Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a continuation patent application from Apple that relates to future VR headset designed to deliver a wide array of experiences for entertainment and work, including virtual meetings. This futuristic headset is designed to work with autonomous vehicles that have no windows in order to provide maximum driver protection and save on costs.

When first introduced in 2018, it had to have been one of the coolest patent concepts that I've seen in a long time. In fact, I called it the patent of the decade.

Apple notes that "embodiments of the VR system as described herein may be implemented in autonomous or "self-driving" vehicles where all occupants are passengers.

The VR system is to enable safer, smaller, and less expensive autonomous vehicles. Windows in vehicles are inherently unsafe and not structurally sound, and add cost to vehicles. By providing a virtual view of the real environment or of a simulated environment, the VR system may reduce or eliminate the need for windows in autonomous vehicles, allowing the vehicles to be engineered with fewer and/or smaller windows, or with no windows at all.

In addition, a VR experience provided through the VR system may provide passengers with the sensation that they are actually riding in a larger vehicle than the actual size of the autonomous vehicle, which may provide the passengers with a more pleasant and secure-feeling experience when riding in a small autonomous vehicle.

Apple's patent FIG. 8 below is a block diagram illustrating active systems in a vehicle that may be used in a VR system to provide synchronized physical effects for passengers.

The invention provides an immersive virtual & augmented display system. Apple's patent FIG. 1 presented below illustrates a virtual reality (VR) system including a head mounted device (HMD) that may be used by passengers in vehicles, according to some embodiments; FIG. 2 illustrates a VR system that projects VR content to a window of a vehicle for viewing by passengers; and FIG. 3 illustrates projecting VR content so that it appears to the viewer to be in space in front of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the VR system may provide an interface that allows the passenger to specify their preferences for a VR environment to be experienced (e.g., the passenger may request a relaxing, normal, or exciting experience).

Just like our first patent report of day covering a customizable trackpad, Apple's engineering and legal teams have decided to scrap the original patent claims and replace them with all-new claims that better protects the invention and perhaps more importantly, emphasizes matters that will now become a priority for this invention. A sign that the invention is progressing forward.

The following are the 20 new claims numbered 21-40 instead of 1-20 so that that patent and its original filing dates remain viable.

21. A system, comprising: one or more processors; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed on or across the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: obtain inputs for a vehicle following a route in a real environment at a location; select a route in another location based on the route in the real environment; generate virtual content for providing a virtual view of the virtual environment, the virtual content comprising a simulation of the selected route in the other location, wherein motions and accelerations of the virtual content are synchronized with motions and accelerations indicated in the inputs; and send the virtual content to a display device.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising: a virtual reality (VR) controller configured to render frames according to the virtual content.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the instructions are executable to obtain the inputs from a user device of a passenger.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising: one or more sensors coupled to the vehicle, the one or more sensors configured to provide the inputs.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that, when executed on or across the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: send, to one or more vehicle systems, one or more signals that cause the one or more vehicle systems to provide effects that are synchronized with the virtual content.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more of the vehicle systems include one or more of a throttle control system, a brake control system, an active suspension control system, or a steering control system.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising: a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system configured to change one or more of fan speed, temperature, or direction to provide physical effects in response to the one or more signals.

28. A method, comprising: performing, with one or more computing devices: obtaining inputs for a vehicle following a route in a real environment at a location; selecting a route in another location based on the route in the real environment; generating virtual content for providing provide a virtual view of the virtual environment, the virtual content comprising a simulation of the selected route in the other location, wherein motions and accelerations of the virtual content are synchronized with motions and accelerations indicated in the inputs; and sending the virtual content to a display device.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising: receiving the inputs from a user device of a passenger.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising: receiving the inputs from one or more sensors of the vehicle.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising: sending, to one or more vehicle systems, one or more signals that cause the one or more vehicle systems to provide effects that are synchronized with the virtual content.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein the one or more of the vehicle systems include one or more of a throttle control system, a brake control system, an active suspension control system, or a steering control system.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the one or more of the vehicle systems comprise a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system configured to change one or more of fan speed, temperature, or direction to provide physical effects in response to the one or more signals.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein selecting the route in the other location comprises: comparing turns and curves of the route in the other location to turns and curves of the route in the real environment; and determining that the turns and curves of the route in the other location at least partially match the turns and curves of the route in the real environment.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising: determining that the selected route does not exactly match the route in the real environment; and modify the simulation of the selected route based on differences between the act route in the real environment and the selected route.

36. The method of claim 28, further comprising: altering the virtual content to accommodate the passenger based on determining that the passenger is prone to or is exhibiting signs of motion sickness.

37. One or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed on or across one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: obtain inputs for a vehicle following a route in a real environment at a location; select a route in another location based on the route in the real environment; generate virtual content for providing a virtual view of the virtual environment, the virtual content comprising a simulation of the selected route in the other location, wherein motions and accelerations of the virtual content are synchronized with motions and accelerations indicated in the inputs; and send the virtual content to a display device.

38. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 37, further comprising instructions that, when executed on or across the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: send, to one or more vehicle systems, one or more signals that cause the one or more vehicle systems to provide effects that are synchronized with the virtual content.
39. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 37, further comprising instructions that, when executed on or across the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: compare turns and curves of the route in the other location to turns and curves of the route in the real environment; and determine that the turns and curves of the route in the other location at least partially match the turns and curves of the route in the real environment.

40. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 37, further comprising instructions that, when executed on or across the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: alter the virtual content to accommodate the passenger based on determining that the passenger is prone to or is exhibiting signs of motion sickness.

Apple's patent application 20200258311 that was published today by the U.S. Patent Office was filed back Q2 2020. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.