Soft head mounted display goggles for use with mobile computing devices

• US 9,696,553 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2016
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Merge Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Merge Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Lyons, Franklin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US15/221,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20160334628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 341 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7, 345 8, 345156, 345161, 345173, 345184, 345620, 345625, 345633, 345634, 345661, 359630, 359631, 348 36, 348 77, 348207, 349 13
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/98 Accessories, i.e. detachable arrangements optional for the use of the video game device, e.g. grip supports of game controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0154 with movable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0169 Supporting or connecting means other than the external walls
• 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 2027/0198 System for aligning or maintaining alignment of an image in a predetermined direction
• 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: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/022 Viewing apparatus G02B27/04, G02B27/06, G02B27/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/028 characterised by the supporting structure
• 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 7/023 permitting adjustment
• 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 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 : Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 : with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 : Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 : Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

A head mounted display system for use with a mobile computing device, comprises a single-piece main body made entirely of a homogeneous unitary soft and compressible material, the soft main body configured to be worn on a human head and including a retention pocket configured to accept and secure a mobile computing device to the main body, and a lens assembly within the main body comprising at least one lens configured to focus vision of a wearer on a respective area of a display screen of the mobile computing device, such that an image may be viewed through the lens on the display screen.

Claims

1. A head mounted display system for use with the mobile computing device, comprising:

a lens assembly comprising two lenses configured to focus vision of a wearer on respective areas of a display screen of the mobile computing device when the mobile computing device is held in a fixed position relative to the two lenses, such that an image may be viewed through the two lenses on the display screen;

a main body configured to be worn on a human head and including the lens assembly, and a support for holding the mobile computing device in place relative to the two lenses; and

at least one contact point fixed relative to the lenses that, when in contact with the display of the mobile computing device identify to the mobile computing device a position of the display relative to the two lenses when the display is held in place relative to the two lenses.

2. The head mounted display system of claim 1 wherein the mobile computing device updates a position of data displayed on the display based upon data derived from the points at which the at least one contact point contacts the display.

3. The head mounted display system of claim 1 wherein relative horizontal and vertical positions of the two lenses relative to the display are derived based upon locations at which the at least one contact point contacts the display.

4. The head mounted display system of claim 3 wherein a position of the data displayed on the display is altered when the mobile device is moved so as to account for new horizontal and vertical positions of the two lenses relative to the display.

5. The head mounted display system of claim 1 wherein the at least one contact point is brought into contact with the display of the mobile computing device in response to retention of the mobile computing device by the support.

6. The head mounted display system of claim 1 wherein the mobile computing device is held in place by the support through compression.

7. A head mounted display system for use with a mobile computing device, comprising:

a main body configured to be worn on a human head configured to accept and secure a mobile computing device, the main body having a front face and a soft rear lip adapted to conform to a wearer'"'"'s head;

a lens assembly within the main body comprising at least one lens configured to focus vision of a wearer on a respective area of a display screen of the mobile computing device, when the mobile computing device is secured such that an image may be viewed through the at least one lens on the display screen; and

at least one contact point fixed relative to the at least one lens and projecting toward the display screen that, when in contact with the display of the mobile computing device, the at least one contact point is detected by the mobile computing device and used to derive the position of the display relative to the at least one lens when the display is within a retention pocket.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the lens assembly comprises two separate frames each of which holds one of the at least one lens, and wherein the two separate frames are separately movable within the main body.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the at least one contact point comprises a stylus having a stylus tip coupled to and movable with the lens assembly, wherein the stylus has a length sufficient for the stylus tip to contact the display screen of the mobile computing device when positioned within the retention pocket.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the stylus tip is movable and is retracted from the display screen until a user presses a button which advances the stylus tip into contact with the display screen.

11. The head mounted display system of claim 7 wherein the mobile computing device updates a position of data displayed on the display based upon data derived from points at which the pair of contact points contact the display.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the at least one contact point is a stylus tip that is movable and is retracted from the display screen until a user touches the button which advances the stylus tip into contact with the display screen.

13. The head mounted display system of claim 7 wherein relative horizontal and vertical positions of the at least one lens relative to the display are derived based upon locations at which the at least one contact point contacts the display.

14. The head mounted display system of claim 13 wherein a position of the data displayed on the display is altered when the mobile device is moved so as to account for new horizontal and vertical positions of the at least one lens relative to the display.

15. The head mounted display system of claim 7 wherein the at least one contact point is brought into contact with the display of the mobile computing device in response to insertion of the mobile computing device into a retention pocket.

16. A head mounted display system for use with a mobile computing device, comprising:

a main body configured to be worn on a human head including a support for holding the mobile computing device in place relative to the main body;

a lens assembly within the main body comprising two lenses configured to focus vision of a wearer on respective areas of a display screen of the mobile computing device, such that an image may be viewed through the two lenses on the display screen; and

at least one contact point fixed relative to the two lenses that, when in contact with the display of the mobile computing device, the location of the at least one contact point on the display relative to the two lenses is detected by the computing device and used to derive the position of the display relative to the two lenses when the display is held by the support.

17. The head mounted display system of claim 16 wherein the mobile computing device updates a position of data displayed on the display based upon data derived from points at which the at least one contact point contacts the display.

18. The head mounted display system of claim 16 wherein relative horizontal and vertical positions of the two lenses relative to the display are derived based upon locations at which the at least one contact point contacts the display.

19. The head mounted display system of claim 18 wherein a position of the data displayed on the display is altered when the mobile device is moved so as to account for new horizontal and vertical positions of the two lenses relative to the display.

20. The head mounted display system of claim 16 wherein the at least one contact point is brought into contact with the display of the mobile computing device in response to retention of the mobile computing device by the support.

21. The head mounted display system of claim 16 wherein the mobile computing device is held in place by the support through compression.