Earlier this morning Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple Advances future Finger Devices that will work with Apple's MR Headset to assist users interact with Real and Virtual Worlds." Apple's second patent application published today by the US Patent & Trademark Office relating to a future head-mounted display (HMD) system focuses on a new facial mapping system.

MR Headset System with Facial Mapping

Apple's invention covers a head-mounted display (HMD) device for displaying a variety of content. Head-mounted support structures in the device may be used to support the display.

An additional display may be coupled to the head-mounted support structures. The additional display may be formed on external surfaces of the head-mounted support structures or other portion of the head-mounted device.

The head-mounted device or external equipment that communicates with the head-mounted device may include a three-dimensional image sensor may capture a three-dimensional image of a user's face.

Control circuitry may analyze the three-dimensional image to determine which of multiple versions of a customized face-fit module should be used in the head-mounted device to optimize the fit of the head-mounted device on the user's head.

Information on the identified face-fit module may be displayed on one of the additional displays and can be viewed by the user when the user is not wearing the head-mounted device.

The customized face-fit module may be selected based on user facial feature characteristics in the three-dimensional image of the user's face such as facial size and the shapes of a user's forehead, nose, and cheeks.

After identifying which version of the face-fit module is to be used by the user, that version of the face-fit module may be coupled to a non-custom portion of a main unit for the head-mounted device using magnets or other coupling structures. The head-mounted device may then be used to display content for the user while the user is wearing the head-mounted device.

Apple's patent FIG. 4 is a top view of an illustrative head-mounted device having a removable face-fit module; FIG. 5 is a flow chart of illustrative operations associated with using a head-mounted device.

Considering that Apple's patent FIG. 4 is the heart of the patent application, you could review the details of this figure in depth by reading patent points #032 to #036 in Apple's patent application 20200026079.

Apple filed this patent application with USPTO in Q1 2019. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.