Samsung Patent | Head mounted electronic device

Patent: Head mounted electronic device

Publication Number: 10168772

Publication Date: 2019-01-01

Applicants: Samsung

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device mountable on a head of a user includes a display, a sensor configured to capture an image, a processor electrically connected with the display and the sensor, and a memory electrically connected with the processor, wherein the memory includes instructions, which, when executed, cause the processor to provide a guide screen that guides the user to gaze at a front of a display, to capture an image, in which at least a portion of an eye of the user is included, using the sensor, and to determine a wearing state of the electronic device based on at least one of a location of the eye or a location of a pupil of the user displayed in the captured image.

Background

An electronic device may provide a variety of functions depending on recent trends in digital convergence. For example, a smartphone supports various functions such as an Internet connection, playback of music or video, capturing of an image, and the like as well as a telephone call function.

The conventional electronic device is configured such that a user carries the electronic device with his/her hand. There is increasing interest in a wearable electronic device such as a watch, which is worn on a user’s wrist, or such as glasses or a helmet, which is mountable on a user’s head.

A head-mounted electronic device may be adjusted such that the head-mounted electronic device fits the user’s head by using a strap and the like. However, while the head-mounted electronic device may be adjusted to fit the user’s head, it still may not be worn at a location which is suitable to provide a display screen for the user.

Summary

The present disclosure is made to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below.

Accordingly, an aspect of the present disclosure provides an electronic device that may verify a wearing state, in which a user wears the electronic device, by capturing an eye of the user and may adjust a screen displayed on a display of the electronic device based on a distance between both eyes of the user.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device mountable on a head of a user is provided. The electronic device includes a display, a sensor configured to capture an image, a processor electrically connected with the display and the sensor, and a memory electrically connected with the processor, wherein the memory includes instructions, which, when executed, cause the processor to provide a guide screen that allows the user to gaze at a front of the display, to capture an image, in which at least a portion of an eye of the user is included, using the sensor, and to determine a wearing state of the electronic device based on a location of the eye or a pupil of the user displayed in the captured image.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided using an electronic device that is mountable on a head of a user. The method includes providing a guide screen that allows the user to gaze at a front of a display, capture an image, in which at least a portion of an eye of the user is included, using a sensor, and determine a wearing state of the electronic device based on a location of the eye or a pupil of the user displayed in the captured image.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, which is detachably coupled to a head-mounted device mountable on a head of a user. The electronic device includes a display, a first sensor, a processor electrically connected with the display and the first sensor, and a memory electrically connected with the processor. The memory may store instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to detect whether the electronic device is coupled to the head-mounted device, to obtain first information associated with a location of an eye of the user on the display through the first sensor of the electronic device or a second sensor included in the head-mounted device in a first state where the user wears the head-mounted device, to display a first user interface on at least a partial area of the display based at least in part on the first information, to obtain second information associated with a location of the eye of the user on the display through the first sensor or the second sensor in a second state where the user wears the head-mounted device, to change at least a portion of the first user interface so as to indicate that the first state is changed to the second state, based at least in part on the second information, and to display a second user interface in connection with the at least partially changed first user interface, based on determining that the second information is substantially the same as selected information.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium is provided, which stores instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor, instruct the at least one processor to execute at least one of obtaining first information associated with a location of an eye of a user in a first state where the user wears a head-mounted device, using a sensor which is electrically connected with the processor and is included in the head-mounted device mountable on a head of the user, displaying a first user interface on at least a partial area of a display of the head-mounted device based at least in part on the first information, obtaining second information associated with a location of the eye in a second state where the user wears the head-mounted device, using the sensor, changing at least a portion of the first user interface so as to indicate that the first state is changed to the second state, based at least in part on the second information, and displaying a second user interface in connection with the at least partially changed first user interface, based on determining that the second information is substantially the same as selected information.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a head-mounted device mountable on a head of a user is provided, which includes a camera, a first mechanism including a first light-emitting part, a first reflecting part, and a first sensor, a second mechanism including a second light-emitting part, a second reflecting part, and a second sensor, a processor electrically connected with the camera, the first mechanism, and the second mechanism, and a memory electrically connected with the processor. The memory may store instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to obtain a first image based on the result of detecting, through the first sensor, a first reflected light that is obtained by reflecting a first light emitted from the first emitting part by the first reflecting part, to obtain a second image based on the result of detecting, through the second sensor, a second reflected light that is obtained by reflecting a second light emitted from the second emitting part by the second reflecting part, to obtain at least one stereoscopic image by using the first image and the second image, and to correct the at least one stereoscopic image by arranging the first image and the second image based on a location of an eye of the user obtained through the camera.