Head-worn display apparatus having flexible stems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10444516-B2
Application number	US-201715480036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2017
Priority date	Apr 5, 2017
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture are disclosed. An example head-worn display apparatus includes a frame to support a lens and a housing having an image generator. The housing couples the image generator to the frame and is to project an image adjacent the lens. The apparatus includes a stem having a first end and a second end. The first end of the stem is to couple to the housing of the image generator and the second end of the stem to project from the image generator. The stem has a non-flexed use position and a flexed use position, where at least a portion of the stem between the first end and the second end is to move relative to the housing of the image generator when the stem moves between the non-flexed position and the flexed position while a position of the image generator remains in a fixed relationship relative to the frame.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head-worn display comprising:
a frame to support a lens;
a housing having an image generator, the housing to couple the image generator to the frame, the image generator to project an image adjacent the lens; and
a stem having a first end and a second end, the first end of the stem to couple to the housing of the image generator, the second end of the stem to project from the image generator, the stem having a non-flexed position and a flexed position, at least a portion of the stem between the first end and the second end structured to move away from the housing of the image generator to form a gap between the housing of the image generator and the at least a portion of the stem between the first end and the second end in response to the stem moving from the non-flexed position towards the flexed position, a position of the image generator to remain in a fixed relationship relative to the frame in response to the stem moving between the non-flexed position and the flexed position.

2. The head-worn display of claim 1 , wherein the stem does not cause the image generator to move relative to the frame when the stem moves between the non-flexed position and the flexed position.

3. The head-worn display of claim 1 , wherein the housing of the image generator is pivotally coupled to the frame to enable the image generator to move relative to the frame between a stored position and a use position.

4. The head-worn display of claim 1 , wherein the image provided by the image generator is to align with a central reference of the lens.

5. The head-worn display of claim 4 , wherein movement of the stem between the non-flexed position and the flexed position does not affect an alignment of the image relative to the central reference of the lens.

6. The head-worn display of claim 5 , further including a position locator including a protrusion formed on an outer surface of the housing and a frame tab projecting from the frame, the position locator to align the image generator to project the image in alignment with the central reference of the lens when the housing is in a use position.

7. The head-worn display of claim 1 , wherein the image generator is pivotally coupled to the frame via a hinge.

8. The head-worn display of claim 1 , wherein the first end of the stem is attached to an outer surface of the housing via a fastener.

9. The head-worn display of claim 1 , wherein the first end of the stem includes knob and an outer surface of the housing of the image generator includes a track and a retainer, the knob to engage the retainer via the track to couple the first end of the stem to the housing of the image generator.

10. The head-worn display of claim 9 , wherein the stem moves relative to a flex point provided by the knob and the retainer.

11. A head-worn display comprising:
a lens;
a frame to support the lens;
a housing cantilevered from the frame, the housing to support an image source that is to project an image adjacent the lens; and
a stem having a first end fixed to the housing and a second end projecting freely relative to the first end, the second end to move relative to the first end, at least a portion of the stem adjacent the housing is structured to move away from the housing to form a gap between the housing and the at least a portion of the stem when the second end moves relative to the first end.

12. The head-worn display of claim 11 , wherein the stem is to move away from the housing to prevent movement of the stem from changing a position of the image source relative to the frame when the second end moves relative to the first end.

13. The head-worn display of claim 11 , wherein a first portion of the stem and a second portion of the stem positioned along the housing are structured to physically contact the housing when the stem is in a non-flexed condition relative to the housing.

14. The head-worn display of claim 11 , further including a position locator including a protrusion on an outer surface of the stem and a lip on an inner surface of a frame tab projecting from the frame, the position locator to align the image source relative to a central reference of the lens when the housing is in a use position.

15. A head-worn display comprising:
a lens;
a frame to support the lens, the frame defining a hinge-receiving portion adjacent the lens;
an image source coupled to the frame adjacent the lens, the image source having a housing defining a longitudinal length between a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the first end of the housing including a hinge to couple to the hinge-receiving portion of the frame, the image source to rotate relative to the frame between a stored position and a use position;
a stem having a first end coupled to the frame via the housing of the image source and a second end opposite the first end projecting freely relative to the first end of the stem, the first end of the stem having at least a first portion fixed to the housing and at least a second portion adjacent the first portion structured to move relative to the housing, wherein the at least the second portion is structured to move away from the housing to form a gap between the at least the second portion and the housing in response to the image source being in the use position and the at least the second portion being in a flexed condition relative to the first end of the stem; and
a position locator projecting from the frame, the position locator to align the image source relative to a central reference of the lens when the image source is in the use position.

16. The head-worn display of claim 15 , wherein the at least the second portion of the stem is structured to displace in a direction away from an outer surface of the housing and the at least the first portion of the stem is to remain engaged with the outer surface of the housing in response to the second portion displacing from the housing.

17. The head-worn display of claim 15 , wherein the at least the second portion of the stem is structured to engage the outer surface of the housing when the image source is in the use position.

18. The head-worn display of claim 15 , wherein the position locator is to maintain a position of the housing relative to the frame when the second end of the stem moves in a direction away from the housing.

19. The head-worn display of claim 1 , further including the lens.

20. The head-worn display of claim 11 , wherein the at least the portion of the stem is structured to form a gap between an inner surface of the stem and an outer surface of the housing in response to the second end moving relative to the first end.

21. The head-worn display of claim 1 , further comprising a reflective material carried by the lens, wherein the image generator is positioned and oriented to project an image towards the reflective material.

Assignees

• North Inc

Inventors

• Eastwood Mark J

Classifications

• G02C5/16

  resilient or with resilient parts · CPC title

• G02B27/0176 Primary

  characterised by mechanical features · CPC title

• G02B27/0172

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B2027/0154

  with movable elements · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title