Electronic devices with covering structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12449635-B2
Application number	US-202318506496-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2023
Priority date	Apr 15, 2020
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

Electronic devices such as head-mounted electronic devices may include displays for presenting images to users. To accommodate variations in the interpupillary distances associated with different users, a head-mounted device may have left-eye and right-eye optical modules that move with respect to each other. To hide internal structures from view, the rear of a head-mounted device may be provided with a cover. The cover may have a stretchable layer that is coupled to a frame. Openings in the stretchable layer may be aligned with the optical modules.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head-mounted device, comprising:
a head-mounted housing that surrounds an interior region;
first and second displays supported by the head-mounted housing, wherein each of the first and second displays is configured to display an image that is viewable from an eye box; and
a cover that hides the interior region from view, wherein the cover has first and second openings that are respectively aligned with the first and second displays, wherein the cover comprises first and second overlapping layers, wherein the first layer has gaps that face the eye box and that permit air to flow through the gaps and past the first and second displays to cool the head-mounted device, and wherein the air flows through the gaps along a direction that is perpendicular to a user-facing surface of the first and second displays.

2. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the first layer comprises polymer.

3. The head-mounted device defined in claim 2 wherein the second layer comprises fabric.

4. The head-mounted device defined in claim 3 wherein the fabric is an opaque fabric.

5. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the cover is configured to stretch to accommodate a given interpupillary distance.

6. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 further comprising first and second lenses supported by the head-mounted housing, wherein the first lens is aligned with the first display and the second lens is aligned with the second display.

7. The head-mounted device defined in claim 6 wherein the first lens and the first display are mounted in a first lens barrel, wherein the second lens and the second display are mounted in a second lens barrel, and wherein the cover is configured to stretch when a distance between the first lens barrel and the second lens barrel is adjusted.

8. The head-mounted device defined in claim 7 wherein the cover is attached to the first and second lens barrels.

9. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 further comprising a fan configured to cool the first and second displays.

10. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the cover has an elastic band that runs around a periphery of the cover.

11. A head-mounted device, comprising:
a head-mounted support structure;
first and second lens barrels supported by the head-mounted support structure, wherein each of the first and second lens barrels comprises a display that provides an image and a lens through which the image is viewable from an eye box; and
a light-blocking cover having first and second openings respectively aligned with the first and second lens barrels, wherein the cover comprises an inner polymer layer and an outer fabric layer, wherein the inner polymer layer comprises gaps that face the eye box and that permit air to flow through the gaps and past the display to cool the head-mounted device, and wherein the air flows through the gaps along a direction that is perpendicular to a user-facing surface of the display.

12. The head-mounted device defined in claim 11 wherein the outer fabric layer comprises an opaque fabric that stretches when a distance between the first and second lens barrels is adjusted to accommodate a given interpupillary distance.

13. The head-mounted device defined in claim 11 wherein the light-blocking cover comprises an elastic band that runs around a periphery of the light-blocking cover.

14. A head-mounted device, comprising:
a head-mounted support structure that surrounds an interior region;
first and second optical assemblies mounted within the interior region, wherein the first and second optical assemblies each include a display that provides an image and a lens through which the image is viewable from an eye box; and
an opaque cover that blocks the interior region from view, wherein the opaque cover has first and second openings respectively aligned with the first and second optical assemblies, wherein the cover comprises an outer layer of opaque fabric and an inner layer with gaps that face the eye box and that permit air to flow through the gaps and past the display to cool the head-mounted device, and wherein the air flows through the gaps along a direction that is perpendicular to a user-facing surface of the display.

15. The head-mounted device defined in claim 14 wherein the outer layer of opaque fabric is configured to stretch when a distance between the first and second optical assemblies is adjusted to accommodate a given interpupillary distance.

16. The head-mounted device defined in claim 15 wherein the inner layer comprises polymer.

17. The head-mounted device defined in claim 14 wherein the opaque cover comprises a peripheral elastic band.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Tao Yiwei
• Dhandhania Vedant A
• Wright Timon A

Classifications

• G02B25/001

  Eyepieces · CPC title

• G02B7/02

  for lenses {(supports for magnifying lenses G02B25/002)} · CPC title

• G02B27/0176

  characterised by mechanical features · CPC title

• G02B2027/0154

  with movable elements · CPC title

• G02B2027/0132

  comprising binocular systems · CPC title