Patent Application
20150009309
The present disclosure relates to optical glasses, goggles and like eyewear having a camera associated with the eyewear, as on the frame, and in particular a digital camera built-into the frame.
Computing devices such as personal computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, cellular phones, and countless types of Internet-capable devices are increasingly prevalent in numerous aspects of modern life. As computers become more advanced, augmented-reality devices, which blend computer-generated information with the user's perception of the physical world, are expected to become more prevalent.
To provide an augmented-reality experience, computing devices may be worn by a user as they go about various aspects of their everyday life. Such computing devices may be “wearable” computers. Wearable computers may sense a user's surrounding by, for example, determining a user's geographic location, using cameras and/or sensors to detect objects near to the user, using microphones and/or sensors to detect what a user is hearing, and using various other sensors to collect information about the environment surrounding the user. Further, wearable computers may use biosensors to detect the user's own physical state. The information collected by the wearable computer may then be analyzed in order to determine what information should be presented to the user.
A wearable computer may take the form of a head-mounted display (HMD) that is worn by the user. An HMD typically provides a heads-up display near the user's eyes. As such, HMDs may also be referred to as “near-eye” displays. HMDs may overlay computer-generated graphics (e.g., text, images, video, etc.) on the physical world being perceived by the user. An HMD may also include a camera that is associated with the HMD, as on the frame of a pair of glasses, goggles or the like.
Moreover, the camera need not be part of an overall wearable computer associated with the eyewear, but could be a camera built into what might otherwise be a fairly standard optical eyeglass frame. The camera may be a miniature digital camera that is incorporated in the eyeglass frame, thus eliminating the need to carry the camera. How to actuate the camera can be an important feature.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, eyewear is provided having a frame adapted to be secured to a wearer's head. The frame includes a frame part that is located just above a wearer's eye. A digital camera is mounted to the frame. There is a power source for the camera, as well as a storage device configured to store digital images taken by the camera.
An actuator for operating the camera is provided on the frame part, and positioned approximately just above a wearer's eye.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, optical glasses are provided with a frame that has a camera button located on a part of the glasses frame, most preferably approximately centered just above one of the lenses. By approximately centered is meant generally along a vertical line extending through the midpoint of the eyeball, but with some small latitude left or right of this line. This places the button in a position that (1) is easily accessed by the wearer while also serving to stabilize the glass frame/picture image, and (2) an individual having his/her picture taken will recognize a traditional “picture taking” gesture by the wearer, thus serving as a “visual cue” to the subject; as the top and bottom of the glasses lens is held like a standard camera, with finger on the button, and the wearer's eye in the lens is reminiscent of a camera lens.
The disclosure is not limited to glasses, but is applicable to other eyewear, such as goggles, which present a similar framework on which the novel button placement can be accomplished. Nor is the disclosure limited to a push button, and other actuator devices may be readily employed. So too, the camera may be for still photos or video.
These and other aspects, advantages and features of the disclosure will be further understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of an embodiment of the disclosure, taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
The following detailed description describes various features and functions of the disclosure with reference to the accompanying Figures. In the Figures, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative apparati described herein are not meant to be limiting. It will be readily understood that certain aspects of the disclosure can be arranged and combined in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are contemplated herein.
Mounted on frame 12 is a digital camera 16. Camera 16 is connected with a power source and image storage device 20, via a suitable wire electrical connection indicated at 22. The wire may be located within the frame 12, for example. Note also that the camera could be wirelessly connected to a power source and image storage device remote from the frame 12, if so desired.
Here, the camera 16 is mounted so that it is positioned and oriented in the same direction as the user's eyes to capture a view similar to the wearer's view. Other configurations are also possible. Mounted as such, the camera tracks the movement of the user's head. If a video camera is used instead of a still photo camera, the perspective of the recorded video at a given point in time will generally capture the user's frame of reference (i.e., the user's view) at that time.
The digital camera 16 is of a known conventional type, including a lens for focusing on the subject, a digital imager for capturing an image, and a converter for producing digital image signals from the image. The storage device 20 is likewise known and conventional, having a battery also associated therewith for powering the apparatus. Again, such digital cameras and related equipment are well known in the art.
The actuator for the camera 16 is a push button 24. Button 24 is located on the frame 12 at about the midpoint on the upper part 12a of the frame above a lens 14. This places the button 24 in a very useful position. With reference to
This orientation of the button 24 also is reminiscent of how a person would ordinarily hold a stand-alone camera for taking a photo (such as a camera having dimensions of about two inches tall and three inches long), looking through the viewfinder with one eye. So too, the perception of the person whose photo is being taken will be like that dealing with an ordinary camera. Thus, placing the button 24 in the indicated position on the upper frame part 12a provides a visual “cue” to the subject that a photo-shoot is in progress.
Button 24 is likewise known and conventional. It may be such as to provide a mechanical switch to operate the camera, or simply an electrical signal to do the same. It may be a touchswitch (resistive or capacitive sensitive), or an optical or proximity sensor with no moving parts. Furthermore, button 24 may also perform an on-off function for the camera 16, using conventional circuitry which determines on/off by the length of time the button is held, for example. Alternatively, another actuator may be associated with the frame 12, as on the storage device 20, which is used for turning the camera on and off.
Turning now to
As illustrated in
Camera 16 is mounted on the center frame support 108.
The extending side-arms 114 and 116 are each projections that extend away from the frame elements 104 and 106, respectively, and are positioned behind a user's ears to secure the eyeglasses 102 to the user. The extending side-arms 114 and 116 may further secure the eyeglasses 102 to the user by extending around a rear portion of the user's head. Additionally or alternatively, for example, the system 100 may connect to or be affixed within a head-mounted helmet structure. Other possibilities exist as well.
The system 100 may also include an on-board computing system 118, a video camera 120, a sensor 122, and finger-operable touch pads 124, 126. The on-board computing system 118 is shown to be positioned on the extending side-arm 114 of the eyeglasses 102; however, the on-board computing system 118 may be provided on other parts of the eyeglasses 102 or even remote from the glasses (e.g., computing system 118 could be connected wirelessly or wired to eyeglasses 102). The on-board computing system 118 may include a processor and memory, for example. The on-board computing system 118 may be configured to receive and analyze data from the video camera 120 and the finger-operable touch pads 124, 126 (and possibly from other sensory devices, user interfaces, or both) and generate images for output from the lens elements 110 and 112. The camera 16 is connected to the computing system 118, which would also include the power source (battery) and image storage capability.
The video camera 120 is shown to be positioned on the extending side-arm 114 of the eyeglasses 102; however, the video camera 120 may be provided on other parts of the eyeglasses 102; as noted previously, the video camera could replace the camera 16. The video camera 120 may be configured to capture images at various resolutions or at different frame rates. Many video cameras with a small form-factor, such as those used in cell phones or webcams, for example, may be incorporated into an example of the system 100. Although
The sensor 122 is shown mounted on the extending side-arm 116 of the eyeglasses 102; however, the sensor 122 may be provided on other parts of the eyeglasses 102. The sensor 122 may include one or more of a gyroscope or an accelerometer, for example. Other sensing devices may be included within the sensor 122 or other sensing functions may be performed by the sensor 122.
The finger-operable touch pads 124, 126 are shown mounted on the extending side-arms 114, 116 of the eyeglasses 102. Each of finger-operable touch pads 124, 126 may be used by a user to input commands. The finger-operable touch pads 124, 126 may sense at least one of a position and a movement of a finger via capacitive sensing, resistance sensing, or a surface acoustic wave process, among other possibilities. The finger-operable touch pads 124, 126 may be capable of sensing finger movement in a direction parallel or planar to the pad surface, in a direction normal to the pad surface, or both, and may also be capable of sensing a level of pressure applied. The finger-operable touch pads 124, 126 may be formed of one or more translucent or transparent insulating layers and one or more translucent or transparent conducting layers. Edges of the finger-operable touch pads 124, 126 may be formed to have a raised, indented, or roughened surface, so as to provide tactile feedback to a user when the user's finger reaches the edge of the finger-operable touch pads 124, 126. Each of the finger-operable touch pads 124, 126 may be operated independently, and may provide a different function.
The lens elements 110 and 112 may act as a combiner in a light projection system and may include a coating that reflects the light projected onto them from the projectors 128 and 132. In some embodiments, a special coating may not be used (e.g., when the projectors 128 and 132 are scanning laser devices).
In alternative embodiments, other types of display elements may also be used. For example, the lens elements 110, 112 themselves may include: a transparent or semi-transparent matrix display, such as an electroluminescent display or a liquid crystal display, one or more waveguides for delivering an image to the user's eyes, or other optical elements capable of delivering an in focus near-to-eye image to the user. A corresponding display driver may be disposed within the frame elements 104 and 106 for driving such a matrix display. Alternatively or additionally, a laser or LED source and scanning system could be used to draw a raster display directly onto the retina of one or more of the user's eyes. Other possibilities exist as well.
Thus, the device 138 may include a display system 144 comprising a processor 146 and a display 148. The display 148 may be, for example, an optical see-through display, an optical see-around display, or a video see-through display. The processor 146 may receive data from the remote device 142, and configure the data for display on the display 148. The processor 146 may be any type of processor, such as a micro-processor or a digital signal processor, for example.
The device 138 may further include on-board data storage, such as memory 150 coupled to the processor 146. The memory 150 may store software that can be accessed and executed by the processor 146, for example.
The remote device 142 may be any type of computing device or transmitter including a laptop computer, a mobile telephone, etc., that is configured to transmit data to the device 138. The remote device 142 and the device 138 may contain hardware to enable the communication link 140, such as processors, transmitters, receivers, antennas, etc.
In
While various aspects of the disclosure have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration, and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.
