Apple patents head-mounted display that turns off when not worn
Apple has filed a patent for a method that uses sensors on a head-mounted display (HMD) to detect if a user is wearing the device. The system compares data from different sensors to distinguish between a person wearing the headset and other objects near the device, then turns the display on or off accordingly.
In the filing’s own words
Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods that monitors for user presence to determine if a head mounted device (HMD) display should be active or inactive. For example, a process may obtain first sensor data and second sensor data based on one or more sensors. Based on the first sensor data, the process detects an object within a threshold distance of the HMD and based on the second sensor data the process determines whether detecting the object corresponds to a user wearing the HMD or a circumstance different than the user wearing the HMD. Based on determining whether the detecting of the object corresponds to the user wearing the HMD or the circumstance different than the user wearing the HMD, the process activates or deactivates the display of the HMD by changing a state of the display.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method comprising: at a processor of a head mounted device (HMD) having at least one display: obtaining first sensor data and second sensor data based on one or more sensors; based on the first sensor data, detecting an object within a threshold distance of the HMD; based on the second sensor data, determining whether the detecting of the object corresponds to a user wearing the HMD or a circumstance different than the user wearing the HMD; and based on determining whether the detecting of the object corresponds to the user wearing the HMD or the circumstance different than the user wearing the HMD, activating or deactivating the at least one display of the HMD by changing a state of the at least one display.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- ROBUST USER PRESENCE DETECTION
- Publication number
- US20260276985A1
- Application number
- 19671960
- Filed
- May 8, 2026
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Inventors
- 2
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G02B 27/0093 Physics & computingG02B 27/0172 Physics & computingH04N 13/344 Electricity & electronicsH04N 13/383 Electricity & electronicsH04N 13/398 Electricity & electronicsG02B 2027/0138 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.