U.S. patent application number 16/359853 was filed with the patent office on 2020-09-24 for near eye display (ned) device housing shell integrated with molded boss clusters for precision mounting of hardware components.
The applicant listed for this patent is MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC. Invention is credited to Michael Neil BEERMAN, Simon HODGSON, Marianne E. LAFORD, Igor MARKOVSKY, Michael NIKKHOO, Brian J. TOLENO.
Application Number | 20200301153 16/359853 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005074003 |
Filed Date | 2020-09-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200301153 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TOLENO; Brian J. ; et
al. |
September 24, 2020 |
NEAR EYE DISPLAY (NED) DEVICE HOUSING SHELL INTEGRATED WITH MOLDED
BOSS CLUSTERS FOR PRECISION MOUNTING OF HARDWARE COMPONENTS
Abstract
A Near-Eye-Display (NED) device having a housing shell that is
integrated with molded boss clusters for precision mounting of
hardware components. The techniques disclosed herein include
forming a housing shell directly over one or more pre-molded boss
clusters that have been inserted into cavities of a housing shell
mold core. For example, with the pre-molded boss clusters already
inserted into the cavities, a selected housing shell material such
as a thermosetting epoxy resin impregnated carbon fiber reinforced
(CFRP) fabric may be thermal compression molded over the housing
shell mold core. Individual ones of the pre-molded boss clusters
include one or more "three-dimensional (3D)" bosses for mounting
various hardware components of the NED device. The bosses may
protrude from an inner surface of the housing shell and may provide
interior mounting features without affecting the appearance of the
outer surface of the housing shell.
Inventors: |
TOLENO; Brian J.;
(Cupertino, CA) ; NIKKHOO; Michael; (Saratoga,
CA) ; BEERMAN; Michael Neil; (Mill Valley, CA)
; LAFORD; Marianne E.; (Palo Alto, CA) ;
MARKOVSKY; Igor; (San Jose, CA) ; HODGSON; Simon;
(Morgan Hill, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC |
Redmond |
WA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005074003 |
Appl. No.: |
16/359853 |
Filed: |
March 20, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C 70/205 20130101;
G02B 27/0176 20130101; G05B 19/404 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G02B 27/01 20060101
G02B027/01; G05B 19/404 20060101 G05B019/404; B29C 70/20 20060101
B29C070/20 |
Claims
1. A Near-Eye-Display (NED) device, comprising: at least one boss
cluster that is formed from a thermoplastic material, wherein the
at least one boss cluster includes at least one mounting surface
and at least one boss that protrudes from the at least one mounting
surface; a housing shell that is formed from a fiber-reinforced
thermosetting polymer, wherein the housing shell includes at least
one interior surface defining an interior region of the housing
shell, wherein the housing shell is formed through a molding
process that cures the housing shell in a desired form and
integrates the at least one mounting surface of the at least one
boss cluster with the at least one interior surface of the housing
shell; and one or more hardware components that are mechanically
fastened to the at least one boss cluster within the interior
region of the housing shell.
2. (canceled)
3. The NED device of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware
components include at least one sensor that is mounted to the at
least one boss and is disposed over a sensor aperture that has been
machined into the housing shell subsequent to the molding
process.
4. The NED device of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware
components include a display component that is mounted to the at
least one boss and that protrudes from the interior region of the
housing shell to generate imagery with a field of view.
5. (canceled)
6. The NED device of claim 1, wherein a heat deflection temperature
of the thermoplastic material is higher than a curing temperature
that initiates curing of the fiber-reinforced thermosetting
polymer.
7. The NED device of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware
components are mechanically fastened to at least one metallic
insert that is embedded within the at least one boss cluster that
protrudes from the at least one mounting surface.
8. An apparatus, comprising: a molded boss cluster that is formed
from a first material and that includes a plurality of bosses that
protrude from a mounting surface; a housing shell that is formed
from a second material and that includes an interior region defined
by at least one interior surface of the housing shell, wherein the
housing shell is cured through a molding process that causes the
interior surface of the housing shell to adhere to the mounting
surface of the molded boss cluster, and wherein the second material
is a fiber-reinforced thermosetting polymer; and one or more
hardware components that are mechanically fastened to the plurality
of bosses within the interior region of the housing shell.
9. (canceled)
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first material is a
thermoplastic material having a heat deflection temperature that is
higher than a curing temperature that initiates curing of the
fiber-reinforced thermosetting polymer.
11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more hardware
components include at least one sensor that is mounted to at least
one boss and that is disposed over a sensor aperture within the
housing shell.
12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more hardware
components are mechanically fastened to metallic inserts that are
embedded within the plurality of bosses.
13. A method for forming a component housing that is integrated
with one or more pre-formed boss clusters for precision mounting of
hardware components, the method comprising: inserting the one or
more pre-formed boss clusters into one or more corresponding boss
cluster cavities within a housing shell mold core; disposing a
housing shell material over the housing shell mold core and the one
or more pre-formed boss clusters that are inserted within the one
or more corresponding boss cluster cavities; compressing the
housing shell material between the housing shell mold core and a
housing shell mold cavity; initiating a molding process to cause
the housing shell material to: cure into a form defined by the
housing shell mold core and the housing shell mold cavity, and to
adhere to the one or more mounting surfaces of the one or more
pre-formed boss clusters; and subsequent to the molding process,
separating the housing shell mold core and the housing shell mold
cavity to remove the component housing that is integrated with the
one or more pre-formed boss clusters.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein individual mounting surfaces of
individual pre-formed boss clusters match a curvature of the
housing shell mold core surrounding corresponding housing shell
mold cavities into the individual pre-formed boss clusters are
inserted.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the housing shell material
includes a fiber-reinforced polymer fabric and a polymer resin that
adheres to the mounting surfaces of the one or more pre-formed boss
clusters during the molding process.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the molding process is a
thermal compression molding process, and wherein the housing shell
material includes a thermoset polymer resin that adheres to the
mounting surfaces of the one or more pre-formed boss clusters
during the thermal compression molding process.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the thermal compression molding
process includes raising a temperature of the housing shell
material to a cure temperature that is less than a heat deflection
temperature of the one or more pre-formed boss clusters that are
inserted within the one or more corresponding boss cluster
cavities.
19. The method of claim 13, wherein the housing shell material is a
fiber-reinforced thermosetting polymer fabric that cures at a lower
temperature than the one or more pre-formed boss clusters.
20. The method of claim 13, further comprising: initiating one or
more computer numerical control machine (CNC) programs to cause a
CNC machine to cut one or more sensor apertures into a housing
shell of the component housing and to machine threaded mounting
holes into individual bosses of the one or more pre-formed boss
clusters.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Conventional Near-Eye-Display (NED) devices include numerous
hardware components that are tightly packed within a component
housing. The component housing is an important part of most NED
devices since it both protects the enshrouded hardware components
while also serving aesthetic purposes. Typically, the component
housing and the numerous hardware components enshrouded thereby are
all mounted to a dedicated support structure. The dedicated support
structure is, in most cases, an injection molded plastic component
to which hardware components are first mounted. After the hardware
components are mounted to the dedicated support structure, the
component housing is then mounted to the same dedicated support
structure to enshroud the numerous hardware components while
providing the desired aesthetic appearance.
[0002] There are disadvantages to such NED device housing
configurations. One such disadvantage is that these configurations
are ill-suited to achieve and maintain precise positional
relationships between the various hardware components and the
component housing. For example, mounting the hardware components to
the component housing indirectly via the support structure results
in a geometric tolerance stack up between the hardware components
and the component housing. Moreover, the injection molded materials
used to form both the component housing and the support structure
are typically highly susceptible to thermal expansion so that even
during operation the positional relationship between components is
unstable. Other disadvantages include that dedicated support
structures inherently add to the overall weight of the NED device
and also constrains the ability of designers to miniaturize the NED
device.
[0003] It is with respect to these considerations and others that
the disclosure made herein is presented.
SUMMARY
[0004] Technologies described herein provide for a Near-Eye-Display
(NED) device having a housing shell that is integrated with molded
boss clusters for precision mounting of hardware components.
Generally described, the techniques disclosed herein include
forming a housing shell directly over one or more pre-molded boss
clusters that have been inserted into cavities of a housing shell
mold core. For example, with the pre-molded boss clusters already
inserted into the cavities, a selected housing shell material such
as a thermosetting epoxy resin impregnated carbon fiber reinforced
(CFRP) fabric may be thermal compression molded over the housing
shell mold core. Individual ones of the pre-molded boss clusters
include one or more "three-dimensional (3D)" bosses for mounting
various hardware components of the NED device. The bosses may
protrude from an inner surface of the housing shell and may provide
interior mounting features without affecting the appearance of the
outer surface of the housing shell.
[0005] In some embodiments, after a thermal compression molding
process is completed to integrate the pre-formed boss clusters with
the housing shell, the housing shell and the boss clusters may be
jointly machined to include various features such as, for example,
mounting threads and sensor apertures. In this way, the various
machined features can be located with respect to one another to a
much higher degree of precision than in conventional NED devices
since the effect of geometric tolerance stack up is mitigated.
Additionally, the weight of the NED device is reduced since the
techniques disclosed herein obviate the need for a dedicated
support structure to which a component housing and hardware
components are commonly mounted. Other advantages of integrating
the boss clusters with the component housing through the novel
molding techniques described herein include reducing the overall
weight of the NED device and enabling designers to further
miniaturize the NED device.
[0006] In an exemplary embodiment, the boss clusters may be
pre-formed to include mounting surface(s) that substantially match
a profile (e.g., surface shape) of the portions of the housing
shell at which the boss clusters are to be integrated via
compression molding. Individual boss clusters may include a
plurality of bosses that protrude from the mounting surface(s).
Different ones of the bosses may protrude to a variety of distances
from the mounting surface(s). Additionally, or alternatively,
different ones of the bosses may protrude to a common distance from
the mounting surface(s). In some embodiments, ends of the bosses
that are opposite the mounting surface include metallic inserts
which may ultimately be tapped to include mounting threads. An
exemplary boss cluster may be formed by placing a metallic insert
into a mold and then injection molding a carbon-filled
thermoplastic material into the mold over and around the insert.
After being shot into the mold, the carbon-filled thermoplastic
material cools and hardens over the insert--the resulting structure
being a boss cluster as described herein.
[0007] In the exemplary embodiment, the housing shell may be formed
over the boss cluster via a molding process that causes the
mounting surface of each individual boss cluster to become
substantially adhered to a predetermined region of the housing
shell. Prior to the molding process, the individual pre-molded boss
clusters are each inserted into corresponding boss cluster cavities
of a housing shell mold core. To achieve a smooth and uniform outer
surface of the end product, the mounting surface(s) of each
individual pre-molded boss cluster may substantially match a
profile of the housing shell mold core that surrounds the
corresponding boss cluster cavity. For example, upon inserting a
pre-molded boss cluster into a boss cluster cavity of the housing
shell mold core, the mounting surface of the pre-molded boss
cluster may coincide with a curvature of the housing shell mold
core that immediately surrounds the boss cluster cavity. With the
pre-molded boss clusters inserted into the boss cluster cavities,
both the housing shell mold core and the pre-molded boss clusters
may be covered with a housing shell material. As a specific
example, one or more sheets of a thermosetting epoxy resin
impregnated CFRP fabric may be draped over both the housing shell
mold core and the pre-molded boss clusters.
[0008] In the exemplary embodiment, a molding process may then be
performed to simultaneously form the housing shell while
integrating the same with the pre-molded boss clusters for
precision mounting of hardware components within a NED device. The
molding process may be a thermal compression molding process that
includes compressing the housing shell material between the housing
shell mold core and a housing shell mold cavity while concurrently
applying an appropriate amount of heat to cause the housing shell
material to cure in the compressed shape. Following the molding
process, the housing shell material may have been hardened into a
3D form that matches the surfaces of the housing shell mold core
and housing shell cavity against which the housing shell material
was compressed. Moreover, the housing shell material curing while
simultaneously being compressed against the mounting surfaces of
the pre-molded boss clusters causes the pre-molded boss to become
securely adhered to the cured housing shell material. To
illustrated, suppose that the housing shell material is a
thermosetting epoxy resin impregnated CFRP fabric and the boss
clusters are formed from a carbon-filled thermoplastic. Further
suppose that, the amount of heat applied may be enough to liquify
and initiate irreversible curing of the thermosetting epoxy resin
but not enough to liquify the pre-molded boss clusters. While in
the heated liquid form and while under the pressure exerted by the
mold, the liquified thermosetting epoxy resin may flow into any
geometrical imperfections of the mounting surface. Then, when
solidified back into solid form, the thermosetting epoxy resin of
the CFRP fabric adheres to the geometrical imperfections so that
the pre-molded boss clusters are integrated into the housing shell.
In some cases, the mounting surfaces of the pre-formed boss
clusters may be roughened to increase adhesion.
[0009] After completion of the molding process during which the
housing shell is both solidly formed and adhered to the pre-molded
boss clusters, various features may be jointly machined into the
shell housing and/or the pre-molded boss clusters. For example, the
bosses of the pre-molded boss clusters may be milled flat, drilled,
and then tapped to produce flat mounting surfaces to which various
hardware components are to be secured. Additionally, or
alternatively, one or more through sensor apertures may be machined
into the housing shell to provide a view of an external real-world
environment to one or more sensors that are to be mounted internal
to the housing shell. As a specific but non-limiting example, the
shell housing and integrated boss clusters may be affixed to a
machine bed of a multi-axis computer numerical control (CNC)
machine. Then, the multi-axis CNC machine may be caused to run one
or more CNC programs to flatten and tap the bosses and also to cut
one or more holes into the housing shell so serve as sensor
apertures. It will be appreciated that since the one or more CNC
programs may be used to machine features into the housing shell and
also one or more boss clusters without removing the same from the
machine bed, the various machined features can be located with
respect to one another to a much higher degree of precision than in
conventional NED devices since the effect of geometric tolerance
stack up is mitigated.
[0010] Following completion of the one or more CNC programs,
hardware components of the NED device may be mounted to the bosses
that are now integrated directly into the housing shell. As a
specific but non-limiting example, one or more sensors may be
mounted into a sensor aperture by fastening the sensors to bosses
that are located adjacent to the sensor aperture. Additionally, or
alternatively, a display may be mounted to one or more bosses and
may protrude out of a lower portion of the housing shell, e.g. into
a field of view of a user if the NED device is being worn by the
user. In this way, the housing shell serves as a support structure
while also serving both protective and aesthetic purposes.
[0011] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify
key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter,
nor is it intended that this Summary be used to limit the scope of
the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter
is not limited to implementations that solve any or all
disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.
DRAWINGS
[0012] The Detailed Description is described with reference to the
accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a
reference number identifies the figure in which the reference
number first appears. The same reference numbers in different
figures indicates similar or identical items. References made to
individual items of a plurality of items can use a reference number
followed by a parenthetical containing a number of a sequence of
numbers to refer to each individual item. Generic references to the
items may use the specific reference number without the sequence of
numbers. For example, the items may be collectively referred to
with the specific reference number preceding a corresponding
parenthetical containing a sequence number.
[0013] FIG. 1A is a rear view of an exemplary NED device housing
that includes a housing shell that is integrated with one or more
boss clusters for precision mounting of hardware components.
[0014] FIG. 1B is a side cutaway-section view of the exemplary NED
device housing of FIG. 1A taken along the line A-A shown in FIG.
1A.
[0015] FIG. 2A illustrates a top view of an exemplary boss cluster
that includes four individual bosses that vary in size and
height.
[0016] FIG. 2B is a side view of the exemplary boss cluster of FIG.
2A.
[0017] FIG. 2C is a top view of the exemplary boss cluster of FIG.
2A.
[0018] FIG. 3A illustrates a rear view of the exemplary NED device
housing shown in FIG. 1A with one or more sensor components mounted
to the boss clusters that are integrated into the housing
shell.
[0019] FIG. 3B illustrates a rearview of the exemplary NED device
housing with a display component and a controller mounted to the
boss clusters in addition to the one or more sensor components that
are shown in FIG. 3A.
[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of the exemplary NED device
housing with the display component, the controller, and the sensor
components all internally mounted to the boss clusters.
[0021] FIG. 5A illustrates a top view of an exemplary boss cluster
that includes two individual bosses that have each been formed over
individual metallic inserts.
[0022] FIG. 5B is a side cutaway-section view of the exemplary boss
cluster of FIG. 5A taken along the line B-B shown in FIG. 5A.
[0023] FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded view of a sheet of uncured
housing shell material and a pair of boss clusters disposed between
a housing shell mold core and a housing shell mold cavity.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] The following Detailed Description describes technologies
for a Near-Eye-Display (NED) device having a housing shell that is
integrated with boss clusters for precision mounting of hardware
components. Generally described, the techniques disclosed herein
include processes for inserting boss clusters into a boss clusters
cavity of a housing shell mold core and then molding a housing
shell directly over the boss clusters and the housing shell mold
core. Individual ones of the boss clusters include
"three-dimensional (3D)" bosses for mounting various hardware
components of the NED device. The bosses may protrude from an inner
surface of the housing shell to provide interior mounting features
without affecting the appearance of the outer surface of the
housing shell.
[0025] In some embodiments, the housing shell and/or the boss
clusters may be jointly machined to include various features after
a thermal compression molding process has been completed to
integrate the boss clusters with the housing shell. Exemplary such
machined features include, but are not limited to, mounting threads
on the bosses as well as sensor apertures through the housing
shell. Since the machined features are applied to both the housing
shell and the boss clusters after they have been integrated into a
single component, the relative location of the machined features
remains practically static. In this way, the various machined
features can be located with respect to one another to a much
higher degree of precision than in conventional NED devices since
the effect of geometric tolerance stack up is mitigated.
Additionally, the weight of the NED device is reduced since the
techniques disclosed herein obviate the need for a dedicated
support structure to which a component housing and hardware
components are commonly mounted.
[0026] FIG. 1A is a rear view of an exemplary NED device housing
100 that includes a housing shell 102 that has been molded over and
integrated with one or more boss clusters 104 for precision
mounting of hardware components of a NED device. An exemplary such
NED device may include a display component (e.g., as shown in FIGS.
3B and 4) and various computing hardware components that, either
individually or in combination, are configured to cause the display
component to render computer generated images in front of a user's
eye(s). For example, an exemplary NED device can be used for
augmented reality (AR) and/or virtual reality (VR) applications. It
will be appreciated that in AR-type NED devices, the display
component may be a transparent display element that enables the
user to concurrently see both the real-world environment
surrounding her as well as AR content generated by the display
component.
[0027] As illustrated, the NED device housing 100 includes a first
molded boss cluster 104(1) and a second molded boss cluster 104(2)
both of which are integrated into the housing shell 102. Each of
the boss clusters 104 includes one or more bosses 106 for mounting
various hardware components (e.g., sensors, displays,
System-On-Chip components, motherboards, etc.) to the NED device
housing 100. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the boss
clusters 104 includes four (4) bosses 106--only two (2) of which
are labeled to reduce illustrative clutter. In various embodiments,
the one or more boss clusters 104 may pre-formed via an injection
molding process that includes melting a thermoplastic and then
injecting the resulting molten thermoplastic into a mold that is
specifically shaped to form the desired bosses 106. The housing
shell 102 may then be formed by thermal compression molding one or
more sheets of housing shell material directly over both of a
housing shell mold core and also the pre-molded boss
clusters--which may be inserted into one or more cavities of the
housing shell mold core. As described herein, the thermal
compression molding process may be used to form and cure a resin of
the housing shell material into the desired housing shape (e.g., as
defined by the housing shell mold core and corresponding housing
shell mold cavity) and also to simultaneously cause the resin to
adhere to the boss clusters 104. In this way, the housing shell 102
and integrated boss clusters 104 are enabled to together serve the
purpose of being a support onto which the various hardware
components are mounted.
[0028] In some embodiments, the boss clusters 104 may be formed of
a first material that is optionally reinforced with a filler
material (e.g., glass, carbon, etc.) to minimize the coefficient of
thermal expansion (CTE) of the boss clusters 104. For example, the
boss clusters 104 may be formed of a carbon-filled thermoplastic
material such as polyetherimide (PEI) materials that belong to the
ULTEM.TM. resin family or polybutylene terephthalate materials that
belong to the VALOX.RTM. resin family. These specific materials are
provided for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed
as limiting. Rather, the boss clusters 104 may be formed from any
other material that provides suitable mechanical strength and
thermal resistive properties. Moreover, as described in more detail
below with relation to FIGS. 5A and 5B, one or more of bosses 106
on the boss clusters 104 may be formed over one or more metallic
inserts. Then, after molding the bosses 106 over the metallic
inserts, the metallic inserts may be machined flat, drilled, and
then tapped to produce flat mounting surfaces to which various
hardware components of a NED device are to be secured.
[0029] In some embodiments, the housing shell 102 may be formed of
a second material that is optionally reinforced with a filler
material (e.g., glass, carbon, etc.) to minimize the coefficient of
thermal expansion (CTE) of the housing shell 102. For example, the
housing shell 102 may be formed of a carbon fiber reinforced
polymer (CFRP) fabric that includes a multidirectional weave of
carbon fibers and a thermoset epoxy resin.
[0030] In various embodiments, the first material that is used to
form the boss clusters 104 may have a higher thermal resistance
than the second material that is used to form the housing shell
102. As a specific but nonlimiting example, the first material may
include a thermoplastic polymer material that becomes pliable or
moldable upon being heated above a particular temperature and
solidifies upon being cooled below the particular temperature
(e.g., a thermo-softening plastic). Continuing with the specific
but nonlimiting example, the second material may include a
thermosetting polymer that includes a resin-type polymer that is
initially in the form of a soft solid or viscous liquid prepolymer
that is caused to irreversibly cure by application of heat. In this
example, the temperature at which the first material becomes
pliable or moldable may be greater than the temperature that
induces the irreversible curing of the second material. In this
way, the housing shell 102 may be formed by thermal compression
molding one or more sheets of housing shell material directly over
the boss clusters 104 without impacting structural integrity and/or
shape of the boss clusters 104.
[0031] As further illustrated in FIG. 1A, in some embodiments the
exemplary NED device housing 100 includes one or more sensor
apertures 108 within the housing shell 102. In the specific
illustrated embodiment, the exemplary NED device housing 100
includes a first sensor aperture 108(1), a second sensor aperture
108(2), and a third sensor aperture 108(3). As described in more
detail below in relation to FIGS. 3A-4, one or more sensor
components may be mounted to various ones of the bosses 106 and may
be disposed over individual ones of the sensor apertures 108.
[0032] Turning now to FIG. 1B, illustrated as a side
cutaway-section view of the exemplary NED device housing 100 of
FIG. 1A that is taken along the line A-A shown in FIG. 1A. as shown
in FIG. 1B, the boss clusters 104 are integrated onto an interior
surface 110 of the housing shell 102. Since the boss clusters 104
are adhered to the inner surface 110 of the housing shell 102 and
do not rely upon fasteners extending through the housing shell 102,
the individual bosses 106 protrude from the inner surface of the
housing shell 102 to provide interior mounting features without
affecting the appearance of the outer surface 112 of the housing
shell 102.
[0033] Turning now to FIG. 2A, illustrated is a top view of an
exemplary boss cluster 200 that includes four individual bosses 202
that vary in size and height. FIG. 2B is a side view of the
exemplary boss cluster 200 of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2C is a top view of the
exemplary boss cluster 200 of FIG. 2A.
[0034] In various embodiments, different ones of the individual
bosses 202 may protrude to a variety of distances from a mounting
surface 204 of the boss cluster 200. Additionally, or
alternatively, different ones of the individual bosses 202 may
protrude to a common distance from the mounting surface 204. For
example, as shown in FIGS. 2A through 2C, both of the fourth boss
202(4) and the second boss 202(2) protrude to a greater distance
from the mounting surface 204 of the boss cluster 200 than the
first boss 202(1) and the third boss 202(3). Moreover, the third
boss 202(3) protrude to a greater distance from the mounting
surface 204 in the first boss 202(1). Alternatively, different ones
of the individual bosses 202 may protrude to a common distance from
the mounting surface 204.
[0035] In various embodiments, the mounting surface 204 of the boss
cluster 200 may be configured with the predetermined curvature that
specifically matches a profile of the housing shell 102 that will
ultimately be integrated with the boss cluster 200. For example, in
embodiments where the housing shell 102 is formed directly over the
boss cluster 200 while it is inserted into a housing shell mold
core, the mounting surface 204 of the boss cluster 200 may
substantially match a profile of the housing shell mold core and
the housing shell mold cavity that ultimately presses the housing
shell material against the housing shell mold core. It will be
appreciated by one skilled in the art of thermal compression
molding that matching the curvature of the mounting surface 204
with that of the housing shell mold core and/or housing shell mold
cavity will provide for a smoothie and uniform curvature of the
outer surface 112 of the housing shell 102 after the thermal
compression molding process is completed. Thus, following the
thermal compression molding process, a resulting NED device housing
may be machined (e.g., to form sensor apertures 108 and/or to
flatten and tap the individual bosses 202) and painted to yield a
resulting NED device housing having a smooth exterior surface that
provides no evidence of interior mounting features being integrated
into the housing shell.
[0036] Turning now to FIG. 3A, illustrated is a rearview of the
exemplary NED device housing 100 that is shown in FIG. 1A with one
or more sensor components 300 mounted to the boss clusters 104 that
are integrated into the housing shell 102. More specifically, FIG.
3A illustrates a first sensor component 300(1) that is directly
mounted to a boss on the first boss cluster 104(1), a second sensor
component 300(2) that is directly mounted to bosses on both the
first boss cluster 104(1) and the second boss cluster 104(2), and a
third sensor component 300(3) that is directly mounted to a boss on
the second boss cluster 104(2). Although present in the exemplary
NED device housing 100 that is shown in FIG. 1A and thus FIG. 3A,
it will be appreciated that each of the first through third sensor
apertures 108 are concealed by sensor components 300 and FIG. 3A.
Thus, the sensor apertures 108 are neither illustrated nor labeled
in FIG. 3A.
[0037] As illustrated, the first sensor component 300(1) is secured
to a boss of the first boss cluster 104(1) with a first fastener
302(1) that securely holds the first sensor component 300(1) over
the first sensor aperture 108(1) that has been machined into the
housing shell 102. Furthermore, the second sensor component 300(2)
is secured to the first boss cluster 104(1) with a second fastener
302(2) and is further secured to the second boss cluster 104(2)
with a third fastener 302(3). The second sensor component 300(2)
securely maintained over the second sensor aperture 108(2).
Finally, the third sensor component 300(3) is secured to a boss of
the second boss cluster 104(2) with a fourth fastener 302(4) that
securely holds the third sensor component 300(3) over the third
sensor aperture 108(3).
[0038] Exemplary sensor components 300 that may be mounted to the
boss clusters 104 include, but are not limited to, depth sensing
cameras for sensing a depth of a real-world environment as measured
from the NED device, color video cameras or capturing color image
frames of the real-world environment from the perspective of the
NED device, stereo vision cameras, and/or structured light sensors.
These types of exemplary sensor components may be deployed by the
NED device to perform a variety of functions such as, for example,
spatial mapping to create a real-time environmental mesh of the
real-world environment from the perspective of the NED device, hand
tracking to monitor hand movements and/or gestures that can be
translated to user-computer inputs, and/or eye tracking to monitor
eye movements of a user that is wearing the NED device.
[0039] Turning now to FIG. 3B, illustrated is a rearview of the
exemplary NED device housing 100 with a display component 304 and a
controller 306 mounted to the boss clusters 104 in addition to the
one or more sensor components 300 shown in FIG. 3A. As illustrated,
the exemplary NED device is an Augmented-Reality (AR) type NED
device that is configured to render imagery within the user's field
of view during operation (e.g., to facilitate an augmented or mixed
reality experience). For this reason, the display component 304
protrudes downward from the location at which it is mounted to the
boss clusters 104 and into the user's field of view. An exemplary
such display component 304 that may be used in various NED
applications is a transparent waveguide display having diffractive
optical elements (DOEs) for redirecting light toward a user's eyes.
The light that is redirected may be generated within a light engine
308 that is disposed within the interior region of the housing
shell 102 and may be directed through the one or more DOEs into a
transparent waveguide 310. The specific components that are shown
mounted to the boss clusters 104 in FIGS. 3A and 3B are for
illustrative purposes only. In various embodiments, one or more of
the components shown may be omitted and/or other components may be
included such as, for example, random access memory (RAM), central
processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs),
holographic processing units (HPUs), batteries, and so on.
[0040] Turning now to FIG. 4, illustrated is a front view of the
exemplary NED device housing 100 with the display component 304,
the controller 306, and the sensor components 300 all internally
mounted to the boss clusters 104. Also illustrated in FIG. 4 is a
head strap 400 that is configured to securely mount the exemplary
NED device to a head of a user during operation. Since the boss
clusters 104 are adhered to the inner surface (not visible in FIG.
4) of the housing shell 102 and do not rely upon fasteners
extending through the housing shell 102, the various components may
be mounted to the individual bosses 106 within the inner region of
the NED device housing 100 without affecting the appearance of the
outer surface 112 of the housing shell 102.
[0041] FIG. 5A illustrates a top view of an exemplary boss cluster
500 that includes two individual bosses 502 that have each been
formed over individual metallic inserts 504. FIG. 5B is a side
cutaway-section view of the exemplary boss cluster 500 of FIG. 5A
taken along the line B-B shown in FIG. 5A. The exemplary boss
cluster 500 may be formed by placing the metallic inserts 504 into
a mold cavity and then injecting a melted thermoplastic (e.g., a
thermoplastic that is currently above the heat deflection
temperature) into the mold cavity around studs 506 of the metallic
inserts 504. It should be appreciated that since the line B-B
dissects the second boss 502(2) and second metallic insert 504(2),
only the stud 506(2) of the second metallic insert 504(2) is
visible.
[0042] In the illustrated example, the metallic inserts 504 each
include an alignment pin 508 to assist with properly aligning the
metallic inserts 504 within a mold prior to injecting the melted
thermoplastic material around the metallic inserts 504. As
described above, various portions of the metallic inserts 504
including, but not limited to, the alignment pin 508 may be milled
flat, drilled, and/or tapped with threads flat mounting surfaces to
which various hardware components are to be secured. For example,
after the exemplary boss cluster 500 is pre-formed and then
integrated with a housing shell through the thermal compression
molding techniques described herein, then a multi-axis CNC machine
may be caused to run one or more CNC programs to flatten and tap
the bosses indoor to cut one or more holes into the housing shell
so serve as sensor apertures.
[0043] Turning now to FIG. 6, illustrated is an exploded view 600
of the sheet of uncured housing shell material 602 and a pair of
boss clusters 604 disposed between a housing shell mold core 606
and a housing shell mold cavity 608. The exploded view 600 is
discussed in relation to an exemplary thermal compression molding
process for forming a housing shell from the housing shell material
602 and also integrating deformed housing shell with the era boss
clusters 604.
[0044] As illustrated, the housing shell mold core 606 includes one
or more boss cluster cavities 610 into which individual ones of the
boss clusters 604 snugly fit. Thus, an initial step of the thermal
compression molding process may be to insert the individual boss
clusters 604 into the boss cluster cavities 610 of the housing
shell mold core 606. As described above, the mounting surfaces 612
of the pre-molded boss clusters may substantially match a profile
of the housing shell mold core 606 that surrounds the corresponding
boss cluster cavities 610. For example, upon inserting a pre-molded
boss cluster 604 into a boss cluster cavity 610 of the housing
shell mold core 606, the mounting surfaces 612 of the pre-molded
boss clusters 604 may coincide with a curvature of the housing
shell mold core 606 that immediately surrounds the boss cluster
cavities 610. To illustrate this point, suppose that after the
pre-molded boss clusters 604 are inserted into the boss cluster
cavities 610, sliding your fingertips over the housing shell mold
core 606 and inserted pre-molded boss clusters 604 would feel
smooth and would not reveal noticeable indentations into and/or
protrusions out of the boss cluster cavities 610 or even any abrupt
change in curvature. In some embodiments, the mounting surfaces 612
of the pre-molded boss clusters may be slightly proud of the
profile of the housing shell mold core 606 that surrounds the
corresponding boss cluster cavities 610. For example, the mounting
surfaces may protrude one-half millimeters out from the profile of
the housing shell mold core 606 that surrounds the corresponding
boss cluster cavities 610. In this way, adhesion may be promoted
between the mounting surfaces 612 of the pre-molded boss clusters
and the curing housing shell material.
[0045] After inserting the pre-molded boss clusters 604 inserted
into the boss cluster cavities 610, the one or more sheets of
housing shell material 602 may be disposed over both the housing
shell mold core 606. In an exemplary embodiment, the housing shell
material may be a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) fabric
that is impregnated with or otherwise includes a thermoset polymer
resin in an uncured state. In this way, the sheets of housing shell
material 602 are highly pliable and can be draped over, wrapped
around, or otherwise caused to substantially comply to the outer
shape of the housing shell mold core 606.
[0046] Then, the housing shell mold cavity 608 and the housing
shell mold core 606 may be pressed together to compress the one or
more sheets of housing shell material 602 into the desired shape.
It will be appreciated that although the inner portion of the
housing shell mold cavity 608 is not shown, the shape of this inner
portion will substantially match (but may be slightly larger than)
the outer surface of the housing shell mold core 606. For example,
when the housing shell mold cavity in the housing shell mold core
606 are brought together a substantially uniform gap of one to two
millimeters may be present there between.
[0047] With the uncured housing shell material 602 compressed by
the housing shell mold cavity against the housing shell mold core
606 and the mounting surfaces 612 of the pair of boss clusters 604,
heat may be applied to initiate curing of the housing shell
material 602. It will be appreciated that application of heat to
the uncured housing shell material 602 may result in various
chemical reactions that create extensive cross-linking between
polymer chains to produce a rigid NED housing of the desired shape.
Moreover, the thermal curing of the housing shell material 602
while simultaneously pressing the same against the mounting
surfaces 612 of the pre-molded boss clusters 604 causes the
pre-molded boss clusters 604 to become securely adhered to the
cured housing shell material 602 once it reaches the resulting
cured form.
[0048] The pre-molded boss clusters 604 may be formed of a first
material that reinforced with a carbon-based filler material to
minimize the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). As a specific
but non-limiting example, the pre-molded boss clusters 604 may be
formed of a carbon-filled thermoplastic material such as
polyetherimide (PEI) materials that belong to the ULTEM.TM. resin
family or polybutylene terephthalate materials that belong to the
VALOX.RTM. resin family.
[0049] The housing shell material 602 may be a second material that
is also reinforced with a carbon-based filler material to minimize
the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the housing shell
that results from curing the housing shell material 602. As a
specific but non-limiting example, the housing shell may be formed
of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) fabric that includes a
multidirectional weave of carbon fibers that are weaved throughout
a thermoset epoxy resin.
[0050] The first material from which the pre-molded boss clusters
604 are formed may have a thermal resistance such that a heat
deflection temperature of the first material is higher than the
temperature that initiates the curing of the second material. As a
specific but nonlimiting example, the first material may include a
thermoplastic polymer material that becomes pliable or moldable
upon being heated above a first temperature and then solidifies
upon being cooled below the first temperature (e.g., a
thermo-softening plastic). At the same time, the second material
may include a thermosetting polymer that includes a resin-type
polymer that is initially in the form of a soft solid or viscous
liquid prepolymer and is later caused to irreversibly cure when
raised to a second temperature that is less than the first
temperature.
[0051] Thus, with the uncured housing shell material 602 compressed
by the housing shell mold cavity 608 against the housing shell mold
core 606 and the mounting surfaces 612 of the pair of boss clusters
604, the uncured housing shell material 602 may be heated to the
second temperature without melting the pre-molded boss clusters
604--since they will remain below the first temperature. In this
way, the housing shell may be formed by thermal compression molding
one or more sheets of housing shell material 602 directly over the
boss clusters 604 without impacting structural integrity and/or
shape of the boss clusters 604. Moreover, it will be appreciated
that since many thermosetting polymers have very good adhesion
properties that result from thermally curing the material whilst
compressed against a solid structure, the pre-molded boss clusters
604 will become securely adhered to the cured housing shell
material 602 once it reaches the resulting cured form.
[0052] After completion of the thermo compression molding process
described in relation to FIG. 6, various features may be precisely
machined into the shell housing and/or the pre-molded boss
clusters. For example, the bosses of the pre-molded boss clusters
may be milled flat, drilled, and then tapped to produce flat
mounting surfaces to which various hardware components are to be
secured. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more through sensor
apertures may be machined into the housing shell to provide a view
of an external real-world environment to one or more sensors that
are to be mounted internal to the housing shell. As a specific but
non-limiting example, the shell housing and integrated boss
clusters may be affixed to a machine bed of a multi-axis computer
numerical control (CNC) machine. Then, the multi-axis CNC machine
may be caused to run one or more CNC programs to flatten and tap
the bosses and also to cut one or more holes into the housing shell
so serve as sensor apertures. It will be appreciated that since the
one or more CNC programs may be used to machine features into the
housing shell and also one or more boss clusters without removing
the same from the machine bed, the various machined features can be
located with respect to one another to a much higher degree of
precision than in conventional NED devices since the effect of
geometric tolerance stack up is mitigated.
[0053] Following completion of the one or more CNC programs,
hardware components of the NED device may be mounted to the bosses
that are now integrated directly into the housing shell. As a
specific but non-limiting example, one or more sensors may be
mounted into a sensor aperture by fastening the sensors to bosses
that are located adjacent to the sensor aperture. Additionally, or
alternatively, a display may be mounted to one or more bosses and
may protrude out of a lower portion of the housing shell, e.g. into
a field of view of a user if the NED device is being worn by the
user. In this way, the housing shell serves as a support structure
while also serving both protective and aesthetic purposes.
[0054] It should be appreciated any reference to "first," "second,"
etc. items and/or abstract concepts within the description is not
intended to and should not be construed to necessarily correspond
to any reference of "first," "second," etc. elements of the claims.
In particular, within this Detailed Description and/or the previous
Summary, items and/or abstract concepts such as, for example, boss
clusters, individual bosses, and/or metallic inserts may be
distinguished by numerical designations without such designations
corresponding to the claims or even other paragraphs of the Summary
and/or Detailed Description. For example, any designation of a
"first boss cluster" and "second boss cluster" within a paragraph
of this disclosure is used solely to distinguish two different boss
clusters within that specific paragraph--not any other paragraph
and particularly not the claims.
[0055] FIGS. 1A-6 illustrate/describe various alternate embodiments
of NED device housings having housing shells that are integrated
with pre-molded boss clusters for precision mounting of hardware
components. Specific details being illustrated/described with
another specific detail or, alternatively, apart from another
specific detail is not intended to be construed as a limitation.
Thus, any individual detail illustrated in and/or described with
respect to any figure herein may be combined in practically any
manner with any other individual detail illustrated in and/or
described with respect to any other figure herein. Other individual
details illustrated and/or described throughout this disclosure
shall be interpreted accordingly.
[0056] The presently disclosed techniques are believed to be
applicable to a variety of devices and manufacturing processes
involving integrating housing shells with pre-molded boss clusters
for precision mounting of hardware components. Aspects of this
disclosure are predominantly disclosed in the context of a
Near-Eye-Display (NED) device having a housing shell that is
integrated with molded boss clusters for precision mounting of
hardware components. While the presently disclosed techniques are
not necessarily limited to such specific applications, an
appreciation of various aspects of the disclosed techniques is best
gained through a discussion of examples in the aforementioned
contexts. However, the techniques described herein are equally
applicable to integrating molded boss clusters with housing for a
variety of other types of components such as, for example, laptop
computers, smart watches, and so on. These and other variations
shall be considered variations that do not depart from the present
disclosure.
EXAMPLE CLAUSES
[0057] The disclosure presented herein may be considered in view of
the following clauses.
[0058] Example Clause A, a Near-Eye-Display (NED) device,
comprising: at least one boss cluster that includes at least one
mounting surface and at least one boss that protrudes from the at
least one mounting surface; a housing shell that includes at least
one interior surface defining an interior region of the housing
shell, wherein the housing shell is formed through a molding
process that cures the housing shell in a desired form and
integrates the at least one mounting surface of the at least one
boss cluster with the at least one interior surface of the housing
shell; and one or more hardware components that are mechanically
fastened to the at least one boss within the interior region of the
housing shell.
[0059] Example Clause B, the NED device of Example Clause A,
wherein the at least one boss cluster is formed from a first
material and the housing shell is formed from a second material
that adheres to the first material during the mold process.
[0060] Example Clause C, the NED device of any one of Example
Clauses A through B, wherein the one or more hardware components
include at least one sensor that is mounted to the at least one
boss and is disposed over a sensor aperture that has been machined
into the housing shell subsequent to the molding process.
[0061] Example Clause D, the NED device of any one of Example
Clauses A through C, wherein the one or more hardware components
include a display component that is mounted to the at least one
boss and that protrudes from the interior region of the housing
shell to generate imagery with a field of view.
[0062] Example Clause E, the NED device of any one of Example
Clauses A through D, wherein the at least one boss cluster is
formed from a thermoplastic material and the housing shell is
formed from a fiber-reinforced thermosetting polymer.
[0063] Example Clause F, the NED device of any one of Example
Clauses A through E, wherein a heat deflection temperature of the
thermoplastic material is higher than a curing temperature that
initiates curing of the fiber-reinforced thermosetting polymer.
[0064] Example Clause G, the NED device of any one of Example
Clauses A through F, wherein the one or more hardware components
are mechanically fastened to at least one metallic insert that is
embedded within the at least one boss that protrudes from the at
least one mounting surface.
[0065] Example Clause H, an apparatus, comprising: a molded boss
cluster that is formed from a first material and that includes a
plurality of bosses that protrude from a mounting surface; a
housing shell that is formed from a second material and that
includes an interior region defined by at least one interior
surface of the housing shell, wherein the housing shell is cured
through a molding process that causes the interior surface of the
housing shell to adhere to the mounting surface of the molded boss
cluster; and one or more hardware components that are mechanically
fastened to the plurality of bosses within the interior region of
the housing shell.
[0066] Example Clause I, the apparatus of Example Clause H, wherein
the second material is a fiber-reinforced thermosetting
polymer.
[0067] Example Clause J, the apparatus of any one of Example
Clauses H through I, wherein the first material is a thermoplastic
material having a heat deflection temperature that is higher than a
curing temperature that initiates curing of the fiber-reinforced
thermosetting polymer.
[0068] Example Clause K, the apparatus of any one of Example
Clauses H through J, wherein the one or more hardware components
include at least one sensor that is mounted to at least one boss
and that is disposed over a sensor aperture within the housing
shell.
[0069] Example Clause L, the apparatus of any one of Example
Clauses H through K, wherein the one or more hardware components
are mechanically fastened to metallic inserts that are embedded
within the plurality of bosses.
[0070] Example Clause M, a method for forming a component housing
that is integrated with one or more pre-formed boss clusters for
precision mounting of hardware components, the method comprising:
inserting the one or more pre-formed boss clusters into one or more
corresponding boss cluster cavities within a housing shell mold
core; disposing a housing shell material over the housing shell
mold core and the one or more pre-formed boss clusters that are
inserted within the one or more corresponding boss cluster
cavities; compressing the housing shell material between the
housing shell mold core and a housing shell mold cavity; initiating
a molding process to cause the housing shell material to: cure into
a form defined by the housing shell mold core and the housing shell
mold cavity, and to adhere to the one or more mounting surfaces of
the one or more pre-formed boss clusters; and subsequent to the
molding process, separating the housing shell mold core and the
housing shell mold cavity to remove the component housing that is
integrated with the one or more pre-formed boss clusters.
[0071] Example Clause N, the method of Example Clause M, wherein
individual mounting surfaces of individual pre-formed boss clusters
match a curvature of the housing shell mold core surrounding
corresponding housing shell mold cavities into the individual
pre-formed boss clusters are inserted.
[0072] Example Clause O, the method of any one of Example Clauses M
through N, wherein the housing shell material includes a
fiber-reinforced polymer fabric and a polymer resin that adheres to
the mounting surfaces of the one or more pre-formed boss clusters
during the molding process.
[0073] Example Clause P, the method of any one of Example Clauses M
through O, wherein the molding process is a thermal compression
molding process, and wherein the housing shell material includes a
thermoset polymer resin that adheres to the mounting surfaces of
the one or more pre-formed boss clusters during the thermal
compression molding process.
[0074] Example Clause Q, the method of any one of Example Clauses M
through P, wherein the thermal compression molding process includes
raising a temperature of the housing shell material to a cure
temperature that is less than a heat deflection temperature of the
one or more pre-formed boss clusters that are inserted within the
one or more corresponding boss cluster cavities.
[0075] Example Clause R, the method of any one of Example Clauses M
through Q, wherein the housing shell material is a fiber-reinforced
thermosetting polymer fabric that cures at a lower temperature than
the one or more pre-formed boss clusters.
[0076] Example Clause O, the method of any one of Example Clauses M
through R, further comprising: initiating one or more computer
numerical control machine (CNC) programs to cause a CNC machine to
cut one or more sensor apertures into a housing shell of the
component housing and to machine threaded mounting holes into
individual bosses of the one or more pre-formed boss clusters.
CONCLUSION
[0077] In closing, although the various techniques have been
described in language specific to structural features and/or
methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter
defined in the appended representations is not necessarily limited
to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific
features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing
the claimed subject matter.
* * * * *