Augmented reality system eye relief adjustment mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9557569-B2
Application number	US-201414268552-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2014
Priority date	May 2, 2014
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

A head mounted display (HMD) may comprise an adjustable crown band, a crown band circumference adjusting mechanism coupled to the adjustable crown band and configured to adjust a crown band circumference to releasably secure the crown band to the user's crown, an armature including left and right arms, each of the left and right arms mounted at a respective proximal end to corresponding left and right HMD attachment structures, a display mounted at left and right sides to respective distal ends of the left and right arms, and an eye relief distance adjustment mechanism configured to move the left and right arms in a timed manner toward and away from the crown band along a substantially linear path, to thereby adjust an eye relief distance from the display to an eye of a the user when the crown band is fitted on the crown of the user.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A head mounted display (HMD) to be worn by a user, comprising:
an adjustable crown band;
a crown band circumference adjusting mechanism coupled to the adjustable crown band and configured to adjust a circumference of the crown band to releasably secure the crown band to the crown of the user;
an armature including a left arm and a right arm, each of the left arm and the right arm mounted at a respective proximal end to corresponding left and right attachment structures on the HMD;
a display mounted at left and right sides to respective distal ends of the left and right arms; and
an eye relief distance adjustment mechanism comprising respective sliding structures on the crown band that slidingly receive the left arm and the right arm such that the left arm and the right arm can slide in a timed manner to move the display toward and away from the crown band along a substantially linear path when a pushing or pulling force is applied to the display by the user, to thereby adjust an eye relief distance from the display to an eye of the user when the crown band is fitted on the crown of the user.

2. A head mounted display (HMD) to be worn by a user, comprising:
an adjustable crown band;
a crown band circumference adjusting mechanism coupled to the adjustable crown band and configured to adjust a circumference of the crown band to releasably secure the crown band to the crown of the user, the crown band circumference adjusting mechanism comprising:
a first housing mounted at a posterior end of the HMD, the first housing including a first knob and a first pinion rotatably coupled thereto; and
left and right crown racks mounted at posterior ends of the adjustable crown band, the left and right crown racks passing through the first housing and engaged to the first pinion wherein rotating the first pinion via the first knob adjusts a length of the left and right crown racks passing through the first housing to adjust the circumference of the crown band;

an armature including a left arm and a right arm, each of the left arm and the right arm mounted at a respective proximal end to corresponding left and right attachment structures on the HMD;
a display mounted at left and right sides to respective distal ends of the left and right arms; and
an eye relief distance adjustment mechanism configured to move the left and right arms in a timed manner toward and away from the crown band along a substantially linear path when a pushing or pulling force is applied to the display by the user, to thereby adjust an eye relief distance from the display to an eye of the user when the crown band is fitted on the crown of the user.

3. The HMD of claim 2 , wherein the eye relief distance adjustment mechanism comprises:
left and right eye relief bands including the left and right attachment structures, the left and right eye relief bands extending posteriorly from the left and right attachment structures respectively and passing through the first housing, the left and right eye relief bands each including an eye relief rack engaged to the first pinion, wherein rotating the first pinion via the first knob adjusts a length of the left and right eye relief racks passing through the first housing to move the left and right arms in the timed manner.

4. The HMD of claim 3 , wherein the eye relief distance adjustment mechanism further comprises respective sliding structures on the crown band that slidingly receive the left arm and the right arm such that the left arm and right arm can slide in the timed manner to move the display toward and away from the crown band along the substantially linear path, when the pushing or pulling force is applied to the display by the user.

5. The HMD of claim 2 , wherein the eye relief distance adjustment mechanism comprises:
a second housing mounted at an anterior end of the HMD, the second housing including a second knob and a second pinion rotatably coupled thereto; and
left and right eye relief bands including the left and right attachment structures, the left right eye relief bands extending anteriorly from the left and right attachment structures respectively, the left and right eye relief bands each including an anterior eye relief rack engaged to the second pinion mounted, wherein rotating the second pinion via the second knob moves the left and right eye relief bands in the timed manner.

6. The HMD of claim 5 , wherein the eye relief distance adjustment mechanism further comprises respective sliding structures on the crown band that slidingly receive the left arm and the right arm such that the left arm and right arm can slide in the timed manner to move the display toward and away from the crown band along the substantially linear path, when the pushing or pulling force is applied to the display by the user.

7. The HMD of claim 2 , wherein:
the first housing further includes a second knob and a second pinion rotatably coupled thereto; and
the eye relief distance adjustment mechanism comprises left and right eye relief bands including the left and right attachment structures, the left and right eye relief bands extending posteriorly from the left and right attachment structures respectively and passing through the first housing, the left and right eye relief bands each including an eye relief rack engaged to the second pinion, wherein rotating the second pinion via the second knob adjusts a length of the left and right eye relief racks passing through the first housing to move the left and right arms in the timed manner.

8. The HMD of claim 7 , wherein the first knob and the second knob are configured in a nested arrangement, and the first pinion and the second pinion are coaxial.

9. The HMD of claim 7 , wherein the eye relief adjustment mechanism comprises a non-backdrivable eye relief adjustment mechanism to prevent adjustment of the eye relief distance without rotation of the first knob or the second knob.

10. The HMD of claim 2 , wherein the eye relief distance adjustment mechanism comprises:
left and right timing bands including the left and right attachment structures, the left and right timing bands extending posteriorly from the left and right attachment structures respectively and passing through the first housing, the left and right timing bands each including first left and right eye relief racks mounted at posterior ends of the left and right timing bands, the first left and right eye relief racks engaged to the first pinion, wherein rotating the first pinion via the first knob adjusts a length of the first left and first right eye relief racks passing through the first housing to move the left and right arms in the timed manner.

11. The HMD of claim 10 , wherein
the left and right attachment structures comprise respective left and right pinions,
the left and right timing bands comprise second left and second right eye relief racks engaged to the left and right pinions and mounted at anterior ends of the left and right timing bands, and
the eye relief distance adjustment mechanism further comprises respective sliding structures mounted on the left and right pinions that slidingly receive the left arm and the right arm such that the left arm and right arm can slide in the timed manner to move the display toward and away from the crown band along the substantially linear path, when the pushing or pulling force is applied to the display by the user.

12. The HMD of claim 11 , wherein the left and right arms extend horizontally anterior from the left and right attachment structures, and the adjustable crown band is anteriorly angled upwards from the left and right arms.

13. The HMD of claim 2 , whe

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Tazbaz Errol Mark
• Riccomini Roy Joseph
• Hodge Andrew Bert
• Steiner Bradley William
• Basha Michael James
• Meyer Azhar K
• Laszlo Zoltan
• Fruhauf Christopher Bramley
• Anderson Perry Q

Classifications

• G02B27/0176 Primary

  characterised by mechanical features · CPC title

• G02B27/0179 Primary

  Display position adjusting means not related to the information to be displayed · CPC title

• G02B2027/0159

  with mechanical means other than scaning means for positioning the whole image · CPC title