Apple Inc.

Darshan R Kasar

Christopher S Graham

Eric Steven Jol

Daniel C Wagman

Timothy J Rasmussen

Ian P Colahan

Benjamin A Cousins

Lee M Panecki

Demetrios B Karanikos

James L McPeak

Rico L Zorkendorfer

John J Baker

Paul J Thompson

Phillip Qian

Karl Ruben F Larsson

Shannon X Yang

Nicholas C Soldner

Javier Mendez

Grant S Haug

Joel C Yamasaki

Jeffrey J Terlizzi

Teodor Dabov

Albert John Golko

Robert D Watson

John B Ardisana, Ii

Vaneet Pathak

Dhaval N Shah

Jouya Jadidian

Grant H Mulliken

Zachary C Rich

Neal D Evans

Edwin W Foo

Cheung-Wei Lam

Chandrahas Aralaguppe Chandramohan

Andro Radchenko

Martin Schauer

Greg Nayman

Paul Xiaopeng Wang

Jonathan Sarjeant Aase

Craig Matthew Stanley

Samuel Gilkison Smith

Edward S Huo

Forrest C Wang

Trent K Do

Hani Esmaeili

Nicholas R Trincia

Kirill Kalinichev

Tian Shi Li

James William Vandyke

James W VanDyke

Ian A Guy

Stefan A Kowalski

Jeffrey A Griffis

Timon A Wright

Andrew Gallaher

Erin M Bosch

Liam R Martinez

Matthew E Lang

Richard J Blanco

Jonathan M Anderson

Ferdinand S Toting

Brian C Joseph

David B Flamholz

Nathan A Van Nortwick

Jonathan C Lorman

Junhan Ren

A wearable electronic device can include optical assemblies for providing visual output to a user. The optical assemblies can include a central display as well as a light track that surrounds at least a portion of the central display. Primary information and images can be provided at the central display to be received at a center region of a user's vision. Supplemental content and/or information can be provided by operation of the light track, which can be operated with relatively simple controls. The supplemental content and/or information can be received at a peripheral region of the user's vision. Accordingly, the inner and outer images produced by the separate mechanisms of the optical assembly can provide a single continuous image for observation by the user.

Light output

A head-mountable device including a display, a housing at least partially surrounding the display, a facial interface attached to the housing, and a cover positioned between the housing and the facial interface, the cover comprising a conductive fabric.

Conductive fabric architecture

In at least one example of the present disclosure, a head-mountable device includes a display, a frame at least partially surrounding the display, a facial interface attached to the frame, a cover disposed around the facial interface, and a touch sensitive surface incorporated into the cover to receive input from a user for the head-mountable device.

Touch sensitive input surface

A head-mounted device may have a head-mounted housing. The head-mounted housing may have displays that display images for a user. The images are viewable from eye boxes while the head-mounted device is being worn by the user. A head strap may be removably coupled to the head-mounted housing to help hold the displays in position during operation of the head-mounted device. The head strap and head-mounted housing may have wireless power circuitry and communications circuitry. The wireless power circuitry may be used to transmit power from a battery in the head strap to the head-mounted housing. The communications circuitry may include wireless radio-frequency circuitry and/or optical circuitry that allow the head strap to convey wireless data to the head-mounted housing. The head-mounted housing may also transmit power and/or data to the strap.

Systems with wireless interface for removable support accessories

A removable facial interface for a head-mountable device (HMD) is disclosed. In an example, an HMD includes a display; a facial interface frame at least partially surrounding the display; a removable facial interface attached to the facial interface frame; a first attachment mechanism attached to one of the facial interface frame or the removable facial interface; and a second attachment mechanism attached to the other of the facial interface frame or the removable facial interface, the removable facial interface being attached to the facial interface frame by the first attachment mechanism and the second attachment mechanism.

Removable facial interface

A head-mounted device includes a device housing, a display device, an optical system, and a headband. The head-mounted device also includes a first headband connector that includes a headband-side connector portion that is connected to the headband at a first end of the headband and a device-side connector portion that is connected to the device housing. The first headband connector is movable between a disconnected position, in which the headband-side connector portion is disconnected from the device-side connector portion, and a connected position, in which the headband-side connector portion is connected to the device-side connector portion. The first headband connector also includes paired magnetic components that are configured to attract the headband-side connector portion and the device-side connector portion to one another to urge the first headband connector to move to the connected position.

Headband for head-mounted device

A shield for redirecting magnetic field generated from a plurality of transmitter coils includes a ferromagnetic structure divided into segments by a plurality of boundary regions, each segment comprises a first material having a first magnetic permeability and each boundary region comprises a second material having a second magnetic permeability lower than the first magnetic permeability, where the plurality of boundary regions are configured to resist a propagation of magnetic field from a first area of the ferromagnetic structure to a second area of the ferromagnetic structure, where the first area intercepts the magnetic field generated from at least one active transmitter coil of the plurality of transmitter coils.

Shielding for multi-coil wireless power transfer systems

A head-mounted device includes a device housing and a headband that is configured to support the device housing with respect to the user. A first connector part is connected to the headband, wherein the first connector part includes a first electrical connector portion. A second connector part is connected to the device housing, wherein the second connector part includes a second electrical connector portion. The first connector part and the second connector part are movable between a connected position, in which the first electrical connector portion is in engagement with the second electrical connector portion, and a disconnected position, in which the first connector part is spaced from the second connector part and the first electrical connector portion is not in engagement with the second electrical connector portion. The headband is able to rotate with respect to the device housing in the connected position.

Head-mounted device with pivoting connectors

Head-mountable devices can be supplemented with accessory devices that provide a variety of different components and functions to achieve the results that are desired by a user. The exchangeable configurations allow a user to easily customize a head-mountable device with one or more accessory devices to provide features that integrate with other operations of the head-mountable device. The accessory devices can be easily exchanged with each other to provide different components and functions at different times. Accordingly, a head-mountable device need not include permanent components that provide every function that will later be desired by the user. Instead, the head-mountable device can have expanded and customizable capabilities by the use of one or more accessory devices.

Accessory for head-mountable device

A head-mounted device includes a housing assembly and a headband that is connected to the housing assembly and is movable between a use position and a storage position. The head-mounted device also includes a first magnetic component that is located on the headband and a second magnetic component that is located on the headband. The first magnetic component is spaced from the second magnetic component in the use position, and the first magnetic component and the second magnetic component are magnetically attracted to each other in the storage position.

Headband for head-mounted device with magnetic components

A head-mountable device can include a speaker unit that provides structural support to its own components and electrical connections between other components. The arrangement of conductive strips within a back plate of a speaker unit can provide the structural support needed by the components of a speaker while allowing components on opposing sides of the speaker unit to be operably connected to each other. By providing both functions with the conductive strips of a back plate, the total space required is minimized so that the head-securement element (e.g., band) of the head-mountable device maintains a thin profile.

Speaker unit for head-mountable device

Magnetic connector systems including a plug connector and a connector receptacle. In one example, the plug connector can include a magnetic target around a signal pin, where the signal pin is insulated from a plug enclosure by an insulating housing. The connector receptacle can include a magnet that is attracted to the magnetic target. The connector receptacle can contact the plug enclosure using one or more conductive springs. The one or more springs can deflect during an insertion of the plug enclosure. In another example, this deflection can act to expel moisture from the connector receptacle through drip holes in an enclosure for the connector receptacle.

Magnetic connectors

An electronic device and methods for inductively charging an electronic device using another external electronic device. The electronic device may include an enclosure, a battery positioned within the enclosure, and an inductive coil coupled to the battery. The inductive coil may have two or more operational modes, including a power receiving operational mode for wirelessly receiving power and a power transmitting operational mode for wirelessly transmitting power. The electronic device may also have a controller coupled to the inductive coil for selecting one of the operational modes.

Inductive charging between electronic devices

Growing community of inventors

San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Darshan R Kasar