IP Library Granted Patent US 12699447
Granted Patent B2
US 12699447 · App. 18/988,584 · Granted Aug 4, 2026

External user interface for head worn computing

Inventors: Nicholas Benjamin Pelis (San Francisco, CA); Preston Douglas Brown (San Francisco, CA); Sean Thomas Mostajo O'Hara (San Mateo, CA); Robert Michael Lohse (Palo Alto, CA); Andrew Carl Heisey (Walnut Creek, CA)
Assignee: Mentor Acquisition One, LLC
G06F3/014A63F13/00G06F1/163G06F3/011G06F3/0304G06F3/03542G06F3/03545G06F3/03547G06F3/038G06F3/0383G06F3/04883G02B2027/014G02B27/017G06F2203/0331
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12699447
App. No.
18/988,584
Granted
Aug 4, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to user interface control of a head-worn computer.

Claims (46)

1 . A system comprising:

a wearable device;

one or more light sources;

one or more sensors; and

one or more processors configured to communicate with the wearable device, the one or more light sources, and the one or more sensors;

wherein the one or more processors are configured to perform a method comprising:

outputting, by the one or more light sources, a light pattern comprising non-visible light;

determining, via the one or more sensors, a tilt angle of the wearable device;

in accordance with a determination that the tilt angle is within a predefined angle range, outputting, by the one or more light sources, a visible light pattern, the visible light pattern aligned with the light pattern;

in accordance with a determination that the tilt angle is not in the predefined angle range, forgoing outputting the visible light pattern; and

determining a position of a user's finger based on the non-visible light, of the light pattern, reflected by the user's finger and received by the one or more sensors.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises determining, via the one or more sensors, a movement of the user's finger.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether a sharpness of the movement exceeds a threshold;

in accordance with a determination that the sharpness exceeds the threshold, presenting an input signal corresponding to the determined position of the user's finger; and

in accordance with a determination that the sharpness does not exceed the threshold, forgoing presenting the input signal.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the input signal is associated with one or more of a keyboard input signal, a mouse input signal, a button input signal, and a touch pad input signal.

5 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the input signal comprises a gesture input signal.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises determining, via the one or more sensor, a contact of the user's finger with a surface.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the visible light pattern is outputted on a surface.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the visible light pattern is associated with a user interface.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to communicate with a display, the display configured to present a user interface element associated with the user interface.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to communicate with a transmissive display, the user interface configured to be presented to the user via the transmissive display.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise an inertial measurement unit.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the wearable device comprises a wearable head device.

13 . A method comprising:

outputting, by one or more light sources, a light pattern comprising non-visible light; determining, via one or more sensors, a tilt angle of a wearable device;

in accordance with a determination that the tilt angle is within a predefined angle range, outputting, by the one or more light sources, a visible light pattern, the visible light pattern aligned with the light pattern;

in accordance with a determination that the tilt angle is not in the predefined angle range, forgoing outputting the visible light pattern; and

determining a position of a user's finger based on the non-visible light, of the light pattern, reflected by the user's finger and received by the one or more sensors.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining, via the one or more sensors, a movement of the user's finger.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

determining whether a sharpness of the movement exceeds a threshold;

in accordance with a determination that the sharpness exceeds the threshold, presenting an input signal corresponding to the determined position of the user's finger; and

in accordance with a determination that the sharpness does not exceed the threshold, forgoing presenting the input signal.

16 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining, via the one or more sensor, a contact of the user's finger with a surface.

17 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the visible light pattern is associated with a user interface.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising presenting, via a display, a user interface element associated with the user interface.

19 . The method of claim 17 , presenting, via a transmissive display, the user interface.

20 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed

by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

outputting, by one or more light sources, a light pattern comprising non-visible light;

determining, via one or more sensors, a tilt angle of a wearable device;

in accordance with a determination that the tilt angle is within a predefined angle range, outputting, by the one or more light sources, a visible light pattern, the visible light pattern aligned with the light pattern;

in accordance with a determination that the tilt angle is not in the predefined angle range, forgoing outputting the visible light pattern; and

determining a position of a user's finger based on the non-visible light, of the light pattern, reflected by the user's finger and received by the one or more sensors.