Future head-mounted displays may automatically remove dust obstructing the wearer’s view using a self cleaning glass. If you wear glasses, you also have a cloth you use to repeatedly clean them, and you may still need to wipe over “Apple Glass.” However, a newly-revealed patent application shows that Apple is looking to keep the inside of the device clean by itself.
The patent discusses how a self cleaning glass device could itself remove dust or other debris, from what Apple refers to as “optical modules.” The quality of the view provided by the optical module can be dependent on the clarity of the optical pathway between the source of the image and the eye of the user. Particles (e.g., dust, debris, foreign object, and/or other materials) along the optical pathway can obstruct, distort, and/or otherwise adversely affect the view provided to the user.
The optical module can include a particle retention element that securely retains the particles so that they remain outside of the optical pathway. The device could shake such dust particles free and collect them somewhere safely out of the wearer’s view. This shaking could be done automatically as the device detects an issue, or when the wearer chooses to use it.