US-12625380-B2 - Support arm thermal structure for extended reality glasses

US12625380B2US 12625380 B2US12625380 B2US 12625380B2US-12625380-B2

Abstract

A support arm assembly for a head-worn device includes a metal support arm configured to form a rear face, a bottom face, and a top face of an enclosure for a projector, thermally coupled to the projector to act as a heatsink, configured to structurally attach to a rear structural element of the head-worn device, and configured to structurally attach to an optical element holder of the head-worn device, such that the metal support arm forms a structural support joining the optical element holder to the rear structural element without placing mechanical load on the projector.

Inventors

Andrea Chantal Ashwood
Stephen Andrew Steger

Assignees

SNAP INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20241107

Claims (20)

1 . A support arm assembly for a head-worn device including a projector, an optical element holder located in front of the projector, and a rear structural element, the projector comprising at least a rear surface, a front surface, a bottom surface, a top surface, a left surface, and a right surface, the support arm assembly comprising: a metal support arm to structurally attach to the optical element holder and to structurally attach to the rear structural element, such that the metal support arm forms a structural support joining the optical element holder to the rear structural element without placing mechanical load on the projector, the metal support arm forming metal surfaces in contact with at least a portion of each of at least three of the surfaces of the projector to thermally couple to the projector in use, to act as a heatsink.
2 . The support arm assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a first side face comprising a thermally conductive material thermally coupled in use to at least a portion of a first one of the surfaces of the projector and thermally coupled to the metal support arm to act as a further heatsink and a thermal spreader.
3 . The support arm assembly of claim 2 , wherein: the thermally conductive material of the first side face comprises a copper alloy.
4 . The support arm assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a second side face coupled to at least a portion of a second one of the surfaces of the projector and coupled to the metal support arm in use.
5 . The support arm assembly of claim 1 , wherein: the rear structural element comprises a hinge.
6 . The support arm assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a front face: configured to structurally attach to the optical element holder of the head-worn device; defining a front aperture for permitting passage of light from an exit pupil of the projector toward an input optical element of the head-worn device; and comprising a thermally conductive material thermally coupled to the projector and thermally coupled to the metal support arm to act as a further heatsink.
7 . The support arm assembly of claim 6 , wherein: the thermally conductive material of the front face comprises an aluminum-magnesium alloy.
8 . The support arm assembly of claim 7 , wherein: the aluminum-magnesium alloy comprises AA 6061.
9 . The support arm assembly of claim 6 , further comprising: the optical element holder, comprising a thermally conductive material thermally coupled to the front face in use to act as a further heatsink.
10 . The support arm assembly of claim 1 , wherein: the metal support arm comprises an aluminum-magnesium alloy.
11 . The support arm assembly of claim 10 , wherein: the aluminum-magnesium alloy comprises AA 6063.
12 . The support arm assembly of claim 1 , wherein: a first metal surface of the metal surfaces of the metal support arm is in contact with the bottom surface of the projector in use; and the first metal surface defines one or more thermal material apertures configured to enable injection and inspection of a thermal interface material toward the bottom surface of the projector.
13 . The support arm assembly of claim 1 , wherein: a second metal surface of the metal surfaces of the metal support arm is in contact with the top surface of the projector in use; and the second metal surface defines one or more thermal material apertures configured to enable injection and inspection of a thermal interface material toward the top surface of the projector.
14 . The support arm assembly of claim 1 , wherein: the device further comprises the projector; the metal support arm defines one or more thermal material apertures configured to enable injection and inspection of a thermal interface material toward a first surface of the surfaces of the projector; and the first surface of the projector comprises a deformable rim configured to contain the thermal interface material.
15 . A method of assembling a head-worn device, comprising: inserting a projector into a metal support arm, the projector comprising at least a rear surface, a front surface, a bottom surface, a top surface, a left surface, and a right surface, such that the metal support arm forms metal surfaces in contact with at least a portion of each of at least three of the surfaces of the projector to thermally couple to the projector to act as a heatsink; structurally attaching the metal support arm to an optical element holder of the head-worn device located in front of the projector; and structurally attaching the metal support arm to a rear structural element of the head-worn device, such that the metal support arm forms a structural support joining the optical element holder to the rear structural element without placing mechanical load on the projector.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein: a first surface of the surfaces of the projector has a deformable rim configured to contain a thermal interface material; the metal support arm defines one or more thermal material apertures; and the method further comprises injecting thermal interface material through the one or more thermal material apertures toward the first surface of the projector.
17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising: coupling a first side face to the metal support arm, the first side face comprising a thermally conductive material, such that the thermally conductive material is thermally coupled to the projector and the metal support arm to act as a further heatsink and a thermal spreader.
18 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising: structurally attaching a front face to the optical element holder, the front face: defining a front aperture for permitting passage of light from an exit pupil of the projector toward an input optical element of the head-worn device; and comprising a thermally conductive material thermally coupled to the projector and the metal support arm to act as a further heatsink.
19 . A head-worn device, comprising: an optical element comprising an input optical element; an optical element holder configured to hold the optical element; a projector comprising at least a rear surface, a front surface, a bottom surface, a top surface, a left surface, and a right surface; a rear structural element; and a support arm assembly, comprising: a metal support arm: forming metal surfaces in contact with at least a portion of each of at least three of the surfaces of the projector; thermally coupled to the projector to act as a heatsink; configured to structurally attach to the rear structural element; and configured to structurally attach to the optical element holder, the optical element holder being located in front of the projector, such that the metal support arm forms a structural support joining the optical element holder to the rear structural element without placing mechanical load on the projector.
20 . The head-worn device of claim 19 , wherein the support arm assembly further comprises: a first side face comprising a thermally conductive material thermally coupled to the projector and the metal support arm to act as a further heatsink and a thermal spreader.

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/135,400, filed Apr. 17, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to display devices and more particularly to display devices used for augmented reality. BACKGROUND A head-worn device may be implemented with a transparent or semi-transparent display through which a user of the head-worn device can view the surrounding environment. Such devices enable a user to see through the transparent or semi-transparent display to view the surrounding environment, and to also see objects or other content (e.g., virtual objects such as 3D renderings, images, video, text, and so forth) that are generated for display to appear as a part of, and/or overlaid upon, the surrounding environment (referred to collectively as “virtual content”). This is typically referred to as “extended reality” or “XR”, and it encompasses techniques such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR). Each of these technologies combines aspects of the physical world with virtual content presented to a user. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a head-worn device, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 2 illustrates a rear view of the head-worn device of FIG. 1, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 3 illustrates a partial front perspective view of a frame of a head-worn device including a support arm assembly, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded rear left perspective view of the support arm assembly of FIG. 3, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 5 illustrates a left rear perspective view of the support arm assembly of FIG. 3 attached to a post-hinge housing, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 6 illustrates a right rear perspective view of the support arm assembly of FIG. 3, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 7 illustrates a left front perspective partially exploded view of the support arm assembly of FIG. 3 attached to the post-hinge housing, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 8 illustrates an exploded front right perspective view of the support arm assembly of FIG. 3, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded rear right lower perspective view of the support arm assembly of FIG. 3, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 10 illustrates an exploded left lower perspective view of the support arm assembly of FIG. 3, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 11 illustrates an exploded plan view of the support arm assembly of FIG. 3, in accordance with some examples. FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of a computer system within which a set of instructions may be executed to cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, according to some examples. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a software architecture within which examples may be implemented. FIG. 14 illustrates a method for assembling a device, in accordance with some examples. DETAILED DESCRIPTION XR displays are typically categorized as video pass-through displays or optical see-through displays. In video pass-through, a view of the physical environment is captured by a camera, combined with virtual content, and then presented to the user on an opaque display. In optical see-through, a user views the physical environment directly through transparent or translucent displays which interpose virtual content between the user's eyes and the physical environment. Optical see-through XR displays face a number of technical challenges in presenting realistic-looking virtual content to the user's eyes while permitting a relatively unobstructed see-through view of the physical environment. The reflectors, waveguides, diffractive gratings, and other optical components typically used in transparent or translucent XR display design often require trade-offs among various factors, including the brightness and visual quality of the virtual content, the width of the field of view for the presented virtual content, the amount of light from the physical environment passing through the transparent or translucent display, and the size, battery life, heat management, and physical robustness or resilience of the head-worn device housing the display. In particular, the projectors used in optical see-through XR displays tend to generate a significant amount of heat and tend to be located very close to the user's face, potentially presenting comfort and safety issues. Because the position of the projector relative to the display surface tends to be highly constrained by optical factors, both heat management and mechanical robustness must be addressed wit