IP Library Granted Patent US 11,520,409
Granted Patent B2
US 11,520,409 · App. 16/844,388 · Granted Dec 6, 2022

Head mounted display device and operating method thereof

Inventors: Taehyuk Kwon (Suwon-si, KR); Deokho Kim (Suwon-si, KR); Byeongwook Yoo (Suwon-si, KR); Gunill Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Wonwoo Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Jaewoong Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Sunghoon Yim (Suwon-si, KR); Jiwon Jeong (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
G06F3/017G06T11/60G06V40/113
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,520,409
App. No.
16/844,388
Filed
Apr 9, 2020
Granted
Dec 6, 2022
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2616
USPC
345/633
Abstract

Provided are an HMD device and operating method thereof. The operating method of an HMD device includes displaying at least one object in a display area of a transparent display, obtaining an image of a hand of a user interacting with the displayed object; determining a direction in which the hand is facing based on the obtained image, and performing a function for the object corresponding the direction in which the hand is facing.

Claims (50)

1. An operating method of a head mounted display (HMD) device, the operating method comprising:

obtaining, through a camera, an image of a hand of a user;

determining a direction in which a palm of the hand is facing based on the obtained image;

based on the direction in which the palm of the hand is facing being determined as an outward direction, displaying an object by removing an area where the hand in the outward direction and the object overlap with each other;

in response to the direction in which the palm of the hand is facing being changed from the outward direction to an inward direction, displaying at least one object for controlling an external device through a transparent display;

obtaining depth information of the hand of the user based on the obtained image;

determining that an interaction between the at least one object and the hand is made based on the obtained depth information of the hand; and

performing a predetermined function of controlling the external device corresponding to the interaction between the at least one object and the hand,

wherein the palm of the hand faces the transparent display and the camera in the inward direction, and the palm of the hand faces an opposite direction of the inward direction in the outward direction.

2. The operating method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining information about at least one of a location, a form, or a moving direction of the hand in the transparent display, based on the obtained image.

3. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the direction in which the palm of the hand is facing, based on the obtained image, comprises:

measuring an angle between the palm of the hand and a surface of the transparent display; and

determining the direction in which the palm of the hand is facing as the inward direction in which the palm of the hand is facing the transparent display and the camera, based on the measured angle.

4. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the performing of the predetermined function comprises determining that the interaction between the at least one object and the hand is made when a distance between the transparent display and the hand corresponds to a threshold distance or less.

5. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the performing of the predetermined function comprises performing a function corresponding to a background object interacting with the hand of the user when the object interacting with the hand of the user is the background object and the direction in which the palm of the hand is facing is the outward direction.

6. The operating method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying the at least one object interacting with the hand of the user, based on the direction in which the palm of the hand is facing.

7. The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the displaying of the at least one object comprises:

identifying a depth of the hand interacting with the at least one object, based on the obtained image; and

determining whether to display the at least one object in an overlapping area between the hand and the at least one object in the transparent display based on the identified depth of the hand and a type of the at least one object.

8. A head mounted display (HMD) device comprising:

a camera;

a transparent display;

a memory storing one or more instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the one or more instructions to:

obtain, through the camera, an image of a hand of a user,

determine a direction in which a palm of the hand is facing based on the obtained image,

based on the direction in which the palm of the hand is facing being determined as an outward direction, display, through the transparent display, an object by removing an area where the hand in the outward direction and the object overlap with each other,

in response to the direction in which the palm of the hand is facing being changed from the outward direction to an inward direction, display, through the transparent display, at least one object for controlling an external device the inward direction in the outward direction,

obtain depth information of the hand of the user based on the obtained image,

determine that an interaction between the at least one object and the hand is made based on the obtained depth information of the hand, and

perform a predetermined function of controlling the external device corresponding to the interaction between the at least one object and the hand,

wherein the palm of the hand faces the transparent display and the camera in the inward direction, and the palm of the hand faces an opposite direction of the inward direction in the outward direction.

9. The HMD device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to obtain information about at least one of a location, a form, or a moving direction of the hand in the transparent display, based on the obtained image.

10. The HMD device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

measure an angle between the palm of the hand and a surface of the transparent display; and

determine the direction in which the palm of the hand is facing as the inward direction in which the palm of the hand is facing the transparent display and the camera, based on the measured angle.

11. The HMD device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine that the interaction between the at least one object and the hand is made when a distance between the transparent display and the hand corresponds to a threshold distance or less.

12. The HMD device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform a function corresponding to a background object interacting with the hand of the user when the at least one object interacting with the hand of the user is the background object and the direction in which the palm of the hand is facing is the outward direction.

13. The HMD device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

identify a depth of the hand interacting with the at least one object, based on the obtained image; and

determine whether to display the at least one object in an overlapping area between the hand and the at least one object in the transparent display, based on the identified depth of the hand and a type of the at least one object.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, which when executed by a computer, performs a method comprising:

obtaining, through a camera, an image of a hand of a user;

determining a direction in which a palm of the hand is facing based on the obtained image;

based on the direction in which the palm of the hand is facing being determined as an outward direction, displaying an object by removing an area where the hand in the outward direction and the object overlap with each other;

in response to the direction in which the palm of the hand is facing being changed from the outward direction to an inward direction, displaying at least one object for controlling an external device through a transparent display;

obtaining depth information of the hand of the user based on the obtained image;

determining that an interaction between the at least one object and the hand is made based on the obtained depth information of the hand; and

performing a predetermined function of controlling the external device corresponding to the interaction between the at least one object and the hand,

wherein the palm of the hand faces the transparent display and the camera in the inward direction, and the palm of the hand faces an opposite direction of the inward direction in the outward direction.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 9, 2020
From: KWON, TAEHYUK; KIM, DEOKHO; YOO, BYEONGWOOK; LEE, GUNILL; LEE, WONWOO; LEE, JAEWOONG; YIM, SUNGHOON; JEONG, JIWON
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 052366/0308 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2019-0109494 · Sep 4, 2019 · national
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62832483 · Apr 11, 2019
Related Publication 20200326783A1 · Oct 15, 2020
Cited By (6)
US 12,340,627 US 12,366,920 US 12,366,923 US 12,445,590 US 12,502,110 US 12,585,120