Apple patent filing involves ‘optical systems with lens-based static foveation’ for ‘Apple Glasses’

Apple has filed for a patent (number 20210405379) for “optical systems with lens-based static foveation.” It involves the rumored “Apple Glasses,” an augmented reality/virtual reality head-mounted display (HMD).

About the patent filing

In the patent filing, Apple notes that electronic devices may include displays that present images close to a user’s eyes. For example, devices such as virtual reality and augmented reality headsets may include displays with optical elements that allow users to view the displays. 

However, it can be challenging to design devices such as these. If care isn’t taken, the components used in displaying content may be unsightly and bulky and may not exhibit desired levels of optical performance. Apple doesn’t want this to be the case with its Apple Glasses.

Summary of the patent filing

Here’s Apple’s (technical) abstract of the patent filing: “An electronic device may include a display module that produces light having an image, a lens that directs the light to a waveguide, and a waveguide that directs the light to an eye box. The lens may produce a foveated image in the light by applying a non-uniform magnification to the image in the light. 

“The non-uniform magnification may vary as a function of angle within a field of view of the lens. This may allow the foveated image to have higher resolution within the central region than in the peripheral region. Performing foveation using the lens maximizes the resolution of images at the eye box without increasing the size of the display module. Control circuitry on the device may apply a pre-distortion to the image that is an inverse of distortion introduced by the lens in producing the foveated image.”

About Apple Glasses

When it comes to Apple Glasses, such a device will arrive in 2022 or 2023, depending on which rumor you believe. It will be a head-mounted display. Or may have a design like “normal” glasses. Or it may be eventually be available in both. The Apple Glasses may or may not have to be tethered to an iPhone to work. Other rumors say that Apple Glasses could have a custom-build Apple chip and a dedicated operating system dubbed “rOS” for “reality operating system.”