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EP-4741910-A2 - ADJUSTABLE HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT HEAD AND FACE SIZES

EP4741910A2EP 4741910 A2EP4741910 A2EP 4741910A2EP-4741910-A2

Abstract

A head-mounted display comprises a main unit, a head strap and a face gasket. The main unit is configured to be positioned over eyes of a user. The head strap is configured to removably attach to the main unit. The head strap comprises a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of the head strap is configured to removably attach to a first side of the main unit. The second portion of the head strap is configured to removably attach to a second side of the main unit opposite the first side. The face gasket is configured to removably attach to a rear of the main unit.

Inventors

  • MCCRACKEN, Ivan A
  • CONLEE IV, CARL SAMUEL
  • FRAZIER, ISAAC
  • SNYDER, Keaton
  • UNDERWOOD, John A

Assignees

  • Valve Corporation

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20200422

Claims (15)

  1. A head-mounted display (HMD) comprising: a main unit configured to be positioned over eyes of a user; a head strap configured to removably attach to the main unit, the head strap comprising: a first portion configured to removably attach to a first side of the main unit; and a second portion configured to removably attach to a second side of the main unit opposite the first side; and a face gasket configured to removably attach to a rear of the main unit.
  2. The HMD of claim 1, wherein: the first portion of the head strap comprises an aperture; and the main unit comprises a mounting pin disposed on the first side of the main unit and configured to be inserted through the aperture.
  3. The HMD of claim 1, wherein: the head strap further comprises a top member configured to removably attach to a top of the main unit; the main unit comprises a belt loop disposed at the top of the main unit; and the top member of the head strap is configured to loop through the belt loop.
  4. The HMD of claim 3, wherein the top member of the head strap is configured to secure to itself after looping through the belt loop.
  5. The HMD of claim 4, wherein the top member of the head strap is configured to secure to itself using a hook-and-loop fastener.
  6. The HMD of claim 1, wherein the face gasket is configured to removably attach to the rear of the main unit by a snap fit mechanism.
  7. The HMD of claim 1, wherein the face gasket is configured to removably attach to the rear of the main unit by a magnetic coupling mechanism.
  8. The HMD of claim 7, wherein: the main unit comprises a plurality of first magnetic elements disposed on the rear of the main unit; and the face gasket comprises a plurality of second magnetic elements disposed on a front of the face gasket and configured to couple with the plurality of first magnetic elements.
  9. The HMD of claim 8, wherein: the plurality of first magnetic elements comprise four first magnetic elements, two of the four first magnetic elements being disposed at a top portion of the main unit and two of the four first magnetic elements being disposed at a bottom portion of the main unit; and the plurality of second magnetic elements comprise four second magnetic elements, two of the four second magnetic elements being disposed at a top portion of the face gasket and two of the four second magnetic elements being disposed at a bottom portion of the face gasket.
  10. The HMD of claim 1, wherein the face gasket is padded on a rear of the face gasket, the rear of the face gasket configured to contact a face of the user when the HMD is worn.
  11. The HMD of claim 1, wherein the head strap is interchangeable with a different head strap having different features.
  12. The HMD of claim 1, wherein the face gasket is interchangeable with a different face gasket having different features, profiles, or contours.
  13. The HMD of claim 1, wherein the main unit comprises lenses.
  14. The HMD of claim 1, wherein the main unit comprises displays.
  15. The HMD of claim 1, wherein the main unit comprises a printed circuit board (PCB).

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This is a PCT application that claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16/850,426, filed April 16, 2020, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/837,662, filed April 23, 2019. Application Serial Nos. 16/850,426 and 62/837,662 are fully incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND Head-mounted displays are used in various fields, including engineering, medical, military, and video gaming. In some instances, head-mounted displays may present information or images to a user as part of a virtual reality or augmented reality environment. As an example, while playing a video game, a user may wear a head-mounted display to immerse the user within a virtual environment. Conventional head-mounted displays provide inadequate or no adjustment to accommodate differing head sizes, face shapes, and eye spacings. As a result, some users may find it difficult to enjoyably wear head-mounted displays. For instance, if the lens tubes are horizontally misaligned with the user's eyes, a scene presented on the head-mounted display may only be partially visible to the user. If the display panels are too close or too far from the use's eyes, the user's field of view (FOV) may not be optimized. Conventional head-mounted displays may therefore be unable to accommodate different users. Head-mounted displays that are adjustable tend to be difficult and/or inconvenient to adjust by virtue of crude adjustment mechanisms, and they do not provide an optimized level of comfort, leaving the user frustrated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same, or like, reference numbers in different figures indicate similar or identical items. FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of an example head-mounted display (HMD) with a visor shown exploded from the HMD to reveal a modular accessory compartment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 2 illustrates a front perspective view of a front portion of the HMD of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 3A illustrates a rear perspective view of the example HMD of FIG. 1 in a configuration where a head strap of the HMD is attached to a main unit of the HMD, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 3B illustrates the example HMD shown in FIG. 3A in a configuration where the head strap has been removed from the HMD.FIG. 4 illustrates a rear perspective view of the main unit of an example HMD of FIG. 1 with a face gasket decoupled from the main unit, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 5A illustrates a partial front and bottom view of the example HMD of FIG. 1 with a front portion of the HMD housing removed to reveal components of an interpupillary distance (IPD) adjustment mechanism, the IPD adjustment mechanism being adjusted to a first end of an adjustment range in FIG. 5A, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 5B illustrates the example HMD shown in FIG. 5A, but with the IPD adjustment mechanism adjusted to a second end of an adjustment range in FIG. 5B.FIG. 6A illustrates a partial rear and bottom view of the example HMD of FIG. 1, the lens tubes being spaced apart a maximum distance of the IPD adjustment range in FIG. 6A, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 6B illustrates the example HMD shown in FIG. 6A, but with the lens tubes spaced apart a minimum distance of the IPD adjustment range in FIG. 6B.FIG. 7A illustrates a partial front perspective view of the example HMD of FIG. 1 with a portion of the HMD housing removed to reveal components of a field of view (FOV) adjustment mechanism, the FOV adjustment mechanism being adjusted to a first end of an adjustment range in FIG. 7A, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 7B illustrates the example HMD shown in FIG. 7A, but with the FOV adjustment mechanism adjusted to a second end of the adjustment range in FIG. 7B.FIG. 8 illustrates a front perspective view of the example HMD of FIG. 1, FIG. 8 depicting example locations of inconspicuous spectrum-transmissive windows in the housing of the HMD, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example process for manufacturing a housing of a HMD having at least one spectrum-transmissive window, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION As mentioned above, head-mounted displays (HMDs) have a wide range of applications and, in some instances, may need to accommodate for varying head sizes, face shapes, and eye spacings among different users. Conventional HMDs, however, offer little to no adjustment to adapt to different users. For instance, in conventional HMDs, the distance between the lens tubes may