Patents by Inventor Victoria C. Chan
Victoria C. Chan has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20240411104Abstract: A head-mounted device may have a display that displays content for a user. Head-mounted support structures in the device support the device on the head of the user. A non-removable lens system may be supported by the head-mounted support structures. The head-mounted support structures may be configured to receive a removable supplemental lens system. The removable supplemental lens system may be used to customize the head-mounted display to accommodate the user's vision. Information such as information on the optical characteristics of the removable supplemental lens system and the user's eyeglass prescription may be stored in the removable supplemental lens system using bar codes, text, programmable memory, or other data storage. When the removable supplemental lens system is installed in the head-mounted device, control circuitry in the head-mounted device may retrieve the stored information. A gaze tracker system or other sensors may be used in retrieving the stored information.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 16, 2024Publication date: December 12, 2024Inventors: Andreas G. Weber, Jeremy C. Franklin, Jason C. Sauers, Victoria C. Chan, Wey-Jiun Lin
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Patent number: 12153216Abstract: An electronic device such as a head-mounted device may have a head-mounted housing that separates an exterior region from an interior region. Optical modules may be mounted in alignment with openings in the rear of the housing. Each optical module may have a display and a lens through which an image on the display may be viewed. To protect the optical modules, the head-mounted device may be provided with photochromic lenses that darken and block sunlight when exposed to ultraviolet light and/or may be provided with shutters, lens caps, protective movable housing portions, tunable lenses that can be adjusted to defocus sunlight, and/or other protective structures for protecting lenses from scratches and for protecting displays from damage due to excessive sunlight exposure. Electrically adjustable protective structures may be operated based on sensor measurements.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2021Date of Patent: November 26, 2024Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Anna V. Mirabella, Forrest C. Wang, Victoria C. Chan
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Publication number: 20240385448Abstract: A lens module in a head-mounted device may include a fluid-filled chamber, a semi-rigid lens element that at least partially defines the fluid-filled chamber, and at least one actuator configured to selectively bend the semi-rigid lens element. The semi-rigid lens element may become rigid along a first axis when the lens element is curved along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. Six actuators that are evenly distributed around the periphery of the semi-rigid lens element may be used to control the curvature of the semi-rigid lens element. The semi-rigid lens element may initially be planar or non-planar. For example, the semi-rigid lens element may initially have a spherically convex surface and a spherically concave surface. A tunable spherical lens may be incorporated into the lens module to offset a parasitic spherical lens power from the semi-rigid lens element.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 29, 2024Publication date: November 21, 2024Inventors: James E. Pedder, Igor Stamenov, Cheng Chen, Enkhamgalan Dorjgotov, Graham B. Myhre, Victoria C. Chan, Xiaonan Wen, Peng Lv, Yuan Li, Yu Horie, Siddharth S. Hazra
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Publication number: 20240184120Abstract: A head-mounted device may have a display that displays computer-generated content for a user. The head-mounted device may have an optical system that directs the computer-generated image towards eye boxes for viewing by a user. The optical system may be a see-through optical system that allows the user to view a real-world object through the optical system while receiving the computer-generated image or the optical system may include a non-removable lens and a removable vision correction lens through which an opaque display is viewable. The optical system may include a removable lens. The removable lens may serve as a custom vision correction lens to correct for a user's vision defects. The optical system may have a projection bias lens that places computer-generated content at one or more desired virtual image distances and a corresponding compensation bias lens.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 9, 2023Publication date: June 6, 2024Inventors: Victoria C. Chan, Christina G. Gambacorta, Igor Stamenov
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Publication number: 20240103301Abstract: A head-mounted display may include a display system and an optical system in a housing. The display system may have displays that produce images. Positioners may be used to move the displays relative to the eye positions of a user's eyes. An adjustable optical system may include tunable lenses such as tunable cylindrical liquid crystal lenses. The displays may be viewed through the lenses when the user's eyes are at the eye positions. A sensor may be incorporated into the head-mounted display to measure refractive errors in the user's eyes. The sensor may include waveguides and volume holograms, and a camera for gathering light that has reflected from the retinas of the user's eyes. Viewing comfort may be enhanced by adjusting display positions relative to the eye positions and/or by adjusting lens settings based on the content being presented on the display and/or measured refractive errors.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2023Publication date: March 28, 2024Inventors: Victoria C. Chan, Christina G. Gambacorta, Graham B. Myhre, Hyungryul Choi, Nan Zhu, Phil M. Hobson, William W. Sprague, Edward A. Valko, Qiong Huang, Branko Petljanski, Paul V. Johnson, Brandon E. Clarke, Elijah H. Kleeman
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Patent number: 11880235Abstract: An electronic device display and a display cover layer may be coupled to a housing. The display may have an array of pixels that are configured to emit light. One or more light redirecting elements may be incorporated into the electronic device that redirect and thereby change the direction of light rays emitted from peripheral pixels in the display. The light redirecting elements may be used to enlarge the effective size of the display, to create images on sidewall surfaces of the display cover layer, and/or to create diffuse glowing areas around the periphery of the device. Light redirecting elements may be formed as integral portions of a display cover layer, as laminated optical films on a display cover layer, or as coating layers on a display cover layer. Afocal optical systems may be formed by placing first and second light redirecting elements on opposing first and second sides of a display cover layer.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2020Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Tyler S. Bushnell, John N. Border, Victoria C. Chan
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Patent number: 11874530Abstract: A head-mounted display may include a display system and an optical system in a housing. The display system may have displays that produce images. Positioners may be used to move the displays relative to the eye positions of a user's eyes. An adjustable optical system may include tunable lenses such as tunable cylindrical liquid crystal lenses. The displays may be viewed through the lenses when the user's eyes are at the eye positions. A sensor may be incorporated into the head-mounted display to measure refractive errors in the user's eyes. The sensor may include waveguides and volume holograms, and a camera for gathering light that has reflected from the retinas of the user's eyes. Viewing comfort may be enhanced by adjusting display positions relative to the eye positions and/or by adjusting lens settings based on the content being presented on the display and/or measured refractive errors.Type: GrantFiled: May 3, 2018Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Victoria C. Chan, Christina G. Gambacorta, Graham B. Myhre, Hyungryul Choi, Nan Zhu, Phil M. Hobson, William W. Sprague, Edward A. Valko, Qiong Huang, Branko Petljanski, Paul V. Johnson, Brandon E. Clarke, Elijah H. Kleeman
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Patent number: 11815685Abstract: A head-mounted device may have a display that displays computer-generated content for a user. The head-mounted device may have an optical system that directs the computer-generated image towards eye boxes for viewing by a user. The optical system may be a see-through optical system that allows the user to view a real-world object through the optical system while receiving the computer-generated image or the optical system may include a non-removable lens and a removable vision correction lens through which an opaque display is viewable. The optical system may include a removable lens. The removable lens may serve as a custom vision correction lens to correct for a user's vision defects. The optical system may have a projection bias lens that places computer-generated content at one or more desired virtual image distances and a corresponding compensation bias lens.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2021Date of Patent: November 14, 2023Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Victoria C. Chan, Christina G. Gambacorta, Igor Stamenov
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Publication number: 20230358920Abstract: A head-mounted device may have optical modules that present images to a user's left and right eyes. Each optical module may have a lens support structure that supports a display and a fixed lens. Vision correction lenses may be removably coupled to the fixed lenses to help customize the head-mounted device to the vision of a particular user. A user may view images on the displays through the removable and fixed lenses from eye boxes. The optical modules may include infrared light sources that supply infrared light to the eye boxes and infrared light sensors such as infrared cameras for gaze tracking and authentication. The lenses may have optical surfaces covered with coating that enhance optical performance and may have edge surfaces that are provided with structures to help reduce stray light reflections. The lenses may be configured to pass visible and infrared light.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 25, 2023Publication date: November 9, 2023Inventors: Nikhil D. Kalyankar, Avery P. Yuen, Elson Y. Liu, James R. Wilson, Ove Lyngnes, Peter J. Guest, Keenan Molner, Ryan Springer, William W. Sprague, Brandon E. Clarke, Wei-Liang Hsu, Mehmet Mutlu, Victoria C. Chan
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Patent number: 11054646Abstract: A head-mounted device may include a display system and an optical system in a housing. The display system may have displays that produce images. The optical system may have Fresnel lenses through which a user of the head-mounted device may view the images. The Fresnel lenses may have concentric rings with slope facets and draft facets angled parallel to the chief rays. Light scattering in the Fresnel lenses may be reduced by coating the draft facets with opaque masking material and/or by aligning concentric rings of the opaque masking material that are supported on a transparent substrate with the draft facets. A central portion of the Fresnel lens that is free of facets may be enlarged to reduce scattering. The Fresnel lenses may have wedge-shaped cross-sectional profiles and may have outer portions that are thicker than inner portions. Gradient-index material may be used in forming the Fresnel lenses.Type: GrantFiled: February 1, 2018Date of Patent: July 6, 2021Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Victoria C. Chan, John N. Border, Jeffrey C. Olson, Yury A. Petrov, Edward S. Huo, Brandon Clarke
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Publication number: 20210199974Abstract: A head-mounted device may have a display that displays computer-generated content for a user. The head-mounted device may have an optical system that directs the computer-generated image towards eye boxes for viewing by a user. The optical system may be a see-through optical system that allows the user to view a real-world object through the optical system while receiving the computer-generated image or the optical system may include a non-removable lens and a removable vision correction lens through which an opaque display is viewable. The optical system may include a removable lens. The removable lens may serve as a custom vision correction lens to correct for a user's vision defects. The optical system may have a projection bias lens that places computer-generated content at one or more desired virtual image distances and a corresponding compensation bias lens.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 17, 2021Publication date: July 1, 2021Inventors: Victoria C. Chan, Christina G. Gambacorta, Igor Stamenov
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Patent number: 10983352Abstract: A head-mounted device may have a display that displays computer-generated content for a user. The head-mounted device may have an optical system that directs the computer-generated image towards eye boxes for viewing by a user. The optical system may be a see-through optical system that allows the user to view a real-world object through the optical system while receiving the computer-generated image or the optical system may include a non-removable lens and a removable vision correction lens through which an opaque display is viewable. The optical system may include a removable lens. The removable lens may serve as a custom vision correction lens to correct for a user's vision defects. The optical system may have a projection bias lens that places computer-generated content at one or more desired virtual image distances and a corresponding compensation bias lens.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2019Date of Patent: April 20, 2021Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Victoria C. Chan, Christina G. Gambacorta, Igor Stamenov
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Publication number: 20210041705Abstract: A lens module in a head-mounted device may include a fluid-filled chamber, a semi-rigid lens element that at least partially defines the fluid-filled chamber, and at least one actuator configured to selectively bend the semi-rigid lens element. The semi-rigid lens element may become rigid along a first axis when the lens element is curved along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. Six actuators that are evenly distributed around the periphery of the semi-rigid lens element may be used to control the curvature of the semi-rigid lens element. The semi-rigid lens element may initially be planar or non-planar. For example, the semi-rigid lens element may initially have a spherically convex surface and a spherically concave surface. A tunable spherical lens may be incorporated into the lens module to offset a parasitic spherical lens power from the semi-rigid lens element.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2020Publication date: February 11, 2021Inventors: James E. Pedder, Igor Stamenov, Cheng Chen, Enkhamgalan Dorjgotov, Graham B. Myhre, Victoria C. Chan, Xiaonan Wen, Peng Lv, Yuan Li, Yu Horie, Siddharth S. Hazra
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Patent number: 10901222Abstract: An electronic device may include a display with a concave surface. A linear polarizer may be formed on the concave surface. A quarter wave plate may receive light from the linear polarizer. A catadioptric lens may have first and second lens elements. The first lens element may have first and second opposing surfaces. The second lens element may have opposing third and fourth surfaces. The first surface may be convex and may face the display. The fourth surface may be concave. The second surface may be concave. The third surface may be convex and may match the second surface. An additional quarter wave plate may be formed as a coating on the third surface. A partially reflective coating may be formed on the first surface. A reflective polarizer may be formed as a coating on the fourth surface. An additional polarizer may be formed on the reflective polarizer.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2019Date of Patent: January 26, 2021Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Victoria C. Chan, John N. Border, Yury A. Petrov, Yoshihiko Yokoyama
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Patent number: 10852553Abstract: A lens module in a head-mounted device may include a fluid-filled chamber, a semi-rigid lens element that at least partially defines the fluid-filled chamber, and at least one actuator configured to selectively bend the semi-rigid lens element. The semi-rigid lens element may become rigid along a first axis when the lens element is curved along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. Six actuators that are evenly distributed around the periphery of the semi-rigid lens element may be used to control the curvature of the semi-rigid lens element. The semi-rigid lens element may initially be planar or non-planar. For example, the semi-rigid lens element may initially have a spherically convex surface and a spherically concave surface. A tunable spherical lens may be incorporated into the lens module to offset a parasitic spherical lens power from the semi-rigid lens element.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2019Date of Patent: December 1, 2020Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: James E. Pedder, Igor Stamenov, Cheng Chen, Enkhamgalan Dorjgotov, Graham B. Myhre, Victoria C. Chan, Xiaonan Wen, Peng Lv, Yuan Li, Yu Horie, Siddharth S. Hazra
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Publication number: 20200356139Abstract: An electronic device display and a display cover layer may be coupled to a housing. The display may have an array of pixels that are configured to emit light. One or more light redirecting elements may be incorporated into the electronic device that redirect and thereby change the direction of light rays emitted from peripheral pixels in the display. The light redirecting elements may be used to enlarge the effective size of the display, to create images on sidewall surfaces of the display cover layer, and/or to create diffuse glowing areas around the periphery of the device. Light redirecting elements may be formed as integral portions of a display cover layer, as laminated optical films on a display cover layer, or as coating layers on a display cover layer. Afocal optical systems may be formed by placing first and second light redirecting elements on opposing first and second sides of a display cover layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 9, 2020Publication date: November 12, 2020Inventors: Tyler S. Bushnell, John N. Border, Victoria C. Chan
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Publication number: 20200225477Abstract: A head-mounted device may have a display that displays computer-generated content for a user. The head-mounted device may have an optical system that directs the computer-generated image towards eye boxes for viewing by a user. The optical system may be a see-through optical system that allows the user to view a real-world object through the optical system while receiving the computer-generated image or the optical system may include a non-removable lens and a removable vision correction lens through which an opaque display is viewable. The optical system may include a removable lens. The removable lens may serve as a custom vision correction lens to correct for a user's vision defects. The optical system may have a projection bias lens that places computer-generated content at one or more desired virtual image distances and a corresponding compensation bias lens.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2019Publication date: July 16, 2020Inventors: Victoria C. Chan, Christina G. Gambacorta, Igor Stamenov
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Publication number: 20200174284Abstract: A head-mounted display may include a display system and an optical system in a housing. The display system may have displays that produce images. Positioners may be used to move the displays relative to the eye positions of a user's eyes. An adjustable optical system may include tunable lenses such as tunable cylindrical liquid crystal lenses. The displays may be viewed through the lenses when the user's eyes are at the eye positions. A sensor may be incorporated into the head-mounted display to measure refractive errors in the user's eyes. The sensor may include waveguides and volume holograms, and a camera for gathering light that has reflected from the retinas of the user's eyes. Viewing comfort may be enhanced by adjusting display positions relative to the eye positions and/or by adjusting lens settings based on the content being presented on the display and/or measured refractive errors.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 3, 2018Publication date: June 4, 2020Inventors: Victoria C. Chan, Christina G. Gambacorta, Graham B. Myhre, Hyungryul Choi, Nan Zhu, Phil M. Hobson, William W. Sprague, Edward A. Valko, Qiong Huang, Branko Petljanski, Paul V. Johnson, Brandon E. Clarke, Elijah H. Kleeman
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Publication number: 20200096770Abstract: A lens module in a head-mounted device may include a fluid-filled chamber, a semi-rigid lens element that at least partially defines the fluid-filled chamber, and at least one actuator configured to selectively bend the semi-rigid lens element. The semi-rigid lens element may become rigid along a first axis when the lens element is curved along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. Six actuators that are evenly distributed around the periphery of the semi-rigid lens element may be used to control the curvature of the semi-rigid lens element. The semi-rigid lens element may initially be planar or non-planar. For example, the semi-rigid lens element may initially have a spherically convex surface and a spherically concave surface. A tunable spherical lens may be incorporated into the lens module to offset a parasitic spherical lens power from the semi-rigid lens element.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2019Publication date: March 26, 2020Inventors: James E. Pedder, Igor Stamenov, Cheng Chen, Enkhamgalan Dorjgotov, Graham B. Myhre, Victoria C. Chan, Xiaonan Wen, Peng Lv, Yuan Li, Yu Horie, Siddharth S. Hazra
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Publication number: 20200081257Abstract: An electronic device may include a display with a concave surface. A linear polarizer may be formed on the concave surface. A quarter wave plate may receive light from the linear polarizer. A catadioptric lens may have first and second lens elements. The first lens element may have first and second opposing surfaces. The second lens element may have opposing third and fourth surfaces. The first surface may be convex and may face the display. The fourth surface may be concave. The second surface may be concave. The third surface may be convex and may match the second surface. An additional quarter wave plate may be formed as a coating on the third surface. A partially reflective coating may be formed on the first surface. A reflective polarizer may be formed as a coating on the fourth surface. An additional polarizer may be formed on the reflective polarizer.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 13, 2019Publication date: March 12, 2020Inventors: Victoria C. Chan, John N. Border, Yury A. Petrov, Yoshihiko Yokoyama