CN117471691A - Electronic device with light blocking cover - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an "electronic device with a light blocking cover". A head-mounted device may include a main housing portion and a temple housing portion. The display in the main housing portion may be configured to present an image viewable from the eyebox. The light blocking cover may extend between the main housing portion and the temple housing portion and may be configured to prevent external light from reaching the eyebox. The light blocking cover may have a stretchable outer fabric layer and an inner light blocking layer formed from fabric or other suitable material. The light blocking cover may include a slack in the inner light blocking layer such that the inner light blocking layer may accommodate movement of the main housing portion relative to the temple housing portion without sacrificing opacity. The slack may be heat set, molded or covered with an elastic layer such that the slack returns to a retracted state within the temple housing section after extension.

Description

Electronic device with light blocking cover

The present application claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/339,687, filed on 22, 6, 2023, and U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/393,134, filed on 28, 7, 2022, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly to wearable electronic devices such as head-mounted devices.

Background

An electronic device, such as a head-mounted device, is configured to be worn on a user's head. The head-mounted device may have left and right optical systems for presenting images to the left and right eyes of the user. The optical system may be mounted in a headset housing. Conventional head-mounted devices may be uncomfortable to wear and may not adequately block leakage of external light into the device.

Disclosure of Invention

An electronic device, such as a head-mounted electronic device, may include a main housing portion and a temple housing portion. A display and a lens may be mounted in the main housing portion. The display may be configured to present an image viewable from the eyebox.

A light blocking cover may at least partially surround the perimeter of the main housing portion and extend between the main housing portion and the temple housing portion. The light blocking cover may be configured to prevent external light from leaking into a viewing area where the eyebox is located.

The light blocking cover may have an outer layer and an inner layer. The outer layer may be a stretchable fabric layer and the inner layer may be a light blocking layer formed of fabric or other suitable material.

To maintain opacity while allowing the light blocking cover to extend and retract as the main housing portion moves relative to the temple housing portion, the light blocking cover may include slack in both the extended and retracted states. The slack may be formed in the inner light-blocking layer such that the inner light-blocking layer may accommodate movement of the main housing portion relative to the temple housing portion without reducing the opacity of the inner light-blocking layer. The slack may retract into the temple housing section after extension, or may retract into other positions. The slack may be heat set, molded or covered with an elastic layer such that the slack returns to an initial retracted state after extension.

In some arrangements, the light blocking cover may include a stretchable portion and a light blocking portion. The stretchable portion may include an inner stretchable fabric layer and an outer stretchable fabric layer and a light blocking fabric layer interposed between the inner stretchable fabric layer and the outer stretchable fabric layer. The light blocking fabric layer may be selectively secured to the inner stretchable fabric layer and the outer stretchable fabric layer such that opacity is maintained even if the light blocking cover is stretched. In some arrangements, the stretchable portion and the light blocking portion of the light blocking cover may be formed as a single layer. The stretchable portion may be overlapped by the inner housing structure such that any external light passing through the stretchable portion will be blocked from reaching the eyebox.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a top view of an exemplary head mounted device according to one embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of an exemplary head mounted device according to one embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary head mounted device according to one embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a top view of an exemplary head-mounted device with a light blocking cover formed over the housing structure, according to one embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a rear view of an exemplary head-mounted device with a face frame and a light blocking cover according to one embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a side view of an exemplary head mounted device having a light blocking cover spanning a temple region according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view of an exemplary head-mounted device having a light blocking cover with slack in a retracted state, according to one embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a side view of an exemplary head-mounted device having a light blocking cover with slack in an extended state, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side view of an exemplary light blocking cover having an elastic layer to help gather slack when the light blocking cover transitions from an extended state to a retracted state, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a side view of an exemplary light blocking cover having slack that is heat set to assist in returning the slack from an extended state to a retracted state, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a side view of an exemplary head mounted device having a light blocking cover with stretchable regions overlapped by an internal housing structure according to one embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a side view of an exemplary light blocking cover having one or more stretchable layers and a light blocking layer according to one embodiment.

Detailed Description

An electronic device, such as a head-mounted device, may have a front face facing away from a user's head and may have an opposite back face facing the user's head. The optical module on the back side may be used to provide an image to the user's eyes. A light blocking cover may be formed around the perimeter of the headset housing to help block external light from leaking into the viewing area of the headset. The light blocking cover may be formed from one or more layers of fabric, elastomer, or other suitable material. The light blocking cover may be stretchable to accommodate movement of the main housing portion relative to the temple housing portion. To allow sufficient stretch while preventing external light from entering the device, the light blocking cover may include slack that allows the light blocking cover to extend and retract without compromising opacity. The slack may be heat set or may be coupled to an elastic layer that helps the slack return to its retracted state after being stretched. In some arrangements, the light blocking cover may have one or more discrete stretchable regions. Stretchable regions that do not have sufficient opacity may be overlapped by the inner housing structure or other light blocking structure. In some arrangements, the light blocking cover may include a light blocking fabric layer selectively secured between two stretchable fabric layers.

A top view of an exemplary head-mounted device that may include a light blocking cover is shown in fig. 1. As shown in fig. 1, a head-mounted device such as electronic device 10 may have a head-mounted support structure such as a housing 12. The housing 12 may include a portion (e.g., a support structure 12T) for allowing the device 10 to be worn on the head of a user. The support structure 12T (sometimes referred to as a temple housing structure or temple housing portion) may be formed of fabric, polymer, metal, and/or other materials. The support structure 12T may form a strap or other head-mounted support structure that helps support the device 10 on the head of a user. Some or all of temple housing sections 12T may overlap the temple of the user when device 10 is worn on the head of the user. The main support structure of the housing 12 (e.g., the main housing portion 12M) may support electronic components such as the display 14. The main housing portion 12M may include a housing structure formed from metal, polymer, glass, ceramic, and/or other materials. For example, the housing portion 12M may have housing walls on the front face F and housing walls on adjacent top, bottom, left and right sides, formed of a rigid polymer or other rigid support structure, and optionally covered with electronic components, fabric, leather or other soft material, or the like. The walls of the housing portion 12M may enclose the interior components 38 in the interior region 34 of the device 10 and may separate the interior region 34 from the environment surrounding the device 10 (the exterior region 36). Internal components 38 may include integrated circuits, actuators, batteries, sensors, and/or other circuitry and structures for device 10. The housing 12 may be configured to be worn on the head of a user and may form eyeglasses, hats, helmets, goggles, and/or other head-mounted devices. The configuration in which the housing 12 forms a goggle is sometimes described herein as an example.

The front face F of the housing 12 may face outwardly away from the user's head and face. The opposite rear face R of the housing 12 may face the user. A portion of the housing 12 (e.g., a portion of the main housing 12M) located on the rear face R may form a cover, such as a blind 12C. In the exemplary configuration, the blind 12C includes a fabric layer separating the interior region 34 from the exterior region to the rear of the device 10. Other structures may be used to form the shade 12C if desired. The presence of the blind 12C on the rear face R may help to conceal the inner housing structure, the inner member 38, and other structures in the interior region 34 from view by the user.

The device 10 may have a left optical module and a right optical module 40. Each optical module may include a respective display 14, a lens 30, and a support structure 32. The support structure 32, which may sometimes be referred to as a lens barrel or optical module support structure, may comprise a hollow cylindrical structure having an open end or other support structure for housing the display 14 and the lens 30. The support structure 32 may, for example, include a left lens barrel that supports the left display 14 and the left lens 30 and a right lens barrel that supports the right display 14 and the right lens 30. Display 14 may include an array of pixels or other display device to produce an image. The display 14 may include, for example, organic light emitting diode pixels formed on a substrate with thin film circuitry and/or formed on a semiconductor substrate, pixels formed from crystalline semiconductor die, liquid crystal display pixels, scanning display devices, and/or other display devices for producing images. The lens 30 may include one or more lens elements for providing image light from the display 14 to the respective eyebox 13. Lenses may be implemented using refractive glass lens elements, using mirror lens structures (catadioptric lenses), using holographic lenses, and/or other lens systems. When the user's eyes are located in the eyebox 13, the displays (display panels) 14 operate together to form a display of the device 10 (e.g., the user's eyes may view images provided by the respective left and right optical modules 40 in the eyebox 13 so that stereoscopic images are created for the user). When the user views the display, the left image from the left optical module merges with the right image from the right optical module.

Not all users have the same interpupillary distance P. To provide the ability for device 10 to adjust the interpupillary distance between modules 40, and thus the distance P between eyebox 13, along lateral dimension X to accommodate different user interpupillary distances, device 10 may be provided with one or more actuators 42. The actuators 42 may be manually controlled and/or computer controlled actuators (e.g., computer controlled motors) for moving the support structures 32 relative to one another.

As shown in fig. 2, the blind 12C may cover the back face F while leaving the lens 30 of the optical module 40 uncovered (e.g., the blind 12C may have an opening aligned with and receiving the module 40). As modules 40 move relative to one another along dimension X to accommodate different interpupillary distances of different users, modules 40 move relative to a fixed housing structure, such as the wall of main portion 12M, and move relative to one another. To prevent undesired wrinkling and buckling of the blind 12C as the optical module 40 moves relative to the rigid portion of the housing 12M and relative to each other, a fabric layer or other cover layer in the blind 12C may be configured to slide, stretch, open/close, and/or otherwise adjust to accommodate the optical module movement.

A schematic diagram of an exemplary electronic device, such as a head mounted device or other wearable device, is shown in fig. 3. The device 10 of fig. 3 may operate as a standalone device and/or the resources of the device 10 may be used to communicate with external electronic equipment. For example, communication circuitry in device 10 may be used to transmit user input information, sensor information, and/or other information to an external electronic device (e.g., wirelessly or via a wired connection). Each of these external devices may include components of the type shown in device 10 of fig. 3.

As shown in fig. 3, a head mounted device such as device 10 may include control circuitry 20. Control circuitry 20 may include storage and processing circuitry for supporting the operation of device 10. The storage and processing circuitry may include storage devices such as non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically programmable read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random access memory), and the like. Processing circuitry in the control circuit 20 may be used to collect inputs from sensors and other input devices and to control output devices. The processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors and other wireless communication circuits, power management units, audio chips, application specific integrated circuits, and the like. During operation, control circuitry 20 may provide visual and other outputs to a user using display 14 and other output devices.

To support communication between the device 10 and external equipment, the control circuit 20 may communicate using the communication circuit 22. The circuitry 22 may include an antenna, radio frequency transceiver circuitry, and other wireless and/or wired communication circuitry. Circuitry 22 (which may sometimes be referred to as control circuitry and/or control and communication circuitry) may support bi-directional wireless communication between device 10 and external equipment (e.g., a companion device such as a computer, cellular telephone or other electronic device, an accessory such as a pointing device, a computer stylus or other input device, speakers or other output device, etc.) via a wireless link. For example, the circuitry 22 may include radio frequency transceiver circuitry such as wireless local area network transceiver circuitry configured to support communication via a wireless local area network link, near field communication transceiver circuitry configured to support communication via a near field communication link, cellular telephone transceiver circuitry configured to support communication via a cellular telephone link, or transceiver circuitry configured to support communication via any other suitable wired or wireless communication link. For example, it may be viaLink, & gt>The link, wireless link operating at frequencies between 10GHz and 400GHz, 60GHz link or other millimeter wave link, cellular telephone link, or other wireless communication link supports wireless communications. The device 10 (if desired) may include power circuitry for transmitting and/or receiving wired and/or wireless power, and may include a battery or other energy storage device. For example, the device 10 may include a coil and a rectifier to receive wireless power provided to circuitry in the device 10.

Device 10 may include an input-output device such as device 24. The input-output device 24 may be used to gather user input, to gather information about the user's surroundings, and/or to provide output to the user. Device 24 may include one or more displays, such as display 14. The display 14 may include one or more display devices such as an organic light emitting diode display panel (a panel with organic light emitting diode pixels formed on a polymer substrate or silicon substrate containing pixel control circuitry), a liquid crystal display panel, a microelectromechanical system display (e.g., a two-dimensional mirror array or scanning mirror display device), a display panel with an array of pixels formed of crystalline semiconductor light emitting diode dies (sometimes referred to as micro-LEDs), and/or other display devices.

The sensors 16 in the input-output device 24 may include force sensors (e.g., strain gauges, capacitive force sensors, resistive force sensors, etc.), audio sensors (such as microphones), touch and/or proximity sensors (such as capacitive sensors, such as touch sensors forming buttons, touch pads, or other input devices), and other sensors. If desired, the sensors 16 may include optical sensors (such as optical sensors that emit and detect light), ultrasonic sensors, optical touch sensors, optical proximity sensors and/or other touch sensors and/or proximity sensors, monochromatic and color ambient light sensors, image sensors, fingerprint sensors, iris scan sensors, retinal scan sensors and other biometric sensors, temperature sensors, sensors for measuring three-dimensional contactless gestures ("air gestures"), pressure sensors, sensors for detecting position, orientation and/or motion (e.g., accelerometers, magnetic sensors such as compass sensors, gyroscopes, and/or inertial measurement units that include some or all of these sensors), health sensors such as blood oxygen sensors, heart rate sensors, blood flow sensors and/or other health sensors, radio frequency sensors, depth sensors (e.g., structural light sensors and/or depth sensors based on stereoscopic imaging devices that capture three-dimensional images), optical sensors such as light detection and ranging from hybrid and time-of-flight measurements and light sensors, humidity sensors, vision sensors, humidity sensors, muscle tracking sensors, moisture sensors, or other sensors, and/or moisture sensors. In some arrangements, the device 10 may use the sensor 16 and/or other input-output devices to gather user input. For example, buttons may be used to gather button press inputs, touch sensors overlapping the display may be used to gather user touch screen inputs, a touch pad may be used to gather touch inputs, a microphone may be used to gather audio inputs, an accelerometer may be used to monitor when a finger contacts the input surface and thus may be used to gather finger press inputs, and so on.

If desired, the electronic device 10 may include additional components (see, e.g., other devices 18 in the input-output device 24). Additional components may include a haptic output device, an actuator for moving the movable housing structure, an audio output device such as a speaker, a light emitting diode for a status indicator, a light source such as a light emitting diode illuminating a portion of the housing and/or display structure, other optical output devices, and/or other circuitry for gathering input and/or providing output. The device 10 may also include a battery or other energy storage device, a connector port for supporting wired communications with auxiliary equipment, and for receiving wired power, as well as other circuitry.

Fig. 4 is a top view of device 10, showing how a light blocking cover may be used to help prevent external light from leaking into the viewing area of head mounted device 10. As shown in fig. 4, the device 10 may include a main housing portion 12M configured to be worn on the head of a user with a temple housing portion 12T. If desired, one or more electronic components may be mounted in the temple housing section 12T, such as wireless charging circuitry, input-output devices (buttons, touch sensors, knobs, etc.), sensors, and the like. In other arrangements, the temple housing section 12T may be devoid of electronic components. The temple housing portion 12T may be formed using a rigid support structure and/or a flexible material. If desired, the apparatus 10 may have an annular opaque light seal, such as light seal 52. The light seal 52 may be configured to be removable (e.g., so that the light seal 52 may be replaced when worn). Foam or other soft material may be used to form the light seal 52.

To help block external light (e.g., ambient light in the user's environment that is not emitted by the display 14 of the device 10) from entering the viewing area of the head-mounted device 10 (e.g., where the eyebox 13 of fig. 1 is located), a light blocking cover, such as the light blocking cover 54, may be formed on some or all of the housing structure of the device 10. For example, as shown in fig. 4, a light blocking cover 54 may extend between the main housing portion 12M and the temple housing portion 12T to help prevent light from entering any gap between the device 10 and the user's face. The light blocking cover 54 may be formed from one or more layers of fabric, polymer, elastomer, or other suitable material. In one exemplary arrangement, the light blocking cover includes a stretchable outer layer of fabric and an inner layer of light blocking fabric or formed of other materials. The light blocking cover 54 may be configured to stretch and/or otherwise extend and retract to allow some movement of the main housing portion 12M relative to the temple housing portion 12T. This allows the device 10 to accommodate different facial shapes.

Fig. 5 is a rear view of the apparatus 10, showing how the light blocking cover 54 may be wrapped around the perimeter of the apparatus 10. As shown in fig. 5, the device 10 may include a face frame such as face frame 66. The face frame 66 may be a flexible support structure formed of plastic or other suitable material and may be configured to rest against (or adjacent to) the face of the user. The face frame 66 may be curved around the optical module of the device 10 (e.g., around and over the top of the optical module 30 of fig. 2) and may extend across the forehead of the user and at least partially onto the temple. The light blocking cover 54 may extend around a portion or all of the face frame 66, and may also extend across the forehead of the user (e.g., over the optical module 30) and at least partially onto the temple (e.g., to the left and right sides of the optical module 30). This helps to block light leakage between the user's forehead and the device 10 and between the user's temple and the device 10.

Fig. 6 is a side view of an exemplary head mounted device with a light blocking cover. As shown in fig. 6, a light blocking cover 54 may extend between the main housing portion 12M and the temple housing portion 12T. The temple housing section 12T may include a support structure such as support structure 44. The support structure 44 may be configured to rest over the user's ear, behind the user's ear, and/or other suitable location on the user's head. The first edge of the light blocking cover 54 may be attached to the support structure 44 of the temple housing portion 12T (e.g., with an adhesive, a clip, stitching, and/or any other suitable attachment structure). The second opposite edge of the light blocking cover 54 may be attached to the main housing portion 12M (e.g., behind the blind 12C, in front of the blind 12C, as shown in the example of fig. 6, or at any other suitable location on the main housing portion 12M).

The light blocking cover 54 may include one or more layers, such as an outer layer 46 and an inner layer 48. If desired, the outer layer 46 may form the outermost surface of the device 10. Outer layer 46 may be formed from a fabric, such as a knitted fabric (e.g., warp knit fabric, weft knit fabric, etc.), a woven fabric, a spacer fabric (e.g., inner warp knit layer and outer warp knit layer joined by a spacer layer such as monofilament strands), a woven fabric, and/or any other suitable fabric. Arrangements in which the outer layer 46 is formed of a non-woven material such as a polymer, silicone, or elastomer may also be used. The arrangement in which the outer layer 46 of the light blocking cover 54 is formed from a stretchable fabric is sometimes described herein as an example.

The inner layer 48 may be a light blocking layer lining the inner surface of the outer layer 46 of the light blocking cover 54. Inner layer 48 may be formed from a fabric (e.g., a knitted fabric, a warp knitted fabric, a weft knitted fabric, a woven fabric, a spacer fabric, a woven fabric, and/or any other suitable fabric), a polymer, an elastomer (e.g., an elastomeric silicone, other elastomer, etc.). The fabric may provide breathability to the device 10, but may allow light leakage if careless. In particular, when the device 10 is placed on the user's head, the main housing unit 12M may be rotated forward in the direction 50 or may be otherwise pushed away from the support structure 44 of the temple housing portion 12T. If careless, the inner light blocking layer 48 may stretch too much, causing the openings in the fabric to stretch (e.g., causing the fabric to unfold) and allow light to enter. The inner light blocking layer 48 may be formed of a solid material, such as a solid layer of polymer or elastomer, rather than a fabric, but care should be taken to ensure that the inner layer 48 has sufficient expansion and retraction capabilities to accommodate movement of the support structure 44 of the main housing portion 12M and temple housing portion 12T when the device 10 is worn on and removed from a user's head.

To ensure adequate stretch without compromising opacity, the inner layer 48 may be provided with additional slack to ensure that minimal slack is always maintained in the layer 48, even when the light blocking cover 54 is moved between the retracted and extended states. This type of arrangement is shown in fig. 7 and 8.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the head-mounted device 10 with the light blocking cover 54 in a retracted state (e.g., when the device 10 is not worn on the head of a user). As shown in fig. 7, the inner fabric layer 48 may be provided with additional slack, such as additional slack 56 (sometimes referred to as a service loop). The slack 56 may be provided only in the temple region of the device 10 (e.g., the support structure 44 proximate the temple housing portion 12T), or may extend partially or completely around the perimeter of the light blocking cover 54 (e.g., around the perimeter of the user's face, such as across the forehead and onto the temple). When the light blocking cover 54 is in the retracted state of fig. 7, slack 56 may collect inside the support structure 44 (sometimes referred to as slack storage) of the temple housing portion 12T. In the retracted state, the light blocking cover 54 may span a distance D1 between the main housing portion 12M and the support structure 44 of the temple housing portion 12T. If desired, slack 56 may be gathered at other locations (e.g., outside of support structure 44) in the retracted state, such as slack storage formed closer to main housing portion 12M or other locations along light blocking cover 54.

As shown in fig. 8, when the device 10 is worn on the head of a user, the main housing portion 12M may tend to move away from the support structure 44 of the temple housing portion 12T. If the forehead of the user is more prominent than the cheekbones of the user, the main housing portion 12M may be rotated forward in direction 50. This causes the light blocking cover 54 to stretch as the distance between the main housing portion 12M and the support structure 44 of the temple housing portion 12T increases to a distance D2 (e.g., a distance greater than the distance D1 of fig. 7). In the extended state of fig. 8, the slack 56 may be elongated and may be pulled out of the support structure 44. The amount of slack 56 in the inner layer 48 may be such that when the support structures 44 of the main housing portion 12M and the temple housing portion 12T are separated by a maximum distance, a minimum slack is still maintained in the inner layer 48. The minimum slack may be defined by the point at which the braid of layer 48 (or other fabric of layer 48) begins to spread and light leakage begins to occur.

Because the slack 56 is built into the layer 48, the light blocking layer 48 may be formed from a solid sheet of stretchable or non-stretchable fabric or other non-woven material (e.g., polymers, elastomers, etc.) without sacrificing opacity or the ability to stretch and retract.

To assist the return of the slack 56 to its retracted position within the support structure 44, an elastic layer may be coupled to the inner fabric layer 48 over the slack 56. An arrangement of this type is shown in figure 9.

As shown in fig. 9, an elastic material layer, such as elastic layer 58, may be coupled to the inner fabric layer 48 over the slack 56. The elastic layer 58 may be formed of stretchable fabric (e.g., fabric formed of elastic strand material), rubber, polymer, elastomeric silicone, or other elastomer, etc. The elastic layer 58 may be more elastic and stretchable than the inner layer 48 to assist the slack 56 in returning to its initial retracted position in the support structure 44. When the device 10 is worn on the head of a user, the elastic layer 58 may stretch and lengthen as the slack 56 stretches and is pulled out of the support structure 44. When the device 10 is removed from the user's head, the elastic layer 58 may shorten to its initial unstretched length, causing slack 56 to collect within the support structure 44 (or any other location along the layer 48 where slack 56 may be formed).

Another exemplary arrangement for ensuring that slack 56 can return to its initial retracted state is shown in fig. 10. In the example of fig. 10, the slack 56 is molded or heat set to a retracted shape. By heat setting or molding the slack 56 into a desired shape (e.g., U-shaped, horseshoe-shaped, S-shaped, figure 8-shaped, loop-shaped, or any other suitable shape), the slack 56 may return to its molded or heat set shape after being stretched.

Fig. 11 is a side view of the head-mounted device 10 in an exemplary arrangement in which the inner layer 48 of the light blocking cover 54 has designated stretchable fabric areas that stretch and retract. As shown in fig. 11, the inner layer 48 of the light blocking cover 54 may include a stretchable portion, such as stretchable portion 62. The remainder of inner layer 48 may be non-stretchable or may be otherwise less stretchable than stretchable zone 62. For example, inner layer 48 may be formed of circular or flat knit with different amounts of stretch, or the knit may be looser in region 62 than the knit in the remainder of layer 48. In other arrangements, the region 62 is formed of a different material, different construction, and/or other different characteristics than the remainder of the layer 48 (e.g., the region 62 may be a stretchable fabric while the remainder of the layer 48 may be a non-woven material such as a sheet of polymer or elastomer). The stretchable portion of layer 48 may be less opaque than the rest of layer 48, so stretchable region 62 may be covered by an additional light blocking layer (such as light blocking structure 60) if desired. The light blocking structure 60 may be an internal housing structure, may form part of a vent in the device 10, and/or may be any other suitable opaque structure (e.g., plastic, metal, etc.).

When light blocking layer 54 is stretched, stretchable region 62 of inner layer 48 may stretch while the remainder of layer 48 may remain unstretched (or mostly unstretched). Since portion 62 stretches more than the rest of layer 48, some gaps may form when portion 62 stretches. The inner housing structure 60 overlaps the stretchable zone 62 and prevents light from leaking into the viewing area of the device 10.

In the example of fig. 12, the light blocking cover 54 includes an inner stretchable layer and an outer stretchable layer, such as the outer stretchable layer 46 and the inner stretchable layer 64 (e.g., stretchable fabric or other stretchable material). Light blocking layer 48 may be interposed between outer stretchable layer 46 and inner stretchable layer 64. To allow light blocking layer 48 to stretch without sacrificing opacity, inner layer 48 may be selectively secured to outer layer 46 and outer layer 64. For example, stitching, adhesives, or other attachment structures may be used to secure one or more locations of the inner layer 48 to the outer layer 6 and the outer layer 64. This allows the unsecured portions of layer 48 to expand and retract, while the selective securing ensures that the openings in layer 48 are not aligned with any openings in layer 46 and layer 48 in the expanded state.

As described above, one aspect of the present technology is to collect and use information, such as information from an input-output device. The present disclosure contemplates that in some cases, data may be collected that includes personal information that uniquely identifies or may be used to contact or locate a particular person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, twitter IDs, home addresses, data or records related to the user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital signal measurements, medication information, exercise information), birth dates, user names, passwords, biometric information, or any other identifying or personal information.

The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information in the disclosed technology may be used to benefit a user. For example, the personal information data may be used to deliver targeted content of greater interest to the user. Thus, the use of such personal information data enables a user to have programmatic control over the delivered content. In addition, the present disclosure contemplates other uses for personal information data that are beneficial to the user. For example, health and fitness data may be used to provide insight into the overall health of a user, or may be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue health goals.

The present disclosure contemplates that entities responsible for collecting, analyzing, disclosing, transmitting, storing, or otherwise using such personal information data will adhere to established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities should exercise and adhere to privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of personal information data. Such policies should be readily accessible to the user and should be updated as the collection and/or use of the data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legal and reasonable use by entities and not shared or sold outside of these legal uses. In addition, such collection/sharing should be performed after informed consent is received from the user. In addition, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to defend and secure access to such personal information data and to ensure that others who have access to personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. In addition, such entities may subject themselves to third party evaluations to prove compliance with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adjusted to collect and/or access specific types of personal information data and to suit applicable laws and standards including specific considerations of jurisdiction. For example, in the united states, the collection or access of certain health data may be governed by federal and/or state law, such as the health insurance and liability act (HIPAA), while health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be processed accordingly. Thus, different privacy practices should be maintained for different personal data types in each country.

In spite of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which a user selectively prevents use or access to personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware elements and/or software elements may be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, the present technology may be configured to allow a user to choose to participate in the collection of personal information data "opt-in" or "opt-out" during or at any time after the registration service. As another example, the user may choose not to provide a particular type of user data. For another example, the user may choose to limit the length of time that user-specific data is maintained. In addition to providing the "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure also contemplates providing notifications related to accessing or using personal information. For example, the user may be notified that his personal information data will be accessed when an application program ("application") is downloaded, and then be reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

Further, it is an object of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use. Once the data is no longer needed, risk can be minimized by limiting the data collection and deleting the data. In addition, and when applicable, included in certain health-related applications, the data de-identification may be used to protect the privacy of the user. De-identification may be facilitated by removing a particular identifier (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or characteristics of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than an address level), controlling the manner in which data is stored (e.g., aggregating data among users), and/or other methods, where appropriate.

Thus, while the present disclosure broadly covers the use of information that may include personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments may be implemented without accessing personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology do not fail to function properly due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data.

Physical environment: a physical environment refers to a physical world in which people can sense and/or interact without the assistance of an electronic system. Physical environments such as physical parks include physical objects such as physical trees, physical buildings, and physical people. People can directly sense and/or interact with a physical environment, such as by visual, tactile, auditory, gustatory, and olfactory.

Computer-generated reality: computer-generated reality (CGR) environments refer to fully or partially simulated environments in which people perceive and/or interact via electronic systems. In the CGR, a subset of the physical movements of the person, or a representation thereof, is tracked and in response one or more characteristics of one or more virtual objects simulated in the CGR environment are adjusted in a manner consistent with at least one physical law. For example, the CGR system may detect human head rotation and, in response, adjust the graphical content and sound field presented to the human in a manner similar to the manner in which such views and sounds change in the physical environment. In some cases (e.g., for reachability reasons), the adjustment of the characteristics of the virtual object in the CGR environment may be made in response to a representation of physical motion (e.g., a voice command). A person may utilize any of his sensations to sense and/or interact with CGR objects, including visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory. For example, a person may sense and/or interact with audio objects that create a 3D or spatial audio environment that provides a perception of point audio sources in 3D space. As another example, an audio object may enable audio transparency that selectively introduces environmental sounds from a physical environment with or without computer generated audio. In some CGR environments, a person may sense and/or interact with only audio objects. Examples of CGR include virtual reality and mixed reality.

Virtual reality: a Virtual Reality (VR) environment refers to a simulated environment designed to be based entirely on computer-generated sensory input for one or more senses. The VR environment includes a plurality of virtual objects that a person can sense and/or interact with. For example, computer-generated images of trees, buildings, and avatars representing people are examples of virtual objects. A person may sense and/or interact with virtual objects in the VR environment through a simulation of the presence of the person within the computer-generated environment and/or through a simulation of a subset of the physical movements of the person within the computer-generated environment.

Mixed reality: in contrast to VR environments designed to be based entirely on computer-generated sensory input, a Mixed Reality (MR) environment refers to a simulated environment designed to introduce sensory input from a physical environment or a representation thereof in addition to including computer-generated sensory input (e.g., virtual objects). On a virtual continuum, a mixed reality environment is any condition between, but not including, a full physical environment as one end and a virtual reality environment as the other end. In some MR environments, the computer-generated sensory input may be responsive to changes in sensory input from the physical environment. In addition, some electronic systems for rendering MR environments may track the position and/or orientation relative to the physical environment to enable virtual objects to interact with real objects (i.e., physical objects or representations thereof from the physical environment). For example, the system may cause movement such that the virtual tree appears to be stationary relative to the physical ground. Examples of mixed reality include augmented reality and augmented virtualization. Augmented reality: an Augmented Reality (AR) environment refers to a simulated environment in which one or more virtual objects are superimposed on a physical environment or a representation of a physical environment. For example, an electronic system for presenting an AR environment may have a transparent or translucent display through which a person may directly view the physical environment. The system may be configured to present the virtual object on a transparent or semi-transparent display such that a person perceives the virtual object superimposed over the physical environment with the system. Alternatively, the system may have an opaque display and one or more imaging sensors that capture images or videos of the physical environment, which are representations of the physical environment. The system combines the image or video with the virtual object and presents the composition on an opaque display. A person utilizes the system to indirectly view the physical environment via an image or video of the physical environment and perceive a virtual object superimposed over the physical environment. As used herein, video of a physical environment displayed on an opaque display is referred to as "pass-through video," meaning that the system captures images of the physical environment using one or more image sensors and uses those images when rendering an AR environment on the opaque display. Further alternatively, the system may have a projection system that projects the virtual object into the physical environment, for example as a hologram or on a physical surface, such that a person perceives the virtual object superimposed on top of the physical environment with the system. An augmented reality environment also refers to a simulated environment in which a representation of a physical environment is transformed by computer-generated sensory information. For example, in providing a passthrough video, the system may transform one or more sensor images to apply a selected viewing angle (e.g., a viewpoint) that is different from the viewing angle captured by the imaging sensor. As another example, the representation of the physical environment may be transformed by graphically modifying (e.g., magnifying) portions thereof such that the modified portions may be representative but not real versions of the original captured image. For another example, the representation of the physical environment may be transformed by graphically eliminating or blurring portions thereof. Enhanced virtualization: enhanced virtual (AV) environment refers to a simulated environment in which a virtual environment or computer-generated environment incorporates one or more sensory inputs from a physical environment. The sensory input may be a representation of one or more characteristics of the physical environment. For example, an AV park may have virtual trees and virtual buildings, but the face of a person is realistically reproduced from an image taken of a physical person. As another example, the virtual object may take the shape or color of a physical object imaged by one or more imaging sensors. For another example, the virtual object may employ shadows that conform to the positioning of the sun in the physical environment.

Hardware: there are many different types of electronic systems that enable a person to sense and/or interact with various CGR environments. Examples include head-mounted systems, projection-based systems, head-up displays (HUDs), vehicle windshields integrated with display capabilities, windows integrated with display capabilities, displays formed as lenses designed for placement on a human eye (e.g., similar to contact lenses), headphones/earphones, speaker arrays, input systems (e.g., wearable or handheld controllers with or without haptic feedback), smart phones, tablet computers, and desktop/laptop computers. The head-mounted system may have one or more speakers and an integrated opaque display. Alternatively, the head-mounted system may be configured to accept an external opaque display (e.g., a smart phone). The head-mounted system may incorporate one or more imaging sensors for capturing images or video of the physical environment, and/or one or more microphones for capturing audio of the physical environment. The head-mounted system may have a transparent or translucent display instead of an opaque display. The transparent or translucent display may have a medium through which light representing an image is directed to the eyes of a person. The display may utilize digital light projection, OLED, LED, μled, liquid crystal on silicon, laser scanning light source, or any combination of these techniques. The medium may be an optical waveguide, a holographic medium, an optical combiner, an optical reflector, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the transparent or translucent display may be configured to selectively become opaque. Projection-based systems may employ retinal projection techniques that project a graphical image onto a person's retina. The projection system may also be configured to project the virtual object into the physical environment, for example as a hologram or on a physical surface.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a head-mounted device comprising: a housing having a main housing portion and a temple housing portion; a display in the main housing portion, the display configured to provide an image viewable from an eyebox; and a light blocking cover extending between the main housing portion and the temple housing portion and configured to block external light from reaching the eyebox, the light blocking cover moving between an extended state and a retracted state when the main housing portion moves relative to the temple housing portion, and the light blocking cover having slack in both the extended state and the retracted state such that opacity of the light blocking cover does not decrease in the extended state.

According to another embodiment, the light blocking cover comprises an outer layer and an inner layer.

According to another embodiment, the inner layer comprises a light blocking inner layer.

According to a further embodiment, the slack is located in the light blocking inner layer.

According to another embodiment, the outer layer comprises an outer fabric layer and the inner layer comprises an inner fabric layer.

According to another embodiment, the outer fabric layer is more stretchable than the inner fabric layer.

According to another embodiment, the outer layer comprises a fabric and the inner layer comprises an elastomeric material.

According to another embodiment, the slack is configured to extend and retract when the main housing portion moves relative to the temple housing portion.

According to another embodiment, the slack is configured to retract into the temple housing section.

According to another embodiment, the slack is heat set such that the slack returns to a retracted position after extension.

According to another embodiment, the slack is molded such that the slack returns to a retracted position after extension.

According to another embodiment, the head-mounted device comprises an elastic material layer coupled to the light blocking cover over the slack, the elastic material layer configured to return the slack to a retracted position after extension.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a head-mounted device comprising: a housing having a main housing portion and a temple housing portion; a display in the main housing portion, the display configured to provide an image viewable from an eyebox; and a light blocking cover extending between the main housing portion and the temple housing portion and configured to block external light from reaching the eyebox, the light blocking cover having a stretchable fabric portion and a light blocking fabric portion.

According to another embodiment, the stretchable fabric portion comprises an inner stretchable fabric layer and an outer stretchable fabric layer, and the light blocking fabric portion comprises a light blocking fabric layer interposed between the inner stretchable fabric layer and the outer stretchable fabric layer.

According to another embodiment, the light blocking fabric layer is selectively secured to the inner stretchable fabric layer and the outer stretchable fabric layer.

According to another embodiment, the stretchable fabric portion and the light blocking fabric portion are formed as a single layer and the stretchable fabric portion is more stretchable than the light blocking fabric portion.

According to another embodiment, the head-mounted device includes an inner housing structure that partially overlaps the stretchable fabric and is configured to block any of the external light passing through the stretchable portion from reaching the eyebox.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a head-mounted device comprising: a main housing portion; a display in the main housing portion, the display configured to provide an image viewable from an eyebox; and a light blocking cover extending at least partially around a perimeter of the main housing portion and configured to block external light from reaching the eyebox, the light blocking cover including a stretchable outer fabric layer and an inner light blocking fabric layer having a slack that allows the light blocking cover to extend and retract without reducing the opacity of the light blocking cover.

According to another embodiment, the head mounted device includes a temple housing portion, the slack being configured to retract into the temple housing portion.

According to another embodiment, the slack is configured to stretch and extend out of the temple housing portion when the main housing portion is moved away from the temple housing portion.

The foregoing is merely exemplary and various modifications may be made to the embodiments described. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented independently or may be implemented in any combination.

Claims (20)

1. A head-mounted device, comprising:

a housing having a main housing portion and a temple housing portion;

a display located in the main housing portion, the display configured to provide an image viewable from an eyebox; and

a light blocking cover extending between the main housing portion and the temple housing portion and configured to block external light from reaching the eyebox, wherein the light blocking cover moves between an extended state and a retracted state with movement of the main housing portion relative to the temple housing portion, and wherein the light blocking cover has slack in both the extended state and the retracted state such that the opacity of the light blocking cover does not decrease in the extended state.

2. The head-mounted device of claim 1, wherein the light blocking cover comprises an outer layer and an inner layer.

3. The headset of claim 2, wherein the inner layer comprises a light blocking inner layer.

4. A headset according to claim 3, wherein the slack is in the light blocking inner layer.

5. The headset of claim 4, wherein the outer layer comprises an outer fabric layer and the inner layer comprises an inner fabric layer.

6. The headset of claim 5, wherein the outer fabric layer is more stretchable than the inner fabric layer.

7. The headset of claim 1, wherein the outer layer comprises a fabric and the inner layer comprises an elastomeric material.

8. The headset of claim 1, wherein the slack is configured to extend and retract upon movement of the main housing portion relative to the temple housing portion.

9. The headset of claim 8, wherein the slack is configured to retract into the temple housing portion.

10. The headset of claim 8, wherein the slack is heat set such that the slack returns to a retracted position after extension.

11. The headset of claim 8, wherein the slack is molded such that the slack returns to a retracted position after extension.

12. The headset of claim 8, further comprising an elastomeric layer coupled to the light blocking cover over the slack, wherein the elastomeric layer is configured to return the slack to a retracted position after extension.

13. A head-mounted device, comprising:

a housing having a main housing portion and a temple housing portion;

a display located in the main housing portion, the display configured to provide an image viewable from an eyebox; and

a light blocking cover extending between the main housing portion and the temple housing portion and configured to block external light from reaching the eyebox, wherein the light blocking cover has a stretchable fabric portion and a light blocking fabric portion.

14. The headset of claim 13 wherein the stretchable fabric portion comprises an inner stretchable fabric layer and an outer stretchable fabric layer, and the light blocking fabric portion comprises a light blocking fabric layer interposed between the inner stretchable fabric layer and the outer stretchable fabric layer.

15. The headset of claim 14 wherein the light blocking fabric layer is selectively secured to the inner stretchable fabric layer and the outer stretchable fabric layer.

16. The headset of claim 15 wherein the stretchable fabric portion and the light blocking fabric portion are formed as a single layer, and wherein the stretchable fabric portion is more stretchable than the light blocking fabric portion.

17. The headset of claim 16, further comprising an inner housing structure partially overlapping the stretchable fabric and configured to block any of the external light passing through the stretchable portion from reaching the eyebox.

18. A head-mounted device, comprising:

a main housing portion;

a display located in the main housing portion, the display configured to provide an image viewable from an eyebox; and

a light blocking cover extending at least partially around a perimeter of the main housing portion and configured to block external light from reaching the eyebox, wherein the light blocking cover includes a stretchable outer fabric layer and an inner light blocking fabric layer having slack that allows the light blocking cover to extend and retract without reducing the opacity of the light blocking cover.

19. The headset of claim 18, further comprising a temple housing portion, wherein the slack is configured to retract into the temple housing portion.

20. The headset of claim 19, wherein the slack is configured to stretch and extend out of the temple housing portion with the main housing portion moving away from the temple housing portion.