Apple has filed for a patent that hints at future Vision Pros with built-in finger sensors.
About the patent filing
In the patent filing, dubbed “Electronic Devices With Finger Sensors,” Apple says that challenges can arise in providing output and gathering input in a wearable electronic device such as a head-mounted device. If care isn’t taken, input-output devices may be cumbersome to use and may not be able to provide desired output.
Apple’s idea is for the head-mounted support structures in the Vision Pro to sport a front face with one or more finger sensors that are configured to detect touch input, force input, and/or other input from an external object such as a user’s finger may be included in the head-mounted device. A finger sensor may have an elongated shape that runs along a peripheral edge of an external display mounted on the front face. Finger sensors may also be located on other portions of a head-mounted support structure to gather touch input from a user’s finger.
Summary of the patent filing
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “An electronic device such as a head mounted device may have an inner display that displays an image for a user through lenses. Head-mounted support structures may be used to support the display and lenses. One or more external displays may be publicly viewable while the head-mounted device is being worn.
“The head-mounted support structures may have a front face on which an external display is mounted. One or more finger sensors that are configured to detect touch input, force input, and/or other input from an external object such as a user’s finger may be included in the head-mounted device. A finger sensor may have an elongated shape that runs along a peripheral edge of an external display on the front face. Finger sensors may also be located on other portions of the support structures.”
