Antenna for use in a wearable device

• US 10,297,911 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2018
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Original Assignee: Bragi GmbH
• Inventors: Hirsch, Eric Christian, Hviid, Nikolaj
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Blane J
• Application Number:
  US15/949,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20180241117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/08 Ferrite rod or like elongated core
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

An earpiece includes a housing, a first short-range transceiver for far field communication disposed within the housing, and a second short range transceiver for near field communication disposed within the housing. The second short range transceiver for near field communications comprises an antenna formed from a plurality of coil turns. There is a battery disposed within the housing. The earpiece further includes a first generally planar printed circuit board disposed within the housing and a second generally planar printed circuit board disposed within the housing. There is a flexible connector between circuit boards. The battery is positioned between the first generally planar printed circuit board and the second generally planar printed circuit board. The antenna is mounted perpendicularly to the plurality of components mounted on the first generally planar printed circuit board to thereby reduce electromagnetic interference.

Claims

1. A method for assembling an earpiece, comprising the steps of:

forming an antenna from a plurality of coil turns wrapped around a core, wherein the antenna is part of a short-range transceiver for near field communications;

mounting a first plurality of components to a first generally planar printed circuit board;

mounting a second plurality of components to a second generally planar printed circuit board;

coupling a flexible connector between the first generally planar circuit board and the second generally planar circuit board for providing electrical connections therebetween;

positioning a battery between the first generally planar printed circuit board and the second generally planar printed circuit board;

mounting the antenna perpendicularly to the plurality of components mounted on the first generally planar printed circuit board to thereby reduce electromagnetic interference; and

placing within a housing a short-range transceiver for far field communication, the short-range transceiver for near field communication, and the first and second generally planar printed circuit boards coupled by the flexible connector having the battery in between.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of mounting the antenna at a posterosuperior portion of the earpiece device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of mounting the antenna between the first generally planar printed circuit board and the second generally planar printed circuit board along an edge of the battery.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of wrapping the plurality of coil turns around a ferrite material that is the core.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the ferrite material comprises a magnetic spacer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of wrapping the plurality of coil turns around the battery that is the core.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of wrapping the plurality of coil turns around the core including a spacer which is wrapped around the battery.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising wrapping the plurality of coil turns around a balanced armature speaker positioned perpendicularly to the plurality of components.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising wrapping the plurality of coil turns around a portion of the housing.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising wrapping the plurality of coil turns around a tip portion of the housing.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the short range transceiver for far field communication is a Bluetooth transceiver.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the short range transceiver for near field communications is a near field magnetic induction (NFMI) transceiver.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the earpiece is a right earpiece.

14. A method for assembling a wearable device comprising the steps of:

wrapping a plurality of coil turns around a core for a near field magnetic induction antenna;

mounting a plurality of components to a printed circuit board;

mounting the near field magnetic induction antenna perpendicularly to a plane associated with a short-range transceiver mounted on the printed circuit board to thereby reduce electromagnetic interference; and

placing within a housing, the short-range transceiver, the printed circuit board and the near field magnetic induction antenna.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the wearable device is an earpiece.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of mounting the core associated with the near field magnetic induction antenna at a posteosuperior portion of the earpiece.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of wrapping the plurality of coil turns are around a ferrite magnetic shield spacer surrounding a battery.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of mounting the core associated with the near field magnetic induction antenna at a perimeter of the printed circuit board.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the short-range transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver.