Eyewear with conductive temple joint

• US 9,726,904 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Inventors: Lin, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung
• Application Number:
  US14/869,149
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 351158, 351 41, 351116, 351121, 351153, 16228, 455347, 455 90, 455344
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 5/14 Side-members
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter

Abstract

Apparatuses and systems for wearable devices such as eyewear are described. According to one embodiment, the wearable device includes a frame, a temple, onboard electronics components, and a coupling mechanism. The frame is configured to hold one or more optical elements. The temple is connected to the frame at an articulated joint such that the temple is disposable between a collapsed condition and a wearable condition in which the device is wearable by a user to hold the one or more optical elements within user view. The onboard electronics components comprise at least a pair of electronics components carried by the frame and the temple respectively. The coupling mechanism is incorporated in the articulated joint and that is configured to electrically connect the pair of electronics components across the articulated joint both when the temple is in the wearable condition and when the temple is in the collapsed condition.

Claims

1. A wearable device comprising:

a frame configured to hold one or more optical elements, a temple connected to the frame at an articulated joint such that the temple is disposable between a collapsed condition and a wearable condition in which the device is wearable by a user to hold the one or more optical elements within user view;

onboard electronics components comprising at least a pair of electronics components carried by the frame and the temple respectively; and

a coupling mechanism that is incorporated in the articulated joint and that is configured to electrically connect the pair of electronics components across the articulated joint both when the temple is in the wearable condition and when the temple is in the collapsed condition;

wherein the coupling mechanism comprises a first connector on a first face of the temple and a second connector on a second face of the temple, wherein the articulated joint comprises a hinge assembly that is configured such that the first connector conductively contacts with a complementary connector on the frame when the temple is in the wearable condition, and such that the second connector conductively contacts a second complementary connector on the frame when the temple is in the collapsed condition.

2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein one of the pair of electronics components includes a battery carried by the temple.

3. The wearable device of claim 2, further comprising a second temple, and wherein the second temple carries a second battery the second temple being connected to the frame by a second articulated joint, the device further comprising a second coupling mechanism incorporated in the second articulated joint for electrically connecting the second battery across the second articulated joint to at least one of the pair of electronics components carried by the frame.

4. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein first connection comprises one of a pair of pins or pads and the second connection comprises one of a second pair of pins or pads.

5. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the coupling mechanism is further configured for coupling at least one of the pair of electronics components carried by the device to an external power source when the temple is in the collapsed condition.

6. The wearable device of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the pair of electronics components comprises a battery carried by the temple.

7. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the at least a pair of electronics components comprises:

a battery configured to operationally store charge; and

a circuit coupled to the battery and configured to deliver a charge to and from the battery.

8. The wearable device of claim 1 wherein the at least a pair of electronics components comprises:

a computer; and

one or more of a camera, a microphone, a sensor, a display device, an indicator, a memory, an actuator, and a wireless module in communication with the computer.

9. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the coupling mechanism is configured to transfer both data signals and electrical power across the articulated joint.

10. A system including a wearable device, the system comprising:

eyewear comprising;

a frame, a temple, onboard electronics components comprising at least a pair of electronics components carried by the temple and frame respectively, a coupling mechanism that is incorporated in an articulated joint between the temple and the frame, the coupling mechanism is configured to electrically connect the pair of electronics components across the articulated joint both when the temple is in the wearable condition and when the temple is in the collapsed condition; and

a case configured to receive the frame and the temple therein with the temple disposed in the collapsed condition, the case including a connector configured to couple to the coupling mechanism of the eyewear, the case configured to charge at least one of the at least the pair of electronics components.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a cable with a connector configured to couple to the coupling mechanism of the eyewear when the temple is disposed in the folded position, wherein the cable is configured to couple with an external source of power, data, or power and data for at least one of at least the pair of electronics components carried by the eyewear.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the at least the pair of electronics components comprise:

a computer; and

one or more of a camera, microphone, a sensor, a display device, an indicator, a memory, an actuator, and a wireless module in communication with the computer.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a second temple, and wherein the second temple carries a second battery the second temple being connected to the frame by a second articulated joint, the device further comprising a second coupling mechanism incorporated in the second articulated joint for electrically connecting the second battery across the second articulated joint to at least one of the pair of electronics components carried by the frame.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises sets of pins or pads on at least two faces of the temple and complementary sets of pins or pads on one or more faces of the frame.

15. A wearable device comprising:

a frame configured to hold one or more optical elements, a temple connected to the frame at an articulated joint such that the temple is disposable between a collapsed condition and a wearable condition in which the device is wearable by a user to hold the one or more optical elements within user view;

one or more onboard electronics components carried by the frame and a battery carried by the temple; and

a coupling mechanism that is incorporated in the articulated joint and that is configured to electrically connect the battery with the one or more electronics components across the articulated joint both when the temple is in the wearable condition and when the temple is in the collapsed condition;

wherein the coupling mechanism comprises a first connector on a first face of the temple and a second connector on a second face of the temple, wherein the articulated joint comprises a hinge assembly that is configured such that the first connector conductively contacts with a complementary connector on the frame when the temple is in the wearable condition, and such that the second connector conductively contacts a second complementary connector on the frame when the temple is in the collapsed condition, and wherein the coupling mechanism is configured such that the battery is electrically disconnected from the one or more electronics components across the articulated joint when the temple is in a partially folded condition.

16. The wearable device of claim 15, further comprising a second temple, and wherein the second temple carries a second battery the second temple being connected to the frame by a second articulated joint, the device further comprising a second coupling mechanism incorporated in the second articulated joint for electrically connecting the second battery across the second articulated joint to at least one of the pair of electronics components carried by the frame.

17. The wearable device of claim 15, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises one of a pair of pins or pads and the second connection comprises one of a second pair of pins or pads.

18. The wearable device of claim 15, wherein the first face of the temple defines a plane that is generally transverse to a plane defined by the second face of the temple, and wherein the complementary connectors on the frame are located at faces with planes that with substantially align with one another.