Adjustable Headbands for Head-Mounted Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing headbands for head-mounted electronic devices lack adjustable mechanisms to securely fit various head shapes, leading to discomfort and uneven stress distribution, which can affect the device's performance and user experience.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of adjustable headbands that pivot and slide relative to a support member using friction hinges and rotating mechanisms, allowing for multiple positional adjustments and incorporating stiffeners for enhanced support and comfort, while also providing mechanical haptics and positional feedback through encoders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If headbands are made fixed and non-adjustable, then the device structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate various head shapes leading to discomfort and uneven stress distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The headband incorporates a rotating member that allows the headband to rotate relative to the support member, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one. This enables the headband to adapt to different head shapes and sizes while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure. The rotation mechanism provides adjustability without requiring complex multi-component systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The headband is divided into distinct components: a support member and a rotatable headband portion. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component - the support member provides structural stability while the headband portion provides adjustability. The friction hinge further segments the rotation control, allowing independent adjustment of the headband angle.
2Ease of operation
If headbands are made adjustable with rotation mechanisms, then comfort and fit are improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The friction hinge provides self-regulating friction that naturally maintains the headband at any rotated position without requiring additional locking mechanisms or complex controls. The friction force itself serves the dual purpose of enabling rotation and maintaining position, eliminating the need for separate locking components and simplifying the overall adjustment mechanism.
3Strength
If headbands use fabric portions without stiffeners, then the device is lighter and simpler, but support and comfort are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The headband combines fabric material with embedded stiffeners to create a composite structure. The fabric provides comfort, flexibility, and weight reduction, while the embedded stiffeners provide structural support and maintain the headband's shape. This composite approach achieves both comfort and strength without requiring separate headband components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables secure, comfortable, and customizable fitting of head-mounted devices, reducing stress on the user's head and improving the device's stability and usability by allowing precise adjustment of the headbands to accommodate different head shapes and user preferences.
Implementation Method 1
The adjustable headband(s) may rotate about a friction hinge, in a recess of the support member
Data Source
AI summary
A head-mounted device may have a head-mounted housing containing rear-facing displays that display images for a user when the head-mounted housing is worn by the user. The head-mounted housing may be coupled to the user's head using an upper headband and a lower headband that are attached to a support member. The upper headband and/or the lower headband may rotate relative to the support member to adjust the position of the headband on the user's head. The adjustable headband may rotate about a friction hinge, in a recess of the support member, or about a rotating member of the support member. Additionally or alternatively, the adjustable headband may be coupled to an attachment on the support member that can slide along a portion of the support member. The adjustable headband may be further moved on the user's head by sliding the attachment on the support member.