Systems with wireless communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12055718-B2
Application number	US-202318166367-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2023
Priority date	Aug 28, 2020
Publication date	Aug 6, 2024
Grant date	Aug 6, 2024

Abstract

A head-mounted device may have a head-mounted housing. The head-mounted housing may have rear-facing displays that display images for a user. The images are viewable from eye boxes while the head-mounted device is being worn by the user. A peripheral conductive member may run along a peripheral edge of the front face of the housing. Dielectric-filled gaps may divide the peripheral conductive member into elongated conductive segments. The conductive segments may form antenna resonating elements for antennas on the front face. Radio-frequency transceiver circuitry such as cellular telephone transceiver circuitry may be coupled to the antennas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head-mounted device, comprising:
a head-mounted support structure having a rear face and an opposing front face;
rear-facing displays that are supported by the head-mounted support structure and that are configured to provide images viewable from eye boxes;
a peripheral conductive member that extends along a peripheral edge of the head-mounted support structure on the front face, wherein the peripheral conductive member has an opening that forms an airflow port;
first and second dielectric-filled gaps that separate the peripheral conductive member into segments; and
an antenna formed from a given segment of the segments of the peripheral conductive member, wherein the given segment forming the antenna extends between the first and second dielectric-filled gaps and runs along at least one edge of the opening in the peripheral conductive member that forms the airflow port.

2. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the peripheral conductive member forms an antenna resonating element arm for the antenna, wherein the antenna further comprises an antenna ground and an antenna feed having a first feed terminal coupled to the antenna ground and a second feed terminal coupled to the antenna resonating element arm, the head-mounted device further comprising:
cellular telephone radio-frequency transceiver circuitry; and
a transmission line coupling the cellular telephone radio-frequency transceiver circuitry to the antenna resonating element arm.

3. The head-mounted device defined in claim 2 further comprising a forward-facing display on the front face, wherein the peripheral conductive member extends along a peripheral edge of the forward-facing display.

4. The head-mounted device defined in claim 3 wherein the head-mounted support structure comprises a headband.

5. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the airflow port passes air for a heat sink mounted to a back surface of one of the rear-facing displays.

6. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the given segment forming the antenna surrounds the opening in the peripheral conductive member that forms the airflow port along four edges of the opening.

7. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the peripheral conductive member has a first elongated metal portion that extends along a first side of the opening in the peripheral conductive member that forms the airflow port and has a second elongated metal portion that extends along an opposing second side of the opening in the peripheral conductive member that forms the airflow port.

8. The head-mounted device defined in claim 7 wherein the first elongated metal portion forms the given segment and wherein the given segment does not include the second elongated metal portion.

9. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the antenna comprises a metal trace.

10. The head-mounted device defined in claim 9 further comprising a printed circuit, wherein the metal trace is formed on the printed circuit, and wherein the metal trace is configured to form an antenna resonating element arm for the antenna.

11. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 further comprising:
a heat sink mounted to a back side of one of the rear-facing displays; and
a fan configured to cause air to flow through the airflow port to cool the heat sink.

12. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the given segment has opposing metal portions that surround the opening in the peripheral conductive member that forms the airflow port.

13. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the peripheral conductive member has a first elongated metal portion that extends along a first side of the opening in the peripheral conductive member that forms the airflow port and that forms the segment, wherein peripheral conductive member has a second elongated metal portion that extends along an opposing second side of the opening in the peripheral conductive member that forms the airflow port, and wherein the second elongated metal portion is separated from the first elongated metal portion by the first and second dielectric-filled gaps.

14. A head-mounted device, comprising:
left and right optical systems each of which has a display and a lens, wherein the left and right optical systems are configured to display images viewable respectively from left and right eye boxes;
a head-mounted support structure that supports the left and right optical systems;
radio-frequency transceiver circuitry;
an antenna coupled to the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry, wherein the antenna comprises a portion of the head-mounted support structure;
a heat sink mounted to a back surface of the display of the left optical system; and
an airflow port formed from an opening in the head-mounted support structure and configured to pass air to cool the heat sink, wherein the portion of the head-mounted support structure for the antenna runs along a side of the opening.

15. The head-mounted device defined in claim 14 wherein the head-mounted support structure comprises a peripheral conductive member that extends along a peripheral edge of a front face of the head-mounted support structure and wherein the portion of the head-mounted support structure for the antenna comprises a portion of the peripheral conductive member.

16. The head-mounted device defined in claim 15 wherein the antenna comprises a segment of the peripheral conductive member and wherein first and second polymer-filled dielectric gaps in the peripheral conductive member are formed at opposing first and second ends of the segment.

17. The head-mounted device defined in claim 14 wherein the portion of the head-mounted support structure for the antenna runs along another side of the opening.

18. A head-mounted device, comprising:
a head-mounted support structure having opposing front and rear faces;
left and right rear-facing displays configured to display images in eye boxes;
a peripheral conductive member that runs along a peripheral edge of the front face;
a forward-facing display on the front face, formed from an array of pixels, and separate from the left and right rear-facing displays, wherein the peripheral conductive member runs along an outer edge of the forward-facing display;
dielectric-filled gaps that divide the peripheral conductive member into multiple segments; and
a plurality of antennas on the front face each of which includes an antenna resonating element formed from a respective one of the multiple segments.

19. The head-mounted device defined in claim 18 further comprising radio-frequency transceiver circuitry coupled to the plurality of antennas, wherein the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry is configured to transmit and receive signals at a frequency between 600 MHz and 6 GHz.

20. The head-mounted device defined in claim 19 wherein the forward-facing display extends across a nose bridge portion of the head-mounted support structure.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Zhang Lijun
• Wu Jiangfeng
• Zhang Lu
• Pascolini Mattia
• Yong Siwen
• Jiang Yi

Classifications

• H01Q1/241

  used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM (H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01Q5/40

  Imbricated or interleaved structures; Combined or electromagnetically coupled arrangements, e.g. comprising two or more non-connected fed radiating elements · CPC title

• H01Q21/28

  Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems {(multiple beam H01Q25/00)} · CPC title

• G02B27/017 Primary

  Head mounted · CPC title

• H01Q1/273 Primary

  Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals · CPC title