Glasses-type information device, method and program thereof

JP7651319B2Active Publication Date: 2025-03-26CANON KK
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2021035792
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-03-05
Publication Date
2025-03-26
Estimated Expiration
2041-03-05

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

【0009】 本発明によれば、メガネ型情報機器の利用状況や、ユーザ動作·利用場面の少なくとも何れかを想定した通知制御が可能となる。

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Abstract

To provide a mechanism to control a notification of an application on an eyeglass-type information device such as smart glasses.SOLUTION: A glasses-type information device (smart glasses) includes earphones that transmit sound to a user wearing the glasses, a speaker that outputs sound to unspecified users on the surroundings, and a notification function including at least one of a vibration function and a function to turn on a lamp. When temples of the eyeglass-type information device are folded down and not attached to the user, the speaker is disabled for the sake of applications installed on the eyeglass-type information device, and output is performed using at least one of the earphones and the notification function.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mechanism for controlling notifications from applications installed in glasses-type information devices such as smart glasses. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, mobile phones and smartphones have become widespread in the consumer market, and are equipped with features such as earphones (a function for listening to sound when held up to the ear), speakers, bone conduction speakers, vibrations, and LED lamps. Smartphones use these features for incoming calls, alarms, timers, and email notifications. One proposed technology is to switch between making a voice call on a flip-type mobile phone so that sound is emitted from the speaker when the mobile phone is open, and transmitted through the bone conduction speaker when the mobile phone is closed (Patent Document 1).

[0003] In recent years, technology related to smart glasses, which are wearable devices worn like glasses, has been proposed as a technology to link with smartphones or replace smartphones, and it is expected that they will penetrate the consumer market in the future. Some smart glasses are already on the market, and some smart glasses are equipped with earphones, speakers, bone conduction speakers, vibrations, and LED lights, just like smartphones. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-175972 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Since glasses-type information devices such as smart glasses are devices worn on the face, the usage conditions, user actions, and usage scenarios specific to smart glasses are expected to differ from those of smartphones.

[0006] For example, in the case of a smartphone, the speaker sound may be turned off to avoid disturbing those around. In this case, since the user is not always looking at the screen, the vibration function of the smartphone may be turned on so that the user can notice notifications. On the other hand, when wearing smart glasses, even if the speaker sound is turned off to avoid disturbing those around, it is expected that there may be situations where the vibration function that vibrates the smart glasses themselves is unnecessary or may be unpleasant.

[0007] Therefore, there may be a need for notification control that takes into account at least one of the usage status of glasses-type information devices and user actions and usage situations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention relates to a glasses-type information device that can be worn by a user, the glasses-type information device having a first speaker function for transmitting sound to the user wearing the glasses-type information device, a second speaker function for transmitting sound to the surroundings of the glasses-type information device, and a vibration function. This is achieved by and a notification function, wherein the glasses-type information device is not worn by a user. stomach At some point, the first speaker function is disabled for an application installed in the glasses-type information device, and output is performed using at least one of the second speaker function and the notification function, and when the glasses-type information device is worn by the user, the second speaker function and the notification function are enabled for the application. Without using output The present invention is characterized by having a control means for performing output using the first speaker function. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, notification control can be performed taking into account at least one of the usage status of the glasses-type information device and the user's actions and usage situations. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a glasses-type information device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a glasses-type information device according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a module configuration of glasses-type information device software according to the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart for explaining a notification process of a glasses-type information device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] Display control example of the setting screen of the glasses-type information device according to the present invention [Figure 6] Example of display control of common settings related to calls and notifications for the glasses-type information device according to the present invention [Figure 7] Display control example of application-specific settings related to notifications for the glasses-type information device according to the present invention [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart for explaining a notification process of a glasses-type information device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart for explaining a notification process of a glasses-type information device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 10] Example of display control of glasses-type information device in embodiment 4 [Figure 11] Example of a common call setting table by mode [Figure 12] Example of notification settings table according to mode DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] <Example 1> 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a glasses-type information device. The glasses-type information device is a device capable of communicating with a mobile network (mobile communication network) 130 and the Internet 140 directly or via a mobile router (not shown), and the present invention gives smart glasses 101 as an example. As glasses-type information devices, monocular smart glasses, head-mounted displays, and the like can also be used.

[0013] The smart glasses 101 are wearable information terminals worn by a user near the eyes, and display a virtual image on a display unit 102 within the user's field of vision without blocking the user's field of vision. Such a display method is called AR (Augmented Reality) or MR (Mixed Reality), and is provided by a function of projecting information onto a transparent display (lens 105) or the user's retina (not shown). Although the figure shows a display that provides an image to one eye, the present invention can also be applied to smart glasses 101 that project an image onto the field of vision of both eyes.

[0014] The display unit 102 is provided with a camera unit 103 for capturing an image of a subject in the direction of the user's line of sight. 104 is a frame and also has a touch sensor on the outside of the frame, and is an operation frame unit for operating the terminal. The frame 104 has a built-in audio function, and can transmit sound to the user by loud speaker sound that can be heard without holding the frame to the ear, or earphone sound that can be heard by holding the frame to the ear. As an alternative to this earphone sound, a bone conduction function can also be installed. In this embodiment, the earphone function, bone conduction function, etc. are defined as a first speaker, which is a speaker function that transmits sound with directionality to the wearer of the smart glasses 101. On the other hand, a speaker (such as the speaker 224 described later) that outputs sound to unspecified users in the vicinity when the smart glasses 101 are closed, etc. is defined as a second speaker.

[0015] Furthermore, the temple portion of the frame 104 can be folded closed or opened, and is equipped with a temple opening / closing switch that detects the open / closed state. The frame 104 can also be equipped with an ON / OFF switch that is used to switch modes such as silent mode and detects the switching. The inside of the frame 104 may also be equipped with a skin sensor that detects whether or not the skin is touching the frame, and a human presence sensor that detects a person near the camera unit 103 on the frame 104. The frame 104 is also equipped with notification functions such as a vibration function and an LED lamp flashing function to notify the user of notifications from applications on the smart glasses 101.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the smart glasses 101.

[0017] The CPU 201 collectively controls various functions of the smart glasses 101 via the internal bus 206 by a program stored in the ROM 203. The execution result of the program by the CPU 201 can be projected and displayed as an image in the user's field of vision by the display 202. In this embodiment, the display method is assumed to be a method in which the user sees what the display 202 projects in the field of vision through the transparent lens 105. However, it is also possible to adopt a method in which the display 202 projects directly onto the retina. The ROM 203 is a flash memory or the like, and various setting information and application programs, as described above, are stored. The RAM 204 functions as a memory and a work area for the CPU 201. Note that the processing shown in the flowchart that is a feature of this embodiment, which will be described later using figures, is processing that is realized by the CPU 201 executing the corresponding program.

[0018] The network I / F (interface) 205 is a hardware module for connecting to the mobile network 130 or Wi-Fi. When using a mobile router, it is also possible to connect using a USB I / F (not shown) of the smart glasses 101.

[0019] The operation unit 207 accepts an input from a user through the frame 104, and transmits a signal corresponding to the input to each of the processing units described above through the operation unit I / F 208. The detection I / F 209 accepts signals from the sensors shown in 214 to 220 and signals by switching the switches 227 and 228, and transmits the signals to each of the processing units described above. The sensors shown in 214 to 220 are a GPS, a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a proximity sensor, a blood pressure / heart rate measurement sensor, a skin sensor, and a human sensor, and at least one of these is implemented. The sensors shown in 227 and 228 are an ON / OFF switch and a temple opening / closing switch, and a plurality of ON / OFF switches may be implemented. The smart glasses 101 may also be implemented with a sensor for detecting biometric information for implementing fingerprint authentication, vein authentication, iris authentication, and the like. The camera 210 has a photographing function, and the photographed image data is stored in the ROM 203. A laser 211 projects various contents onto the display 202, or in the case of a retinal projection method, projects the contents directly onto the retina. A storage device 212 is a storage medium, and is a device for storing various data such as applications. It also includes a device for reading data from the storage medium and a device for deleting data. Some terminals do not have the storage device 212, and only have a ROM 203. A short-range communication I / F 213 is an interface used for communication with other wearable terminals, etc.

[0020] The audio I / F 222 transmits audio output to the earphone 223 and the speaker 224, which are audio functions. The earphone 223 and the speaker 224 share one audio output port, and audio is output from either one depending on the notification or use. During audio communication, the user receives audio through the earphone 223 or the speaker 224, and transmits the audio through a microphone (not shown). At this time, the line used for the audio communication is a network connected by a network I / F, or a wired or wireless telephone line connected by a telephone line connection component (not shown). The audio I / F 222 can also transmit audio output instead of the earphone 223 by bone conduction (not shown). The vibration 225 and the LED lamp 226 notify the user of notifications from applications on the smart glasses 101 by vibration and blinking of the LED lamp, respectively.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a modular software configuration of the smart glasses 101.

[0022] The communication unit 301 receives notifications from a cooperating application server via a network using the network I / F 205. The communication unit 301 also transmits and receives information to and from the cooperating wearable device. The storage unit 302 exchanges information between the ROM 203, RAM 204, and other processing units. It also stores image data captured by the camera 210.

[0023] The display unit 303 displays the results of various applications executed by the CPU 201, such as AR / MR display. For example, AR technology is used to display content (information projection) on the display 202 so that virtual content is superimposed on real space. Note that the present invention can also employ a method of direct projection onto the retina. Here, in the information projection, the position and orientation of the user's own device in real space may be estimated based on a technology such as SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping). The estimation result is used for display processing of the virtual content.

[0024] The operation unit 304 accepts input from the user through the frame 104, and accepts and controls various application operations and operation instructions for display on the display 202. The camera control unit 305 controls the start, stop, and capture of the camera 210, and stores the captured image data in the ROM 203 in cooperation with the storage unit 302. The mode control unit 306 controls switching to multiple call / notification modes provided in the smart glasses 101, and switches the smart glasses 101 to a mode desired by the user. The call / notification modes include a normal mode, a manner mode, a silent mode, a drive mode, and a custom mode, and includes a non-wearing mode that is a feature of this embodiment.

[0025] The manner mode is a mode that is mainly entered while the smart glasses 101 are being worn, and is a mode that uses functions such as a vibration function and an LED while restricting sound output from the speaker. The silent mode is a mode that is mainly entered while the smart glasses 101 are being worn, and is a mode that restricts sound and vibration output other than display control on the display 202. The drive mode is a mode that is mainly entered when driving a car or the like while wearing the smart glasses 101. The custom mode is a special mode customized by the user of the smart glasses 101. The normal mode is a mode other than those modes while the smart glasses 101 are being worn, and is a mode that uses sound output from earphones (or bone conduction) and display control on the display 202. It is also possible to arbitrarily enable sound output from the speaker.

[0026] The non-wearing mode is a mode used when the user is not wearing the smart glasses 101. The detection unit 307 manages information such as status changes and usage states detected by the detection I / F 209, and stores the information in the ROM 203. The pairing unit 308 controls the short-range communication I / F 213 to enable bidirectional data communication with an external network device via wireless communication.

[0027] The application management unit 309 manages the execution status of various applications, version information, notifications received from the server for each application, which of the above-mentioned modes the application is in, and the like, and manages these in the ROM 203 and RAM 204 via the storage unit 302 .

[0028] Furthermore, the application management unit 309 controls various applications based on user input via the operation unit 304. Furthermore, when content is to be displayed on the display 202 during application control, the application management unit 309 displays the content on the display 202 via the display unit 303.

[0029] 4 shows a processing flow characteristic of the present invention when controlling applications installed in the smart glasses 101. The application management unit 309 is the subject of the processing steps included in this flowchart.

[0030] When the application management unit 309 detects a change in the state of a switch or a sensor associated with a mode change from the detection unit 307 (S401), the application management unit 309 checks whether the detection is a change in the state of a switch indicating that the temples of the smart glasses 101 are closed (S402). In this embodiment, the detection of the closed temples of the smart glasses ("glasses closed" state) may be the detection of the temples being completely folded closed. Alternatively, the state in which the temples are folded at a predetermined angle or more when the smart glasses 101 are not worn by the user may also be detected as the closed temples ("glasses closed" state).

[0031] If the smart glasses 101 detect that the temples are closed ("glasses closed" state), the process proceeds to S403, and if the change is some other change in the state of a switch or sensor, the process proceeds to S411 and a mode change is performed based on the detected state of the switch or sensor (S411). At this time, information on the state change is transmitted from the detection unit 307 to the application management unit 309. The application management unit 309 determines the mode based on the settings on the setting application related to mode selection on the smart glasses 101 and the transmitted information on the state change of the switch or sensor, and changes the mode via the mode control unit 306.

[0032] In S403, it is determined whether an alarm is being notified by the application of the smart glasses 101. If an alarm is being notified, the alarm is stopped (S404). If an alarm is not being notified, it is further determined whether the alarm is in snooze mode (S405), and if the alarm is in snooze mode, the snooze is stopped (S406).

[0033] Then, the process proceeds to S407 to check whether the screen is unlocked. If the screen is unlocked, the screen is locked (S408) and the screen is also turned off (S409). If the screen is locked in S407, the process checks whether the screen is on (S410), and if it is on, the screen is turned off in S409. After executing the series of operations associated with the detection of the closed temple, such as stopping the alarm, stopping the snooze, locking the screen, and turning off the screen, the mode is changed based on the state of the closed temple (S411).

[0034] If a change in the state of a switch or sensor associated with a mode change is not detected in S401, the process proceeds to S412 to check whether a change in mode selection has been detected. This detection of a change in mode selection indicates that a user has selected a mode via the operation unit 304 on a setting application related to settings of the smart glasses 101. When a user selects a mode on the operation unit 304, the selection operation on the application is transmitted to the application management unit 309, and the application management unit 309 further transmits the selected mode information to the mode control unit 306, switching the mode.

[0035] If no change in mode selection is detected in S412, the process proceeds to S413, where it is confirmed whether or not a call start has been detected. If a call start is detected, the current mode is acquired (S414), and call settings based on the acquired mode are acquired (S415). Then, the call is executed with the acquired call settings (S416). Here, the call start in S413 above indicates that the user presses a call start button on a call incoming application during an incoming call. Then, in response to the press of the call start button, the smart glasses 101 actually start a call internally, which is the call execution in S416. Also, the information referenced for acquiring settings in S415 is information in the mode-specific common call setting table shown in FIG. 11.

[0036] The smart glasses 101 notify the user of information from each application by voice, vibration, blinking or lighting of an LED, or displaying a message using the display 202, earphones 223, speaker 224, vibration 225, and LED lamp 226 described above in FIG. 2 .

[0037] The mode-specific common call setting table in FIG. 11 predefines the means for delivering sound to the user using the above notification means during a call for each mode. In the example shown in FIG. 11, for example, if the current mode acquired in S414 is a normal mode in which the user is wearing the device, sound output by earphones (or bone conduction) is enabled, sound output by the speaker is disabled, and a call is made through the smart glasses 101 in S416. At this time, it can be seen that the LED lamp and vibration function of the smart glasses 101 are also disabled. In another example, for example, if the current mode acquired in S414 is a non-wearing mode, sound output by earphones (or bone conduction) is disabled, sound output by the speaker is enabled, and a call is made through the smart glasses 101 in S416. It can be seen that the LED lamp and vibration function of the smart glasses 101 are also disabled.

[0038] Separately, the same table is shown for the notification means when each application makes a notification other than during a call, but FIG. 11 shows the means during a call, and only voice notification is assumed. Therefore, when assuming a call, the cells with dots in FIG. 11 are assumed to be basically OFF (basically not used as a call setting). However, it may be pre-set to turn on an LED lamp so as to show other people around the user that a call is in progress. Also, in the call in this embodiment, differences in call settings due to applications such as "a call application using a telephone line" and "a call application such as a messenger application using a network line" are not assumed. Therefore, those call applications commonly execute calls according to the call settings in FIG. 11, but call settings according to the mode may be pre-set for each call application.

[0039] If the start of a call is not detected in S413, the process proceeds to S417 to check whether or not a notification has been received from an application on the smart glasses 101. If an application notification has been received, the current mode is acquired (S418) as in S414, and notification settings based on the acquired mode are acquired (S419). Then, notification is executed (S420) using the acquired notification settings.

[0040] The information referenced for obtaining the settings in S419 is the table information shown in FIG.

[0041] The mode-specific notification settings in Fig. 12(A) are mode-specific settings common to all applications. The application-specific notification settings in normal mode shown in Fig. 12(B) and the application-specific notification settings in not-wearing mode shown in Fig. 12(C) are examples of application-specific settings in normal mode and not-wearing mode, respectively. In normal mode while wearing the glasses, the LED lamp and vibration functions are disabled. This setting is intended to prevent notifications from causing the smart glasses to shift or the LED lamp to light up, causing poor visibility.

[0042] When a setting that prioritizes application settings is ON in the setting application on the smart glasses 101, the notification setting table for each application shown in Fig. 12(B) or Fig. 12(C) is referenced. When application settings are not prioritized, the common notification setting table shown in Fig. 12(A) is referenced.

[0043] Here, in the cells in FIG. 12(B) and FIG. 12(C), the cells filled with gray are those that are set differently from the common settings in FIG. 12(A). In addition, for notification settings that are not basically expected to be used during notification, the cells in the table are filled with dots and set to OFF, but if they are to be used, they may be defaulted to ON. For example, in FIG. 12(C), the message display is set to OFF, but this is because the message display on the lens 105 of the smart glasses 101 is expected to be viewed while the smart glasses 101 are worn, so it is set to OFF when the smart glasses 101 are not worn. However, if the smart glasses 101 have a function for displaying a message on the lens 105 inverted from when the lens 105 is worn, so that the user can view the lens 105 from outside when the smart glasses 101 are not worn, the message display may be set to ON.

[0044] Next, examples of display by a setting application UI (user interface) on the display 202 of the smart glasses 101 will be shown with reference to Figs. 5 to 7. Settings in the setting application include a setting screen when the user sets the ON / OFF settings shown in Figs. 11 and 12. This screen can also be provided to a web browser on another terminal via a network to perform setting operations.

[0045] FIG. 5 shows an example of the top screen when the setting application is launched, and an example of the screen when an item on the top screen is selected.

[0046] 5A, a list of setting items for setting mode selection 501, call / notification 502, and screen 503 is displayed on a setting screen 500. In addition, the setting screen 500 also displays a list of various other setting items for the smart glasses 101, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and battery, categorized by major item.

[0047] 5(B) to (D) respectively show setting screens for each item to which the screen transitions when items 501, 502, and 503 in FIG. 5(A) are selected.

[0048] FIG. 5B shows a mode selection setting screen (510). A user can switch modes by selecting a mode from a pull-down menu in 511 on the mode selection setting screen. There is also a check box 512 for enabling a hardware switch to be linked to a hardware switch to enable mode switching. After enabling the hardware switch, a pull-down menu is available in 513 to select which mode is to be linked to each switch (including a sensor) mounted on the smart glasses 101. This hardware switch is assumed to be the ON / OFF switch 227 and temple opening / closing switch 228 shown in FIG. 2, and the ON / OFF state of other sensors. Depending on the state of multiple hardware switches, there is a possibility that the linked modes may conflict with each other. Therefore, in 513, it is also possible to set the priority order of which switch-linked mode is to be prioritized in the event of a conflict. At this time, if a priority order number is not assigned in the priority order on 513, it indicates that the corresponding hardware switch is in an invalid state, and it is possible to activate the corresponding switch by pressing the check box and set the priority order. Furthermore, if the hard switch is enabled, the mode based on the state of the switch set in 513 takes precedence over the mode selected by the user in 511 .

[0049] 5C is a call / notification setting screen (520). The call / notification setting screen 520 displays a list of common settings 521 that are set common to all applications, and settings for each application other than those. The settings for each application include settings for applications such as phone 522, email 523, and clock 524, as well as settings for each application installed in the smart glasses 101, such as system sounds, messengers, calendars, and news apps.

[0050] FIG. 5D is a screen setting screen (530). The screen setting screen 530 is a setting related to the screen display of the display 202 of the smart glasses 101. For example, in the display setting 531, the brightness of the screen can be adjusted with a slide bar, and the time until the screen is automatically locked when the user does not operate the screen for a predetermined time can be selected from a pull-down menu. In addition, the display setting 531 also includes a check box for enabling a "setting to lock the screen when the frame 104 is closed" and a "setting to unlock the screen when the frame 104 is opened." The screen unlock here indicates that an authentication screen is displayed to request user authentication to unlock the screen. In addition, the screen setting screen 530 also allows a security setting 532, which allows the user to set whether or not to enable the above-mentioned screen lock using fingerprint authentication or password by turning a check box ON / OFF.

[0051] FIG. 6 is an example of a setting screen for common settings related to calls and notifications, which is transitioned to when 521 is selected in FIG. 5(C). The common setting screen 600 for calls and notifications has a slide bar for adjusting the volume for calls and other than calls, and a selection pull-down for selecting a sound. There are also slide bars for adjusting vibration intensity and blinking speed, a selection pull-down for selecting a vibration pattern, blinking pattern, and color, and a selection pull-down for selecting a message display pattern. Furthermore, the common setting screen 600 has items for mode-specific call means 601 and mode-specific notification means 602. When these items 601 and 602 are selected, a list of mode items such as normal mode, manner mode, silent mode, drive mode, non-wearing mode, and custom mode, which indicate further lower hierarchical items, is displayed. For example, when normal mode 603 or non-wearing mode 604, which are hierarchical items below the item of mode-specific notification means 602, is selected, notification means for each mode, such as "earphone / bone conduction", "speaker", "vibration", "LED lamp", and "message display", are displayed. When the checkboxes of these notification means are checked, notification is set to be made by the checked notification means in the corresponding mode. The settings made in mode-specific communication means 601 and mode-specific notification means 603 on this common setting screen 600 are reflected in the ON / OFF settings in Figs. 11 and 12(A), respectively.

[0052] 7A to 7C are examples of application-specific setting screens related to notifications, which are transitioned to when 522, 523, and 524 are selected in FIG. 5C, respectively.

[0053] FIG. 7(A) is an example of a setting screen related to notifications of a phone application. A phone application notification setting screen 700 has a check box for application priority (701). By checking this check box, when using this application, the settings set in the phone application notification setting screen 700 of FIG. 7(A) are prioritized over the settings in the common setting screen 600 shown in FIG. 6 described above. On the phone application notification setting screen 700, notification settings related to incoming calls 702 as notifications related to the phone application can be set in the same manner as the notification settings on the common setting screen 600. Mode-specific notification means 703 in incoming calls 702 on the phone application notification setting screen 700 sets notification means in each mode for each individual phone application. This setting is reflected in the ON / OFF setting of the row of the application ID "NOTIFY-APP-001" in, for example, FIG. 12(B) or FIG. 12(C).

[0054] Fig. 7(B) is an example of a setting screen related to notifications for an email application. As in Fig. 7(A), the email application notification setting screen 710 also has an app priority checkbox, and allows settings similar to those on the common setting screen 600. Notifications on the email application notification setting screen 710 include setting items such as new email reception notification 711 and email transmission notification 712. The settings for these items 711 and 712 are reflected in the ON / OFF settings for the rows of application IDs "NOTIFY-APP-002" and "NOTIFY-APP-003" in Fig. 12(B) and Fig. 12(C), respectively.

[0055] FIG. 7C is an example of a setting screen related to notifications of a clock application. The clock application notification setting screen 720 also has a check box for application priority like FIG. 7A, and allows the same settings as the notification settings on the common setting screen 600. The notification on the clock application notification setting screen 720 has setting items such as alarm notification 721 and timer notification 722. The settings in these items 721 and 722 are reflected in the ON / OFF settings of the rows of the application IDs "NOTIFY-APP-007" and "NOTIFY-APP-008" in FIG. 12B and FIG. 12C, respectively. The clock application notification setting screen 720 also has a check box 723 for enabling a function to stop the alarm notification when the frame 104 is opened in a state in which the alarm notification is continued while the frame 104 is closed. The clock application notification setting screen 720 also has a check box 724 for enabling a function to stop the snooze activation when the frame 104 is opened in a state in which the snooze is activated while the frame 104 is closed.

[0056] According to the first embodiment described above, it is possible to selectively use functions to be used for notifications, calls, and the like, based on the open / closed state and mode of the frame 104 of the smart glasses 101.

[0057] <Example 2> Another embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The processing in Fig. 8 is an extension of the notification processing based on the function of detecting a person while the frame 104 of the smart glasses 101 is closed.

[0058] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a notification process of the glasses-type information device according to the second embodiment.

[0059] In S801, the human presence sensor 220 mounted on the smart glasses 101 detects whether or not a person has approached within a specific range of the smart glasses 101. Then, if it is detected that a person has approached within a specific range of the smart glasses 101, in S802, it detects whether or not the temples of the smart glasses 101 are closed ("glasses closed").

[0060] If it is determined in S802 that the smart glasses 101 are closed, the process proceeds to S803, where it is confirmed whether or not there are any latest app notifications that the user has not read.

[0061] Then, if there is a latest app notification that the user has not read in S803, in S804, the message is displayed in inverted form on the lens 105 of the smart glasses 101. This inverted display of the message is performed by the laser 211 when projecting various contents onto the display 202, inverting the display from when the user wears the smart glasses 101.

[0062] According to the above-described second embodiment, when a user approaches while the frame 104 of the smart glasses 101 is closed, the user can check the new application notification message without opening the frame 104.

[0063] <Example 3> Another embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The process in Fig. 9 is an extension of the notification process when the smart glasses 101 are closed and stored in a glasses case (not shown) and charging. When the smart glasses 101 are stored in the glasses case and charging, there is a concern that the user may not notice the notification as described in the other embodiments described above.

[0064] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a notification process of the glasses-type information device according to the third embodiment.

[0065] In S901, the smart glasses 101 detect the presence or absence of an application notification, similar to S417 in the first embodiment. Thereafter, S902 to S903 are the same processes as S418 to S420 in the first embodiment. After acquiring the notification setting in S903, it is confirmed whether the smart glasses 101 are closed (S904). If the temples of the smart glasses 101 are closed in S904 ("glasses closed"), it is further confirmed whether the smart glasses 101 are stored in a glasses case that can be stored and charged (S905).

[0066] At this time, the smart glasses 101 and the glasses case are capable of communicating with each other via the proximity communication I / F 213. Furthermore, the glasses case is equipped with alternative notification means (not shown) that replace the display 202, speaker 224, vibration 225, and LED lamp 226 of the smart glasses 101. The alternative notification means equipped in the glasses case include a display that displays notification contents, etc., or a speaker for outputting sound.

[0067] In S905, if the smart glasses 101 are stored in the glasses case and are being charged, the process proceeds to S906, and the glasses case is instructed to control notification using an alternative notification means (S906). The instruction may include at least a part of the notification content in addition to information about the application that is the source of the notification. This instruction realizes an alternative notification using the alternative notification means provided in the glasses case. Also, in S905, if the smart glasses 101 are not stored in the glasses case, the notification from the application is conveyed to the user using the notification means provided in the smart glasses 101 themselves, as in S420 of the first embodiment.

[0068] According to the above-described third embodiment, even when the smart glasses 101 are stored in the glasses case and being charged, notifications can be sent by the glasses case instead.

[0069] <Example 4> As another embodiment, a hardware switch that is assumed to be linked to the non-wearing mode may be a skin sensor detection ON / OFF switch, separate from the temple opening / closing switch.

[0070] FIG. 10 shows an example of a mode selection setting screen that enables the skin sensor detection ON / OFF to be linked to the non-wearing mode.

[0071] 10 is equivalent to the mode selection setting screen 510 described in embodiment 1. Moreover, 1001 to 1003 on the mode selection screen 1000 are screen items equivalent to 511 to 512 on the mode selection screen 510, respectively.

[0072] Skin sensor OFF 1004 on the mode selection screen 1004 is a hardware switch item that is a feature of this embodiment 4, and is a switch item that is assumed to be linked to the non-wearing mode. The skin sensor shown here is the temple skin sensor 219. The temple skin sensor 219 installed on the inside of the temple portion of the frame 104 on the smart glasses 101 detects whether or not human skin is touching the inside of the temple portion. When human skin is not touching, the skin detection by the temple skin sensor 219 is in an undetected state, and this undetected state is the switch state of skin sensor OFF 1004.

[0073] According to the above-described fourth embodiment, it is possible to detect whether the smart glasses 101 are worn by the user by a detection means other than the opening and closing of the smart glasses 101, and it becomes possible to switch the notification means for each application based on the detection means.

[0074] In addition, some users may remove the smart glasses 101 while leaving the frame 104 of the smart glasses 101 open, and then leave them there. For example, cases such as during washing or wiping the lenses with a cloth are assumed. In such a use case, it is insufficient to simply link the temple opening / closing switch in the frame 104 of the smart glasses 101 to the non-wearing mode. Therefore, in this use case, it is effective to link the detection ON / OFF of the skin sensor shown in the fourth embodiment to the non-wearing mode, and the use case can be expanded compared to the first embodiment.

[0075] (Other Examples) The present invention also includes an apparatus or system configured by appropriately combining the above-described embodiments, and a method thereof.

[0076] Here, the present invention is a device or system that executes one or more pieces of software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments. Also, a method for realizing the above-mentioned embodiments executed by the device or system is also one aspect of the present invention. Also, the program is supplied to the system or device via a network or various storage media, and the program is read into one or more memories by one or more computers (CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device and executed. In other words, as one aspect of the present invention, the program itself or various storage media that store the program and can be read by a computer are also included. Also, the present invention can be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 101 Smart Glasses

Claims

1. A glasses-type information device that can be worn by a user, a first speaker function for transmitting sound to a user wearing the glasses-type information device; a second speaker function for transmitting sound to the surroundings of the glasses-type information device; A notification function realized by a vibration function; when the glasses-type information device is not worn by a user, the first speaker function is disabled for an application installed on the glasses-type information device, and output is performed using at least one of the second speaker function and the notification function; A glasses-type information device characterized by having a control means that, when the glasses-type information device is worn by the user, outputs using the first speaker function for the application without outputting using the second speaker function and the notification function.

2. The glasses-type information device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means performs output using at least one of the second speaker function and the notification function for the application when the temples of the glasses-type information device are folded.

3. The glasses-type information device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting means for setting the function to be used for the application from the second speaker function and the notification function when the glasses-type information device is not worn by the user.

4. The glasses-type information device according to claim 1, characterized in that the application outputs a message received via a network to a user when the glasses-type information device is not worn by the user, using at least one of the second speaker function and the notification function to notify the user of the message.

5. a first speaker function for transmitting sound to a user wearing the glasses-type information device; a second speaker function for transmitting sound to the surroundings of the glasses-type information device; A method for the glasses-type information device having a notification function realized by a vibration function, comprising: when the glasses-type information device is not worn by a user, the first speaker function is disabled for an application installed on the glasses-type information device, and output is performed using at least one of the second speaker function and the notification function; A method comprising a control step of, when the glasses-type information device is worn by the user, performing output using the first speaker function for the application without performing output using the second speaker function and the notification function.

6. a first speaker function for transmitting sound to a user wearing the glasses-type information device; a second speaker function for transmitting sound to the surroundings of the glasses-type information device; A computer as the glasses-type information device having a notification function realized by a vibration function, when the glasses-type information device is not worn by a user, the first speaker function is disabled for an application installed on the glasses-type information device, and output is performed using at least one of the second speaker function and the notification function; A program characterized by causing the glasses-type information device to function as a control means that, when the glasses-type information device is worn by the user, outputs using the first speaker function for the application without outputting using the second speaker function and the notification function.

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