‘Apple Glasses’ may sport a display system with a pressure-relieving feature

Apple has been granted a patent (number 11,092,809) for a “display system with optical module having pressure-relieving feature. It involves the rumored “Apple Glasses,” an augmented reality/virtual reality head-mounted display (HMD).

Background of the patent

Apple says an HMD may include one or more displays (e.g., screens) that display digital images to a user wearing it. It may also sport one or more corresponding lenses through which the user views the digital images. The digital images may include a scene having both a foreground and a background features, such as a person in the foreground and a landmark in the background. To simulate changing focal distances as the user looks between the foreground and the background features of the digital image, a distance may be changed between the one or more displays and the one or more lenses corresponding thereto. Apple wants Apple Glasses users too be able to do this via a touch system.

Summary of the patent

Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “An optical module for a display system includes a lens, a display screen, a movement mechanism, and one or more pressure-relieving features. The display screen cooperatively defines a chamber with the lens. The lens and the display screen are moved relative to each other by the movement mechanism. The one or more pressure-relieving features are in fluid communication with the chamber to hinder pressure in the chamber as the lens and the display are moved relative to each other.”

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.”

Fig. 1A is a side view of a head-mounted display of a display system having hidden components depicted in broken lines.