Deformable Fan Blade for Head-Mounted Display Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Head-mounted displays face challenges in absorbing energy from applied forces due to their compact design, where components are inflexible and unable to deform, leading to potential damage from impacts like dropping.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates deformable components such as fan blades and motor hubs with varying cross-sections that transition from operable to inoperable configurations upon force application, allowing energy absorption through deformation, such as twisting or separation, to mitigate damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the head-mounted display is designed with compact components to reduce size, then the device becomes more wearable and portable, but the components lose the ability to deform and absorb impact energy
Solution Approach 1:
The fan blade is designed with non-uniform cross-sectional area along its length, creating a gradient structure where the cross-sectional area decreases from the root toward the tip. This local variation in geometric properties allows different regions of the same component to serve different functions: the thicker root provides structural support while the thinner sections enable deformation and energy absorption during impact
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameter of the fan blade by varying its cross-sectional area along the length. This parameter change transforms the blade from a rigid uniform structure into a tapered structure with controlled flexibility, enabling it to deform under impact loads and absorb energy while maintaining overall structural integrity
2Strength
If the fan blade cross-sectional area is increased to improve strength, then the component can withstand higher forces, but the ability to deform and absorb energy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The fan blade employs local quality variation through its tapered cross-sectional design, where the root maintains larger cross-sectional area for strength while distal sections have reduced area for deformation. This spatial differentiation allows the single component to simultaneously achieve both strength and energy absorption capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The variable cross-sectional design enables the fan blade to transition from a static rigid structure to a dynamic flexible structure that can adapt its stiffness characteristics based on the applied load, allowing controlled deformation and energy dissipation while maintaining operational integrity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively absorbs energy from applied forces, reducing the risk of damage to critical components like optical modules and displays by allowing relative motion and deformation within the head-mounted display's constrained space.
Implementation Method 1
an applied force to the device housing causes the fan blade to transition from an operable configuration to an inoperable configuration by deformation of the fan blade at the first cross-section
Implementation Method 2
The fan is configured to direct airflow within the device housing
Data Source
AI summary
A head-mounted display device includes a device housing and a fan coupled to the device housing and configured to direct airflow within the device housing. The fan includes a fan housing, a motor hub, and a fan blade coupled to the motor hub. The fan blade has a first cross-section adjacent to the motor hub, a second cross-section outward of and adjacent to the first cross-section, and the first cross-section is smaller than the second cross-section such that an applied force to the device housing causes the fan blade to transition from an operable configuration to an inoperable configuration by deformation of the fan blade at the first cross-section.