Thermal architecture for smart glasses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12386176-B2
Application number	US-202217737241-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2022
Priority date	May 6, 2021
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

A method of dissipating heat generated by imaging devices and processing devices of a wearable electronic eyewear device includes providing a first heat sink thermally connecting the imaging devices to a frame of the eyewear device to sink heat to the frame and providing a second heat sink thermally connecting the processing devices to respective temples of the eyewear device to sink heat to the respective temples. The first and second heat sinks are thermally insulated from each other to direct the heat to different portions of the eyewear device. The processing devices may include a first co-processor disposed in a first temple connected to a first end of the frame and a second co-processor disposed in a second temple connected to a second end of the frame. The resulting eyewear device spreads the heat from heat generating devices over a larger area to minimize overall heating.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable electronic eyewear device, comprising:
a frame;
at least one temple connected to the frame;
at least one image display;
at least one imaging device adapted to capture an image of a scene and to project the image to the at least one image display;
at least one processing device; and
a thermal management device comprising a first heat sink comprising a pair of thermally and physically isolated heat sinks disposed on opposite sides of and connected to the at least one imaging device and to the frame to sink heat from the at least one imaging device to the frame, a second heat sink thermally connected to the at least one processing device and the at least one temple to sink heat from the at least one processing device to the at least one temple, and a thermally insulating gap between the first heat sink and the second heat sink.

2. The eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the thermally insulating gap comprises an air gap.

3. The eyewear device of claim 1 , comprising a first temple connected to a first end of the frame and a second temple connected to a second end of the frame, wherein the at least one processing device comprises a first co-processor located in the first temple and a second co-processor located in the second temple.

4. The eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one imaging device comprises at least one projector comprising a green LED and a red/blue LED.

5. The eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein a first of the pair of heat sinks is connected to the frame to sink heat to the frame and a second of the pair of heat sinks is connected to the at least one temple to sink heat to the at least one temple.

6. The eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the pair of heat sinks are comprised of a highly thermally conductive material and are physically and thermally separated from each other by a thermal interface material.

7. The eyewear device of claim 1 , wherein the second sink comprises a vapor chamber having an evaporator side and a condensing side.

8. The eyewear device of claim 7 , wherein the vapor chamber comprises a vacuum sealed enclosure, a wicking structure, and a working fluid that is absorbed by the wicking structure and transported to the evaporator side via capillary action.

9. The eyewear device of claim 8 , wherein the vacuum sealed enclosure comprises top and bottom covers, the wicking structure comprises top and bottom wicking structures, further comprising copper pillars that separate the top and bottom wicking structures.

10. The eyewear device of claim 7 , wherein the second heat sink further comprises a thermal coupling that connects the vapor chamber to a heat sink so as to thermally communicate heat from the vapor chamber to the heat sink.

11. The eyewear device of claim 10 , wherein the vapor chamber, thermal coupling, and heat sink are disposed within the at least one temple.

12. The eyewear device of claim 11 , wherein the at least one temple comprises a hinged arm and a hinge adjacent the frame, and the at least one processing device is located in the hinged arm.

13. The eyewear device of claim 12 , wherein the thermal coupling extends through a substantial portion of the hinged arm from a portion adjacent the hinge to a portion of the hinged arm that would contact a user's ear when worn.

14. The eyewear device of claim 13 , wherein the heat sink is located on an end of the hinged arm behind the user's ear when worn, and the thermal coupling extends from the vapor chamber to the heat sink.

15. The eyewear device of claim 10 , wherein the thermal coupling comprises a thermal spreader in thermal communication with the vapor chamber.

16. The eyewear device of claim 15 , wherein the thermal coupling further comprises a layer of thermal interface material interposed between the thermal spreader and the vapor chamber.

17. The eyewear device of claim 10 , wherein the heat sink includes a battery and a battery shield.

18. A method of dissipating heat generated by at least one imaging device and at least one processing device of a wearable electronic eyewear device, comprising:
providing a first heat sink thermally connecting the at least one imaging device to a frame of the wearable electronic eyewear device to sink heat from the at least one imaging device to the frame;
providing a second heat sink thermally connecting the at least one processing device to at least one temple of the wearable electronic eyewear device to sink heat from the at least one processing device to the at least one temple, wherein the second sink comprises a vapor chamber having an evaporator side and a condensing side; and
thermally insulating the first heat sink from the second heat sink.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising disposing a first co-processor of the at least one processing device in a first temple connected to a first end of a frame of the wearable electronic eyewear device and disposing a second co-processor of the at least one processing device in a second temple connected to a second end of the frame of the wearable electronic eyewear device.

Assignees

• Snap Inc

Inventors

• Ashwood Andrea
• Nilles Gerald
• Simons Patrick Timothy Mcsweeney
• Steger Stephen Andrew
• You Choonshin

Classifications

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G02B2027/014

  comprising information/image processing systems · CPC title

• G02B27/0093 Primary

  with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking · CPC title

• G02B2027/0187

  slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye · CPC title

• G02B2027/0138

  comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera · CPC title