Compliant mounting arm

• US 10,935,184 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2017
• Issued: 03/02/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
• Inventors: Shanley, IV, John Francis, Lee, William Andrew, Kaji, Masumune, Natsume, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Battisti, Derek J
• Application Number:
  US15/651,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20180017208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/00 Other supports for positioning apparatus or articles heads thereof F16M11/02 ; undercarriages thereof F16M11/20 ; adapted to be stuck in the ground A45F3/44 ; sockets or holders for poles or posts E04H12/22; Means for steadying hand-held apparatus or articles supports for measuring instruments G01D11/30; supports for casings of remote control switching devices H01H9/025
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/04 for supporting on, or holding steady relative to, a person, e.g. by chains , e.g. rifle butt or pistol grip supports, supports attached to the chest or head apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs or for projecting or viewing them G03B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

An improved headset is provided to selectively distribute the weight of the headset while securely registering the headset comfortably on a wearer'"'"'s head. The headset comprises one or more compliant arms and a frame to selectively distribute the weight of the headset and secure the headset to the wearer'"'"'s head without the need for straps or leavers. The compliant arms provide a normalizing force through elastic body deformation to selectively distribute the weight of the headset.

Claims

1. A headset, comprising:

a compliant arm having a rib and a loop structure that comprises one or more openings, wherein

the rib comprises a straight segment along a longitudinal direction and a thickness that is normal to a plane on which the longitudinal direction is located, and

the loop structure and the straight segment of the rib form a planar structure that corresponds to the plane; and

a frame to which the compliant arm is adjustably attached, wherein

the planar structure comprising the loop structure and the rib corresponds to a deformation profile upon which at least a size or a shape of the loop structure or the rib is determined for accommodating multiple head sizes or head shapes,

the planar structure of the compliant arm distributes at least a portion of a weight of the headset with at least a deformation of at least the rib or the loop structure based at least in part upon the deformation profile, and

the plane on which at least a portion of the planar structure is located, when the headset is placed on a head of a user, is normal to a portion of a circumferential contour of the head of the user in contact with the planar structure.

2. The headset of claim 1, wherein the compliant arm distributes a point load due to the at least the portion of the weight of the headset onto the head of the user.

3. The headset of claim 1, wherein the straight segment of the rib in the compliant arm comprises a slenderness ratio, and the compliant art comprises a deformation profile.

4. The headset of claim 1, wherein the loop structure of the compliant arm has an inner wall and an outer wall, and the compliant arm distributes the at least the portion of the headset due to the deformation of at least the rib or at least one of the inner wall or the outer wall of the compliant arm.

5. The headset of claim 1, wherein the compliant arm is adjustably attached to the frame and provides adjustments along multiple axes.

6. The headset of claim 1, wherein the deformation occurs in one or more directions with respect to the plane due to the at least the portion of the weight of the headset.

7. The headset of claim 1, wherein the compliant arm and the frame are constructed as one single body, and wherein the compliant arm is adjustable on multiple axes relative to the frame.

8. The headset of claim 1, further comprising two upper compliant arms, and a separate compliant arm different from the compliant arm, wherein

an upper compliant arm of the two upper compliant arms comprises a first loop structure enclosing a first rib and comprising one or more separate openings, wherein

the first rib comprises a first straight segment along a first longitudinal direction,

the first loop structure and the first straight segment form a first planar structure that corresponds to a first plane on which the first longitudinal direction is located, and

when the headset is placed on the head of the user, the first plane on which at least a portion of the first planar structure is located is normal to a portion of a first contour of the head of the user in contact with the first planar structure,

the compliant arm comprises a deformation profile which, when under load, approximately matches a contour of the head of the user, and

the two upper compliant arms, the compliant arm, and the separate compliant arm are each adjustable on multiple axes.

9. The headset of claim 1, wherein the compliant arm is joined to the frame by a connector, the connector comprising a spool type spring.

10. The headset of claim 9, wherein the compliant arm comprises an upward bend.

11. The headset of claim 1, wherein the headset is a virtual reality or augmented reality headset.

12. A compliant arm, comprising:

an outer wall;

an inner wall;

a wall bridge connecting the inner wall and the outer wall; and

a plurality of ribs connecting at least the outer wall and the inner wall, wherein

a rib of the plurality of ribs comprises a straight segment along a longitudinal direction and a thickness that is normal to a plane on which the longitudinal direction is located,

the outer wall, the inner wall, and the wall bridge are arranged to form a loop structure having one or more openings,

the straight segment of the rib and the loop structure are connected together to form a planar structure,

the planar structure corresponds to the plane and further corresponds to a deformation profile upon which at least a size or a shape of the loop structure or the rib is determined for accommodating multiple head sizes or head shapes, and

the outer wall, the inner wall, the wall bridge, and the plurality of ribs selectively distribute, based at least in part upon the deformation profile, a load by a deformation of at least one of the inner wall, the outer wall, or the straight segment of the rib of the plurality of ribs with respect to the plane due to a load along the longitudinal direction of the straight segment.

13. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the planar structure is a single body of a same material.

14. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the plane on which at least a portion of the planar structure of the compliant arm is located, when placed on a head of a user, is normal to a portion of a contour of the head of the user in contact with the planar structure.

15. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the same material comprises a thermoplastic material.

16. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the compliant arm is adjustable on one or more axes when coupled to a frame.

17. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the compliant arm comprises a plurality of ribs, and the plurality of ribs have multiple spacing values or multiple thicknesses.

18. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the deformation occurs under a load in the inner wall or the outer wall of the planar structure of the compliant arm but not within the rib.

19. The compliant arm of claim 18, wherein at least one end of both ends of the rib of the plurality of ribs is attached to the inner wall or the outer wall with a hinge, wherein the longitudinal direction changes orientation relative to the inner wall or the outer wall under the load.

20. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the rib of the plurality of ribs corresponds to a slenderness ratio for a deformation profile of the planar structure.

21. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the rib of the plurality of ribs comprises a non-uniform cross-sectional area that is determined based at least in part upon loading along the rib.

22. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the plurality of ribs further comprises a separate rib which, when under a loading condition, is in a compressive state, while the rib is in a tensile state.

23. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the planar structure corresponds to a deformation profile that is to approximately match at least a portion of a contour of at least a part of a user'"'"'s body when the compliant arm under load is in contact with the at least the part of the user'"'"'s body.

24. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the outer wall and the plurality of ribs are constructed of different materials.

25. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the inner wall is in compression, the outer wall is in tension, the wall bridge is in compression and tension, and each of the plurality of ribs is in either tension or compression when a load is applied to the compliant arm.

26. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein a first rib located on one end of the plurality of ribs is configured to exhibit least flexibility than one or more remaining ribs of the plurality of ribs of the compliant arm.

27. The compliant arm of claim 12, wherein the plurality of ribs defines a corresponding plurality of spaces, wherein each space of the corresponding plurality of spaces is adjacent to at least one rib of the plurality of ribs.

28. A headset comprising:

a first pair of upper compliant arms that, when the headset is placed on a head of a user, extends over a top of the head of the user of the headset;

a second pair of lower compliant arms that, when the headset is placed on the head of the user, extends over a back of the head of the user, wherein

a compliant arm of the first and second pairs comprises a rib and a loop structure that comprises one or more openings,

the rib comprises a straight segment along a longitudinal direction and a thickness that is normal to a plane on which the longitudinal direction is located,

the loop structure and at least the straight segment of the rib are configured to form a planar structure, and

the planar structure corresponds to the plane and further corresponds to a deformation profile upon which at least a size or a shape of the loop structure or the rib is determined for accommodating multiple head sizes or head shapes; and

a frame coupled to the first and second pairs, wherein the first and the second pairs, when

the headset is placed on the head of the user, distribute, based at least in part upon the deformation profile, a weight of the headset with at least a deformation of at least the rib of the compliant arm, and

the plane on which at least a portion of the planar structure is located, when the headset is placed on the head of the user, is normal to a portion of a circumferential contour of the head of the user in contact with the planar structure.

29. The headset of claim 28, wherein the compliant arm comprises and inner wall and an outer wall, wherein the first and the second pairs distribute the weight of the headset with the deformation of at least one of the inner wall or the outer wall of the compliant arm.

30. The headset of claim 28, wherein at least each compliant arm in the first and the second pairs comprises a respective rib, and the first and the second pairs distribute the weight of the headset via with the deformation of the respective rib of the each compliant arm in the first and the second pairs.

31. The headset of claim 28, wherein each compliant arm in the first and the second pairs is adjustable on a plurality of axes.