Eyewear device with finger activated touch sensor

Abstract

An eyewear device includes a frame, a temple connected to a lateral side of the frame, a processor, and an image display. The eyewear device further includes a touch sensor. The touch sensor includes an input surface and a sensor array that is coupled to the input surface to receive at least one finger contact inputted from a user. The sensor array can be a capacitive array or a resistive array. A sensing circuit is configured to measure voltage to track the at least one finger contact on the input surface. The processor of the eyewear device can identify a finger gesture based on at least one detected touch event, and adjust an image presented on the image display based on the identified finger gesture.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of providing input to an eyewear device, comprising:
 receiving on an input surface of a touch sensor at least one finger contact inputted from a user, the touch sensor including an input surface and a sensor array that is coupled to the input surface to receive the at least one finger contact inputted from the user;   tracking the at least one finger contact on the input surface;   detecting at least one touch event on the input surface of the touch sensor based on the at least one finger contact on the input surface;   identifying a finger gesture based on the at least one detected touch event on the input surface; and   adjusting an image presented on the image display based on the identified finger gesture.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor array is a capacitive array or a resistive array, further comprising:
 determining a respective location coordinate and a respective input time of the at least one finger contact on the input surface; and   tracking the respective location coordinate and the respective input time of the at least one finger contact on the input surface,   wherein detecting the at least one touch event on the input surface of the touch sensor is based on the at least one respective location coordinate and the respective input time of the at least one finger contact.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising disposing the touch sensor on a circuit board. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the circuit board is a flexible printed circuit board. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising forming patterned conductive traces in the capacitive array or the resistive array of the touch sensor, the patterned conductive traces formed of at least one metal, indium tin oxide, or a combination thereof on the flexible printed circuit board. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising surrounding the input surface of the touch sensor by a protruding ridge to indicate to the user an outside boundary of the input surface of the touch sensor. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the touch sensor includes the capacitive array, the capacitive array being formed of patterned conductive sensor electrodes connected to the flexible printed circuit board and disposed below the input surface, and a sensing circuit is connected to the sensor electrodes and integrated into or connected to the touch sensor via at least one respective electrical interconnect, further comprising:
 the sensing circuit measuring capacitance changes of each of the sensor electrodes of the capacitive array voltage to track the at least one finger contact on the input surface of the touch sensor.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the touch sensor includes the resistive array, the resistive array includes two conductive layers separated by at least one spacer to form an air gap between the two conductive layers connected to the flexible printed circuit board, and a sensing circuit is connected to the flexible printed circuit board and connected to the two conductive layers disposed below the input surface, further comprising:
 the sensing circuit measuring a voltage drop between the two conductive layers in response to the at least one finger contact.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising forming the capacitive array or the resistive array into a grid that forms a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate system to track X and Y axes location coordinates. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one detected touch event is a single tap on the input surface of the touch sensor and the identified finger gesture is a selection of a graphical user interface element in the image presented on the image display, further comprising:
 adjusting the image presented on the image display based on the identified finger gesture by selecting the graphical user interface element for display or execution on the image display.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising forming the capacitive array or the resistive array into a linear array and forming a one-dimensional linear coordinate system to track an X axis location coordinate. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 receiving on the input surface of the touch sensor the at least one finger contact inputted from the user comprises:   receiving on the input surface of the touch sensor a first finger contact inputted from the user at a first input time; and   receiving on the input surface of the touch sensor a second finger contact inputted from the user at a second input time which is within a predetermined time period of the first input time.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein:
 detecting the at least one touch event on the input surface of the touch sensor based on the at least one finger contact inputted from the user comprises:   detecting a first touch event on the input surface of the touch sensor based on the first finger contact inputted from the user at the first input time; and   detecting a second touch event on the input surface of the touch sensor based on the second finger contact inputted from the user at the second input time within the predetermined time period of the first input time,
 wherein identifying the finger gesture is based on the first and second detected touch events, the first input time, the second input time, and the predetermined time period. 
   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the first and second detected touch events are a press and hold on the input surface of the touch sensor, and the identified finger gesture is a press and hold of a graphical user interface element in the image presented on the image display, further comprising:
 adjusting the image presented on the image display based on the identified finger gesture by dragging and dropping of the graphical user interface element on the image display.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the first and second detected touch events are finger swiping from front to back or back to front on the input surface of the touch sensor, and the identified finger gesture is a scroll of the image presented on the image display, further comprising:
 adjusting the image presented on the image display based on the identified finger gesture by scrolling the image presented on the image display.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the first and second detected touch events are finger pinching on the input surface of the touch sensor, and the identified finger gesture is a zoom in of the image presented on the image display, further comprising:
 adjusting the image presented on the image display based on the identified finger gesture by zooming in on the image presented on the image display.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the first and second detected touch events are finger unpinching on the input surface of the touch sensor, and the identified finger gesture is a zoom out of the image presented on the image display, further comprising:
 adjusting the image presented on the image display based on the identified finger gesture by zooming out of the image presented on the image display.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the first and second detected touch events are finger rotations on the input surface of the touch sensor, and the identified finger gesture is a finger rotation of the image presented on the image display, further comprising:
 adjusting the image presented on the display based on the identified finger gesture by rotating the image presented on the image display.   
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause an electronic system to provide input to an eyewear device, by:
 receiving on an input surface of a touch sensor at least one finger contact inputted from a user, the touch sensor including an input surface and a sensor array that is coupled to the input surface to receive the at least one finger contact inputted from the user;   tracking the at least one finger contact on the input surface;   detecting at least one touch event on the input surface of the touch sensor based on the at least one finger contact on the input surface;   identifying a finger gesture based on the at least one detected touch event on the input surface; and   adjusting an image presented on the image display based on the identified finger gesture.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the sensor array is a capacitive array or a resistive array, the instructions further comprising instructions to:
 determine a respective location coordinate and a respective input time of the at least one finger contact on the input surface; and   track the respective location coordinate and the respective input time of the at least one finger contact on the input surface,   wherein detecting the at least one touch event on the input surface of the touch sensor is based on the at least one respective location coordinate and the respective input time of the at least one finger contact.