Patent Application
20120038543
1. Field of Inventive Concept
The present general inventive concept relates generally to miniature image displays, and more particularly, to methods and apparatuses for supporting miniature image displays or corrective lenses without contacting the user's nose or ears while offering at least four (4) degrees of freedom adjustment.
2. Description of the Related Art
An apparatus for Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) have been used for many years in the field of virtual reality and miniaturized data display. One of the disadvantages of known support units is the amount of point pressure applied to areas of the user's nose bridge, ears, and/or temples when viewing miniaturized displays.
The present general inventive concept relates generally to head mounted displays, and more particularly, to means by which the display and its supporting packaging can be comfortably and securely affixed to the user to provide multiple degrees of adjustability with respect to the user's eyesight without creating pressure on the nose bridge, ears, or temples. Additional features and embodiments of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept.
Example embodiments of the present general inventive concept provide methods and apparatuses for suspending a miniature display in front of a viewer's eyes without contacting the nose, ears or cheeks in such a manner as to provide at least 4 degrees of freedom adjustment for viewing comfort while maintaining a rigid platform.
Some embodiments implement a headband worn around a viewer's head which is adapted to receive an angled mounting bracket attached to the headband by Velcro strips to support a commercially available imaging display or other viewing device. Alternative support methods to Velcro (such as tape, glue, magnets, statics, etc.) could be substituted. Alternatives to the bendable mounting bracket could also be used, such as angular adjustment hinges or other shape memory materials.
In some embodiments, a baseball cap can be substituted for the headband wherein the Velcro support material is provided underneath the bill of the cap to support the viewing device and to facilitate the at least 4 degrees of freedom adjustment.
Example embodiments can include a pair of monocular display units mounted to an adjustment bar or to the headband to provide inter-pupilary distance (IPD) adjustment between the display units.
Example embodiments of the present general inventive concept can also be achieved by providing a method of suspending a display unit in front of a viewer's eyes, including securing a mounting bracket to a head mounted article, and suspending the display unit from the mounting bracket to orient the display unit in front of the viewer's eyes when the head mounted article is worn by the viewer such that the display unit is provided with at least four degrees of freedom adjustment relative to the viewer's eyes without contacting the viewer's nose, ears or cheeks.
These and other features and embodiments of the present general inventive concept will become more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the example embodiments read together with the accompanying drawings in which:
A wide variety of potential embodiments will be more readily understood through the description and illustration of certain exemplary embodiments. Additionally, the exemplary designs described and illustrated herein can provide the added benefit of open air transfer around the displays to improve the localized heat exchange and to eliminate fogging of the displays.
It is noted that in the accompanying drawings and illustrations, the sizes and relative sizes, shapes, and qualities of lines, entities, and regions may be exaggerated for clarity and/or convenience of illustration. It is also noted that throughout the following description, spatially relative terms, such as “up,” “down,” “right,” “left,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood, however, that these spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures, and are provided for convenience of description only with reference to the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over or rotated, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
A general concept of the example embodiments is to create a design that can retain the miniature displays rigidly relative to head movement in such a way as to offer positional and angular adjustment of the display relative to the users eyes in at least 4 dimensions (e.g., lateral, elevation, depth, and entering viewing angle). Ordinarily, users without the use of hand tools desire to easily and rapidly accomplish positional/orientational adjustments of the display unit to accommodate the ergonomic requirements of the broader user market. Also, for the sake of user comfort, the exemplary designs disclosed herein are configured to minimize weight, particularly on the nosebridge, and for simplicity of operation and design, the amount of moving parts are minimized for cost-effective manufacturing and assembly, while achieving multiple degrees of freedom for viewing adjustment.
The exemplary designs combine the lightweight, adjustable simplicity of a head sweatband (e.g., elastic headband, adjustable strap with a buckle, adjustable Velcro straps, etc.), or other head mounted support system such as a hat or any other type of head piece, with the adjustable rigidity of a Velcro-type mount to the imaging device frame and the incorporation of an angled bracket of connecting sheet metal or other bendable material, such as shape-memory material, to create a system that meets the objectives of the design.
Still other embodiments will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from reading the above description in view of all the drawings. It is noted that the simplified diagrams do not illustrate all the various connections and assemblies of the various components, however, those skilled in the art will understand how to implement such connections and assemblies, based on the illustrated components, figures, and descriptions provided herein.
Another key factor in the comfortable operation of dual display mini-displays is the “inter-pupilary distance” (IPD) of the user. The techniques of the present general inventive concept can be used to hold and adjust monocular and/or binocular displays.
For example, as illustrated in
It is noted that numerous variations, modifications, and additional embodiments are possible, and accordingly, all such variations, modifications, and embodiments are to be regarded as being within the spirit and scope of the present general inventive concept. For example, the present general inventive concept can be adapted to receive signals from any number or various video/audio sources, and can communicate using any known or later developed wired or wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth. The exemplary head-mounted devices can be adapted to receive signals from a handheld control device to selectively operate a variety of audio/visual features of the display units. The exemplary devices can also include suitable connections to communicate signals to ear pieces and/or other audio/video accessories to enhance the audio/visual experience of the user.
Moreover, regardless of the content of any portion of this application, unless clearly specified to the contrary, there is no requirement for the inclusion in any claim herein or of any application claiming priority hereto of any particular described or illustrated activity or element, any particular sequence of such activities, or any particular interrelationship of such elements. Moreover, any activity can be repeated, any activity can be performed by multiple entities, and/or any element can be duplicated. Accordingly, while the present general inventive concept has been illustrated by description of several embodiments, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the inventive concept to such descriptions and illustrations. Instead, the descriptions, drawings, and claims herein are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive, and additional embodiments will readily appear to those skilled in the art upon reading the above description and drawings.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/374,014 filed Aug. 16, 2010.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61374014 | Aug 2010 | US |
