Future Apple Vision Pros may have “Fluid-Filled Tunable Lens” according to a new Apple patent filing.
About the patent filing
In the patent filing, Apple notes that head-mounted devices typically include lenses with fixed shapes and properties. However, if care isn’t taken, it may be difficult to adjust these types of lenses to optimally present content to each user of the head-mounted device.
Apple’s idea: a tunable lens may include a lens element that forms part of a fluid-filled chamber, one or more actuators configured to change a shape of the lens element, and a fluid-controlling component that is configured to adjust an amount of fluid in the fluid-filled chamber. The fluid-controlling component may include a flexible bladder with ribs that is aligned with an inlet for the fluid-filled chamber and that has a volume that is configured to contain fluid and a scissor jack portion that is attached to the flexible bladder. The scissor jack portion may be configured to extend in a given direction to shrink the volume
Summary of the patent filing:
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “An electronic device may include a lens module with a tunable lens. The tunable lens may include multiple adjustable fluid-filled bladders distributed around the periphery of the tunable lens. Fluid may be selectively added to and removed from each adjustable fluid-filled bladder to control a displacement of a lens element at a given position along the periphery.
“The fluid may be added to and removed from the adjustable fluid-filled bladders by fluid-controlling components. The fluid-controlling components may be positioned locally within a ring-shaped chassis portion and adjacent to a respective bladder or may be consolidated in an additional chassis portion and connected to the bladders using fluid channels through the ring-shaped chassis portion. The fluid-controlling components may include stepper motors with two subassemblies that each have a ring-shaped magnet between two coils.”
About the Vision Pro
Demos of the Apple Vision Pro at Apple Stores in the U.S. can be reserved on Apple.com. To reserve a free Vision Pro demo online, go here, then follow the steps to book an appointment at your local Apple Store.
Pricing for the Vision Pro starts at US$3,499 with 256GB of storage. ZEISS Optical Inserts are available: $99 for reading lens and $149 for prescription lens.
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