Hand-held controllers for virtual reality system
View Patent ↗A hand-held controller includes a user-input surface, a grip coupled to the user-input surface, and a cage coupled to the user-input surface at two points without the grip interposed between the user-input surface and the cage. The hand-held controller includes may further include a plurality of illumination sources on an outer surface of the cage.
1. A hand-held controller, comprising:
a user-input surface;
a grip coupled to the user-input surface; and
a cage coupled to the user-input surface at two points without the grip interposed therebetween.
2. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of illumination sources on an outer surface of the cage.
3. The hand-held controller of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of illumination sources comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
4. The hand-held controller of claim 3 , further comprising a power source to supply power to the user-input surface and the plurality of LEDs.
5. The hand-held controller of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of illumination sources comprises a plurality of passive reflectors.
6. The hand-held controller of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of illumination sources are positioned to be visible to a forward-looking camera on a head-mounted display worn by a user when the user holds the grip in a neutral position.
7. The hand-held controller of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of illumination sources are positioned to face away from the user when the user holds the grip in the neutral position.
8. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the user-input surface includes a first user-input key.
9. The hand-held controller of claim 8 , wherein the first user-input key is one of a thumbstick, a button, a trigger, or a directional pad.
10. The hand-held controller of claim 9 , wherein the first user-input key is a button selected from the group consisting of an A or X button, a B or Y button, a start button, a back button, a forward button, and a home button.
11. The hand-held controller of claim 8 , wherein:
the user-input surface comprises a plurality of user-input keys including the first user-input key; and
the plurality of user-input keys includes at least one of a thumbstick, a button, a trigger, or a directional pad.
12. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the cage has a ring shape.
13. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the grip is integrally formed with the user-input surface.
14. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the grip is slanted at an angle with respect to the user-input surface.
15. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , further comprising a structural web coupling the cage to the user-input surface.
16. The hand-held controller of claim 15 , further comprising a trigger mounted in the structural web.
17. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the cage is configured to be positioned above a user's hand when the user holds the grip in a neutral position.
18. The hand-held controller of claim 1 , wherein the cage is detachably coupled to the user-input surface through a slidable engagement.