PERSPIRATION DISSIPATING SUPPORT ASSEMBLY FOR HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY DEVICES

• US 20190331928A1
• Filed: 04/27/2018
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: LIN, Tzu-Yuan, TOLENO, Brian J., MARKOVSKY, Igor, HURBI, Erin Elizabeth, NIKKHOO, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,606,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2266/06 Open cell foam
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/724 Permeability to gases, adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 25/005 Three-dimensional woven fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/08 Anti-misting means, e.g. ventilating, heating H05B3/84 takes precedence; Wipers

Abstract

A perspiration dissipating support assembly for head-mounted-display (HMD) devices. Variations of the perspiration dissipating support assembly disclosed herein enable supporting forces for an HMD device to be spread over a large portion of a user'"'"'s head while facilitating dissipation of both liquid perspiration and vapor perspiration via respective dedicated dissipation mechanisms. In some embodiments, the perspiration dissipating support assembly includes a vapor-permeable contact layer that contacts the user'"'"'s head and a vapor-permeable spacer that provides a Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate on the order of several times greater than that of the vapor-permeable contact layer. The vapor-permeable contact layer may have wicking properties that tend to draw perspiration (e.g., via capillary action resulting from a particular technical-weave pattern) away from the user'"'"'s head and into the vapor-permeable spacer through which the perspiration evaporates into the ambient environment. The vapor-permeable spacer may be a three-dimensional fabric and/or an open-cell foam.

Claims

1. A Head-Mounted Display (HMD) device, comprising:

a housing from which a display protrudes to generate imagery within a field-of-view of a user;

a support assembly to mechanically couple the housing to a head of the user, wherein the support assembly includes at least a vapor-permeable contact layer having an inner surface positioned to contact the head of the user and an outer surface positioned away from the head of the user; and

a vapor-permeable spacer disposed at least partially between the outer surface of the vapor-permeable contact layer and the housing, wherein the vapor-permeable spacer is configured to become at least partially compressed when in contact with the head of the user, by the support assembly, between the housing and the head of the user to maintain a position of the display with respect to the field-of-view of the user.

2. The HMD device of claim 1, further comprising an adhesion layer disposed between the vapor-permeable spacer and the outer surface of the vapor-permeable contact layer, wherein the adhesion layer adheres the vapor-permeable spacer to the outer surface of the vapor-permeable contact layer, and wherein the adhesion layer is substantially liquid-water proof and substantially vapor-water permeable.

3. The HMD device of claim 1, wherein the vapor-permeable spacer that is configured to maintain the position of the display with respect to the field-of-view is a three-dimensional spacer fabric.

4. The HMD device of claim 1, wherein the vapor-permeable spacer that is configured to maintain the position of the display with respect to the field-of-view is an open-cell foam having a substantially ordered structure that defines a plurality of channels.

5. The HMD device of claim 4, wherein the open-cell foam is oriented with respect to the support assembly so that at least some individual channels, of the plurality of channels, extend from at least one of:

atop end of the vapor-permeable spacer to a bottom end of the vapor-permeable spacer;

or

a right end of the vapor-permeable spacer to a left end of the vapor-permeable spacer.

6. The HMD device of claim 1, wherein the support assembly further includes:

a substantially rigid carrier having an inner surface that is coupled to the vapor-permeable spacer and an outer surface that is mechanically coupled to the housing, and

a band having a first end that is coupled to a right side of the substantially rigid carrier and a second end that is coupled to a left side of the substantially rigid carrier.

7. The HMD device of claim 1, wherein the vapor-permeable contact layer is an antimicrobial fabric.

8. The HMD device of claim 1, further comprising a thermal conduit that is positioned to absorb heat that is emitted by one or more electronic components that are enclosed within the housing and to transfer the heat into at least a portion of the vapor-permeable spacer.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a housing that encloses one or more electronic components that generate heat during operation;

a display that protrudes downward from the housing to generate imagery within a field-of-view of a user;

a support assembly to mechanically couple the housing to a head of the user, wherein the support assembly includes;

at least one band for encircling the head of the user;

a vapor-permeable wicking layer having an inner surface positioned to contact the head of the user and an outer surface positioned away from the head of the user; and

a vapor-permeable spacer disposed at least partially between the outer surface of the vapor-permeable wicking layer and the housing, the vapor-permeable spacer to maintain a position of the display with respect to the field-of-view of the user, wherein the at least one band is configured to generate forces to compress the vapor-permeable spacer against the head of the user.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the vapor-permeable wicking layer is a textile having directional wicking properties for facilitating greater liquid transport in a first direction than a second direction, and wherein the vapor-permeable wicking layer is oriented with respect to the support assembly so that the first direction extends away from the head of the user.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the vapor-permeable spacer that is configured to maintain the position of the display with respect to the field-of-view is comprised of at least one of a three-dimensional spacer fabric or an open-cell foam.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the vapor-permeable spacer that is configured to maintain the position of the display with respect to the field-of-view is an open-cell foam having a substantially ordered structure that defines a plurality of channels extending from a first end of the vapor-permeable spacer to a second end of the vapor-permeable spacer.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising an adhesion layer disposed between the vapor-permeable spacer and the outer surface of the vapor-permeable wicking layer, wherein the adhesion layer adheres the vapor-permeable spacer to the outer surface of the vapor-permeable wicking layer.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the vapor-permeable wicking layer includes a wicking protrusion that extends away from the head of the user.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the wicking protrusion extends through at least a portion of the vapor-permeable spacer toward the housing.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a thermal conduit that protrudes from an interior region of the housing into thermal contact with the wicking protrusion to transfer at least a portion of the heat into the wicking protrusion for accelerating evaporation from the wicking protrusion.

17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the support assembly further includes a rigid carrier having an inner surface that is coupled to the vapor-permeable spacer and an outer surface that is mechanically coupled to the housing, and wherein the at least one band includes a first end that is coupled to a right side of the substantially rigid carrier and a second end that is coupled to a left side of the rigid carrier.

18. An apparatus for securing a wearable electronic device to a user, the apparatus comprising:

a housing that encloses one of more electronic components that emit heat during operation;

a support assembly to mechanically couple the housing to a body part of the user, wherein the support assembly includes at least a vapor-permeable contact layer having an inner surface positioned to contact the body part of the user and an outer surface positioned away from the body part of the user, and wherein the vapor-permeable contact layer has a first Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate (MVTR); and

a vapor-permeable spacer disposed at least partially between the outer surface of the vapor-permeable contact layer and the housing, wherein the vapor-permeable spacer is configured to be at least partially compressed, by the support assembly, between the housing and the body part of the user to maintain a position of the wearable electronic device with respect to the body part of the user, and wherein the vapor-permeable spacer has a second MVTR that is greater that the first MVTR.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second MVTR is at least three times greater than the first MVTR.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second MVTR is at least eight times greater than the first MVTR.