Electronic Devices With Deformation Sensors
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsChristopher Patton, Clas M. Oldenbo, Scott M. DeLapp
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A head-mounted device may have head-mounted support structures configured to be worn on a head of a user. The head-mounted device may have stereo optical components such as left and right cameras or left and right display systems. The optical components may have respective left and right pointing vectors. Deformation of the support structures may cause the camera pointing vectors and/or the display system pointing vectors to become misaligned. Sensor circuitry such as strain gauge circuitry may measure pointing vector misalignment. Control circuitry may control the cameras and/or the display systems to compensate for measured changes in pointing vector misalignment.
Claims20
A head-mounted device, comprising:
- a left display system configured to display a left image in a left eye box and a right display system configured to display a right image in a right eye box;
- a housing having a housing portion between the left and right display systems;
- strain gauge circuitry mounted to the housing portion and configured to measure deformation of the housing;
- and
- control circuitry configured to control the left and right display systems based on the measured deformation of the housing to compensate for misalignment of the left and right display systems.
A head-mounted device, comprising:
- first and second optical components having respective first and second optical pointing vectors;
- head-mounted support structures coupled to the first and second optical components, the head-mounted support structures having a support member between the first and second optical components and coupled to a housing portion of the head-mounted support structures between the first and second optical components, wherein the support member has an elastic modulus less than an elastic modulus of the housing portion;
- a sensor mounted to the support member and configured to measure deformation of the head-mounted support structures;
- and
- control circuitry configured to control the first and second optical components based on information from the sensor to compensate for misalignment of the first and second optical pointing vectors.
A head-mounted device, comprising:
- a head-mounted housing;
- first and second optical components in the head-mounted housing having respective first and second optical pointing vectors;
- sensor circuitry configured to measure deformation of the head-mounted housing with respect to a first axis, with respect to a second axis that is not parallel to the first axis, and with respect to a third axis that is not parallel to the first and second axes;
- and
- control circuitry configured to control the first and second optical components based on information from the sensor circuitry to compensate for misalignment of the first and second optical pointing vectors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.