Systems, Devices, and Methods for Electrical Pathways Between Components in Wearable Heads-Up Displays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020393685-A1
Application number	US-202016897799-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 10, 2020
Priority date	Jun 17, 2019
Publication date	Dec 17, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods for electrical connection between components of wearable heads-up displays are described. A wearable heads-up display can include a first arm and a second arm, bridged by a front frame. The first arm can carry electrical components, the second arm can carry a power source, and the front frame can carry a set of electrically conductive current paths which provide electrical coupling between the power source and the electrical components. The first arm and the second arm can each rotate about a respective hinge relative to the front frame. A flexible, dynamic set of electrically conductive current paths can couple the electrical components in the first arm to the set of electrically conductive current paths in the front frame, and another flexible, dynamic set of electrically conductive current paths can couple the power source in the second arm to the connector in the front frame.

First claim

1 . A wearable heads-up display (“WHUD”) comprising:
a support structure to be worn on a head of a user, the support structure comprising a first arm to be positioned on a first side of the head of the user, a second arm to be positioned on a second side of the head of the user opposite the first side of the head of the user, and a front frame to be positioned on a front side of the head of the user, the first arm physically coupled to the front frame by a first hinge and the second arm physically coupled to the front frame by a second hinge;
an optical combiner carried by the front frame, the optical combiner to be positioned within a field of view of an eye of the user when the support structure is worn on the head of the user;
a light engine carried by the first arm, the light engine positioned and oriented to output display light to the optical combiner when the first hinge is in an unfolded configuration;
a power source carried by the second arm; and
at least three respective sets of electrically conductive current paths which together provide electrical coupling between the power source and the light engine, the at least three respective sets of electrically conductive current paths including:
a first set of electrically conductive current paths carried by the front frame;
a second set of electrically conductive current paths that extend across the first hinge, the second set of electrically conductive current paths to provide electrical coupling between the first set of electrically conductive current paths and the light engine; and
a third set of electrically conductive current paths that extend across the second hinge, the third set of electrically conductive current paths to provide electrical coupling between the first set of electrically conductive current paths and the power source;

wherein the optical combiner is positioned and oriented to direct the display light towards the eye of the user when the first hinge is in the unfolded configuration.

2 . The WHUD of claim 1 , further comprising at least one processor carried by the first arm and a non-transitory processor readable storage medium carried by the first arm, wherein the at least one processor is communicatively coupled to both the non-transitory processor readable storage medium and the light engine, and the second set of electrically conductive current paths provides electrically coupling between the at least one processor and the first set of electrically conductive current paths, and between the non-transitory processor readable storage medium and the first set of electrically conductive current paths.

3 . The WHUD of claim 2 , further comprising:
at least one camera carried by the support structure; and a fourth set of electrically conductive current paths that extend across the first hinge, the fourth set of electrically conductive current paths to provide electrical coupling between the camera and the at least one processor.

4 . The WHUD of claim 3 wherein the first set of electrically conductive current paths are non-dynamic electrically conductive current paths, the second set of electrically conductive current paths are dynamic electrically conductive current paths, the third set of electrically conductive current paths are dynamic electrically conductive current paths, and the fourth set of electrically conductive current paths are dynamic electrically conductive current paths.

5 . The WHUD of claim 3 wherein each of the first set of electrically conductive current paths, the second set of electrically conductive current paths, the third set of electrically conductive current paths, and the fourth set of electrically conductive current paths is carried by a respective printed circuit board.

6 . The WHUD of claim 3 , further comprising a power supply circuit carried by the first arm, the second set of electrically conductive current paths to provide electrical coupling between the first set of electrically conductive current paths and the power supply circuit, and wherein the power supply circuit is electrically coupled to each of: the at least one processor, the non-transitory processor readable storage medium, and the light engine.

7 . The WHUD of claim 6 , the fourth set of electrically conductive current paths further to provide electrical coupling between the power supply circuit and the at least one camera across the first hinge.

8 . The WHUD of claim 1 , the second set of electrically conductive current paths to provide electrical coupling between the first set of electrically conductive current paths and the light engine when the first hinge is in the unfolded configuration.

9 . The WHUD of claim 1 , the third set of electrically conductive current paths to provide electrical coupling between the first set of electrically conductive current paths and the power source when the second hinge is in an unfolded configuration.

10 . The WHUD of claim 1 , the third set of electrically conductive current paths to provide direct electrical coupling between the power source and the first set of electrically conductive current paths.

11 . The WHUD of claim 1 , the second set of electrically conductive current paths to provide direct electrical coupling between the first set of electrically conductive current paths and each of: the at least one processor, the non-transitory processor readable storage medium, and the light engine.

12 . The WHUD of claim 1 wherein the first set of electrically conductive current paths is electrically coupled to the second set of electrically conductive current paths by at least one coupling mechanism selected from a group consisting of: a board-to-board connector, solder, and adhesive, and wherein the first set of electrically conductive current paths is electrically coupled to the third set of electrically conductive current paths by at least one coupling mechanism selected from a group consisting of: a board-to-board connector, solder, and adhesive.

13 . The WHUD of claim 1 , further comprising:
a wireless communications module carried by the first arm; an antenna carried by the front frame; and a fifth set of electrically conductive current pathways that extend across the first hinge to provide electrical coupling between the antenna and the communications module.

14 . The WHUD of claim 1 , further comprising:
a wireless communications module carried by the first arm; and an antenna carried by the front frame, the antenna extending across the first hinge and electrically coupled to the communications module.

15 . The WHUD of claim 1 , further comprising:
a wireless communications module carried by the first arm; and an antenna carried by the first arm, the antenna electrically coupled to the communications module.

16 . The WHUD of claim 1 wherein the light engine comprises at least one component selected from a group consisting of: a projector, a scanning laser projector, a microdisplay, and a white-light source.

17 . The WHUD of claim 1 wherein the optical combiner comprises at least one optical component selected from a group consisting of: a waveguide, a holographic optical element, a prism, a diffraction grating, a light reflector, a light reflector array, a light refractor, and a light refractor array.

18 . The WHUD of claim 1 , wherein the optical combiner is carried by a lens and the lens is carried by the front frame of the support structure.

19 . The WHUD of claim 1 , the optical combiner comprising a waveguide, an incoupler, and an outcoupler, wherein:
the incoupler is positi

Assignees

• North Inc

Inventors

• Isaacs Philip Michael
• Moore Joshua

Classifications

• H04B1/385

  Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets · CPC title

• G02B2027/0138

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

• G02B2027/0161

  characterised by the relative positioning of the constitutive elements · CPC title

• G02B27/0176 Primary

  characterised by mechanical features · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title