# US 12,222,501 B1 · Head-mounted display systems with bendable frames > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,222,501 B1 - Document ID: US12222501B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 17/238,768 - Filed: 2021-04-23 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-06-10 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: David A. Kalinowski - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12222501B1 ## CPC - G02B 27/0172: {characterised by optical features} - G02B 27/0176: {characterised by mechanical features} - G02C 5/22: Hinges (pivotal connection in general F16C11/00) - G02C 5/2254: {comprising elastic means other than coil spring} - G02C 11/10: {Electronic devices other than hearing aids} - G02B 2027/0154: {with movable elements} - G02B 2027/0178: {Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C)} - G02C 2200/26: Coil spring pushed upon actuation - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - G02C: SPECTACLES; SUNGLASSES OR GOGGLES INSOFAR AS THEY HAVE THE SAME FEATURES AS SPECTACLES; CONTACT LENSES (trial frames for testing the eyes A61B3/04; goggles or eyeshields not having the same features as spectacles A61F9/00) ## Abstract A head-mounted device may have a head-mounted support structure. The head-mounted support may support optical systems. The optical systems may be display systems that provide images to eye boxes. A user may view images from the display systems when the user's eyes are located in the eye boxes. The head-mounted support structure is bent due to pressure from a user's head while the head-mounted support structure is being worn by the user. Spring hinges or other structures may be used to supply a constant bending force to the head-mounted support structure over a range of head sizes. When the head-mounted support structure is in an unbent configuration, the images will be misaligned with respect to the eye boxes and each other. When the head-mounted support structure is being worn and the head-mounted support structure is being bent, the images will be aligned satisfactorily. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A head-mounted device, comprising: a head-mounted support structure having a front portion with left and right halves coupled at a nose bridge portion and having left and right side portions coupled by respective left and right hinges to the left and right halves; a left display system coupled to the left half of the front portion and configured to produce a left image for a left eye box in a left image direction; and a right display system coupled to the right half of the front portion and configured to produce a right image for a right eye box in a right image direction, wherein the head-mounted support structure is configured to press the left and right side portions away from each other and to rotate the left and right halves about the nose bridge portion when the head-mounted device is worn to align the left image direction with the left eye box and the right image direction with the right eye box. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the head-mounted support structure comprises left and right support structures, wherein the left support structure comprises a left temple that is oriented at a first angle relative to the left half of the front portion, wherein the right support structure comprises a right temple that is oriented at a second angle relative to the right half of the front portion, and wherein the left and right hinges of the front portion are constant force spring hinges that are configured, when the head-mounted support structure is being worn, to impart forces to the left and right halves of the front portion that bend the left and right halves of the front portion about the nose bridge portion by a predetermined amount. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The head-mounted device defined in claim 2 wherein the left display system has a left display projector, a left output coupler, a left input coupler configured to receive the left image from the left display projector, and a left waveguide configured to guide the left image from the left input coupler to the left output coupler, wherein the left waveguide is mounted in the left half of the front portion and wherein the left output coupler is configured to couple the left image out of the left waveguide in the left image direction. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the nose bridge portion is configured to support the left and right halves in a first angular orientation when the head-mounted support structure is not being worn and is configured to bend to support the left and right halves in a second angular orientation that is different than the first angular orientation when the nose bridge portion is bent by a predetermined amount. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the nose bridge portion is configured to bend by a predetermined amount in response to different user head sizes, and wherein the predetermined amount is constant over a range of angular orientations of the left and right side portions. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the left and right hinges each include a spring and the springs are formed from a stack of compressible members squeezed by a cam mechanism. ### Claim 7 A pair of glasses configured to display a left image for a user in a left eye box and a right image for the user in a right eye box while the user views real-world objects, the glasses comprising: a frame having left and right portions joined by a nose bridge portion; a left hinge; a right hinge; a left temple coupled to the left portion of the frame by the left hinge; a right temple coupled to the right portion of the frame by the right hinge; and left and right displays supported by the left and right portions respectively and configured to supply respective left and right images to left and right eye boxes, wherein the left and right hinges are configured to provide a constant force at different angular rotations of the left and right temples to press the left and right temples away from each other and to rotate the left and right portions about the nose bridge portion to align the left and right images with the left and right eye boxes, respectively. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The glasses defined in claim 7 wherein the left and right hinges each include a spring. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The glasses defined in claim 8 wherein the springs are each formed from a stack of compressible members squeezed by a cam mechanism. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The glasses defined in claim 7 wherein the left display has a left waveguide that overlaps the left eye box and wherein the right display has a right waveguide that overlaps the right eye box. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The glasses defined in claim 10 wherein the real-world objects are respectively viewable through the left and right waveguides from the left and right eye boxes. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The glasses defined in claim 11 wherein the left and right hinges have springs that are configured to supply the constant force to the left and right portions respectively when the left and right temples are pressed away from each other when being worn. ### Claim 13 A head-mounted device configured to be worn on a user's head, the head-mounted device comprising: left and right optical systems configured to supply a left image to a left eye box and a right image to a right eye box, respectively; and a head-mounted support structure that supports the left and right optical systems, wherein the head-mounted support structure comprises left and right portions coupled at a nose bridge portion and left and right temples coupled by hinges to the left and right portions, wherein the head-mounted support structure is configured to be unbent when not being worn and is configured to bend under pressure from the user's head when being worn to press the left and right temples away from each other and to rotate the left and right portions about the nose bridge portion to align the left image with the left eye box and the right image with the right eye box. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The head-mounted device defined in claim 13 wherein the left and right portions overlap the left and right eye boxes, respectively. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The head-mounted device defined in claim 14 wherein the hinges comprise a left hinge coupled to the left portion and a right hinge coupled to the right portion. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The head-mounted support structure defined in claim 15 wherein the nose bridge portion is configured to bend when force is applied to the left portion with the left hinge and force is applied to the right portion with the right hinge. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The head-mounted device defined in claim 15 wherein the left and right hinges are further coupled to the left and right temples, respectively, and provide constant rotational force over a range of positions of the left and right temples portions. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The head-mounted device defined in claim 14 wherein the left and right optical systems comprise respective left and right display systems. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The head-mounted device defined in claim 18 wherein, when the head-mounted support structure is unbent, the left and right images are misaligned with respect to each other. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The head-mounted device defined in claim 19 wherein the left display system comprises a left display projector configured to produce the left image and the right display system comprises a right display projector configured to produce the right image.