Handheld input device

Abstract

The invention relates to a handheld input device. A system may include an electronic device, such as a head-mounted device, and a handheld input device for controlling the electronic device. A tether may be removably attached to the handheld input device or non-electronic object. The lanyard may include visual markers, such as infrared light emitting diodes and / or fiducial points, which may be detected by an external camera and used to track the position of the lanyard. For example, the lacing may be a fabric, and the visual marker may be incorporated into or attached to the fabric. The lanyard may also include a motion sensor, a vision-inertial ranging camera, or other sensor to determine the position of the lanyard. The lanyard may be electrically coupled to the handheld input device for transmitting power and / or data. Alternatively, the lanyard may be coupled to a non-electronic object and may include a battery and / or a haptic output component.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application No. 18 / 363,560, filed on August 1, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates generally to computer systems and, more particularly, to input devices for computer systems. Background Art

[0003] An electronic device such as a computer can be controlled using an input device. For example, an electronic device can be controlled using a mouse, a touch pad, and / or a keyboard. Summary of the invention

[0004] A system may include an electronic device such as a head mounted device and a handheld input device for controlling the electronic device. The head mounted device or other device may have a display configured to display virtual content superimposed on real world content.

[0005] The lanyard may be removably attached to the handheld input device. The lanyard may include visual markers, such as infrared light emitting diodes and / or fiducials, which may be detected by an external camera and used to track the position, orientation, and / or movement of the lanyard. For example, the lanyard may be a fabric, and the visual marker may be incorporated into or attached to the fabric. The external camera may then capture an image of the visual marker, and image recognition may be used to track the visual marker and, therefore, the lanyard.

[0006] The tether may alternatively or additionally include a motion sensor, a visual-inertial odometry camera, or other sensor to determine the position of the tether. The tether may communicate its position to the head mounted device and / or handheld input device via a wired or wireless connection.

[0007] The lanyard can be electrically coupled to the handheld input device to transfer power and / or data. For example, the lanyard can be electrically coupled to the handheld input device via a USB-C port, a lightning port, or other port.

[0008] Alternatively, the lanyard may be coupled to a non-electronic object and may additionally include a battery and / or a tactile output component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of an illustrative system with a handheld input device and associated external devices according to some embodiments.

[0010] Figure 2 is a perspective view of an illustrative handheld input device according to some embodiments.

[0011] Figure 3is a front view of an illustrative handheld input device with a lanyard having visual markers according to some embodiments.

[0012] Figure 4A is a front view of an illustrative handheld input device having a lanyard that can be bent into a desired shape according to some embodiments.

[0013] Figure 4B and Figure 4C is a front view of an illustrative reinforcement structure that may be used to form a lanyard so that the lanyard may maintain a desired shape, according to some embodiments.

[0014] Figure 4D is a perspective view of an illustrative handheld input device having a lanyard bent into a loop shape according to some embodiments.

[0015] Figure 5 A perspective view of an illustrative system including a head mounted device with a camera that can track a lanyard with a visual marker according to some embodiments.

[0016] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B is a view of an illustrative handheld input device with lanyards attached at both ends according to some embodiments.

[0017] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B is a view of an illustrative handheld input device with a lanyard having light emitters on multiple surfaces according to some embodiments.

[0018] Figure 8 is a side view of an illustrative handheld input device with a tether having a visual-inertial odometry camera according to some embodiments.

[0019] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an illustrative handheld input device having a lanyard that wraps around a body part of a user according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] An electronic device configured to be held in the user's hand can be used to collect user input and provide output to the user. For example, an electronic device configured to control one or more other electronic devices (sometimes referred to as a controller, a handheld controller, an input device, or a handheld input device) can be used to collect user input and supply output. As an example, the input device may include an inertial measurement unit with an accelerometer for collecting information about input device motion (such as swiping motion, waving motion, writing movement, drawing movement, shaking motion, rotation, etc.), may include a wireless communication circuit for communicating with external equipment (such as a head-mounted device), may include tracking features (such as active or passive visual markers that can be tracked using optical sensors in external electronic devices), may include input devices (such as touch sensors, force sensors, buttons, knobs, wheels, etc.), and / or may include sensors for collecting information about handheld input devices, the hand of the user interacting with the input device, and the interaction between the surrounding environment. The handheld input device may include a tactile output device that provides tactile output to the user's hand, and may include other output components such as one or more speakers.

[0021] One or more handheld input devices may collect user input from a user. A user may use an input device to control a virtual reality, augmented reality, or mixed reality device (e.g., a head-mounted device such as glasses, goggles, a helmet, or other device with a display). During operation, the input device may collect user input, such as information about the interaction between the input device and the surrounding environment, the interaction between the user's fingers or hands and the surrounding environment, and / or the interaction associated with the virtual content displayed for the user. The user input may be used to control the visual output on the display (e.g., a head-mounted display, a computer display, etc.). The input device may be used to provide a corresponding tactile output to the user's fingers. The tactile output may be used, for example, to provide a desired sensation (e.g., texture, weight, torque, push, pull, etc.) to the user's fingers when the user interacts with a real or virtual object using a handheld input device. The tactile output may also be used to generate braking, provide local or global tactile feedback in response to user input supplied to the input device, and / or provide other tactile effects.

[0022] The input device may be held in one or both hands of the user, or may be otherwise coupled to the user. The user may use the input device to interact with any suitable electronic equipment. For example, the user may use one or more input devices to interact with a virtual reality or mixed reality system (e.g., a head mounted device with a display) to provide input to a desktop computer, tablet computer, cellular phone, watch, earbuds, or other accessories to control household items such as lighting, televisions, thermostats, appliances, or to interact with other electronic equipment.

[0023] The lanyard may be used to convert an item into an input device and / or enhance the input-output capabilities of an electronic input device. The lanyard may include input-output components, sensors, and / or other circuitry, and may be configured to couple to an item that may or may not contain any electronics or circuitry. Additionally or alternatively, the lanyard may include visual markers, such as light emitters (e.g., infrared LEDs) and / or fiducials that are tracked by a camera in an associated external device, such as a head-mounted device. In this manner, the head-mounted device may track the visual markers to determine the position, orientation, and / or movement of the lanyard.

[0024] In some arrangements, the tether may be coupled to an item without electronics (such as a pen, pencil, paintbrush, cutlery, or other handheld item). When the tether is placed on the item, the user may use the item normally (e.g., by writing with the pen or pencil, eating with the cutlery, and / or performing other tasks with the item), while the tether provides input-output capabilities by tracking the movement of the item, sensing information about the environment, providing tactile feedback, etc.

[0025] In other arrangements, the lanyard may be coupled to an electronic input device. With this type of arrangement, the lanyard may enhance the existing input-output capabilities of the input device, and / or the input device may enhance the input-output capabilities of the lanyard. When the lanyard is located on the input device, the lanyard and the input device may form a combined handheld input device (e.g., for a head mounted device or other electronic device) having both the input-output capabilities of the lanyard and the input-output capabilities of the input device. When the lanyard is removed from the input device, the input device may be used normally (e.g., by providing input to a touch screen). This allows a user to easily switch between electronic devices using a single input device.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative system of the type that may include one or more input devices and / or lanyards. Figure 1 As shown, system 8 may include electronic devices such as handheld input devices 10 and other electronic devices 24. Each handheld input device 10 (also referred to herein as input device 10) may be held in a user's hand or may otherwise be coupled to a user.

[0027] Additional electronic devices in system 8 (such as device 24) may include devices such as a laptop computer, a computer monitor containing an embedded computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer (e.g., a display on a stand with an integrated computer processor and other computer circuitry), a cellular telephone, a media player, or other handheld or portable electronic device, a small device such as a watch device, a pendant device, a head-mounted device such as glasses, goggles, a helmet, or other equipment worn on a user's head, or other wearable or miniature devices, a television, a computer display that does not contain an embedded computer, a gaming device, a remote control, a navigation device, an embedded A wearable system (such as a system in which the device is mounted on a kiosk, car, airplane, or other vehicle) or other vehicle, a removable housing for electronic equipment, a strap, wristband, or headband, a removable device cover, a case or bag with straps or other structure to hold and carry electronic equipment and other items, a necklace or armband into which electronic equipment or other items can be inserted, a purse, sleeve, pocket, or other structure, a portion of a chair, sofa, or other seating (e.g., a cushion or other seating structure), a garment or other wearable item (e.g., a hat, belt, wristband, headband, socks, gloves, shirt, pants, etc.), or equipment that performs the functions of two or more of these devices.

[0028] With one illustrative configuration (which may sometimes be described herein as an example), device 10 is a handheld input device having an elongated marker-shaped housing configured to be held within a user's finger, or having another shaped housing configured to rest in a user's hand, and device 24 is a head-mounted device, a cellular telephone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a watch device, a device with a speaker, or other electronic device (e.g., a device with a display, audio components, and / or other output components). A handheld input device having a marker-shaped housing may have an elongated housing that spans the width of a user's hand and may be held like a pen, pencil, marker, grip stick, or tool.

[0029] Device 10 and device 24 may include control circuits 12 and 26, respectively. Control circuits 12 and control circuits 26 may include storage and processing circuits for supporting the operation of system 8. The storage and processing circuits may include storage devices such as non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically programmable read-only memory configured to form a solid-state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random access memory), etc. The processing circuits in control circuits 12 and 26 may be used to collect inputs from sensors and other input devices, and may be used to control output devices. The processing circuits may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors and other wireless communication circuits, power management units, audio chips, application-specific integrated circuits, etc.

[0030] To support communication between device 10 and device 24 and / or to support communication between equipment in system 8 and external electronic equipment, control circuit 12 may communicate using communication circuit 14 and / or control circuit 26 may communicate using communication circuit 28. Circuit 14 and / or circuit 28 may include an antenna, a radio frequency transceiver circuit, and other wireless communication circuits and / or wired communication circuits. For example, circuit 14 and / or circuit 28 (which may sometimes be referred to as control circuits and / or control and communication circuits) may support two-way wireless communication between device 10 and device 24 via wireless link 38 (e.g., a wireless local area network link, a near field communication link, or other suitable wired or wireless communication link (e.g., link, Link, 60 GHz link or other millimeter wave link, etc.)). Device 10 and device 24 may also include power circuits for transmitting and / or receiving wired and / or wireless power, and may include batteries. In a configuration that supports wireless power transfer between device 10 and device 24, an inductive power transfer coil (as an example) may be used to support in-band wireless communication.

[0031] Device 10 and device 24 may include input-output devices, such as device 16 and device 30. Input-output device 16 and / or input-output device 30 may be used to collect user input, to collect information about the user's surroundings, and / or to provide output to the user. Device 16 may include sensor 18, and device 30 may include sensor 32. Sensor 18 and / or 32 may include a force sensor (e.g., a strain gauge, a capacitive force sensor, a resistive force sensor, etc.), an audio sensor (such as a microphone), a touch sensor and / or a proximity sensor (such as a capacitive sensor), an optical sensor (such as an optical sensor that emits and detects light), an ultrasonic sensor (e.g., an ultrasonic sensor for tracking device orientation and position and / or for detecting user input such as finger input), and / or other touch sensors and / or proximity sensors, monochrome and color ambient light sensors, image sensors, sensors for detecting position, orientation, and / or motion (e.g., accelerometers, magnetic sensors (such as compass sensors, gyroscopes, and / or sensors) or an inertial measurement unit that includes some or all of these sensors)), muscle activity sensors (EMG) for detecting finger movements, radio frequency sensors, depth sensors (e.g., structured light sensors and / or depth sensors based on stereo imaging devices), optical sensors (such as self-mixing interferometric sensors and light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors that collect time-of-flight measurements), optical sensors (such as visual ranging sensors that use images collected by a digital image sensor in a camera to collect position and / or orientation information), gaze tracking sensors, visible light and / or infrared cameras with digital image sensors, humidity sensors, moisture content sensors, and / or other sensors.

[0032] In some arrangements, the device 10 and / or the device 24 may use the sensor 18 and / or the sensor 32 and / or other input-output devices 16 and / or the input-output devices 30 to collect user input (e.g., a button may be used to collect button press input, a touch sensor overlaid with a display may be used to collect touch screen input, a touch pad may be used to collect touch input, a microphone may be used to collect audio input, an accelerometer may be used to monitor when a finger contacts an input surface and may therefore be used to collect finger press input, etc.). If desired, the device 10 and / or the device 24 may include a rotary button (e.g., a crown mechanism on a watch or other suitable rotary button that rotates and optionally can be pressed to select an item of interest). Alphanumeric keys and / or other buttons may be included in the device 16 and / or the device 30. In some configurations, the sensor 18 may include a joystick, a ball, an optical sensor (e.g., a laser that emits light and an image sensor that tracks motion by monitoring and analyzing changes in light spot patterns and other information associated with surfaces illuminated with the emitted light as the device 10 moves relative to those surfaces), a fingerprint sensor, and / or other sensing circuits.

[0033] Radio frequency tracking devices may be included in the sensor 18 to detect location, orientation, and / or range. Beacons (e.g., radio frequency beacons) may be used to transmit radio frequency signals at different locations in the user's environment (e.g., at one or more registered locations in the user's home or office). Devices 10 and / or 24 may analyze radio frequency beacon signals to help determine the location and positioning of devices 10 and / or 24 relative to the beacon. If desired, devices 10 and / or 24 may include beacons. Frequency strength (received signal strength information), beacon orientation, flight time information, and / or other radio frequency information may be used to determine orientation and location information. At some frequencies (e.g., lower frequencies, such as frequencies below 10 GHz), signal strength information may be used, while at other frequencies (e.g., higher frequencies, such as frequencies above 10 GHz), indoor radar solutions may be used. If desired, in addition to or instead of using radio frequency beacons and / or radio frequency radar technology, light-based beacons, ultrasonic beacons, and / or other beacon devices may be used in the system 8.

[0034] Device 16 and / or device 30 may include haptic output device 20 and haptic output device 34. Haptic output device 20 and / or haptic output device 34 may generate motion sensed by a user (e.g., motion sensed by a fingertip of the user). Haptic output device 20 and / or haptic output device 34 may include the following actuators: such as electromagnetic actuators, motors, piezoelectric actuators, electroactive polymer actuators, vibrators, linear actuators (e.g., linear resonant actuators), rotary actuators, actuators of flexibly bendable members, actuator devices that generate and / or control repulsive and / or attractive forces between device 10 and / or device 24 (e.g., components for generating electrostatic repulsive and / or attractive forces, such as electrodes; components for generating ultrasonic outputs, such as ultrasonic transducers; components for generating magnetic interactions, such as electromagnets, permanent magnets, magnetic materials such as iron or ferrites for generating DC and / or AC magnetic fields; and / or other circuits for generating repulsive and / or attractive forces between device 10 and / or device 24). In some cases, the actuators used to generate forces in device 10 can be used to exert sensations on the user's fingers (e.g., the sensation of weight, texture, pull, push, torque, etc.) and / or otherwise interact directly with the user's fingers. In other cases, these components can be used to interact with each other (e.g., by using electromagnets to generate dynamically adjustable electromagnetic repulsive and / or attractive forces between a pair of devices 10 and / or between device 10 and device 24).

[0035] If desired, input-output device 16 and / or input-output device 30 may include other devices 22 and / or device 36, such as a display (e.g., displaying a user image in device 24), status indicators (e.g., light-emitting diodes in device 10 and / or device 24 used as power indicators, and other light-based output devices), speakers and other audio output devices, electromagnets, permanent magnets, structures formed from magnetic materials (e.g., iron rods or other ferromagnetic members attracted to magnets, such as electromagnets and / or permanent magnets), batteries, etc. Device 10 and / or device 24 may also include power transmission and / or reception circuitry configured to transmit and / or receive wired and / or wireless power signals.

[0036] Figure 2 4 is a perspective view of a user's hand (hand 40) and an exemplary handheld input device 10 (sometimes referred to as a handheld controller). Figure 2 As shown, the input device 10 can be an elongated marker-shaped electronic device that fits within a user's hand 40. The elongated shape of the input device 10 allows the hand 40 to hold the input device 10 as if it were a pen, pencil, marker, or other writing instrument. In other configurations, the input device 10 can be held in the hand 40 like a stick or baton. In general, the input device 10 can be held in the hand 40 in any suitable manner (e.g., at the end, in the middle, between two, three, four, or all five fingers, with both hands, etc.).

[0037] The user may hold one or more devices 10 at the same time. For example, the user may hold a single device 10 in the user's left hand or right hand. As another example, the user may hold a first device 10 in the user's left hand and a second device 10 in the user's right hand. An arrangement in which multiple devices 10 are held in one hand may also be used. A configuration in which the device 10 has a body held in the user's hand is sometimes described herein as an example.

[0038] Figure 1 The control circuitry 12 (and, if desired, the communication circuitry 14 and / or the input-output devices 16) may be contained entirely within the device 10 (e.g., within the housing 54) and / or may include circuitry located in an external structure (e.g., in an external electronic device such as the device 24, a console, a storage box, etc.).

[0039] In general, electronic components such as control circuitry 12, communication circuitry 14, and / or input-output devices 16 (e.g., sensors 18, haptic output devices 20, and / or other devices 22) may be mounted at any suitable location within input device housing 54 and / or at any suitable location on a surface of the input device housing.

[0040] like Figure 2As shown, the housing 54 may have an elongated marker shape, an elongated tube shape, an elongated columnar shape, and / or any other elongated shape. The housing 54, which may sometimes be referred to as a housing, a body, or a box, may be formed of plastic, glass, ceramic, fiber composite material, metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), fabric, other suitable materials, or any combination of two or more of these materials. The housing 54 may be formed using an integral configuration, in which a portion or all of the housing 54 is machined or molded into a single structure, or may be formed using multiple structures (e.g., an internal frame structure, one or more structures forming an external housing surface, etc.). The housing 54 may form a housing wall, an end portion, and / or an internal support structure for the device 10. The housing 54 may have a length L between 140 mm and 150 mm, between 130 mm and 160 mm, between 100 mm and 200 mm, between 120 mm and 160 mm, greater than 180 mm, less than 180 mm, or any other suitable length. The diameter D of the housing 54 may be between 12 mm and 14 mm, between 10 mm and 15 mm, between 11 mm and 16 mm, between 15 mm and 20 mm, between 18 mm and 25 mm, greater than 25 mm, less than 25 mm, or any other suitable diameter.

[0041] The housing 54 may have one or more curved surfaces and one or more planar surfaces. Figure 2 In the illustrative example of FIG. 5 , device 10 has a curved surface C wrapped around a first portion of device 10 and a flat surface F extending along a second portion of device 10. If desired, flat surface F may be located on a first side of device 10 and curved surface C may be located on an opposite second side of device 10. Curved surface C and flat surface F wrap around device 10 to form an elongated tubular shape surrounding an elongated interior space for housing internal components such as control circuit 12, communication circuit 14, and input-output device 16. Housing 54 may have an elongated shaft portion, such as axis B, extending between a first end portion and a second end portion, such as end portion T1 at a first end of device 10 and end portion T2 at an opposite second end of device 10. One or both of housing end portions T1 and T2 may be removed from the main elongated axis B between end portions T1 and T2.

[0042] Ultrasonic sensors, optical sensors, inertial measurement units, touch sensors such as capacitive touch sensor electrodes, strain gauges and other force sensors, radio frequency sensors and / or other sensors may be used to collect sensor measurements indicating activity of device 10 and / or hand 40 holding device 10.

[0043] In some configurations, input device position, movement, and orientation may be monitored using sensors installed in external electronic equipment (e.g., in a computer or other desktop device, in a head-mounted device or other wearable device, and / or in other electronic devices 24 separate from the device 10). For example, an optical sensor (such as an image sensor separate from the device 10) may be used to monitor the device 10 to determine the position, movement, and / or orientation of the device 10. If desired, the device 10 may include passive optical alignment features and / or active optical alignment features to help the image sensor in the device 24 track the position, orientation, and / or movement of the device 10. For example, the device 10 may include a light emitting device. The light emitting device may include a light emitting diode, a laser (e.g., a laser diode, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser, etc.), or other light source, and may operate at visible wavelengths, ultraviolet wavelengths, and / or infrared wavelengths. The light emitting devices may be arranged in an asymmetric pattern (or other suitable pattern) on the housing 44 and may emit light detected by an image sensor, a depth sensor, and / or other light-based tracking sensor circuit in a device 24 (e.g., a head-mounted device, a desktop computer, a monitoring system based on a stand-alone camera, and / or other electrical equipment having an image sensor or other tracking sensor circuit). By processing the received pattern-shaped emitted light (such as by using an image recognition algorithm), the device 24 may determine the position, orientation, and / or motion of the device 10. If desired, the light emitting devices may be removable and / or customizable (e.g., the user may customize the position and type of the light emitting devices).

[0044] Tracking involving extrapolation from known body part orientations (e.g., finger orientations) to produce orientation information at other body parts (e.g., wrist and / or arm orientation estimated using inverse kinematics) may also be performed. If desired, visual odometry sensors (such as visual-inertial odometry (VIO) cameras) may be included in device 10. These sensors may include image sensors that capture frames of image data of the environment of device 10, and may be used to measure position, orientation, and / or motion from the frames of image data. If desired, lidar, ultrasonic sensors oriented in multiple directions, radio frequency tracking sensors, and / or other input device tracking arrangements may be used.

[0045] In some arrangements, user input for controlling system 8 may include both user input to input device 10 and other user input (e.g., user eye gaze input, user voice input, etc.). For example, gaze tracking information (such as the user's gaze point measured with a gaze tracker) may be fused with input to input device 10 when controlling device 10 and / or device 24 in system 8. A user may, for example, gaze at an object of interest while device 10 uses one or more of sensors 18 (e.g., accelerometers, force sensors, touch sensors, etc.) to collect information, such as tap input (a tap input in which a user taps on device 10 with one or more fingers, a tap input in which device 10 taps a table or other external surface or object, and / or any other tap input that results in a measurable force and / or accelerometer output from device 10), double-click input, force input, input device gestures (tapping, swiping, turning, shaking, writing, drawing, coloring, sculpting, gaming, and / or other gestures with device 10, gestures on an external surface of device 10, gestures on objects external to device 10, gestures to interact with virtual objects, gestures in the air with input device 10, etc.), drag and drop operations associated with objects selected using delayed gaze or other gaze point input, and the like. Input from the input device 10 to the system 8 may include information about the orientation, position and / or movement of the finger relative to the input device 10, may include information about the force with which the finger presses on the surface of the input device 10 (e.g., force information), may include information about the force with which the input device 10 presses an object or external surface (e.g., the force with which an end portion such as end portion T1 presses an external surface), may include pointing input (e.g., the direction in which the input device 10 is pointing), which may be collected using a sensor 18 in the device 10 and / or a radio frequency sensor in other sensors, and / or may include other inputs.

[0046] By associating user input from a first device in the device 10 with user input from a second device in the device 10 and / or by otherwise analyzing sensor input, multi-device input may be detected and used to manipulate virtual objects or take other actions in the system 8. For example, consider using a tap gesture with the device 10 to select a virtual object associated with the user's current gaze point. Once a virtual object has been selected based on the direction of the user's gaze point (or pointing direction input) and based on the tap gesture input or other user input, additional user input collected using one or more devices 10 may be used to rotate and / or otherwise manipulate the virtual object. For example, information about input device movement (e.g., rotational movement) may be collected using an internal measurement unit or other sensor 18 in the device 10, and the rotational input may be used to rotate the selected object. In some cases, an object may be selected based on a gaze point (e.g., when it is detected that the user's gaze point is pointing at an object), and after selection, object properties (e.g., virtual object properties such as virtual object appearance and / or real-world object properties such as operational settings of a real-world device) may be adjusted (e.g., rotating the virtual object, etc.) using strain gauge input, touch sensor input, input device orientation input.

[0047] If desired, gestures with device 10, such as air gestures (three-dimensional gestures), may involve additional inputs. For example, a user may control system 8 using hybrid gestures that involve movement of device 10 through the air (e.g., an air gesture component) and also involve contact between device 10 and one or more fingers of hand 40. For example, an inertial measurement unit in device 10 and / or a camera in device 24 may detect user movement of device 10 through the air (e.g., to trace a path), while sensors 18 in device 10 (such as two-dimensional touch sensors, force sensors, or other sensors 18) detect force inputs, touch inputs, or other inputs associated with contact with device 10.

[0048] Sensors in device 10 may, for example, measure the force with which a user moves device 10 relative to a surface (e.g., in a direction perpendicular to the surface) and / or the force with which a user moves device 10 along a surface (e.g., shear force in a direction parallel to the surface). The direction of movement of device 10 may also be measured by force sensors and / or other sensors 18 in device 10.

[0049] Information collected using sensors 18, such as force sensor input collected using force sensors, motion data collected using motion sensors (e.g., pointing input, rotation, etc.), position information indicating the position of input device 10, touch input collected using touch sensors, and other user input may be used to control external equipment such as device 24. For example, control circuitry 12 may send control signals to device 24 that include instructions to select a user interface element, instructions to scroll displayed content, instructions to select a different input function for input device 10 (e.g., to switch from using input device 10 as a drawing or writing tool to using input device 10 as a pointing device or game piece), instructions to draw a line or type a word on a display in device 24, instructions to adjust an operational setting of device 24, instructions to manipulate displayed content on device 24, and / or instructions to take any other suitable action with device 24. These control signals may be sent in addition to or in lieu of providing feedback to sensor input from device 10 (e.g., tactile output, audio output, adjusting an operational setting of device 10, etc.).

[0050] exist Figure 2 In an exemplary configuration of , device 10 includes touch sensor 42. Touch sensor 42 may be formed by an array of capacitive touch sensor electrodes, such as electrodes 46, that overlaps one or more surfaces of housing 54 (such as curved surface C, flat surface F, and / or surfaces on end portions T1 and T2). Touch sensor 42 may be configured to detect swipes, taps, multi-touch inputs, squeeze inputs, and / or other touch inputs. In some arrangements, touch sensor 42 is formed by a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array of capacitive electrodes 46. In some arrangements, touch sensor 42 may be a strain gauge that detects squeeze inputs to housing 54 (e.g., when a user squeezes or pinches device 10 between the user's fingers). Touch sensor 42 may be used to capture touch inputs, such as inputs from direct contact and / or close proximity with different fingers of a user or other external objects. In Figure 2In the example of , touch sensor 42 overlaps touch input area 44 on curved surface C of device 10. If desired, additional touch input may be collected in adjacent areas, such as flat surface F of housing 54. If desired, touch sensor 42 may include other types of touch sensing technologies, such as optical touch sensors, acoustic-based touch sensors, and the like. Touch sensor 42 may span length L of device 10, may span only partially along length L of device 10, may cover some or all of curved surface C, may cover some or all of flat surface F, and / or may cover some or all of end portions T1 and T2. If desired, touch sensor 42 may be illuminated, may overlap a display (e.g., to form a touch-sensitive display area on device 10), may overlap an indicator or textured surface, and / or may otherwise be visually or tactilely distinct from surrounding non-touch-sensitive portions of housing 54, if desired.

[0051] In addition to or in lieu of touch sensor 42, device 10 may include one or more other user input devices, such as user input device 48. User input device 48 may be a mechanical input device such as a depressible button, a rotary knob, a rotary wheel, a rocker switch, a slider, or other mechanical input device, a force sensor such as a strain gauge or other force sensor, an optical sensor such as a proximity sensor, a touch sensor such as a capacitive, acoustic, or optical touch sensor, and / or any other suitable input device for receiving input from a user's hand 40. If desired, one of haptic output devices 20 (such as an actuator) may be used to provide haptic feedback in response to user input to device 48. For example, input device 48 may be a touch-sensitive button that does not physically move relative to housing 54, but a user may experience a localized button click sensation from the tactile output provided by actuator 20 that overlaps device 48.

[0052] In addition to or in lieu of touch sensor 42 and input device 48, device 10 may include one or more sensors at end portions T1 and T2. For example, end portion T1 and / or end portion T2 may be force sensitive. Figure 2As shown, device 10 may include sensor 52. Sensor 52 may be located at one or both of end portions T1 and T2 and / or may be located elsewhere in device 10, such as at a location along axis B of device 10. Axis B, which may sometimes be referred to as a cylindrical housing, may form an elongated body portion of housing 54 of device 10 that extends between end portions T1 and T2. One or both of end portions T1 and T2 may be removable and may sometimes be referred to as a cap, writing tip, etc. Sensors located at end portions T1 and T2 (such as sensor 52) may include device position sensors (e.g., optical flow sensors having a light source that illuminates a portion of a surface contacted by device 10 and having an image sensor configured to determine the position of device 10 on the surface and / or measure movement of the electronic device relative to the surface based on a captured image of the illuminated portion; mechanical position sensors, such as encoder wheels that track movement of device 10 on the surface; or other device position sensors), force sensors (e.g., one or more strain gauges, piezoelectric force sensors, capacitive force sensors, and / or any other suitable force sensors), optical proximity sensors (such as light emitting diodes and light detectors), cameras (e.g., single-pixel cameras or image sensors having a two-dimensional pixel array), and / or other sensors.

[0053] Device 10 may be a circuit for receiving wired and / or wireless power. For example, wired power may be transmitted to device 10 via a charging port such as charging port 108, and wireless power may be transmitted to device 10 via capacitively coupled contacts and / or inductive charging coils such as coil 50. If desired, device 10 may only receive wired power and coil 50 may be omitted. In other arrangements, device 10 may only receive wireless power and charging port 108 may be omitted (or port 108 may serve as a data port, an audio port, or other suitable port). In an arrangement where device 10 includes a circuit for receiving wireless power, power may be wirelessly transmitted between device 10 and an external electronic device such as device 24 (e.g., a head-mounted device, a wireless charging pad, a storage box, a battery box, a wireless charging puck, or other electronic device). For example, contacts (e.g., metal pads) may be capacitively coupled (without forming an ohmic contact) to allow power to be transferred, and / or a wireless power transmitter having a coil in device 24 may be used to transmit power to transmit a wireless power signal to a wireless power receiver having a coil in device 10. Inductive power transfer techniques may be used (e.g., wireless power may be transmitted using one or more wireless power transmission coils in device 24, and the transmitted wireless power signal may be received in a power receiving circuit in device 10 using a power receiving coil such as coil 50). A rectifier in device 10 may be used to convert the received AC wireless power signal from device 24 into DC power for charging a battery in device 10 and / or powering circuits in device 10. In a configuration where the power receiving circuit of device 10 receives power via a wired connection (e.g., using terminals), the power receiving circuit in device 10 may provide the received power to the battery and / or other circuits in device 10.

[0054] To help align wireless charging coil 50 in device 10 with a wireless charging coil in device 24 and / or otherwise hold device 10 to a power source or other device (e.g., Figure 1 Device 24), device 10 and device 24 may be provided with mating alignment features (e.g., mating protrusions and recesses and / or other interlocking alignment structures (e.g., key and keyhole structures that allow device 10 and / or device 24 to interlock when engaged by twisting or other locking movements), magnets (or ferromagnetic elements such as iron bars) and / or other alignment structures.

[0055] In configurations where device 10 includes a magnetic attachment structure (e.g., a magnet, a magnetic material that is attracted to a magnet, or other magnetic attachment structure), the magnetic attachment structure may be used to hold device 10 against the interior and / or exterior of device 24. For example, device 24 may be a battery case having a groove or other recessed portion that receives device 10. Magnetic attachment structures in device 24 (e.g., near the groove) and in device 10 may cooperate (magnetically attach) to help secure device 10 within the interior of the case (e.g., without allowing device 10 to rattle excessively within the case). As another example, device 24 may be a head-mounted device (e.g., goggles and / or glasses) or a band or other wearable device. In this type of arrangement, the magnetic attachment structure may hold device 10 against an exterior surface of device 24 (e.g., against a portion of a housing of a pair of goggles or glasses, such as along the frame of a pair of glasses, to a front surface, top surface, or side surface of a pair of goggles, etc.) or within a recess in the housing of device 24. Magnets and other alignment features may be located near the coil 50 or may be located in other portions of the housing 54 .

[0056] In some arrangements, the handheld input device 10 can be a stand-alone input device, wherein all input-output components of the input device 10 are formed in a common housing. In other arrangements, the input-output capabilities of the handheld input device 10 can be shared with a removable object, such as a lanyard. For example, the lanyard can include a light emitting device, such as an infrared light emitter, that allows the lanyard position to be tracked by a camera or other sensor in a head-mounted device. Alternatively, the lanyard itself can be a smart device, such as including a sensor (e.g., a camera), an output device (e.g., a tactile output device), a light source, a battery, a charging circuit, and / or other components. If the lanyard itself can communicate with the head-mounted device, the lanyard can be coupled to any suitable object, such as a stylus, a stick, a bat, an implement, a pen, a pencil, or other object, and the object with the lanyard attached can be used as an input device. An illustrative example of a lanyard coupled to an input device is shown in FIG. Figure 3 Shown in.

[0057] like Figure 3 As shown, lanyard 56 can be coupled to input device 10 at connector 58. Lanyard 56 can be, for example, a fabric lanyard or a polymer lanyard. For example, lanyard 56 can be formed of a braided fabric, a woven fabric, a polymer strip, a segmented polymer portion, and / or other suitable material. In some embodiments, lanyard 56 can include a main portion 41 formed of a fabric, polymer, or other material, and can include an end portion 43 connected / attached to connector 58.

[0058] The lanyard 56 may have a cylindrical cross-sectional profile. For example, the lanyard 56 may be braided to form a tubular structure. In other words, the lanyard 56 may be similar to a rope. Various components such as light emitters, sensors (e.g., optical sensors or motion sensors), or output devices may be mounted on the surface of the lanyard 56 or may be formed in a cavity in the lanyard 56. Alternatively, the lanyard 56 may be flat (e.g., may be a flat braided lanyard), and the components may be mounted on one of the flat surfaces of the lanyard 56. In some embodiments, the lanyard 56 may have a portion with a flat cross section (e.g., a flat braided section) and a portion with a cylindrical cross section (e.g., a braided section), and the components of the lanyard 56 may be mounted on the portion with a flat cross section. However, in general, the lanyard 56 may have any suitable shape.

[0059] As an example, connector 58 may be a hook or rod through which a cord at the end of lanyard 56 may be wrapped. Alternatively, connector 58 may be a magnetic connector (e.g., the end of device 10 may have a first magnetic polarity and the end of lanyard 56 may have a second magnetic polarity that is attracted to the end of device 10), a USB connector (e.g., a USB-C connector), a Lightning port connector, an auxiliary jack connector (e.g., a headphone jack connector), or any other suitable connector. For example, connector 56 may correspond to Figure 2 The charging portion 108 of the lanyard 56 can be connected to the input device 10. In some embodiments, power and / or data can be transmitted between the input device 10 and the lanyard 56 through the connector 58. For example, the input device 10 can have a battery, and power can be transmitted to the components in the lanyard 56 through the connector 58. However, this arrangement is only exemplary. If desired, the lanyard 56 can have its own power source, and / or data and / or power can be transmitted from the lanyard 56 to the input device 10.

[0060] The lanyard 56 may include a light emitter, such as a light emitting diode (LED) 57. The LED 57 may be, for example, an infrared LED. In other words, the LED 57 may output infrared light, such as light at 940 nm or other suitable infrared wavelengths. An optical sensor in a head mounted device to which the lanyard 56 provides input may track the LED 57. In particular, because the LED 57 is arranged along the lanyard 56, an optical sensor (such as a camera) in an associated head mounted device (or other electronic device) may image or otherwise measure the output of the LED 57. Using image recognition, the input device 10 and / or the associated head mounted device may determine the position and / or orientation of the lanyard 57 based on the position of the LED 57 in the captured image. The position of the LED 57 may be tracked on subsequent frames to determine the movement of the lanyard 56. In this way, the LED 57 may be used to track the position, orientation, and / or movement of the lanyard 56, which may be used as an input to the associated head mounted device (or other electronic device).

[0061] The LED 57 may be coupled to the surface of the lanyard 56 or may be formed in a cavity in the lanyard 56, such as by using an adhesive to attach the LED 57 to the lanyard 56. Alternatively, the LED 57 may be woven or braided into the lanyard 56. For example, a conductive strand such as copper (and, if desired, an insulating fabric) and an LED package may be woven or braided into the lanyard 56, thereby forming the LED 57 integrally with the lanyard 56. However, this is merely exemplary. In general, the LED 57 may be attached to the lanyard 56 in any suitable manner.

[0062] Although LEDs 57 are shown on only a portion of lanyard 56, LEDs 57 may extend completely around lanyard 56, or may extend around any suitable portion of lanyard 56 so that lanyard 56 can be tracked by an associated head-mounted device. Additionally, LEDs 57 may be formed on lanyard 56 in any desired pattern.

[0063] Alternatively or additionally, the tether 56 may include a reference point 59. The reference point 59 may be formed of a retroreflective material, a photoluminescent material, or other suitable material. In some embodiments, the reference point 59 may reflect infrared light emitted by an associated head-mounted device, and the head-mounted device may determine the position and / or orientation of the reference point 59 (and therefore the tether 56) by sensing the reflected infrared light with an infrared camera or other sensor. The position of the reference point 59 may be tracked over time (e.g., over subsequent sampling frames) to determine the movement of the tether 56. In this way, the reference point 59 may be used to track the position, orientation, and / or movement of the tether 56, which may be used as an input to an associated head-mounted device (or other electronic device).

[0064] The fiducials 59 may be coupled to the surface of the lanyard 56 or may be formed in a cavity in the lanyard 56, such as by using an adhesive to attach the fiducials 59 to the lanyard 56. In some embodiments, the fiducials 59 may be painted on the lanyard 56, such as by painting the lanyard 56 with a high contrast paint. Alternatively, the fiducials 59 may be heat pressed onto the lanyard 56, such as by heat pressing a high contrast material (e.g., a high contrast polymer) onto the lanyard 59. In other embodiments, the fiducials 59 may be formed by ablating (e.g., laser ablation) an outer layer (e.g., outer strands) of the lanyard 56 to reveal the underlying high contrast material.

[0065] In some exemplary embodiments, the fiducials 59 can be woven or braided into the lanyard 56. For example, retroreflective material, photoluminescent material, and / or other suitable fiducial materials can be woven or braided into the lanyard 59 (e.g., as strands). In this manner, the fiducials 59 can be integrally formed with the lanyard 56. However, this is merely exemplary. In general, the fiducials 59 can be attached to the lanyard 56 in any suitable manner.

[0066] Although reference points 59 are shown on only a portion of lanyard 56, reference points 59 may extend completely around lanyard 56, or may extend around any suitable portion of lanyard 56 so that lanyard 56 can be tracked by an associated head-mounted device. Additionally, reference points 59 may be formed on lanyard 56 in any desired pattern.

[0067] Although in Figure 3 56. Although not shown in the figure, lanyard 56 can be formed of a high contrast material. For example, lanyard 56 can be formed of a fabric or polymer having a bright color (such as orange, yellow, or red). Alternatively, lanyard 56 can include a material that provides high contrast at infrared wavelengths. The high contrast material can be attached to the fabric or other material of lanyard 56 by heat pressing or adhesive, or the high contrast strands can be woven or braided into lanyard 56. In this way, lanyard 56 can be tracked by an associated head-mounted device.

[0068] In place of or in addition to the LED 57 and / or the reference point 59, the tether 56 may include an input-output component 61. For example, the component 61 may include a motion sensor, such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU), an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or other suitable motion sensor. Alternatively or additionally, the component 61 may include one or more cameras, strain gauges, tactile output components, or other input-output components (e.g., sensors). In an exemplary embodiment, the component 61 on the tether 56 may include one or more visual-inertial odometry (VIO) cameras. The VIO camera may include cameras in different directions. Images taken by the VIO camera may be compared to determine the position, orientation, and / or movement of the tether 56. If desired, the IMU in the component 61 may provide additional information about the position, orientation, and / or movement of the tether 56. If desired, information about the position, orientation, and / or movement of the tether 56 may be communicated to the associated head-mounted device via a wired or wireless communication link.

[0069] In another exemplary embodiment, component 61 may include a touch sensor, such as a capacitive touch sensor and / or a touch sensor formed by an infrared LED and an associated photodiode. In particular, the touch sensor can determine whether a portion of lanyard 56 has been touched by a body part of the user (e.g., a wrist) to determine that lanyard 56 is a word, or by a finger to determine an input (e.g., a tap or swipe input that provides input to an associated head-mounted device). The output of the touch sensor can provide input to an associated head-mounted device (or other electronic device).

[0070] Regardless of the light emitters, reference points, and / or input-output components on the lanyard 56, it may be desirable to place the lanyard 56 in different orientations to track the position of the lanyard 56 (and the associated input device 10 or another object to which the lanyard 56 is attached). Figure 4A An illustrative example of placing a lanyard into a desired position is shown in FIG.

[0071] like Figure 4A As shown, lanyard 56 may be coupled to input device 10 at connector 58. When input device 10 is held by hand 60, portions of input device 10 may be overlapped or otherwise obscured by hand 60. Alternatively, it may be desirable to provide additional inputs beyond those that may be provided by device 10, or lanyard 56 may be coupled to a non-electronic object, such as a pencil or pen.

[0072] Regardless of the object to which the lanyard 56 is attached, the lanyard 56 may be bent with a curvature 55. Figure 4AAs shown, when bent at curvature 55, lanyard 56 can overlap the fingers of hand 60. If desired, curvature 55 can have a curvature similar to the fingers of hand 60 when grasping device 10. However, this is merely exemplary. In general, lanyard 56 can have any desired curvature.

[0073] By bending the tether 56 around the hand 60, the light emitters 57, the fiducials 59, and / or the material of the tether 56 (e.g., a high contrast material) may be visible to a camera or other sensor on an associated head mounted device. In other words, the head mounted device may track the position of the tether 56 by capturing images or otherwise sensing the position of the light emitters 57, the fiducials 59, and / or the material of the tether 56. Thus, as the user moves the hand 60, the head mounted device may be able to determine changes in the amount and / or orientation of the hand movement. In this way, movement of the user's hand 60 (and therefore movement of the device 10 and tether 56) may be sensed by the head mounted device using markers and / or components of the tether 56, and the movement may be used as input to the associated head mounted device (or other electronic device).

[0074] The lanyard 56 may be bent at the curvature 55 in any suitable manner. In one illustrative example, a lanyard such as the lanyard 56 may be formed from a friction fit joint. Figure 4B As shown, lanyard 56 can be formed by link 61. Link 61 can be formed from a polymer, metal, or other suitable material. A friction fit joint can be formed between link 61, as shown by friction fit joint portions 63 and 65. In particular, portion 65 can fit tightly into portion 63 (e.g., within less than 1 mm or other suitable dimensional difference) so that portion 65 can move relative to portion 63 when pressure is sufficiently applied to portion 65, but will remain in place relative to portion 63 when desired due to friction. By forming lanyard 56 from link 61 with a friction fit joint, lanyard 56 can be bent or otherwise moved into any desired shape. For example, lanyard 56 can be adjusted to have Figure 4A The curvature 55 may be adjusted to have another suitable shape using a friction fit joint between the connecting rods 61 .

[0075] As an alternative to forming lanyard 56 from a link of a friction fit joint, a lanyard such as lanyard 56 may be formed from a fabric having reinforcements. Figure 4C In the illustrative example of, the lanyard 56 may include a fabric 67 and a reinforcement 69. As an example, the fabric 67 may be a braided fabric, a woven fabric, a webbing, or other suitable fabric. The reinforcement 69 may be formed of a material that is stiffer than the fabric 67, such as a polymer, a metal, a braided rope, or other suitable material. Figure 4CIn the example of the present invention, the reinforcement 69 can be embedded in the fabric 67 (e.g., formed between two or more layers of the fabric 67, formed in the webbing of the fabric 67, or otherwise embedded in the fabric 67). However, this is merely exemplary. If desired, the reinforcement 69 can be formed on the surface of the fabric 67, such as using an adhesive or by heat pressing, or the reinforcement 69 can be integrally formed with the fabric 67, such as by weaving or braiding a rigid material with the fabric portion of the fabric 67.

[0076] Regardless of the manner in which the reinforcement 69 is incorporated into the lanyard 56, the reinforcement 69 can allow the lanyard 56 to be bent or otherwise moved into any desired shape. In other words, the reinforcement 69 can be flexible enough to allow the reinforcement 69 to be bent or otherwise adjusted into a desired shape, yet rigid enough to maintain their shape after adjustment. For example, the lanyard 56 can be adjusted to have Figure 4A The curvature 55 may be adjusted to have another suitable shape using a reinforcement member 69.

[0077] Figure 4B and Figure 4C The examples are merely illustrative of the various embodiments that may allow the lanyard 56 to be adjusted to a desired shape and thereby maintain its shape (such as Figure 4A curvature) of the reinforcing structure and / or material. Figure 4D Another illustrative example of a shape in which lanyard 56 may be adjusted is shown in FIG.

[0078] like Figure 4D As shown, the lanyard 56 can be adjusted into the loop 53. A reinforcing structure or material (such as Figure 4B Friction fit hinges and / or Figure 4B The reinforcement) can maintain the shape of the rope 56 in the ring 53.

[0079] By adjusting the lanyard 56 into a loop 53, the loop 53 can be on the user's hand when holding the device 10 (or other object), and the light emitter 57, the reference point 59, and / or the material of the lanyard 56 (e.g., a high contrast material) can be visible to a camera or other sensor on an associated head-mounted device. In other words, the head-mounted device can track the position of the lanyard 56 by capturing an image or otherwise sensing the position of the light emitter 57, the reference point 59, and / or the material of the lanyard 56. Thus, when the user moves their hand, the head-mounted device may be able to determine the amount of hand movement and / or changes in orientation. In this way, the user's movement of their hand (and therefore the movement of the device 10 and the lanyard 56) can be sensed by the head-mounted device using markers and / or components of the lanyard 56.

[0080] Figure 4A and Figure 4DThe exemplary shapes of the tether 56 in FIG. 5 are merely exemplary. In general, the tether 56 may be adjusted to any suitable shape to allow the tether 56 to be tracked by an associated head mounted device (or other electronic device). An exemplary example of a head mounted device that tracks the tether is shown in FIG. Figure 5 Shown in.

[0081] like Figure 5 As shown, the lanyard 56 may be attached to the device 10 and may be used in conjunction with Figure 4A The lanyard 56 may be curved with a curvature similar to that of the curvature 55. However, in general, the lanyard 56 may be attached to any desired electronic device or non-electronic object, and the lanyard 56 may have any suitable shape and / or orientation.

[0082] The lanyard 56 may include a light emitter 57, a fiducial 59, and / or a high contrast material (such as a high contrast fabric, polymer, or other material). The head mounted device 24 may include one or more sensors 71. The sensors 71 may include one or more cameras (e.g., infrared cameras) or other desired optical devices.

[0083] Sensor 71 may have a field of view defined by line 73, which may be a field of view of at least 50°, at least 60°, or another suitable angle. Lanyard 56 may be within the field of view of sensor 71. Thus, sensor 71 may capture an image of lanyard 56 that includes light emitter 57, fiducial 59, and / or the high contrast material of lanyard 56. Using image recognition, circuitry in head mounted device 24 (e.g., Figure 1 The control circuit 26 of the head mounted device 24 can determine the position of the light emitter 57, the fiducial 59, and / or the high contrast material of the lanyard 56. In some embodiments, subsequent images can be used to track the position and / or orientation of the light emitter 57, the fiducial 59, and / or the high contrast material of the lanyard 56 over time to determine the movement of the light emitter 57, the fiducial 59, and / or the high contrast material of the lanyard 56. Based on the determined position, orientation, and / or movement of the light emitter 57, the fiducial 59, and / or the high contrast material of the lanyard 56, the head mounted device 24 can determine the position, orientation, and / or movement of the lanyard 56. The position, orientation, and / or movement of the lanyard 56 can then be used as an input to the head mounted device 24.

[0084] For example, the position, orientation, and / or movement of the tether 56 may be used to interact with virtual objects displayed by the head mounted device 24, may be used to adjust settings of the head mounted device 24, may be used as a video game controller for a video game displayed by the head mounted device 24, or may otherwise be used as input to the device 24.

[0085] Although device 24 has been described as a head-mounted device, this is merely exemplary. In general, device 24 may be any suitable device, such as a computer, a cell phone, a tablet computer, or other device.

[0086] In some embodiments, it may be desirable to attach a lanyard (e.g., lanyard 56) to a device or object (e.g., input device 10) at two locations to allow the lanyard to be stowed when not in use and / or for more compact tracking. Fig. 6A Shown in.

[0087] like Fig. 6A As shown, lanyard 56 may be coupled to input device 10 using connector 58 and connector 66. Connectors 58 and 66 may be end portions of lanyard 56 (e.g., Figure 3 The end portion 43 of the lanyard 56 extends beyond or is coupled to the main portion of the lanyard 56 (e.g., Figure 3 41). Connectors 58 and 66 may be any suitable connectors. By way of example, connectors 58 and 66 may be hooks or rods through which a cord at the end of lanyard 56 may be wrapped, may be magnetic connectors (e.g., the end of device 10 may have a first magnetic polarity and the end of lanyard 56 may have a second magnetic polarity that is attracted to the end of device 10), USB connectors (e.g., a USB-C connector), Lightning port connectors, auxiliary jack connectors (e.g., a headphone jack connector), or any other suitable connector. Connectors 58 and 66 may be the same type of connector or may be different types of connectors. The illustrative examples of connectors 58 and 66 based on USB (e.g., USB-C) connectors are shown in FIG. Figure 6B Shown in.

[0088] like Figure 6B As shown, connectors 58 and 66 can each be an opening with a rectangular cross-section, such as a USB, USB-C, or Lightning port opening. The end portion 59 of the lanyard 56 can have a corresponding portion that fits into the rectangular connector 58. For example, if the connector 58 is a USB-C port, the end portion 59 can be a USB-C plug (also referred to herein as a USB-C connector). Alternatively, if the connector 58 is a Lightning port, the end portion 59 can be a Lightning plug (also referred to herein as a Lightning connector). However, these examples are merely illustrative, and if desired, the connector 58 can be any suitable connector, and the end portion 59 can be any corresponding plug that fits into the connector 58.

[0089] Connector 66 may be the same type of connector as connector 58, or may be a different connector. In an exemplary embodiment, connector 66 may have the same shape as connector 58 (e.g., the shape of a USB-C or Lightning port), but may not have the electronic components associated with connector 58 (e.g., connector 66 may not have the traces and other components associated with a USB-C or Lightning port). End portion 67 of lanyard 56 may be a USB-C or Lightning plug that fits into connector 66, or end portion 67 may have the same shape as a USB-C or Lightning plug without the electronic components that fit into connector 66. However, this example is merely illustrative. In general, connector 66 may be any desired type of connector, and end portion 67 may have a corresponding shape to be coupled to connector 66.

[0090] With connector 58 and / or connector 66 formed by a USB-C port or a Lightning port, power and / or data can be transferred between input device 10 and lanyard 56. In addition, device 10 may have a battery that is charged via connector 58 when lanyard 56 is not attached to device 10. When lanyard 56 is attached to device 10, the battery in device 10 can be used to power components in lanyard 56 (such as light emitter 57), charge the battery in lanyard 56, and / or other input-output components in lanyard 56. In this way, lanyard 56 can receive power from device 10.

[0091] However, the arrangement in which the lanyard 56 receives power from the device 10 is merely illustrative. If desired, the lanyard 56 may have its own battery to power components in the lanyard 56. Alternatively, the lanyard 56 may be tracked passively (e.g., using fiducials or high contrast materials) and not require power from a battery.

[0092] Back to Fig. 6A , the lanyard 56 may include a feature 68, which may include a light emitter (such as Figure 4A light emitter 57), reference points (such as Figure 4A The associated head mounted device (or other device) may use feature 68 to track the tether 56, such as a reference point 59 of a device such as a high contrast material (such as a high contrast fabric, polymer, and / or other material). Figure 5 shown.

[0093] By attaching the lanyard 56 to the two connectors 58 and 66, a portion of the user's hand (e.g., a user's finger) can be passed through the opening 75 between the input device 10 and the lanyard 56 when it is desired to track using the lanyard 56. The adjuster 64 can allow the end portion 62 to be pulled through the opening of the adjuster 64 and folded back on itself. The friction between the adjuster 64 and the end portion 62 can hold the end portion 62 in place at the adjuster 64, and the friction can be enhanced using a texture (such as a ridge) on the lanyard 56. In this way, the lanyard 56 can be tightened (e.g., the opening 75 can be made smaller). By tightening the lanyard 56, a tighter fit can be provided between the lanyard 56 and the user's hand, and / or the lanyard 56 can be tightened against the input device 10 when it is stowed.

[0094] As discussed, the lanyard 56 may include light emitters, such as infrared light emitters. Illustrative examples of lanyards having light emitters and wiring for those light emitters are shown in FIG. Fig. 7A Shown in.

[0095] like Fig. 7A As shown, lanyard 56 can be coupled to input device 10. Light emitter 70 (which can correspond to light emitter 57 of FIG. 4 ) can be coupled to a surface of lanyard 56, such as by using an adhesive. Alternatively, light emitter 70 can be woven, braided, or otherwise coupled to the fabric of lanyard 56. As an example, light emitter 70 can be an infrared light emitter, an infrared light emitting diode (LED), a visible light LED, or other suitable light emitting component.

[0096] Conductive material 72 may extend between light emitters 70. As an example, conductive material 72 may be a metal wire embedded with tether 56. Alternatively, conductive material 72 may be conductive strands woven, braided, or otherwise incorporated into the fabric of tether 56. For example, the conductive strands may be insulated copper strands.

[0097] Conductive material 72 may be coupled to input device 10. For example, light emitter 70 may receive power from input device 10 (e.g., from a battery in input device 10) and / or may be controlled by control circuitry in device 10. However, this is merely exemplary. If desired, lanyard 56 may be a standalone device that powers and controls light emitter 70 without input from device 10 (such as using a battery and control circuitry).

[0098] An illustrative side view of the lanyard 56 with the light emitter 70 is shown in FIG. Figure 7B In particular, Figure 7BAs shown, the lanyard 56 can be formed of a fabric (or other suitable material, such as a polymer) 81. The fabric 81 can have a first surface and a second surface that are opposite, and the light emitter 70 can be mounted to both sides of the fabric 81. By mounting the light emitter 70 on both sides of the fabric 81, it is easier to track the light emitter 70 and thus determine the position, orientation and / or movement of the lanyard 56 (for example, if the lanyard 56 twists or folds on itself). In addition, if desired, the light emitter 70 can extend completely around the fabric of the lanyard 56. However, these arrangements are merely illustrative. The light emitter 70 can extend across one or both surfaces of the fabric 81 and across any suitable portion of the lanyard 56.

[0099] although Figure 7B Light emitters 70 are shown on both sides of the fabric 81, but this is merely exemplary. If desired, instead of or in addition to light emitters 70, fiducials and / or high contrast materials may be mounted to or formed on both sides of the fabric 81.

[0100] The tether 56 has been described as including a portion that can be tracked by an external device (such as a head mounted device) using circuitry in the external device. However, this is merely exemplary. In some embodiments, the tether 56 can include components that can determine the position, orientation, and / or movement of the tether 56. An illustrative example is shown in FIG. Figure 8 Shown in.

[0101] like Figure 8 As shown, the tether 56 may include one or more visual-inertial odometry (VIO) cameras 74. The VIO cameras 74 may include cameras in different directions. Figure 8 In the illustrative example of , the VIO camera 74 may have a field of view defined by the area 76. However, this is merely exemplary. In general, the VIO camera 74 may have any suitable field of view.

[0102] Images and / or image frames of a video captured by the VIO camera 74 (or multiple fields of view of a single VIO camera) may be compared, such as by using image recognition, to determine the position and / or orientation of the tether 56. In addition, images or image frames may be analyzed over multiple frames to determine the movement of the tether 56. If desired, the IMU in component 61 may provide additional information about the position / orientation of the tether 56. In this way, the tether 56 may determine its own position, orientation, and / or movement. This information may be transmitted to an external device (such as a head-mounted device) via a communication circuit in the tether 56, may be sent to the input device 10 via a connector (such as a connector between the device 10 and the tether 56), or may be transmitted to another device in other ways. In this way, the position, orientation, and / or movement determined by the tether 56 may be used as an input on an associated external device (such as a head-mounted device).

[0103] Although tether 56 has been described as providing information about the location of input device 10 or an external object to which tether 56 is connected, tether 56 may provide more direct information about the location of a body part of the user. In particular, a tether that can be tracked by an external device or whose own position, orientation, and / or motion can be determined may be coupled directly to a body part such as a wrist or arm. Illustrative examples are shown in FIG. Fig. 9 Shown in.

[0104] like Fig. 9 As shown, when the device 10 is held in the hand 60, the lanyard 56 can be wrapped around the wrist 78 in the loop 80. Therefore, by tracking the light emitters, fiducials and / or high contrast materials on the lanyard 56, the position, orientation and / or movement of the wrist 78 can be determined. Alternatively or additionally, sensors in the lanyard 56 (e.g., one or more VIO cameras) can be used to determine the position, orientation and / or movement of the wrist 78.

[0105] although Fig. 9 Lanyard 56 is shown wrapped around wrist 78, but this is merely illustrative of a body part in which lanyard 56 may be used to determine the position, orientation, and / or movement of the body.

[0106] In some embodiments, lanyard 56 may extend to the user's arm and wrap around the user's biceps to provide position, orientation, and / or motion information of the user's arm.

[0107] Alternatively, the input device 10 may be held in the hand 60, while the lanyard 56 is held in the other hand of the user or wrapped around the other hand of the user to provide the position, orientation and / or motion information of the other hand of the user. In some embodiments, for example, the lanyard 56 and the input device 10 may be connected while each is held in one hand. Thus, power and data may be transmitted between the lanyard 56 and the input device 10 (e.g., the lanyard 56 may not require its own power source or control circuit). However, if desired, the lanyard 56 may have its own power source (e.g., battery) and / or control circuit, even if the lanyard 56 and the input device 10 are connected. In other embodiments, the input device 10 may be held in the hand 60, while the lanyard 56 is held in the other hand of the user or wrapped around the other hand of the user, and the input device 10 and the lanyard 56 may be disconnected from each other. In these embodiments, the lanyard 56 may have an independent power source, control circuit and / or communication circuit. For example, the lanyard 56 may communicate with the input device 10 (or an associated head mounted device). However, in general, any suitable body part may be tracked using tether 56 .

[0108] In addition, despite Fig. 94 , but the lanyard 56 may include one or more strain gauges (e.g., the strain gauges of component 61 of FIG. 4 ). Measurements from the strain gauges may be used to determine the degree of tension of the lanyard 56 on the user's wrist (or other body part). This information may be used to determine the accuracy of the position, orientation, and / or motion measurement of the body part, and / or may be used to prompt the user to tighten or loosen the lanyard to provide a more accurate measurement.

[0109] As described above, one aspect of the present technology is to collect and use information such as sensor information. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, these collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, phone numbers, email addresses, twitter IDs, home addresses, data or records related to the user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, eyeglass prescription, username, password, biometric information, or any other identifying information or personal information.

[0110] The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information in the present technology can be used to benefit users. For example, the personal information data can be used to deliver targeted content that users are more interested in. Therefore, the use of such personal information data enables users to have planned control over the content delivered. In addition, the present disclosure also anticipates other uses of personal information data that benefit users. For example, health and fitness data can be used to provide insights into the user's overall health status, or can be used as positive feedback to individuals who use technology to pursue health goals.

[0111] The disclosure anticipates that entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transmission, storage or other purposes of such personal information data will comply with sound privacy policies and / or privacy measures. Specifically, such entities should implement and adhere to the use of privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding the industry or government requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of personal information data. Such policies should be easy for users to access and should be updated as changes in the collection and / or use of data occur. Personal information from users should be collected for legal and reasonable entity purposes and should not be shared or sold outside these legal purposes. In addition, such collection / sharing should be carried out after receiving the informed consent of the user. In addition, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to protect and safeguard access to such personal information data, and ensure that other entities with access to personal information data comply with their privacy policies and procedures. In addition, such entities can subject themselves to third-party assessments to prove that they comply with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted to specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed, and to applicable laws and standards including considerations of special jurisdictions. For example, in the United States, the collection or access of certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws such as the Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), while health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Therefore, different privacy measures should be advocated for different types of personal data in each country.

[0112] Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates implementation schemes in which users selectively block the use or access of personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates hardware elements and / or software elements to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, the technology of the present invention can be configured to allow users to choose to "opt in" or "opt out" to participate in the collection of personal information data at any time during or after registration for a service. For another example, a user can choose not to provide certain types of user data. For another example, a user can choose to limit the length of time that user-specific data is retained. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure also contemplates providing notifications related to access or use of personal information. For example, a user can be notified that their personal information data will be accessed when downloading an application ("app"), and then the user is reminded again before the personal information data is accessed by the app.

[0113] Furthermore, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Once the data is no longer needed, the risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting the data. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of users. Where appropriate, de-identification can be facilitated by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or characteristics of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than an address level), controlling how the data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and / or other methods.

[0114] Therefore, while the present disclosure broadly covers the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that various embodiments may be implemented without access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology will not fail to function properly due to the lack of all or part of such personal information data.

[0115] Physical environment: The physical environment refers to the physical world that people can sense and / or interact with without the help of electronic systems. A physical environment, such as a physical park, includes physical objects, such as physical trees, physical buildings, and physical people. People can directly sense and / or interact with the physical environment, such as through vision, touch, hearing, taste, and smell.

[0116] Computer-generated reality: In contrast, a computer-generated reality (CGR) environment refers to a fully or partially simulated environment that people perceive and / or interact with via an electronic system. In CGR, a subset of a person's physical movements or a representation thereof is tracked, and in response, one or more features of one or more virtual objects simulated in the CGR environment are adjusted in a manner that complies with at least one physical law. For example, a CGR system can detect a person's head rotation, and in response, adjust the graphical content and sound field presented to the person in a manner similar to the way such views and sounds change in a physical environment. In some cases (e.g., for accessibility reasons), adjustments to the characteristics of virtual objects in a CGR environment can be made in response to representations of physical movements (e.g., voice commands). People can sense and / or interact with CGR objects using any of their senses, including vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. For example, a person can sense and / or interact with an audio object that creates a 3D or spatial audio environment that provides a perception of a point audio source in 3D space. As another example, an audio object can enable audio transparency, which selectively introduces ambient sounds from the physical environment with or without computer-generated audio. In some CGR environments, a person can sense and / or interact only with an audio object. Examples of CGR include virtual reality and mixed reality.

[0117] Virtual Reality: A virtual reality (VR) environment refers to a simulated environment designed to be based entirely on computer-generated sensory input to one or more senses. A VR environment includes a plurality of virtual objects that a person can sense and / or interact with. For example, trees, buildings, and computer-generated images representing avatars of people are examples of virtual objects. A person can sense and / or interact with virtual objects in a VR environment through a simulation of the person's presence within the computer-generated environment and / or through a simulation of a subset of the person's physical movement within the computer-generated environment.

[0118] Mixed reality: In contrast to VR environments, which are designed to be based entirely on computer-generated sensory input, a mixed reality (MR) environment refers to a simulated environment designed to include sensory input from the physical environment, or representations thereof, in addition to computer-generated sensory input (e.g., virtual objects). On the virtual continuum, a mixed reality environment is anything between a fully physical environment at one end and a virtual reality environment at the other end, but not including both ends. In some MR environments, computer-generated sensory input can respond to changes in sensory input from the physical environment. In addition, some electronic systems used to present MR environments can track position and / or orientation relative to the physical environment to enable virtual objects to interact with real objects (i.e., physical items from the physical environment, or representations thereof). For example, the system can cause movement so that virtual trees appear stationary relative to the physical ground. Examples of mixed reality include augmented reality and augmented virtuality. Augmented reality: An augmented reality (AR) environment refers to a simulated environment in which one or more virtual objects are superimposed on a physical environment or a representation of a physical environment. For example, an electronic system used to present an AR environment may have a transparent or translucent display through which a person can directly view the physical environment. The system can be configured to present virtual objects on a transparent or translucent display so that people use the system to perceive virtual objects superimposed on a physical environment. Alternatively, the system can have an opaque display and one or more imaging sensors that capture images or videos of the physical environment, which are representations of the physical environment. The system combines the image or video with the virtual object and presents the composition on an opaque display. People use the system to indirectly view the physical environment via an image or video of the physical environment and perceive the virtual objects superimposed on the physical environment. As used herein, the video of the physical environment displayed on the opaque display is referred to as "transmitted video", meaning that the system uses one or more image sensors to capture images of the physical environment and uses those images when presenting the AR environment on the opaque display. Further alternatively, the system can have a projection system that projects virtual objects into the physical environment, such as as a hologram or on a physical surface, so that people use the system to perceive virtual objects superimposed on the physical environment. An augmented reality environment also refers to a simulated environment in which a representation of the physical environment is converted by computer-generated sensory information. For example, in providing pass-through video, the system can transform one or more sensor images to impose a selected perspective (e.g., viewpoint) that is different from the perspective captured by the imaging sensor. For another example, the representation of the physical environment can be transformed by graphically modifying (e.g., enlarging) a portion thereof, such that the modified portion can be a representative but not true version of the original captured image. For another example, the representation of the physical environment can be transformed by graphically eliminating or blurring a portion thereof.Augmented Virtual: An augmented virtual (AV) environment refers to a simulated environment in which a virtual environment or a computer-generated environment incorporates one or more sensory inputs from the physical environment. The sensory input may be a representation of one or more characteristics of the physical environment. For example, an AV park may have virtual trees and virtual buildings, but the faces of people are realistically reproduced from images taken of physical people. For another example, a virtual object may take the shape or color of a physical item imaged by one or more imaging sensors. For another example, a virtual object may take a shadow that conforms to the positioning of the sun in the physical environment.

[0119] Hardware: There are many different types of electronic systems that enable a person to sense and / or interact with various CGR environments. Examples include head-mounted systems, projection-based systems, heads-up displays (HUDs), vehicle windshields with integrated display capabilities, windows with integrated display capabilities, displays formed as lenses designed to be placed on a person's eyes (e.g., similar to contact lenses), headphones / earpieces, speaker arrays, input systems (e.g., wearable or handheld controllers with or without tactile feedback), smartphones, tablet computers, and desktop / laptop computers. A head-mounted system may have one or more speakers and an integrated opaque display. Alternatively, a head-mounted system may be configured to accept an external opaque display (e.g., a smartphone). A head-mounted system may incorporate one or more imaging sensors for capturing images or video of the physical environment, and / or one or more microphones for capturing audio of the physical environment. Instead of an opaque display, a head-mounted system may have a transparent or translucent display. A transparent or translucent display may have a medium through which light representing the image is directed to a person's eyes. The display can utilize digital light projection, OLED, LED, μLED, silicon-based liquid crystal, laser scanning light source, or any combination of these technologies. The medium can be an optical waveguide, a hologram medium, an optical combiner, an optical reflector, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, a transparent or translucent display can be configured to selectively become opaque. A projection-based system can employ retinal projection technology that projects a graphic image onto a person's retina. The projection system can also be configured to project a virtual object into a physical environment, such as a hologram or onto a physical surface.

[0120] According to one embodiment, a lanyard configured to attach to an external object and provide input to a head-mounted device having a camera, the lanyard being configured to include a main portion; an end portion coupled to the main portion, the end portion being configured to attach to the external object; and a visual marker on the main portion, the camera being configured to track the position of the lanyard using the visual marker.

[0121] According to another embodiment, the visual markers include infrared light emitting diodes.

[0122] According to another embodiment, the main portion includes a fabric having first and second opposing surfaces, and the infrared light emitting diodes are formed on the first and second surfaces of the fabric.

[0123] According to another embodiment, the lanyard includes conductive strands in the fabric connected to infrared light emitting diodes.

[0124] According to another embodiment, the conductive strand is configured to electrically connect to the external object when the lanyard is attached to the external object.

[0125] According to another embodiment, the visual markers include reference points on the surface of the major portion.

[0126] According to another embodiment, the fiducial comprises a retroreflector.

[0127] According to another embodiment, the main portion includes a fabric having opposing first and second surfaces, and the reference points are formed on the first and second surfaces of the fabric.

[0128] According to another embodiment, the end portion is a first end portion coupled to a first end of the main portion, the lanyard includes a second end portion coupled to a second end of the main portion, the second end portion is configured to be attached to an external object.

[0129] According to another embodiment, the first end portion includes a connector selected from the group consisting of: a USB-C connector and a Lightning connector, and the lanyard is configured to receive power from the external object through the connector when the lanyard is attached to the external object.

[0130] According to another embodiment, the tether includes an inertial measurement unit coupled to the main portion.

[0131] According to another embodiment, the tether includes a visual-inertial odometry camera coupled to the main portion, the visual-inertial odometry camera configured to determine a position of the tether.

[0132] According to another embodiment, the lanyard includes a haptic output device coupled to the main portion; and a battery coupled to the main portion, the battery configured to be charged through a connector at the end portion.

[0133] According to another embodiment, the main portion is configured to couple to a wrist, and the camera is configured to track the position of the wrist using visual markers.

[0134] According to another embodiment, the main portion is configured to be coupled to an arm, and the camera is configured to track the position of the arm using visual markers.

[0135] According to another embodiment, the main portion is configured to couple to a hand and the camera is configured to track the position of the hand using visual markers.

[0136] According to another embodiment, the main portion comprises a textile layer with embedded reinforcements.

[0137] According to another embodiment, the main portion includes a plurality of links joined by friction fit joints.

[0138] According to one embodiment, a lanyard for an input device is provided, the lanyard comprising a fabric layer; a visual marker on the fabric layer; and a connector at an end of the fabric layer, the connector configured to attach the lanyard to the input device.

[0139] According to another embodiment, the visual marker comprises an infrared light emitting diode.

[0140] According to another embodiment, the visual markers include fiducials.

[0141] According to another embodiment, the connector is configured to electrically connect the lanyard to the input device.

[0142] According to another embodiment, the lanyard includes a battery configured to be charged through the connector.

[0143] According to another embodiment, a system is provided that includes a lanyard including a main portion, an end portion, and an infrared light emitting diode on the main portion; and an external object to which the end portion of the lanyard is configured to attach.

[0144] According to another embodiment, a system includes a head mounted device configured to determine a position of a lanyard based on a position of an infrared light emitting diode.

[0145] According to another embodiment, the external object includes an input device configured to provide input to the head mounted device.

[0146] According to another embodiment, the external object comprises a non-electronic object.

[0147] The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications may be made to the embodiments described. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented independently or in any combination.

Claims

1. A lanyard configured to attach to an external object and provide input to a head mounted device having a camera, the lanyard comprising: Main part; an end portion coupled to the main portion, wherein the end portion is configured to be attached to the external object; as well as A visual marker on the main portion, wherein the camera is configured to track the position of the lanyard using the visual marker.

2. The lanyard of claim 1, wherein the visual marker comprises an infrared light emitting diode, the main portion comprises a fabric having opposing first and second surfaces, the infrared light emitting diodes being formed on the first and second surfaces of the fabric, the lanyard further comprising: Conductive strands in the fabric connect the infrared light emitting diodes, wherein the conductive strands are configured to electrically connect to the external object when the lanyard is attached to the external object.

3. The lanyard of claim 1 , wherein the visual marker comprises a reference point on a surface of the main portion.

4. The lanyard of claim 3, wherein the reference point comprises a retroreflector.

5. The lanyard of claim 3, wherein the main portion comprises a fabric having opposing first and second surfaces, and the reference points are formed on the first and second surfaces of the fabric.

6. The lanyard of claim 1 , wherein the end portion is a first end portion coupled to a first end of the main portion, the lanyard further comprising: A second end portion coupled to the second end of the main portion, wherein the second end portion is configured to attach to the external object, wherein the first end portion includes a connector selected from the group consisting of: a USB-C connector and a Lightning connector, and the lanyard is configured to receive power from the external object through the connector when the lanyard is attached to the external object.

7. The lanyard of claim 1, further comprising: An inertial measurement unit is coupled to the main portion.

8. The lanyard of claim 1, further comprising: A visual-inertial odometry camera is coupled to the main portion, wherein the visual-inertial odometry camera is configured to determine a position of the tether.

9. The lanyard of claim 1, further comprising: a haptic output device coupled to the main portion; as well as A battery is coupled to the main portion, wherein the battery is configured to be charged through the connector at the end portion.

10. The lanyard of claim 1, wherein the main portion is configured to couple to a wrist, and the camera is configured to track a position of the wrist using the visual marker.

11. The lanyard of claim 1 , wherein the main portion is configured to be coupled to an arm, and the camera is configured to track a position of the arm using the visual marker.

12. The lanyard of claim 1, wherein the main portion is configured to couple to a hand, and the camera is configured to track a position of the hand using the visual marker.

13. The lanyard of claim 1, wherein the main portion comprises a fabric layer having embedded reinforcements.

14. The lanyard of claim 1, wherein the main portion comprises a plurality of links joined by a friction fit joint.

15. A lanyard for an input device, comprising: Fabric layer; a visual marker on the fabric layer; as well as A connector at an end of the fabric layer is configured to attach the lanyard to the input device.

16. The lanyard of claim 15, wherein the visual marker comprises an infrared light emitting diode.

17. The lanyard of claim 15, wherein the connector is configured to electrically connect the lanyard to the input device.

18. A system comprising: a lanyard comprising a main portion, an end portion, and an infrared light emitting diode on the main portion; as well as An external object, wherein the end portion of the lanyard is configured to be attached to the external object.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising: A head mounted device configured to determine a position of the lanyard based on a position of the infrared light emitting diode.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the external object comprises an input device configured to provide input to the head mounted device.

Images