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New Google Patents indicate that they may be continuing their work on Consumer Focused Smartglasses

1 cover google smartglasses patent

In CNBC report published in March 2023, they noted that while Google had officially shut down their "Glass Enterprise Edition" division. CNBC noted that this didn't mean that they ended their consumer focused smartglasses. Google had previewed a different pair of smartglasses that could translate and transcribe speech in real-time, and said it would continue to test augmented reality glasses prototypes in public. CNBC is rather convinced that on the enterprise smartglasses project was cancelled.

At present, Google continues to file patents for smartglasses. I've passed on reporting on most of the them thinking their entire smartglasses project was dead, when Google's announcement never included their consumer side project, it left a crack in the door that they're continuing to work on the consumer side of the project.  Whether Google is doing this to simply sell their patents to other Android OEMs considering to enter the smartglasses market is unknown at this time. Going forward, we'll keep an eye on interesting smartglasses patents from Google. In fact, one new smartglasses patent from Google surfaced last week in Europe as presented in-part below.   

In their patent background they note that electronic components with smartglasses may generate heat during operation, which may degrade operation of the components, impact functionality of the wearable computing device, produce user discomfort and the like if the heat is not effectively dissipated.

Volume available within a housing of the wearable computing device for the installation of these electronic components may be somewhat constrained due to the form factor of the wearable computing device, the necessary arrangement of the electronic components within the constrained installation volume to provide the desired functionality, and other such factors.

Accordingly, this type of installation environment may not easily accommodate traditional systems and methods for dissipation of heat. Housings, or enclosures, that can provide for thermal management in the form factors associated with these types of wearable computing devices may maintain the functionality of the electronic components, and the wearable computing device, as well as user comfort.

Thermal Management for Smartglasses

Google's patent application covers a system and method for smartglasses to incorporate a thermal management system that provides for effective heat dissipation and spreading, while also preserving an interior volume for the installation of electronic components and retaining the desired overall form factor of the wearable computing device.

In some general aspects, thin walled enclosures defining the interior volume and the external form factor of smartglasses may incorporate a shaped or contoured intermediate layer embedded within inner and outer layers.

The intermediate layer may have relatively higher thermal conductivity properties than the inner and outer layers, such that the intermediate layer defines a thermal path for the spreading and/or dissipation of heat generated by the electronic components installed within the thin walled enclosure.

Manufacturing techniques such as, for example, thermoforming, compression molding, additive manufacturing and the like may provide for the manufacture of such thin walled enclosures, while preserving the interior installation volume and also the desired external form factor of the wearable computing device.

Below are patent figures 1B, 1C and 2A that highlight various features of Google's smartglasses.

2 Google Smartglasses patent figs

In a series of Google's patent figures below, we focus on the thermal management system for smartglasses.

3 Google Smartglasses Patent figure

Google's patent FIG. 3A above is a close in, semi-transparent view of an example section of one of the arm portions #230.

In the example shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the intermediate layer #330 includes a material having relatively low thermal conductivity properties. Such materials may include, for example, a polycarbonate based material, a plastic based material, a resin based material, an epoxy based material, and other such materials that can have relatively low thermal conductivity properties and provide some level of insulating properties. In some examples, the intermediate layer includes multiple sections including at least one section (i.e., the first section #331) made of a material having relatively high thermal conductivity properties, and at least one section (i.e., the second section #332) made of a material having relatively low thermal conductivity properties.

For more on this review the WIPO patent WO2024039405.

Other Smartglasses Patents you might be interested in: 

  • 01: Meta – Multilayer lens for Virtual Reality Optics
  • 02: Google: Dual Axis Hinge with Asymmetric Deflection (the filing date is noted as being August 2023, five months after Google announced it shut down their Glass Enterprise Edition, proving an engineering team is still alive and well for consumer smartglasses).

 

10.0x35 Patently Mobile

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