October 17, 2023 – Apple has been granted a second technology patent related to its Vision Pro headset’s liquid lenses, detailing different implementation methods.
In August of this year, Apple secured a patent titled “Electronic Device with Liquid Lens,” which described a headset with adjustable liquid lenses. Each lens featured a lens chamber filled with liquid, and the lens chamber could include rigid and/or flexible walls forming the optical lens surface.
The newly granted second patent outlines alternative approaches to this technology. This module includes transparent lens elements, lens-shaping structures coupled to these transparent lens elements, and multiple actuators configured to adjust the position of the lens-shaping structures. By applying pressure from both sides, these actuators control the refractive index of the liquid lenses.
These two patents primarily aim to address a significant challenge in mainstream AR/VR headsets – the inconvenience faced by users with vision correction needs. Such users typically have to wear glasses, which may not offer a comfortable long-term experience, or they must resort to customized prescription lens inserts, often incurring additional costs and still falling short of delivering optimum comfort.
If Apple implements these patents in its future Vision Pro headset, the liquid lenses would dynamically adjust their focus and refractive properties to accommodate the wearer’s needs, thereby providing a more comfortable and user-friendly experience.
