass the display when the head-mounted display is facing the front direction.

3. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein a range of the front direction is set at least large enough to encompass a part of the display when the head-mounted display is facing the front direction.

4. The head-mounted display according to claim 3, wherein the part of the display is configured to display the output images of the applications.

5. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein the front direction is set as a direction of the head-mounted display when the head-mounted display is powered on or when a predetermined input operation is performed.

6. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein the display is a see-through display.

7. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, further comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device storing instructions which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to select the application.

8. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein the detector is configured to detect the direction of the head-mounted display.

9. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein a first application is selected based on the direction being a first direction outside the range of the front direction, and a second application is selected based on the direction being a second direction outside the range of the front direction, and wherein the first application and second application are different.

10. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein the at lease one of the applications is selected based on the direction and a timer value.

11. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein

a first application is selected based on the direction moving from inside a range of the front direction to outside the range of the front direction, and the display is configured to display an output image of the first application.

12. The head-mounted display according to claim 11, wherein a second application is selected or no application is selected based on the direction moving from outside the range of the front direction to inside the range of the front direction, and the display is configured to display an output image of the second application or to display no output image.

13. The head-mounted display according to claim 11, wherein a selection of the first application is fixed based on a timer value and the direction moving from outside the range of the front direction to inside the range of the front direction, and the display is configured to continue to display the output image of the first application.

14. The head-mounted display according to claim 13, wherein a fixation of the first application is released based on a timer value.

15. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of the applications is selected based on an output of at least one of a GPS and an acceleration sensor included in the head-mounted display.

16. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein the output images of the applications include at least one of text, a moving image, and a still image.

17. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein the display is configured to display a plurality of applications in menu form.

18. The head-mounted display according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of applications displayed in menu form are displayed in a sliding manner based on the direction detected by the detector.

19. A method of operating a head-mounted display comprising:

detecting a direction of at least one of the head-mounted display and a line of vision;

displaying a plurality of applications side by side as output images when the direction is changed to a predetermined direction different from a front direction, and

selecting at least one of the applications when the direction is consistent with the front direction.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a head-mounted display to:

detect a direction of at least one of the head-mounted display and a line of vision;

display a plurality of applications side by side as output images when the direction is changed to a predetermined direction different from a front direction, and

select at least one of the applications when the direction is consistent with the front direction.