Electronic devices with covering structures
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.
1. A head-mounted device, comprising:
a housing separating an interior region from an exterior region that surrounds the housing;
first and second optical modules in the housing that are configured to provide images respectively to first and second eye boxes; and
a cover configured to block the interior region from view, wherein the cover comprises fabric, a frame, and first and second cover openings that are respectively aligned with the first and second optical modules, wherein the fabric has a peripheral edge that is coupled to the frame while allowing the fabric to slide relative to the frame in response to movement of the first optical module relative to the second optical module.
2. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the frame has first and second frame openings that respectively overlap the first and second optical modules, wherein the cover comprises an elastic band running around the peripheral edge of the fabric, and wherein the elastic band holds the fabric to the frame while allowing the fabric to slide relative to the frame.
3. The head-mounted device defined in claim 2 further comprising a fan in the housing, wherein the fan is configured to draw air into the interior region through the fabric.
4. The head-mounted device defined in claim 2 wherein the frame has a peripheral ring-shaped portion bridged by a bridging central portion and wherein the cover is attached to a structure in the housing at the bridging central portion while allowing other portions of the cover to float with respect to the housing.
5. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the fabric comprises stretchable fabric.
6. The head-mounted device defined in claim 5 wherein the fabric comprises first strands of a first elastic modulus and second strands of a second elastic modulus that is greater than the first elastic modulus.
7. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the cover is removably attached to the housing.
8. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the fabric comprises a stretchable air permeable opaque layer.
9. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein each of the first and second optical modules has a respective display and lens secured in a lens barrel, the head-mounted device further comprising actuators configured to laterally move the lens barrels relative to the housing while the cover stretches to accommodate the lateral movement of the lens barrels and maintain alignment of the first and second cover openings with the first and second optical modules, respectively.
10. The head-mounted device defined in claim 9 wherein the fabric is configured to stretch by at least 50% without failure.
11. The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the fabric comprises a stretchable layer wherein the first and second cover openings are formed in the stretchable layer.
12. A head-mounted device, comprising:
a housing;
left and right optical modules supported by the housing, wherein the left optical module has a left display and left lens configured to provide a left image to a left eye box, wherein the right optical module has a right display and a right lens configured to provide a right image to a right eye box, and wherein the left and right optical modules are configured to move relative to each other; and
a cover that has a frame, fabric, a left opening that is aligned with the left optical module, and a right opening that is aligned with the right optical module, wherein the cover is configured to block an interior region of the housing from view, and wherein the fabric has a peripheral edge that is coupled to the frame while allowing the fabric to slide relative to the frame in response to movement of the right and left optical modules with respect to each other to accommodate different interpupillary distances.
13. The head-mounted device defined in claim 12 wherein the left and right openings are formed in the fabric.
14. The head-mounted device defined in claim 13 wherein the frame has a ring-shaped peripheral portion bridged by a central bridging portion and has first and second frame openings that overlap the left and right openings of the fabric.
15. The head-mounted device defined in claim 14 wherein the fabric is attached to the frame with adhesive in the central bridging portion and is configured to slide relative to other portions of the frame.
16. The head-mounted device defined in claim 15 wherein an area of the ring-shaped peripheral portion is separated from the housing by an air gap to prevent the fabric from becoming caught between the frame and the housing as the fabric slides.
17. The head-mounted device defined in claim 12 wherein the fabric is configured to remain taut as the right and left optical modules are moved with respect to each other.
18. A head-mounted device, comprising:
a housing;
a strap coupled to the housing;
left and right optical modules supported by the housing, wherein the left optical module has a left display and left lens configured to provide a left image to a left eye box, wherein the right optical module has a right display and a right lens configured to provide a right image to a right eye box, and wherein the left and right optical modules are configured to move relative to each other; and
a cover that has a fabric layer coupled to a frame, wherein the fabric layer extends across a rear face of the housing and blocks an interior region of the housing from view, wherein the fabric layer has a left opening that is aligned with the left optical module and a right opening that is aligned with the right optical module, and wherein the fabric layer has a peripheral edge that is coupled to the frame while allowing the fabric to slide relative to the frame in response to movement of the right and left optical modules with respect to each other to accommodate different interpupillary distances.