Heat management in wireless electronic devices

Abstract

An eyewear device has an antenna system having at least one element which contributes to wireless signal transmission, and which is thermally connected to a heat-generating electronic component of the eyewear device to serve as a heat sink for the electronic component. A driven antenna element and/or a plurality of PCB extenders electrically-connected to a PCB ground plane can thus be employed for both signal transmission and heat management.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An antenna system comprising:
 a driven antenna element;   a printed circuit board (PCB) that carries on-board electronics communicatively coupled to the driven antenna element to communicate wireless signals via the driven antenna element, the PCB defining a PCB ground plane for co-operation with the driven antenna. element in signal communication; and   a PCB extender comprising a conductor electrically connected to the PCB ground plane and projecting from the PCB for co-operation with the driven antenna element in signal communication.   
     
     
         2 . The antenna system of  claim 1 , which comprises a plurality of PCB extenders electrically connected to the PCB ground plane and projecting from the PCB in mutually transverse orientations, thereby defining a plurality of mutually transverse ground planes for the driven antenna element. 
     
     
         3 . The antenna system of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of PCB extenders comprises a pair of PCB extenders that are substantially orthogonal relative to one another. 
     
     
         4 . The antenna system of  claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of PCB extenders comprises a wire conductor. 
     
     
         5 . The antenna system of  claim 2 , wherein the driven antenna element is a non-loop conductor connected at one end thereof to a signal feed provided by the PCB electronics. 
     
     
         6 . The antenna system of  claim 2 , wherein the system is incorporated in an electronics-enabled device, the driven antenna element and the plurality of PCB extenders being housed within a body of the device. 
     
     
         7 . The antenna system of  claim 6 , wherein the device is an eyewear device, the body of the eyewear device comprising an eyewear frame defining one or more optical element holders for holding respective optical elements within view of a user when the eyewear device is worn, at least one of the driven antenna element and the plurality of PCB extenders being incorporated in the eyewear frame. 
     
     
         8 . The antenna system of  claim 6 , wherein at least one of the plurality of PCB extenders forms a support element providing increased structural rigidity to at least part of the body of the device. 
     
     
         9 . The antenna system of  claim 8 , wherein one or more of the plurality of PCB extenders forms a core wire for a molded component of the device body. 
     
     
         10 . The antenna system of  claim 2  wherein one or more antenna components selected from the group comprising the driven antenna element and the plurality of PCB extenders comprises a thermally conductive element that is connected to the PCB to be in heat transfer relationship with one or more heat sources on the PCB, thereby to serve as a heat sink for the electronics on the PCB. 
     
     
         11 . The antenna system of  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the plurality of PCB extenders comprises a metal wire connected both electrically and thermally to the PCB. 
     
     
         17 . A device comprising:
 a device body;   a driven antenna element housed by the device body;   a printed circuit board (PCB) that is housed by the device body and that carries on-board communication electronics coupled to the driven antenna element to communicate wireless signals via the driven antenna element, the PCB defining a PCB ground plane coupled to the communication electronics for co-operation with the driven antenna element in signal communication; and   one or more PCB extenders housed by the body, each PCB extender comprising a conductor electrically connected to the PCB ground plane and projecting from the PCB for co-operation with the driven antenna element in signal communication.   
     
     
         13 . The device of claim  12 , wherein the one or more PCB extenders comprise a pair of PCB extenders projecting from the PCB in mutually transverse orientations, the pair of PCB extenders defining a pair of mutually transverse ground planes for the driven antenna element. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the driven antenna element projects from the PCB in a direction transverse to both of the pair of PCB extenders. 
     
     
         15 . The device of claim  12 , wherein the device is an eyewear device, the device body comprising an eyewear frame defining one or more optical element holders for holding respective optical elements within view of a user when the eyewear device is worn, at least one of the driven antenna element and the one or more PCB extenders being incorporated in the eyewear frame. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 15 , wherein at least one of the driven antenna element and the one or more PCB extenders extends along a part of one of the one or more optical element holders. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 15 , wherein one of the one or more PCB extenders extends along an operatively top portion of the eyewear frame, having a sideways orientation relative to a direction of view of the eyewear device. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 15 , wherein the device body further includes a pair of temples connected to the eyewear frame for supporting the eyewear frame in position during wear, a first PCB extender comprising a wire extending along one of the pair of temples. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein:
 a second PCB extender comprises a wire extending along the eyewear frame in a direction sideways relative to a direction of view of the eyewear device, such that the second PCT extender is substantially orthogonal to the first PCB extender; and   wherein the driven antenna element extends along at least part of a respective optical element holder defined by the eyewear frame, the driven antenna element being substantially orthogonal to both the first PCB extender and the second PCB extender.   
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 15 , wherein at least one of the one or more PCB extenders forms a core wire that provides structural integrity to a corresponding device body component in which it is located.