Electronic device with finger sensor

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic device with a finger sensor. An electronic device, such as a head-mounted device, may have an internal display that displays an image for a user through a lens. A head mounted support structure may be used to support the display and the lens. When the head-mounted device is worn, one or more external displays may be publicly viewable. The head-mounted support structure may have a front face on which an external display is mounted. One or more finger sensors configured to detect touch inputs, force inputs, and / or other inputs from an external object, such as a user's finger, may be included in the head-mounted device. The finger sensor may have an elongated shape extending along a peripheral edge of the outer display on the front face. A finger sensor may also be located on other portions of the support structure.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with the application date of August 28, 2020, the application number of 202010882832.6, and the title of "Electronic Device with Finger Sensor".

[0002] This patent application claims the priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 919,007 filed on July 1, 2020 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 904,562 filed on September 23, 2019, and these patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to electronic devices, and more particularly to electronic devices having input-output components. Background Art

[0004] Electronic devices sometimes include optical components. For example, wearable electronic devices such as head-mounted devices may include a display for displaying images. Input devices such as buttons may also be included.

[0005] Providing output and collecting input in wearable electronic devices such as head-mounted devices can pose challenges. If not taken care of, the input-output devices may be cumbersome to use and may not provide the desired output. Summary of the Invention

[0006] An electronic device such as a head-mounted device may have an inner display for displaying images to a user through a lens. A head-mounted support structure may be used to support the display and the lens. One or more outer displays located on the head-mounted support structure when the head-mounted device is worn may be publicly viewable.

[0007] The head-mounted support structure may have a front face. One or more finger sensors configured to detect touch input, force input, and / or other input from an external object (such as a user's finger) may be included in the head-mounted device. The finger sensor may have an elongated shape extending along a peripheral edge of an outer display mounted on the front face. The finger sensor may also be located on other parts of the head-mounted support structure.

[0008] The finger sensor may have: a touch sensor configured to collect touch input from a finger or other external object, a force sensor configured to collect force input from a finger or other external object, a proximity sensor configured to detect the approach of a finger that does not touch the finger sensor, and / or other sensing circuits. A haptic output device in the electronic device may provide haptic feedback (e.g., when the user provides input to the finger sensor).

[0009] The display can overlap with the finger sensor. For example, the elongated finger sensor can be overlapped by a corresponding elongated display or other display structures. Icons and other reconfigurable visual elements can be displayed on the elongated display (e.g., to implement a reconfigurable function bar of the wearable electronic device). In some configurations, visual elements such as icons can move between a first display such as a rectangular main outer display and a second display such as an elongated bar display that extends along the peripheral edge of the main display and overlaps with the elongated bar finger sensor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 FIG. is a top view of an exemplary electronic device such as a head-mounted device according to one embodiment.

[0011] Figure 2 FIG. is a side view of an exemplary electronic device having input-output components according to an embodiment.

[0012] Figure 3 FIG. is a front view of an exemplary electronic device having an area for a forward-facing display and an elongated sensor such as a peripheral finger sensor strip according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 4 FIG. is a top view of an exemplary electronic device such as one having a finger sensor according to an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 5 and Figure 6 FIG. is a front view of an exemplary electronic device having a display according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 7 FIG. is a front view of an exemplary head-mounted device having a finger sensor for adjusting device settings such as lens position settings according to an embodiment.

[0016] Figure 8 FIG. is a perspective view of an exemplary finger sensor formed on a protruding support structure according to an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 9 FIG. is a front view of an exemplary head-mounted device having a peripheral finger sensor according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] An electronic device such as a wearable electronic device may include a display, a speaker, a haptic output device, and other output devices for presenting output to a user. These electronic devices may also include sensors for collecting environmental measurements and user input. The sensors may include one or more sensors for collecting user input from a user's finger or other external object. These sensors (sometimes referred to herein as finger sensors) may include capacitive touch sensors, optical touch sensors, resistive touch sensors, and / or other sensors for detecting when a finger or other external object provides a touch input, may include force sensors such as strain gauge sensors and other sensors for detecting an applied force, and / or may include other sensors for collecting input, such as proximity sensors for detecting when a finger or other object approaches the sensor and / or moves through the air adjacent to the device without touching the device. Finger sensors may be used to collect single-finger input and multi-finger input.

[0019] Figure 1 A top view of an exemplary head-mounted device is shown. As Figure 1 shown, a head-mounted device such as electronic device 10 may have a head-mounted support structure such as housing 12. Housing 12 may include a portion (e.g., support structure 12T) for allowing the device 10 to be worn on a user's head. The main housing portion (e.g., support structure 12M) and the associated internal housing portion (e.g., internal support structure 12I) may support a display, a lens, and other optical components (e.g., structure 12I may be used as a lens support structure).

[0020] The front F of housing 12 may face outward away from the user's head. The back R of housing 12 may face the user. During operation, the user's eyes are positioned in an eye box 18. When the user's eyes are located in the eye box 18, the user may view the content being displayed by the display 14 through an associated lens 22. The display 14 faces inward toward the eye box 18 and may therefore sometimes be referred to as a rear-facing display, an internal display, an inward-facing display, a non-publicly-viewable display, or a private display. The front F of device 10 faces away from the eye box 18 and away from the lens 22.

[0021] In some configurations, optical components such as the display 14 and the lens 22 are configured to display computer-generated content overlaid on a real-world image (e.g., the user may view the real world through the optical components). In other configurations sometimes described herein by way of example, real-world light is blocked (e.g., blocked by an opaque housing wall at the front F of housing 12 and / or other portions of device 10).

[0022] In addition to the inward-facing optical components such as the inner display 14 and the associated lens 22 that allow a user with their eyes placed in the viewing box 18 to view an image, the device 10 may have one or more displays and / or other light-emitting components (e.g., status indicators, illuminated button icons, etc.) located on the outer surface of the device 10. For example, the device 10 may have one or more outer displays (sometimes referred to as outward-facing displays or publicly viewable displays) on the front face F, such as the display 24. The display 24 may present an image visible to people near the user when the user is wearing the device 10 and when the user uses the device 10 to view an image on the display 14. The display 24 may also be used to display an image viewable by the user on the outside of the device 10 when the device 10 is not being worn (e.g., when the device 10 is resting in the user's hand or on a tabletop and not on the user's head). The display 24 may be a touch-sensitive display and / or may be a force-sensitive display (e.g., the display 24 or a portion of the display 24 may overlap with a finger sensor), or if desired, the display 24 may be insensitive to touch and force inputs. There may be one or more outward-facing displays, such as the display 24 in the device 10. A haptic output component may overlap with one or more of these outward-facing displays, or may be mounted elsewhere in the housing 12 (e.g., to provide haptic output when the user provides a finger input such as a touch input and / or a force input to a portion of the display).

[0023] The support structure of the device 10 may include adjustable components. For example, the support structures 12T and 12M of the housing 12 may include adjustable straps or other structures that can be adjusted to accommodate different head sizes. The support structure 12I may include a motor-driven adjustable lens mount, a manually adjustable lens mount, and other adjustable optical component support structures. The user can adjust the structure 12I to adjust the position of the viewing box 18 to accommodate different user pupil spacings. For example, in a first configuration, the structure 12I may place the lenses and other optical components associated with the user's left and right eyes adjacent to each other such that the viewing boxes 18 are separated from each other by a first distance, and in a second configuration, the structure 12I can be adjusted to place the lenses and other optical components associated with the viewing boxes 18 at a position where the viewing boxes are separated from each other by a second distance greater than that distance.

[0024] In addition to optical components such as the displays 14 and 24, the device 10 may also include other electronic components 16. The electronic components of the device 10, such as the displays and other electronic components 16, may include integrated circuits, discrete components, printed circuits, and other circuits. For example, these components may include control circuits and input-output devices.

[0025] The control circuit of device 10 may include storage and processing circuitry for controlling the operation of device 10. The control circuit may include storage means such as hard disk drive storage, non-volatile memory (e.g., 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 circuitry in the control circuit may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors, power management units, audio chips, graphics processing units, application specific integrated circuits, and other integrated circuits. Software code may be stored on the storage means in the control circuit and run on the processing circuitry in the control circuit to implement control operations for device 10 (e.g., data acquisition operations, operations involving regulating components of device 10 using control signals, etc.). The control circuit in device 10 may include wired communication circuitry and wireless communication circuitry. For example, the control circuit may include radio frequency transceiver circuitry such as cellular phone transceiver circuitry, wireless local area network transceiver circuitry, millimeter wave transceiver circuitry, and / or other wireless communication circuitry.

[0026] Device 10 may be used in a system of multiple electronic devices. During operation, the communication circuitry of device 10 may be used to support communication between device 10 and other electronic devices in the system. For example, one electronic device may transmit video and / or audio data to device 10 or another electronic device in the system. The electronic devices in the system may communicate using wired communication circuitry and / or wireless communication circuitry via one or more communication networks (e.g., the Internet, local area network, etc.). The communication circuitry may be used to allow device 10 to receive data from external equipment (e.g., a tethered computer, a portable device such as a handheld device or laptop computer, an online computing device such as a remote server or other remote computing equipment, or other electronic equipment) and / or provide data to external equipment.

[0027] The input-output devices of device 10 (e.g., the input-output devices in component 16) may be used to allow a user to provide user input to device 10. The input-output devices may also be used to collect information about the operating environment of device 10. The output components in the input-output devices may allow device 10 to provide output to the user and may be used to communicate with external electronic equipment.

[0028] The input-output devices of device 10 may include one or more displays, such as internal display 14 and external display 24. External display 24 may be formed by a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode display, a display having an array of crystal semiconductor light-emitting diode dies, or a display based on other pixel types. In some configurations, the displays in device 10 may include left and right display devices (e.g., display 14 may be formed by: left and right components, such as left and right scanning mirror display devices, liquid crystal on silicon display devices, digital micromirror devices, or other reflective display devices, left and right display panels based on a light-emitting diode pixel array such as an organic light-emitting display panel or a display device based on a pixel array formed by crystal semiconductor light-emitting diode dies, a liquid crystal display device panel, and / or other left and right display devices respectively aligned with a user's left and right eyes). In other configurations, display 14 may include a single display panel that extends across both eyes or uses other arrangements in which the content is provided with a single pixel array.

[0029] The displays of device 10 may be used to display visual content for a user of device 10. For example, the content presented on display 14 may include virtual objects and other content provided to the display by control circuit 12, and may sometimes be referred to as computer-generated content. Images on the display, such as images having computer-generated content, may be displayed in the absence of real-world content, or may be combined with real-world content. In some configurations, real-world images may be captured by a camera (e.g., a forward-facing camera) such that the computer-generated content may be electronically overlaid on portions of the real-world image (e.g., when device 10 is a pair of virtual reality goggles having an opaque display).

[0030] The input-output circuit of device 10 may include sensors. The sensors may include, for example, three-dimensional sensors (e.g., three-dimensional image sensors such as structured light sensors that emit light beams and use two-dimensional digital image sensors to collect image data for three-dimensional images from the light spots generated when the light beams illuminate the target; binocular three-dimensional image sensors that use two or more cameras in a binocular imaging arrangement to collect three-dimensional images; three-dimensional lidar (light detection and ranging) sensors; three-dimensional radio frequency sensors; or other sensors that collect three-dimensional image data), cameras (e.g., infrared and / or visible digital image sensors), gaze tracking sensors (e.g., gaze tracking systems based on image sensors and (if required) a light source that emits one or more light beams such as an infrared light source, where after the light beams are reflected by the user's eyes, the image sensor is used to track the one or more light beams), touch sensors, buttons, capacitive proximity sensors, light-based (optical) proximity sensors, other proximity sensors, force sensors such as strain gauges, capacitive force sensors, resistive force sensors, and / or other force sensors configured to measure force inputs from the user's fingers or other external objects on the display, track pads, or other input surfaces, sensors such as switch-based contact sensors, gas sensors, pressure sensors, humidity sensors, magnetic sensors, audio sensors (microphones), ambient light sensors, light sensors for making user measurements, microphones for collecting voice commands and other audio inputs, sensors configured to collect information about motion, position, and / or orientation (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, compasses, and / or inertial measurement units that include all of these sensors or a subset of one or two of these sensors), finger sensors (e.g., two-dimensional capacitive fingerprint sensors, two-dimensional optical fingerprint sensors, etc.), and / or other sensors.

[0031] The sensors and other input devices in the input-output devices of device 10 may be used to collect user input and other information. If required, device 10 may include tactile output devices (e.g., vibrating components overlapped by the display, a portion of the housing wall, and / or other device structures), light-emitting diodes and other light sources, speakers (such as earpieces for generating audio outputs), and other electronic components for input and output. If required, device 10 may include circuits for receiving wireless power, circuits for wirelessly transmitting power to other devices, batteries, and other energy storage devices (e.g., capacitors), joysticks, buttons, and / or other components.

[0032] Some or all of the housing 12 can be used as a support structure (e.g., see the portion of the housing 12 formed by the support structure 12T and the portions of the housing 12 formed by the support structures 12M and 12I). In a configuration where the electronic device 10 is a head-mounted device (e.g., a pair of glasses, goggles, a helmet, a hat, etc.), the structures 12T and 12M of the housing 12 and / or other portions can be used as a head-mounted support structure (e.g., a structure forming a helmet housing, a headband, temple pieces of a pair of glasses, a goggle housing structure, and / or other head-mounted structures). The head-mounted support structure can be configured to be worn on a user's head during operation of the device 10 and can support a display, lenses, sensors, other input-output devices, control circuitry, and / or other components.

[0033] Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a side view of the device 10 in an exemplary configuration, where the device 10 is a head-mounted device having a support structure that allows the device 10 to be worn on a user's head 26. The support structure of the device 10 can include, for example, the structure 12T (e.g., a strip such as a horizontally extending headband) and / or the structure 12T' (e.g., a strip such as a crown headband that extends from front to back along the middle of the user's head). The housing of the device 10 and optional structures such as the display 24 can include structures located on the front F of the device 10. The support structure forming the body of the device 10 can include flat surfaces and / or curved surfaces, such as a curved surface that creates a smooth transition between the front-facing surface of the device 10 and the side-facing surface of the device 10 (e.g., a device along the user's ear and / or other portions of the side of the head 26).

[0034] Finger sensors, with or without haptic output devices (e.g., sensors such as touch sensors, force sensors, proximity sensors for detecting finger presence and / or finger air gestures), can be located at any suitable location on device 10, such as location 34 that extends along some or all of a horizontally extending headband (structure 12T), location 40 that extends along some or all of the surface of a headband along the top of the head (such as structure 12T), location 32 on the upward-facing surface on the upper portion of the main housing of device 10 (e.g., along the upper peripheral edge of the main housing of device 10), location 36 on the opposite lower (downward-facing) surface of the periphery of the main housing of device 10, location 38 on the portion of the front of device 10 that extends partially forward and partially laterally from the head 26 portion, location 28 at the center of the front face F, and / or location 30 at the peripheral edge portion on the front face F (and, if desired, at the associated peripheral edge portion of the support 12T that extends continuously rearward from the front face F). These are exemplary locations for forming finger sensors and / or other sensors in component 16. Locations such as these will sometimes be used to adjust the operation of device 10 as an example. If desired, other locations in device 10 (e.g., any exposed surface of device 10 and the support structure forming device 10) can be provided with sensors, such as finger sensors.

[0035] Figure 3 is a front view of device 10 in an exemplary configuration, where a forward-facing display 24 has been formed over most of the front face F of the housing 12. Sensors such as finger sensors can be formed along one or more portions of the peripheral edge of the housing 12 on the front face F. For example, as Figure 3 shown, sensor 40 (e.g., a finger sensor) can be formed in an elongated shape, such as a strip (e.g., a bar) that extends horizontally across the upper peripheral edge of the housing 12. In Figure 3 the example, sensor 40 extends partially across most of the width of device 10. In other configurations, sensor 40 can extend more or less across the width of device 10, and / or can be positioned along the left peripheral edge and / or right peripheral edge and / or lower peripheral edge of the housing 12 and the display 24.

[0036] If desired, the sensor 40 can be separate from the display 24. For example, if the display 24 is not touch-sensitive, the sensor 40 can be used to collect finger inputs while optionally using the display 24 to provide a visual output that changes in response to the collected finger inputs. In an arrangement where the display 24 is touch-sensitive, the user can use both the sensor 40 and the display 24 to provide finger inputs. For example, when on-screen options are displayed on the display 24, the user can select the on-screen option on the display 24 by touching the on-screen option, and the user can adjust an operating parameter of the device 10 (by way of example) by moving a finger along the length of the sensor 40.

[0037] Figure 4 is a top view of the device 10 showing how a sensor such as a finger sensor (e.g., Figure 4 sensor 42) can be formed along the upper edge of the housing 12. The upper edge of the housing 12 can be characterized by an upper housing surface that is not parallel to the front face F. In this position, the sensor 42 extends along the upper peripheral boundary of the forward-facing display 24 on the front face F. When the device 10 is worn on the user's head, the surface of the sensor 42 can face upward (e.g., the sensor 42 can be characterized by a surface normal that is perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the surface normal of the forward-facing display 24). If desired, the sensor 42 and / or other finger sensors in the device 10 can have an associated display (e.g., an organic light-emitting display or other display that covers the same area of the device 10 as the sensor). The display can include touch sensor components (e.g., one-dimensional or two-dimensional capacitive touch sensors, optical touch sensors, etc.), one or more force sensor components (e.g., a force sensor that detects a force input in the downward direction into the Figure 4 example page) or other sensor components.

[0038] The control circuit of device 10 can provide interactive visual elements, such as selectable on-screen options, on an external display such as the display of the overlapping sensor 42. For example, selectable icons 44 can be adjusted in real time by the control circuit, and the control circuit can take corresponding actions in response to a user finger input that selects a given icon among the icons 44. For example, the display associated with the sensor 42 can display the icons 44, and one or more of the displayed icons 44 can correspond to selectable options. Finger inputs can be provided to the sensor 42 during operation. When a finger input is received on an icon corresponding to a selectable option, the control circuit of device 10 can adjust the operation of device 10 to place device 10 in a given operation mode associated with the selectable option. If desired, the sensor 42 and / or other fingerprint sensors of device 10 can be fingerprint sensors or can include fingerprint sensors. In this type of configuration, each of the different fingerprints of a user (or different fingerprints from different corresponding users) can be used to trigger device 10 to perform different corresponding tasks. For example, in response to receiving a finger input from a first finger, device 10 can enter a first operation mode, while in response to receiving a finger input from a second finger different from the first finger, device 10 can enter a second operation mode different from the first operation mode. Fingerprints can be used for authentication, to launch specific applications, operating system functions, or other software, and / or to otherwise provide user input to device 10.

[0039] When an option is selected to help confirm to the user that the input has been received by the sensor 42, haptic feedback (e.g., pulsed vibration) can optionally be provided. If desired, the selectable on-screen options can include reconfigurable (or fixed) slide input buttons (see, for example, the exemplary slider button 46). The user can use such a button (e.g., a touchscreen slider button having a movable indicator representing the current state of the slider button) to provide input for changing an analog value (e.g., playback volume, display brightness, etc.). For example, the user can place a finger 48 on the slider button 46 and move the finger 48 in direction 50 to increase the audio volume or increase the display brightness, and move the finger 48 in direction 52 to decrease the audio volume or decrease the display brightness (by way of example). Such a configuration can also be used, where Figure 4 the sensor 42 of collects input from the user without using the corresponding display and / or without using the associated haptic output device.

[0040] In some arrangements, the display 24 may be covered with a protective cover layer, such as the display cover layer 12CG of the main housing part 12M. The layer 12CG may have a curved shape (e.g., a shape that wraps around the front of the user's face) and may be formed of a transparent polymer, glass, or other transparent material. The pixels of the display 24 may be overlapped by the layer 12CG such that the user can view the image on the front face F through the layer 12CG. The display 24 in this type of arrangement may be a flexible display that is curved to conform to the curved inner surface of the layer 12CG. The housing structure 12R may have a portion that forms an upward-facing surface for supporting the sensor 42 and may be configured to wrap around the user's facial features (e.g., the structure 12R may have a recess to accommodate the user's nose). The housing structure 12R may have a soft portion (e.g., foam, fabric, etc.) for forming a buffer structure adjacent to the user's face. Generally, the housing 12 may be formed of any suitable material (e.g., glass, ceramic, metal, polymer, fiber composites such as fiberglass and carbon fiber materials, fabric, wood, and other natural materials and / or other materials).

[0041] In Figure 5 an example of, the display 24 has a first forward-facing portion such as the main forward-facing display 24M and a second portion (formed by the same display substrate and / or a separate display substrate) that forms an elongated strip-shaped display 24D. The display 24 (e.g., the display 24M and / or the display 24D) may be provided with finger sensors and, if desired, may be provided with optional tactile output. For example, the elongated strip-shaped display 24D may be overlapped with an elongated strip-shaped finger sensor of the same size or a similar size. The display 24M may be overlapped with a two-dimensional touch sensor or other two-dimensional finger sensor. In some configurations, the display 24 may be overlapped with a two-dimensional finger sensor. The tactile output device may provide feedback in response to the collected finger input. Arrangements may also be used in which a portion of the display 24 does not overlap with any finger sensor components.

[0042] As Figure 5 shown, in an arrangement where the display 24 senses finger input, the user may provide a touch input or other finger input to drag and place visual elements (e.g., icons corresponding to applications or other software on the device 10) on the display 24. For example, the user may drag and place an icon such as icon 58 from the display 24M to a location such as location 58' on the display 24D, and the user may drag and place an icon such as icon 60 from the display 24D to a location such as location 60' on the display 24M. The strip-shaped display 24D may be used as a dynamic function bar that includes customized function buttons (e.g., user-selected and / or default icons corresponding to applications, operating system functions, or other device functions).

[0043] In Figure 6 the example of Figure 6 , the display 24D includes a plurality of user-selectable options 62. Figure 6 The display 24D of Figure 6 can overlap with a finger sensor (e.g., a sensor for collecting touch input, force input, and / or other finger inputs), and optionally can overlap with a haptic output device. The user can provide finger input to select a given option among the options 62. The options 62 can correspond to moving between the options 64 on various screens and selecting a highlighted navigation function such as the highlight 66. Using this type of input arrangement, the user can move the highlight 66 to an option on the screen of interest and then can select one of the options 62 to select the highlighted option (e.g., one of the options 62 can be used as a "select" key). The display 24D can display reconfigurable button labels (e.g., icons) and / or the fixed button labels in the device 10 can be placed over different finger sensors and / or portions of the finger sensors. In Figure 6 the example of Figure 6 , the display 24D (and its associated finger sensor) has an elongated strip shape and extends along the upper peripheral edge of the display 24M and the housing 12 of the device 10. This allows the user to provide finger input without obscuring the visual content on the display 24M (e.g., not visually blocking the options 64 on the screen from being seen). Using a finger sensor that extends along the edge of the display 24 (e.g., a finger sensor that overlaps with the display 24D of Figure 6 Figure 6 ) can assist the user in providing finger input to the device 10 (e.g., in a configuration where the display 24M is a touch-insensitive display that does not overlap with any finger sensor device). If desired, an arrangement can also be used in which the display 24 overlaps with one or more finger sensors (and, if needed, a haptic output device). The display 24D (and its associated finger sensor) can face outward (e.g., the surface normal of the display 24D can be parallel to the surface normal of the display 24M, and / or the display 24D can face upward while the display 24M faces horizontally outward). A configuration can also be used in which the display 24D and its associated finger sensor extend vertically along the right peripheral edge or the left peripheral edge of the housing 12.

[0044] Figure 7 is a front view of the device 10 in an exemplary configuration, where a finger sensor is used to adjust the distance between the lenses 22 (e.g., to accommodate the user's pupil distance). Finger sensors such as the finger sensor 40 can extend along the upper peripheral edge of the display 24 and the housing of the device 10. In this position, the user can place the fingers 48 on the left and right portions of the finger sensor 40. To increase the spacing between the lenses 22, the user can move the fingers 48 away from each other (e.g., by sliding the fingers 48 away from each other along the surface of the finger sensor 40 in the direction 70, as Figure 7As shown). The current horizontal position of each finger 48 can correspond to the associated current position of a corresponding one of the lenses in the lens 22. The distance between the lenses 22 (e.g., the center-to-center spacing of the lenses 22) can be reduced by moving the fingers 48 towards each other. An electromagnetic actuator (e.g., a motor, etc.) or other lens positioner can be used to position the lens 22 in response to a finger input. Since the user's finger is located near the lens 22 and since the user's finger moves in the direction in which the user desires to move the lens 22, this type of method for adjusting the lens spacing may be intuitive for the user.

[0045] Generally speaking, any suitable computer-controlled actuator can be controlled by providing an input to the device 10 (e.g., using one or more finger sensors). For example, the actuator can be used to tighten and / or loosen the headband, adjust the padding resting between the housing 12 and the front of the user's face (e.g., adjust the spacing between the user's eyes and the display 14), and / or adjust other mechanical properties of the device 10. In addition, the user can use finger inputs on the peripheral finger sensors and / or other finger sensors to adjust other device operation parameters. For example, the user can move a finger back and forth on a horizontally extending elongated finger sensor located at the top edge of the front face F to adjust the stereo balance (the left audio playback volume and the right audio playback volume associated with the left speaker and the right speaker mounted on the left and right support structures 12T of the user's head, or the left speaker and the right speaker in an associated pair of headphones or wireless earbuds), and / or can otherwise use a slider input device implemented using the elongated finger sensors in the housing 12 to adjust the audio playback settings and / or other device operation settings. In some configurations, the device 10 can be used as a remote control device (e.g., such that, in addition to or instead of adjusting the stereo balance in the device 10, finger inputs can be used to adjust the stereo balance in an external audio system).

[0046] Figure 8Perspective view of the exterior portion of the housing 12. The finger sensor 80 is formed on a protruding portion of the housing 12 (e.g., on the annular sidewall surface 82 located on the protruding support structure 84). The protruding support structure 84 may have a circular profile, a profile with curved and / or straight edges, and / or other suitable shapes. The finger sensor 80 can collect finger inputs from one or more fingers 48 or other external objects. For example, the user can slide a single finger 48 along the curved peripheral edge of the protruding support structure 84 to adjust the audio volume, screen brightness, or other adjustable operating parameters. If desired, the user can place two (or more) fingers 48 on the periphery of the protruding portion 84 while providing inputs to the finger sensor. In this way, the user can, for example, provide finger inputs to the finger sensor 80 that simulate the twisting of a rotatable knob (even when the protruding support structure 84 is fixed and does not rotate as the user twists their finger).

[0047] If desired, the finger sensor can extend around the boundary of the front face F of the housing 12. In Figure 9 an exemplary configuration, visual elements such as icons 88 are presented to the user. The icons 88 can be displayed on the inward-facing display 14 (e.g., in the peripheral region of the user's field of view) and / or on the outward-facing display 24. The device 10 can have finger sensors, such as a finger sensor 86 that extends along the peripheral edge of the housing 12 and the display 24 (e.g., some or all of the annular boundary of the display 24). The sensor 86 can be, for example, a capacitive touch sensor, an optical touch sensor, or other touch-sensitive sensing circuitry. When the user desires to move an icon 88 along the periphery of the user's field of view (e.g., when the icon 88 is displayed on the display 14), the user can place a finger 48 on the finger sensor 86 and can drag and place the icon 88 to a new desired location such as location 88'. In this way, the user can directly move notification icons and other visual elements on the display 14 to a desired peripheral display location (e.g., to customize the location where these icons are displayed along the edge of the user's field of view). During operation of the device 10, the content being viewed by the user (e.g., live images) can be displayed in the central main portion of the display 14, while the user-customized visual elements (e.g., icons corresponding to areas for incoming messages, information about the current time, calendar entries, and / or other information) can be displayed at the desired user-selected locations.

[0048] Figure 9 an exemplary example involves using an annular finger sensor (finger sensor 86) that extends along some or all of the periphery of the front face F of the device 10 to move visual elements (icons, etc.) displayed by the device 10 for the user on the display 14 (or display 24). If desired, the finger sensor can be located on other parts of the housing 12, as combined with Figure 2As described above. For example, the user may use the finger sensor 30 to move a visual element displayed on the left periphery of the user's field of view to the right periphery of the user's field of view, etc. Generally speaking, any finger sensor position described in connection with the device 10 (e.g., Figure 2 any finger sensor position, etc.) can be used as an adjustable slider button to display customizable interactive buttons (selectable icons), which can be used for dragging and dropping or otherwise manipulating the content appearing on the external display such as the display 24, can be used to move a visual element from one part of the display 14 to another part, and so on.

[0049] As described above, one aspect of the techniques of the present invention is to collect and use information such as sensor information. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some cases, data including personal information that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a particular person may be collected. 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, user names, passwords, biometric information, or any other identifying or personal information.

[0050] The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information in the techniques of the present invention can be used to benefit the user. For example, the personal information data can be used to deliver target content that the user is more interested in. Therefore, the use of such personal information data enables the user to control the delivered content. In addition, the present disclosure also anticipates other uses of the personal information data that are beneficial to the user. For example, health and fitness data can be used to provide insights into the user's overall health condition, or can be used as positive feedback for individuals who use technology to pursue health goals.

[0051] The present disclosure contemplates that entities responsible for collecting, analyzing, disclosing, transmitting, storing, or otherwise using such personal information data will comply with established privacy policies and / or privacy practices. Specifically, such entities should implement and adhere to privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of personal information data. Such policies should be readily accessible to users and should be updated as the collection and / or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable purposes of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimate uses. Additionally, such collection / sharing should occur after receiving informed consent from the user. Further, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to safeguard and secure access to such personal information data and to ensure that others with access to personal information data comply with their privacy policies and procedures. Additionally, such an entity may subject itself to third-party assessments to demonstrate its compliance with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. Further, policies and practices should be adjusted to account for the specific types of personal information data being collected and / or accessed and to apply applicable laws and standards including specific considerations of the jurisdiction. For example, in the United States, the collection or access of certain health data may be subject to federal and / or state laws such as the Health 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. Thus, different privacy practices should be maintained for different types of personal data in each country.

[0052] Notwithstanding the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments where users selectively block the use or access of personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware elements and / or software elements may be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, the technology may be configured to allow users to select to "opt-in" or "opt-out" of the collection of personal information data either during or after registering for a service. As another example, a user may choose not to provide a particular type of user data. As yet another example, a user may 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 contemplates providing notices related to the access or use of personal information. For example, a user may be notified when downloading an application ("app") that their personal information data will be accessed and then reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the app.

[0053] In addition, the purpose of the present disclosure is to manage and process personal information data to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Once the data is no longer needed, the risk can be minimized by restricting data collection 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. In appropriate cases, de-identification can be facilitated by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or characteristics of the data stored (e.g., collecting location data at the city level rather than the address level), controlling the way the data is stored (e.g., aggregating data among users), and / or other methods.

[0054] Thus, while the present disclosure broadly covers using information that may include personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also anticipates that the various embodiments may also be implemented without accessing personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the technology of the present invention will not be unable to function properly due to the lack of all or a part of such personal information data.

[0055] Physical environment: The physical environment refers to the physical world that people can sense and / or interact with without the help of an electronic system. Physical environments such as physical parks include 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.

[0056] Computer-Generated Reality: A computer-generated reality (CGR) environment is a fully or partially simulated environment in which people perceive and / or interact via an electronic system. In CGR, a subset of a person's physical movements or representations thereof are tracked, and in response, one or more characteristics of one or more virtual objects simulated in the CGR environment are adjusted in a manner consistent 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 how such views and sounds would change in a physical environment. In some cases (e.g., for accessibility reasons), the characteristics of virtual objects in a CGR environment can be adjusted in response to representations of physical actions (e.g., voice commands). A person can use any of their senses (including vision, sound, touch, taste, and smell) to sense and / or interact with CGR objects. For example, a person can sense and / or interact with an audio object that creates a 3D or spatial audio environment that provides the perception of a point audio source in 3D space. As another example, an audio object can enable audio transparency that 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 audio objects. Examples of CGR include virtual reality and mixed reality.

[0057] Virtual Reality: A virtual reality (VR) environment is a simulated environment that is designed to be completely computer-generated sensory input for one or more senses. A VR environment includes multiple virtual objects with which a person can sense and / or interact. For example, computer-generated images of trees, buildings, and avatars representing people are examples of virtual objects. A person can sense and / or interact with the virtual objects in a VR environment by way of a simulation of the person's presence within the computer-generated environment and / or by way of a simulation of a subgroup of the person's physical movements within the computer-generated environment.

[0058] Mixed Reality: Compared to a VR environment that is designed to be based entirely on computer-generated sensory input, a mixed reality (MR) environment is an analog environment that is designed to incorporate sensory input or its representation from the physical environment in addition to computer-generated sensory input (e.g., virtual objects). On the virtual continuum, an MR environment is any condition between a fully physical environment at one end and a virtual reality environment at the other end, excluding these two ends. In some MR environments, computer-generated sensory input can respond to changes in sensory input from the physical environment. Additionally, some electronic systems for presenting an MR environment can track position and / or orientation relative to the physical environment so that virtual objects can interact with real objects (i.e., physical items from the physical environment or their representations). For example, the system can cause movements such that a virtual tree appears stationary relative to the physical ground. Examples of mixed reality include augmented reality and augmented virtuality. Augmented Reality: An augmented reality (AR) environment is an analog environment in which one or more virtual objects are superimposed on a physical environment or a representation of the physical environment. For example, an electronic system for presenting an AR environment can 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 the transparent or translucent display such that the person using the system perceives the virtual objects superimposed on the 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 images or videos with the virtual objects and presents the combination on the opaque display. The person uses the system to indirectly view the physical environment via the images or videos of the physical environment and perceives the virtual objects superimposed on the physical environment. As used herein, a video of the physical environment displayed on an opaque display is referred to as a "passthrough 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, such that the person using the system perceives the virtual objects superimposed on the physical environment. An augmented reality environment is also an analog environment in which a representation of the physical environment is transformed by computer-generated sensory information. For example, in providing a passthrough video, the system can transform one or more sensor images to impose an alternative perspective (e.g., viewpoint) different from the perspective captured by the imaging sensor. Also, a representation of the physical environment can be transformed by graphically modifying (e.g., magnifying) portions of it such that the modified portions can be a representative but not a true version of the originally captured image. Again, a representation of the physical environment can be transformed by graphically removing portions of it or blurring portions of it.Augmented Virtual: An augmented virtual (AV) environment is a simulated environment in which a virtual environment or computer-generated environment incorporates one or more sensory inputs from the physical environment. The sensory inputs can be representations of one or more characteristics of the physical environment. For example, an AV park can have virtual trees and virtual buildings, but the face of a person is a realistic reproduction of an image taken of the physical person. As another example, a virtual object can adopt the shape or color of a physical item imaged by one or more imaging sensors. As yet another example, a virtual object can adopt a shadow that conforms to the position of the sun in the physical environment.

[0059] Hardware: There are many different types of electronic systems that enable a person to sense various CGR environments and / or interact with various CGR environments. Examples include head-mounted systems, projection-based systems, head-up displays (HUDs), vehicle windshields integrated with display capabilities, windows integrated with display capabilities, displays formed as lenses designed to be placed on a person's eye (e.g., similar to contact lenses), headphones / earpieces, speaker arrays, input systems (e.g., wearable or handheld controllers with or without haptic feedback), smart phones, tablets, and desktop / laptop computers. A head-mounted system can have one or more speakers and an integrated opaque display. Alternatively, the head-mounted system can be configured to receive an external opaque display (e.g., a smart phone). The head-mounted system can 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. The head-mounted system can have a transparent or translucent display instead of an opaque display. The transparent or translucent display can have a medium through which light representing an image is directed to a person's eye. The display can utilize digital light projection, OLED, LED, micro-LED, liquid crystal on silicon, laser scanning light sources, or any combination of these technologies. The medium can be an optical waveguide, a holographic medium, an optical combiner, an optical reflector, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the transparent or translucent display can be configured to selectively become opaque. A projection-based system can employ retinal projection technology that projects a graphical image onto a person's retina. The projection system can also be configured to project virtual objects into the physical environment, such as as a hologram or on a physical surface.

[0060] According to one embodiment, there is provided a head-mounted device, the head-mounted device comprising: an inner display; a lens through which the inner display can be viewed from an eye box; a head-mounted support structure configured to support the inner display and the lens, the head-mounted support structure having a front side facing away from the lens and an opposite back side facing the eye box; a finger sensor extending along a peripheral edge of the front side of the head-mounted support structure; and a control circuit configured to adjust visual elements displayed by the inner display based on finger inputs collected by the finger sensor.

[0061] According to another embodiment, the finger sensor includes an elongate strip-shaped touch sensor, and the head-mounted device includes a first outer display on the front side and a second outer display separate from the first outer display, the second outer display being supported by the head-mounted support structure and overlapping the elongate strip-shaped touch sensor.

[0062] According to another embodiment, the finger sensor includes a force sensor.

[0063] According to another embodiment, the finger sensor has an elongate shape and extends at least partially across an upper edge of the front side of the head-mounted support structure.

[0064] According to another embodiment, the head-mounted device includes a publicly viewable display on the front side.

[0065] According to another embodiment, the head-mounted device includes a publicly viewable touch-insensitive display on the front side having a top edge, and the finger sensor extends along the top edge.

[0066] According to another embodiment, the head-mounted support structure has a main portion configured to support the inner display, the head-mounted support structure has a headband portion, and at least some of the finger sensor is located on the headband portion.

[0067] According to another embodiment, the head-mounted support structure has an overhead headband, and the finger sensor is formed on the overhead headband.

[0068] According to another embodiment, the head-mounted device includes an elongate strip-shaped display extending along a peripheral edge of the front side, and the finger sensor overlaps the elongate strip-shaped display.

[0069] According to another embodiment, the finger sensor includes an elongate strip-shaped touch sensor.

[0070] According to another embodiment, the finger sensor includes a touch sensor.

[0071] According to another embodiment, the head-mounted device includes a first publicly viewable display located on the front surface and overlapping with the finger sensor, and a second publicly viewable display located on the front surface and separate from the first publicly viewable display, and the control circuit is configured to move an icon from the second publicly viewable display to the first publicly viewable display.

[0072] According to another embodiment, the head-mounted device includes a first publicly viewable display located on the front surface and overlapping with the finger sensor, and a second publicly viewable display located on the front surface and insensitive to touch.

[0073] According to another embodiment, the head-mounted device includes an actuator coupled to the lens, and the control circuit is configured to move the lens by using the actuator in response to a finger input received by using the finger sensor to adjust the lens center-to-lens center spacing.

[0074] According to another embodiment, the head-mounted device includes a haptic output device, and the control circuit is configured to use the haptic output device to provide a haptic output in response to a finger input from the finger sensor.

[0075] According to one embodiment, there is provided a head-mounted device, the head-mounted device including: an inner display; a lens, through which the inner display can be viewed from an eye box; a head-mounted support structure configured to support the inner display and the lens, the head-mounted support structure having a front surface facing away from the lens and an opposite back surface facing the eye box; an outer display located on the front surface, the outer display being configured to be publicly viewed when the inner display is being viewed through the lens, the outer display having a peripheral edge; and a finger sensor extending along the peripheral edge of the outer display and not overlapping with the outer display.

[0076] According to another embodiment, the finger sensor includes an elongated strip-shaped sensor located on the upper peripheral edge of the outer display.

[0077] According to another embodiment, the outer display is touch-insensitive, and the head-mounted device includes a strip-shaped display overlapping with the elongated strip-shaped sensor.

[0078] According to one embodiment, a head-mounted device is provided that includes: an inner display; a lens through which the inner display can be viewed from an eye box; a head-mounted support structure configured to support the inner display and the lens, the head-mounted support structure having a front face facing away from the lens, an opposite back face facing the lens, and an upper surface that is not parallel to the front face; an outer display located on the front face and configured to be publicly viewed when the inner display is being viewed through the lens, the outer display having a peripheral edge; and a sensor located on the upper surface and configured to collect finger input.

[0079] According to another embodiment, the sensor includes a fingerprint sensor.

[0080] According to another embodiment, the sensor includes an elongated capacitive touch sensor that overlaps an additional outer display that is separate from the outer display.

[0081] The foregoing is illustrative only and various modifications may be made to the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented independently or in any combination.

Claims

1. A head-mounted device, comprising: A head-mounted housing; A sensor located on the head-mounted housing; A left display and a right display, the left display and the right display being supported by the head-mounted housing; A left lens and a right lens, through which the corresponding left display and right display can be viewed from an eye box, wherein the left lens and the right lens are separated by a certain distance; And An actuator configured to adjust the distance in response to an input to the sensor.

2. The head-mounted device according to claim 1, wherein the head-mounted housing comprises metal.

3. The head-mounted device according to claim 1, wherein the head-mounted housing comprises an upper peripheral edge and a lower peripheral edge, and wherein the sensor is located on the upper peripheral edge of the head-mounted housing.

4. The head-mounted device according to claim 3, further comprising a glass layer extending between the upper peripheral edge and the lower peripheral edge.

5. The head-mounted device according to claim 4, wherein the glass layer is curved.

6. The head-mounted device according to claim 1, further comprising a headband coupled to the head-mounted housing.

7. The head-mounted device according to claim 6, further comprising a finger sensor on the headband.

8. The head-mounted device according to claim 7, wherein the finger sensor comprises a touch sensor.

9. The head-mounted device according to claim 1, further comprising an additional sensor on the head-mounted housing for adjusting audio volume.

10. The head-mounted device according to claim 9, wherein the additional sensor comprises a button.

11. A head-mounted device, comprising: A head-mounted housing; A display supported by the head-mounted housing; A lens through which the display can be viewed from an eye box; A headband coupled to the head-mounted housing; And A touch sensor located on the headband.

12. The head-mounted device according to claim 11, wherein the touch sensor comprises a capacitive touch sensor.

13. The head-mounted device according to claim 11, wherein the head-mounted housing has an upper edge and a lower edge, and the head-mounted device further comprises a curved glass layer extending between the upper edge and the lower edge.

14. The head-mounted device according to claim 13, further comprising a finger sensor on the upper edge of the head-mounted housing for adjusting the interpupillary distance.

15. The head-mounted device according to claim 13, further comprising a finger sensor on the upper edge of the head-mounted housing for adjusting audio volume.

16. A head-mounted device, comprising: A curved glass layer; A head-mounted housing forming an annular boundary around the curved glass layer; A display and a lens, the display and the lens being supported by the head-mounted housing; And A volume button located on the head-mounted housing.

17. The head-mounted device according to claim 16, wherein the head-mounted housing has an upper surface and a lower surface, and wherein the volume button is located on the upper surface.

18. The head-mounted device according to claim 17, further comprising: a finger sensor located on the upper surface; and an actuator configured to adjust the distance between the lenses in response to an input to the finger sensor.

19. The head-mounted device according to claim 16, further comprising: a headband coupled to the head-mounted housing; and a touch sensor located on the headband.

20. The head-mounted device according to claim 19, wherein the touch sensor comprises a capacitive touch sensor.

21. A head-mounted device, comprising: a left display and a right display configured to display corresponding left and right images; a left lens and a right lens through which the corresponding left and right images are viewable from an eye box, wherein the left lens and the right lens are separated by a certain distance; a head-mounted support structure configured to support the left display and the right display, and the left lens and the right lens; and a finger sensor located on the head-mounted support structure and configured to receive a finger input, wherein the distance between the left lens and the right lens is adjusted in response to the finger input.

22. The head-mounted device according to claim 21, further comprising an outer display overlapping the left display and the right display.

23. The head-mounted device according to claim 22, wherein the finger sensor comprises an elongated strip sensor extending along an upper edge of the outer display.

24. The head-mounted device according to claim 23, further comprising an additional display separate from the outer display and overlapping the elongated strip sensor.

25. The head-mounted device according to claim 22, wherein the outer display is touch-sensitive.

26. The head-mounted device according to claim 21, further comprising an actuator configured to adjust the distance between the left lens and the right lens in response to the finger input.

27. The head-mounted device according to claim 26, wherein the finger input comprises a swipe input, wherein a finger swipes across the finger sensor in a certain direction, and wherein the actuator is configured to move a given one of the left lens and the right lens in the direction in which the finger swipes across the finger sensor.

28. The head-mounted device according to claim 21, wherein the finger sensor comprises a force sensor.

29. The head-mounted device according to claim 21, wherein the finger sensor comprises a capacitive touch sensor.

30. The head-mounted device according to claim 21, further comprising a haptic output device configured to provide a haptic output in response to the finger input.

31. A head-mounted device, comprising: A display; A lens through which the display can be viewed from an eye box; A head-mounted support structure configured to support the display and the lens; And A touch sensor located on the head-mounted support structure and configured to receive a touch input, wherein an operation setting of the display is adjusted in response to the touch input.

32. The head-mounted device according to claim 31, wherein the operation setting includes screen brightness.

33. The head-mounted device according to claim 31, further comprising an outer display overlapping the display, wherein the touch sensor is positioned along an edge of the outer display.

34. The head-mounted device according to claim 33, wherein the outer display is touch-sensitive.

35. The head-mounted device according to claim 31, further comprising: An additional display overlapping the touch sensor; And A haptic output device configured to provide a haptic output in response to the touch input.

36. A head-mounted device, comprising: A display; A lens through which the display can be viewed from an eye box; A head-mounted support structure configured to support the inner display and the lens; And A touch sensor located on the head-mounted support structure and configured to receive a touch input, wherein an operation setting of an external electronic device is adjusted in response to the touch input.

37. The head-mounted device according to claim 36, wherein the external electronic device includes a speaker providing an audio output, and wherein a volume of the audio output is adjusted in response to the touch input.

38. The head-mounted device according to claim 36, further comprising: An additional display overlapping the touch sensor; And A haptic output device configured to provide a haptic output in response to the touch input.

39. The head-mounted device according to claim 36, further comprising an outer display separate from the display, wherein the touch sensor is positioned along an edge of the outer display.

40. The head-mounted device according to claim 39, wherein the display faces a first direction, the outer display faces a second direction, and the touch sensor faces a third direction, and wherein the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are different.

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