Patent Application
20240028072
This relates generally to electronic devices, and, more particularly, to electronic devices such as head-mounted devices.
Electronic devices such as head-mounted devices may have displays for displaying images. The displays may be housed in a head-mounted support structure.
A head-mounted device may have a head-mounted housing. The head-mounted housing may have displays that display images for a user when the head-mounted housing is worn by the user. A headband may be removably coupled to the head-mounted housing. When the user is wearing the head-mounted device, the headband may help hold the head-mounted housing against the face of the user. The headband may be removed and replaced with a different headband when desired.
The head-mounted device may have housing structures such as elongated housing members with protruding posts. The headband may have a strap. Opposing ends of the strap may be provided with openings that are configured to receive the posts.
Releasable latches may be used to allow selective engagement and disengagement between the headband and the housing. The latches may contain movable latch members that are biased using magnetic biasing mechanisms, spring-based biasing mechanisms, or other biasing mechanisms. To release a latch, a tab, button, toggle lever, slider, or other release mechanisms may be moved by a user. This moves the movable latch members from a closed latch position in which the housing is secured to the headband to an open latch position that releases the headband from the housing.
Head-mounted devices include head-mounted support structures that allow the devices to be worn on the heads of users. The head-mounted support structures may include device housings that enclose components such as displays. The displays may be used for presenting a user with visual content. The head-mounted support structures for a head-mounted device may also include headbands and other structures that help hold a device housing on the face of a user. The headband of a head-mounted device may be removable. This allows users to swap different headbands into use to accommodate different head sizes and/or to update the style of headband being used.
To present a user with images for viewing from eye boxes (e.g., eye boxes in which the user's eyes are located when device 10 is being worn on the users' head), device 10 may include displays and lenses. These components may be mounted in optical modules 20 that face towards rear R of device 10 or may be mounted in other supporting structures in housing 12 to form respective left and right optical systems. There may be, for example, a left display for presenting an image through a left lens to a user's left eye in a left eye box and a right display for presenting an image to a user's right eye in a right eye box.
If desired, housing 12 may have forward-facing components such as cameras and other sensors on front F for gathering sensor measurements and other input and may have a soft cushion on opposing rear R. Rear R may have openings that allow the user to view images from left and right optical modules 20 (e.g., when rear R is resting on the front of the user's head). Device 10 may have a strap such as headband 26 and, if desired, may have other structures (e.g., an optional over-the-head strap) to help hold housing 12 on the user's head. Headband 26 may have a fixed length or may be adjustable. Headband 26 may have first and second ends coupled, respectively, to the left and right sides of housing 12. In the example of
The use of latch-based coupling mechanisms in device 10 may help allow a user to removably attach headband 26 to members 24 and thereby removably attach headband 26 to housing 12. Members 24 may have elongated shapes of the type shown in
Headband 26 may have soft flexible portions and/or rigid portions. As an example, a central portion of headband 26 may be formed from stretchable fabric. Left and right end portions of headband 26 may be coupled to opposing ends of this central portion. The left and right end portions may, as an example, have stiffening structures (e.g., the left and right end portions may be stiffer than the central stretchable portion). Other types of configuration may be used for headband 26, if desired (e.g., arrangements with adjustable tensioning cables, etc.).
Opening 32 may be a through-hole opening with a shape that matches the outline of post 30. In the present example, post 30 and opening 32 have elongated shapes when viewed end-on (e.g., rectangular shapes with rounded corners). These elongated shapes may help resist rotational motion between longitudinal axis 34 of headband 26 and longitudinal axis 36 of member 24. This helps prevent headband 26 from slipping up or down along the rear surface of a user's head during use. In general, post 30 and/or mating opening 32 may have any suitable shapes (e.g., the shape of post 30 and/or opening 32 may be circular, oval, rectangular, triangular, may be a shape with curved edges and/or straight edges, may be a shape with drafted edges to help with alignment and/or insertion, etc.). The use of rectangular shapes with rounded corners and/or other shapes that are elongated (e.g., along respective longitudinal axes 40 and 38 of
Headband 26 has a main strap portion 44. Strap portion 44, which may sometimes be referred to as a strap or headband member, may have internal stiffening members, external fabric coverings and or other covering layers, strips of strengthening fabric, stretchable fabric portions (e.g., stretchable knit fabric), cosmetic coverings, and/or other headband structures. Through-hole opening 32 may be formed by cutting or otherwise forming an opening in portion 44. The periphery of opening 32 may be strengthened using a mating pair of ring members 40. Members which may sometimes be referred to as a cap and socket, may have ring shapes and may capture portions of strap 44. Members 40 may be attached to each other using laser welding and/or other attachment mechanisms. Adhesive may optionally be used to help secure members to strap 44.
When members 50 are attached to each other, a ring shaped recess such as recess 52 is formed. Spring 42 (e.g., a spring formed from metal, foam, stretchy rubber gasket material or other elastomeric material, and/or other spring structures) may have a ring shape surrounding opening 32 and may be received within recess 52. Gap 48 may be formed on one side of ring 42. As shown in the top view of spring 42 of
The illustrative spring-based headband retention arrangement of
When post 30 is not inserted in opening 32, the south poles of magnets 70 attract the north poles of magnet 68 and vice versa, so that magnet 68 aligns with magnet 70 when post 30 is not present. Magnets 70 are attached to strap 44, whereas magnet 68 is attached to slidable latch member 62M. Due to the magnetic attraction between magnets 70 and magnet 68, 70, member 62M is moved to open latch position 62M′. This ensures that the tip of member 62M that faces opening 32 will not protrude into opening 32 in the absence of post 30 and will therefore not visible within opening 32. The magnetic retraction of latch member 62M thereby helps enhance the visual appearance of headband 26 when headband 26 is not attached to member 24 and latch 62 is open.
When a user desires to attach headband 26 to member 24, the user places opening 32 of headband 26 adjacent to post 30. As opening 32 moves towards post 30, the south pole of magnet 66 attracts the north pole of magnet 60 while the north pole of magnet 68 attracts the south pole of magnet 60 in an almost perfectly symmetrical fashion, so that the force exhibited on post 30 feels balanced. This tends to align post 30 with opening 32 and pull post 30 into opening 32, thereby reducing the need for the user to accurately align post 30 with opening 32.
The illustrative example of
Other biasing mechanisms may be used to supplement magnetic biasing mechanisms such as these and/or may be used in place of magnetic biasing arrangements. Consider, as an example, the illustrative spring-based biasing mechanisms of
As shown in
As shown in
In the illustrative latch arrangement of
In addition to or instead of using a pull-to-release mechanism to release latch 62, latch 62 may be provided with one or more of the illustrative latch release mechanisms of
With one illustrative latch release arrangement, latch 62 uses a push-button release mechanism. With this arrangement, latch 62 is provided with a button. The button may have a movable button member such as button member 90 that is coupled to post 30. When a use desires to release latch 62, the user may press inwardly on button member 90, to move button 90 inwardly and cause button member cam surface 92 to bear against cam surface 94 of latch member 62M. This pushes latch member 62M away from post 30 and thereby opens the latch so that post 30 can be removed from opening 32.
In another illustrative latch release arrangement, latch 62 is provided with a toggle release mechanism. As shown in
In yet another illustrative latch release arrangement, a slider mechanism may be used for latch release operations. As shown in
Additional latch release arrangements may be used, if desired (e.g., release mechanisms based on pull tabs, rotating knobs, push buttons, pull buttons, sliders, toggle switches, other release structures and/or combinations of these structures). These latch release arrangements may be used with any suitable latch-biasing scheme (e.g., arrangements in which latch member 62M is biased towards its closed position magnetically, using a metal spring, using a tension spring, using a compression spring, using a coil spring, using a leaf spring, using a spring based on a stretchable band such as an elastomeric ring, and/or other spring, using a biasing device based on compressible foam, etc.). There may be a single latch member 62M in latch 62 or multiple latch members 62M may be used in latch 62.
A cross-sectional side view of an illustrative system based on a strap of the type shown in
Latch 62 may have a button release or other release mechanism. As shown in
In the example of
Although sometimes described herein in the context of examples where posts 30 are formed on members 24 and openings 32 are formed in headband 26, posts 30 may, if desired, be formed as part of headband 26 and openings 32 may be formed in members 24.
As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of information such as information from input-output devices. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, data may be gathered that includes personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, twitter ID's, home addresses, data or records relating to a user's health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, username, password, biometric information, or any other identifying or personal information.
The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users. For example, the personal information data can be used to deliver targeted content that is of greater interest to the user. Accordingly, use of such personal information data enables users to have control of the delivered content. Further, other uses for personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For instance, health and fitness data may be used to provide insights into a user's general wellness, or may be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue wellness goals.
The present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with well-established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining personal information data private and secure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users, and should be updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable uses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimate uses. Further, such collection/sharing should occur after receiving the informed consent of the users. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to such personal information data and ensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted for the particular types of personal information data being collected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For instance, in the United States, collection of or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), whereas health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Hence different privacy practices should be maintained for different personal data types in each country.
Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, the present technology can be configured to allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in the collection of personal information data during registration for services or anytime thereafter. In another example, users can select not to provide certain types of user data. In yet another example, users can select to limit the length of time user-specific data is maintained. In addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use of personal information. For instance, a user may be notified upon downloading an application (“app”) that their personal information data will be accessed and then reminded again just before personal information data is accessed by the app.
Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect a user's privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, when appropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and/or other methods.
Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use of information that may include personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data.
Physical environment: A physical environment refers to a physical world that people can sense and/or interact with without aid of electronic systems. Physical environments, such as a physical park, include physical articles, such as physical trees, physical buildings, and physical people. People can directly sense and/or interact with the physical environment, such as through sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell.
Computer-generated reality: in contrast, a computer-generated reality (CGR) environment refers to a wholly or partially simulated environment that people sense and/or interact with via an electronic system. In CGR, a subset of a person's physical motions, or representations thereof, are tracked, and, in response, one or more characteristics of one or more virtual objects simulated in the CGR environment are adjusted in a manner that comports with at least one law of physics. For example, a CGR system may detect a person's head turning and, in response, adjust graphical content and an acoustic field presented to the person in a manner similar to how such views and sounds would change in a physical environment. In some situations (e.g., for accessibility reasons), adjustments to characteristic(s) of virtual object(s) in a CGR environment may be made in response to representations of physical motions (e.g., vocal commands). A person may sense and/or interact with a CGR object using any one of their senses, including sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. For example, a person may sense and/or interact with audio objects that create 3D or spatial audio environment that provides the perception of point audio sources in 3D space. In another example, audio objects may enable audio transparency, which selectively incorporates ambient sounds from the physical environment with or without computer-generated audio. In some CGR environments, a person may sense and/or interact only with audio objects. Examples of CGR include virtual reality and mixed reality.
Virtual reality: A virtual reality (VR) environment refers to a simulated environment that is designed to be based entirely on computer-generated sensory inputs for one or more senses. A VR environment comprises a plurality of virtual objects with which a person may sense and/or interact. For example, computer-generated imagery of trees, buildings, and avatars representing people are examples of virtual objects. A person may sense and/or interact with virtual objects in the VR environment through a simulation of the person's presence within the computer-generated environment, and/or through a simulation of a subset of the person's physical movements within the computer-generated environment.
Mixed reality: In contrast to a VR environment, which is designed to be based entirely on computer-generated sensory inputs, a mixed reality (MR) environment refers to a simulated environment that is designed to incorporate sensory inputs from the physical environment, or a representation thereof, in addition to including computer-generated sensory inputs (e.g., virtual objects). On a virtuality continuum, a mixed reality environment is anywhere between, but not including, a wholly physical environment at one end and virtual reality environment at the other end. In some MR environments, computer-generated sensory inputs may respond to changes in sensory inputs from the physical environment. Also, some electronic systems for presenting an MR environment may track location and/or orientation with respect to the physical environment to enable virtual objects to interact with real objects (that is, physical articles from the physical environment or representations thereof). For example, a system may account for movements so that a virtual tree appears stationery with respect to the physical ground. Examples of mixed realities include augmented reality and augmented virtuality. Augmented reality: an augmented reality (AR) environment refers to a simulated environment in which one or more virtual objects are superimposed over a physical environment, or a representation thereof. For example, an electronic system for presenting an AR environment may have a transparent or translucent display through which a person may directly view the physical environment. The system may be configured to present virtual objects on the transparent or translucent display, so that a person, using the system, perceives the virtual objects superimposed over the physical environment. Alternatively, a system may have an opaque display and one or more imaging sensors that capture images or video of the physical environment, which are representations of the physical environment. The system composites the images or video with virtual objects, and presents the composition on the opaque display. A person, using the system, indirectly views the physical environment by way of the images or video of the physical environment, and perceives the virtual objects superimposed over the physical environment. As used herein, a video of the physical environment shown on an opaque display is called “pass-through video,” meaning a system uses one or more image sensor(s) to capture images of the physical environment, and uses those images in presenting the AR environment on the opaque display. Further alternatively, a system may have a projection system that projects virtual objects into the physical environment, for example, as a hologram or on a physical surface, so that a person, using the system, perceives the virtual objects superimposed over the physical environment. An augmented reality environment also refers to a simulated environment in which a representation of a physical environment is transformed by computer-generated sensory information. For example, in providing pass-through video, a system may transform one or more sensor images to impose a select perspective (e.g., viewpoint) different than the perspective captured by the imaging sensors. As another example, a representation of a physical environment may be transformed by graphically modifying (e.g., enlarging) portions thereof, such that the modified portion may be representative but not photorealistic versions of the originally captured images. As a further example, a representation of a physical environment may be transformed by graphically eliminating or obfuscating portions thereof. Augmented virtuality: an augmented virtuality (AV) environment refers to a simulated environment in which a virtual or computer generated environment incorporates one or more sensory inputs from the physical environment. The sensory inputs may be representations of one or more characteristics of the physical environment. For example, an AV park may have virtual trees and virtual buildings, but people with faces photorealistically reproduced from images taken of physical people. As another example, a virtual object may adopt a shape or color of a physical article imaged by one or more imaging sensors. As a further example, a virtual object may adopt shadows consistent with the position of the sun in the physical environment.
Hardware: there are many different types of electronic systems that enable a person to sense and/or interact with various CGR environments. Examples include head mounted systems, projection-based systems, heads-up displays (HUDs), vehicle windshields having integrated display capability, windows having integrated display capability, displays formed as lenses designed to be placed on a person's eyes (e.g., similar to contact lenses), headphones/earphones, speaker arrays, input systems (e.g., wearable or handheld controllers with or without haptic feedback), smartphones, tablets, and desktop/laptop computers. A head mounted system may have one or more speaker(s) and an integrated opaque display. Alternatively, a head mounted system may be configured to accept an external opaque display (e.g., a smartphone). The head mounted system may incorporate one or more imaging sensors to capture images or video of the physical environment, and/or one or more microphones to capture audio of the physical environment. Rather than an opaque display, a head mounted system may have a transparent or translucent display. The transparent or translucent display may have a medium through which light representative of images is directed to a person's eyes. The display may utilize digital light projection, OLEDs, LEDs, μLEDs, liquid crystal on silicon, laser scanning light sources, or any combination of these technologies. The medium may be an optical waveguide, a hologram medium, an optical combiner, an optical reflector, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the transparent or translucent display may be configured to become opaque selectively. Projection-based systems may employ retinal projection technology that projects graphical images onto a person's retina. Projection systems also may be configured to project virtual objects into the physical environment, for example, as a hologram or on a physical surface.
The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made to the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.
