Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a patent application from Apple that relates to future smartglasses that have left and right lenses mounted in the lens openings. The lenses may include waveguides that help guide images from projectors to eye boxes for viewing by a user. The frame may include a metal frame member that supplies the frame with structural support. A protective polymer may encapsulate the strain gauge, the cabling, and/or other circuitry so that this circuitry need not be exposed to elevated temperatures during subsequent injection molding operations.

Smartglasses with Molded Polymer Structures

Apple's invention covers smartglasses with support structures that allow the head-mounted device to be worn on a user's head. The head-mounted support structures may support optical components such as displays for displaying visual content and front-facing cameras for capturing real-world images. In an illustrative configuration, optical components such as waveguides may be used to provide images from display projectors to eye boxes for viewing by a user.

Smartglasses have Lenses that may include waveguides that help guide images from projectors to eye boxes for viewing by a user.

Smartglasses may have sensors. For example, a strain gauge sensor may be used to monitor for potential deformation of the support structures (e.g., twisting, bending, etc.). Deformation of the support structures (e.g., deformation of a glasses frame member or other head-mounted support structure due to excessive force such as force from a drop event) may potentially lead to optical component misalignment and image distortion. By monitoring for frame bending and other support structure deformations using strain gauge sensor circuitry, corrective actions may be taken to prevent undesired image distortion.

For example, digital image warping operations may be performed on digital image data being provided to the projectors and/or other actions may be taken to compensate for the deformation. In this way, the head-mounted device may compensate for the measured support structure deformation.

Circuitry such as strain gauge circuitry and cabling may be coupled to the metal frame member. A protective polymer such as thermoset epoxy may be used to encapsulate and protect the circuitry. The protective polymer may encapsulate the strain gauge, the cabling, and/or other circuitry so that this circuitry need not be exposed to elevated temperatures during subsequent injection molding operations.

After the protective polymer structures have been formed, injection molding may be used to apply one or more shots of thermoplastic polymer to the metal frame member and the projective polymer on the frame member to form the head-mounted frame.

Apple's patent FIG. 2 is a top view of smartglasses. Review the details under the image below; FIG. 5 is a front view of the smartglasses after a protective polymer structure has been form over a portion of the frame member and other components;  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of a smartglasses frame after a first (rear) shot of polymer has been formed on the structures of FIG. 5; FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an illustrative frame for the smartglasses.

Apple's patent FIG. 10 above is a flow chart of illustrative operations involved in forming a smartglasses device of the type shown in FIG. 9.

In accordance with another embodiment, the molded polymer frame portion is molded over at least part of the metal internal frame.

In accordance with another embodiment, the thermoplastic polymer includes a rear shot of thermoplastic polymer and a front shot of thermoplastic polymer.

In accordance with another embodiment, the rear shot of thermoplastic polymer is configured to form a lens ledge.

In accordance with another embodiment, the rear shot of polymer is configured to form lens mounting protrusions.

In accordance with another embodiment, the internal frame includes a metal internal frame with tabs, the head-mounted device includes projectors that are attached to the tabs.

In accordance with another embodiment, the lenses include waveguides that guide images received from the projectors.

In accordance with another embodiment, the cable is coupled to the projectors, the head-mounted device includes a strain gauge coupled to the cable, the strain gauge is configured to measure deformation of the metal internal frame, and the protective polymer encapsulates the strain gauge.

In accordance with an embodiment, a head-mounted device is provided that includes a cable, a sensor, a head-mounted frame including a metal frame that supports the cable and the sensor, thermoset polymer that is formed on at least part of the metal frame and that encapsulates at least part of the cable and the sensor, and thermoplastic polymer that is formed over the thermoset polymer and the metal frame, the thermoplastic polymer is configured to from lens openings, and left and right lenses in the lens openings.

To review the full details of this invention, check out patent application 20240192506.