Earpiece with wirelessly recharging battery

• US 10,587,943 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2017
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Boesen, Peter Vincent, Hirsch, Eric Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Monikang, George C
• Application Number:
  US15/643,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20180014104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 381 74, 3408531, 3408546, 3408548
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1025 Accumulators or arrangements for charging secondary cells per se H01M10/00; charging in general H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

A wearable device includes a housing, a rechargeable battery disposed within the housing and a short range transceiver for near field communication disposed within the housing. The short range transceiver for near field communications comprises a core and a plurality of coil turns wrapped around the core to thereby form a coil. A charging circuit may electrically connected between the coil and the rechargeable battery and configured to charge the rechargeable battery using electromagnetic waves received by the coil.

Claims

1. A wearable device, comprising:

a housing;

a rechargeable battery disposed within the housing;

a short-range transceiver for near field communication disposed within the housing and configured to send and receive audio;

wherein the short-range transceiver for near field communications comprises a core and a plurality of coil turns wrapped around the core to thereby form a coil;

a charging circuit electrically connected between the coil and the rechargeable battery and configured to charge the rechargeable battery using electromagnetic waves received by the coil.

2. The wearable device of claim 1 wherein the wearable device is an earpiece.

3. The wearable device of claim 2 wherein the core is mounted at a posterosuperior portion of the wearable device.

4. The wearable device of claim 1 wherein the core comprises ferrite.

5. The wearable device of claim 1 wherein the core comprises a ferrite sheet magnetic shield spacer wrapped around the rechargeable battery.

6. The wearable device of claim 1 further comprising a switch operatively connected to the charging circuit to selectively control operation of the charging circuit.

7. The wearable device of claim 1 wherein the short-range transceiver is a near field magnetic induction (NFMI) transceiver.

8. The wearable device of claim 1 wherein the wearable device is configured to determine if the wearable device is positioned within an ear of a user.

9. The wearable device of claim 1 wherein the wearable device is configured to determine if the wearable device is positioned on a charging surface.

10. The wearable device of claim 9 further comprising a switch operatively connected to the charging circuit to selectively control operation of the charging circuit and wherein the wearable is configured to activate the charging circuit if the wearable device determines that the wearable device is not positioned within an ear of a user and further determines that the wearable device is positioned at a charging surface.

11. A system comprising:

a first wearable device comprises a housing, a short range transceiver for near field communication and configured to send and receive audio disposed within the housing, wherein the short range transceiver for near field communications comprises a core and a plurality of coil turns wrapped around the core to thereby form a coil, and a charging circuit electrically connected between the coil and the rechargeable battery and configured to charge the rechargeable battery using electromagnetic waves received by the coil;

a charging surface comprising a plurality of source coils for operative communication with the coil of the first wearable device to transfer electromagnetic energy to the first wearable device to recharge the rechargeable battery of the first wearable device.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising a second wearable device comprising a housing, a short range transceiver for near field communication disposed within the housing, wherein the short range transceiver for near field communications comprises a core and a plurality of coil turns wrapped around the core to thereby form a coil, and a charging circuit electrically connected between the coil and the rechargeable battery and configured to charge the rechargeable battery using electromagnetic waves received by the coil.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the first wearable device is an earpiece.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the short-range transceiver is a near field magnetic induction transceiver.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the core is mounted at a posterosuperior portion of the wearable device.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the core comprises ferrite.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the core comprises a ferrite sheet magnetic shield spacer wrapped around the rechargeable battery.

18. The system of claim 11 further comprising a switch operatively connected to the charging circuit to selectively control operation of the charging circuit.

19. A method of charging a wearable device, the method comprising:

receiving audio communications using a coil when the wearable device is in a first mode of operation; and

charging a rechargeable battery of the wearable device when the wearable device is in a second mode of operation;

wherein the wearable device comprises a housing, a rechargeable battery disposed within the housing, a short range transceiver for near field communication disposed within the housing, wherein the short range transceiver for near field communications comprises a core and a plurality of coil turns wrapped around the core to thereby form the coil, and a charging circuit electrically connected between the coil and the rechargeable battery and configured to charge the rechargeable battery using electromagnetic waves received by the coil, and the method further comprising;

switching to the first mode of operation if the wearable device detects it is positioned within an ear of a user;

switching to the second mode of operation if the wearable device detects it is not positioned within the ear of the user and is positioned at one or more charging coils; and

wherein the one or more charging coils are associated with a charging surface.