Apple has invented an adjustable light-blocking nosepiece system for future Vision Pro headsets that uses shape memory materials+
Today the U.S. Patent Office published a patent application of Apple's that relates to a future HMD that provides a nosepiece that include an adjustable portion to change a curvature of the nosepiece and conform to the user's nose using a shape memory material that changes shape in response to heat and more. Apple is continuing to design more 'comfort' features for future Vision Headsets
HMDs with Adjustable Light-Blocking Structures
A new Apple patent application covers ah HMD (head-mounted device) that may include a main housing unit, at least one display in the main housing unit, and a nosepiece coupled to the main housing unit. The nosepiece may be a light-shielding structure that includes rigid members, flexible members, and/or fabric members. The nosepiece may be removably coupled to the housing, such as with magnets.
The nosepiece may include an adjustable portion to change a curvature of the nosepiece and conform to a user's nose. The adjustable portion may be formed from a central portion of the nosepiece that can be loosened and tightened with respect to a peripheral portion of the nosepiece.
For example, the central portion may have tabs that extend through openings in the peripheral portion. The tabs may be tightened and loosened to change the curvature of the nosepiece, and may be friction fit within the openings to maintain the curvature of the nosepiece. The central portion may have slits that allow the central portion to conform to a shape of the user's nose.
Alternatively or additionally, a service loop may extend across the nosepiece and may be loosened or tightened to adjust the nosepiece. The service loop may be loosened and tightened automatically, such as through a spring-loaded mechanism, or may be manually loosened and tightened by the user.
Shape memory material that changes shape in response to heat, such as the user's body heat, may be incorporated into the nosepiece to passively or automatically adjust the shape of the nosepiece. The shape memory material may form the entire nosepiece, or may be incorporated as a deformable stiffener that runs across a nose bridge of the nosepiece.
A cavity may be included in the nosepiece that be filled with material to change the curvature of the nosepiece. The cavity may be filled with air, liquid, and/or solid material, such as foam. The curvature adjustments may occur manually or automatically.
A nosepiece may be configured as a light-shielding structure and may therefore be sometimes referred to as light-shielding structure or light-shielding nosepiece. As an example, it may be desirable to enhance the viewing experience of the user by blocking external environmental light from entering the interior of the HMD from entering the eye boxes when the HMD is worn by the user. The nosepiece may conform to the facial topology of the user around the user's nose and block light from entering the eye boxes. In some illustrative configurations, the nosepiece may be adjustable to conform to varying facial topologies of different users (e.g., portions of the nosepiece may deform differently based on the nose shapes of the users).
Apple Inventors
- Paul X Wang: Senior Manager, Product Design
- Michael Cheung: Senior Product Design Engineer