Head-mounted electronic display device with lens position sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12422688-B2
Application number	US-202418747085-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2024
Priority date	Aug 23, 2018
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

A head-mounted device may have a display with first and second pixel arrays that display content for a user. A head-mounted support structure in the device supports the pixel arrays on the head of the user. A left positioner may be used to position a left lens module that includes a left lens and the first pixel array. A right positioner may be used to position a right lens module that includes a right lens and the second pixel array. Sensing circuitry such as proximity sensing circuitry may be used to detect relative positions between the left and right lens modules and facing surfaces of a user's nose while the user is wearing the head-mounted support structure. Control circuitry may adjust the positions of the left and right lens modules using interpupillary distance information for the user and using information from the sensing circuitry.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head-mounted device, comprising:
a support structure;
a display in the support structure;
first and second lens modules in the support structure;
force sensors coupled to the first and second lens modules, wherein the force sensors are configured to determine whether the first and second lens modules are applying pressure to a nose; and
an optical position encoder configured to determine a position of the first and second lens modules.

2. The head-mounted device of claim 1 , further comprising:
positioners configured to adjust positions of the first and second lens modules based on an interpupillary distance and measurements from the force sensors.

3. The head-mounted device of claim 2 , wherein the force sensors are configured to determine whether the first and second lens modules are applying the pressure to the nose above a threshold.

4. The head-mounted device of claim 3 , wherein the positioners are further configured to stop moving the first and second lens modules toward the nose in response to determining that the pressure is above the threshold.

5. The head-mounted device of claim 4 , wherein the positioners are further configured to back the first and second lens modules off of the nose in response to determining that the pressure is above the threshold.

6. The head-mounted device of claim 2 , further comprising:
an additional sensor coupled to the support structure, wherein the additional sensor is configured to measure the interpupillary distance.

7. The head-mounted device of claim 6 , wherein the additional sensor comprises a gaze tracking sensor.

8. The head-mounted device of claim 1 , wherein the force sensors comprise resistive force sensors.

9. The head-mounted device of claim 1 , wherein the force sensors comprise capacitive force sensors.

10. The head-mounted device of claim 1 , wherein the force sensors comprise optical force sensors.

11. The head-mounted device of claim 1 , wherein the force sensors comprise strain gauges.

12. A head-mounted device, comprising:
a support structure;
first and second displays in the support structure;
left and right lens modules in the support structure, wherein the left lens module includes the first display and a left lens and the right lens module includes the second display and a right lens;
sensors that determine whether the right and left lens modules are in contact with a nose; and
positioners configured to move the left and right lens modules toward the nose based on an interpupillary distance, wherein the positioners are configured to stop moving the left and right lens modules toward the nose in response to determining that the right and left lens modules are in contact with the nose.

13. The head-mounted device of claim 12 , wherein the sensors comprise switches.

14. The head-mounted device of claim 12 , wherein the positioners are further configured to back off the left and right lens modules from the nose in response to determining that the left and right lens modules are in contact with the nose.

15. The head-mounted device of claim 12 , further comprising:
force sensors on the left and right lens modules.

16. The head-mounted device of claim 15 , further comprising:
positioners configured to move the left and right lens modules toward the nose based on an interpupillary distance, wherein the positioners are configured to stop moving the left and right lens modules toward the nose in response to determining that the right and left lens modules are in contact with the nose and that a force on the nose exceeds a threshold.

17. A head-mounted device comprising:
first and second displays;
first and second lens modules through which the first and second displays are configured to be viewed;
force sensors configured to detect a force applied by the first and second lens modules on sides of a nose; and
a positioning system configured to move the first lens module and the second lens module to adjust a lens-to-lens spacing between the first lens module and the second lens module based on the force applied by the first and second lens modules on the sides of the nose.

18. The head-mounted device of claim 17 , wherein the positioning system is configured to adjust the lens-to-lens spacing to be larger than an interpupillary distance in response to the force sensors determining that the first and second lens modules apply excessive pressure to the nose when the lens-to-lens spacing is equal to the interpupillary distance.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Franklin Jeremy C
• Tao Jia
• Hobson Phil M
• Dey Stephen E

Classifications

• H05K1/189

  characterised by the use of flexible or folded printed circuits · CPC title

• H05K1/0274

  Optical details, e.g. printed circuits comprising integral optical means (H05K1/0269 takes precedence; coupling light guides with opto-electronic components G02B6/42) · CPC title

• G06F3/013

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/011

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title