Apple patents AR lenses that adjust focus across your field of view
Apple describes a display system using waveguides and lenses that change strength depending on where you look. This places virtual objects at different distances, matching the real world to reduce eye strain.
In the filing’s own words
A display may include waveguides that direct image light overlaid with world light to eye boxes within a field of view (FOV). Lenses may transmit the image and world light to the eye boxes and may have different powers at different elevation angles across the field of view. This may serve to place virtual objects from the image light at different image distances when the virtual objects are in different portions of the FOV. For example, the lenses may place the virtual objects at closer image distances within lower portions and farther image distances within higher portions of the FOV to align the image distances with the most likely distances to external objects from the world light, thereby mitigating focus conflict. The virtual objects may be adjusted based on a gaze tracking location to overcome vergence accommodation conflict and/or to compensate for different positions of the user's eyes.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An electronic device comprising: a waveguide configured to propagate first light; an optical coupler configured to couple the first light out of the waveguide within a field of view (FOV) and configured to transmit, within the FOV, second light from an external object; and a lens configured to transmit the first light and the second light, wherein the lens has a first power within a first portion of the FOV and has a second power within a second portion of the FOV, the second power being different from the first power and the second portion of the FOV being different from the first portion of the FOV, and wherein the lens has a third power within a third portion of the FOV, the third portion is different from the first portion and the second portion, and the third power is different from the first power and the second power.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Displays having varied virtual object distance across field of view
- Patent number
- US12769127B1
- Application number
- 18467538
- Filed
- Sep 14, 2023
- Granted
- Oct 20, 2026
- Inventors
- 7
- Claims
- 14
Classified under
G02B 27/0172 Physics & computingG02B 2027/0187 Physics & computingMore from Apple in AR, VR & displays
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.