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.

Description:
PRIORITY STATEMENT 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/360,378, filed Jul. 9, 2016, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to wireless earpieces. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to wirelessly recharging earpieces. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE ART 
       [0003]    The earpiece may one day become one of the most widely used and powerful wearable devices available. However, one of the problems with earpieces relates to battery consumption and use. Where the earpiece provides complicated processing or audio processing, has multiple sensors, and multiple transceivers, and produces audio output, battery consumption becomes an issue. Therefore, any onboard batteries would need to be either replaced or recharged, with recharging being preferred. 
         [0004]    However, where batteries are to recharged, additional constraints on the design of the earpiece may be imposed such as the inclusion of a connector for recharging that is sufficiently durable and easy to use. Such a connector may take space that could otherwise be used to improve functionality of the earpiece. In addition, earpieces which are sized and shaped to fit within the external auditory canals of users may have relatively awkward and inconvenient shapes. Thus, not only does a connector on the earpiece take space, but the earpiece will also have to mate with another connector of a power source. It may be burdensome or inconvenient for a user to charge one or more earpieces in this manner. 
         [0005]    Another issue is that if the earpiece is intended to be waterproof or water resistant, this may further constrain the design of the earpiece where connectors are used for recharging batteries. 
         [0006]    What is needed are earpieces are related methods which allow for wireless recharging of the batteries contained therein. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    Therefore it is a primary object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to improve over the state of the art. 
         [0008]    It is a further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide for an improved wearable device. 
         [0009]    It is a still further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide a wireless earpiece which is configured to permit wireless recharging. 
         [0010]    Another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a wireless earpiece which includes a coil which may be used for multiple purposes including both communications and re-charging. 
         [0011]    Yet another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention is to provide a wireless earpiece which is easy and convenient for users to use and recharge. 
         [0012]    One of these and/or other objects, features, or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and claims that follow. It is to be understood that different embodiments are disclosed herein and that no embodiment need meet each and every object, feature, or advantage as set forth herein. Different embodiments may have different objects, features, or advantages. 
         [0013]    According to one aspect 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 may include a core and a plurality of coil turns wrapped around the core to thereby form a coil. The wearable device may also include 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. The wearable device may be an earpiece. The wearable device may include a switch operatively connected to the charging circuit to selectively control operation of the charging circuit. The short range transceiver may be a near field magnetic induction (NFMI) transceiver. The wearable device may be configured to determine if the wearable device is positioned within an ear of a user and may be configured to determine if the wearable device is positioned on a charging surface. 
         [0014]    According to another aspect, a system includes a first wearable device comprises 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. The system also includes 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. The system may further include 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. The first and second wearable devices may be earpieces. 
         [0015]    According to another aspect, a method of charging a wearable device may be provided. The method may include receiving 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. The wearable device may include 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. The method may include switching to the first mode of operation if the wearable device detects it is positioned within an ear of a user. The method may include 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. The one or more charging coils may be associated with a charging surface. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  illustrates one example of a system including two wearable devices in the form of left and right ear pieces which bi-directionally communicate with each other. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of a wearable device. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  illustrates a printed circuit board of the wearable device positioned relative to an induction circuit/antenna. 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  illustrates a core. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  illustrates a core with coil turns thereon. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  illustrates a set of earpiece wearable devices at or on a charging surface. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  illustrates one example of a block diagram of an earpiece. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0023]    The present invention relates to a wearable device such as an earpiece which uses a coil for both communications and recharging of a battery. Although generally described herein with respect to a near field magnetic induction (NFMI) antenna for use in an ear piece within a set of ear pieces, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to that specific application and may be used as an antenna for induction in other types of devices including other types of wearable devices. 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  illustrates one example of a system  10  which includes a first wearable device  10 A in the form of an ear piece and a second wearable device  10 B also in the form of an ear piece, each having an ear piece housing  12  with a central portion  13  with an upper portion  16  and a lower portion  18 . A light guide assembly  20  is shown operatively connected to the housing to provide for selective illumination to provide feedback to a user.  FIG. 2  provides an exploded view of the wearable device  10 A. A waterproof pad  24  and protection mesh  26  are shown. In addition in the central or main portion  13  of the wearable device  10 A a printed circuit board  40  is shown with a plurality of electronic components  42  mounted thereto. The plurality of electronic components  42  may include a short range transceiver configured for far field communications such as a wireless radio such as a Bluetooth transceiver, a Wi-Fi transceiver, an ultra-wideband (UWB), or other type of transceiver. A core  50  is mounted at an edge or perimeter of the printed circuit board  40 . The core  50  is preferably mounted at a posterosuperior portion of the wearable device  10 A. 
         [0025]    The system  10  allows for near field communication of audio channels between the left and right-sided wearable devices  10 A,  10 B. Other types of data may also be communicated between the left and right-sided wearable devices  10 A,  10 B if desired including sensor information or other data. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  illustrates another view of the printed circuit board  40  with electronic components  42 . A core  50  is shown mounted at an edge or perimeter of the printed circuit board  40 . The printed circuit board is generally planar. Note that the core  50  is mounted perpendicularly or orthogonally to the top surface of the printed circuit board  40  and the plurality of components  42  mounted thereto. Positioning the core  50  in this relationship provides for reducing electromagnetic interference. The core  50  may be formed of a ferrite material. For example, the core  50  may be a ferrite sheet magnetic spacer. As shown in  FIG. 4 , where the core  50  is a ferrite sheet magnetic spacer  52 , the core  50  may be positioned over or wrapped around a battery  54 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , a plurality of coil turns  60  may be wrapped around the core  50 . 
         [0027]    In one embodiment NFMI may be used for the communication and audio channels between the left and right sided wearable devices. Placement of the coil at the perimeter of the wearable improves the electromagnetic field, avoiding degradation from adjacent onboard electronics. This allowed for optimal placement of the magnetic field for transmission and reception between the left and right wearable. The preferred embodiment allows for precise positioning within the device for optimal orientation for the electromagnetic field. Further, the preferred embodiment also allows for an NFMI antenna that is sufficiently powerful for the expected tasks, is straightforward in its manufacturing and assembly. 
         [0028]      FIG. 6  illustrates a system which includes a left earpiece  10 A and a right ear piece  10 B. The earpieces are positioned on or at a charging surface  80 . The charging surface  80  may include one or more source coils  82 . The source coils  82  may be powered in any number of ways. The source coils  82  are in operative communication with the coils of the earpieces  10 A,  10 B in order to transfer electromagnetic energy from the source coils to the coils of the earpieces  10 A,  10 B in order to recharge batteries disposed within the earpieces. Instead of a flat charging surface, earpieces may be positioned within a case of any number of styles or shapes which allow for the source coils  82  to be sufficiently close to the coils of the earpieces  10 A. 
         [0029]      FIG. 7  is a block diagram illustrating one example of an earpiece  12 . One or more sensors  116  are present within the earpiece  12 . The one or more sensors may include an air microphone  132 , a bone microphone  134 , a biometric sensor  136  such as a pulse oximeter, temperature sensor or other type of sensor, an inertial sensor  138 , and a contact sensor  166 . Although representative examples of sensors are shown and described it is to be understood that there may be multiple sensors of the same type and any number of additional types of sensors may be present within the earpiece. One or more speakers  118  may also be present. One or more processors  120  are shown. The various sensors  116 , speakers  118 , radio transceiver  126 , NFMI transceiver  124 , LEDs  128 , may be operatively connected to the one or more processors. A gesture control interface  140  may also be present which may include one or more emitters  152  and detectors  154  which are also operatively connected to one or more processors  120 . A battery  130  may also be present. A charging circuit  160  may also be operatively connected to one or more processors  120  and the battery  130 . The charging circuit  160  may be operatively connected to the same coil which forms a part of the NFMI transceiver  124 . 
         [0030]    The earpiece may be configured to determine if the earpiece is positioned within an ear of a user or otherwise in use by a user of if the earpiece is positioned on a recharging surface. These determinations may be made in various ways. For example, to determine if the earpiece includes a physiological sensor or biometric sensor  136  such as a pulse oximeter then if there is pulse reading the earpiece may be considered to be within the ear of the user. In addition, or alternatively, if the earpiece includes an accelerometer or other inertial sensor  138  the position of the earpiece may be used to determine if the ear piece is within the ear of the user. One or more contact sensors  166  may be used to determine if the earpiece is positioned within the earpiece. Sounds may be emitted from a speaker  118  within the external auditory canal of a user and sensed with a microphone  132  at the external auditory canal of a user, including sub-auditory sounds to determine if the earpiece is within the external auditory canal of the user. Any number of other sensors and methodologies may be used to determine if the earpiece is within the external auditory canal of a user. Any number of other methods may be used including asking the user. 
         [0031]    The earpiece may also be configured to determine if it positioned on the recharging surface. For example, if it is determined that the earpiece is not within the ear and voltage levels associated with the coil correlate with known levels associated with the earpiece being positioned on the recharging surface then it may be determined that the earpiece is on the recharging surface. Once it is known that the earpiece is not within the ear and that the earpiece is positioned on the recharging surface then a switch may be activated to allow the charging circuit to harvest the electromagnetic energy from the coil in order to recharge the battery. 
         [0032]    Therefore, a wearable device has been shown and described and a system including multiple ear pieces which communicate with one another and also allow for recharging of batteries using the same coils. It is to be understood that the present invention contemplates numerous variations, options, and alternatives. The present invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments and examples set forth herein.