Helmet-Mounted Compute Module for Heat Management and Weight Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional navigation and communication gear for emergency response personnel is cumbersome, often occupying hands and increasing the likelihood of smoke obscuring the visual path, and lacks the ability to track user head motion when mounted on wearable safety helmets.
Innovation Solution
A helmet-mounted visual communication and navigation system with a modular design featuring a vision module and compute module, strategically placed to minimize added inertia, incorporating thermal cameras, sensors, and a heads-up display that tracks user head motion, and includes heat management and insulation to operate in extreme conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If thermal cameras and communication gear are mounted on a helmet, then hands-free operation is achieved, but the weight distribution becomes uneven causing balance issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions heavy electronic components and batteries in the rear portion of the helmet, opposite to the front-mounted vision module and display. This counterweight arrangement balances the center of gravity, preventing the helmet from tilting forward while maintaining hands-free operation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent distributes components along the longitudinal axis of the helmet (front-to-rear dimension) rather than concentrating them all at the front. By extending the weight distribution across the length of the helmet, the system achieves better balance while maintaining the hands-free operational advantage.
2Adaptability or versatility
If handheld thermal cameras are used, then they can be easily replaced, but they occupy hands needed for other tasks and increase smoke obscuration risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the thermal camera, communication radio, and display into a single helmet-mounted system. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate handheld devices, freeing the user's hands while maintaining adaptability through modular component design that allows individual parts to be replaced or upgraded.
Solution Approach 2:
The helmet-mounted system performs multiple functions (thermal imaging, communication, navigation, situational awareness) through integrated components. This multi-functional approach replaces multiple specialized handheld devices with a single universal system, improving hands availability while maintaining operational versatility.
3Ease of operation
If components are mounted on the front of the helmet, then they are easily accessible, but they create snag hazards and uneven weight distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions components along the rear and side portions of the helmet rather than concentrating them at the front. This spatial redistribution maintains accessibility through strategic placement while eliminating protruding elements that could create snag hazards in emergency environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetric component placement optimized for the user's field of view and operational needs. Critical components like the display are positioned in the user's peripheral vision area, while heavier components are placed in the rear, creating an asymmetric but functionally optimized configuration that reduces snag hazards.
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
The system provides hands-free navigation and communication, reduces snag hazards, and maintains clear visibility by integrating sensors that track user head motion, enhancing situational awareness and reducing cognitive load in emergency situations.
Implementation Method 1
two or more heat sinks configured to store heat dissipated from electronic components of the internal compute subassembly
Implementation Method 2
two or more heat sinks configured to store heat dissipated from electronic components of the internal compute subassembly
Data Source
AI summary
The technology described herein relates to a compute module for a helmet mounted visual communication and navigation system. A compute module for a helmet mounted visual communication and navigation system may include a housing having two larger regions provided symmetrically and a smaller region provided between the two larger regions, an internal compute subassembly including a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) having two wider portions corresponding to the two larger regions of the housing and a narrower portion corresponding to the smaller region of the housing, heat sinks configured to store heat dissipated from electronic components of the internal compute subassembly, a cable connection interface, and a power button. The compute module also may include an antenna or other sensor for receiving and transmitting data associated with a user.